The Henry County Board of Supervisors received an audit report and approved a document allowing board members to participate in meetings by remote electronic or telephone access at a December 17 meeting.
This policy will be part of the bylaws the board adopts at its organizational meeting.
Before the meeting, the board had no policy regarding electronic participation in meetings, County Attorney George Lyle said.
“So, by default members of this body can dial in, and monitor the meeting, and speak remotely from other locations, but they cannot make motions or vote,” he said.
The policy adopted by the board provides two categories in which board members can tell the chairman they cannot attend the meeting in person: due to a personal reason or a temporary/permanent disability, Lyle said.
Those members referring to the personal reason can attend electronically “up to three meetings, or 25 percent, because this board has 12 regular meetings a year. You can do that three times a year – that could be vacation, that could be anything,” he said.
However, in the temporary/permanent disability or other medical condition that prevents a member’s physical attendance category, Lyle said from his reading of the Code of Virginia members are not limited by the three meeting limit.
“Those could be more if a person’s disability or reason for not being able to be here goes longer,” Lyle said.
At the start of a meeting, Lyle said a board member that participates electronically will give the reason they are not physically attending the meeting, and their location. The board would then have the option of voting to allow that board member to participate remotely.
“The only reason the board would vote not to allow to remotely participate is because they can’t be heard or clearly or seen to participate,” he said.
Lyle noted a quorum, or the majority of four of the six board members, must physically attend the meeting to consider another member’s request to participate electronically.
During a meeting’s closed session, Lyle said a second motion for electronic participation is not required because any member electronically participating would simply disconnect the call and reconnect in the meeting room.
Joe Bryant, vice-chairman, and of the Collinsville District, asked if there is a limit on the number of meetings a board member could miss even if they don’t vote under normal circumstances.
Lyle said state law doesn’t require supervisors to attend board meetings.
“I think it’d probably be a poor decision not to, but there’s no attendance requirement if you miss many meetings, you don’t lose rights or privileges. You might not get reelected, but you lose no rights or privileges by the Code of Virginia,” Lyle said.
“If our bylaws state something else, I don’t think they do, there is no attendance requirement and there’s no consequence to missing meetings at all, except you are not present to vote,” Lyle said, adding this policy change would make is easier for board members to participate when they can’t physically attend meetings.
County Administrator Dale Wagoner said he recently received an email from the Virginia Association of Counties (VACO) inquiring about the county’s board policies on attendance.
“Your bylaws do not have an attendance policy. However, as a board, you could adopt an attendance policy. Typically, any consequence for failing to abide by that policy would result in censure, not a dismissal,” Wagoner said.
He also noted the technology in the board’s meeting room is currently limited.
“It will take us some more time to come up with a better solution than what we have now. We can make it work, but it’s not an ideal situation. We don’t have a true video conference capability in this conference room,” Wagoner said.
Travis Pruitt, of the Ridgeway District, said he requested Lyle to bring this potential policy change up to the board as he travels for his full-time job.
“There are occasions that I’m out of the county, but I could very well participate from my hotel room. That’s why I personally asked him to do this because the two I missed this year are both work related,” Pruitt said.
The board also heard the results of an audit conducted by Creedle, Jones & Associates, P.C.
The audit found that the county’s net position grew by $24 million in fiscal year (FY) 2024. Kim Jackson, a representative of the accounting firm, presented the results.
Net position refers to an entity’s assets and deferred outflows of resources minus any liabilities or deferred inflows of resources. Over time, increases or decreases in net position can be an indicator of that entity’s financial health.
“These findings demonstrate that the county is on solid financial footing,” said Darrell Jones, Chief Financial Officer. “We always have to be mindful of current trends and we have to put in place the necessary contingencies to address both anticipated and unexpected future expenditures but these are certainly good indicators for the county’s financial health. A lot of that can be attributed to the Board’s financial policies, investment strategy, and asset management.”
A significant portion of the growth in net position this year is due to the acquisition of the Monogram Foods Smith River Sports Complex. Additionally, the county paid off a “balloon note” during the year which was used to finance the construction of the Adult Detention Center (ADC). This combination of asset gains and decreased liabilities contributed to the increase in the county’s overall net position.
The county’s unassigned fund balance also increased by approximately $6 million even though its overall fund balance decreased by nearly $8.9 million, according to the audit. The overall decrease in fund balance is tied to the payment of the “balloon note” for the ADC.
Funds in the unassigned fund balance are available to be spent at the county’s discretion. The county’s total unassigned fund balance amounted to $44,168,078 at the end of FY24. However, the Board has adopted a self-imposed limit on its unassigned fund balance to assist with acquiring long-term bonds rather than relying on tax increases to fund potential future capital projects. Due to this policy, only $17.3 million of the unassigned fund balance is available to spend. This figure does not account for any current or future debt obligations that may be incurred.
In other matters, the board:
*Scheduled the board’s 2025 organizational meeting for Monday, January 6 at 1 p.m.
*Heard Del. Eric Phillips, R-Martinsville, read a Virginia General Assembly Commending Resolution honoring Tommy Slaughter for his 16 years of service as a member of the Board of Supervisors.
*Approved a resolution honoring Rita Shropshire for her over 60 years on the Henry County Electoral Board.
*Recognized Pruitt for being a member of the VACO Supervisors’ Program Class of 2024.
*Approved the items of consent.
*Heard the monthly report on delinquent tax collection efforts.
*Heard an update from the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation.
*Heard an update on the Blue Ridge Regional Library from Director Rick Ward.
*Approved an additional appropriation of $26,398 received from vehicle insurance settlements to go towards the purchase of a replacement vehicle for the Department of Public Safety.
*Approved an additional appropriation of $49,975 received from Ford Motor Company to purchase a replacement vehicle for the Parks & Recreation Department.
*Approved an additional appropriation of $14,489 received from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant to pay for overtime hours deputies.
*Awarded a contract to Haley Ford in the amount of $215,871 to purchase five 2025 Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicles.
*Recognized the winning teams from the Parks & Recreation football and girls basketball seasons.
*Approved a request to rezone approximately 0.23-acres of the Reed Creek District from Commercial District B-1 to Mixed Residential District M-R.
*Reappointed Jeanette Hurd, Pamela Randall, and Bonnie Favero to the ANCHOR Commission for terms set to expire Dec. 31, 2028.
*Reappointed Charlie Martin, Rodney Clark, Bruce Adkins, Eddie Light, and Larry Wright to the Building Code Board of Appeals for terms set to expire Jan. 31, 2029.
*Reappointed Daryl Emberson, H. William Martin, Jr., Ken Adkins, Joe Scarce, and Joel Barnes to the Fire Code Board of Appeals for terms set to expire on Jan. 31, 2029.
*Reappointed Barry Jarrett to the Ninth District Development Financing, Inc., for a term set to expire Dec. 31, 2026.
*Executed a deed conveying 19.64 acres of property containing Phase 6A of the Dick & Willie Passage from the Board to itself. The purpose of the conveyance is to enact deed restrictions on the property in compliance with the Land and Water Conservation Act of 1965
Garrett Dillard, of the Iriswood District, attended the meeting via Zoom.
