Buchanan Town Council agreed during a work session last Friday afternoon to move forward with establishing an urban archery season within the town limits, agreed to send a 2018-19 budget to public hearing and discussed options for allowing mobile restaurants (food trucks) to set up on town property.

Council also agreed tentatively to include a $2 rate increase for public sewer as part of the budget in order to address another expected deficit for sewer operations.

Council will hold public hearings on the proposed $1,272,898 total budget and establishing an urban archery season during its Monday, May 14 regular meeting

The proposed urban archery season, if approved, will make the town one of about 50 municipalities in Virginia that allow deer hunting with a bow during the designated urban archery season in the fall and spring. Roanoke County and the Cities of Lexington and Lynchburg and the Town of Bedford are among those that have urban archery seasons to try to control deer populations in the urban and suburban areas.

The idea was brought up last summer when Vice-Mayor James Manspile told council he’d gotten a number of complaints about deer destroying gardens and the number of wrecks they caused in town— particularly along south Main Street.

In November, council heard from Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) Deer Project Coordinator Nelson Lafon about the program, and earlier this year council agreed to be tentatively included in the program this fall.

The DGIF established an urban archery season during 2002 to assist towns and cities with urban deer management issues. The urban archery season gives localities a means to reduce deer populations within their limits, while at the same time providing hunting recreation, according to the DGIF website.

The urban archery season generally runs from the first Saturday in September through the first Friday in October, and again from the first Saturday in January through the last Sunday in March. It’s also open during regular archery and firearms seasons for deer, the first Saturday in October through the first Saturday in January.

Only antlerless deer (does) may be taken during urban archery season.

There are restrictions in the proposed town ordinance that would require archers to hunt from an elevated stand (at least 10 feet), have written permission from the landowner and not hunt within 100 feet of a dwelling, sidewalk or street. Property owners wanting to allow hunting would also have to register their property with the town, and hunting would be allowed only on lots one-half acre and larger.

Sewer Rate Increase

Council gave a tentative nod to increasing the sewer rate because of continued deficits in that utility account. Town Manager Jon Ellestad told council the town is already more than $30,000 in the red in the account in this fiscal year and that will grow.

With a rate increase, he said the sewer account is expected to be $23,000 in the red in the proposed budget.

Manspile has reported before that the town’s sewer system and treatment plant have challenges that will be costly, although he believes he has a plan that could help mitigate some of those costs.

He’d like council to hold a work session exclusively for dealing with utilities.

Mayor Craig Byrant called the sewer issue “complicated.” He said it is an income issue, an efficiency issue and an operational issue, suggesting the town consider again seeking bids for operations and maintenance.

“If you’re going to run utilities, you have to get the citizens used to increasing rates because costs go up,” Ellestad told council.

Bryant told council they will have to provide a “big why” to the citizens about the need for the rate increase.

Council will take public comments on the $769,338 general fund budget, the $376,775 water department budget and the $126,785 sewer department budget.

There are no other proposed tax rate changes.

During discussions about the proposed budget, Ellestad suggested making some accounting changes that deal with proceeds from the Buchanan Community Carnival and the volunteer fire department and rescue squad.

Manspile said what Town Council did to the fire department when the town took over the carnival “disgusts me.”

“The town never made the money the fire department made on the carnival,” he said, adding that the town never put back into emergency services what was promised. “It was a lie that was sold to the fire department.”

He suggested they put a determined amount of money in “local control” for the fire department each year and if it’s used, “great;” if not, let the department build a contingency fund.

Ellestad noted, though, that $28,206 was going to the fire department in the current fiscal year, not counting what the town spends on building maintenance. He suggested consolidating all payments into one account.

“The question is, ‘What does the fire department need?’” he said, noting the county provides “a substantial” amount; and adding that the fire house needs an upgrade. It was built in the mid-1970s.