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Smyth County Board authorizes total outdoor burn ban, approves radio replacement plan after licensing hiccup
Summary
The Smyth County Board of Supervisors authorized a total outdoor burn ban due to elevated wildfire risk and approved a plan to return and replace radios from Motorola Solutions after an FCC-license coordination oversight was identified; the Board also affirmed emergency-equipment purchases and introduced a new Emergency Services Coordinator.
The Smyth County Board of Supervisors on April 23 authorized County Administrator Shawn Utt to implement a total ban on outdoor burning countywide after the Public Safety Committee flagged elevated wildfire risk.
Rye Valley District Supervisor Jason Parris moved to authorize the total burn ban; Chilhowie District Supervisor Mike Sturgill seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. Utt later clarified the order constitutes a total burn ban under Virginia Code §44-146.21.
The Board also addressed a separate public-safety procurement issue after Utt reported that Federal Communications Commission licensing requirements for the county's radio system replacement were overlooked amid personnel turnover and coordination challenges with Motorola Solutions. Utt said a petition for reconsideration has been submitted and that the name on the existing license reflects prior filings.
County staff presented a plan (from Communications Technician Jim Hawthorne) to return certain higher-cost radios and replace them with lower-cost units and accessories, which would yield an estimated credit of about $128,000 for equipment already expended. Emergency Services Coordinator Brandon Collins and others described how Motorola Solutions will track and manage inventory and accountability for distributed radios.
Chilhowie District Supervisor Mike Sturgill moved that the Board proceed with the return-and-replace plan as presented; Rye Valley District Supervisor Jason Parris seconded. The Board approved the Public Safety committee recommendation unanimously.
The Board also heard from Adwolfe Fire Department Chief Steve Widner about a previously approved purchase of a decontamination (DECON) machine; Widner said payment could be structured with half covered in the current fiscal year and the remainder next year. The Board gave assurance to proceed with the order. Chilhowie District Supervisor Mike Sturgill introduced Brandon Collins as the county's new Emergency Services Coordinator earlier in the meeting.
A resident, Dr. Charles Wassum, raised a separate concern about a March 14 dispatch that reportedly described a "working structure fire on Watermill Road" and that his property at 33 Watermill Road had been associated with that call. PSAP Director Gabe Johnson told the Board dispatchers must record the information provided by callers; the Board discussed the matter and took no formal action.
The Board said it would continue to refine radio accountability and licensing steps with staff; no personnel disciplinary actions or formal contract cancellations were announced.
