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Prince George supervisors repeal prior bylaws and postpone adoption of replacements after public outcry over notice
Summary
Board members and multiple citizens clashed over newly redlined bylaws; the board repealed the 2025 bylaws and voted to postpone adopting replacements and to form further review (work session or committee) after the county attorney advised against substantial last-minute changes.
The Board of Supervisors opened a prolonged debate Jan. 13 over a new set of bylaws after several citizens said they had not seen redlined changes before they were handed out at a meeting.
Floyd Brown Jr., a member of the public, told the board, “I was very taken back on January 2 at your very first board meeting with the lack of transparency,” saying bylaws were circulated to supervisors but not made available to the public. Justin Noblin urged the board to postpone ratification, saying the public “had no knowledge of the new bylaws.”
Board discussion focused on whether the prior board’s rules — which had required unanimous votes to amend bylaws — were properly changed and whether the county administrator and county attorney should be notified when members contact staff. A board member asked whether a 2–2 tie would “kick” an item to the next agenda or effectively kill it; another warned that requiring unanimity “enjoins all other boards in perpetuity” from future changes and is a departure from majority rule.
County Attorney Therese Pastor told the board she had options to offer, and advised against making substantive changes on the spot. “I would not recommend making substantial changes this evening and then voting to adopt those,” she said, and outlined options including repeal, adoption, postponement, or creation of a bylaw working committee.
After debate the board voted to repeal the bylaws adopted on Jan. 2, 2025 and then voted to postpone final action on the proposed replacements to allow additional review and a work session or committee to address citizen concerns. The county attorney said the existing 2024 revised bylaws remain the operative rules until the board adopts replacements or completes the repeal-adopt process.
The board instructed staff to facilitate a transparent review process and offered to bring the topic back at a specified future date or after committee work, ensuring opportunities for public review and legal counsel input.
