Bertha Farms residents petition for transportation service district as neighbors and opponents clash

Brian Funderburk, speaking on behalf of Bertha Farms residents, presented a petition to the Wood County Board of Supervisors seeking creation of the Bertha Farms Transportation Service District and asked the board to schedule a public hearing.
Funderburk said the petition organizers secured signatures from a majority of property owners and that “approximately 70% of those that live in Bertha Farms has also signed,” and argued the district is needed because “today, our narrow roads resemble those found in third world countries,” citing potholes, vehicle damage and delayed emergency response.
The board opened the matter for public comment. Several residents described repeated vehicle damage, mail delivery refusals and one incident in which a manufactured home flipped on Bertha Farms Road and blocked access. One resident said an ambulance took an extra nine minutes to reach a neighbor who suffered a stroke.
Opponents raised procedural and fairness concerns about the petition. Vance Matinburg, a resident who opposed the measure, told the board the petition maps had been changed multiple times and said the measure “is gonna be catastrophic for the people on the main road,” arguing that additional assessments would unduly burden fixed-income households and renters.
Other residents gave mixed testimony: some urged the board to move ahead because they said the road conditions create safety and access problems, while others said they had not been contacted or that maps had excluded or added parcels without clear explanation.
County staff told the board the petition that was submitted to the county showed more than 51% of landowners had signed in support as presented. The board’s agenda materials also included notice that a public hearing on the ordinance to establish the Bertha Farms Transportation Service District is scheduled for 06:00 p.m. on 2025-08-26 at the supervisors’ meeting room, 340 South Sixth Street, Whitfield, Virginia.
No ordinance vote was recorded at the meeting. The record shows an open public hearing period and extensive public comment; opponents pressed staff and petition organizers for documentation about which parcels and property owners were included on the petition maps.
The petition’s organizers publicly named members of their steering group, including Pat Eller, Josh McFarland and Peace Line, and thanked county planner Lisa Shelton and county administrator Stephen Mayer for guidance during organization of the petition.
If the board proceeds after the public hearing, any creation of a transportation service district would be an ordinance process that includes statutory thresholds for petition support and subsequent county actions to adopt assessment schedules and collection mechanisms. Residents on both sides urged the board to ensure accurate maps and clear, written notification about who would be assessed and how much they would pay.
The board took no final action on the ordinance at this meeting and left the matter for the advertised public hearing.