A Richmond Times-Dispatch analysis of state Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commission data found that spending on lobbying at the Virginia General Assembly is up 72% since 2017.
The Northampton County Board of Supervisors voted to buy a new video and audio system to broadcast its meetings. Two board meetings voted against the proposal, with one saying he was afraid people in the audience would act out.
As revealed by public records obtained under FOIA, Purcellville has stopped paying its former town manager after a year of paid administrative leave. The timing aligns legislation that went into effect on July 1.
Accusing the minority faction of the Purcellville Town Council of bullying, threatening and unconscionable behavior behind closed doors, a member of the council’s majority bloc resigned. She added that members of the public who aligned with the minority exhibited “relentless personal hostility” that had affected her family.
Though former Greene County Supervisor Francis McGuigan dropped his lawsuit against the county in June — over accusations that they were wrong not to let him reclaim the seat he resigned from — county officials said in August that the litigation cost the county $20,000 that it wouldn’t be able to recoup.
The Richmond Police Department cited an exemption for records that would reveal surveillance techniques to withhold information about a network of 550 cameras owned by several Richmond business owners whose security systems are integrated with the department’s Real Time Crime Center.
The Greene County Board of Supervisors decided not to let anyone who lives outside the county speak during its public comment periods going forward. Some supervisors insisted it was unrelated to the many Albemarle County residents who spoke against an immigration enforcement effort between ICE and the county sheriff. Citizens objected, with one saying, “You can’t claim that the consequences of Greene County’s decisions end at the county line and then limit people from across that line from speaking about those consequences.”
The Norfolk City Council enforced a policy that limits “repetitive” comments from audience members. City Council members defended the rule as a way to stop organized advocacy groups from dominating public comment, and the mayor reminded the audience that the rule had been on the books since before his time.
The Town of Madison imposed new limits on its public comment period following complaints from council members that meetings have become hostile. As one member said, “This council got abused and our staff got abused aggressively. And I do not want to see that happen again.”
The Virginia Beach City Council changed its policy on public comment after a contentious meeting about a development proposal drew hundreds of attendees. Council members said members of the public faced heckling, intimidation and threats during the meeting, prompting changes to the policy to prohibit clapping, cheering, booing, loud speaking and other disruptive sounds while someone has the floor.
The director of the Amherst Economic Development Authority says she’s become a de facto FOIA officer as she fields more and more FOIA requests about a data center project that she says doesn’t even exist. She says she wants to put policies into place to make sure all requests are treated the same. Some residents were still skeptical, with one saying “If they were being transparent, no one would be doing all these FOIAs. It’s a catch-22.”
Mike Meredith surprised many when he resigned his seat on the Franklin County Board of Supervisors and mystified others when he said it was because he had “broke [sic] a trust.” A day later he explained: At a town hall meeting, he shared with residents that a controversial data center proposal — Project Flash — was dead. That was information shared in confidence with other board members in a closed meeting, he said, even though much about the project had already been revealed through records secured under FOIA.
A judge ruled in favor of the Winchester City Council in a case challenging the appointment of the city manager during a closed meeting in January. The city’s attorney acknowledged that the decision was improper, but that it wasn’t discovered until August, at which time the council met and took a roll-call vote. The judge said the council’s misstep was not willful.
Members of the Mineral Town Council have been at odds with one another for months, calling each other names and cursing at one another, with an accusation of blackmail thrown in for good measure. The mayor admitted to doctoring meeting minutes and one member insisted that not everything had to be done in public meetings. That prompted one member to shoot back, “Everything needs to be recorded in a meeting. This is government, not a garden club.“
After the chair of the Franklin (City) School Board sent a letter to the superintendent suggesting that he resign and accept a separation package or be terminated, a member of the school board made it clear that she and several other members were not aware of the letter, though one member was copied on it. “What about the rest of us? Who authorized it? Where was the vote?”
A member of the Manassas City School Board filed a FOIA petition in court against the rest of the board, saying they conducted an illegal electronic and telephonic vote to ask the superintendent to investigate her over actions she took towards the partner of her election opponent.
A Lynchburg City Council debate about whether to have a closed session to discuss performance evaluations of top city staff sparked accusations of malfeasance by city employees, allegations of a cover-up in the city manager’s office and a declaration from the mayor that he is “a king.”
A special prosecutor assigned to review an anonymous complaint against the Franklin County Board of Supervisors said she was not going to bring any charges. The complaint made many complaints against the board members, but the special prosecutor said there wasn’t enough evidence to support any of the claims related to FOIA.
A Rappahannock County circuit court judge ruled in the county’s favor in a dispute over access to draft lease documents that would move the local library to another location. Though the judge’s order was brief, the county had argued that the records could be withheld under FOIA’s exemption for contract negotiations, noting that the county’s bargaining position could be jeopardized if released too soon. At the very end of August, the plaintiffs asked the judge to reconsider the ruling because he did not address other alleged FOIA missteps related to meetings.
A proposed data center project in Fredericksburg, going by the name 1500 Gateway, launched a public engagement campaign as planning commission members considered the company’s third attempt at approval. The campaign included mailers, recorded-message phone calls and individual solicitations that stressed “significant new funding for Fredericksburg City Schools.”
The public information officer for Loudoun County School told Loudoun Now that because “this is a School Board matter, I will refer you to the language of the motion” to censure one of the school board members, and would have “nothing additional to add.” The censure followed argument over whether a closed session meeting had been legally conducted and focused on the member’s first supposed violation of closed-meeting confidentiality in June 2024.
