The Patrick County Board of Supervisors heard from several residents at its Monday, July 8 meeting.
Kurt Bozenamyer addressed the board regarding changes in the agenda structure of the board meetings.
Bozenmayer said on January 8, when the board adopted an amended Rules of Procedure, one of the amendments that was suggested by Steve Marshall, of the Blue Ridge District, was to move the public comment to just before the closed session period “to give the public an opportunity to be heard on the business of the meeting.”
Before that, he said the public comment portion of the agenda typically took place after the opening ceremonies and before the board discussed its new business and old business.
That arrangement “provided an opportunity for citizens to comment on the listed topics before action was taken on those topics by the supervisors. Under the newly adopted rules, public comment is now only permitted after the items under new business and old business have been discussed, and possibly acted upon, by the board,” Bozenmayer said, adding the net effect of the change is that public input before discussion and/or action by the board is discouraged, if not outright suppressed.
“I appear before you tonight to ask that you amend those Rules of Procedure to restore public comment to its previous place on the agenda, and thereby allow the citizens to speak their minds in public, prior to discussion and action by the supervisors,” he said.
Alternatively, Bozenmayer said individual board members could host town-hall type meetings in their respective districts, at least quarterly, to provide a public forum for dialogue between residents and the board.
“In recent years, only supervisor Perry (Doug Perry, chairman, and of the Smith River District) has taken the time and effort to host such meetings,” Bozenmayer said. “In either case, I believe that communication between the public and the administration can be improved beyond its current state.”
Leo White said the last time he attended a board meeting, he was talking about the budget before it was passed and pay raises within it to certain positions.
“Mr. (Jonathan) Wood, before the end of this you said that we’ve got to get with Richmond because that’s where the problem’s at. I have an email here dated May 15, 2024, from Mr. Doug Perry to a citizen in this county,” he said.
Quoting from the email, White read, ‘the raises come from Gov. Youngkin’s state budget plan and took effect back in December. The state reimburses the county for those salaries and most of the salaries of those within these departments. The county does need to contribute to the salaries in the amount of difference between positions, but most of it is paid by the state. This is where the state’s comp(ensation) board comes in.”
“To get a better understanding of the taxpayer’s true expenses instead of looking at the end expenditures, factors, and subtracting the comp(ensation) board along with federal and state grants from the total expenditures. County taxes aren’t floating all the salaries and those raises. The state’s increases have caused the county to increase some salaries in order to keep pay equal,’” White said, and asked Perry where in the email were constitutional officers mentioned.
“You made people believe that the pay raises that we’re talking about were set forth by Gov. Youngkin. I even went and talked to two senators, two – a Democratic and a Republican so nobody could tell me I’m a hypocrite. They both told me that they don’t have no idea what you’re talking about” that the pay hikes were called for in Youngkin’s budget.
White said this was when the senators informed him about the constitutional officers, who are elected officers such as the sheriff and circuit court clerk.
“Now, from what these two both told me, the Democratic Senator and the Republican Senators’ aides told me was that the compensation board sets pay for them throughout the state of Virginia. They pay a portion of it as well as the county. Now, if the county decides to give the sheriff a raise, that’s on us. We pay that. They (state) won’t,” he said.
White said he specifically asked County Administrator Beth Simms and others if the state paid for non-constitutional officers and was told, “‘no.’”
“So, for you to sit here and call me a liar – I’ve got the emails. Where did you talk about constitutional officers until just today? You didn’t, so don’t call me a liar again. I don’t appreciate that. You made people believe that the state is paying these” raises,” White said, adding that he essentially was told by Perry, ‘oh don’t worry about it, they’re getting these big raises, don’t worry about it’ because the state is paying some of it.
“They’re not. Constitutional officers, yes. So next time you call somebody a liar, make sure I don’t have an email where you’re saying nothing but it,” White said.
- Jack Betts discussed the efforts to finish paving Belcher Mountain Road.
- Steve Ferring discussed the county’s funding.
