The Northumberland County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on July 30 to hire Deborah Whaley as the county's director of finance, set a $145,000 annual salary, and approved a supplemental appropriation of $187,476 to cover salary, benefits and training costs.
The board convened a closed meeting under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act for personnel discussion before returning to public session and certifying the closed meeting by roll call. After the closed session, a motion to hire Whaley with a start date of Aug. 1 and salary of $145,000 passed; supervisors amended the motion to make the hire contingent on a background check returning clear.
The board also approved a supplemental appropriation of $187,476 to cover the hire's salary, benefits and training; the motion noted that the majority of this appropriation will be charged to the school budget. The supplemental appropriation vote passed after the hiring vote.
Why it matters: The director of finance position is central to the county and school division's efforts to stabilize financial reporting and implement the purchase-order and accounts-payable controls discussed in the meeting. The board emphasized the need to stabilize finances during the FY25 close and FY26 implementation of new internal controls.
Votes and formal actions: The hiring motion carried 5–0. The supplemental appropriation for $187,476 was approved and the hiring motion was amended to require a clear background check.
Implementation steps: The board instructed staff to process the hire, confirm start date August 1 if the background check is clear, and to allocate the approved supplemental appropriation. Supervisors said they expect routine reporting on budget status and that the new finance director will play a role in monthly budget status updates and procurement reform.
Context: The hire followed extended discussion earlier in the meeting about FY25 overspending, the need for better purchase-order discipline, and continued interim accounting support from UHY. The board said it wants the finance director to help implement the new controls and work with the superintendent and the UHY team to restore confidence in financial reporting.
Ending note: The board's action was recorded as unanimous, subject to a successful background check; the county will process the approved supplemental appropriation and onboarding steps for the new director of finance.