The Henrico County Board of Supervisors releases the following the statement in response to Richmond Mayor Danny Avula’s invitation for a regional group focused on drinking water.
“We are encouraged to have received Mayor Danny Avula’s letter to set up a joint meeting between the Henrico County Board of Supervisors and the Richmond City Council to address concerns about the city of Richmond’s water treatment plant. As we have seen with our recent and collaborative conversations with the Hanover County Board of Supervisors on June 11, these joint discussions among elected bodies are essential. Henrico remains committed to working with our neighboring localities to improve the redundancy and resiliency of our region’s drinking water system.
Upon receiving the invitation from the mayor’s office for a joint meeting, Henrico responded immediately by offering nearly 20 options, including mornings, afternoons and evenings that span 11 days on or before Aug. 1. We look forward to receiving confirmation of the chosen date and time from Richmond.
On Friday, we also received Mayor Avula’s press release, announcing a regional advisory group. We see the potential value in such a group and believe discussions about forming such a group should occur as part of an open dialogue between the two elected bodies of Richmond and Henrico, the city’s largest water consumer. Ultimately, the creation of a regional body such as this, while supported by the mayor, can only be achieved with the concurrence of City Council, as well.
Henrico Board Vice Chair Roscoe D. Cooper III, of the Fairfield District, emphasized this very point during the June 11 meeting with Hanover. ‘It’s one thing to have staff talking to staff, but it’s also another thing to have electeds talking to electeds,’ he said. ‘I think that we need to do that just like we have done today with Hanover … There are certain questions that have to be asked and certain questions that have to be answered. …’”
Henrico County Board of Supervisors
- Chair Dan J. Schmitt, Brookland District
- Vice Chair Roscoe D. Cooper, III, Fairfield District
- Supervisor Misty D. Roundtree, Three Chopt District
- Supervisor Jody K. Rogish, Tuckahoe District
- Supervisor Tyrone E. Nelson, Varina District