Ordinance to control trash, town hall on bike races among topics addressed at Charles City supervisors’ meeting

Two topics of area that have plagued Charles City citizens has resulted in county leaders to add an ordinance for one and hold a special town meeting for the other.

Charles City’s Board of Supervisors agreed to have a proposed ordinance to assist with litter control be added after discussion during Tuesday night’s meeting.

At the April monthly meeting, a citizen asked board members to look at the possibility of adding a county ordinance that will require a cover on all vehicles transferring trash to the landfill or other disposal facility. The proposed ordinance came after citizens complained about the amount of trash that is located on the road. In particular, vehicles transferring trash from other localities and businesses has led to roads being polluted with litter.

While there is already a state law that requires commercial drivers to have their trucks covered, it apparently has done little to effect a change.

“I was driving behind a Waste Management truck recently and trash was coming off the truck,” said County Administrator Michelle Johnson.

According to County Attorney Randy Boyd, a stiff penalty is needed as part of the ordinance to emphasize how important the issue is to citizens. Along with that recommendation from the attorney, the issue also will need involvement from the sheriff’s office.

“It’s sort of like the trucks still using Wayside Road to get to Route 5 [John Tyler Memorial Highway],” said District 1 representative Gilbert Smith. “It says clearly there is a truck restriction, but people still use it and ignore the sign.”

The ordinance would require all vehicles, not just commercial trucks, to have a tarp or covering when transporting trash to the disposal facility. The proposed ordinance is expected to be ready for review in June with a public hearing on it scheduled for July.

In another issue address by the board of supervisors, a special town meeting is being planned to address the issue of bike races in the county.

With three races rolling through Charles City within the last two months, citizens have called county leaders to complain about the cyclists.

“I’ve received about 20 calls on the issue,” said Smith. “In some cases, these riders are agitated on social media and it just continues on the races.”

According to Johnson, eight races were planned for Charles City in 2019. When asked about how much the county receives, Johnson said she didn’t know of any compensation.

“The only people who are paid are the deputies,” Johnson said, commenting how police are paid for to control traffic. “I don’t recall any type of compensation for the county.”

The county administrator continued by saying that some organizers told her that they make donations to local organizations. But as far as the county goes, nothing has been received.

District 2 representative Bill Coada commented about a figure he has seen from the most recent triathlon race where a majority of the biking and running took place in Charles City.

“The race is based out of Williamsburg and that race brought in $1.5 million,” the representative said. “These people are coming from places far away and they are paying roughly $250-300 per entry to participate.

“And how much has Charles City seen of this? Zero,” he concluded.

County leaders said that they would like to hold a town hall in late July with race organizers, county citizens, bikers, and sponsors to see the impact they are having on citizens. Meanwhile, Johnson said that she plans on working with organizers to see if the county can receive a portion of funds from the entry fees.