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804.569.3888 8052 Elm Drive Suite E Mechanicsville, VA, 23111 We Protect Your Rights. 6734-01
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A 118 Year Tradition of Caring
8014 Lee-Davis Road, Mechanicsville • 746-8665 www.bennettfuneralhomes.com Bennett Funeral Home was established in 1897 to serve the needs of Richmond families. Since then, this locally owned and operated business has continued to serve the community with its unique combination of caring and convenience. This tradition of excellence can be seen in four beautiful chapels located throughout the Richmond area: centrally located on Cutshaw Avenue in the city, on Broad Street Road past Innsbrook, on Ashbrook Pkwy. in Chesterfield and serving the Hanover-Mechanicsville area on Lee-Davis Road. All four facilities are under the personal direction of Charles D. Morehead, President. In a time of need, you can turn to Bennett Funeral Home with trust and confidence. It serves families of all faiths with personal service – before, during and after. There is a long tradition of professionalism and caring. One way in which Bennett cares for families is by offering a convenient and personalized pre-need program. Through this program of pre-need planning, you can spare your loved ones the burden of making decisions at an emotional time. Call Bennett Funeral Home at 746-8665 to schedule a preplanning consultation.
Veterans of America seminar set for July 22 MECHANICSVILLE – Concerned Veterans of America will present a two-hour seminar, starting at 6:30 p.m., on Wednesday, July 22, at Church of the Redeemer at 8275 Meadowbridge Rd. in Mechanicsville.
FOIA Continued from pg. 1
Members of the Hanover County Planning Commission regularly attend these meetings in an effort to gather more information on upcoming cases. The more information gathered before the actual hearing, the better the chance of making an informed and fair decision. At last month’s meeting, commission members were briefed on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) guidelines regarding what constitutes a public meeting. When more than two members of the same legislative body attend a meeting and conduct public business, the meeting is considered public and must be advertised and properly recorded. Assistant county attorney Dennis Walter explained that those community meetings where more than two commissioners are in attendance could raise FOIA concerns.
The purpose of the program is to discuss with veterans how they can help their fellow vets. Those who are active duty, retired, a prior service veteran or family of a veteran are invited to take part.
Ashland District commissioner Claiborne Winborne said the meetings provide valuable information, and members who attend are seeking input on which to base their upcoming decisions. “We’re not there to conduct business. We are there to listen,” Winborne said at last month’s Planning Commission meeting. “The FOIA is there for a purpose and is an imperfect way of dealing with ensuring public access, but it’s the rules under which we operate,” Walter replied. He said his interpretation of the law is that when more than two members of a body are meeting, it should be publicly announced. “It’s not my role to say if that is a good idea of or a bad idea,” Walter said. “It’s your responsibility to make sure that you comply.” Cold Harbor District commissioner Ashley Peace questioned whether the community meetings should be advertised
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A friendly face and a helpful attitude in your time of need. Louise Dement, Bennett’s receptionist, greets and answers questions regarding services. The Bennett Funeral Home, now with four locations throughout the Richmond area, continues its tradition of excellence.
The Mechanicsville Local
July 22, 2015
3597-01
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Those planning to attend are asked to respond to jedwards@cv4a.org for registration. There is no charge for the event. A light dinner will be provided.
to solve the issue. “These are not county meetings. They are meetings held by applicants,” Walter said. Winborne said the county plays a prominent role in the meetings. “I’m not sure I’ve ever been to a meeting where Mr. [David] Maloney didn’t speak for the majority of the time,” she said. Maloney is the planning department director. Maloney said the guidelines do not apply to staff, and emphasized the purpose of the discussion was to advise commissioners on the FOIA requirements, not to discuss the merits of the act. “Staff is merely here to identify potential issues that may arise at some point in the future,” Maloney said. “There’s no limitation on the number of staff who can be present at a meeting at any time.” Winborne pointed out “when staff is present . . . it looks to the public like a county-sponsored meeting.” Maloney said the staff recommendations are informational in nature. “My intention is to provide some guidance to the commission, and not to discourage attendance at these meetings,” Maloney said. Megan Rhyne, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, said the issue is “tricky.” “You’ve got the rule on one side that says FOIA applies to meetings of more than two people,” Rhyne said. “On the other hand, FOIA does not apply either to chance meetings or for community events, provided the purpose of which
is not to transact public business,” she added. Rhyne said determining what constitutes conducting public business is not clear. “Is it listening to others talk about it? Can one person talk? Can they all talk, so long as they don’t talk to each other?” Rhyne supports a slightly expanded interpretation. “While I don’t want officials using this provision as cover to get business done in an informal setting without notice and minutes,” she said. “But I also want officials to be able to meet with members of the public and hear from them about their concerns and answer questions if need be.” Planning Commission chairman Larry Leadbetter said he would like to see more research on the subject, but echoed concerns regarding the value of information learned at these types of meetings, and the importance of members being present. “Time is already limited when gathering knowledge of these cases,” he said. “If we keep moving in the direction we’re going, one day we are going to walk in that door and not know anything about the cases.” Rhyne said more than two members could possibly attend the meetings if they were not together and attended independently. “I think it does matter that they didn’t attend together, that they are not sitting with each other and that they are not talking with each other (or to each other through another person). If they’re adhering to these limits, I think they’re OK.”