Jason Dunovant - The Roanoke Times
Mar 15, 2023
A vote to change to the town’s charter to include term limits was unanimously approved Monday and now must go to the Virginia General Assembly. If the legislature approves, the mayor and council members will be limited to three consecutive terms of four years each.
ROCKY MOUNT — The town council took a major step toward becoming the first locality in Virginia to have term limits for both the mayor and members of the council.
A vote to change to the town’s charter to include term limits was unanimously approved Monday and now must go to the Virginia General Assembly. If the legislature approves, the mayor and council members will be limited to three consecutive terms of four years each.
The implementation of term limits was something that was discussed by Mayor Holland Perdue while he was campaigning for the position in 2022. He defeated Steven Angle, who had served as the town’s mayor since 2006.
One of Perdue’s first acts when his term as mayor started in January was the creation of a charter review committee to consider term limits. He was the chairman of the committee overseeing two meetings in January and February.
At Monday’s town council meeting, Perdue cast the final vote to approve adding term limits to the town’s charter.
A public hearing on adding term limits to the town’s charter was held just before the vote. No citizens signed up to speak at Monday’s meeting.
Rocky Mount’s town charter will now have an addition in the section for elections and terms of office, if approved by the Virginia General Assembly. The addition reads: “The mayor and council members may succeed themselves as the voters may choose, except no person shall be eligible to be elected to serve in the same office more than three consecutive terms. Service for a partial term shall not preclude serving the allowed number of full terms.”
Town Manager Robert Wood said the proposal will likely be taken up during the next legislative session in early 2024.
If approved by the General Assembly, term limits will begin Jan. 1, 2025. The change will not impact previous terms only those going forward. Council members currently serving would still be allowed to be reelected to three terms after term limits are put in place.