Following a public hearing last Thursday, the Mathews County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to table a proposal to establish a permanent pump-and-haul general permit for disposal of sewage “when the local health department determines it to be the only practical means of disposal of such material.”

The board also tabled a proposal to place the county-owned property at 384 Old Ferry Road first on a potential list of such properties. The address is the site of Hole in the Wall Waterfront Grill on Gwynn’s Island.

In explaining the proposed action, County Administrator Ramona Wilson said that there is currently no provision for permanent pump-and-haul in the county, although there are other failing septic systems on Gwynn’s Island. She said the provision would give residents that option. She said the determination about which properties would go on permanent pump-and-haul would be made by the health department.

The property at 384 Old Ferry Road has been on temporary pump-and-haul for five years, said Wilson, and permanent pump-and-haul status would bring the property into compliance with the Virginia Department of Health. She said that status would not prevent the county from coming up with another solution for the septic disposal problem at the site.

Mac Casale, owner of Hole in the Wall Waterfront Grill, addressed the matter, along with other unrelated matters, during the general public comment period rather than the public hearing. He said that putting the property on permanent pump-and-haul is premature because there are “plenty of less expensive permanent fixes” that would bring the system into compliance “so that nobody has to pay for pump-and-haul, not the county, not the tenant.” He said it’s been six years, and that the county has had plenty of time to come up with a solution.

Speaking during the public hearing, Dee Russell of Hudgins, expressed concern that the board had not asked the Mathews County Planning Commission to look at the issue prior to having a public hearing, and she questioned the fact that the only property addressed was 384 Old Ferry Road. She said the county’s lease on that property says the county is responsible for a certain percentage of the cost of pumping out the septic there, but that supervisor Mike Walls had said during last month’s meeting that he would be happy to go on permanent pump-and-haul so the restaurant would have to pay 100 percent of the cost.

“This is not helping out citizens,” said Russell. “It’s going after one business … This deserves a little more time.”

Wilson explained that 384 Old Ferry Road was on the list because the health department wanted it added, not because the county asked for its inclusion.

Richard Hicks of North, said that the permit “puts the county on the hook for the entire bill if whoever’s supposed to be paying the bill doesn’t pay it.”

Supervisor Dave Jones questioned why the health department has put pressure on the county about violations after the property has been on pump-and-haul for five years. Wilson explained that the health department hadn’t been hard on the county “because we were working toward a solution … but now that’s all kind of fallen apart.”

Jones moved to table any action for 30 days “and lose a certain situation that I’ll keep to myself here … because there’s other alternatives to take care of the situation.”

Canine Companions tax exemption

By a vote of 3-2, with Jones and Walls dissenting, the board approved both real estate and tangible personal property tax exemptions for the nonprofit Canine Companions for Independence, which gives away service dogs free of charge to disabled veterans and other people with disabilities.

Debra Dougherty, executive director of the organization’s Northeast Region, explained that Canine Companions is “purely driven by donations” and receives tax exemptions in each of the other places where facilities are located.

Jones said he’s not opposed to nonprofits and that the work Canine Companions does is commendable, but that the county has “a pretty tight budget.”

“We keep having big parcels tax exempt and we’re talking about raising taxes,” he said. “I can’t look elderly people in the eye and say you’re giving everything away to nonprofits.”

Board chair Janice Phillips said that Canine Companions has already “brought a lot of people into the county” and that those people eat in local restaurants and stay in Air-bnbs. She said that the organization has hired local people and is “going to be an asset to our county.”

The impact to Mathews County revenue for real estate taxes for exempting the Canine Companions property is $11,588, based on 2023 tax rates, it was announced.

New mass notification system

Emergency Services Coordinator David Dixon told the board that the county has changed over from its previous mass community alerting system, Smart 911/RAVE, to the Everbridge system, which is used by both Gloucester and Middlesex counties. Everbridge will allow those counties to push alerts out to Mathews residents if the county falls prey to a natural disaster, he said.

Dixon asked that residents sign up for the new alert system either online at https://member.everybridge.net/index/84526566998032 or by picking up a paper form at the county administration offices on Brickbat Road or the Mathews Sheriff’s Office in the Liberty Square complex.

In other matters, the board:

—Received its annual audit report from Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates CPA Taylor Stover, who reported that the county has an “unmodified opinion,” with no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies identified and no noncompliance material to the financial statements noted;

—Unanimously approved a request by Lewie Lawrence, executive director of the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission, that the county agree to provide a backstop, along with the other eight jurisdictions that are part of the planning district, for its share of a 30- to 45-day line of credit for up to $500,000 in order to allow the commission to pay for projects that will be reimbursed with grant funds. The agreement requires no expenditure of funds, said Lawrence, except in the unlikely event that “something bad happens”;

—Unanimously voted to extend the Mathews Broadband Advisory Board’s term and conditions to Dec. 31, 2026;

—Scheduled three public hearings for the January meeting, two on applications for solar farms that were recommended for denial by the planning commission during its November meeting and one on changing the zoning ordinance to permit telecommunications towers in the R-2 zoning district, and,

—Presented certificates to supervisors Janice Phillips, Tom Bowen and Tim Doss for completing the Virginia Association of Counties’ Virginia Certified County Supervisors’ Program.

Special meeting

The board took no action after a closed session held during a special meeting prior to the regular meeting. Items scheduled for discussion in the closed session were:

—Consultation with the county attorney on two items: 384 Old Ferry Road, the site of Hole in the Wall Waterfront Grill, which is owned by the county, and an administrative investigation involving county staff that had been authorized by the board;

—Discussion or consideration of the performance, salaries, and/or disciplining of three specific public employees, one appointee of Mathews County, and the contract of the county attorney;

—Consultation with legal counsel and briefings by staff members or consultants pertaining to actual litigation on two cases: “Hole in the Wall LLC v. Mathews County, et al” and “In re: July 12, 2023 Decision of the Mathews BZA”;

—Discussion of plans to protect public safety as it relates to specific cybersecurity vulnerabilities and briefings by staff members and legal counsel concerning actions taken to respond to such matters, as well as discussion of reports or plans related to the security of any governmental facility, building or structure; and,

A fifth item that was included as an amendment to the agenda: Discussion of acquisition of real property … land for a septic drainfield.