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Thomas "Tom" G. Shepperd, Jr. York County Supervisor, District 5
Hm: (757) 858-8591 Mb: (757) 903-1875 Email address: Shepperd@yorkcounty.gov Email address: TGShep@cox.net | | District 5 Update - May 2024 | | Residents and homeowner associations are encouraged to share the Update with others in their communities. Comments and questions are always welcome* | | | The Board of Supervisors approved the FY25 Budget in May. The real estate tax rate dropped from $0.77 to $0.74 per $100 in real estate value. To put this in perspective, in 2022 the medium value of a home in York County was $332,700 and in 2024 the medium value increased to $398,300. The Supervisors lowered the tax rate by three cents to compensate for some of the increase. However, the real estate tax paid on the medium home still increased by $385.63 yearly or $32.14 monthly. To help compensate for the tax increase, the Supervisors lowered the personal property tax from $3.90 to $3.80 and eliminated the vehicle registration fee, which was $23.00 a year on most vehicles. The new rate applies to vehicles in the County as of 01/01/2024.
The County’s Operating Budget is $190 million. The Supervisors approved $63 million for the schools. The County is hiring 8 additional deputies and 6 additional fire fighters. In addition, we are buying 2 ambulances, 1 fire truck and paying $500,000 for underground cables along Route 17. Also, the County Staff will receive across the board a 4.5% salary increase plus an additional $500 bonus.
To sum it all up, 40% of the budget goes to the schools and libraries, 20% goes to public safety, 7% goes to Public Works, 5% to Management Services and 5% to Capital Outlay. The remaining 12% will go to various activities essential for effective government operations. | | New Rates for Solid Waste and Recycling | | At its April 16 Board of Supervisors meeting, the Supervisors approved increases in fees charged for curbside garbage and recycling collection. The last fee increase was in 2019 and the cost of the service has gone up. There are seven monthly fee options for solid waste and recycling. The new rates will be posted on the County’s website in June and will go into effect on July 1st. The first billing of the new rates will be in September. For example, the standard fee for both garbage and recycling will increase from $24.50 to $34.00 monthly. | | Larceny from Vehicles occurs year-round but seems to be most prevalent from late spring to early fall. Please remember to remove valuables such as purses, wallets, guns, cameras, and golf clubs from your vehicle, especially if you park near a street or road. Also, make sure you lock your vehicle. If your car is broken into or you find that the car’s content has been rifled through, report the incident to the authorities. | | Commonwealth Attorney Krystyr Read | | | Our attorneys spent three days in Norfolk receiving our mandatory annual legal hours. At the training, one of our prosecutors was acknowledged as a Distinguished Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney. Donna Maw has been with our office since 2012 and her hard work and accomplishments in the courtroom were acknowledged by her peers.
In the courtroom, we finalized a homicide case that occurred in the Dare area in 2019 where a man stabbed and killed his brother. The defendant pled “Not Guilty” and was tried in July 2023. The judge convicted him of Second-Degree Murder, a crime punishable by 5 to 40 years of incarceration. A Pre-Sentence Report was ordered, and we returned to court in April 2024 for sentencing. The discretionary guidelines recommended an active sentence between 15 and 25 years. Based on the brutality of the crime, our office argued that the Judge should exceed the sentencing guidelines and he did. The defendant was sentenced to 40 years of incarceration with 3 years suspended, which means he will serve an active sentence of 37 years. These serious crimes are rare in York County but, when they do occur, we will put all of our resources towards holding the offender accountable. I will wrap up with some good news- the message has gotten out and vehicle break ins have declined in York County. This is good news for all, not only because these crimes violate our tranquility, but because unlocked cars are a fruitful source for firearms. Once firearms are stolen from cars, our safety is at a greater risk. As we near the summer months, please continue to be vigilant about locking your cars and help keep York County safe. | | You may have seen the large white sign at the corner of Victory Boulevard and Carys Chapel Road announcing the award of a Community Block Grant for housing restoration on Carys Chapel Road. I was informed this month that a few York County residents are upset that the County was spending taxpayers ’money to refurbish and rebuild the homes. Evidently, these residents wanted the funds used to reduce the tax rate across the County. To set the record straight, the $1,346,000 for this project came from a federal block grant obtained by the caring and hard-working York County Staff.
The Board of Supervisors authorized the County Staff to seek the funding and in February 2024 authorized acceptance of the funds. The grant is for 30 months and required that all work be completed by January 1, 2026. The funding is being used to benefit 14 low to moderate-income households supporting 23 individuals. The project includes the rehabilitation of 12 homes, substantial reconstruction of 2 units, and the demolition of 1 vacant structure.
I want to thank the outstanding men and women in the County’s Department of Housing & Neighborhood Revitalization for submitting an award winning grant proposal. | Speed Cameras in School Zones & Driving Passed a Stopped School Bus | | York County is working through the process to install radar speed cameras in all the school zones. In February, the Board of Supervisors approved Ordinance 24-3 after receiving a report from Sheriff Montgomery on a study conducted by TrueBlue Inc. that showed 3,500 vehicles were exceeding the school speed limit by 11 miles per hours when the school zone flashing lights were on and operating. The 3,500 speeders were 10% of the 35,000 vehicles traveling into the school zones in only 5 of our 19 schools.
