The Patrick County Board of Supervisors discussed the roles and responsibilities of both the board members and the county administrator during its annual retreat on Feb. 25 at the Reynolds Homestead.
The nearly five-hour session, led by Dr. Stephanie Davis, covered the board’s legal duties, the authority of the county administrator, and the importance of clear policies and communication.
Davis outlined seven key responsibilities the board is required to fulfill under Virginia state law:
Preparing and approving the county budget.
“You’re going to prepare a county budget and appropriate funds. If you are new to the board, you’re probably figuring out that is one of the most important actions that this board will take on an annual basis,” she said.
Levying taxes, including real estate, personal property, and meals taxes; appointing members to various boards and committees; and reviewing and approving financial claims before issuing payments.
“You will preaudit the claims against the county and issue warrants for that subject. What that means is you will approve a check register and that goes to the Treasurer or the authority to be sign the checks and send them out for invoices and that sort of thing,” she said.
The board also is responsible for overseeing construction and maintenance of county buildings; adopting and enforcing ordinances related to policing, sanitation, and health and approving and enforcing land use and comprehensive planning policies.
“You’re required to adopt the county’s comprehensive land use plan or your comprehensive plan in a proven enforced related ordinance to land use,” Davis said.
Davis emphasized that budget preparation is one of the board’s most important responsibilities each year. She added that Virginia law allows county boards to hire a county administrator, who serves as an at-will employee with a contract.
“It is really up to the board to delegate as much or as little authority as you want to your county administrator,” Davis said. “You have a lot of flexibility. In general, this is what I always tell my elected officials, you make policy. You take action through resolutions, through ordinances, through adopting a budget, you are taking policy actions.
“In general, boards make policy, and the county administrator and staff implement those policies,” she said, adding that the level of authority granted to a county administrator varies by locality. In some counties, the administrator has broad authority, while in others, they operate with more board oversight.
For example, in Henrico County, the county executive has significant decision-making power, including approving personnel policies without board approval. In contrast, Patrick County’s board typically reviews and approves such policies.
Smith River District Supervisor Doug Perry suggested that the board should formalize policies outlining the administrator’s responsibilities.
“We don’t have that solid policy created. Along those lines – as far as how would we evaluate. I think so already today we got two, three things that we requested and, you know, how to turn that” into the evaluation process. “You know, Jonathan (Wood) got a great start on a recommendation from our attorney on that evaluation process,” Perry said.
Davis recommended using the county’s strategic plan as a framework for evaluating the administrator’s performance.
“If you come to an agreement on what you want to accomplish in the short-term over the course of the next year that is her evaluation process. Then the (administrator) comes back and says, ‘this is what you told me to do board and this is what I’ve done.’ That’s why you need some form of a strategic plan,” Davis said.
She added there needs to be a list the county administrator reports back to the board on so it can know the process made on certain things it wanted accomplished.
“You really don’t have a job description – they don’t come with job descriptions. You all have to figure out what it is you want your county administrator to do and provide that clear guidance and develop,” Davis said. “If you come to an agreement on what you want to accomplish in the short term over the next year, that becomes the evaluation process,” she said.
Dan River District Supervisor Andrew Overby suggested creating a structured daily routine for County Administrator Beth Simms to follow.
“Expectations,” Perry said.
Overby said this is something he feels the board needs to get a handle on so that Simms is protected.
“Because right now, she’s just kind of ‘well, I think this is’” right “because we haven’t given clear” guidance, Perry said.
“Well, she has a lot of heat from the public because they think she’s the one doing things. Have we told her to do that or is that something she’s taken initiative on herself? I feel like we need to clearly define that,” Overby said.
He added that the board has brought the issue up before, to discuss it with the county attorney.
Perry suggested the board can take the requests made at the retreat and create particulars for them, determine how much authority Simms will have, and then make that guidance for the upcoming year.
Overby said the board has to be flexible with it as well as the board can change course or find out a request can’t be completed for some reason.
To address concerns about accountability, Overby proposed monthly or quarterly reports from Simms on the board’s goals and priorities.
“That way, if something does change—like a pandemic becoming the new priority—you’re adjusting goals accordingly and tracking progress,” Davis said.
Overby added that these reports would also improve communication between the board and Simms.
“Even if it’s just a summary in your monthly report, it would help us stay informed about things that may not be urgent enough for an email but are still good to know,” he said.
Simms noted that, since returning to her role, she has noticed a shift in authority within county departments.
“There’s a mentality of ‘I don’t have to listen to Beth, I can go around her to the board,’” Simms said.
She stressed the need for board support in maintaining her ability to direct staff and enforce policies.
Overby asked if employees were bypassing Simms and going directly to board members.
“Yes, I know some of them are,” Simms said.
She explained that in her previous role as Franklin County’s Director of Economic Development, she sometimes spoke with board members directly but always informed the county administrator afterward.
Board Chairman Jonathan Wood suggested Simms add clarifying statements in her reports to publicly document that her actions are based on board directives, adding comments like “as the board directed, I did this” when giving her reports because he hates how Simms catches heat from the public.
“Like it’s decisions that we’ve made, but it doesn’t work out as well as we’ve hoped. You know, we’re responsible for the decisions that we make, but unfortunately, she’s taking heat rounds when she shouldn’t because she’s just doing what we directed. I don’t know if you can precept it with when you say some things like that to make sure” county residents know “that you didn’t make the decisions, we made the decisions, and you’re acting on the decisions we’ve made, and if you want to fuss, fuss at the five of us,” Wood said.
Simms said she needs to be able to have confidence that she can direct her staff and ask them to do things, and if that’s not happening, to come to the board about it.
“But what is happening is a lack of just authority. It feels like my authority has been undermined, and it’s just kind of like, ‘eh,’ and that’s how it was when I got here. It was like everybody was in their own silos, doing their own thing, and there wasn’t cohesion, but I’m working to get that back. What I’m telling the board is that I just need that support,” she said.
For example, if a board member calls Facilities Director Mike McGuinness and asks him to show them a system that needs to be replaced, Simms said she has no problem with that.
Overby said he has not personally received complaints from staff about Simms.
“In my time on the board, no one has come to me saying, ‘I’m ignoring Beth and bringing this issue to you instead,’” he said.
In Virginia, Simms said some in her role are called county administrators, but in most other places they’re called county managers, state managers, or town managers, she added.
However, Virginia law defines both the county administrator and county manager forms of government. Changing to the latter form would require a vote, as well as other criteria to be met — including a minimum population.
The board also discussed:
- The budget process and financial planning strategies.
- Proper communication protocols between board members, the county administrator, staff, and external agencies.
- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) guidelines for government transparency.
- Future county projects and long-term goals.
