Sussex County Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve White proposed and voted for a county ordinance that gave him and his wife Carolyn a tax break for using their personal vehicles as part of their work on the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad.
The agenda for the board’s Sept. 18, 2025, meeting contained this ordinance:
“AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 28: TAXATION, TO ADD SECTION 28-64
“VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER AND RESCUE SQUAD PERSONNEL” WHICH
PROVIDES FOR THE SPECIAL CLASSIFICATION OF MOTOR VEHICLES FOR
VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND VOLUNTEER EMERGENCY MEDICAL
SERVICES.”
The proposed ordinance said: “One motor vehicle that is owned by each volunteer rescue squad member or volunteer fire department member, or leased by each volunteer rescue squad member or volunteer fire department member if the member is obligated by the terms of the lease to pay tangible personal property tax on the motor vehicle, is classified under this section, provided the volunteer rescue squad member or volunteer fire department member regularly responds to emergency calls.”
Virginia automobile owners pay an annual personal property tax on their vehicles’ assessed value. The proposal passed with a 6-0 vote, and Supervisor Thomas Baicy was absent.
The details of that was previously unknown, because the minutes of the meeting were not posted on the county’s website. C&BP obtained the minutes on Friday through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Several tipsters have told us that Steve and Carolyn White, who run the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad, allegedly use their vehicles to respond to calls from the public. We should note that this information is currently unverified, and we are working to confirm its accuracy.
Steve White drives a BMW 740 sedan, while Carolyn White drives an SUV.
The mysterious “retreat”
The Sept. 18, 2025, meeting has been called a “retreat.”
During that meeting, supervisors voted to defund the jobs of then-Fire Chief Nick Sheffield and his deputy, Chris Bailey. Sheffield had asked pointed questions about Stony Creek’s finances in previous meetings.
Neither the agenda nor the minutes from that meeting are posted on the county’s website.
Conflicts of interest
Checks & Balances Project (C&BP) has reported that White has voted on matters involving SCVRS multiple times and not recused himself. SCVRS lost its federal nonprofit status in 2023 after failing to file income tax returns for three years.
White also runs a Virginia nonstock corporation called the Stony Creek Rescue Squad, which is registered at White’s home address in Yale, Va. The relationship between the two entities remains unclear, as White and his fellow supervisors have declined to answer questions.
Ray Locker is the executive director for Checks & Balances Project, an investigative watchdog blog holding government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP is provided by Renew American Prosperity and individual donors.
You may also want to read:
C&BP files complaints with law enforcement agencies
Sussex County Sheriff Ernest Giles Sr. refers C&BP complaint to local prosecutor and state police
Recent Comments