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Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014
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The Journal
Fracking: Senate bill passes From page 1 the King George governing body. Planning Commissioners Chris Cox and Bill Robie were also spotted separately in the audience. GRZEIKA COMMENTS Following last week’s forum, Grzeika told The Journal he attended as the board’s chairman at Brabo’s request and to also meet with the visiting officials from Rockingham County “to better understand their experience as it related to a proposed fracking well in their county.” Grzeika praised Pollard’s moderating of the session, adding the various presentations were balanced and informative for those new to the fracking issue. Grzeika said he looked forward to the county’s continued fact-finding and to a county-wide forum on fracking to be scheduled in the future after more facts are gathered from various sources. He also said, “There are a number of pieces in play and as we work through our fact- finding we will also gain a better idea where the General Assembly is, and what potential legislative changes we may want to discuss with our state delegates prior to next year’s session.” STATE LEGISLATION Also, later last week, a bill initiated by state Senator Richard Stuart passed the senate, Senate Bill 48. If that legislation goes forward it could add another layer of environmental review to applications to the DMME for mining activities in this region including oil and gas drilling. The state plays a primary role with permitting for oil and gas mining, with localities also having a secondary important role, depending in part on the strength of their zoning ordinances. Grzeika also told The Journal he wanted to discuss with the board the possibility of asking the George Washington Regional Commission and the Northern Neck Planning District “to partner to work on a set of model ordinances that we regionally could use that would have some uniformity and provide a better approach to the protection of the aquifer and the regulations and controls for oil and gas wells in the region generally.” POLLARD’S ADVICE During the forum last week,
Pollard noted several of the risks of fracking, including what he called, “the industrialization of a rural landscape,” the potential for pollution of the water supply by chemicals used in the fracking process, as well as a diminution of water quantity, with about six million gallons per day used per ‘frack.’ He also noted that noise is another by-product of the process, with loud compression stations running 24/7 as part of the process. Pollard said mitigation of some of the risks can include strengthening local zoning ordinances regarding industrial noise, traffic, road damage, and setback requirements for well pads and processing from residences, schools, churches and other types of buildings. He warned that truck traffic, associated with fracking, can be excessive, constant, and noisy, in addition to causing costly infrastructure damage by tearing up roads. The truck traffic can be generated during all phases of the mining process, including by hauling in machinery and piping during construction, and hauling off sand and waste water fracking fluid at various points. In addition, there is the potential for a lot more truck traffic to haul in water, if water it is not taken directly from the aquifer under the industrialized site. One argument being used by drilling companies in favor of mining is that it will bring jobs to a region. But Pollard countered that notion, saying that drilling companies bring in their own experienced work gangs to fill those jobs. FUTURE TOWN MEETING When Supervisors feel they have a handle on enough of the facts about drilling and fracking to be able to answer questions from the public, the board expects to hold one or more town meetings to do so. That could be later, rather than sooner, with the legislation, as noted above, working its way through the state’s General Assembly. In addition to a future town meeting to be set for a presentation, along with questions from the audience, all reporting to the board on the fracking issue is slated to take place during public meetings. COUNTY ORDINANCES County attorney Eric Gregory reported in January on the county’s
existing zoning ordinances, saying they address exploratory drilling for oil and/or natural gas by a required special exception permit in the A-1 and A-2 districts. Special exception permits require two advertised public hearings, first one by the Planning Commission and the second by the Board of Supervisors in King George. Gregory said the special exception permit requirements require site plans, ingress and egress plans, drill site plans, erosion and sediment control plans. They also require an environmental impact assessment and operation plan, which must first be filed with DMME and then also filed with a special exception permit application. In King George, drill sites are currently limited to four acres, with no drill site within 500 feet of an occupied residence. Gregory had noted some of what was repeated by Pollard and lawyers at last week’s forum. He had told the board it had the authority to impose additional other requirements if those were incorporated into the zoning ordinance to address noise, dust, traffic impacts, setbacks for drill sites from schools, occupied residences as already included, and churches. Gregory had also cautioned that the existing zoning ordinance does not currently address compression stations, but only addresses drilling sites. That’s likely because the fracking technology has moved ahead of the county’s ordinance. Compression stations are more often utilized in natural gas drilling, with the county’s ordinance largely addressing exploratory oil drilling. Gregory also had noted that regulatory rules are complex in terms of the potential zoning regulation possibilities and in regard to potential environmental impacts. He also said there may be other kinds of related issues in terms of the influx of residents brought in by drillers, including those having to do with temporary and/or transient residents and their impacts on such things as emergency services, law enforcement, schools, etc. Supervisors agreed last month with Gregory’s suggestion that following their fact-finding, the county’s ordinance should be sent to the county Planning Commission after the board agrees to parameters it would want the Commission to address in regard to amendments to the ordinance.
