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Amherst County supervisors adopt emergency plan, opioid-settlement resolution and three proclamations; direct staff on state bills
Summary
At its April 7 meeting the Amherst County Board of Supervisors adopted a revised Emergency Operations Plan and multiple resolutions, directed staff to draft a veto letter on two state bills regarding battery energy storage, scheduled a public hearing on the six‑year roads plan, and appointed a planning commissioner.
The Amherst County Board of Supervisors approved several formal actions at its April 7, 2026 meeting.
The board unanimously adopted a revised Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). Chief Bean said the four‑year update primarily moves named contact information into an appendix to reduce the need for frequent text edits; the board authorized the director of emergency management to maintain and revise the plan between reviews.
County attorney Mark Papovich told supervisors that regional distributors in opioid litigation reached a remnant settlement yielding a lump sum in the aggregate the county’s counsel described as "a little over $97.5 million" for litigating localities; the board adopted Resolution 2026‑4R to accept the settlement allocation.
The board also adopted Resolution 2026‑5R opposing proposed state legislation that would mandate local government collective bargaining. Papovich said the Virginia Association of Counties asked localities to register opposition because mandatory bargaining could remove local discretion and increase costs and staffing responsibilities. By voice vote the board approved the letter of opposition.
Separately, the board adopted Resolution 2026‑6R recognizing May 2026 as Building Safety Month after a presentation from Nate Young on the role of codes, inspections and plan review in public safety.
On land‑use legislation, the planning commission asked the board to request that the governor veto House Bill 891 and Senate Bill 443. Planning staff (Mr. Cesy) said the bills would allow battery energy storage systems to be placed as accessory uses on parcels previously approved for utility‑scale solar without additional local review, remove siting agreements and reduce opportunities for adjacent property owner participation. The board voted to direct staff to draft and submit a veto letter to the governor.
The board also moved, by voice vote, to schedule a public hearing on the VDOT six‑year secondary roads plan for May 19, 2026.
Finally, with a voice vote the board appointed Bill Wise to a planning commission seat and said it would seek other ways to involve applicant William Hughes in county service.
The meeting record shows the votes as voice votes recorded as ‘I’ for those in attendance; Supervisor Pew was noted as absent.
