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Staff seeks guidance to draft local ordinance on employment background checks under state law
Summary
County staff briefed the board on state code §15.2‑1503.1 and recommended drafting a local ordinance authorizing fingerprinting and access to criminal-history records for county hires (and potentially volunteers); board provided guidance but took no action.
Benny John, speaking for the Human Resources office while Interim HR Director Miss Gooden was absent, asked the board for guidance on drafting a local ordinance to align county policy with Virginia Code §15.2‑1503.1.
John said the state code authorizes localities to adopt ordinances requiring fingerprinting and access to state and national criminal history record information for prospective employees and certain licensees. "This also applies to volunteers, employees, applicants as well," he said, noting the board could choose whether to include volunteers in the ordinance’s scope.
Staff sought direction to draft ordinance language and set a public advertising date; there was no vote tonight. Several supervisors observed that law‑enforcement hires already undergo checks and signaled support for conforming other county hiring to surrounding localities’ standards. John said staff would draft proposed language for future board consideration and a public hearing if the board desires to proceed.
