VDOT

Virginia Department of Transportation Administrator David Cubbage told the Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors on Monday that decreased revenues and increased costs have led to an expected 44 percent decrease in funding for road projects in the county and other jurisdictions in the commonwealth.

The budget crunch means the county's list of projects will be completed at a slower rate than in the past, he said.

VDOT's six-year plan for the county is scheduled to be approved at the supervisors' April meeting.

County Administrator John McCarthy announced that the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has issued a $10,200 fine against the county for violations at the Amissville Landfill.

McCarthy said DEQ inspectors found insufficient cover on the landfill on several occasions. He took the blame for the violation, but also said Updike Industries, the contractor hired to operate the landfill, bears some responsibility as well.

McCarthy called the fine "out of whack," but added that the county has saved much more than $10,200 in the two months since closing the landfill.

The supervisors agreed on a new four-year contract renewal for McCarthy. He made a salary of $109,000 in fiscal 2008 and will make $125,000 in fiscal 2009. His salary is scheduled to increase 5 percent annually in subsequent years to $144,703 in fiscal 2012.

The contract also includes a succession clause to provide for an "orderly transition" from McCarthy to his successor. The clause states that measures, such as hiring a deputy or assistant who will act as successor or hiring a consulting firm that specializes in executive succession, must be undertaken by the third year of his contract.

McCarthy has worked for the county for 22 years and said he does not plan to leave the job in four years. But the county needs to plan for any circumstances that would prevent him from working. The 46-year-old also said he may have a better idea of his retirement plans four years from now.

During the public comment period, Flint Hill resident Phil Irwin told the supervisors about Norfolk Southern's $57 million plan to upgrade its existing rail line from Manassas to Front Royal. Irwin said he believes the project decreases the likelihood that the company will build a new freight line through Rappahannock.

"Keep in mind that the numbers they were talking about for widening I-81 were in the billion-dollar range," McCarthy said. "So $57 million for those track improvements doesn't necessarily preclude several hundred million dollars for new track to go from Linden down to Culpeper."

McCarthy said a Culpeper-to-Linden route would allow Norfolk Southern to build the line without the need for a costly tunnel under the mountains. He said a report on the project's feasibility is scheduled to be released in June.

Virginia Broadband Serve has approached Rappahannock about a plan that could provide high-speed Internet to 75 percent of the county's population.

The company has proposed building seven Rappahannock facilities, which would include small microwave dishes mounted on 80-foot wooden poles. Two areas of the county that would not be served are Amissville and Chester Gap, where Comcast Digital Wireless service is already available.

The board gave approval for McCarthy to explore the topic further and invite Virginia Broadband representatives to speak at the supervisors' next meeting.

E-mail the reporter at kallen@timespapers.com.