Week Ahead for December 23, 2024: One obscure meeting happening in Louisa County
This really is a good week to take a break from local government!
Surely, there are no government meetings this week? I have thought a lot about whether there would be an edition of this newsletter or not because the assumption is that there will be no public meetings. Yet, the role of the journalist is to make certain of this because at least once in my career there has been a major meeting held on December 28 at which an actual decision was made. Which one? Stay tuned to the end.
I’m on board an Amtrak train bound to New Jersey for a trip to be with my family for the week. I plan on writing at least two regular editions of the newsletter and possibly a third. There’s still a lot of material I want to get through before switching to a “look back” format so I can figure out what the big themes have been in 2024.
Here’s what my research has turned up for this week:
Albemarle County government will be open on Monday but closed Tuesday and Wednesday. They reopen on Boxing Day, a phrase no one really uses but I’m determined to make happen.
There are no scheduled meetings in Charlottesville this week and so far the schedule shows nothing until January 6, 2025. The city follows the same closure pattern as Albemarle County with things back to normal on Boxing Day.
Fluvanna County won’t have a meeting again until January 3, 2025 when the Electoral Board meets. I tried to confirm their offices won’t be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and in doing so I learned they have an email list called FAN Mail which I have now signed up for as a gift to myself.
Greene County’s website tells me that “government offices and the Landfill will be closed on December 24 and 25, 2024, and January 1, 2025, in recognition of the holiday season.” So no meetings.
It turns out there is one meeting in Louisa County on Monday. An entity called the Water Committee will meet at 9 a.m. in the executive boardroom in the administration building at 1 Woolfolk Avenue. There’s no agenda and I’m not sure what this group actually is or does. I bet Tammy Purcell would know! She runs Engage Louisa and deserves a plug every single week. Anyway, I looked at a list of committees in Louisa County and nothing of that name comes up. Maybe the water authority? It’s not too much of a mystery, but it’s a meeting! I also learned there’s a monthly newsletter called The Informed Citizen. I’ve got to sign up for that, too!
Nelson County will also be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. There does not appear to be a meeting until January 14, 2025. I don’t believe they have a newsletter, but I do know I want to more about Nelson County.
There are only two meetings listed on the Commonwealth Calendar which I use to see if there’s something happening in state government that’s germane to local issues.
I had to look and if I’m looking, I’m publishing something because otherwise I’d feel strange. Being able to write so prolifically keeps me in touch with the world.
As for that meeting between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve? Back in 2011, the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority held a meeting to take a final vote for how to proceed with a pump station. The vote was 4 to 3 with representatives from Albemarle voting one way, and representatives from Charlottesville voting another. The chair, Mike Gaffney, sided with Charlottesville and a slightly more expensive option was selected.
I wrote about that for Charlottesville Tomorrow, a place where I was essentially programmed to pay attention to local government. I’m glad to have made this my career and to continue to bringing you information about things I truly love to cover. I’m hoping I can continue refining the business and constantly seeking new efficiencies.
And I’m grateful for the Piedmont Environmental Council for their sponsorship of this weekly look at what’s coming up in regional government. As I type this, the Northeast Regional is just about to enter Fauquier County where their headquarters is located. That’s as good a time as any to end this edition which could be bombastically described as an exercise in vigilance.
Hey! That’s made a great t-shirt! I’ll get my designers on that right away.
