Wise County Faces possible government Shutdown

**MikeJones** · May 10th, 2011, 05:17 PM

Wise County faces possible government shutdown over consolidation | TriCities.com

Never thought about the courts shutting down part.

WISE, Va. --
As Wise County careens toward a possible local government shutdown, county agencies are talking about how they might function ? or not function ? in the absence of a county budget.
Clerk of Circuit Court Jack Kennedy isn?t certain whether the county?s constitutional officers have the authority to keep their offices open if there?s no budget, so he?s asked Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli for an opinion.
In a letter dated Friday, he asks Cuccinelli to issue an opinion by June 30, the date at which the current fiscal year?s budget will run out.
?The clock is ticking to zero,? Kennedy said Monday, explaining that if no action is taken this month by a divided Wise County Board of Supervisors and an equally divided Wise County School Board, disruption will be a certainty.
The county?s budget is hung up on its single largest portion, the school system?s spending plan.
The two boards are at odds over the controversial issue of school consolidation. The School Board voted 5-3 earlier this year to proceed with a plan to consolidate the county?s three smaller high schools into the three larger ones.
That vote, along with a 5-3 vote to appoint a countywide tiebreaker for School Board issues, came before a special election that set the board members back to a 4-4 divide, meaning any vote would end in a tie. The Wise County Board of Supervisors is also split 4-4.
As the lawsuits over the issue pile up ? Kennedy said more litigation was filed Monday, with another filing expected today ? the two School Board factions have been playing a chess game with meetings, each trying to get a strategic upper hand. Each faction will schedule a meeting and only its members will attend, meaning there?s no quorum to conduct business.
The pro-consolidation board members want a quorum so they can move forward with their plans, using the tie-breaker?s vote if necessary.
The anti-consolidation board members, according to their attorney, Frank Kilgore, don?t want to meet unless there?s an agreement beforehand not to discuss certain issues, including those related to the tie-breaker and consolidation.
In the latest round, the anti-consolidation side has called a meeting for 6 tonight, and the pro-consolidation side has called a meeting in the same location at 5:45 p.m.
With a growing number of lawsuits now pending in Wise County related to school consolidation issues, a local government shutdown could create a unique set of problems, as the courts might not be and able to hear them.
And Commonwealth?s Attorney Ron Elkins said it?s more than teachers who wouldn?t be paid if there?s no budget. The husband of a schoolteacher who?d also go without pay in the event of a shutdown, he said he?d keep going to work as long as he could financially manage to do so.
He?s concerned that, in the event of an extended shutdown, criminals might walk free because, under state speedy trial laws, cases that aren?t resolved within five months are automatically dismissed.
?We have probably a case that the speedy trial could run out on every day,? he said, explaining that Wise County?s court docket is crammed.
Elkins said he?s also concerned about his employees ? particularly the single-parent and single-income families that he said would be devastated by the loss of their paychecks.
Maj. Gene Vanover, of the Wise County Sheriff?s Office, said the county will still have law enforcement in the event of a shutdown ? the state requires it.
?What caliber of people we have here, they?ll be here,? he said. But, he added, ?Hopefully, they?ll get a budget passed before anyone misses a paycheck.?

**Rocky** · May 10th, 2011, 05:23 PM

this is ridiculous................

house for sale in appalachia pm for details....... :WINK:

**starbuck** · May 10th, 2011, 05:32 PM

as a citizen of Norton, I try to keep out of Wise Co. business but sometimes it just slips out. What has happened is pittiful for this area. There are some that will say it is all about school colors and school names and mascots and the past but in my heart I believe it is much more that just a school name. before anyone calls me an "anti" just wait. I believe that the best plan was for 3 new schools to be built for the consolidated schools but the BOS wouldn't fund that. I thought OK, the 3 on 1 plan isn't great but it is better than nothing. again, not the plan I'd pick but I hated the 2 on 1 plan because it pushed the schools into AA in sports and travel would be awful for the school, kids and parents. If there was a way to keep 6 schools open and not be throwing money down the drain to do it that would be great to keep these towns with their schools. But we are here, moving kids from old schools to old schools with no guarantee that the BOS will give any money to try to fix them any at all. Then we have our elected "leaders" acting like 2nd graders that can't get along and are now threating to grind the county govt to a halt. I really can't wait to watch the results of the next elections becaue it is going to be so much fun. I serious think that the board members that ran and were elected on a pro-consolidation platform will be ushered out by such margins that is will not be funny. Once the public has gotten the taste in its mouth of what is going on now, NO ONE is going to be safe. I think the public is so tired of all of this.

