Light Industrial Park Proposed for Yancey Mills - Crozet Gazette

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page 2 s AUGUST 2008 from the Editor Land Use Taxes The Albemarle County Supervisors wisely stepped back from an action that would have fractured community solidarity in western Albemarle July 9 when they decided against changing the current land use taxation program. They did vote to investigate a revalidation program that would require farmers to affirm that they are farming, perhaps by submitting information from their Schedule F federal income tax form. Fluvanna and Orange Counties have such recertification requirements. White Hall District Supervisor Ann Mallek had voted to open discussion on possibly shifting the program’s terms to what County planners had dubbed “Option 2,” a proposal that only land that met the state’s definition of open space, generally speaking that in conservation easements or forestal districts, be eligible for the program. That got her in big trouble with rural residents who assembled at the White Hall Community Center July 7, at a meeting they organized, to find out what she was thinking and make sure she knew what they were thinking. More than 100 alarmed and reasonably well-informed citizens were jammed into the room. They could not believe she had actually cooperated with the notion of changing the program. Mallek’s own farm in Earlysville has been in land use since 1982, she acknowledged, and Samuel Miller District Supervisor Sally Thomas also participates in the program. Mallek bravely wore her typically sweet smile throughout the night. “I feel a kindred spirit with the rural people,” she assured them. But they were skeptical about that and their message was blunt. “Everything you said you were gonna do [during the campaign] you’ve gone off sides of,” said one speaker. “Represent us, Ann!” came a repeated demand from the back of the room that nearly became a chant. “[Rio District Supervisor David] Slutsky tells us we own too much,” said another speaker. “We work from dawn until 10 p.m. to hold our land. What we own we should be able to keep. Slutsky said he hopes landowners will give up their rights. You seem to follow his lead.” “I need to stick with my original instinct on this,” said Mallek, which was to go for a recertification requirement. She said it will require from six to eight new county employees to administer it. An undetermined fee would be charged to revalidate as well. “Are you aware how many farmers depend on the land use tax?” asked Kathy Rash. “Their livelihood and their heritage are at stake. Farmers are canceling feed and fertilizer orders out of fear of the Board vote. We’ve put millions of dollars in our operations and we feel we are being reneged on and the county is turning its back on us.” “The county wants us to put our land on the table and tell us how we can develop,” said another speaker. “If they want to put their stocks and bonds and 401Ks on the table I’d like to look at them!” “We’re not picking this fight,” said Hank Martin. Richard Cogan, a Planning Commission member from 1980 to 1988 who now sits on the county’s three-member Board of Zoning Appeals, said “It’s another erosion of property rights. Three supervisors are saying what’s yours is ours. It belongs to the County of Albemarle. We’re not going to stand for it.” Dirk Haynes reported that 84 percent of local farmers said in a survey done by the Albemarle Farm Bureau that they would sell out if land use was ended. If even only part of that possibility were to be realized, four decades of county growth management policies would implode. In the end, two hours later, Mallek promised that she would not cast the fourth vote needed to change the program. “Let’s not let it turn into growth area versus rural area,” she said. “We’re all in this together.” A sluice of growth has been turned on to growth areas like Crozet and it’s understandable that growth area residents are frustrated that the infrastructure and services that growth demands are not being met, except in the county’s languorous and desultory manner. They mistakenly look at the land use program as a subsidy of rural life that is depriving them of tax money they need to cope with growth. But this is not a tax equity problem. For rural landholders, and farmers especially, the matter is existential. Without land use they are gone. They point out that they are taxed the same as suburbanites on their house and buildings on two acres, which is typically larger than most suburban lots. It’s Crozet gazette only their crop and pasture lands, which really don’t produce much income any more, that are taxed at a reduced rate. It’s been proven many times that the tax dollar paid by a suburban resident gets him more than one dollar of service and that the dollar paid by a rural resident gets him less than a dollar’s worth of services. If anybody is being subsidized, it’s the growth area resident. This is not a new problem—it can be traced to colonial times—and in fact the structure of local government in Virginia is designed to recognize it. Counties are presumed to have agrarian economies and cities are presumed to have mercantile economies. Because those economies have different natures, the Virginia constitution gives cities and counties different taxation powers. But they are also inextricably linked. Farms feed towns, towns are markets for farms. As the increase in gas price brings home, what we need is to cultivate and nurture local agriculture. It is appalling that food that could be available fresh locally is being produced a continent or an ocean away and shipped here at great cost and loss in nutritional value. Of all the blessings western Albemarle has, fertile soils and sufficient rainfall are the greatest. Next is us. We are in this together and we have to appreciate, and respect, what we have. The Gazette believes growth area residents should look to the lavish county budget for money—schools, the sacred cow, in particular—and push for new spending priorities. The Gazette repeats its view, too, that the revenue-sharing agreement between Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville has outlived its usefulness. It should be voided. The City should annex the “suburban ring” and take responsibility for all the urban area. Let the county boundary retreat to the actual rural area. That would re-establish the balance designed into our governmental structure and reduce the political problem of suburban voters dominating the agenda of rural residents. Crozet, and Scottsville, will navigate their needs as market towns quite satisfactorily in that arrangement. The fundamental issue in Albemarle, the seemingly eternal one, is fair taxes.
