Pennington Gap residents get a chance next week to speak on a $291,834.99 budget amendment for water and sewer equipment. The Town Council will hold a public hearing at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at Town Hall, 528 Industrial Drive, on the change to the town’s 2026-27 budget, which covers capital equipment purchases in the Water and Sewer Funds, according to a notice the town posted with an Oct. 15 release date.
The one-page notice, signed by Town Manager Keith Harless, does not list the equipment or say where the money would come from. It invites any interested resident to attend and comment.
The amendment follows several months of council decisions on the town’s utilities. The Lee Daily Register read the council’s posted minutes from June, July and August and the agenda for its Oct. 19 meeting to see what has already been decided.
Six water and sewer votes over three meetings
By The Lee Daily Register’s count, the minutes record six council votes on water and sewer business between June 22 and Aug. 17. Each passed with no recorded “nay” vote.
| Meeting | What the council approved |
|---|---|
| June 22 | Financing for the water plant’s SCADA project (its computerized monitoring and control system) with the lowest bid, at 4.99% interest |
| July 29 | Using the fiscal 2026 surplus to fully fund the required reserves in the water and sewer funds |
| Aug. 17 | Signing the wastewater treatment plant contract with Frizzell Construction, which won the bid |
| Aug. 17 | Opening a separate bank account for the sewer plant’s Virginia Resources Authority bond reserve |
| Aug. 17 | An airline replacement project at the water treatment plant, at $30,020 |
| Aug. 17 | Advertising a Sept. 21 public hearing on the Sewer Creek Crossing project |
The reserve vote came after Treasurer Tina Rowe told the council in July that all three town funds ended fiscal 2026 with surpluses. She put the annual reserve target at $141,000 for the water fund and $77,000 for the sewer fund. Councilman Terry Pope’s motion said fully funding the reserves would keep the town in compliance with its bond requirements.
The sewer plant project advanced over the summer. In June, Assistant Town Manager Brian Skidmore said he hoped to put the wastewater treatment plant project out to bid in September. By Aug. 17, the town had received parity from USDA Rural Development for the project, Rowe reported, and Skidmore had Frizzell Construction’s contract in hand. He told the council they hoped to begin work in September. The minutes do not give the contract amount.
A larger sewer line project still in permitting
In June, Skidmore told the council that Phase I of the Cane Creek interceptor project, a main sewer line, was with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for permitting. He said the project had run into problems and its pump station would have to be redone.
He put the total cost at $1.179 million. The state Department of Environmental Quality could provide a grant on a 60/40 basis, he said, and part of the cost would be passed on to wholesalers, who would each pay a proportional share. The June minutes do not name the wholesalers.
What was on the table in September and October
The fall record online is thinner. As of Oct. 27, the town’s meetings page had no minutes posted for the Sept. 21 or Oct. 19 meetings. So the town’s website does not yet show what happened at the Sewer Creek Crossing hearing that was scheduled for Sept. 21.
The Oct. 19 agenda lists three items of business:
- Car tax relief: an old-business vote on a Personal Property Tax Relief Act resolution that was in the September packet. Under state law, towns that receive the state’s yearly reimbursement must use it to cut the tax rate on the first $20,000 of value of qualifying vehicles. The agenda does not give the relief rate.
- A $50,000 grant: a resolution on a $50,000 AFID Infrastructure Grant, listed under the town manager’s report. The agenda does not say what it would pay for. The state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ AFID infrastructure program funds mainly capital projects such as farmers’ markets, food hubs and commercial kitchens. Its fall round closes at 5 p.m. on Oct. 30.
- Zoning appeals board: the reappointment of Kathy Harber, whose term ends Nov. 18, 2026.
The agenda also listed a closed session followed by council action, with no subject given.
How to weigh in, and a job at the sewer plant
Residents who want to speak on the $291,834.99 amendment can attend the Nov. 3 hearing at Town Hall. Anyone who wants to know what equipment the money would buy before then can ask Town Hall, since the notice itself does not say.
The town is also hiring for the plant. A job posting released Oct. 15 seeks a full-time Class IV Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator at $15.50 to $20.00 an hour, with benefits. Applicants need a Virginia Class IV Wastewater Works Operator License or higher and a valid driver’s license. Applications are available at Town Hall and are due by 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30.
