Lexington City Council voted unanimously on Jan. 2 to approve a resolution authorizing the Rockbridge Area Community Services Board (CSB) to reduce its membership from 15 to 10.

The city manager said the existing 15‑member configuration—drawn from Rockbridge County, Buena Vista, Lexington and Bath County—has become administratively cumbersome. Kim Shaw, executive director of the CSB, asked participating jurisdictions to consider changing the board composition to streamline meeting administration, the manager said.

Under the change discussed at the meeting, Rockbridge County’s representation would be reduced from six members to four; the three smaller jurisdictions—Lexington, Buena Vista and Bath County—would each reduce representation from three members to two, yielding a 10‑member board. The manager said the reduction would occur through normal expiration of terms and would take effect only after all participating jurisdictions adopt the bylaw change.

Council members asked about timing and membership requirements. The manager said Rockbridge County had already endorsed the change and Bath County had effectively implemented it by not replacing a departing member; the change becomes effective after each jurisdiction takes formal action. The manager also said CSB rules require a portion of members to have used behavioral‑health services or be familiar with them; that screening and selection is overseen by CSB staff.

Council moved and seconded a resolution to authorize the CSB to reduce its size from 15 to 10; the roll call vote recorded ayes from Driscoll, Betts, Sigler, Straub, Smith and Alexander. The motion carried unanimously.

Why it matters: The change aims to reduce quorum and scheduling burdens while keeping proportional representation among jurisdictions that fund and use CSB services.

What’s next: The change will be implemented as member terms expire and after the remaining participating jurisdictions take comparable action; the CSB executive director will manage candidate selection to meet statutory and bylaw requirements.