Town of Massanutten Government
Currently, citizens of the Massanutten Community vote to elect many Rockingham County Officials who are responsible for administering County essential services. These officials include a Sheriff, Clerk of the Court, Commonwealth Attorney, Commissioner of Revenues, and Voter Registrar. Citizens also participate in electing one of five County Supervisors and one of five County School Board Members. If Massanutten incorporates into a town, town citizens would continue to participate in elections for these same officials to execute the same responsibilities, with one exception. The County Supervisors will no longer be responsible for the comprehensive planning and zoning of Town of Massanutten properties.
Currently, property owners in the Massanutten Village district participate in electing a Board of Directors for the Massanutten Property Owners Association (MPOA). These Directors are responsible for the association’s budget and governance to include the creation, amendment, and enforcement of Rules & Regulations, which are based on the Restrictive Covenants of MPOA residential subdivisions. If Massanutten incorporates into a town, MPOA would continue to exist and Massanutten Village property owners would continue to be members of MPOA. MPOA property owners would continue to participate in electing a Board of Directors to execute roughly the same responsibilities, with two exceptions. Post incorporation, the MPOA Board may be responsible for a smaller budget, if any services, such as law enforcement and/or road maintenance, are assumed by the incorporated town. And, the MPOA Board may no longer be responsible for some Rules & Regulations, if any services, such as law enforcement and/or road maintenance, are assumed by the incorporated town.
If Massanutten incorporates into a town, the Massanutten Community would be provided with a legally organized government body made up of local citizens with the authority to act in the best interest of their community. Town of Massanutten citizens would participate in electing a Town Mayor and Town Council, who would be primarily responsible for the required town services of comprehensive planning and zoning. These Town of Massanutten services would be provided in lieu of similar Rockingham County services. Thus, the Town of Massanutten Government would be responsible for the creation and amendment of a Town of Massanutten Comprehensive Plan and Town of Massanutten Zoning Ordinances along with associated Town of Massanutten zoning administration and enforcement.
| Now | Post Incorporation | |
|---|---|---|
| Rockingham County Supervisors Rockingham County Planning Commission |
Zoning Ordinances | Massanutten Town Council Massanutten Town Planning Commission |
| Rockingham County Zoning Administrator Rockingham County Board of Zoning Appeals |
Zoning Administration | Massanutten Town Zoning Administrator Massanutten Town Board of Zoning Appeals |
| MPOA Board (per Covenants) | Rules & Regs | MPOA Board (per Covenants) |
| MPOA A&EC and Rules Committees | Rules Administration | MPOA A&EC and Rules Committees |
Town of Massanutten elected officials would also be responsible for determining what services would be provided to town property owners, citizens, businesses, and visitors, as well as what taxes and fees would be levied to pay for these services. The Town of Massanutten would hire, at a minimum, a professional Town Administrator and a Town Treasurer. The Town Treasurer would be responsible for collecting town revenues and disbursing town expenditures. The Town Administrator would be responsible for administering any town services. The actual mix of town services would include, at a minimum, comprehensive planning and zoning. It could also include a mix of optional services that would largely depend on what services would be needed for Massanutten Village, as previously discussed. SECTION VII. Massanutten Community Government of the Final Report discusses five (5) alternative visions with different types of optional town services and associated town staffing. For example, town staffing could consist of the professional mix shown in the table below, if the optional services included:
- Maintenance services for all qualifying town roads, including those that are owned by MPOA
- Maintenance services for all town parks and open space, including those that are owned by MPOA
- Law Enforcement services for all town property owners, citizens, businesses, and visitors
| Town Department | Full Time Employees | Part Time Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Administration | 6 | 0 |
| Police Department | 12 | 0 |
| Maintenance Department | 11 | 0 |
SECTION VII. Massanutten Community Government of the Final Report also discusses five (5) corresponding alternative MPOA visions with different types of retained MPOA services and associated MPOA staffing, if Massanutten incorporated into a town.