Smyth County Board of Zoning Appeals elects officers, adopts calendar and procedures

John Saunders was elected chairman of the Smyth County Board of Zoning Appeals during the board's Feb. 4, 2014, meeting at the Smyth County Office Building.

The board, which handles appeals under the county's zoning ordinances, also unanimously elected Newell Johnson vice chairman and John DeBusk III secretary, approved the minutes of March 26, 2013, set its 2014 meeting calendar and adopted the board's operating procedures.

The nominations began after Saunders called the meeting to order at approximately 5:30 p.m. Clegg Williams served as temporary chair for the officer election. Newell Johnson moved to nominate John Saunders for chairman and John DeBusk III seconded the motion; with no other nominations, Saunders was elected to serve as chairman for calendar year 2014. John Saunders then moved, and Kim Davidson seconded, the nomination of Newell Johnson as vice chairman; Johnson was elected with no other nominations. Kim Davidson moved and John Saunders seconded the nomination of John DeBusk III for secretary; DeBusk was elected with a unanimous vote.

Following the officer elections, the board approved the minutes of its March 26, 2013 meeting on a motion by John DeBusk III, seconded by Newell Johnson. The board set its 2014 meeting calendar: meetings will be held on the first Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. when an application is filed; otherwise the next scheduled meeting is Jan. 6, 2015. The board also reviewed and adopted the Operating Procedures as presented.

Clegg Williams, identified in the meeting as a staff member, offered to meet with board members to explain the ordinances the board oversees and to provide training on appeals procedures.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 5:50 p.m. The board's actions at the session were procedural and focused on leadership, scheduling and internal rules; no appeals or substantive zoning decisions were addressed at this meeting.