James City County supervisors move a step closer to a $189.5 million county government center Tuesday night, but pledged to work harder to keep citizens informed about their plans.
Supervisors voted 4-1 to approve a special use permit that could allow eventual construction of the center.
Stonehouse District representative Barbara E. Null was the sole vote against the permit. She said her vote was not needed to pass it and she was getting a lot of negative emails about the government center.
Discussions about the new center have been underway for nearly five years, but many residents seem to have only recently begun to focus on the issue.
Opponents demanded a referendum, but the supervisors said Virginia law would not permit the county to hold a referendum on the project itself, only on whether general obligation bonds should be issued to fund it. Such a limited question could be confusing, the supervisors said.
Thousands of flyers against the …