County policies evolving
Published 11:47 am Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Lunenburg County and the towns of Kenbridge and Victoria are seeing exciting developments in their policies.
The Town of Victoria will hold a public hearing Tuesday, March 12, related to its proposed ordinance revisions. The revisions cover a whole host of topics relevant to residents. They include everything from the animal control office’s policy on dogs who roam in town, to the town’s building code and unsafe structures, policies relating to the elimination of the town’s vehicle decal and companion water meters for the purpose of lawn sprinkler systems.
Most importantly, all of the town’s ordinances will become available online once they are approved.
The hearing offers an opportunity for residents to comment on aspects of the ordinance changes that would impact them, and provide members of town council with insight and suggestions. To learn more about the ordinance revisions, read prior articles from The Dispatch by visiting www.kenbridgevictoriadispatch.com.
The Town of Kenbridge recently had its town charter amendments approved by the House and Senate during the General Assembly. While the charter still needs final approval by the governor, this is an important step toward implementing new policy for the town’s election process.
These amendments focus specifically on how elections to town council will operate in the future. The amendments stagger the terms of office for council members so not all of the seats would be up for election at one time, and allows recently-elected council members to take the oath of office during the June council meeting rather than in July.
The council put a lot of diligent work into amending the charters, and it’s encouraging to see the charters’ approval by the General Assembly.
Lunenburg County, combined with the efforts of the two towns, is also seeing a dramatic change in policy through the county’s new comprehensive plan.
The comprehensive plan is nearing its completion after more than a year of development and collaboration with the Commonwealth Regional Council (CRC).
Change can be both exciting and intimidating, and produce lasting change in the long run. Lunenburg County, the Town of Victoria and the Town of Kenbridge deserve kudos for the steps their administrations have taken to bring these policies to fruition.