The Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors enjoyed the best of times in 2004, and hopes for an encore in 2005.
Board members approved a budget that cut real-estate taxes while simultaneously--thanks to a $1.4 billion state tax increase--producing a budget that added money for schools, law enforcement and other services.
The board's slow-growth majority flexed its muscles by closing a loophole that allowed developers to subdivide land under a law intended for families.
And, perhaps most notably, the board brokered a deal to preserve about 140 acres of land on State Route 3 where Union and Confederate troops clashed 140 years ago.
Board Vice Chairman Hap Connors is claiming bragging rights for his colleagues.
"I think the new board had a great year in 2004--in passing the first-ever code of ethics, balancing growth and economic development, in beginning to tackle transportation," he said.
But as they ring in the new year, board members are outlining an ambitious agenda. The are pushing for further "smart growth" programs, want to tackle traffic jams and other transportation problems and launch a major expansion of county office space at Spotsylvania Courthouse.
In recent interviews, several supervisors listed as their proudest 2004 accomplishment the creation of an ethics policy for themselves and members of advisory boards.
Supervisor Chris Yakabouski said the code is improving the board's image.
"I think the previous perception--and this is not district specific--is that the board was sort of unresponsive or didn't really look out for the citizens," he said. "I think what we've been able to do is show residents that we're out there looking out for them and trying to do those things that will make this county a better place."
Board Chairman Bob Hagan is pleased the supervisors lowered the real-estate tax rate in order to offset soaring property assessments.
"I think it was incumbent on the board to at least partially offset the consequences of the rising values," he said. "You can't spend like cash out of your pocket the increased property value, but you do have to pay increased tax assessments directly out of your pocket."
The board set the tax rate at 86 cents per $100 of value, down from $1.01 the previous year.
Supervisor Vince Onorato pledged that the board will try to avoid higher taxes in 2005.
"We will make another concerted effort this year to hold our tax rate to a bearable level for our citizens by spending every tax dollar carefully and wisely," he said.
Looking back on 2004, Onorato especially is proud that the supervisors tightened the rules for creation of so-called exempt subdivisions.
"This is a board committed to slower and smarter growth in the county, and I think that is one tool that will enable us to do that," he said.
The new rules allow large landowners in rural areas to seek the exempt subdivision status only if they plan to split the land for use by immediate family members.
Onorato and other board members have complained that developers were creating exempt subdivisions in order to skirt county zoning and design standards.
The board's most dramatic move this year was rezoning 87 acres of the Mullins farm on State Route 3 to allow Tricord Inc. to develop an age-restricted community on the property.
In return, the company sold at a below-market price nearly 140 acres of abutting land to the Civil War Preservation Trust. Historical preservationists had long coveted the land, which was the site of fierce fighting on the first day of the Battle of Chancellorsville.
The trust plans to place a permanent conservation easement on its new property.
Much of the credit for the deal between Tricord, the trust and local businessman John Mullins belongs to Hagan, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes on the project.
A new year brings new challenges, of course, not the least of which will be crafting a new county budget.
The development of last year's budget sparked a fight with Spotsylvania's School Board, which wanted the supervisors to raise taxes in order to further boost school spending. The supervisors declined.
Connors said he hopes for "an honest discussion" this year over budget priorities.
He also wants more emphasis on transportation, including a debate on the merits of joining the Virginia Railway Express.
Doing so would require the supervisors to impose a gas tax, but Connors suggests that might be a small price to pay for relieving area traffic jams.
"People have to know that there's no free lunch, and there are different ways to tackle it through revenue bonds, tolls [or] even joining VRE and benefiting off of the fuels tax," he said. "Hopefully, the voters will let us know which way they want to go."
Onorato, an enthusiastic VRE booster, argues that the bulk of the gas tax wouldn't go to the commuter rail system.
"By us joining VRE, every $1 of tax we would collect--about 70 cents out of that would go for other transportation needs in the county--everything from paving rural roads to expanding FRED service to building new local roads," he said.
Yakabouski wants the board to quickly adopt a purchase of development rights program.
The program--already under development--would allow owners of large land tracts to sell the development rights for their properties to either government or private conservation organizations.
The landowner would get a quick infusion of cash, as well as lower tax bills thanks to the depreciated value of the property.
"The purchase of development rights, I think, really gives us an opportunity to start saving a lot of those open areas and gives an opportunity to those large landowners, who don't want to sell off to developers, to make some money on their land," Yakabouski said. "It's a win-win all around."
Hagan predicted the board will move quickly to begin charging those who can afford to pay--either via insurance or out of pocket--for county ambulance services. The board has scheduled a Jan. 11 public hearing on this matter.
Hagan also wants his colleagues to establish an automatic trigger for putting referendums on the ballot before issuing $25 million or more in bonds.
"It doesn't make any sense to me that we spend $50 million in bonds on a high school without asking permission, but have to ask to issue $30 million in bonds for fire and emergency services [construction]," he said. "We need to be consistent about when we go to the public, and the way to do that would be establish a policy."
Supervisors Emmitt Marshall, T.C. Waddy and Gary Jackson couldn't be reached for comment.
To reach GEORGE WHITEHURST: 540/374-5438 gwhitehurst@freelancestar.com