By Carol Vaughn —
Accomack officials approved a proposal to distribute remaining money from the federal CARES Act to watermen, small businesses, and charter boat captains.
Twenty grants of $5,000 each previously were awarded to watermen; 21 grants of $5,000 each were awarded to businesses; and 11 grants of $3,500 each were awarded to other businesses, according to Rich Morrison, Accomack County deputy administrator of building, planning, and economic development.
He proposed the board consider awarding grants to another 46 eligible watermen who applied in the first round but were not given funds.
Additionally, he proposed charter boat captains be given the opportunity to apply for $5,000 grants. There are 16 licensed charter boat captains in the county, according to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, and there may be others licensed through the Coast Guard.
The board of supervisors voted unanimously to take both actions and also to reopen the waterman and small business grant application opportunity.
Finance Director Margaret Lindsey told the board the county on Aug. 1 received a second round of CARES Act money, $2.8 million, from the state.
Towns will be allocated a total of nearly $780,000 of the amount, which will be divided according to population.
The requirements for using the money are the same as for the first CARES Act funds the county received, she said.
Mike Mason, Accomack County administrator, said ideas for using the county’s share include partnering with the Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission to expand rent and mortgage assistance to residents and providing broadband access to underserved areas, “particularly areas that have high densities of students that need access.”
All expenditures must meet the CARES Act requirements.
A public hearing about appropriating the funds will be held in September.
Hazard Pay for First Responders
The board also approved hazard pay for first responders during the pandemic.
The $2 per hour additional pay will be paid for every hour worked by county first responders who provided face-to-face services to the public between March1, the effective date of the CARES Act, and June 30, the last day of Gov. Ralph Northam’s Phase Two of reopening.
The hazard pay applies to employees of the Department of Public Safety and the Sheriff’s Office, based on CARES Act guidelines.
The additional pay will be paid for by federal CARES Act funds.
“It goes without saying that our firemedics, deputies and correctional officers have performed admirably throughout this pandemic, literally putting their lives on the line every single day to provide the services necessary to keep our residents and visitors healthy and safe,” Mason said.
“During a pandemic, first responders don’t have the luxury of working from home, or from behind plexiglass or even practicing social distancing. Jobs such as this require extreme courage and sacrifice and we should all be thankful that we have such dedicated individuals working for the county,” he said.
Mason acknowledged the dedication of other county employees who are not eligible for the hazard pay.
“It does, frankly, bother me that there are large segments of the workforce that have done just tremendous jobs out there responding to this pandemic, adapting, changing things, taking on new roles within the organization — just doing whatever it takes to provide the county services the residents desire and expect,” Mason said, adding he hopes county revenue will return to normal levels and pay raises that had been approved by the board will be able to be given.
The board approved an additional payment of fire tax money to volunteer fire companies in September, to make up for money not given them in July due to the change in due date of taxes this year.
The board previously extended the due date for taxes from June 5 to Aug. 3 due to the pandemic.
As result, the payments made to volunteer fire companies in July were about half the usual amount, according to Lindsey.
The board also approved using CARES Act money to develop and implement a countywide continuity planning program and formal policy for response and recovery from natural and manmade disasters that could impact county operations. The policy will cover all county employees, constitutional officers, and agents.
The amount of money to develop and implement the program was not specified during the discussion.
“It’s about having a plan in place no matter what presents itself,” Mason said, adding, “…It’s something that we need to do.”
Help for Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce
The board voted to give $20,000 to the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce to assist the organization, which had to cancel its main fundraisers and lay off employees due to the pandemic.
“We certainly get plenty in return from the chamber. … This year they are in dire straits,” said Supervisor Billy Joe Tarr.
The money will come from savings due to position vacancies and from funds previously budgeted for a regional housing assessment and strategic plan update that since qualified for grant funding.
Boat Ramp Fees for Out-of-Area Users
It is legal to charge a parking fee at county boat ramps, an attorney said after researching the matter.
County supervisors had directed staff to look into charging out-of-area users of county boating facilities. There are 18 county boat ramps that have some type of hardened surface.
At present, among county facilities only Quinby charges a fee — $7 per day or $40 a year, according to Stewart Hall, deputy county administrator for public works and facilities.
Supervisor Robert Crockett recommended the board by consensus direct staff to develop a parking fee policy for county boat ramps.
One possibility is that boat owners whose boats are registered in Accomack County could receive a parking decal at no additional fee when they pay their property taxes, while non-residents would have to purchase a decal.
Crockett said Sheriff Todd Wessells told him his department would enforce the measure.
Treasurer James Lilliston said the county currently does not have a process in place to sell decals, after vehicle decals were eliminated several years ago.
Staff will work on details of the fee.
Honoring NASA Wallops’ 75th, MARS’ 25th Anniversary
The board approved resolutions commending NASA Wallops Flight Facility on its 75th anniversary and Virginia Space and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on its 25th anniversary.
