by Lewis Loflin
This archived page, posted January 28, 2019, reflects Bristol, Virginia’s financial state at that time, based on audits and press reports. It’s preserved for informational purposes only.
In 2018, Bristol, Virginia earned the label “most financially distressed locality in Virginia” from state auditors. SCS Engineers, reviewing the city’s landfill, stated they’d “never seen a government-run landfill under more dire financial circumstances.” An auditor added, “I have not seen another circumstance of a city, county, or municipality that has the degree of debt that you have ... in my experience” (Bristol Herald Courier, January 9, 2019).
Debt stemmed from multiple sources, notably The Falls retail project and the city landfill, compounded by limited transparency in decision-making.
The Falls, a retail development, cost over $50 million by 2019, with ongoing bailouts and much of it vacant. Other incentives included $180,000 for a seafood restaurant and $200,000 for Mellow Mushroom. These efforts aimed to spur growth but yielded mixed results in a city of 17,500, home to 13 public housing areas.
City Manager Randy Eads framed The Falls as a lesser issue compared to the landfill, noting, “The landfill decision will cost the city more money than The Falls will ever cost, and right now, it has already cost more than The Falls will ever cost. At this point, the landfill has cost the city $85 million.”
The landfill’s $85 million toll dwarfed The Falls’ impact. Bristol carried $50 million in general obligation bonds for The Falls, plus $30 million in revenue bonds held by investors. The landfill added $35 million in bonds, with $2.2 million in annual debt service. Low resident fees and commercial tipping rates fueled the shortfall.
The current landfill, with a 27-year lifespan, had no savings for post-closure costs—estimated at $19 million, including $3.1 million due in 2019-20 for a 2002-closed site. Proposed trash fee hikes of $7-$21 aimed to offset this, a burden for a low-income community.
Limited public oversight contributed to these woes. Frequent use of executive sessions—closed to press and residents—obscured financial decisions. The Falls drew prior warnings, but the landfill’s scale caught many off guard. Without broader access to such meetings, similar risks could persist across Virginia.
Per-capita debt from The Falls and landfill alone hit $6,000—significant for Bristol’s modest tax base. Auditors urged structural changes to prevent further strain.
Bristol’s 2019 struggles reflected regional patterns—economic development bets with uneven returns. The landfill and The Falls underscored the challenge: balancing growth with fiscal health. This snapshot ends here; later topics like climate change or external factors aren’t covered in this archive.
Reference: Bristol Herald Courier, January 9, 2019.
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