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The mission of the Committee of 500 is to promote county government that exercises responsible stewardship
of the county's resources, is responsive to its citizens, and gives priority to quality of life issues.
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ETHICS: Spotsylvania Supervisors, appointees, and employees should demonstrate the highest level of
integrity and ethics in their service to the County. Transparency in governance and administration are
critically important in assuring citizens that their County's business is conducted in a responsible, ethical
manner.
Implementing Actions:
Members of the Board of Supervisors, as well as members of other county boards, committees and
commissions, should understand and comply with the
Spotsylvania County Code of Ethics.
MANAGED GROWTH AND SMART GROWTH: Spotsylvania should pursue the goal of limiting residential
growth to 2% per year, as set out in the 2002 Comprehensive Plan. While there has been progress towards
this goal, managing growth should be balanced. Further, when considering new development, the county
should use the Committee of 500's Smart Growth principles (see below). The seven Smart Growth principles are: manage
the rate of growth; facilitate better movement of people utilizing and integrating all modes of transportation
(including motor vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, rail, bus and train service); support economic development
goals; promote preservation of historic and natural resources; balance commercial and residential
development in land use and rezoning; pay for required infrastructure improvements as much as possible and
provide a range of housing options for all County residents. The County should continue to direct denser
growth to areas so designated and that have existing infrastructure.
Implementing Actions:
The County should use the C500 Smart Growth Project Rating and Decision Matrix (see below) as a model to assess the
Smart Growth
value of a development proposal.
The Update to the Comprehensive Plan, which is now being prepared, should be consistent with the
principles above and should delineate measurable progress (milestones), which can be monitored by the
County's Supervisors and made public for the County's citizens.
The County's Comprehensive Plan is being updated and C500 recommends that the Smart Growth
principles become the basis of the Plan and that the decision matrix be the evaluation method for any
commercial and residential development utilized by the Planning Department, Planning Commission and the
Board of Supervisors.
The County should continue to encourage citizen involvement in the Comprehensive Plan update. Members
of the Committee of 500 are working on the update.
The actual county growth rate should be calculated on an annual basis and published in the county's annual
report along with an assessment of any differences between the actual growth rate and the planned or target
growth rates assumed in the Comprehensive Plan.
REGIONAL COLLABORATION/COOPERATION: In order to accomplish many critical activities in the most
efficient, cost effective and successful manner, Spotsylvania County should aggressively endeavor to
collaborate and cooperate with neighboring counties and the City of Fredericksburg.
Implementing Actions:
The county must investigate all economically, politically and legally appropriate efforts, including: regional
strategic and growth planning; sharing the costs where feasible for necessary infrastructure; historic
preservation; lobbying for Federal, State and/or other funding; securing transportation resources and
improvements; marketing for tourism and economic development.
TRANSPORTATION:
Spotsylvania County transportation needs should be met by utilizing performance-based
needs assessment best practices. Such assessments can accurately reflect the performance and deficits of
the existing transportation network and project accurate forecasts of future conditions.
Implementing Actions:
The county needs to develop a formal process for objectively prioritizing and ranking the list of identified improvements
for existing roads and for new location roads to maximize the cost-effectiveness of all
allocated funding.
New location roads should be prioritized for serving the county and providing better connectivity and
contingency redundancy (bail out routes when major ones go down). Explicit strategies to improve intermodal connectivity
and mobility are needed.
The county should develop comprehensive strategies to build, maintain and utilize a network of well-
integrated transportation modes to include, road, rail, bus, and walking and biking.
The Board of Supervisors should move ahead and join the VRE as soon as possible. The voters have
spoken. Since VRE is a subsidized form of transportation – a fair, equitable and balanced distribution of
revenues generated from the gas tax should be allocated to urban and rural community needs..
The county needs to assess its projected build-out to predict the traffic load that will result and to establish a capital
facilities plan to incrementally improve roads as the county grows towards its ultimate build-out.
The county should explore alternative sources of transportation funding, including public-private partnerships.
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PRESERVATION: Spotsylvania needs to continue to support preservation of open space and the protection of
historic and natural resources as a basis of quality of life and tourism issues.
Implementing Actions:
Support land use principles and design guidelines (setbacks and buffers) through the revised
Comprehensive Plan that protect the 'natural settings' of cultural resources -- both historic and natural.
