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Former county administrator seeking seat for Millboro
BY CHARLES GARRATT • STAFF WRITER
 | | William "Bill" Manion |
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MILLBORO - William "Bill" Manion won't actually be his own boss if elected to represent the Millboro District on the Bath board of supervisors, but he will have a top-down view of the job he held until 1991.
In fact, Manion was back in the county administrator position for a short time last year after Claire Collins left. He and his wife, Frances, have raised eight children who have graduated from Bath County High School.
Manion recognizes being a supervisor "has its headaches." He is running for the job because several people in the community have asked him to do so. "I have a conservative philosophy," he said. If that philosophy appeals to voters, he hopes they will vote for him.
"In my life, I've had to work from the ground up É I know what it is to not have. Know the value of a dollar," Manion said. While he recognizes a lot of county expenditures are mandated by the state and federal governments, "you have to have vision," to run the county properly, he said.
Manion is a firm believer in being able to do more with less. In his time as an administrator, he said he has seen the state cut budgets 10 percent and the agencies survive and serve the people.
Dealing with the complex Bath County revenue and budget process is nothing new to Manion. He understands determining how much revenue the county receives from public corporations. And he is concerned the high end development in the county is impacting the ratio of assessments used to calculate what Dominion/ Virginia Power and other public utility corporations pay in taxes each year.
But rather than just reassess to keep the revenue up, Manion thinks the county should have a plan and vision for the money. Instead of panicking when the ratio declines low enough to put a crunch in the budget, Manion thinks the county should have a specific revenue goal.
The county "can determine a bottom line," Manion said. Under Manion's plan, in years where the county collected more than the "bottom line" amount, the excess would be put into a capital projects fund. When the revenue was projected to fall below the "bottom line," the county would reassess to capture any revenue lost by increases in property values. This plan would put the county on a schedule with capital money available without borrowing, he said.
Manion points to his own family as an example of one critical need he sees in the county. Eight of his children went through the county school system, but only one has a job in the county. "We need to have jobs for young people," he said.
Long range he thinks the county needs jobs and recreation for young people. The supervisors need to keep and open mind as they plan, he said.
Growth and development need to be controlled, Manion said. While the Homestead Preserve development has provided some jobs in the community, the downside is the growth is making property values jump. "Mine tripled," said Manion.
On the other hand, he notes, development like the Preserve doesn't bring many children to the county to stress the school system.
Manion is concerned the local housing market has ballooned too high. In a downturn, he wonders what values will adjust to. Supervisors might be caught by surprise with a rapid decrease in property values, he notes.
Manion says at one time many farms had windmills. Wind generation is clean, with no emmission and no nuclear accidents, he said. "There's a place for that. I don't know if the county has suitable locations," he added. Completing the land use regulations is a priority, Manion said. Issues like the current controversy over horses in residential areas can be resolved with effective setbacks and other regulations, he said. He notes horses have been classified as pets in some areas.
On almost every issue, Manion comes back to the need for jobs in the county. He doesn't want to see one big industry in the industrial park. But he does feel the county could attract some good stable companies to the largely empty park.
While Manion has not been a supervisor, he does know the workings of county government. The process of making decisions is complex, he said. "Sometimes people give you one side of the story," Manion said about constituent input. "You've got to know both sides," he adds. And a supervisor must look at the long range ramifications of decisions not just today.
"I've been there and done that," Manion said about his time in county government. If elected, he'll be one notch higher in the government than he has been before.
About the candidate William "Bill" Manion, 71 Retired Bath County administrator. Works part-time Walmart. Moved to Bath County in 1987. Eight children graduated BCHS.
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