Left to the new board
Decision on impact fees is deferred
By Greg Pearson STAFF WRITER

A new county ordinance could impact the living conditions of immigrants who live in trailer parks on Jefferson Davis Highway.

The list of decisions left for the 2008 Chesterfield Board of Supervisors grew last week as the 2007 board deferred a decision on whether to enact impact fees. If adopted, about 9,000 landowners would be required to pay an average of $5,820 per lot to offset the cost of road improvements before they could develop their property. The fee would be levied when they apply for a building permit.

The affected lots are those that were rezoned prior to the county enacting a proffer system in late 1991, which haven't been built on yet.

With Clover Hill Supervisor Art Warren the only returning board member in 2008, the current board has left many decisions to the incoming board. But Chairman Kelly Miller strongly recommended the new board implement impact fees for roads, which, over the years, would raise about $50 million toward the more than $1 billion shortfall the county needs to upgrade its road network.

"When the General Assembly gives you tools, and you don't use those tools, you're putting yourself in a place" that makes it difficult to ask for more state legislation, advised Miller. Legislators approved the use of impact fees earlier this year.

County staff recommends impact fees for those 9,000 lots with two exemptions: subdividing a lot for family members and individual homes built by nonprofit organizations which sell for less than $200,000. That amount has been used by the planning commission's Workforce Housing Committee as a cutoff point for affordable housing.

Housing code

The board unanimously approved stiffer penalties for when more than four unrelated persons live in a single-family home. The misdemeanor penalty was increased to $2,000 for the first violation and $2,500 for subsequent violations. No one spoke during the public hearing.

Last September, the planning commission voted 4-0 to support the change. The ordinance amendment was recommended in the county's illegal immigration report as one way to reduce the number of illegal immigrants in Chesterfield.

Board minutes

The board approved a change to the Nov. 14 board minutes that omitted objections by Bermuda Supervisor Dickie King about the proposed Cloverleaf Mall rezoning and sale to redevelopment company Crosland. At that meeting, King said he was misled by county officials, who he said told him in executive session the county would recapture its investment - currently $9.2 million. He now believes the money would have been better spent by increasing police salaries.

"Are there any consequences or policies or mechanisms to protect elected officials who make decisions on behalf of citizens based on incomplete or misleading information by your staff [since] these decisions we make costs taxpayers millions of dollars?" King asked County Administrator Jay Stegmaier.

"We have an obligation to provide the board with the most accurate information…that we have available…for your options," replied Stegmaier.

Additional holiday

As proposed by Warren, the board gave county employees an additional day off on Dec. 31 for this year only. That date is a Monday, which will give employees a four-day break before they return to work on Jan. 2.

County audit

An outside audit by KPMG gave the county and the school system a clean bill of health for FY07. "It was a very positive report," Stegmaier told the board.

There were four deficiencies found by the outside auditors in documenting federal funding programs. Those programs were for improving teacher quality, Title I and urban area security cluster.

"It's a training issue," said Kathy Kitchen, assistant superintendent for business and fi- nance. Those programs will now be "handled by the central office" and not at the school level.

"Overall, the controls are good," said Cathy Supernaw, a partner with KPMG.

Other board actions

The board approved a construction contract with Perkinson Construction, LLC for $211,917 for phase two improvements at Lake Chesdin Park. The funding was approved in the 2004 bond referendum, and work is slated for completion in late spring. It includes a new road, 24-foot bridge, fishing pier and paved walking trail in the 43-acre park, designed primarily for boating and fishing access to Lake Chesdin.

The board awarded a $943,675 contract to Design Collaborative Architects to design the Reams-Gordon Library at 325-333 Courthouse Road. Design for the 11.5-acre site will be completed by midsummer of 2010. Funding for the library was approved in the 2004 bond referendum.

The board approved splitting the current Deer Run voting precinct in time for the 2008 presidential election. Eastern Deer Run would continue to vote at Clover Hill Library, while the western portion of the precinct would vote at Cosby High School. The plan has to be submitted to the United States Department of Justice for approval.