Wythe County staff seek board direction on Emergency Operations Plan review and procurement schedule

Deputy County Administrator Hankins told supervisors that county staff had revised the state‑mandated Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) after hurricane response lessons and asked how the board preferred to handle review. He said Randy Zook worked on updates that trimmed the document from about 148 pages to approximately 127 and asked whether staff should send the plan to the committee first or distribute it to the full board for review prior to placement on a formal agenda.

Supervisor discussion split on preference for committee review versus full‑board distribution: some said the committee would vet the plan before forwarding it to the board, while others asked for more time to review it with the full board. Hankins said staff will follow the board’s direction and noted the changes were informed by operational experience during the hurricane.

County Administrator Baird updated the board on procurement and capital project timelines. He said a draft procurement ordinance — revised with the county attorney and under auditor review — is expected to return for discussion on Jan. 14 and at the budget committee meeting the following Monday. He reported the Barrett Mill Water Project has been advertised with bids due Feb. 3, Austinsville sewer repair work has been initiated, and a VRA loan closing in Fort Chiswell will precede a pre‑construction meeting in January.

Separately, staff said an RFP for accounting software (for the treasurer and commissioner) is being finalized and will include extensive integration requirements with state and local systems; timing for vendor responses and implementation will depend on procurement choices and possible cooperative purchasing arrangements.

The board gave staff direction to circulate the EOP and to bring procurement and RFP materials forward on the January calendar as outlined.