In Virginia, town councils are elected leaders charged with overseeing a local town government. They have the power to set tax rates, make zoning decisions, oversee local emergency services, and much more.

The Town of Farmville, which is in Prince Edward County, is divided into 5 wards. One town council member is elected from each ward and two are elected at-large. The town councilors and mayor serve four-year terms.

This year, three wards and one at-large position is up for election. John D. Miller is running unopposed for the at-large seat.

Charlottesville Tomorrow designed a questionnaire for Miller based on responses we received from our voter survey. He provided answers below.

Housing

Like many central Virginian communities, some Farmville residents struggle to find and pay for housing. What’s your view on Farmville’s housing needs, and what would you push for to address them?

John D. Miller: We have not only a shortage of affordable housing — inasmuch as households earning between 60% and 120% of the area median income still struggle with market-rate prices — but also a shortage of a variety of housing options, including townhomes, condos, duplexes, and tiny homes.* As chairman of the planning commission, we’re already looking into ways — and I’d continue to advocate for this on the Town Council — by reducing bulk regulations (lot sizes and setbacks) and looking for creative means to encourage development, like cottage courts. It’s also important to hear from developers and other subject matter experts about their perspectives, and I’m glad we have an ad hoc committee of such stakeholders to share their ideas and give input to town planners.**

Editor’s Notes:

*The most recent median household income data for the Town of Farmville that we could find was $40,966, which is pulled from 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year data from the United States Census Bureau. The median sale price of a home in Farmville in 2021 was $181,500 and thus far in 2026 it is $274,869, according to Redfin. One nonprofit, STEPS Inc., has proposed mixed-income housing in the Town of Farmville as a way to combat housing insecurity across the region, as reported by The Farmville Herald in August 2026.

**The Farmville Planning Commission meeting agendas and notes are available on the Town of Farmville’s website.

Healthcare access

Farmville’s own hospital, Centra Southside Community Hospital, closed its labor and delivery unit this past winter — part of a broader pattern of more rural communities losing access to health care. Is there anything you can see the town government doing to help address this, even in a small way?

Miller: The short answer is I don’t know. But I’d like to know more about what the Town Council could do to help healthcare systems navigate the headwinds of tight economics and changing federal policies.

Data centers

What is your stance on data centers in the Town of Farmville? What information would you want to have before deciding how Farmville should approach data center development?

Miller: Data centers are not in Farmville’s zoning matrix,* and I would not vote for data centers to be added to it.

*Editor’s Note: The proposed Heartland Innovative Technology Park data center is currently planned for about a mile outside of town limits and the final project size is still in flux. The current site specifications identify the water source as “Town of Farmville/Prince Edward County” and the water capacity as up to 1.2 millions of gallons of water from Town of Farmville and up to 5.5 millions of gallons of water from a “Proposed Sandy River Reservoir.” Here is a FAQ about the proposed data center, from Prince Edward County’s website.

Water supply

Farmville relies on the Appomattox River for its water supply. This summer, as the river dropped to unusually low levels during a regional drought, the town asked residents and businesses to voluntarily conserve water. Scientists predict that droughts like the one experienced this summer will increase in frequency and severity in the coming years. How should the town prepare to protect its water supply?

Miller: In spite of the low rainfall this summer,* Farmville was still operating well within its capacity. We’ll have to continue to be wise stewards of water usage, not only advising our residents and businesses, but the town itself should be a careful manager of water consumption.

*Editor’s Note: Dry weather and low water levels of the Appomattox River prompted the Town of Farmville to ask residents and businesses to conserve water, according to the Farmville Herald.

Are there any other pressing issues facing the Town of Farmville that you would like voters to know about?

Miller: Last year’s Asset Management Plan revealed that Farmville has plenty of aging infrastructure beneath our streets. A top priority would be continuing to make sure that the water and sewer funds remain dedicated to underwriting those operations, including preventive maintenance, repairs, and replacement.* We have a terrific public works team in Farmville, and careful financial stewardship is crucial to make sure they consistently have the resources to do their job and sustain our infrastructure.

*Editor’s Note: The Town of Farmville budgets for Fiscal Years 2020-2021 through 2026-2027 are available on the Farmville website. To view a map of the pipe infrastructure, you can take a look at the GIS map. First, click “Map Layers” and then, select “Sewer Lines” and “Water Lines” for the pipe infrastructure.