FRANKLIN
The Southampton County Board of Supervisors held a retreat on Wednesday to assess local needs and prepare for the upcoming budget process.

“It was more of a series of workshops to discuss certain issues,” county administrator Mike Johnson said.

The Southampton County Public School Board’s budgetary request, the Virginia Department of Transportation’s six-year roadway plan and the possible replacement or renovation of the county courthouse were among the topics on the agenda for the eight-hour retreat.

“There was not a lot of comment [about the school board’s request],” Johnson said, noting that of the $30,049,018 that the school board will request as part of the county’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget, $900,000 will have to be funded locally. “It was all taken under advisement.”

VDOT Residency Administrator Jerry Key outlined several local road priorities, notably the reconstruction of Guy Place Road in Courtland and Rawlings Road in Capron. Construction for the latter is fully funded and set to begin this summer.

The courthouse, meanwhile, has been at the forefront of local conversation in recent months. The Virginia Supreme Court is dictating the need for the county to upgrade its current courthouse facilities, forcing the supervisors to either replace or renovate the building.

“There weren’t any decisions or votes made at the retreat,” Johnson said, “but the courthouse will be on this month’s [board of supervisors] agenda.”

The county’s initial draft of the Fiscal Year 2017 budget will be presented on April 6, and Johnson said that the supervisors are expected to adopt the finalized version in late May.