Landfill: Raise height
Raises: Step granted
From page 1
17. That hearing will be at 6 p.m. at the School Board office. The schedule does not give the School Board much time to tinker further with budget numbers, with no additional budget meetings currently scheduled at this time. In the meantime, Benson said he will hold a series of budget meetings for staffs at each of the schools. After a budget request is finalized, Benson is expected to post it on the School Board website for the public to view and comment.
the height of the landfill. The existing landfill contract addresses the landfill height, saying, “At no time shall the height of the surface of the facility exceed 275 feet from sea level…” The benefit to the county to allow the proposed expansion would be to add about 15 more years to the life of the landfill. That would mean close to $100 million additional revenue for the county over the extended timeframe proposed. Cue has said that if the request to increase the permitted height of the landfill were to be approved, it would not be out of line with the heights of other landfills in the state, such as the one in Sussex, two in Fairfax County permitted at over 300-feet high, and one at Bethel near Newport News permitted to go to 375 feet. The average height of a landfill in the United States is 320 feet. PICK-FOR-PAY Cue said the Pick-for-Pay program is popular, with about three dozen groups so far this year asking to participate. He said it would begin in March, with last year’s program described as a big success. Under the program, $500 donations are provided to organizations in exchange for groups helping pick up trash, mostly along a stretch of Route 3. Groups must have insurance and provide adult supervision for youth groups or school clubs. Large signs are placed along the designated road area and helmets, vests, pickers and bags are provided, with the bagged trash collected by the landfill after the project is complete. To sign up, call the main number to the King George County Landfill, 775-3123.
From page 1
BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS The revised budget numbers were distributed following the changes suggested by the School Board. Compared to the current year, 2013-14, appropriations, the total budget request would go from $35,603,037 to $38,067,186, which is an increase of $2,464,149. State revenue is estimated to go up, with Benson saying the increase is mainly due to a change in the composite index calculation by the state. Compared to the current year appropriations for 2013-14, state revenue is expected to go from $19,468,012 to $21,097,451, which is an increase of $1,629,439. But more local revenue is also being requested. Benson and the School Board are currently looking at asking for an increase of $869,596, that would take the local county contribution from the current year of $14,349,353 to $15,218,949. Benson’s budget documents indicate that the required amount of local revenue from the county is currently set by the state
for next year at $10,019,315, which is $4.3 million less. Benson is basing the proposed 2014-15 budget request on an average daily membership (ADM) of 4,130 students, compared to the current year’s budget which was built on 4,100 students. Federal Grant Revenue in Fund 252 is expected to decrease by $74,886 to $1,290,786. State Miscellaneous Revenue is anticipated to go from the current $30,000 to $70,000, an increase of $40,000. The School Board requested that tuition reimbursement be doubled from $12,000 to $24,000. The tuition reimbursement is granted to eligible employees by policy on a firstcome-first-served basis each year to help defray the cost of additional coursework related their positions. VRS $770,206 is estimated by Benson as the cost of the 2.9 percent “fully funded” increase for the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) payment by the division. Benson also told The Journal that $264,720 is the cost of the one-percent VRS offset for year 3. Benson provided comments to The Journal on the rising costs of VRS, saying, “The VRS costs are obviously a major issue for us to navigate for the next several years.” Benson added, “My opinion is that very few understand how the burden to fully fund the VRS has been quietly pushed down to localities by the General Assembly.” Benson also said, “Our total VRS costs for this coming year will increase by $1.035 million. This is an increase out of the budget development gate over which we have no control.”
Property: March dates From page 1 rate should be for the county to collect the same amount of taxes as in the current year, but based on the new, lower real estate assessments. The equalized tax rate amount is dependent on the result of the calculation of what each penny on the tax rate would be realize
for the county. In recent years, the calculation of what a penny on the tax rate generates in tax revenue has fluctuated around $260,000 of county revenue per penny. Whatever tax rate is adopted by the Board of Supervisors in spring 2014 will be reflected in tax bills due in June 2014 when the first half-year payment is due.
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