Support the adoption of elements n the Comprehensive Plan for both Historic Preservation and Open Space,
in order to protect Spotsylvania's unique scenic and historic resources.
Support the implementation of "Transfer of Development Rights" procedures enacted by the 2006 General
Assembly to allow Spotsylvania County to transfer development rights as part of C500's strategy for open
space protection as well as managed growth.
Adopt a resolution in support of the Tourism Commission's proposal to buy or have County control of the
Tubal Furnace Site as a Spotswood Legacy.
EDUCATION:
Spotsylvania should provide a quality education for its youth.
Implementing Actions:
Support greater cooperation between the Board of Supervisors and the School Board to agree on long-term
goals and responsible funding, including improved dialogue through regular meetings between the two
boards outside of budget discussions.
Work toward a goal of Spotsylvania students achieving SOL test scores that are at or above the median of
the nine peer school divisions in Spotsylvania's "cluster" as identified in the Gibson Report.
Attract and retain the best possible teachers by providing salaries that are within the median of the nine peer
school divisions in Spotsylvania's "cluster" as identified in the Gibson Report.
Continue to implement Gibson Report reforms.
When the School Board believes that increasing school funding is necessary, it should provide to the public
clear reasons for such proposed increases. These proposed increases should be in language understandable to the general public
and should specifically address how discretionary funding [funding beyond what is required to meet State and federal mandates
and beyond increases necessary for growth, etc] is expected to improve student success.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM: Spotsylvania should create and implement economic
development and tourism initiatives that take advantage of our natural, historic and human assets.
Additionally, the County should upgrade existing infrastructure deficits that are known impediments to
attracting business to the area.
Implementing Actions:
Incentives should be developed to bring business closer to its employee base so that more Spotsylvania
citizens can work close to home.
Businesses with jobs and benefits for a well educated and trained workforce, such as exists in the County,
should be encouraged.
Tourism as a potential growth industry needs to be more aggressively marketed, but for the region, not just
Spotsylvania.
With the State-approved hospital being constructed in Massaponax, attention to our transportation and taxes
principles are even more critical due to the current transportation difficulties in and around Massaponax.
Seek ways to enhance the appearance of the county, such as adopting Commercial Design Standards and promoting enforcement
of anti-litter laws.
PUBLIC SAFETY: There is an obligation to cost-effectively provide established Levels of Service for public
safety that serve County residents and visitors. As our County grows, there are increased pressures on the
existing public safety emergency services. In addition, issues of crime, illegal use of drugs, and delinquency
also increase with community growth. Accordingly, the Board of Supervisors must continue to appropriately
supplement Federal and State funding for local law enforcement, fire, and medical rescue emergency services.
Implementing Actions:
The County must support the expansion of critical emergency services so that improved response times and
24/7 staffing coverage are achieved throughout the County.
The County should continue to embrace our combined Fire and Rescue system, with paid and volunteer staff
receiving appropriate training and benefits to attract quality personnel and encouraging improved emergency
services for the community.
TAXES: The tax burden should be as low as practical to support levels of service specified in "Levels of
Service Standards for Public Facilities and Services.
Implementing Actions:
The county should exploit possible alternate revenue sources to alleviate pressure on property taxes,
including user fees, proffers from developers to offset the costs of their development, and public-private
partnerships.
The county should continuously seek to deliver services in the most cost-efficient ways as possible.
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COMMITTEE of 500
Smart Growth Principles
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Manages the Rate of Growth
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Facilitates Better Movement of People Utilizing and Integrating All Modes of Transportation (includes motor
vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, rail, bus & train service)
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Supports Economic Development Goals
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Promotes Preservation of Historic & Natural Resources
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Balances Commercial and Residential Development in Land Use & Rezoning
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Pays for Required Infrastructure Improvements as Much as Possible
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Provides a Range of Housing Options for County Residents
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SPOTSYLVANIA VIRGINIA
Smart Growth Project Rating and Decision Matrix
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Manages the Rate of Growth
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Utilizes/integrates multiple modes of transportation
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Supports Community Economic Development Goals
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Preserves Historic & Natural Resources
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Balances Commercial and Residential (Re)Development
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Pays for Applicable Infrastructure Improvements
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Provides a Range of Housing Options for County Residents
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The Committee of 500
P.O. Box 1697
Spotsylvania, Virginia 22553
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