Stafford County Board of Supervisors Announces New Meeting Schedule to Boost Public Participation

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors has amended its By-laws to implement a new meeting schedule starting August 20, 2024, which includes three meeting days per month: A Day for business items, B-Day for work sessions and public hearings, and C Day for additional work sessions as needed. All meetings will begin at 5 p.m. to encourage greater public participation, and public comment opportunities will remain available on both A and B Days.

Press release:

After much discussion and review, the Board of Supervisors amended its By-laws to provide for a new Board meeting schedule. The Board’s schedule will typically include three meeting days a month with two planned business days on the first (A Day) and third (B Day) Tuesday of each month. The new agenda establishes a dedicated Work Session meeting (C Day) as needed on the fourth Tuesday of the month. All Board meetings will start at 5:00 p.m. to allow for greater participation by the public, demonstrating our commitment to your involvement. The new schedule begins August 20, 2024, with a B Day.

The Board of Supervisors By-laws require notice of proposed By-law changes to be provided at a previous meeting before adoption. The Board first reviewed the proposed amendments on June 4, 2024, and then again on July 2, 2024. This provided ample opportunity for all members to be present for the discussion and adoption of the revised By-laws. This transparent process, which also allowed public input on the change, was designed to ensure your voice was heard and that you were fully informed about the decision-making process.

The meetings will be structured as follows:

A Day – The Board will present proclamations, approve the consent agenda, hear public presentations and reports from Board Members, the County Attorney, and the County Administrator, hear presentations and reports by agencies, consider action items, and hold a closed meeting if necessary.

B Day – The Board will present proclamations, consider work session items, hear presentations and reports from departments, hear presentations by the public, hold public hearings, hold any needed closed meetings, and have Board member presentations.

C Day – The Board will hold work sessions as needed and may use Day C as an alternative meeting day if necessary.

Opportunities for Public Presentations remain intact. The public may speak on both A Day and B Day. Public presentations occur on A Day near the start of the meeting and at 6:30 p.m. on B Day. These speaking opportunities are in addition to when members of the public can speak during public hearings. Those who would like to provide public comment online can visit www.staffordcountyva.gov/publiccomment.

Please visit the Board of Supervisors page on the Stafford County website for more information: www.staffordcountyva.gov/agenda. The calendar is also on the front of the website at www.staffordcountyva.gov. It lists all meeting days and will be updated as needed.