The Shadow
WARM SPRINGS — Staggered terms in Bath County will become a reality in 2015.
Tuesday night, the Bath County Board of Supervisors by a 3-2 vote approved the concept of staggered terms for the board of supervisors and school board, beginning with the Nov. 3, 2015, general election.
Two members of the board of supervisors and two members of the school board will be elected for two-year terms in the 2015 election. After the election, if sufficient successful candidates for the board of supervisors do not volunteer to accept the two-year term, the electoral board will assign the individual terms of members by lot on the day following the election and immediately upon certification of the results in accordance with the Code of Virginia.
In all subsequent elections, successful candidates for the board of supervisors and school board will be elected to four-year terms.
Millboro Supervisor Cliff Gilchrest, who made the motion to approve the staggered terms concept, said the change would create “additional challenges” for those who may serve that initial two-year term.
“If in fact six months from now I decide to seek a second term, I wouldn’t even consider that unless I volunteered to be one of the two people seeking the first two-year term,” he said. “There will only be one two-year term.”
Valley Springs Supervisor Kevin Fry has been a long-time proponent of the staggered terms concept.
“There’s no secret I’m the one who has pushed this harder than anybody,” he said. “I still support it. I still think it’s a good thing.”
Cedar Creek Supervisor Claire Collins and Warm Springs Supervisor Bart Perdue cast the dissenting votes.
Perdue said he would prefer that the matter be put to a referendum.
“I believe if we’re going to have staggered terms, it should be a vote of the people and not a vote from our board,” he said. “I would support a vote of the people, but I don’t support voting on it ourselves.”
Collins said she had “mixed feelings” about staggered terms.
“I will vote against it because the majority of people in my district have basically said they did not want staggered terms,” Collins said.
Chairman Bruce McWilliams of Williamsville said he wasn’t afraid of changes like the implementation of staggered terms.
“We say we don’t want things to change because it’s always been that way,” he said. “I think one of the missions I have for this community is to make some changes so that we can afford to have people want to stay here. To do that, you have to want to make changes.”
Prior to the action by supervisors, a hearing was held to gather comments from the public on staggered terms. Those comments were mostly equally divided, much like the board’s feelings on the concept.
Wally Robertson said he didn’t think staggered terms were necessary.
“I feel like it should be put away and forgot about,” he said. “I think it’s time to put it to rest.”
Carl Chestnut concurred. “I think staggered terms should be thrown out,” he said. “Leave it like it is.”
Proponents of staggered terms said it created continuity among boards.
Olivia Haney spoke in favor of the concept.
“As we know, the model for staggered terms is not a new model for us,” she said. “It’s what our federal government and our state government do.
“Such a model has the advantages of ensuring stability within the board or boards it represents, having someone on board with a year or two of experience and history,” Haney said. “That way the goals and missions stated and other vital information are remembered and shared and used. This provides continuity in the work that needs to be accomplished. The continuity supports the plans begun by previous boards.”
Kathy Barden added, “With staggered terms, you’ve got experience and new ideas. That is good government.
“I don’t like it is not a good excuse,” she added. “The way it is; the way it’s always been — that’s not a good excuse.”
Bath County will join other localities in the area who already have staggered terms in place. Elected boards in Alleghany County, the city of Covington and town of Clifton Forge have staggered terms.
In other business Tuesday night, supervisors fielded concerns about the recent developments at Bath Community Hospital.
In August, a contract with Dr. James Redington was not renewed. His dismissal has led to the resignation of four other doctors.
A large crowd attended a community forum two weeks ago that was organized by the Concerned Citizens of Bath County.
“We’ve been troubled. Our doctors are getting ready to leave out of here at the end of December,” said Stephen Terry, a member of the Concerned Citizens group.
Terry asked supervisors to provide any assistance they deemed appropriate.
“We’ve had promises that were made to us by the board of directors at the hospital,” Terry added. “One was that they would meet with our group; they have not. No. 2: They promised the citizens of this county that they would answer our questions. So far they haven’t answered any of them.”
“We do need help,” Chestnut added.
Since that community forum, Dr. Redington has filed a $21.4 million lawsuit against the hospital, its chief executive officer and two board members.
In light of the pending litigation, supervisors limited their comments Tuesday night.
“While this is a very appropriate forum for the public to express its opinion, the board as a legislative body of the county is restricted by law and separation of powers from doing anything that would be construed as trying to influence a tribunal or a court,” county attorney Mike Collins explained.
A rally to support the doctors is planned for Tuesday from 3 to 5:15 p.m. in downtown Hot Springs, Perdue reported.
Also Tuesday night, the board of supervisors:
— voted to begin in January receiving County Administrator Ashton Harrison’s report 30 minutes prior to the start of the regularly scheduled board meeting;
— approved pass-through funds in the amount of $27,708 from a Security Equipment Grant for Bath County Public Schools and asked the school board to fund the local match of $13,544 from its budget. If the school board encounters a budget shortfall later in the fiscal year, supervisors said they would entertain an additional funding request from the school board;
— approved a request from the Department of Social Services to purchase a new vehicle at a cost of $25,527;
— discussed, reviewed and endorsed a Capital Improvements Plan procedure as presented by County Planner and Zoning Administrator Sherry Ryder;
—discussed collection of solid waste at the West Warm Springs site and the cost per ton of large waste generators in the county;
— approved a request to install bollards around the county’s generator located at Bath County High School;
— approved the appointment of Amy Phillips to the Rockbridge Area Community Services Board;
— accepted a Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Plan sub grant and engaged the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission to administer the grant;
— approved the installation of School Safety Zone signage on Rt. 220 in front of Bath County High School;
— authorized moving forward with advertising for requests for proposal for a general property reassessment in Bath County.
