“We want to make sure we’re there, advocating on your behalf.”
Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Montross) met with Gloucester County Board of Supervisors members Kevin Smith and Tony Nicosia, County Administrator Carol Steele, Emergency Management Coordinator Jane Wenner, and Gloucester Volunteer Fire & Rescue Squad Chief J.D. Clements and President Bruce Soles to discuss current issues and needs in the community Friday afternoon. They met at Gloucester Emergency Management.
One of the first topics discussed was confusion surrounding Medicaid benefits. Wittman said that those who are deceased or here “illegally” will not receive Medicaid, as well as those with the ability to work full-time.
“If you’re able to work, we need you to go to work,” said Wittman.
Those who are determined able to work part-time must work 18.5 hours per week to qualify for Medicaid. Those who are determined to be disabled will continue to receive Medicaid.
Another big need discussed was funding for fire and rescue. GVFRS is set to have a new Station 1 built, but construction will come at a heavy price tag.
“The debt’s going to take 25 years to pay off,” said Steele.
One big challenge that Gloucester is currently facing is losing out on significant real estate tax revenue from the Virginia General Assembly’s decision to allow disabled veterans the opportunity to be exempt from paying that tax.
Steele said that she wants to support the veterans, but Gloucester has lost out in $2,000,000 so far from this mandate and the applications to receive this exemption keep coming.
“The state has really hammered the localities without meaning to,” said Steele.
“A lot of times, the mandates come without the dollars,” commiserated Wittman.
For GVFRS, Clements discussed the need to support volunteer fire and rescue squad members.
“These people deserve something for giving back to the community,” said Clements.
He said having a federal income tax credit available for members, since many volunteers have regular full-time jobs, would go a long way in helping to not only maintain, but also increase the retention rate among volunteers.
“Anything would be helpful,” said Clements.
Soles mentioned how state mandates and requirements for fire and rescue squads do not always translate well in reality. For example, turnout gear for fighting fires is very expensive and has a 10-year expiration date. Many senior members of squads do not routinely run into active fires, so their gear is usually still in good shape even after 10 years.
“We have to destroy it,” said Soles about expired gear.
Another fire and rescue issue that Gloucester has faced is having limited communication with Mathews County’s volunteer squad. According to Clements, GVFRS runs the most mutual aid on Mathews but their communication systems are incompatible.
“You can’t talk to the people you’re working with,” said Clements.
On a similar note, Steele said that performing constant, but necessary, updates to the county’s radio communication system comes at a high cost.
“They’re taking a large chunk of capital dollars,” said Steele about the radios.
The county also faces the issue of not having enough alternate routes in the Gloucester Point area. If there is an accident in that area, emergency responders often have difficulty rerouting traffic.
“There are dollars available for transportation projects,” said Wittman.
At the end of the discussion, Wittman thanked the assembled Gloucester County leadership for bringing community issues to light and voiced his readiness to help in any way he could.
