Higgins For Catoctin

Geary Higgins for Catoctin District Supervisor

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Thank you for your interest in my Campaign!

Check back soon for information regarding upcoming events!

Supervisor Geary Higgins

2 days ago

Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office will hold a public safety meeting at the Western Loudoun Station: August 2, 2017 at 7 p.m. located at 47 W. Loudoun Street in Round Hill, Va.

Items to be discussed are recent crime and crime trends in your area, traffic safety concerns and other public safety related issues. The meetings will be led by a Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Captain who represents your service area, and Sheriff Mike Chapman or a member of his leadership team will also be in attendance. ...

Loudoun County Sheriff, VA

sheriff.loudoun.gov

Residents Encouraged to Attend Upcoming Quarterly Meetings held by the LCSO

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Supervisor Geary Higgins

5 days ago

Did you miss the recent Envision the Future workshops as part of the Envision Loudoun process? Share your input online! ...

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Supervisor Geary Higgins

5 days ago

Great events at Great Country Farms this weekend! Peaches are ready for picking! ...

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Supervisor Geary Higgins

7 days ago

Great article! Thank you Jonathan for choosing to support the rural economy! ...

Virginia hops growers boost craft beer industry

washingtontimes.com

Unlike the thirsty visitors who roll off bustling U.S. Route 15 to sample them, the hops grown at Black Hops Farm don’t travel far.

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Supervisor Geary Higgins

7 days ago

Many of you have contacted my office regarding a chicken coop fee, Supervisor Buffington and I wanted to clarify the issue:

We appreciate your reaching out to us and would like to let you know that our offices have been working with the Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District to get clarity on the issue. It also seems that there has been conflicting information circulating about two different issues: taxes on agricultural structures and zoning permit fees for chicken coops/shelters.
We would like to clarify that no new tax or fee has been implemented in Loudoun County; both the zoning permits for chicken coops and the tax assessment on agricultural structures have been in effect for many years.

The first issue is a matter that needs to be addressed by the elected Commissioner of the Revenue, Bob Wertz, since he determines what is taxed in Loudoun County. Our offices were asked by the Loudoun County Farm Bureau to get more information on the agricultural building assessment process. Based on this request, we have been working with Mr. Wertz and have just recently received guidance on the assessment process that was shared with the Farm Bureau last week.
Regarding the zoning permit requirement for chicken coops, the current zoning ordinance (Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance) considers the keeping of chickens as an “agricultural use” and it is permitted in many of the County’s rural and suburban residential zoning districts subject to the additional regulations of Section 5-626. The procedures apply countywide, in all rural and suburban zoning districts zoned for “agricultural use.”
Because chickens are generally housed in a coop/shelter, the Zoning Ordinance (Article 8) applies because these coops/shelters are considered structures and are required to obtain a zoning permit (Section 6-1000) prior to the placement of a chicken coop/shelter on the property. The zoning permit fee of $165.00 is established in the Land Development Fee Schedule.

Although we were able to get clarity from county staff on how the zoning permits work for chicken coops, we found that the zoning ordinance and permit fees do not have a minimum or maximum size requirement for shelters so there is no distinction between larger chicken coops, smaller homeowner coops or moveable chicken coops/tractors.

We believe the disjointed treatment for chicken coops in the zoning ordinance needs to be addressed so that our farmers are not unfairly impacted. This is why our offices have already requested that the County begin to look into the process to remedy the situation.

Again, both the zoning approval/fee structure for chicken coops on residential properties and the agriculture assessment on agriculture structures have been in effect in Loudoun County for many years. We would not support any new tax or fee on agriculture because it is an important part of Loudoun’s foundation and our desire is to see the agricultural industry grow not contract.

I hope this information is helpful. Please let us know if you would like any additional information on assessments or zoning permits. In the meantime, we will continue our work with the Loudoun Farm Bureau, Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District and County staff to get this situation rectified.

Best Regards,
Geary Higgins and Tony Buffington ...

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