Sometimes, even vital requests get caught in bureaucratic crosswinds – or maybe just put in the wrong mailbox. The Appomattox Board of Supervisors approved a $5,000 funding allocation for the Southside Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program (better known as VASAP) for the upcoming FY2026 budget, but only after learning the request nearly didn’t make it to them at all.

According to the agenda and brief discussion, VASAP Executive Director Roy-Keith Lloyd had met with Sheriff Richardson during budget talks, where it came up that the County hadn’t received VASAP’s funding request. An email from Lloyd to County Administrator Susan Adams revealed the culprit: the request had apparently been mailed to the wrong address.

Luckily, the corrected request landed in time for Monday’s meeting. VASAP is the court-ordered program folks convicted of DUI offenses often must complete, involving education and monitoring (like those ignition interlock devices). Sheriff Richardson, who recently joined the regional VASAP board, explained that while VASAP services are mandated by the courts, the program isn’t entirely self-sufficient without contributions from the localities it serves. Appomattox recently became part of the expanded Southside VASAP region after the Piedmont ASAP (based in Farmville) dissolved due to financial pressures and merged operations.

Supervisor Hipps questioned why the County hadn’t funded VASAP recently if it was locally supported. Administrator Adams and Supervisor Carter clarified that the County had funded predecessor programs years ago when Appomattox was served by the Farmville-based group, but this was the first request from the newly consolidated Southside entity based out of Halifax.

Supervisor Carter moved to approve the $5,000, seconded by Reverend Jones. The vote was unanimous. So, despite a detour through the postal service, the funding seems secured, helping ensure these necessary, if unpopular, services remain available locally – a reminder that even fighting drunk driving involves navigating budgets and, occasionally, misaddressed mail.