Budget, trash, roads on supervisors’ meeting agenda
By MIKE WILLIAMS
Patriot Publishing
No one spoke Monday night at a public hearing on Pulaski County’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget proposal.
Besides the budget, the board chairman gave an update on the One Bag Challenge anti-litter campaign, and citizens heard information on the county’s Six Year Road Plan.
Chairman Laura Walters thanked a group of AmeriCorps volunteers who have been working throughout the county on a variety of projects, including the One Bag Challenge.
Along with One Bag Challenge, Walters said the AmeriCorps volunteers had worked in parks, gardens, constructed bluebird houses and fishing recycling tubes.
“You’ve helped with Pulaski Theatre, Wilderness Road and the Ratcliffe museums, Pulaski Train Station, Calfee Center, Emergency Management, Camp Powhatan and cleaned up trash along Peak Creek and seven tributaries around the county. Ya’ll have been busy,” she said.
She said the AmeriCorps group alone had collected 191 bags of trash or 2.8 tons and 220 tires along with toys, debris, building materials, oil tanks, furniture and much more.
Walters told the volunteers, however, there was still one more thing they could do.
“We have a ’40 by 30’ initiative and that is to have 40,000 people live in Pulaski County by the year 2030. So, during your stay, you’ve been building some roots here. You’ve invested in our family, so if you like it here, think about coming back as you begin school, launch your career and begin work life and raise a family. Here we have unparalleled outdoor recreation experiences including Claytor Lake, the New River, Peak Creek, numerous trails around our beautiful county. We have great people and community, great schools and a plethora of interesting events yearround. So, there’s a lot going on. Pulaski County is a great place to live, work and play, and our door is always wide open for you. We can’t thank you enough for your efforts.”
Walters gave a One Bag Challenge update through month two of the campaign.
So far, 1,785 bags of trash have been collected along with 425 tires by 202 volunteers. The campaign runs through June and the goal for this year is for 2,500 bags to be picked up.
“This is a community effort and it’s largely due to our citizens we’re so successful,” said Walters.
Already this year the campaign has doubled the number of tires collected from last year and exceeded the number of bags of trash by 179 bags.
Three more $100 gift cards were awarded Monday to: Richard Chumbley, Claytor Lake State Park and Wilderness Road Museum.
Justin Martin, Finance Director gave a brief synopsis of the proposed county budget for Fiscal Year 2027, which begins July 1.
Martin said the total budget amounts to $189,281,223 and features no increase in taxes.
County Administrator Jonathan Sweet noted the proposed budget makes an investment in public safety including firefighting and law enforcement as well as capital outlay around public safety.
Included are additional firefighters and law enforcement officers.
“It’s a pretty holistic budget with an emphasis not just on community health and wellness, but also public safety as well,” said Sweet.
A public hearing was held on the county’s Six Year Secondary Road Improvement Plan.
As of now Sayers Road in Draper is No. 1 on the list with construction scheduled to begin next year on hard surfacing the unpaved road.
No. 2 – No. 7 on the list include (in order): High Road in Parrott, Akers Road off Draper Valley Road, Hedge Lane in Dublin, Booker Branch Road in Snowville, Young Road near Dublin off Hazel Hollow, and Rock Creek Road in Hiwassee.
The plan is scheduled to be approved at the board’s May 18 meeting.
Two people – Deborah Tibbett and Debbie Parish – spoke during the hearing.
Tibbett asked if Rock Road could be advanced on the list by cutting the work it requires into thirds. She also mentioned a bridge on Route 693 (Ferris Mines Road) and how it needs repair because of asphalt that is missing and exposing wood ties that support the bridge.
Parish asked if there is some way to slow the speed of traffic on an unpaved portion of Rock Road because of the dust that is raised by people driving too fast.