BRIDGEWATER, Va. – At the April meeting, the Bridgewater Town Council voted on marijuana sale regulations, lease of town property and ways to keep costs for town residents low.
Marijuana sale regulations
The planning commission reported to the council about their deliberation on an ordinance change sent to them in March. The ordinance proposed requiring any retailers wanting to start selling cannabis products to obtain a special use permit similar to the way vape stores in Bridgewater must do now.
The law has already passed the General Assembly but the governor of Virginia, Abigail Spanberger has not yet signed the law into effect. The ordinance change is a proactive measure, ensuring that regulations are in place before the state law is signed by the governor.
The planning committee recommended changing the current ordinance language from vape/smoke shops to vape/cannabis/alternative/smoke shops. The council voted to accept the change.
Budget and finance
Councilman Steve Schofield, who serves as the finance committee chairman, said discussions on the budget remain a central priority for the council.
During the finance report, Schofield presented the council with the treasurer’s report and the bills of the month. Both were approved by a vote of 5-0 with one council member not present to vote.
“I think it’s always important that those public hearings that folks can feel comfortable when they come,” Schofield said. “We can’t make decisions in a vacuum. Our job is representative of the folks of Bridgewater.”
Current economic concerns, for example the cost of living, were also highlighted as ongoing priorities for the residents and council members.
“With everything being so expensive right now, how can we lessen that burden?” Schofield said after the meeting. “Can we keep the taxes low?”
An additional part of the finance report was renewing an ordinance that eliminates real estate tax.
“We took away the real estate tax, so there’s no double dipping in it,” Schofield said. “We’re one of the few locales in an entire Commonwealth of Virginia that does that.”
This ordinance also passed with a vote of 5-0.
Lease of town property
During the monthly meeting, the council was also presented with a lease agreement from Wells Fargo to lease a 153-square-foot slab of Generations Park for a rate of $7,500 per year.
This use of Generations Park will also take three standard parking spaces and turn it into one standard space and one ADA-accessible parking space.
This idea originated from Councilman Fontaine Canada and was a result of the Wells Fargo bank branch closing in the town and residents raising concerns about not having a nearby ATM.
The council approved the lease presented by town manager J. Jay Litten, who will take it back to Wells Fargo for their approval.
Town events
The town council also announced upcoming community events, including the third annual Arbor Day celebration to take place on Friday, April 24. This event reflects an ongoing commitment to tree planting efforts in the town of Bridgewater.
According to the report of the event given by Councilman Jim Tongue, in 2025 the town planted 29 trees in public spaces and distributed 100 saplings to town residents.
This year’s celebration will include a tree dedication ceremony and continued distribution of free saplings to residents, encouraging town residents to expand Bridgewater’s tree population.
At the end of the meeting, Litten reminded audience members that the public hearing for the budget is on April 28. That meeting will take place at the Sipe Center and is open to the public.
The town council’s next regularly scheduled meeting will take place on May 12.
For town residents like Natalie Hibbard, attending a town council meeting gave her a clearer look at how the town government operates.
“It’s nice to know that I can come to a meeting and it kind of makes me want to come to more in the future just so I know what’s going on,” Hibbard said.
