VDOT Says Big Budget Cuts Coming
Board Defines Revenue Sharing Priority List

by Scotty Wampler
News Editor
     County leaders are bracing for major VDOT budget cuts, which are likely to delay several road improvement projects in the upcoming six-year plan.
     VDOT Resident Engineer John Watson delivered the grave news to the board of supervisors Monday, explaining the department expects cuts of as much as 44 percent beginning in July. The budget shortfall, which he said was due mainly to a slowing economy, will affect primary, secondary and urban road projects in Virginia.
     "Right now, it's a little too early to determine what impact these reductions will have on local projects," he told the board. "We'll need to prioritize projects currently in the plan."
      Though it's impossible to determine at this point the extent to which Buchanan County will be affected by the cuts, the 2009-2014 six-year plan will likely appear much leaner by the beginning of the next fiscal year.
       News of the revenue shortfall came from the Virginia Department of Taxation, which releases a quarterly forecast of budget projections. VDOT road improvement projects are typically funded via gasoline tax and some Department of Motor Vehicles fees, Watson explained.
      "Since our funding has been reduced, we have to reduce some of our construction costs," he said. "Nothing new will be added to the six-year plan. There will be some hard decisions by the board of supervisors as to which projects will remain in the plan and which projects may be delayed."
       Watson also said he did not expect VDOT road maintenance funds to be affected by the cuts.
       State revenue sharing funds aren't expected to be impacted by the budget cuts, Watson said Monday.

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School Board to Sign Settlement Documents in MTBE Lawsuit

by Brandon Dye
Staff Reporter
     A special Buchanan County School Board meeting was held to discuss the execution of a settlement of a lawsuit against all American oil companies, which were allegedly the cause of contaminated well water with methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) on Monday.
     South Grundy Board Member Larry Looney made a motion to give Superintendent Tommy P. Justus the authority to execute the settlement documents on behalf of the school board. The motion was seconded by Garden Board Member Wayne Deskins and approved unanimously.
      According to Attorney Tom Scott, the tentative settlement that the school board will receive in the case will amount to $186,462.48 which will come to a net total of $117,157.77 after legal fees and less partial litigation expenses.
      The school board is being represented by Baron & Budd P.C. law firm out of Dallas, TX, Scott said, along with five other law firms.
      Justus said that Baron & Budd needed a decision whether or not to go forward on the settlement as soon as possible, which was the reason for the special session.
       "We needed to get something back to Baron & Budd by Wednesday," Justus said after the meeting. "We had to see if the school board was willing to accept a settlement."

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