The Wise County Board of Supervisors is the elected governing body of Wise County, Virginia. Eight supervisors — two from each of the county’s four magisterial districts — set local tax rates, adopt the annual budget, pass county ordinances, and appoint a county administrator to run day-to-day operations.1Wise County, VA. Board of Supervisors Decisions made at the board’s table shape your property tax bill, what gets built next to you, and how county services are funded.
Who Sits on the Board
Voters elect two supervisors from each of the four magisterial districts, for eight members total. Each supervisor serves a four-year term, and the two seats in a district are staggered on a two-year cycle. The board never turns over entirely in a single election; at most, half the seats are on the ballot at once.1Wise County, VA. Board of Supervisors
At the start of each year, the board holds an organizational meeting and picks a Chairman and Vice-Chairman from among its members. Those two run the meetings and serve as the primary link between the board and county staff.
What the Board Decides
Local Tax Rates
Setting the rates on real estate, tangible personal property, and merchants’ capital is one of the board’s most consequential jobs. Virginia law reserves these as subjects of local taxation only, so the rate is a board decision, not a state one. Rates must be fixed at the regular January meeting or as soon as practicable, and no later than a June meeting.2Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia Title 58.1 Chapter 30 – General Provisions
Before any tax levy can go up, the county has to publish notice in a newspaper of general circulation at least seven days before the increase takes effect, and residents must have the chance to speak to the board about it.3Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 58.1-3007 – Notice Prior to Increase of Local Tax Levy; Hearing If you see that notice, that hearing is where to show up.
The Annual Budget
The budget is the board’s single most important policy document. It decides what each department gets and which projects move. Before adopting it, the board must hold at least one public hearing, and that hearing has to happen at least seven days before the adoption vote. The published notice must summarize total revenues and expenditures for each fund and lay out the current and proposed real estate and personal property tax levies. The same seven-day window applies to the school division budget, including the estimated required local match.4Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 15.2-2506 – Publication and Notice; Public Hearing
Public testimony at these hearings is not a formality. The board regularly adjusts line items in response to what residents say, and this window is the best chance to push back on a funding decision before it is final.
Ordinances and Land Use
The board also passes county ordinances covering zoning, public safety, and other local matters. Rezonings and special use permits tend to draw the most attention. When a request comes in, Virginia law requires the planning commission to advertise the hearing twice in a newspaper: the first notice no more than 28 days before the hearing, the second no fewer than five days before.5Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 15.2-2204 – Advertisement of Plans, Ordinances, Etc.; Joint Public Hearings Plans and ordinances can be advertised by reference, but the notice has to say where you can read the full text.
Watch those advertisements closely if a rezoning touches your property or street. Once the board votes, the comment window is closed.
Day-to-Day Operations
The board appoints a County Administrator to carry out its policies and run the county’s offices.6Wise County, VA. County Administration Under state law, that officer must execute the board’s ordinances and resolutions, submit a proposed annual budget, appoint officers and employees, keep the board informed of the county’s financial condition, and receive reports from department heads.7Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 15.2-1541 – Administrative Head of Government The administrator reports to the board, not the other way around.
When and Where the Board Meets
Regular meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. The location is 628 Lake Street NE, Conference Room A, in Wise, Virginia. It is not the courthouse, which trips up a lot of first-time visitors.1Wise County, VA. Board of Supervisors
Routine business — approving minutes, receiving reports, voting on standard motions — happens at these regular meetings. Items requiring heightened public scrutiny, like a proposed tax increase or a new ordinance, are set for separate public hearings with the advance notice described above. Agendas are posted on the county’s website through the Agenda Center ahead of each meeting.
How to Speak at a Meeting
Each meeting includes a Public Expression period where residents can address the supervisors, with a maximum time per speaker set by the board.1Wise County, VA. Board of Supervisors The format is one-directional. You speak, the board listens, and there is no back-and-forth at the podium. Supervisors take comments under advisement and may follow up through staff or on a later agenda.
Check the posted agenda before you go so you can tie your remarks to a specific item. Bring written copies of what you plan to say for the record. Virginia law requires governing bodies to provide a public comment opportunity at regular meetings at least quarterly, so this access is a legal floor the board cannot drop below.
How Vacancies Are Filled
If a seat opens up between elections, the timing determines what happens next. The chief judge of the circuit court calls a special election to be held no fewer than 45 and no more than 90 days after the vacancy. If the vacancy falls within 150 days of a general election, the special election can be held on general election day instead.8Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 15.2-802 – Powers of County Vested in Board of Supervisors; Vacancies
One exception matters. If the vacancy occurs within 120 days of a regular board election, the remaining supervisors fill the seat by appointment within seven days, and that appointment runs through the end of the departing member’s term with no special election.8Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 15.2-802 – Powers of County Vested in Board of Supervisors; Vacancies A late-term vacancy effectively lets the sitting board pick its own colleague.
Getting Public Records
Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act applies to the board. Any Virginia citizen can request public records, and the request does not have to cite the statute to count. The county must respond within five working days. It can extend that by up to seven additional working days, but only if it notifies you in writing within the original five-day window and explains why. No timely response counts as a denial.9Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 2.2-3704 – Public Records to Be Open to Inspection
Identify the records you want with reasonable specificity. You don’t need exact document titles, but “all county records” is too broad. “Board meeting minutes from January through March 2026” or “correspondence between the county administrator and a named contractor regarding a specific project” gives staff enough to work with.