Surry County’s Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on Jan. 9 to reelect Robert Elliott as its chairman.

Bacon’s Castle District Supervisor Walter Hardy nominated Elliott, who previously served as chairman from 2020 through 2021 and from 2023 through 2024, to continue in the role. Surry District Supervisor Tim Calhoun also submitted his own name for consideration.

Elliott’s nomination drew supporting votes by Hardy, Carsley District Supervisor Breyon Pierce and Elliott himself while Calhoun’s nomination drew only his own and Dendron District Supervisor Amy Drewry’s vote.

Elliott was first elected as a supervisor in 2019.

The supervisors saw the same 3-2 split on Hardy’s motion to reelect Pierce as vice chairman. Calhoun again nominated himself for the role but drew only his own and Drewry’s vote.

The same split occurred on motions by Calhoun and Drewry to amend the board’s bylaws, each of which failed by drawing only Calhoun’s and Drewry’s support.

Calhoun, citing requests he’d received from constituents, made a motion to restore the 7 p.m. start of board meetings that had been in place prior to 2024, when the board voted to change the start time to 6 p.m.

Drewry requested that “with notification of the other board members” be added after “chair” to verbiage stipulating that the county administrator may add or delete items from the agenda at any time prior to the meeting upon approval by the chair. The bylaws already specify that the agenda and accompanying information be provided to each board member at least five days prior to a meeting, but allows in cases of a special or emergency meeting that an agenda and information be provided “as soon as practicable.”

Drewry then requested that the words “and other board members” be added after “clerk” in verbiage stating that board minutes shall include the time, date and location of meetings, members in attendance, matters on the agenda, the result of any vote and how each member voted, and “such other matters as the clerk shall deem necessary to provide a complete, accurate and understandable record of the deliberations of the board.”

Pierce’s motion to approve the bylaws without the changes requested by Calhoun and Drewry passed 3-2 with Calhoun and Drewry casting the dissenting votes.

The supervisors then adopted its calendar for 2025, keeping board meetings on the first Thursday of the month, save for February, when the meeting that would ordinarily occur Feb. 6 was moved to Feb. 13.