Consolidation Group Compiles Questions

CLIFTON FORGE - The court-appointed citizens’ consolidation committee compiled a series of questions to ask representatives of Covington and Alleghany County in a fact-finding meeting scheduled for next week.

During the committee’s second meeting Thursday night at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, the questions were listed. They will be posed to each locality in order for the committee to learn the facts behind their opinion on a consolidated government.

After meeting for nearly a year, members of the Alleghany County Board of Supervisors and Covington City Council failed to come to an agreement on a consolidation proposal.

A citizens’ petition compelled the governments to enter consolidation talks. After one year with no agreement in place, Circuit Court Judge Malfourd Trumbo appointed the committee consisting of five members from Covington and five members from Alleghany County.

While both governments found common ground on operational aspects of a consolidated locality, they could not agree on whether to choose a county form of government versus a city form of government. Alleghany County representatives preferred a county form of government and Covington representatives chose a city form of government and talks reached an impasse.

Committee member Joe Carpenter suggested providing prepared questions for Covington and Alleghany County regarding their views of a consolidated government. The 10-member committee agreed and chose to give them the questions in advance of the meeting next week.

“I think we’ll get more thoughtful answers that way,” Carpenter said.

“ I think the objective is to obtain as much information as we can,” committee member Harry Casey said.

Casey added that answers to the questions should be quantitative rather then qualitative, that is, factual answers not swayed by personal feelings.

Next Thursday’s meeting will be structured to give each side 60 minutes to answer the questions, followed by a 30-minute period for additional questions by the committee or if each locality needs to bring up a subject that was not discussed.

Carpenter provided a list of potential questions to ask each locality.

First, representatives of each locality will be asked what are the advantages of being a city and what are the advantages of being a county.

Committee member Annette Comer suggested adding the option of doing nothing, and the potential consequences of not consolidating.

“What will be the impact if we do nothing? That’s one of our choices,” Comer said.

The committee agreed.

Other questions are based on providing essential services, special service (or tax) districts, distribution of debt for existing capital projects, police protection, water and sewer rates and debt retirement, and voting districts.

The question of whether consolidation will provide a cost savings and help with economic development will also be asked.

Committee member George Goode said the question should be phrased to determine short-term versus long-term effects of consolidation.

“Up front, we might not see the savings,” Goode said.

Committee member Wes Walker said that funding fire and rescue protection needs to be addressed since the city fully funds fire and rescue while the county only provides partial funding.

It was decided that each locality will have the floor for the 60 minute period and the other locality will not be allowed to interject during the presentation.

“I don’t think we want to debate,” committee member John Stone said.

Committee member Pearl Miller expressed concern about potential job lossess as a result of consolidation.

“A lot of citizens are concerned about that,” Miller said.

Goode said when the Clifton Forge and Alleghany County school divisions consolidated in the early 1980’s, adjustments in staffing were managed thorough attrition.

Views regarding a consolidated school division will also be asked of the localities.

In deciding which locality would make their presentation first, the decision came down to a coin toss.

Art Mead, assistant director of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service from the University of Virginia, served as facilitator and secretary for the group.

Mead asked which side should get the floor first.

Discussion was leaning to deciding alphabetically when Casey suggested the coin toss.

“It’s not a ball game,” Covington City Councilman B.B. Bryant said from the audience. Bryant, and councilmen Buddy Brown and Bill Zimmerman attended the meeting. There were no Alleghany County officials present.

Mead had Brown toss the coin and he chose “tails.” Covington won the toss and opted to make their presentation after Alleghany County.

The committee elected co-chairmen. Goode was selected as the Alleghany County chair and Carpenter was elected as Covington’s chair.

Comer asked the committee regarding their views of disseminating information relative to consolidation talks to the public.

Comer said she met with Horton Beirne, editor and publisher of the Virginian Review, and the newspaper offered space to provide weekly updates as well as a question-and-answer column for the public.

Comer offered to write the reports, submit them to the committee for approval, and submit them to attorney Susan B. Williams, local government policy manager for the Commission on Local Government, to ensure that the columns are legally accurate.

Comer said she will also explore setting up an internet blog to relay information.

A consensus of the committee appointed Comer to serve as media liaison.

Carpenter asked if the committee needs to obtain legal counsel during the merger talks.

Bryant said from the audience that attorney Sam Darby, legal counsel for the citizens that filed the petition to spur the consolidation talks, has been retained as the committee’s attorney.

Mead also asked if Covington reverting to a town should be explored.

“That’s something Covington City Council can do on its own,” Carpenter said.

“I don’t think that’s an option for us,” Casey said.

Miller applauded Alleghany County and Covington officials for their dedication in forging a consolidation agreement.

“They’ve done the groundwork. We have to come in and hopefully pull it together.

The committee will meet again Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in McCarthy Hall of DSLCC.