Highland County Board of Supervisors October Meeting Recap

Last minute items were added to the agenda under old and new business for the October 1 Highland County Board of Supervisors regular meeting as it began. 

 

Supervisors Henry Budzinski and Harry Sponaugle voted to approve meeting minutes from the beginning of May 2024 to September 3, 2024. Supervisor Paul Trible voted present. 

 

Under items for discussion, review and information, the board voted unanimously to accept the bid of $2,816 to remedy the situation at the county’s EMS building with overhead doors. The issue is making it difficult to secure the building and interim county administrator Jerri Botkin said there were funds in the budget to cover it. EMS chief Pete Konsenko was also appointed to the Local Emergency Planning Committee in a unanimous decision by the board. 

 

Under old business, the long discussed Code of Ethics was tabled yet again until January 2025. Updates for the HVAC system at 165 Courthouse Lane were discussed as still forthcoming. The courthouse security item was split, with a quote still needed on the panic buttons but the board voted unanimously to move forward with burying the fiber optic cable and fixing camera issues. Botkin verified there was money in the budget that could be used for this. 

 

Then the letter in opposition to Commonwealth Attorney Megan Yelen going full time was discussed. The compensation board had already voted in approval of Yelen’s request in August, so Budzinski asked that the same letter be sent to two state representatives. Both Budzinski and Sponaugle voted yes on this motion, Paul Trible voted no. Trible was also in opposition to sending the original letter to the compensation board.

 

Board comments followed with Sponanugle saying he took exemption to comments made by Yelen that he and Budzinski voting against her full-time status was a political move related to the recall petition. Budzinski mirrored his comments, adding that he came to the meeting with an open mind but Yelen refused to offer answers and just walked out. Trible reiterated his stance that the board of supervisors has no place to get involved in the matter as Yelen’s request is under the purview of the state compensation board. 

 

In open public comment, Debbie Hodges spoke, saying she has completed the task of creating new recall petitions and they are available to be signed throughout the county. She also stated that she took exception with the fact that misinformation has been given by Budzinski and Sponaugle, as well as county attorney Melissa Dowd in relation to the commonwealth attorney.

 

Also speaking in the open public comment section, Floyd Maxey disseminated information about the rules of order in the Highland County Board of Supervisors meetings, stating specifically that the rules state that a motion doesn’t have to be seconded. The meeting was then run this way moving forward and Budzinski later thanked Maxey for the information, but Maxey reiterated that he thought it was taken incorrectly. The intent was that a motion can’t die.

Leo Schwartz also spoke during open public comment, stating that he had spoken with Budzinski before the meeting and was granted more than the three minutes usually allowed. Schwartz took exception with the commonwealth attorney’s requested salary, saying that no one else in the county made that much and he doesn’t find it necessary. After speaking for more than 15 minutes, Trible asked that Mr. Schwartz be limited to the three minutes everyone else is. Schwartz reminded him that Budzinski told him he could go over, but Trible said this request was not voted on or agreed by all members of the board. Budzinski and Sponaugle voted to let Schwartz continue, Trible voted to impose the limit. Trible then calmly motioned for the meeting to be adjourned, but Sponaugle and Budzinski voted again to have Schwartz continue. 

 

The meeting concluded with no closed sessions at 8:21 p.m. The next meeting of the Highland County Board of Supervisors will be a work session on October 16 at 7:30 p.m.



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Brit Chambers

Brit Chambers is a resident of Highland County, Virginia and a news reporter for Allegheny Mountain Radio. She loves living in a small town and relishes the outdoor adventures and community feeling that Highland has to offer. Brit has a background in journalism, marketing, and public relations and spends her free time reading good books, baking sourdough bread, and hiking with her family.

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