Prince William Supervisors consider changes to public comment procedures

To streamline public engagement and avoid lengthy meetings, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors is set to review its policy on public comment during a two-day meeting at the Old Hickory Golf Club on Monday, January 29, and Tuesday, January 30.

Supervisor Victor Angry spearheads the proposed changes, aiming to reduce individual public comment time from three to two minutes per person. His proposal also seeks to cap the total time allocated for public comments at three hours, encompassing in-person and comments made via online video.

Today, the board allows time for residents’ comments at each meeting and holds public hearings as required by law.

The impetus for these modifications follows a marathon meeting on December 12 and 13, 2023, which lasted nearly 28 hours. The session, dominated by discussions surrounding the PW Digital Gateway data center development adjacent to Manassas National Battlefield Park, drew hundreds of participants. The controversial 990-acre project was ultimately approved in a party-line vote, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed.

A similar extended meeting occurred in November 2022, which lasted more than 20 hours and drew residents to speak about a comprehensive land-use plan amendment needed to clear the way for the construction of server farms near historic Civil War battlefields.

The upcoming two-day meeting at Old Hickory is open to the public and commences each day at 9 a.m. While the county has posted the meeting agenda, details for the second day remain sparse. A county spokeswoman has stated that efforts are underway to add more items to the agenda, providing residents with a clearer understanding of the topics to be discussed.

This retreat marks the first for the newly seated Board of County Supervisors, now under the leadership of Democrat Deshundra Jefferson. Jefferson’s election resulted in the removal of Democrat incumbent At-large Chair Ann Wheeler.

The current public comment policy allocates time at the beginning of each afternoon and evening session of regular meetings, allowing public members to address non-calendar items with a three-minute limit per speaker. The Chair enforces decorum, prohibits obscenity, and ensures sign-up in person. Prince William County residents receive priority during the comment period, and virtual comments are accepted through the official County website, aligning with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.

The Prince William County School Board recently approved this updated version in December 2023, influenced by public input and board member remarks. This raises the number of citizen comment slots from 20 to 30. If 20 or fewer people sign up to speak, each speaker will still be allotted three minutes, consistent with the existing policy.

Many residents criticized the school board for allowing members of the Prince William Education Association (PWEA), the county’s teachers union, to monopolize the speaker slots, as many reserved them to urge the school board to pass a collective bargaining agreement.