Accomack Board votes to eliminate disclosure requirements for some commissions

The Accomack County Board of Supervisors voted Wednesday to amend the county ordinance concerning disclosure requirements for boards, commissions and authorities.

At the Board’s January 15, 2025 meeting, staff recommended repealing and reenacting Accomack County Code Section 2-3, which currently requires non-salaried citizen members of boards, commissions, and authorities to file a disclosure form about their personal interests. The section exempts certain committees like the Quinby Boat Harbor Committee and others. The County Administrator argues that this requirement is burdensome and ineffective, as it applies to advisory boards with no policymaking power, such as the Parks & Recreation and Fire Commissions. Additionally, the process involves managing over 200 appointments, many of which are not required to file disclosures under state law. Accomack’s rules are stricter than state mandates.

At the Board’s rescheduled meeting on February 26, 2025, a draft ordinance was presented to address this issue. The new ordinance would designate members of certain boards and commissions as positions of trust, requiring them to file disclosure statements upon assuming office and annually thereafter. These boards include:

• Accomack County Wetlands Board
• Accomack County Board of Equalization
• Accomack County Greenbackville/Captains Cove Mosquito Control Commission
• Accomack County Social Services Board
• Eastern Shore Regional Library Board of Trustees
• Eastern Shore Community Services Board
• Eastern Shore of Virginia 9-1-1 Commission
• Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission
• Accomack-Northampton Transportation District Commission

Certain positions are already required by the Code of Virginia to file disclosures and are unaffected by this change, including members of the Board of Supervisors, School Board, Planning Commission, and others specified in state law.