By Heather Michon
Correspondent
The new year got underway this week with organizational meetings for Fluvanna County’s two top governing bodies.
Both the Planning Commission and the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors elected chairs and vice chairs and approved meeting calendars ahead of what is shaping up to be a busy year.
Planning Commission
At its Jan. 6 meeting, the Planning Commission re-elected Barry Bibb (Cunningham) as chair and Howard Lagomarsino (Palmyra) as vice chair.
Commissioners also reaffirmed their regular meeting schedule, continuing to meet at 7 p.m. on the Tuesday following the first Wednesday of each month.
Commissioner Bob Dorsey (Rivanna) participated remotely, calling in from a medical mission in Liberia.
Board of Supervisors
At the Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday night (Jan. 7), supervisors elected Tony O’Brien (Rivanna) as chair and Tim Hodge (Palmyra) as vice chair, both on 4-0 votes.
Vice Chair Hodge also raised whether the board should consider a more formal rotation of the chair position, framing it as a governance issue rather than a proposal tied to any individual.
The discussion was brief, and the board declined to pursue the idea, with several supervisors signaling discomfort with codifying a rotation in the bylaws.
Supervisors also adopted updated bylaws governing public comment and meeting conduct, aligning the rules more closely with those used by the Planning Commission and other localities.
County staff said the revisions were intended to clarify expectations and provide consistency during public hearings and comment periods.
Under the bylaws, public comments must relate to the purpose of a public hearing or to county services and policies during general comment periods.
The rules prohibit campaigning, promoting private businesses, discussing pending litigation, and using profane, abusive, or disruptive language, and grant the chair authority to enforce decorum during meetings.
The board reaffirmed its existing meeting schedule: it will continue to meet every other Wednesday, with the first meeting of each month beginning at 5 p.m. and the second at 6 p.m. In July, the board will again hold two meetings in a single evening before taking a brief summer break.
County Administrator Eric Dahl is scheduled to present his proposed FY27 budget on Feb. 4.
