Caroline County supervisors move into closed session over possible planning commission discipline

A board member moved that the Caroline County Board of Supervisors convene a closed meeting to discuss the performance and possible discipline of a member of the Caroline County Planning Commission, citing Virginia law's personnel and legal counsel exemptions. In the record the motion was spoken and includes the statutory reference: "I move that this board convene a closed meeting pursuant to the personnel legal counsel exemptions, the section 2.2 dash 3 7 1 1 dot a dot 1 and a dot 8 of the code of Virginia to discuss the performance and possible discipline of a member of the cap the county planning commission." (Speaker 4).

After the board returned from closed session, the chair summarized the outcome in public: "At present, we are unresolved and unable to reach a conclusion with the information provided, and we'll continue this process until our next scheduled meeting, in which a public vote shall be recorded." (Speaker 3). The board then certified—by verbal roll call recorded in the transcript—that only matters exempted by Virginia law were discussed in closed session. Members present gave verbal certifications when asked; the transcript records members answering with the phrase transcribed as "ISO certified."

The meeting record does not include a clear, named tally of individual votes for the motion to go into closed session; members signaled assent verbally and no opposition was recorded on the public record. The transcript includes a spoken second for the motion but does not unambiguously identify which member seconded. The board adjourned immediately after completing the certification process.

The board said it would continue work on the personnel matter and that a public vote will be recorded at the next scheduled planning commission meeting. The transcript records multiple member names in the certification sequence (Mr. Black, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Seeley, Miss Long, Mr. Underwood and Mr. Sitts) as the chair sought confirmations; the record does not resolve which of those members delivered each certification line beyond the verbal responses captured in the transcript.