February 18, 2025 A called FY 2025/2026 County-Wide Budget Workshop of the Russell County Board of Supervisors was held on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 at 6:00 PM at the Russell County Government Center in Lebanon, Virginia. CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL The Clerk called the meeting to order. Roll Call by the Clerk: Present - Andrew Hensley Lou Ann Wallace Tara Dye Steve Breeding ac quorum Rebecca Dye Nate Kiser David Eaton Absent - None Also, Present - Lonzo Lester, Clerk Rhonda Lester, Deputy Clerk Will Wampler, County Attorney INVOCATION & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Invocation performed by Caleb Johnson followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Motion made by Steve Breeding, second Andrew Hensley and duly approved by the Board of Supervisors to approve the Agenda as amended. The vote was: Aye: Andrew Hensley, Lou Ann Wallace, Tara Dye, Steve Breeding, Rebecca Dye, Nate Kiser, and David Eaton Nay: None Abstain: None Absent: None NEW BUSINESS 1. FY 2025/2026 County-Wide Budget Workshop = Presented by Lonzo Lester 2. Russell County Emergency Shelters/Russell County Emergency Management Director & Deputy Director - David Eaton appointed himself as Emergency Management Director and Lonzo Lester as Deputy Emergency Management Director. 3. Regional Jail Authority = Motion made by Steve Breeding, second Lou Ann Wallace and duly approved by the Board of Supervisors to approve the appointment of Lonzo Lester. The vote was: Aye: Andrew Hensley, Lou Ann Wallace, Tara Dye, Steve Breeding, Rebecca Dye, Nate Kiser, and David Eaton Nay: None Abstain: None Absent: None CITIZENS COMMENTS None CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICER REPORTS & REQUESTS 1. Sheriff, Bill Watson - a lot of these storms are coming in...I'm not saying we're getting blindsided, but we need places to put people. We're kind of in a rescue phase of getting the people...but then when we get them, we're kind of stuck and that takes awayfrom your resources of getting to other places. Over the weekend sO many roads were closed, sO many houses were taking on water. We were fortunate and we were olessed. We got hit, but not like Buchanan County and Tazewell County. Iwant to be at the head of it, want to have a plan... want to have steps one, two, and three. You have people go from step one, straight to step two taken care of, and then on to step three and you move forward. There's SO much red tape in it...those steps of what you have to do to get reimbursed. It's kind of hard to focus on that when you're in the middle of a crisis. I'm not looking at the reimbursement, I'm looking at taking care of the people and getting boots on the ground. You've, got to have those people that are our boots, suits come later. Jeff Kinder, with Rosedale Baptist Church... called him and he's like come get the credit card and put them up and it's problem solved. Aaron Feeser over at Honaker..every time something happens he calls me, he is truly boots onthe ground. He's wanting something to do, and you know there's a void getting this started. I'd like to see our Board get him what he needs, because he's got the facility. We do have these people out here and we just need to put them to work... they're chomping at the bit to help. BOARD DISCUSSIONS & REMINDERS 1. Andrew Hensley - want to thank the board for doing this. We didn't do it last year, sO lappreciate y'all coming out. I had a question from a citizen, "If we have $20 million in our account, why do we need any more of his money?". didn't know the answer, SO I looked and sure enough it's here, 'm going to pass these copies out and in the next meeting if we can go through this just sO everybody knows because I don't know some of the stuff. That's all have, thank you. 2. Lou Ann Wallace -ljust want to say to the Sheriff that 1 very much appreciate. sent a text to him over an issue in Castlewood and it wasn't more than five minutes that I got a reassuring text and sO I appreciate that....I didn't have to wait for hours or days to find out, sO I'm very grateful fori that. We had minimal things happen in District Two, but electricity is a big issue and when that goes off the water goes off. - do need help with that. I can't help my citizens if we're not able to help each other up here. Iwill go on to say one more thing as we start looking at various places that we're going to use as centers or areas of comfort, please remember that we cannot depend on our little communities to save us...we're going to have to depend on each other. Because in 1977, Dante Virginia suffered a disaster that is still in the minds and hearts of all of us. You would not have found a road to have gotten out of there, it was gone. Bunchtown Road was gone Lower Bearwallow was gone...that's where our community center is that's where our rescue squad building is and sO we would have to figure out other ways to get them in that community to another community. We think we can depend on ourselves in our little hills and hollers, but we can't we need each other. I thank everyone that stepped up particularly