Patrick County supervisors approve agenda, minutes and a trailer purchase; residents urge action on polling access and criticize Berkeley Group role

The Patrick County Board of Supervisors approved its meeting agenda as amended, accepted minutes from its Dec. 9, 2024 meeting and approved bills and appropriations that included a $6,720 trailer purchase for the maintenance department, the board said at its Jan. 13, 2025 meeting.

Those formal votes came before a public comment period in which multiple residents voiced concerns about polling-place accessibility, county spending and the county’s contract with the Berkeley Group, a consulting firm now providing planning and review services for solar projects in the county.

The meeting began with a procedural vote to add an item — described in the record as “bridal speed” — to new business; the agenda amendment carried. The board then approved the agenda as amended and later approved the minutes of the Dec. 9 meeting. During the consent/claims and appropriations motion the board accepted an amendment to the FY2025 budget to add a trailer for the maintenance department; meeting remarks identified the negotiated final check amount as $6,720.

The most detailed public comments focused on two subjects. Malcolm Roach of the Smith River District, who identified himself as chairman of the county electoral committee, said he inspected voting precincts and found one site…