The Mathews County Board of Supervisors has two meetings on its slate for today, Thursday, Dec. 19, a special meeting for a closed session at 4 p.m. and the regular monthly meeting at 6. Both meetings will be held in the historic courthouse on Court Street.
According to its posted agenda, during the special closed session, the board will consult with the county attorney about 384 Old Ferry Road (the county-owned site of Hole in the Wall Waterfront Grill), as well as about an administrative investigation involving county staff that was authorized by the board.
Board members will then discuss the performance, salaries and/or disciplining of three specific public employees, one appointee of the County of Mathews, and the contract of County Attorney Andrea Erard.
A discussion with legal counsel will follow, along with briefings by staff members or consultants, on two lawsuits involving the county—”Hole in the Wall LLC v. Mathews County, et al” and “In re: July 12, 2023 Decision of the Mathews BZA.”
Finally, the board will discuss plans to protect public safety as it relates to specific cybersecurity vulnerabilities and will have briefings by staff members and legal counsel concerning actions taken to respond to such matters. It will also discuss reports or plans related to the security of any governmental facility, building or structure.
Regular meeting
At 6 p.m., the board will enter into its regular meeting, with three special presentations planned. The first will be an update by Abigail Weigel of Schneider Electric on the Energy Investment Audit the company was contracted to perform. The second will be by MPPDC Executive Director Lewie Lawrence on the VRA financing his agency is requesting that Mathews approve. The final presentation will be on the county’s audit by Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates.
Two public hearings are on the board’s agenda. The first will be a request by Canine Companions for Independence, a nonprofit organization, for an exemption from both real estate and personal property taxes. The second will be on a proposed amendment to the county code, under Sewage Disposal Systems, to establish a permanent pump and haul General Permit for use when the Virginia Department of Health determines it to be the only practical means to dispose of sewage material, and whether to add 384 Old Ferry Road to that General Permit.
Under new business, the board is expected to set its annual organizational meeting, possibly at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8, in the historic courthouse; discuss a resolution to renew the Broadband Advisory Board; and talk about Everbridge, the county’s new Emergency Alert System. It is also expected to set dates for three public hearings, two of them on requests for conditional use permits for solar farms in the county, both of which were resoundingly voted against by the Mathews Planning Commission during its Dec. 10 meeting, and one on a text amendment to the county ordinance that would allow the placement in the Residential-2 Zoning District of data poles by right and of telecommunications towers with a conditional use permit, which was unanimously approved by the planning commission.