our fire departments. I talked to some of those guys and gals, and they had not been to bed for 36 hours or some had two hours of sleep. These are our firstresponders, the people on the job all the time when! might be in bed. They are thinking about my condition and my family's condition and the condition of our communities and support them, and I'm totally in agreement with everything that they need. want to help them, sO with that being said, we've gotten letters that we need to look at. want us to be able to take care of our first responders, which includes our Sheriff's office, our rescue and our fire departments. One more thing, the delivery of water into Dante... appreciate the volunteers of St. Paul, they went out, found water, and delivered it via the fire department to the folks that was out of wateri this time. So, want to give them Kudos. Thank you all very much. 3, Tara Dye - too want to thank the first responders. We had such a big response from them coming out. They think about our community, they think about us, and they think about everything while we are tucked away asleep. Itt takes special people to do that. Thankfully the Lord really blessed us with this because this storm could have been sO much worse. I rode around Saturday all through the district several times and kept watching the water creep up and I just kept thinkingyeah this is going to be really really really bad. I'm not saying we all came out unscathed, but when you look at Buchanan and Dickenson County...my goodness we were blessed. We had minor problems and the problems we did have, our community did step up and really come together. I'm just really thankful and proud to be in Russell County. Tonight we are going to get some snow, it's probably. going to be pretty bad frigid temperatures. Don't be out if you don't have to be. Check on your neighbors, especially the elderly and disabled around you. Make sure they're okay. So other than that, I I hope everybody does good and I' be praying for all of you. Thankyou. 4. Steve Breeding -I can't say much more than what's already been said. But you know I've heard it said that God takes care of those who take care oft themselves, and think Russell County is a prime example of that. There's always somebody willing to jump in out there and do something in order to get it all done. So my appreciation to all those individuals. 5. Rebecca Dye - I think everything's been said too, I thank everyone. And do look after your neighbor. There's somebody around that can always use a helping hand. Thanks to all the first responders. 6. Nate Kiser -1 I hate to sound like a broken record, but I'l Echo that thank you to all our first responders. stopped by the Green Valley shelter on Saturday night to check and see how things were going. They had it open and Jess powers and Mr. Glass were there...they were stopping to check in. They had cots, food, water, electricity and hot showers for anybody that needed them. - - don't know if they actually ended up getting anybody there, but it was good to see that they were prepared for that. There's still lots of things we have to do to get prepared moving forward. want to thank again first responders and the emergency management team in Russell County and keep up the good work. And also, to Echo Tara be safe...ifyou don'thave to get out don't get out tomorrow. I know a lot of schools are already shutting down for tomorrow, SO please be careful. Check on your neighbors, especially like she said the elderly and y'all be safe. Thank you. 7. David Eaton - the only thing I have before we adjourn is I - want to echo everybody's response thanks to Sheriff Watson his department, VDOT, all the first responders, the towns, and town maintenance personnel. - want to thank our Board of Supervisor members for the heart that they have for our area and our community. wantto thank CNX Gas for the distribution of water and assistance. When I get all this stuff composed with you guys, we need to actually have a list of the resources that we can call upon to be able to get access to these kinds of needs. Josh Ball called me and donated 50 cases of water. will tell you there are areas before that have gotten hit by semi tornadoes and it did might not affected my district, but it could have affected the lower end...so we always need to be prepared because if the electricity goes out and Lou Ann's district, we need to be prepared to know that we can move them into another area or another district. That's the reason we need to work SO closely with our Sheriff's Office and our churches. I do plan on getting together with a lot of the pastors, because you have al lot ofthem doing certain things and wej justwant to make sure we kind of join arms and hands and make sure we work together. With all that said, I'm SO grateful for our Board and what you guys put into all this. I know you do it because you love our county and you love our community and - appreciate that. ADIOURNMENT Chair adjourned the meeting at 7:46 PM. The next regular monthly meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 3, 2025 at 6:00 PM. Clerk of the Board Chairperson