Supes, council meet again on joint authority

By Allison Brophy Champion

Published: June 23, 2008

There’s been a lot of talk lately about northern Virginia developer’s multimillion proposal to build a water and sewer system with the county to serve areas right around the town.

But what about the more than decade-old proposal for the town and county to partner on providing the essential utilities, using the town’s established infrastructure as the foundation?

It’s been quiet on that front in recent months as each locality pursued independent paths.

Tonight at 7 p.m., Culpeper Town Council and the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors will revisit the issue of a regional water and sewer authority at a meeting, advertised as closed session, at Germanna’s Daniel Technology Center.

With the state’s end-of-2010 deadline looming for more environmentally friendly wastewater treatment and the town and county taking separate steps to meet those requirements, Tuesday’s meeting could be a last chance to regionalize water and sewer service in Culpeper.

Town officials say they never once denied water and/or sewer service to areas around its borders, and in fact, two years ago Town Council unanimously voted to join the County’s water and sewer authority.

However, the Board of Supervisors fell silent after that, in response to the town’s request to grow its borders in exchange for joining the authority and in doing so, bringing two treatment plants, miles of piping, pump stations and thousands of customers.

Supervisors have maintained properties now located in the county would gain little to nothing by becoming part of the town except more taxes.

But the tide may be changing.

County Board Chairman Bill Chase, the most outspoken member adamantly against a boundary line adjustment, slightly eased that position Monday afternoon.

He did not say he would support letting the town grow by the maximum 3,000-acres it originally requested, but he also didn’t say no to it all.

“They call it boundary line adjustment, I call it annexation,” said Chase, a farmer from Stevensburg, of the more hostile latter term. “But I’m not totally against it,” he added, “It depends on where it is.”

Mayor Pranas Rimeikis, probably as adamantly against giving up control of the town’s water and sewer systems for nothing in return, was not against joining the county’s water and sewer authority.

“But I think we need quid pro quo for giving up all the town ratepayer’s assets,” he said.

“A boundary line adjustment is the one we looked at the most.”

The town, through the years, has been more than willing to expand its water and sewer service to areas around the town, Rimeikis said, and in fact, that’s why the town is expanding its sewer treatment plant.

“The town consistently provided (utilities) to the county knowing that the development would be around the town, where the infrastructure is,” the mayor said, mentioning the first agreement to do so, more than 20 years ago, to the planned 1,000-home development south of town known as Three Flags.

The town designed its sewer treatment plant for an ultimate expansion to 9-million-gallons-per-day, Rimeikis said, because it “knew the county needed water and sewer.”
“We never said no. I don’t know what the conflict is.”

Rimeikis said he could support a regional water and sewer authority if “it would truly benefit town and county citizens.”

Chase said it would.

“(A regional authority) is a benefit to all the citizens because every bit of the money has to be put back into the system,” he said, adding that all employees currently operating the town’s systems would remain in place.

“Nothing would change. It’s a matter of whether the town wants to join or not.”

Chase said he hoped tonight’s meeting would result in a regional authority with the town.

Town Councilman Chip Coleman hoped for a long-term resolution of water and sewer service.

“Hopefully the two governing bodies will work out a solution that will serve our community for the next 100 years in the most cost-effective manner,” he said.

The town system was recently upgraded to 4-mgd, Coleman said, “and continues to be upgraded to handle the immediate areas outside of town.”

That includes Terremark, a high tech data center currently on town water and sewer, he added, “and any other tech company that might locate in Culpeper.”

Clearly a lot hinges on the work Culpeper’s two government bodies are able to accomplish at tonight’s meeting — or not.

The meeting was called at the request of both bodies, County Administrator Frank Bossio said.

“We don’t have any positions or talking points,” he said.

“This meeting is to get all the board members and all the council members in to talk about boundary adjustment and related topics.”

But what’s with the closed session approach?

“Did you notice any progress (in open session)?” Rimeikis asked, saying he would support the closed meeting.
Not Chase.

“I will never go into closed session except for personnel (issues),” he said. “I don’t know why they want it in closed session — maybe they want to say things they don’t want to say in the open.”

As for Chase, the whole world can hear what he has to say, he said.

The code section used for allowing the closed session stipulates Tuesday’s meeting will involve discussion and consultation “with staff regarding … inter-jurisdictional cooperation, a possible boundary adjustment with Culpeper County and water and sewer agreements,” citing the usual section about “probable litigation.”

Acting Town Manager Tom Huggard, a former council member, would not comment about the meeting’s topics, citing its closed session nature.

“Hopefully, after (the) meeting there will be plenty of public information coming out,” he said.

Town Councilman Steve Jenkins, like Chase, said he would vote against the closed proceedings.

“We were elected to be public officials not private officials,” he said in a phone message over the weekend. “At this point, there is no land acquisition involved and no litigation.

“In my opinion, the discussion needs to be totally open.”

Whatever the format, Rimeikis hoped the discussion would lead to something.

“Hopefully, we can come up with some agreement, agreeing in principle about a course of action or no course of action,” he said. “At least we have gone somewhere.”

Allison Brophy Champion can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 101 or

Closed session
The Culpeper County Board of Supervisors and Culpeper Town Council will hold a joint meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Germanna’s Daniel Technology Center, 18121 Technology Drive.

The meeting was advertised as closed to the public.