The Page County Board of Supervisors April 21, 2025 regular meeting included the following agenda items and actions:
CALL TO ORDER
Supervisors Keith Guzy (District 1), Allen Louderback (District 2), Ryan Cubbage (District 3), Susan Kile (District 4), Jeff Vaughan (District 5) and Chairman Keith Weakley were present.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
FY2025 Budget Amendment
Supervisors conducted a public hearing on proposed budget changes for fiscal year 2025. The hearing drew no speakers.
Supervisors unanimously approved allocation requests totaling $709,966, including $225,000 in general fund balance dollars to the Page County School Board for educational adequacy and demographic studies; $404,600 in general fund balance dollars and $55,000 in equipment sale revenue to the Battle Creek Landfill for the purchase of a track loader; and $25,366 to the Page County Economic Development and Tourism Department in restricted transient occupancy tax revenue for visitor guide distribution, digital marketing and events.
FULL TEXT OF APRIL 21, 2025 MEETING MINUTES ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE PAGE COUNTY, VIRGINIA FACEBOOK PAGE.
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Ordinance for Fire Alarm & Detection Systems
Supervisors conducted a proposed amendment to Chapter 56 (Fire Prevention and Protection) relating to residential smoke alarms in existing structures and responsibilities of owner, agent or tenants for smoke alarms. The hearing drew no speakers.
Supervisors unanimously approved the ordinance for fire alarm and detection systems as presented.
2025 Tax Rates
Supervisors conducted a public hearing on proposed tax rates for calendar year 2025. The hearing drew no speakers.
The proposed rates were advertised as 73 cents per $100 of assessed real estate and mobile home value and $4.40 per $100 of assessed personal property value — the same as the 2024 rates.
Other proposed 2025 tax rates reflected no changes: $1.50 for machinery and tools and motor carriers per $100 of assessed value and 50 cents for aircrafts per $100 of assessed value.
Page County Administrator Amity Moler noted that once proposed tax rates are advertised, supervisors can adopt the rates as advertised or adopt lower rates, but cannot adopt higher rates.
Supervisors voted unanimously to adopt the 2025 tax rates as advertised, with the exception of the personal property tax rate, which the board opted to lower by 10 cents from $4.40 to $4.30 per $100 of assessed personal property value.
FY2025-2026 Budget
Supervisors conducted a public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget that drew six speakers.
Page County Finance Director Tyler Olsen noted that the proposed budget as advertised was based on 2025 tax rates that reflected no increases over 2024 rates.
Because the board voted to lower the 2025 personal property tax rate by 10 cents, he continued, revenue is projected to decrease by a total of $215,210 in fiscal year 2025 and fiscal year 2026, reducing both fiscal budgets by $107,605.
Noting that the local school system is still awaiting final numbers from the state ahead of the governor’s deadline of May 2 to take action on the budget bill (HB 1600) of Virginia, Olsen outlined allocation request priorities as submitted to the county by the Page County School Board for consideration.
Supervisors, by consensus, instructed the finance director to include $25,100 in the county’s proposed fiscal 2026 budget to fund a 3% pay raise for school employees so that the school board can proceed with contracts for the 2025-2026 school year.
Olsen noted that supervisors can decide on other funding priorities identified by the local school system after Virginia’s budget is finalized. The Page County Board of Supervisors must wait at least seven days following the public hearing to adopt the upcoming budget.
The fiscal year 2026 budget is scheduled to be adopted during supervisors’ work session at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 5. The budget will take effect on July 1.
ACTION MATTERS
Special Use Permit – Eileen Carlock
Supervisors considered a special use permit request by Eileen Carlock for a banquet facility on Mill Creek Crossroads in Luray.
The 1.75-acre parcel is zoned as agriculture and includes an existing single-family dwelling that is licensed to operate a short-term vacation rental known as “Skyline Meadow.”
The applicant additionally owns an adjacent property totaling 18.922 acres. The parcel is also zoned as agriculture and includes a single-family dwelling where the applicant resides.
The applicant proposed a banquet facility on the two parcels consisting of an outdoor establishment for small-scale gatherings including family reunions, multi-family vacationers and weddings.
Supervisors conducted a public hearing on the request at the board’s June 17, 2024 regular meeting. Sixteen speakers signed up to speak.
Supervisors, by consensus at the June meeting, agreed to table the decision to allow time to further consider the permit request. The board during the April 21 meeting considered proposed conditions attached to the SUP as well as public feedback.
Supervisors voted unanimously to deny the special use permit request.
PPTRA Rate for 2025
Page County Commissioner of the Revenue Becky Smith reported to Supervisors that the proposed Personal Property Tax Relief Act (PPTRA) rate — which allows a percentage of tax relief on personal-use vehicles valued at $20,000 and less — for calendar year 2025 was based on a personal property tax rate of $4.40 per $100 of assessed value, as advertised.
Noting that the board voted to adopt a lower rate, Smith reported that the commissioner’s office needed to recalculate numbers based on a 2025 personal property tax rate of $4.30 per $100 of assessed value and that she would report back to Page County Administrator Amity Moler.
Board and Commission Appointments
Supervisors unanimously appointed Melissa Rudacille to the Massanutten Regional Library Board for an unexpired term beginning immediately, and expiring on Sept. 30, 2025.
Supervisors unanimously reappointed Dr. Paul Johnson to the Laurel Ridge Community College Board for a four-year term beginning July 1, 2025, and expiring on June 30, 2029.
CONSENT AGENDA
Supervisors unanimously approved the consent agenda as follows: financial reports for the period of March 1 through March 31, 2025; accounts payable checks, payroll checks, payroll direct deposits and payroll tax-related electronic fund transfers totaling $3,134,948.96 for March 2025; and the meeting minutes of March 3, 2025, March 17, 2025, March 20, 2025 and March 24, 2025.
OLD BUSINESS
None
NEW BUSINESS
None
ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
Page County Administrator Amity Moler reported that the county’s GIS website is now up to date.
She noted that she and Supervisor Guzy recently attended a meeting with the Massanutten Subdivision to discuss the Shenandoah Utility Service’s failing services to residents for years.
The meeting was attended by representatives from the Virginia Department of Health and the department’s office of drinking water, as well as other state and local representatives.
Moler reported that officials discussed alternative solutions than each homeowner drilling their own well, including shared wells and the use of cisterns. Noting that the county does not oversee a municipal water system, she underscored that the county remains committed to supporting efforts to find a solution.
Moler reported that the Page County Economic Development and Tourism Department recently garnered state recognition from the Virginia Association of Destination Marketing Organizations, earning recognition for the inaugural Page Valley Inspiration Guide as “best print collateral” during the association’s annual VIRGO Awards. She touted an early and busy tourism season in Page County, noting an influx of visitors at popular attractions and local businesses over Easter weekend.
SUPERVISORS’ TIME
Supervisors thanked those in attendance and highlighted the importance of reliable utility services, touting their support of efforts aimed at determining a solution for residents of the Massanutten Subdivision.
Supervisor Kile said that after further reflection following supervisors’ April 7 work session, she felt it was prudent for the board to provide “additional oversight and more clearly-defined expectations for the function of economic development and workforce development” and volunteered to work with the the county’s economic development and tourism department and provide supervisors with quarterly updates or updates as requested. Supervisors, by consensus, agreed.
ADJOURN