Stafford County offices, departments, and courts will open on a two-hour delay on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, as the region recovers from the recent winter storm.
However, Juvenile and Domestic Relations (JDR) courts will remain closed for the day. Circuit and General District Courts will open at 10 a.m., with cases beginning at 11 a.m.
Both locations of the R-Board/Regional Landfill—Eskimo Hill and Belman Road—will open on time, with the residential and commercial sides operational starting at 8 a.m.
Stafford Public Schools will be closed due to ongoing weather-related challenges.
Residents are encouraged to visit the county’s emergency information page for the latest updates, resources, and information.
Due to the winter storm affecting our region and expected significant snow accumulation, Stafford County offices, facilities, courts, public schools, and both locations of the R-Board/Regional Landfill (Eskimo Hill and Belman Road) will be closed on Monday, January 6, 2025.
The Virginia Department of Transportation has urged motorists to stay off the roads due to hazardous conditions from snow and ice. The R-Board will monitor weather conditions and provide updates on their operating status through their website and social media channels. Emergency updates, links, and resources are available on Stafford’s emergency information page.
The Rappahannock Regional Solid Waste Management Board (R-Board) has announced that it will temporarily waive fees for yard debris disposal for residents until Sunday, September 8, 2024. This decision comes in response to the Aug. 30 storm that brought heavy wind and rain to Stafford County and surrounding areas. The storm, which marked the beginning of Virginia’s hurricane season, resembled tropical-like conditions often seen in places like Florida, not Virginia.
Residents can take yard waste to two locations: the Regional Landfill on Eskimo Hill Road and the Belman Road Convenience Center. The Eskimo Hill location accepts limbs and debris up to 12 inches in diameter and eight feet in length. The Belman Road Convenience Center will accept debris up to four inches in diameter and eight feet in length.
The fee waiver applies only to residential disposal and does not extend to commercial firms. For more information, residents can visit the R-Board’s website.
Stafford County won three National Association of Counties (NACo) 2024 Achievement Awards. The NACo Awards recognize outstanding government programs and services. Stafford won two awards in the Human Services category and one in the Civic Education and Public Information category.
“Having our efforts recognized by NACo is high praise indeed,” said Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chairman Meg Bohmke. “We work daily to achieve excellence on behalf of our residents, but it is certainly nice to have our peers validate our work.”
Stafford County’s Rappahannock Regional Solid Waste Management Board (R-Board) bicycle restoration program won in the Human Services category. The R-Board initiated a bicycle restoration program in October 2023. The program aims to reduce waste by providing a drop-off location for gently used bicycles that need minor repairs at the residential side of the Regional Landfill. By refurbishing and repairing bicycles that are still in good condition, the program encourages reuse and prevents them from being landfilled. The bicycle restoration program is overseen by Francesca Johnson, Recycling Manager, in partnership with Stafford Crossing Community Church who refurbishes and repairs collected bicycles before distributing them to children in need.
Stafford’s Human Resources department won for policy changes that improve efficiency in the Human Services category. Human Resources maintains several policies related to the organization and administration of Stafford County Government’s human resources and associated programs. Stafford County Leadership team members worked to identify specific policy amendments that the County Administrator could authorize. This concept was discussed with individual members of the Board of Supervisors to gauge openness to delegating their authority during these identified areas of policy amendments before bringing the program to the full Board of Supervisors for a resolution. The goal of delegating authority to the County Administrator is to create efficiency and flexibility for the County to maintain its Human Resources policies.
Stafford County Utilities, in partnership with the Community Engagement Department, won in the Human Services category for creating a superhero character that fights clogs. The utilities infrastructure is an aging system that the County is working to upgrade and maintain. Clogs from fats, oil, and grease (FOG) are a real problem that impacts operations and costs. The department initially created a superhero theme for the annual FOG campaign to increase awareness about how residents can help protect the sanitary sewer system. The main character, Captain Clog, was used on billboards, social media posts, and videos for the FOG campaign. Since then, he has become a vehicle to communicate various awareness and outreach topics. Two comic books have been created for outreach editions—the first about water and wastewater treatment processes and the second about water conservation.
 The Rappahannock Regional Solid Waste Management Board (R-Board) and Aquia Harbour Host Lions Club's Electronics Recycling Program was recognized as a silver medal winner for the 2024 Governor's Environmental Excellence Awards.
The awards were announced on April 9, 2024 at the Environment Virginia Symposium held at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington. The awards recognize innovative programs that are improving Virginia’s environment.
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Stafford County leaders are tired of hearing complaints from residents who say they’re not being served by private trash haulter GFL.
The Canadian firm recently purchased multiple trash-hauling companies in the Fredericksburg region. Last year, after it purchased Spotsylvania-based County Waste, Stafford leaders were inundated with complaint phone calls and emails. Many residents said they could not reach the company to have questions answered or complain.
Holding up multiple reams of paper during a January 17, 2023 meeting, Rock Hill District Supervisor Crystal Vanuch said residents sent her and county staff enough emails to require more than 7,000 sheets of paper to print out, all about failures with the trash hauler.
According to Vanuch, the emails contain complaints about the company’s failure to return customers’ phone calls, failure to pick up trash as scheduled, and refusal to issue refunds promised to customers.
“We’ve received 255 phone calls. This is now becoming a Stafford County Government issue, using taxpayer money to address the issues of a private company,” said Vanuch. “We have to do something.”
Vanuch asked the county administrator and attorney to present actions the county government could take to resolve the issue at its next Board of Supervisors meeting on February 7, 2023. Vanuch asked the county administrator to consider asking Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares to investigate the company’s practices.
County leaders have been wrangling with service issues from the company since the Summer of 2022. Initially, the firm blamed the no-show trash service on route scheduling software.
In surrounding jurisdictions also experiencing similar issues with private trash haulers, supply chain and employee shortages were cited as the causes.
“When customers call to complain, and when no one answers and the phone ‘rolls over,’ they’re not getting people who understand Stafford County, and they’re not getting the answers they want,” said Falmouth District Supervisor Meg Bohmke, met with someone from GFL last year to discuss the ongoing issues.
“The problem is bigger than the local manager [here in Virginia,]” said Bohmke, who said the firm focused on solutions it provided in Connecticut, Florida, and Massachusetts markets. “I don’t care about those places. I care about the people here in Stafford County,” said Bohmke. “We have to get GFL’s attention in some other way.”
Several private companies provide trash service in Stafford County. Trucks roll out to homes, pick up roll-away trash bins, employ the garbage into trucks, and then haul it to a regional landfill on Eskimo Hill Road in Stafford County.
“I’m not opposed to having a conservation with GFL,” said Griffis-Widewater Supervisor Tinesha Allen. “Anyone come to [haul] trash in Stafford. It’s an open process. Anyone can file for a permit and become a trash collector.”
Allen called the company responsive to her and said she agreed to give the firm a grace period as it ramps up operations.
There are new hours for the Rappahannock Regional Landfill. Starting Saturday, December 3, and each weekend afterward, the landfill will open one hour earlier, at 8 a.m.
Monday through Friday, the landfill will close a half hour earlier, at 4 p.m.
The landfill at 489 Eskimo Hill Road serves the residents of Stafford County and Fredericksburg city.
?New Residential Hours beginning Saturday, December 3?
?Saturday and Sunday: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
?Monday – Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.Learn more: https://t.co/w0N2pO27yg pic.twitter.com/sJhsfSQpy2
— RBoardSTAFFRED (@RBoardSTAFFRED) November 28, 2022
