The Mathews County Board of Supervisors will have a public hearing later this month on changes to the zoning ordinance, regarding penalties for non-compliance.

The hearing will be held at the board’s regular monthly meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21, in the historic courthouse; the date had been changed from Tuesday, Sept. 20, due to the unavailability of the county administrator on that day.

County Attorney Andrea Erard explained to the board during its Aug. 23 meeting that she had drafted changes that would prioritize imposing civil penalties against property owners who have violated zoning ordinances rather than criminal penalties. She said that the process would be for the zoning administrator to conduct an investigation of a violation or problem, then write a courtesy letter with a photo of the violation enclosed and explain what needs to be done to address the issue.

If the property owner didn’t comply, she said, the zoning administrator would then issue a formal...