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Resident objects after council amends agenda for proclamation; mayor cites parliamentary authority and upcoming state restriction
Summary
A resident objected to a 'gun sanctuary' proclamation that was not on the posted docket and said the public was not given comment; the mayor said council can amend the agenda per Robert's Rules and noted a new Virginia law effective July 1 will bar binding action when an agenda is amended without prior website posting.
A Radford resident raised procedural objections at the June 8 council meeting after a proclamation related to a 'gun sanctuary' was approved without appearing on the originally posted docket.
Wayne Duncan told council he "did not appreciate the proclamation about the gun sanctuary. They did not have it on the docket and did not allow for public comment," and asked whether Radford bylaws or parliamentary procedure were violated.
Mayor Raymond Horton responded that council has the authority to amend the agenda under Robert's Rules of Order and said he would have preferred a different approach, but that the action did not violate laws as conducted. The mayor also told the meeting that a new Commonwealth of Virginia law, effective July 1, will prevent a locality from taking binding action if an agenda is amended without prior posting on the locality's website.
The exchange led to discussion but no further formal remedy or reversal was recorded in the meeting minutes. The transcript does not supply a statute citation for the July 1 change; the mayor referenced the law in explanatory remarks during the meeting.
Council did not take additional action during the June 8 meeting to reopen public comment on the proclamation; the procedural concern was recorded in citizen comments and the mayor's response appears in the minutes.
