Smyth County Board elects leadership for 2026, adopts calendar and rules

The Smyth County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 8 unanimously reorganized for 2026, electing Atkins District Supervisor Charles Atkins as chair and Chilhowie District Supervisor Mike Sturgill as vice chair.

Saltville District Supervisor Roscoe Call nominated Atkins for chair and nominated Sturgill for vice chair; both nominations were seconded and approved without dissent. The Board also appointed County Administrator Shawn Utt as clerk and named Assistant County Administrator – Operations Lisa Richardson, Assistant County Administrator – Development Clegg Williams and Executive Assistant Madi Pitts as deputy clerks.

County Administrator Shawn Utt presented the board’s 2026 meeting schedule and noted there would be no second meetings in November and December because of holiday observances; the schedule was adopted by unanimous vote. Utt also proposed a targeted amendment to the Board’s Rules of Procedure: changing item 4.6 from distribution of draft minutes "on or before the Friday preceding the meeting" to distribution "on or before the close of business on the Monday preceding the meeting"; the board adopted the rules as amended.

The Board approved the 2026 Virginia State Holiday calendar with the addition of eight hours for Good Friday. Chair Atkins additionally accepted an agenda amendment to add a closed-session item under Virginia Code §2.2-3711(a)3 related to property acquisition/disposition for a building site study; that amendment passed unanimously.

Most procedural votes at the meeting were unanimous; the motion to approve the Dec. 11, 2025 minutes passed with one abstention (Park District Supervisor Kristopher Ratliff).

The board is scheduled to reconvene and clarify one procedural item at its Jan. 22 meeting.