In Virginia, town councils are elected city 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 Scottsville has six council members and a mayor elected to four-year terms. There are two people running for mayor this year: Edward A. Payne Jr. and Ronald L. “Ron” Smith. Payne is a current town council member whose term ends at the end of 2024 and Smith is the incumbent mayor.

Charlottesville Tomorrow designed a questionnaire for the candidates based on some 200 responses we received to a voter survey. Smith and Payne’s responses are below, in the order they were received.

Can you start by telling us about the role of a Scottsville mayor and what you will bring to that role?

Ron Smith: The Mayor of Scottsville serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the town. The mayor works directly with the Town Administrator on the daily operations of the town. The Mayor ensures that the Town Administrator carries out the directions of the Town Council who have set priorities and expectations. The Mayor offers guidance and assistance to the Administrator in all areas and works closely with the Administrator to ensure the town operates as effectively as possible.

Edward A. Payne Jr.: The mayor shall serve as the chief executive officer of the city performing executive responsibilities by monitoring the activities of the town administrator, and the various departments of the town government to see that town ordinances and state laws are enforced. This requires knowledge of city, ordinances and state laws and a procedure for monitoring municipal activities. The mayor shall serve as the policy leader for the community, providing policy information and recommendations to the council. [They] will proceed over the city council. The mayor shall vote in the event of a vote by the council. The mayor shall serve as a chief representative of the town and relations with the media. The mayor shall represent the town and meetings with and presentations to other government or units, businesses, community groups, and other groups. The mayor shall work with the residents of the community and receive their comments and complaints and seek appropriate responses. Having served on the Scottsville Town Council for six years, I feel that I am equipped to handle all of these roles.

[Editor’s note: Payne’s response is lightly edited for clarity, and any words added by the editor to correct mistypes are noted by brackets. Charlottesville Tomorrow could not reach Payne again after he made his submission.]

Scottsville has a unique location in that the town itself exists in both Albemarle and Fluvanna counties. Can you tell us how you’d like to see the town work with these two counties?

Smith: The Town strives to work with both adjoining counties in the areas of development and economics. There is a continuing mutual relationship in areas such as law enforcement, fire and EMS services, and business. The Scottsville Chamber of Commerce has a good working relationship with the Chambers of both Fluvanna and Buckingham.

Payne: The only interaction that I am familiar with [in] Fluvanna County is a police fire and rescue. I believe there are 13 residences in Fluvanna now and also in the Town of Scottsville and their comments and concerns are always welcomed.

Like many other localities in central Virginia, there are not enough candidates for Scottsville’s Town Council to fill the empty seats. Why is it difficult to get candidates to run for local office, and do you think it might impact the town’s ability to get work done?

Smith: As you indicate, this is a problem in a lot of areas. Volunteerism is down for not only towns but also civic and other nonprofit groups. One issue is time. Many “older” citizens, in some cases, feel that they have done their part for their community and it is time to let the “younger generation” take over. The “younger generation” may have work and family obligations that take priority over giving of what little free time they have. Another consideration is that with both town council and the mayor’s position, they are volunteer positions you have to be elected to and you are not paid for. Those who do offer themselves for these posts do so out of a sincere desire to see that the welfare of their community is maintained.

Payne: Many people don’t have the time to volunteer for service to the Town of Scottsville, but I would like to see as many as possible come forward and have a voice in the operations of the town. As long as we have a quorum of four out of six representatives, we can have the business in the Town of Scottsville.

We’ve previously reported on budget issues facing the town, created in part because the population is shrinking. What ideas do you have to manage a shrinking budget while still meeting the town’s needs?

