As the Shenandoah County School Board prepares to present an updated vision for school infrastructure to the Board of Supervisors, a decision that could shape the future of elementary, career and technical education for years to come, county leaders say they still lack the details needed to finance a major capital investment.
Supervisor Tim Taylor told fellow board members at their meeting Tuesday that while the school board voted earlier this year to affirm Option C, a plan that would include a new elementary school, renovations at Triplett Tech and renovations or replacements at Sandy Hook, Ashby-Lee and WW Robinson elementary schools, the proposal was still too conceptual to move forward.
“You say 'elementary'.” It's kind of vague to us,” Taylor said. “We want to know exactly where they want the elementary school to be. Where does the land come from?”
Taylor said regulators are seeking similar clarity for Triplett Tech, where school division documents only refer to “various renovations.”
“Is it the current building? Are they possibly considering a subdivision?” he said. “We just want to get a little more detail about what exactly they want to do before it comes to us.”
Taylor and Supervisor Karl Roulston, who serve on the joint facilities needs review committee with school officials, said the board was willing to cooperate but needed more details before ordering the funding.
Roulston said the next phase must move from general priorities to site-specific and financial planning.
“If you want to start talking about how much a school costs – where are you going to put it? How big is it going to be? How many students is it going to have?” he said. “You want to start spending real dollars — I’d like to know where we’re going to spend it, how we’re going to spend it, where you pick it.”
He noted that site conditions alone can add millions to construction costs and that regulators must be able to justify any major borrowing to residents.
“We will go to the residents of the county and ask them for a quantity to carry out this activity,” Roulston said. “And I don't doubt that we need it. But if that's what we're asking for, I don't think it's unreasonable to say that this is exactly what we want to do and how we want to do it.”
Supervisor Steven Baker said the urgency was already clear, particularly at Triplett Tech, where about 100 students were turned away this year because of a lack of space.
“We’re generations behind right now,” Baker said. “Triplett Tech is at capacity and we brought out 100 people this year. They didn't know that.”
Baker said the community strongly supports expanding career and technical education, which will benefit both students and local employers.
“The mood in the community sooner or later is that no other child will be excluded from the opportunity to come there for this training,” he said. “It will make a big difference and also help attract employees to the companies.”
Short-term rental rules
As Shenandoah County considers whether to tighten rules on short-term rentals after Supervisor David Ferguson called for a relook at regulation earlier this month, supervisors signaled at their meeting Tuesday that any review will likely be targeted and cautious.
Ferguson asked that the review consider whether smaller rental properties – those with four or fewer bedrooms – should continue to operate properly; whether occupancy limits should be different between public and private water systems; and whether carbon monoxide detectors, local management contacts and a 24-hour inspection permit are required. He also suggested banning outdoor fires, hunting and the use of all-terrain vehicles by guests, as well as increasing noise and property boundary protection.
At Tuesday's meeting, Chairman Josh Stephens supported examining these concerns but warned against over-regulation.
“I like what we already have — that’s my opinion,” Stephens said. “I know there are some people who think that operating STRs is a privilege. But at what point are we going to violate people's property rights if it's too strict? I just want us to think about it.”
Stephens said any revisions should be made by the Planning Commission, which the board appoints to review zoning policies.
“We appointed these people for a reason, and if we don't trust them, we have to tell them we don't trust them,” he said.
County Administrator Evan Vass is determining which of Ferguson's ideas require action by the Planning Commission and which can be handled administratively. Supervisors did not participate in the vote, but seemed to agree that staff and the commission should formulate recommendations before any changes were considered.
Property values rise
Property owners in Shenandoah County should expect a sharp increase in the assessed value of their homes and properties when new reassessment notices are sent out in mid-November, about 20% to 35% on average, according to Project Manager Sarah Garner of Vision Government Solutions.
The new values will help determine future property taxes. How much residents pay depends on the 2026 tax rate that the Board of Supervisors will set next year.
Each reassessment notice contains instructions for informal reviews. Anyone who believes their value is incorrect can make an appointment by calling a toll-free number printed on the card from December 1st to 23rd.
Garner said the company relied primarily on current sales data, aerial and oblique photographs and information from mailed questionnaires. Some unusual commercial properties still require site inspections, but the project remains on schedule and should be completed by December 31st.
The county will also mail out land use renewal forms after the reassessment notices are sent out.
There is no fee this year, but late registration fees will apply. Each package includes a submission deadline and a final deadline for late submissions. The extension applies to all land use parcels, regardless of whether the property values have changed.
Other actions
• There was no public comment at a public hearing on the proposed ordinance, and supervisors voted unanimously to approve one-time retention bonuses of $2,000 for full-time and $750 for part-time Emergency Communications Center employees. The payments are funded entirely by a state emergency grant and no local tax dollars are used.
• Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the hiring of Steven Hall Jr. as the county's new fire and emergency medical services chief, effective Nov. 3.
“I look forward to meeting you all with Mr. Hall,” Stephens said. “I think he has a very nice vision for the future of Shenandoah Fire and Rescue.”