Highland Board of Supervisors February Work Session – Part 2

This is part two of coverage of the Highland County Board of Supervisors February work session.

The Board adopted an Electronic Communications Policy for Meetings.  County Attorney Melissa Dowd explained that the Code of Virginia has guidelines for this policy where board members can participate and vote in meetings electronically.  Under the policy, a Board member may only participate electronically twice a year.  The Board member must notify the Chairman of the absence in advance, give the reason for the absence and request to be able to attend electronically.   The Monterey Town Council has adopted this policy and Dowd plans to also present it to the Planning Commission.

The Board voted to allow the Recreation Commission to apply for two grants.  The Board also approved allowing the Recreation Commission to use some of the County’s ARC Funds, through the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission, to get technical assistance on the grant applications. No local match is required for the grants and no additional county money is required, since the county has already paid ARC funding to the Planning District Commission.

County Administrator Roberta Lambert presented the renewal proposal received for county employee health insurance.  She said this year there is a 9% increase, which was less than expected.  She explained that last year there was a small decrease of approximately one to two percent and for several years there had been no increase.  The Board will review the renewal proposal.

Lambert also reported that the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center released it’s population estimate for Highland County for 2021.  That estimate is 2,226.  She said the 2020 Census showed Highland County’s population as 2,232.

The Board voted to have County Administrator Roberta Lambert serve as the Highland County Representative on the Bath-Highland Network Authority Project Management Team for the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative Project.

And the Board also voted to reappoint Jamie Garrison to the Recreation Commission.

To hear part one of this story, visit our Facebook page or our website www.alleghenymountainradio.org