Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board ratifies administrator's total burn ban and approves radio replacement recommendation
Summary
Smyth County supervisors ratified an administratively issued total outdoor burn ban because of elevated wildfire risk and approved a public safety committee recommendation to return certain radios and replace them to secure additional handheld units and a credit for supplies.
The Smyth County Board of Supervisors ratified an emergency administrative order implementing a total outdoor burn ban after a committee recommendation and approved a public safety committee recommendation regarding radio equipment replacement.
County administration and the public safety committee described multiple recent wildfire‑risk calls and recommended a total burn ban for outdoor burning. The county administrator said the ban had already been issued administratively to avoid delay; the board subsequently voted to ratify that emergency ban. On radio equipment, committee members reported a plan to return some higher‑cost units and acquire lower‑cost handhelds, producing an estimated credit (discussed as roughly $128,000) to be used for miscellaneous supplies and accessories; the committee recommended the replacement plan and the board approved it as a committee recommendation.
During discussion a supervisor asked whether the burn ban applied to contained barrel burning; the administrator responded, “So this one is actually a total burn ban,” explaining that the county sought a broad restriction because flying ash can ignite fires in current drought conditions. The board approved the committee recommendations by voice vote.
