Town Council

The Town of Amherst is represented at the local level by a six member elected Town Council consisting of the Mayor and five councilmen.   They meet at the Town Hall (174 S. Main Street, Amherst, VA  24521) on the second Wednesday of each month at 7pm.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend meetings.  Near the beginning of each regular meeting, there is a time set aside for Citizen Comments and any citizen can speak and their comments can be considered  and addressed by the full Town Council.

Appointment and Membership

On the Tuesday following the first Monday in November 2018, there shall be elected by the qualified voters of the town of Amherst one elector who shall be denominated the mayor and five electors who shall be denominated the councilmen of the town. The mayor and the two town councilmen candidates receiving the greatest number of votes shall be elected for terms of four years, and the three town councilmen candidates receiving the next greatest number of votes shall be elected for terms of two years. An election shall be held for the three council seats first expiring on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November 2020, and the three town councilmen so elected shall serve four-year terms. Elections thereafter shall be held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November in even-numbered years, for terms of four years.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Town of Amherst Town Council is responsible for adopting all ordinances and resolutions, approving and adopting the annual operating and capital budgets, setting all tax rates, setting all user fees, making land use and zoning decisions, and establishing long range plans and policies.

The Council appoints a Town Manager to act as administrative head of the Town who serves at the pleasure of Council to carry out policies, direct business procedures, and has the power of appointment and removal of all Town employees except the Town Attorney who is also appointed by the Council.

Meetings  

Meets at 7:00 PM on the second Wednesday of the month. Meetings are normally held in the Town Hall.   Dates and times are subject to cancellation or adjustment.

Contact the Council by mail or email:
Town Council
c/o Town Hall
174 S. Main Street
Amherst, VA 24521
[email protected]

NOTE: Please contact Town Clerk Vicki Hunt at [email protected] or (434) 946-7885, for any Town Council public records request. See more information at FOIA.

A Note About Correspondence to/from the Town Council (including emails): State law provides that most records kept by local governments are public; they have to be specifically exempt to be private, and correspondence to and from the Town Council (including emails) is not exempt. So, any correspondence between you and the Town Council members may be turned over to third parties who request it at any time without prior notice to you in keeping with State law.

Code References  Town Charter