Lovingston
Nelson County, Virginia
Press release from Nelson County Government
“After 24 years of exceptionally dedicated service, Nelson County Administrator, Stephen Carter will be retiring as of July 31, 2022.
“During his tenure, Mr. Carter has worked tirelessly on behalf of the Board of Supervisors and the County’s citizens, for which the Board is eternally grateful”, says Board of Supervisors Chair, Jesse Rutherford.
Mr. Carter began his employment as County Administrator in August of 1998 and has dedicated himself to the betterment of the County ever since. A few of the many initiatives completed during his time as Administrator include: Construction of two elementary schools and Middle school and renovation of the High School along with ongoing significant funding for Nelson County Public Schools, implementation of the Countywide 911 Street Address/Signage program, Construction of a new judicial and law enforcement wing and renovation of the existing Courthouse spaces to comply with current security and technology standards; Construction of the Piney River Water & Sewer project, Completion of the Blue Ridge Railway Trail, including restoration of a Historic Depot Building, Completion of the Nelson Memorial Library addition and renovation project, Facilitation of a significant grant to expand the Blue Ridge Medical Center; providing for a dental clinic, facilitation of a significant grant to rehabilitate the Old Ryan Elementary School into apartments, Facilitation of the establishment of the Lovingston, Schuyler, Afton-Greenwood, South Rockfish Valley, and Norwood-Wingina Historic Districts, Construction and opening of the Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail as a regional attraction, working for 20+ years to obtain grants to complete the project, Facilitation of high speed fiber internet in the County through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Grant funding, which primarily funded the construction of a middle mile fiber backbone network including several towers for wireless internet deployment in unserved and underserved areas of the County, Fostering of the County’s flourishing tourism industry, making the County less reliant on property tax revenues, Establishment of the County’s Parks and Recreation Department, Establishment of Nelson County as the first Virginia Tourism Corporation accredited rural tourism program in the Commonwealth, Implementation of a Paid EMS program to supplement the volunteer EMS agencies; increasing service delivery within the County while offsetting costs with a revenue recovery component, Facilitation of ongoing significant funding for Emergency Services vehicles for volunteer fire and EMS agencies, Streamlining of the solid waste & recycling collection system; establishing staffed sites and membership in the Region 2000 Services Authority, Establishment of the Colleen Business Park and other economic development initiatives, Securing VDOT grant funding for multiple highway safety improvement projects, Implementation of significant emergency services radio and microwave system upgrades, Establishment of Nelson County as one of the top fiscally managed counties in VA per the State Auditor of Public Accounts, 2017 Report, The ongoing provision of outstanding leadership during the Covid-19 Pandemic, and Facilitation of the Covid-19 Personal Property and Machinery and Tools Tax Relief initiative, which provided tax relief of $2,905,557 to the citizens and businesses of Nelson County in 2020.
Additionally, Mr. Carter provided exceptional representation of the County on various regional Boards such as: The Region 2000 Services Board, the Albemarle, Charlottesville Regional Jail Board, and the Central Virginia Partnership for Economic Development Board.
Board Chair, Jesse Rutherford states “While the Board and the County will miss Mr. Carter’s steadfast leadership tremendously, we hope he enjoys a happy and healthy retirement with his family. A search will begin for his replacement with the Board’s goal being to retain someone of Mr. Carter’s caliber, who will continue to implement the Board’s vision for the County moving forward.”
