Referendum for fourth supervisor in Charles City County passes in special election

A referendum to change Charles City County’s form of government has passed in a special election.

A special election held on Apr. 14 resulted in the referendum passing 1,306-401 to change the form of government. The passing of the referendum will see a fourth member added to the county’s board of supervisors. The new position will be considered as an at-large position, meaning the entire county will vote on the new supervisor in a special election this upcoming November.

The referendum was presented as frustrations mounted from the public with current county leaders. The additional supervisor will also allow flexibility for county leaders to converse about county business, as a quorum will no longer exist if two supervisors meet once the fourth is elected and sworn in. Currently, the county has a three-person government, with each member representing a district in the county.

The 1,707 votes cast was approximately 28.87 percent of voter turnout. The county currently has 5,712 active voters.