The Shadow
LOW MOOR, Va. (VR) – On Tuesday, Jan. 7, the Alleghany County Board of Supervisors held its monthly meeting. The first order of business was to nominate and appoint individuals to chairman and vice-chairman positions. Matt Garten was nominated and approved as Chairman, continuing to serve in his current role, and James Griffith, representing Covington District, was re-nominated and approved as Vice-Chairman.
In a public hearing, board members heard and approved a request from Lori Alberts to consider a Special Use Permit which would allow placement of a double-wide manufactured home to be placed on property at 506 Wintergreen Avenue. Susan Hammond, VDOT Resident Engineer, then gave an update regarding work during the previous snowstorm and preparations for the next possible weather event to come this weekend.
A majority of the meeting was done under new business, where Sheriff Kyle Moore offered both yearly and quarterly updates. Sheriff Moore expressed appreciation for the department employees who “went above and beyond my expectations” during the past year. On average the department handled 45 complaints per day along with an additional 16 EMS or emergency calls. Deputies were also involved in serving civil papers, monitoring roadways, performing safety checks, making hourly jail rounds, and processing incoming and outgoing inmates. The average jail census was 86 inmates daily with a high percentage due to drug convictions or arrests.
In an effort to better understand how to address the area’s drug problem, several board members asked Sheriff Moore for insight on potential community interventions. Moore offered several possibilities including interventions at the high school level and an increase in the number of deputies assigned to the drug task force.
Sheriff Moore continued in new business as he presented a request to the board for enhanced hazardous duty retirement benefits for all full-time law enforcement officers and jail officers. The proposal was to move from the current 1.7 percent multiplier to a 1.85 percent multiplier to increase retirement pensions and offer incentives to keep good, highly trained deputies in the department. The increase was approved unanimously by board members and will be effective Feb. 1.
The last order of new business was to reappoint Eston Burge of Falling Springs District for continued service on the Board of Building Code Appeals which was approved.
Board members wished county residents a Happy New Year and congratulated the chairman and vice-chairman on their service and reappointment. Matt Garten, Chair of the Board, offered hope in his closing remarks: “We do a great job together, and it shows. We’ve got a lot of good things ahead in the future!”
The next board meeting will be held on Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. at the complex in Low Moor.