**R13** · May 10th, 2011, 07:33 PM

Why would the pro members be voted out?

Anyway, this story was on the Washington Post, so congrats to us all for making the national news..so embarrassing. Thanks Betty, Mark, Rocky and Jess!

**sup-rbeast** · May 10th, 2011, 07:37 PM

The pros thought they were politically railroading the antis with the delay of the district 4 board seat til after the November elections...and with the rushed vote on the tiebreaker berfore Powers took his seat. But, it looks like the antis have countered and railroaded the entire process. Both are dirty tactics but IMO turnabout is fair play. Time for a countywide referrendum IMO to see just exacty where the public falls on consolidation.

**starbuck** · May 10th, 2011, 08:00 PM

the reason the pro members will be voted out is because they were for the 2 on 1 plan that took schools out of every town except Wise and St Paul. they have lost support because of that move. you didn't hear a peep from Big Stone when the plan was to have a school down there but as soon as the 2 on 1 thing happened you heard a lot from the BSG area. same with Coeburn pretty much. Cease never would have existed if the 2 on 1 plan didn't come to light and it looked like that was the plan moving forward. I just think that the citizens of Wise Co are looking for a new and fresh start. I just feel, and I could be 100% wrong, but the ones that ran on a pro-consolidation platform will be hard pressed to to keep their seat. Like I said, I may be wrong but that is my gut feeling, that the SB has lost the faith and trust of the public, no matter which side they sit on with the consolidation issue.

**R13** · May 10th, 2011, 08:57 PM

The 2on1 is dead, it's not happening, with the 4 that are up for reelection...I don't see any losing except probably Powers. These antics right here that there doing will be much more fresh on the mind of voters than that, holding these teachers pay hostage will be on their mind, walking out on meetings and no-showing at all the rest will be on their minds. 2on1 will barely be an issue, the only reason it was even talked about so much is that it lasted a little while with Luntsford changing his vote on the BOS(for dirty reasons), they have presented two dozen plans to the BOS...don't know why that one would be such a huge issue with them considering it failed like the other 23.

**red66** · May 10th, 2011, 08:58 PM

I have no horse in this race, but you can't really fault the anti-consolidation members for fighting against consolidation. The majority of their constituents do not want the schools to consolidate and they are just being the voice for those people. I guess you can say some of their tactics are childish and unprofessional, but I guess that's what happens when they realize they have no other chance to stop the consolidation.

For what it's worth I believe that it is inevitable that the schools will have to consolidate it's just the people in Appalachia, Pound and St. Paul don't want that to happen.

**R13** · May 10th, 2011, 08:59 PM

This will be on their minds in Nov....

Dispute over school consolidation could close Wise County government, budget caught in fight - The Washington Post

**pvfan** · May 10th, 2011, 09:09 PM

Originally Posted by R13

The 2on1 is dead, it's not happening, with the 4 that are up for reelection...I don't see any losing except probably Powers. These antics right here that there doing will be much more fresh on the mind of voters than that, holding these teachers pay hostage will be on their mind, walking out on meetings and no-showing at all the rest will be on their minds. 2on1 will barely be an issue, the only reason it was even talked about so much is that it lasted a little while with Luntsford changing his vote on the BOS(for dirty reasons), they have presented two dozen plans to the BOS...don't know why that one would be such a huge issue with them considering it failed like the other 23.

Ted Thompson wont run and an anti consolidation person will win in BSG while Powers will probably lose to a pro consolidation person. Thus, a wash and we remain in this foolish mess.