Proposed Boundary Line Adjustment

Boundary Line Adjustments

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a boundary line adjustment?

Under Virginia law, a boundary line adjustment is when two localities (county, city, or town) voluntarily decide to modify the boundary or limit between the two localities.

Why are the Town and County proposing a boundary line adjustment?

The Town recently purchased about sixty-four acres of land at the intersection of Highway 220 and Old Franklin Turnpike where Rocky Mount Ready Mix is currently located.  About twenty acres of that land is located outside of the town limits.  That is what started the discussion regarding a boundary line adjustment.  All types of housing including single family homes, duplexes, apartments, etc. are needed in the area.  The Town plans to work with developers—both commercial and residential—to bring mixed use development (new businesses and new housing options) to the sixty-four acres.  Once we began discussing a possible boundary adjustment, a few other areas were considered—mostly the Diamond Avenue area and Tanglewood Hills since those areas already have some or all Town utilities.

The Town is working every day to improve the community and to prepare for future growth—new businesses, more housing options that are desperately needed, etc.  This expansion of the town limits is necessary to prepare for that growth and development.  This will improve everyone’s quality of life and makes the community a better place to live, work, and play.

There is also an issue of equity or fairness.  People that live just outside the town limits typically enjoy or receive many (sometimes all) of the benefits of town services (see more discussion on town services below), but they do not pay town taxes.  This means that existing town residents and businesses essentially subsidize town services for those that live outside of town limits—a situation that can be argued is unfair for town residents and businesses.  For example, many people that are currently outside of town limits in Tanglewood Hills or on Diamond Avenue, Circle View Street, or Highland Hills Road cannot get out of their neighborhood without driving on streets that are maintained by the Town.  In Franklin County outside of the town limits, roads are maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), while in the town limits, roads are maintained by the Town.  This includes paving, repairs, snow removal, etc.  The Town is typically able to respond faster than VDOT—especially with regard to snow removal on smaller streets and roads—given the vast area that VDOT must cover.  It is an enhanced level of service over and above what VDOT is able to provide in parts of the County that are outside of town limits.

Another example of those outside of the town limits receiving some amount of services from the Town is that in case of a serious emergency, Town police would likely respond to the areas already referenced because they can often do so faster than County Sheriff’s deputies who are spread out over the entire county.  The Rocky Mount Fire Department is another good example as most of the funding for the Rocky Mount Fire Department comes from the Town, but the Fire Department responds to an area that extends out much farther than the town limits.

What is the process for the proposed boundary line adjustment?

One notice was published in the Franklin News-Post newspaper on Friday, October 4th.  Another notice will be published on Friday, October 11th.  Franklin County will hold a public hearing on October 15th, and the Town will hold a public hearing on October 21st.  Anyone that would like to comment on the proposed boundary line adjustment can speak at one or both of those hearings.

If the Town and County approve the boundary line adjustment after their respective public hearings, they will adopt a resolution to ask the Circuit Court to approve the proposed changes to town boundary lines.  The matter will then go to the Circuit Court for final approval.

What services are provided by the Town of Rocky Mount?

Police—The Rocky Mount Police Department (PD) patrols all area in the town limits, responds to emergencies, and does a lot of community policing (partnering with residents and businesses) through the Community First initiative.  Response times for the PD (measured from the time the 911 dispatch center contacts the officer(s) on duty to the time the officer arrives) averages just over three minutes.  For comparison purposes, the nationwide average response time is about ten minutes.

Fire—The Rocky Mount Fire Department (RMFD) is a volunteer department, but the Town covers most of the RMFD related expenses including utilities, fuel (diesel and gasoline), fire stations (construction, repair, and maintenance), vehicles (purchase and maintenance), firefighting equipment, protective equipment for firefighters, etc.  The RMFD has more members than any other Department in Franklin County and covers a first call service area that is much larger than the town limits.  In fact, while every call that the RMFD responds to are in Franklin County, about 60% of their calls are outside of the town limits.

Streets—Maintenance and repair of streets in town including filling potholes, paving, removing snow, street sweeping, and sidewalks.  As mentioned above, the Town is able to provide an enhanced level of service (especially with regard to snow removal) compared to what VDOT provides for roads outside of the town limits.  This is why snow is removed much faster on neighborhood roads inside the town limits compared to similar roads elsewhere in the County.

Solid Waste—Weekly curbside pickup with a container (cart) that is issued by the Town, bulk solid waste and limbs/yard waste pickup (monthly), leaf pick-up (annually), and dump truck rental (we park it at your home and pick it up when you are done) for a nominal fee for household cleanups.  At this time, only town residents and businesses are able to get solid waste service from the Town.  People and businesses outside of town limits must either take their own trash to County sites or contract with a private solid waste company to pick up at their property.  These private solid waste services are typically quite a bit more expensive than what the Town charges—and they do not include bulk solid waste pickup or leaf pick-ups.

Water—Clean, safe, reliable source of water for drinking, cleaning, fighting fires, etc.  This includes cleaning and treatment of the water and maintenance of the distribution system (pipes) that gets the water to all homes and businesses in the town limits—as well as some homes and businesses outside of the town limits.  Those who live outside of town that have private water wells must pay all costs associated with drilling the well, maintenance, repairs, power, etc.  The inside town limits rate is half of the outside town limits rate. 

Wastewater (sewer)—Safe disposal of wastewater including the maintenance of wastewater mains (pipes) and the wastewater treatment plant so that most residents and businesses do not have to install and maintain septic systems.  Just like with water service, the inside town limits rate for wastewater service is half of the outside town limits rate.

Parks and Open Space—Rocky Mount has seven parks that include more than thirty-nine acres of parkland.  According to the National Recreation and Park Association, the national average for parkland in a community is one park for every 2,386 residents.  Rocky Mount has more than three times that average.

If my property ends up in the town, will I still pay county taxes?

Yes—residents and businesses in town limits pay both County and Town taxes.  The Town provides a different set of services than the County, so the Town collects different taxes and fees in order to cover the costs of providing those services.  The services provided by the County include, but are not limited to, schools, court, law enforcement, social services for children and seniors, economic development, parks, etc.  The services provided by the Town include, but are not limited to, water, wastewater, solid waste (garbage) collection, law enforcement, firefighting, street maintenance and repair (including snow removal), parks, economic development, planning and zoning, etc.  Most of these services are not offered by the County—especially in the town limits.  

What are the residential property taxes in Rocky Mount?

Real Estate        $0.13 per $100 of assessed value

Personal Property    $0.51 per $100 of assessed value

Note: These are Town tax rates that are set by the Town Council.  These rates have not changed in thirteen years.

Please consider the following example for a resident that has a home with an assessed value of $250,000 and a vehicle with an assessed value of $20,000.  You will note that the reduction in total charges for water and wastewater fees will more than make up for the additional real estate and personal property taxes.

Notes:     

- Not everyone in town has wastewater service.

- Solid waste service was not included because it is not available outside of town.