Crozet gazette AUGUST 2008 s page 3 to the Editor CCC BOYS exonerateD A correction is needed in the July 2008 issue, pg. 8—“CCC’s White Hall Camp Remembered.” In the fourth column, second paragraph, the line reads: “James speculated that some [fires] were started by the CCC men because they got paid for putting them out.” No. The CCC boys never started fires. They were paid the same dollar-a-day wage regardless, and fought the fires without extra compensation, even during their “free” time. I’m sorry that you [the editor] misunderstood. I was reading a direct quote from a letter written to me by the camp engineer. He was explaining the different ways that the fires started, i.e. berry gatherers clearing undergrowth; moonshiners burning out their competition; etc. Without pointing a finger directly at any place or person, he stated that there were “some” who could make extra money for fighting fires, insinuating—as you correctly interpreted—that someone might have incentive to start a fire in order to benefit financially. Please print a correction/retraction on this point to exonerate the CCC boys. They had no incentive for such conduct. Such an unfortunate event was extra duty to the max, with no extra compensation. Phil James White Hall Ed’s Note: Mea culpa OLD SCHOOL REUSE In the July issue of the Crozet Gazette was a very informative article on page 1 that explained the three-day schedule of meetings that allowed the citizens of Crozet and Western Albemarle County to express their opinions and thoughts on how the Old Crozet Elementary School and grounds could best be used to benefit the area. One part of the three days that did not receive coverage was very important in collecting ideas. From 9 a.m. until 5:15 p.m. on Friday, June 20, a table was manned by members of the Old School Reuse Committee and Albemarle County staff. This was done in front of the Crozet Great Valu to ensure that as many citizens as possible had a chance to express concerns, opinions and concepts on how to use the old school building and grounds. 197 citizens took the time to express 63 unique ideas that would not have been captured otherwise. As can be seen from the number of people that stopped at the table, the reuse of the old school is very important to the community and the reuse committee will certainly make sure their ideas are studied and discussed before any final decision is made. If any citizen would like to review the ideas collected that day or during the entire process they can do so at www.albemarle.org/oldschool. We also want to thank Jean Wagner and the employees at Great Valu for continuing to offer a site in front of the store for groups to engage the public. Bill Schrader Member of the Old School Reuse Committee Mountain Plain Baptist Church A small, friendly, moderate church invites you to share your Sunday with us. Sunday School 10 am Traditional Worship Service 11 am Rev. Sam Kellum, Pastor 4297 Old Three Notch’d Road Travel 2 miles east of the Crozet Library on Three Notch’d Rd. (Rt. 240), turn left onto Old Three Notch’d Rd., go 0.5 mile to Mountain Plain Baptist Church More information at www.mountainplain.org or 823.4160 Xela 2008: Western Albemarle Students Go to Language School in Guatemala By Margie Shepherd On June 15, a group of 34 students, including 28 from Western Albemarle High School, along with seven adults, headed to Quetzeltenango, Guatemala, for a three-week Spanish immersion program. They lived with families in Quetzeltenango (also called by its Mayan name, Xela) and took five hours of classes each afternoon at Casa Xelaju. Mornings were filled with cultural activities and volunteer projects. They toured the city, learned about back-strap weaving, visited schools, took Salsa lessons, and helped with chocolate production. They hiked into the dormant volcano of Chicobal to the edge of the lake inside. They worked with children in an afterschool program, with a temporary shelter, and on rural houses with Habitat for Humanity. When they visited Escuela Las Trigales to play basketball and soccer with the students, they also came loaded with soccer equipment. Two boys in the group, Ben and Adam Schiller, collected balls, shin guards, shoes, and shirts from Albemarle students in the SOCA league this spring. SOCA donated over a hundred new soccer shirts. There were enough to outfit many local teams connected to this school. One weekend the group headed to Lake Atitlan, to the beautiful towns of Panajachel and Santiago, and then to Chichicastenango, an enormous market that pre-dates Columbus’s arrival. The next they flew to the state of Petan to see the Mayan ruins at Tikal and a tour of that ancient city with their guide Pavlo. And before heading back, they spent some time in Antigua, near Guatemala City. Students took the Albemarle County Spanish exam upon returning home, and those who pass will receive a full year of Spanish credit. Spanish immersion not only included the classwork, but mealtimes, buying things in the stores and markets, cafes and ice cream stands, where they had to practice with the language to get what they needed. They took away with them an appreciation for Guatemalan and Mayan culture. About sixty percent of the people of the Western Highlands, where the students were, are Mayan, speaking Mum or Qui’che, or one of the other many dialects as a first language. The students came back loaded with Guatemalan textiles, bags, coffee, glassware from Copavic, and wooden masks—and loaded with stories, new friendships, new experiences, and many wonderful memories. Pictures and accounts of the adventure are at the blog www. xela2008.blogspot.com. Participants at Xela 2008 included: Laura Weiss (mother), Landon Weiss, Max Weiner, Chris Bergin, Jacob Ball, Colin Williams, Alex Mosolgo-Clark, Matthew Kochard, Hunter Weiss (Henley), Gabby DeJanasz, Phoebe Fooks, Katie Van dePol (AHS) Veronica O’Brien, Diana Stan, Ben Schiller, Adam Schiller, Alec Shobe (Richmond) Sam Isaacs, Liz Noonan, Rosemary Shepherd (WAHS‘04), Henry Giles, Ethan Baruch, Jake Parks, Becca Stoner, KellyAbrams, Paul Charron (NC) Cole Weiss (Meriwether Lewis), Maggie Borowitz, Sadie Garner, James Webster, Grant Forsythe (MN), Kristy Mangold (AHS), Suzanne deJanasz (mother), Margaret Shepherd (Murray HS ‘06) Anna Brown, Jay LaRue, Margie Shepherd (Henley teacher), Jennifer Bisguier, Michael Hartman, Chris Abrams, Diana Garner (mother), and Sandy Williams mother).
Page 1: INSIDE the Land Use Taxes editorial
Page 5 and 6: Crozet gazette AUGUST 2008 s page 5

Light Industrial Park Proposed for Yancey Mills - Crozet Gazette

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