The Sheriff’s Office met with the camera installation team and the School Board representatives last week. The installation of the cameras should be complete by the end of June.
The County is already working on the media campaign to make the public aware of the camera systems and educate them about the purpose of the enforcement program. The program will start on the first day of school in August. The first 30 days will be a warning only period where offenders will receive notification that they exceeded the school zone speed limit by 11 MPH or more. The notification will warn drivers that after the warning period speeding in a school zone will result in them receiving a civil summons in the mail with a penalty of $100. After the 30-day warning period, the program will begin to issue violators a summons that must be paid within 30 days or give notice they want to go to court.
In addition to the speed cameras, the Board of Supervisors authorized the School Board to install cameras in or on our school buses to identify drivers that drive around stopped school buses that are loading or offloading students from a bus. This action was taken at the request of the School Division.
Per State Code, this program will be managed by the York County School Division. Citations for the violation will be issued by the County Sheriff and payment will be made to the York County School Board. The citation dollar value is $250 and may reflect on your driving record. | Speeding on Carys Chapel Road and Hampton Highway | | I received several calls concerning speeding on Carys Chapel Road. In response, I asked Sheriff Montgomery to increase patrols in the area. Since January the Sheriff’s Department has issued 40 speeding citations on Carys Chapel Road with the last one being May 9th.
Concerning Hampton Highway, the speed limit is 50 MPH for most of the Highway. The speed limit drops to 45 MPH after you pass Big Bethel Road. Traffic along Hampton Highway has been observed doing between 70 to 85 MPH, which is interstate highway speeds. Pulling into traffic that is traveling that fast can be really scary. I want to remind all drivers that exceeding the speed limit by 15 MPH can result in a reckless driving citation and the suspension of your driver’s license. The Sheriff, upon my request, is increasing patrols to Hampton Highway. | | Two land clearing projects are now well underway in District 5: The Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) Pressure Reducing Station and storage tank behind Fire Station #2 and the Celestial Way Subdivision off of Heavens Way, which is between Running Man and Lotz Acres subdivision. As for the HRSD Project, they have finished the tree clearing and are now working on the foundation, which includes the pile driving work. The foundation work should be finished this spring. Depending on the weather, the pouring of concrete may begin during the July-August timeframe. Hollymead residents will receive notice of two 24-hour concrete pouring operations. The first pour will be on July 29th and the second will be on August 1. The pours will begin at 1 a.m. and are weather dependent. March 2026 is the scheduled completion date of the HRSD project. The land clearing for the Celestial Way subdivision will continue for some time. The 41 detached home subdivision will have a combination of public and private streets. When the logging begins, the log trucks will exit the development site by way of Polaris Drive to Big Bethel Road then to Hampton Highway. There is no set timeline for completion of the subdivision. | VDOT Update on Hampton Highway Overpass | In February, you may have received a VDOT notice concerning a rehabilitation project for the Route 134 bridge over Route 17. The project will begin in March 2025 and continue for 9 months. Work includes removing and replacing the bridge deck. Much of the work will be performed at night. The bridge will be temporarily closed to northbound traffic during construction. You can anticipate using Victory Boulevard as an alternate route to Route 17. | Legacy of Poquoson and Victory Boulevard Traffic | The 557-unit Legacy of Poquoson housing and retail development subdivision off Victory Boulevard is well underway. The development will include 238 single family homes, 108 town houses, 11 cottage homes and 200 apartments. There has already been a significant increase in traffic during the morning and evening hours. Sadly, the expansion of Victory Blvd. is not keeping up with the traffic and I expect it will be 10 years or more before Victory Blvd. is completely widened. | | It’s spring and that means mosquitoes. After a blood meal, a female mosquito can lay up to 200 eggs, which hatch within 48 hours. Also, mosquito eggs can over winter and last up to six months. Virginia has about 40 species of mosquitoes. Many carry diseases that can be life-threatening. Some of the most common diseases include West Nile Virus and Dog Heartworm. The symptoms for West Nile Virus are normally mild but can develop into encephalitis, meningitis or polio-like paralysis, which can be deadly. For those of you with dogs, prevention through monthly treatment is the best course of action. If your dog tests positive for heartworm, the cure is expensive and can take a month or more to complete.
York County Mosquito Control is part of Public Works. Public Work crews routinely clear drainage to eliminate standing water. However, you need to do your part. For example, regularly check around your home for standing water in flowerpots, buckets, drainpipe catchment containers, old tires, and boat or grill covers. The House Mosquito, which is a common nuisance, usually does not travel more than 100-feet from a hatching area. In other words, if you raise mosquitoes, you are more than likely going to be the first blood meal.
York County has an outstanding mosquito control program. Visit the County’s Mosquito Control website at www.yorkcounty.gov to learn more about the program or to request a free onsite review of your property. You can obtain Mosquito Dunks at the Tabb and Yorktown libraries or at the Waste Management Center on 145 Goodwin Neck Road. | | * Comments and opinions expressed in the District 5 Report are authorized and approved by me and do not necessarily represent the position of other elected representatives. All email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and to the Virginia Public Records Act, which may result in monitoring and disclosure to third parties, including law enforcement. | | | | |
