MINUTBS OF THE SHENANDOAH COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS PUBLIC HBARING ON FY26 PROPOSED BUDGET AND TAX RATE MBETING: APRIL 7, 2025, 7:00 PM A Public Hearing of the Board of Supervisors was held beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Cafeteria of Peter Muhlenberg Middle School, 1251 Susan Avenue, Woodstock, Virginia on April 7, 2025. The following board members and staff members were in attendance: Vice Chairman Dennis Morris, Supervisor Steve Baker, Supervisor Tim Taylor, Supervisor David Ferguson, County Administrator Evan Vass, Deputy County Administrator Mandy Belyea, Director of Finance Amy Dill, and Administrative Assistant Allie Fauber. Chairman Stephens and Supervisor Roulston attended virtually due to personal reasons both associated with traveling out of the area. Vice Chairman Morris led the invocation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Supervisor Taylor identified himself as an employee of Shenandoah County Public Schools. Vice Chairman Morris called the public hearings to order and read an opening statement reminding the public that the Rules of Procedure are in effect for public hearings including limiting comments to 3 minutes. He said action on all of the proposed budgets and tax rates are expected to occur at a scheduled meeting on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. The following comments were made: Chris Pangle of Maurertown said that he was thankful for the contribution being made to the volunteer fire departments. He also stated that Fort Valley needed to be staffed with fire and rescue 24/7. Paul Hightower and family of Broadway spoke ofhis two year old son who passed away in 2020 due to a choking hazard and stated that there was a delayed response time by EMS. He said that this incident helped lead Conicville fire and rescue to be fully staffed and advocated for all other stations to be adequately staffed 24/7. Jeff Mongold of New Market said that he has been working with Emergency Communications to obtain more radios for the New Market Fire and Rescue Department and that currently they have significantly less than others in the County. He explained how this could lead to dangerous situations and he would like to be funded for at least the minimum amount needed. He added that this station is also providing three ambulances to the County and are not funded for them. Mr. Mongold asked for this to be funded and also the air packs recommended by the recent Fire and Rescue study. Kelly Maze of Edinburg spoke in support of funding the ALS captains, training lieutenants, six relief providers, 24/7 staffing in Edinburg, and volunteer contributions. She said that cutting urgent needs for public safety from the budget is not the answer. She also supported bringing more industry to the County to help decrease taxes. Karen Kwiatowski of Mt Jackson stated that the County's spending was wasteful and there needed to be more discipline. She said that the taxpayers cannot keep paying the increasing taxes and deal with inflation. She suggested a fraud, waste and abuse system for the citizens to use. Leigh Wine and daughter Keira Bauserman shared how their mothet/grandmother passed away recently in Fort Valley after a medical emergency and that Woodstock EMS was not able to respond for 26 minutes. She added that the Fort Valley station is only two minutes from the site of the incident. She advocated for 24/7 staffing at Fort Valley. Susie Blissert of Maurertown spoke to support the funding for architectural and engineering services for Triplett Tech and for Fire and Rescue. Jeff Holzbauer of Edinburg supported funding Fire and Rescue. He also said that funding can not be at the expense of landowners through taxes. Con Burch of Fort Valley thanked the Board for listening to their concerns related to Fort Valley Fire and Rescue. She stated that the current response times are unfathomable for someone in need of services and that staffing Edinburg is not the answer. She advocated for staffing in Fort Valley. Daryl Bowers of Maurertown thanked the Board for listening to the volunteers during this process. He said that the County needs funds for schools and public services. He spoke in favor of the Meals Tax and needing more firefighters and EMS. Regina Coleman of Fort Valley stated that she finds the situation at the Fort Valley station unacceptable. She added that if they were to get the FEMA grant, there is still no place to house the firefighting staff. Cara Mroczek of Strasburg said that she has children in Sandy Hook and has volunteered in the school and praised the staff. She stated that the facilities are lacking for staff to maximize their abilities. She added that there is not enough classroom space for testing and that she would like to see funding for capital improvement projects. Shane Waller of Strasburg said that he is a small business owner who is invested in the County and community. He supported funding for the beginning stages of a new elementary school and said that this is a long process and prices will only increase. He added that he would like to see more money coming from the state to avoid relying on the County citizens for these needs. Sonny Mongold of New Market spoke in favor of the Meals Tax and that the community is educated on what this is. He said with the interstate running through the County, the truck stops and restaurants would collect the Meals Tax on travelers. Brian Gilkerson ofToms Brook said he heard all the needs for Fort Valley and Edinburg but suggested they look into cutting back places in the budget. He said that initially he was against the Meals Tax and now supports it. Vice Chairman Morris thanked everyone for coming and the Board members for spending sO much time working on this budget. He said that they have heard the concerns and needs and are trying to meet these needs. He expressed his excitement for upcoming projects for the County. Supervisor Ferguson said he heard that citizens want Fort Valley staffing, school improvements, and keeping taxes low and that they would do their best to work on this. With no further business to come before the Board, the public hearing was adjourned at 7:55 p.m. B UTA Josh Stephéns, Chairman ATTEST: Evan Vass, Clerk of the Board