Smith: Scottsville’s population is not “shrinking,” it is stagnant. When I moved to Scottsville in 2007, the population was a little over 500. Today the population is a little over 500. Scottsville had not had a new neighborhood for 50 years when, three years ago, we had to add a new neighborhood on a parcel of land on Bird Street that was part of the tire plant property. [Here’s more about that property.] There was opposition to this neighborhood which would be small: 34 single family homes. When Council voted on the SUP [special use permit] the vote was a tie. The mayor only has a vote in case of a tie and I was proud to have had the opportunity to vote FOR the SUP. A new neighborhood meant an increase in population and in turn more people to support the local businesses. Why some people were against this was, and still are, a mystery to me. As for the budget, just like your personal or household budget, you can’t always do or get what you want. The town is the same way. We have to carefully watch our money. We are constantly looking for grants that may enable us to undertake projects that are important to both the town and its citizens.

Payne: If the population of the Town of Scottsville increases, more people require more services and I would like to know if the influx of new people would all set the cost of these additional required services, for example police, fire, rescue and school system.

Local real estate assessments rose by more than 10% on average in the town of Scottsville. That means most people’s real estate tax bills will go up unless the town lowers the tax rate. Do you support lowering that tax rate, or does the town need the additional revenue from the increased assessments?

Smith: First, the town is one of a few small towns in Virginia that does not have a real estate tax. When Albemarle County decided to raise our assessments by 10% they used flawed and unfair reasoning for doing so. During the year prior to the increased assessments we had a couple of properties that sold, only a couple. And, because these (at least one) was sold for a significant amount, the assessor’s office used that as the basis for the increase. In other words, everyone in Scottsville suffered because of one sale. Our town relies on business license taxes, meals tax, and transient occupancy taxes plus some contribution from other sources. It goes back to the point I made earlier: More residents means more people to spend their money in Scottsville, the businesses do better and the taxes they pay to the town go up. But we still have the “no growth” group that turn around and complain about why the town hasn’t done this and that.

Payne: The 10% increase in real estate taxes was not something that the Town Scottsville had any control over. All real estate taxes go to the County of Albemarle and they are the ones that came up with this tax rate so any issues addressing the tax rate should be handled by the county. Scottsville does not receive any revenue from real estate taxes on property within the town boundaries of Scottsville.

Are there any other pressing issues facing the town that you’d like voters to know about?

Smith: No other pressing issues at this time. We are doing good and we (at least I am) excited about the new neighborhood which is almost ready for the initial turning of the shovel. Thank you for allowing me to answer your questions.

Payne: We have a lot of maintenance issues in the Town Scottsville that need to be addressed before we can take on newer projects that I’ve been proposed. I believe we should take care of what we have before taking on any new projects and, for example, fix the sidewalks we have instead of building new ones.

More about Scottsville Town

• COVID relief funding has ended and now the rural town of Scottsville has to cut its budget by 25% in which Smith supported a new development and Payne motioned to deny it (Feb. 2023, Charlottesville Tomorrow)
• Voters didn’t have a say in nearly 75% of local Central Virginia races this year — because there weren’t enough candidates (Ron Smith’s comments on local service, Nov. 2023, Charlottesville Tomorrow)

Here are key dates and deadlines associated with this year’s election.

March 5	Super Tuesday! Both Republicans and Democrats are holding primaries. You do not have to be a member of a political party to vote in that party’s primary election, however you can only vote in one of the primaries. Polls will be open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
May 3	Early voting begins for all other primary elections.
May 28	Deadline to register to vote, or update an existing registration for Congressional and local primaries.
June 7 @ 5 p.m.	Deadline to request your primary ballot be mailed to you for absentee voting or to vote by mail.
June 18	Primary Election Day for Congressional, state and local races.
Sept. 20	Early voting begins for November general election.
Nov. 5	Election Day!

We will update this list periodically as deadlines approach or we receive new information.

Register to vote, check your registration, find your polling places and apply to vote absentee at the Virginia Department of Elections here. Remember, even if you miss registration deadlines, you can register through Election Day and vote using a provisional ballot.

Need to know if you’re eligible to vote? Here are resources from the Virginia Department of Elections.