Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Governance Bylaws topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Jail board approves bylaw changes to let certain remote participants count toward quorum
Summary
The Prince William-area jail board approved amendments aligning its bylaws with a July 1 state law change so members with medical conditions or caregiving responsibilities who join remotely can count toward quorum; the change was approved by roll call.
The Prince William and Ashley Regional Adult Detention Center jail board voted to amend its bylaws to align with a state law change that permits members with a medical condition or those serving as caregivers to participate remotely and count toward quorum. The board conducted a roll-call vote and recorded affirmative responses from members present.
Board materials and the presenter said the proposed redline edits incorporate statutory language and add minute-recordkeeping requirements for remote participation. As presented, the changes specify that the board must record in the minutes when a member participates remotely and describe the nature of the emergency or the type of electronic communications used for meetings held during a state of emergency. "The general assembly now allows someone who is not well or is a caregiver for someone who is not well to participate remotely but to count towards the quorum," the presenter said while pointing to the redlined language.
The motion to approve the proposed amendments to the general bylaws was made and seconded; the board then completed a roll-call vote. Members responding affirmatively during the roll call included Miss Ashworth, Mister Austin, Reverend Bailey, Miss Guzman, Sheriff Hill, Captain Martz/Marks, Chief Newsham, Miss Swartz and Mister Torres. The vote record in the meeting transcript shows all those members answering "Yes." No dissent or abstentions were recorded on the motion.
The presenter cautioned that the language is intended as cleanup to make the bylaws consistent with state law effective July 1 and that the statutory definitions used in the redline were placed directly into the bylaws for ease of reference. The board did not identify any follow-up actions or conditions attached to the vote during the meeting. The amendment will change how remote participation and quorum are documented in future meetings.
