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Turning 2 Culpepers into one locality

April 16, 2007 12:35 am

Culpeper entrepreneur Joe Daniel is tired of the constant bickering between the town of Culpeper and Culpeper County.

Considered a man of action, Daniel plans to do something about it.

He hopes to force both governments to consolidate into a single unit that will work toward a common goal --providing residents of Culpeper County with the best government possible.

"And make no mistake about it: We town residents are also county residents," says Daniel. "It's not a 'we' and 'they' thing; it's all 'we.'"

The government consolidation issue is nothing new. Town Councilman Steve Jenkins explored the idea several years ago, long before he was elected to serve in his present capacity.

But that was before disagreements between the two governments escalated into the present sewer and water war that has been accentuated in recent weeks by the battle over how Eastern View High School, now under construction, will get water.

Daniel chaired the School Oversight Committee that took Eastern View from a much-debated concept to its present construction stage.

When the town and county began arguing earlier this year over how water would be provided to the school, Daniel had had enough.

"I never dreamed that there would be a conflict about water and sewer being provided to that building," Daniel says.

"I've been living in Culpeper for 35 years, and there's always been a certain amount of friction [between the town and county], but was nothing like it is now," he added.

The real trigger, however, was a recent Chamber of Commerce public forum during which Town Manager Brannon Godfrey and County Administrator Frank Bossio faced off in a sometimes heated debate over each government's position on the Eastern View water issue.

"That, to me, sent a message that this is never going to work unless there is a change in the governmental structure," Daniel says. "The bickering is just going to continue, and it is going to cost the taxpayers of Culpeper millions of dollars if the county is forced to duplicate [water and sewer] efforts."

So Daniel, who lives within the town limits, set about pursuing government consolidation. He is in the process of having petitions printed and hopes to hire a project coordinator by the end of this month.

Daniel plans to have a paid staff in place and petitions circulating by May 11. He will need to collect signatures from 15 percent of the registered voters in the town to move the issue forward.

"We only need 1,000 signatures but we're going to get at least 1,250, just to be sure," Daniel says.

Those petitions will be presented to Culpeper County Circuit Court Judge John Cullen, who, according to Daniel, will give the town and county governments one year in which to work out a viable consolidation agreement that will then be taken before all county voters.

Should the two governments fail to get the job done after a year, the judge will then appoint a five-member commission to work out a plan, which will then go before voters.

"The earliest we could get this on the ballot would be 2009," says Daniel. "But the situation will probably still be the same by then. The two groups will likely still be bickering."

Daniel, however, is determined to pursue government consolidation for Culpeper. And the businessman has the financial firepower to keep the project moving.

"I just don't have much hope that we're ever going to have good government with the present structure," he says. "And it is all about good government."