Vienna Town Council members on Nov. 1 set a pair of Nov. 15 public hearings to discuss the town’s 2022 legislative agenda for the General Assembly and possible town-charter changes to the Council’s election cycle.
The latter hearing is necessary because the General Assembly earlier this year requires localities that traditionally have held May municipal elections to begin holding them concurrently with November general elections starting in 2022.
The Council long has served two-year, at-large terms, with three seats up for grabs each year and mayoral elections held during even-numbered years.
Council members have indicated that because elections will have to be held in November, they did not wish to have the elections occur at the same time as U.S. presidential contests.
Options the Council will discuss at the hearing will include holding elections on odd-numbered years and adjusting terms to have all Council seats up for grabs at once or possibly switch to four-year terms.
Council member Charles Anderson said another possibility might be to have three members serve two-year terms and have four (including the mayor) be in office for four years.
The Council in the past has expressed a preference for staggered terms to ensure some continuity and not potentially have an entirely new Council following an election.