Councilors vote to double length of their terms

Seats on Urbanna Town Council would last for four years rather than two, if state OKs

by Tom Chillemi – 

The Urbanna Town Council voted at its Sept. 23 meeting to ask the General Assembly to amend the town charter to clarify the mayor’s right to vote and to make the terms of councilors and the mayor for four years instead of the current two years. Also, councilor terms would be staggered so that only three of the six councilors would be up for election at a time.

The language of the charter change states: “Six members of council shall be elected in November of  2022 and shall take office Jan. 1, 2023. The three members of council receiving the highest number of votes (and the mayor) shall serve four-year terms expiring on Dec. 31, 2026; the other three council members elected in November of 2022 shall serve a two-year term until Dec. 31, 2024. At the election in November of 2024, three members of council shall be elected for four-year terms.”

The resolution request approved states that four-year terms would “provide stability, institutional memory and continuity to town operations.”

Also part of this request is denoting the council candidates “shall not be identified on the ballot by political affiliation.”

Mayor’s right to vote

Council unanimously approved a second resolution requesting the General Assembly amend the town charter to clarify that the mayor possesses the right to vote…