Fincastle Town Council unanimously agreed to proceed with entering into a boundary change agreement with the Botetourt Board of Supervisors following a brief public hearing last Thursday in Fincastle.

Only two people spoke during the hearing that included an audience with two Board of Supervisors members— Fincastle District representative Jack Leffel and Amsterdam District representative Steve Clinton.

A.S. Emmons, who lives on Springwood Road east of the current town limits, told council he did not support expanding the town’s corporate limits. He gave no reason during the public hearing.

Terry Tucker, a resident on East Main Street, former council member and vice-mayor, read a list of eight people she said could not be at the hearing but wanted council to know they supported the boundary change.

Council member Brandon Linthicum made the motion to proceed with the boundary change, and— if the Board of Supervisors concurs when it meets next week— to petition the circuit court judge to authorize the documents related to the change.

Town Manager David Tickner provided a review of the reasons council believes enlarging the town limits would be beneficial. Those included the better planning and management of growth in coordination with the town’s water and sewer services and zoning.

Tickner also noted the town’s water and sewer plants are not in town now, and 30 percent of its water and sewer customers are outside the town limits.

Tickner said the town has not been enlarged from its original 151 acres since it was established in 1772.

Council is proposing enlarging the town to 1,381 acres in areas around the current boundary that would take in primarily parcels that are served by town water and/or sewer. Council estimates the town’s population would grow from about 340 persons today to an estimated. 570 residents.

The Board of Supervisors’ public hearing on the proposal is at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23 at Greenfield Education and Training Center.

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