10-28-2026 8:24pm

SPOTSYLVANIA SUPERVISORS TAKE UP COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, SOLID WASTE AND SCHOOL FUNDING ISSUES

John Williams Editor

Tuesday Meeting Featured Major Land-Use Hearing, Waste Ordinance and Discussion of State School Funding Formula

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. — The Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors faced a wide-ranging agenda Tuesday evening, with issues involving the county’s long-term growth, solid waste system, education funding and 2027 legislative priorities among the matters before the Board.

The Oct. 27 meeting included public hearings on the county’s proposed 2026 Comprehensive Plan and a special-use permit for All Thingz Academy at Tabernacle Church.

Supervisors also returned to proposed changes to the county’s Solid Waste Ordinance following an earlier public hearing.

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

One of the evening’s largest items was the public hearing on Spotsylvania County’s proposed 2026 Comprehensive Plan, the county’s major five-year update of the document used to guide future development and public investment.

The proposed plan covers land use, economic development, housing, transportation, schools, fire and rescue, the Sheriff’s Office, solid waste, water and sewer, libraries, parks and recreation, historic resources and natural resources.

Although the Comprehensive Plan does not itself rezone individual properties, it establishes policies that can influence future land-use and development decisions throughout Spotsylvania.

SOLID WASTE ORDINANCE RETURNS

Supervisors also had the proposed Solid Waste Ordinance changes back before them for a vote.

The Board had postponed action earlier in October after supervisors raised concerns about proposed revisions.

Among the issues discussed during the earlier consideration was a proposed Residential Refuse Permit — a $50 annual hangtag that residents would use to access county convenience sites.

Livingston District Supervisor Jacob Lane had indicated before Tuesday’s meeting that he planned to propose moving forward without the residential permit requirement.

ALL THINGZ ACADEMY

The Board also held a public hearing on a special-use permit application involving Tabernacle Church and All Thingz Academy in the Chancellor Voting District.

The application was one of two major land-use matters scheduled for public hearing Tuesday.

SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA DISCUSSED

Another significant item involved Virginia’s Local Composite Index, commonly called the LCI.

The formula plays an important role in determining the state and local shares of funding for public education.

The discussion comes as Spotsylvania County Public Schools is beginning work on its FY2028 budget and raising concerns about the amount of state funding available to meet growing instructional and special-education needs.

School officials recently identified an immediate need for nine additional special-education classrooms serving students with autism or multiple disabilities. Staffing those classrooms would require nine teachers and 19 paraeducators at an estimated cost of approximately $1.6 million.

The school division has said local funding currently covers 68 percent of its approximately $49.1 million special-education budget.

2027 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

Supervisors also considered the county’s legislative priorities for the 2027 Virginia General Assembly session.

The annual legislative package gives Spotsylvania an opportunity to identify issues on which the county wants action from state lawmakers when the General Assembly convenes in Richmond.

COUNTY FINANCES

The Board’s consent agenda also included the FY2026 carryover budget adjustment and appropriation, along with several county contracts and infrastructure-related items.

Other consent matters involved insurance services, landfill groundwater monitoring, transportation engineering, water infrastructure and HVAC improvements at the Holbert Building.

NEXT MEETING

The next regular meeting of the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors is scheduled for Nov. 17, with a modified 4 p.m. starting time.

As of Wednesday evening, the county’s final official record of actions and individual votes from Tuesday’s meeting had not yet been posted with the publicly available meeting record.

The Spotsylvania Gazette will update readers as the official actions and vote results from the Oct. 27 meeting become available.

THE SPOTSYLVANIA GAZETTE
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