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Supervisors to discuss caution signs at meeting
Monday, January 21, 2013
By DEBBIE HALL - Bulletin Staff Writer
Residents who request “Watch For Children” caution signs to be installed on their roads may end up paying for them.
The Virginia Department of Transportation decided to discontinue the program, and the county staff’s is asking residents on the affected roads to pay the costs of buying, installing and maintaining the initial signs and any replacement signs — at an estimated cost of $300 per sign.
The Henry County Board of Supervisors will discuss the issue Tuesday during their 3 p.m. meeting at the Henry County Administration Building.
Whatever their decision, it will be a departure from the way the process was handled in years past.
Then, when the yellow and black cautionary signs were needed, Henry County and other localities passed the request on to VDOT, which agency bought and installed the signs.
However, in a new law that went into effect in July, the General Assembly amended the state code to give the county permission to install and maintain the signs through a written agreement with VDOT.
The catch is that the county must pay for the purchase, installation and maintenance costs of the signs, according to board documents.
Several supervisors have asked about the possibility of the county taking over that responsibility, according to board documents.
Currently, the Planning, Zoning & Inspection Department buys, installs and maintains the green signs with the names of county roads.
If that department becomes responsible for “Watch For Children” signs, county staff estimates it will cost about $300 per sign installed. They are concerned about the potential cost to the county.
So, the staff is recommending that if supervisors elect to move forward with providing the service, residents of the affected roads be required to pay the cost of the initial signs and any replacement signs.
VDOT will maintain existing signs until they reach the end of their useful life. VDOT will then decide whether to replace them.
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