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Vienna council: clerk appointed, opioid settlement participation approved, comprehensive plan review continued
Summary
At its Sept. 8 meeting, the Vienna Town Council appointed Shelly Kowalski as town clerk, approved participation in a proposed opioid-settlement distribution, and postponed decision on the comprehensive plan to Sept. 29; the meeting also included proclamations and public comments.
The Vienna Town Council on Sept. 8 handled a slate of administrative and ceremonial items and voted on several procedural matters.
Appointments and personnel: Council unanimously appointed Shelly Kowalski as town clerk effective Sept. 15, 2025. Earlier in the meeting, council certified two prior closed sessions and approved the recommendation that Manpreet Danjal be reappointed to the Fairfax Circuit Court for the Board of Zoning Appeals; Stella Hong was appointed to the Conservation and Sustainability Commission for a two-year term beginning Sept. 9, 2025.
Opioid settlement participation: The council voted unanimously to continue the town’s participation in a proposed national settlement with opioid manufacturers (including a later-distribution settlement involving Purdue and the Sackler family). Town Attorney explained the town previously opted into class-action settlements at the request of the attorney general and that settlement funds are being routed to states and counties for prevention, treatment and abatement programs; the settlement does not provide direct individual payouts to private citizens.
Comprehensive plan and strategic plan: Director of Planning and Zoning David Levy briefed the council on the planning commission’s nearing-public-hearing draft (delayed by network issues). Council members debated whether to hold a joint public hearing with the planning commission or a separate sequence; staff will address suggested edits and the council moved to continue working on the strategic plan and reconvene on Sept. 29 for further review.
Ceremonial items and public comments: The meeting included proclamations for Lissencephaly Awareness Day and Constitution Week and public comments from residents about agenda-notice practices, veterans’ events, zoning requests, property taxes and recreation hours.
