News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | October 3, 2025
Local News
First adjustments made in New Kent’s proposed $70 million budget for FY2019-20
The first adjustments for the proposed FY2019-20 budget for New Kent County were discussed at the Feb. 27 monthly work session. County Administrator Rodney Hathaway provide an update on the $70,010,642 proposed operating budget for the next fiscal year. The county administrator said that projected revenues in the general fund have been reduced from $1.6 million to roughly $1.1 million. Hathaway also recommended denying an additional $200,000 to the schools, a number they requested as part of their budget proposal. However, Hathaway said they plan to meet with school leaders to discuss other ways to assist the schools. Hathaway said…
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Proposed location for new elementary school in New Kent revealed
A location for the proposed new elementary school in New Kent County has been announced. New Kent supervisors voted unanimously 5-0 to approve the purchasing of 15.1 acres of land from Oak Ridge Farm LLC located on New Kent Highway. The land will cost approximately $375,000, along with a $10,000 deposit within the first one hundred days. Located across the road from Quinton Recreation Center, the proposed complex is listed at $28 million. County leaders approved that amount to be received through loans during last year’s budget cycle. The need for a new elementary school had been expressed for nearly…
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Charles City ‘State of the County’ address encourages to ‘Imagine Tomorrow’
“Imagine Tomorrow.” That was the message delivered by Charles City County Administrator Michelle Johnson during her second annual “State of the County” address delivered Tuesday night Charles City’s Board of Supervisors monthly meeting. Johnson began her presentation by highlighting achievements the county has made over the last 12 months. Among them include increasing the fund balance to $11 million, having 42 new business permits, and an unemployment rate of 3.6 percent, lower than the national average. The county administrator continued, speaking about new revenue heading into the county. Among them included the proposed implementation of a meals tax and the…
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Convicted felon caught firing gun on video sentenced to two years in jail
A Lanexa man will spend the next two years in jail after entering a guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a nonviolent convicted felon. Paul David Reed, 25, of the 9500 block of Diascund Reservoir Road, entered the amended charge (originally possession of ammunition by a convicted felon) during Monday morning proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. In a summary of evidence presented by Commonwealth’s Attorney Linwood Gregory, on Aug. 28, co-defendant Kyle Robert Crews, 22, of the 1200 block of Quaker Road, Quinton, met with a deputy after being arrested on a charge of possession of a…
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Passionate debate between Charles City boards address budgetary issues
Over the last several years, Charles City’s Board of Supervisors and Charles City’s School Board have worked to fix a fragile relationship with each other. A passionate Feb. 20 meeting between the two boards served as breaking ground to vent frustrations. Open dialogue between the three county leaders and five school leaders, along with county administrator Michelle Johnson and superintendent of schools David Gaston, consisted of several topics. In particular, funding for schools were the main area of discussion. “We know the money is a concern, but we want to get the kids what they need,” said at-large school board…
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Charles City school board approves budget for FY2019-20
Charles City School Board members approved a proposed $10.4 million budget for the FY2019-20 year. School board members voted 4-1 in favor of the plan that superintendent of schools David Gaston described as a budget of maintenance. At-large member Steve Fuhrmann cast the lone dissenting vote, expressing a number of reasons including the ask for more local funds and the lack of increasing the minimum starting hourly salary. Charles City school leaders did unanimously approve a $1.2 million Capital Improvement Plan for the upcoming school year. The school board members also prioritized the items, with HVAC and boiler repairs being…
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Quinton felon receives five years in prison for possessing firearm illegally
A Quinton man will spend the next five years in prison after he entered into a plea agreement Tuesday afternoon, averting a trial in New Kent Circuit Court. Kyle Robert Crews, 22, of the 1200 block of Quaker Road, entered guilty pleas to one count each of possession of a weapon by a violent convicted felon, possession of a cell phone by a prisoner, and providing a prisoner with a cell phone. In a summary of evidence provided by Commonwealth’s Attorney Linwood Gregory, on Aug. 25, 2018, a New Kent deputy passed a white Thunderbird on Waterside Drive in New…
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Third co-defendant in Charles City armed robbery receives four-and-a-half years in prison
A New Kent woman who assisted with the planning of a robbery in Charles City County will spend the next four-and-a-half years in prison. Alexis Adisha Wells-Elliott, 23, received formal sentencing on a single count of robbery during Friday morning proceedings in Charles City Circuit Court. Wells-Elliott was a co-defendant in a case involving Michael DeVaughan Gordon, 31, of the 500 block of Deter Road, Richmond, and Ahmad Amir Hutchins, 22, of the 9800 block on Tunstall Road, New Kent. On Feb. 16, 2018, the trio orchestrated a plan to rob a man after Wells-Elliott elected not to do a…
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Addition of ten full-time positions part of New Kent schools’ $35 million budget for FY2019-20
With the enrollment on a continuous incline inside of school buildings, New Kent Superintendent of Schools Dave Myers presented a budget that included the addition of ten full-time positions. Myers presented a recommended budget of $35,165,788 for FY2019-20 at Monday evening’s school board work session. That amount is $2,031,313 more than the current school year’s budget of $33.1 million. Of the proposed figure, the superintendent is requesting that the county’s contribution be $14,274,595. That accounts for a $200,000 increase from the current year’s operational budget. In Myers’ presentation, approximately $736,982 is designated for position additions or modifications. The superintendent recommended…
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Excluding schools, New Kent proposed budget comes in at $35.2 million
New Kent County Administrator Rodney Hathaway presented his proposed budget for county operations at Monday night’s board of supervisors meeting. Hathaway proposed a budget of $35,254,133 for county operations for the 2019-20 fiscal year. That amount excludes the school’s budget due to the local schools transitioning into a new financial system. Hathaway said that the school’s proposal was expected at their meeting that was being conducted simultaneously with the board of supervisors. The $35.2 million budget brings an expectation of an increased revenue of the general fund in the amount of $1,686,212. Of that new revenue, $1,067,507 is expected from…
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