Vinton Town Council approves FY26 budget, welcomes new personnel

By Debbie Adams

Vinton Town Council members approved the FY26 budget at their meeting on June 3, and
welcomed several new staff members in the Police, Finance, Planning and Zoning, and Public
Works Departments.

Two new police officers scheduled to graduate from the Cardinal Criminal Justice Academy on
June 11 were sworn in, Officer Jordan Henegar and Officer Derrik Runyon.

Henegar is a Vinton native and a 2019 graduate of William Byrd High School. He attended
Radford University for two years, majoring in Geospatial Science before transferring to Virginia
Tech where he obtained his degree in Wildlife Conservation. Before joining the VPD, Henegar
worked for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

“Jordan is a wonderful fit for a career in public service,” Police Chief Fabricio Drumond said.

“Jordan is a young man embarking on an incredible journey and it’s clear that his parents have
provided him with a solid foundation. We are extremely excited and grateful that Jordan has
chosen to serve the very community in which he grew up.”

Runyon graduated from William Byrd in 2016 and attended Emory and Henry College, where he
played football. He has experience as an Emergency Communications officer with Roanoke
County and has also worked as a department manager at Lowe’s. He owns and operates his own
lawn care business. Outside of work, Derek cherishes his time with his fiancée and their dogs.

“Derrik has a strong desire to give back to the community and build lasting partnerships, which
makes his pursuit of a career in law enforcement a natural fit,” Chief Drumond said.

“We take pet ownership seriously during our evaluations. In his case, Derrik rescued a French
Bulldog with severe medical challenges. Despite knowing the difficulties the animal had faced,
he took on that responsibility. That speaks to his commitment, patience, attention to detail, and
high-quality caregiving, and his ability to care for others beyond himself.

“Derrik has essentially been involved in law enforcement his entire life, as his father, Johnny
Runyon, has worked alongside us in Roanoke County for many years. Those are tough shoes to
fill.”

Johnny Runyon serves during the school year as the School Resource Officer at William Byrd
High School and is well known in the community.

Finance Director/Treasurer Andrew Keen introduced Kim Hartman, who comes to the Town of
Vinton from Botetourt County where she most recently served as purchasing manager. She has
many years of experience in several realms of finance, including purchasing and procurement,
accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll, much of which has been in the public sector.

Hartman is a William Byrd graduate and later earned a degree in accounting. She lives in Blue
Ridge with her husband, Frankie, and their son.

Her primary duties with the town will be accounts payable processing, payroll processing, and
procurement duties.

Keen also introduced summer intern Jackson Smith, a rising junior at Virginia Tech studying
accounting. He plans to work in the tax concentration of the accounting field upon graduation in
2027. He attended Lord Botetourt High School but lived in Vinton for many years before moving
to Blue Ridge.

“We have tasked him with a variety of both treasury and accounting duties and are excited to
work with him through mid-August,” Keen said. “He enjoys golfing, hunting, and fishing in his
spare time.”

Deputy Town Manager Cody Sexton introduced Carrie Glass, who will be working part-time in
Public Works. She comes to Vinton after retiring from the Western Virginia Water Authority,
where she worked in collections. She also worked in the Roanoke City Treasurer’s Office. She is
married, with one son, two grandsons, and a special needs dog. She is a graduate of Northside
High School and will be moving to Botetourt County in the fall where she and her husband are
building a new home.

Asst. Planning and Zoning Director Nathan McClung introduced Scott Stephenson, Jr., who will
be serving as the town’s part-time Code Enforcement officer – the first time a staff member has
been assigned solely to that position. He began his duties on May 5 and “hit the ground not just
running, but sprinting.”

Stephenson was born in Chesterfield County but moved to the Bali Hai area of Vinton at age 9.
He attended East Vinton Elementary (now Herman L. Horn), the old William Byrd Middle
School, and graduated from William Byrd in 1988.

He went into the military under an eight-year contractual obligation where he became a medic
attached to the 1st BN/6 th Marines 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
After fulfilling his enlistment, Stephenson returned home and attended Virginia Western
Community College while also working framing houses. He started his law enforcement career
in 1998 as a correctional officer with the Blue Ridge Jail Authority in Moneta. He was later
accepted for Roanoke City’s 49th Police Academy, becoming a patrol officer for the City of
Roanoke. In 2007, he made the transition to Roanoke County’s Fire & Rescue in their 10th
Academy as a paramedic/firefighter, where he worked until he retired in March 2024.

Stephenson and his wife, Amy, have been married for 26 years. She is the current chief of
Probation and Parole in Lynchburg. They have two daughters. One served in the U.S. Air Force
and is working to become a pilot and Conservation Police officer. Their youngest is finishing her
teaching degree at Liberty University.

In a report on his first month as Code Enforcement officer, Stephenson said that his primary
concentration as he has been getting acclimated has been on tall grass/weeds, inoperable
vehicles, storage/trash and boats/RVs. He works Tuesday through Thursday and has taken a
proactive approach in addressing the 117 violations he has dealt with so far. He has actively sent
out violation notices to affected property owners, communicated with individuals receiving or
submitting code violation notices, conducted follow-ups, and responded to public concerns.

Mayor Brad Grose emphasized the importance of the code enforcement position and its potential
challenges in keeping up the town’s appearance and maintaining safety.

In welcoming all the new staff members, Grose noted that they have joined a family and “while
you can pay someone to work, you cannot pay them to care.”

Finance Director Keen presented the FY2026 budget for adoption. This was the fourth formal
presentation on the budget over the past several weeks by Town Manager Pete Peters, Deputy
Town Manager Sexton, and Keen.

The new budget is balanced with a “cautiously optimistic outlook.” The budget for the General
Fund totals $13,557,181, a decrease of 0.40% under the previous fiscal year. The FY26 budget
for all funds (General, Grant, and Capital) totals $14,061,181.

In presenting the “big picture,” Keen said that while total revenues are currently sustainable, they
are projected to decrease in the short-term. Major revenue streams, such as an abundance of new
restaurants, have experienced significant growth in recent years, but “natural growth is beginning
to slow.”

The town is fortunate to have fund balance reserves of one-time money (such as from ARPA
funding and payments from the sale of the WVWA), but they need to be spent down
strategically. The town is also fortunate to have money invested in high-interest rate accounts.

Given the current environment, expenditures are outpacing revenue growth, although the town is
looking at new revenue streams with more new restaurants and businesses, and a new hotel.
Total operational expenditures in the various departments are essentially flat. The Police
Department and Public Works account for half of expenses.

Personnel expenses are the largest portion of the budget. The FY2026 budget includes a 3%
COLA raise for all employees and a targeted raise of 1.5% beyond that for Public Works and
police. There is no increase in health insurance premiums this year.

Major expenditures include the annual paving budget of just under $800,000 and payments of
Economic Development Performance Agreements, which help secure future revenue sources.
Keen said that growth of expenditures is expected to begin outpacing natural revenue growth and
fringe benefit costs are expected to increase.

Mayor Grose thanked staff for their efforts in developing the budget (a year-round process) and
stressed that the expenditures included in the budget ensure the quality of life in Vinton, that
investments made will lead to more revenues, and the importance of compensating personnel
properly. The FY2026 budget was passed unanimously.