CHRISTIANSBURG – During the May 13 Christiansburg Town Council’s regular meeting, a public hearing was held for the fiscal year 2025-2026 town budget.
Finance Director, Katie Miano presented updates on the current plan.
According to Miano, in late January of this year, “the department heads submitted to the Finance Director and Town Manager,” which led to a meeting of these stakeholders at the end of February/early March. Since the initial presentation of the proposed budget on March 25th, Council members conducted two work sessions to review the information.
Miano said the budget was advertised on April 9 and 16 and can be found on the website. The May 13 meeting was to establish a public hearing for community members. Some budget changes have occurred and can be found in the presentation slides as well at www.christiansburg.org.
One point of interest Miano notified the council and the public about during the presentation was an increase in revenue. Capital from projects that were uncompleted within the ending fiscal year, 2024-2025, will be moved to the next fiscal year. Additionally, the town received a HEAT grant of $12,500 and there was an update to the CDBG Grant resulting in revenue to the town of approximately $288,204.
Some of the expenditures impacting the proposed budget are NRV Housing of $39,484 and an increase in cost of fire equipment of $20,000. As a result of council work sessions, the purchase of a Park and Ride sign totaling $25,000 was removed from the budget for the next fiscal year, and the funds for an overflow parking lot for the Christiansburg Huckleberry Park were moved from capital funds to an assigned fund allocation, Miano said.
A break in cost for the upgrade of playground equipment at a Christiansburg recreation park allowed for additional funds to be recuperated back into the budget.
“We recently found out that the price of the alligator slide for painting has decreased by $15,000, so, we’ve removed that from the budget,” Miano said.
Comments from the public hearing will be considered and adjustments to the budget will be made as “deemed appropriate”, Miano said. “And then the adoption dates [May 27, June 10 or June 24] are there, but we have to have one by June 30.”
Two citizens came forward to provide comments on the proposed Budget. Christine Waltz of Christiansburg said, “I noticed there are no changes in taxes, but there’s a dollar increase to water, and I recognize that it’s not a tax increase, but for everybody who gets a bill every month, it is extra money coming out of our budget.”
Concerns were shared by another citizen about the need for additional positions for EMS staff to be filled.
“I’ve gone to the EMS hearings and budget hearings, and you know, at the last one, saying that they’re going to hold off on hiring anymore people until the study by the County that nobody really wanted to wait on in the first place, gets done,” Chris Waltz said. “I don’t know exactly what y’all are doing, but I can tell you that I’m sure most of us citizens would actually like to, if something bad happens, make it to the hospital before we’re dead.”
A public hearing was also held, as stated in the Christiansburg Town Council meeting, agenda, for “the purchase of property located on the southern side of Cambria Street, N.W. (approximately 2.314-acre Tax Parcel 466 – ((A)) – 8C2; Parcel ID 210032) for $370,000. Terms include the purchase price of $370,000 plus the Town paying 2025 Montgomery County and Town of Christiansburg real property taxes upon closing.”
There were no citizens to address council members during the public hearing.
A public hearing for July 8, 2025 was approved “for a Conditional Use Permit request by Main Street Preservation LLC, property owner, and Joseph L. Simmons, applicant, to allow residential use, specifically the construction of ten (10) townhomes, in the B-3 General Business District on property located at 511 Roanoke Street (approximately 1.008-acre Tax Parcel 528 – ((35)) – 1; Parcel ID 031706). The property is designated as Business/Commercial on the Future Land Use Map of the 2013 Christiansburg Comprehensive Plan,” according to the www.christiansburg.org website, in the Town Council agenda and minutes.
Councilwoman Johanna Hicks addressed a question concerning the July 8 public hearing for the CUP request by Main Street Preservation LLC. “Did this go to the Planning Commission?”
Town Manager Randy Wingfield said, “It will have to.”
Hicks also asked, “It seems like there is a public hearing for the conditional use permit request but then does this, is this also a request for changing of zoning to residential?”
“The B-3 District allows residential use with a conditional use permit,” Wingfield said.
“My biggest concern is, you know, and is designated under the business commercial for future land under the map of 2023 of Christiansburg Comprehensive Plan…those will be addressed during planning commission, but my biggest concern is when this takes place, you know, if we allow them to build homes, for example, or town homes…will that change it for people to be able to not have businesses in those areas, right?”
“If it is zoned B-3 General Business and it’s developed as residential, the people can still obtain home occupations under the home occupation definitions. So, that would be a possibility. Otherwise, they could potentially develop the property for commercial use otherwise, but they would have to have parking, necessary parking, [and] landscaping. In all honesty, he’s probably going to install two parking spaces per unit,” Wingfield said.
Wingfield explained council can determine that a proffer be attached, which would carry forward with the property.
Glenn Walters of Christiansburg spoke during the open public comment session of the meeting.
“I came to inquire if the town might have any plans in the works to repave South Franklin Street. I came in to express my concerns about the condition of the street,” Walters said. “All the way from the courthouse to the town limits, it’s just a long series of potholes, patches, and cracked-up, crumbled pavement.”
Engineering Director Mike Kelley addressed the citizen’s concerns. The South Franklin Street Road improvements is slated for the next FY2025-2026 budget and would use approximately half of the available funds.
In other actions by Christiansburg Town Council, a “Conditional Use Permit request by SHAH Development LLC, applicant and property owner, to allow single-family or two-family dwelling(s) in the B-3 General Business District on property located on the western side of Plum Street, NE across from Trent Drive, NE (approximately 0.776-acre Tax Parcel 497 – ((2)) – B; Parcel ID 120350). The property is designated as Residential on the Future Land Use Map of the 2013 Christiansburg Comprehensive Plan. The Public Hearing was held on April 22, 2025” was approved 6-0.
A regular work session by the town council is scheduled for May 21, 2025, starting at 6:30 p.m.
