This article has been edited from its original version.
A couple more long-term public servants were missing from the boardroom Tuesday morning as the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors continued its reorganization of local government and adopted a resolution acknowledging May 4-10 as Public Service Recognition Week.
Acting County Administrator Shane McCrum read the resolution out loud, in part, “WHEREAS, public service is essential to the well-being of our communities, and the employees of Culpeper County play a vital role in ensuring the safety, health, and prosperity of our citizens; and WHEREAS, this week is designated as Public Service Recognition Week to honor the dedication and hard work of public servants, including those in Culpeper County, who serve with professionalism, integrity, and compassion.”
“Thank you very much to all of our public servants,” Board Chairman Tom Underwood said. “Our government functions because of you, we are safe because of you, and we truly appreciate all of your service.”
Three more public servant separations
McCrum, acting administrator for only a few weeks since his April hiring as Clerk to the Board, earlier confirmed “recent separations” from Finance Director Valerie Lamb, who had been with the county for 24 years, and from procurement director Alan Culpeper, who had also been employed by the county since 2002.
The assistant procurement director is no longer employed by the county.
Accounting specialist Melissa Boorman is acting finance director while the various department heads and McCrum are signatory authorities on required procurement actions, along with consulting services, the acting manager said.
In her nearly quarter-century with the county, Lamb consistently oversaw multi-million-dollar budgets that annually received a Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada.
In 2018, she received a Quality, Innovation, Leadership & Savings (QUILS) award for consistently producing budgets with depth of knowledge and expertise, resulting in daily savings. She implemented a new program for budget submissions and updated access to the Capital Improvements Plan.
“Valerie stays on top of our debt, refinancing and consolidating to save money whenever it is appropriate,” the nomination stated. “Her knowledge and guidance in the development of the budget each and every year results in savings to the taxpayers of Culpeper County.”
Lamb was awarded $5,000 for her work in 2018.
Supes ease up again on hiring freeze
The Board of Supervisors by vote of 6-1 authorized another easing of the hiring freeze it enacted in January to hire for the three recently vacated positions. The positions are currently being advertised, with the finance director position posted at an annual salary of $114,000 to $188,000. The procurement director position has an annual salary ranging from $87,000 to $143,000.
The county is also hiring for an assistant county attorney, a real estate appraiser and a county administrator, following the abrupt firing in March of former administrator Sam McLearen.
McCrum at Tuesday’s meeting said there was an “urgent need to fill those vacancies to continue government operations.”
Catalpa District Supervisor Paul Bates voted no.
“I cannot support this hiring, do it out protest because of the way things have been handled with our department heads in the past,” he said. “I don’t agree with what has transpired in the past 45 days.”
Opposing Valley Link, Dominion meeting, staff recognition
McCrum, in his monthly report to the board, said the acting finance director would provide steady, strong leadership until a permanent replacement is found, and that the county has already received interest in the job from many qualified applicants.
As part of Public Service Week, he said the county would recognize the finance team for “stepping up and providing stable leadership” during the transition, as well as the IT department for being “on the ball 24/7," ensuring employees have access to the network.
McCrum also lauded the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office, Allison Consentino and Capt. Jason Deal, former director of the E911 Center, for “providing amazing support” on all the IT changes coming with the new payroll and financial systems.
Deal, in February, filed a civil suit against the county after the board of supervisors last year hired him as deputy county administrator, and then, a few days before he was set to start, the new board eliminated the new position. A substitute judge has been assigned to hear the case.
The county's new finance system through NeoGov will include a “transparency portal” with “real-time budgets” allowing staff and the public to “see the money flowing,” McCrum said. That portion is expected to go live this fall.
The new HR system through OpenGov will change from monthly to biweekly payroll, fixing an issue in which law enforcement and EMS were not paid on time, the interim manager said in his report.
McCrum announced a May 19 special board meeting with Dominion Energy officials to present and field questions on the controversial Valley Link high-voltage transmission line project, which is slated to end in Richardsville with a substation. There will be no public comment at the meeting, he said, noting that Dominion will meet with residents for a Q&A on June 25 in Richardsville.
The county has also joined a motion with other affected counties — Fluvanna, Goochland, Louisa & Orange, among others—to intervene in opposition to the Valley Link application.
“It will give us a seat at the table and a right to be heard,” McCrum said.
In closing, he said he was working with the Virginia Institute of Government at UVA to facilitate a board retreat in July or August.
