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Commission refers zoning-district drafting to committees; county attorney warns collaborative Google Drive could trigger Virginia open-meeting rules
Summary
The planning commission voted to refer six district workstreams to two-person drafting committees and county attorney Amy advised that shared working documents might constitute a 'transaction of business' under Virginia open-meeting law, recommending email circulation and open work sessions.
The Orange County Planning Commission voted to refer six zoning workstreams—A1, A2, rural residential, rural service, technology and overlays—to two-person committees assigned during the meeting. A commissioner moved to refer the districts to the committees and the motion passed by voice vote.
County attorney Amy told commissioners that sharing working documents on a common Google Drive could be considered "pertaining to the transaction of business" and thus subject to Virginia’s open-meeting rules. She recommended the conservative practice of sharing drafts by email, scheduling open work sessions, and researching stricter guidelines before relying on an always-shared collaborative folder. "The conservative view would be that [a shared Google Drive] would be subject to Virginia's open meeting laws," Amy said.
The chair said he will circulate templates and a proposed schedule by email and asked commissioners to provide input; staff will then arrange times for any required open work sessions. The motion to refer the districts passed by voice vote; the transcript does not record a roll-call tally.
