Residents press board for transparency over contractor work and 'Berkeley Group' involvement

Multiple residents used the public-comment time to question Franklin County’s use of outside consultants, citing the Berkeley Group as an example. Patricia Sweat said she found no public list of the group's county work and asked why Franklin County had engaged the firm and what it was paid, noting other Virginia counties had sought similar services.

Sweat said the Berkeley Group had produced assessments in several counties and, in some cases, counties later severed ties. “I wanna know who they are and why do we need them to do this,” she said. Speakers asked the board to publish contract details and to consider local vendors or in-house alternatives before paying outside consultants. The board did not provide contract figures or a response in the public hearing; proponents of consultant work did not speak during the allotted public-comment period.