The Board of Supervisors held a regular meeting Tuesday, Jan 13. An agenda and complete video of the meeting are available on the county website.
Highlights include:
Fairfield’s Cooper and Three Chopt’s Roundtree voted Board of Supervisors chair and vice chair for 2026
Supervisors Roscoe D. Cooper III, of the Fairfield District, and Misty D. Roundtree, of the Three Chopt District, will lead the Henrico County Board of Supervisors in 2026 as its chair and vice chair, respectively.
The supervisors were elected by unanimous votes during the board’s organizational meeting Tuesday. Cooper served as vice chair in 2025 and shared his excitement to continue working with his fellow Board members.
“As the first person in Henrico to be elected to both the School Board and the Board of Supervisors, it should come as no surprise that continued investment in our school system is amongst my top priorities for the coming year,” he said, listing teacher pay, funding school maintenance and new construction as top priorities.
Cooper also shared his commitment to making home ownership more accessible, increasing pedestrian safety through infrastructure and continued progress on the Best Products Reimagined project for 2026.
2025 Board Chair Dan J. Schmitt shared a hug with his colleagues to pass the torch before thanking the Board, the county manager and residents for all the work completed during his time as Board Chair.
“Serving on the Board of Supervisors is a privilege,” Schmitt said. “The future is bright for Henrico. Now is the time to celebrate our accomplishments, but also to look forward to see what we can do for our businesses and visitors in the year to come.”
County Manager, Board wish former chief of staff well in new role as EDA director
County Manager John A. Vithoulkas delivered an emotional send-off to his Chief of Staff Cari M. Tretina, who will soon begin her new role as the Director of the Economic Development Authority.
“This is Cari’s last meeting as Chief of Staff,’ Vithoulkas said. “I simply want to say unequivocally that you have served this county and this county manager with distinction, and your service is not over. Go do remarkable things at EDA but remember: Don’t go far because you have far to go.”
As a teen, Tretina initially dreamed of being a firefighter. However, her service to the county began with an internship for the finance department 15 years ago, and she has since risen to the first ever Chief of Staff position for a Henrico County Manager.
“That first internship would lead me to the most fulfilling career that I could ever imagine,” Tretina said. “I devote 100% of myself to growing Henrico’s economy for all and generations to come.”
2025 showed a reduction in crime, according to Chief of Police
During a work session, the Police Division shared details of a sharp reduction in crime last year. Overall crime dropped by 13% and the number of homicides fell by 87% compared to 2024 totals.
Police Chief Eric English attributed the crime reduction to new technology like license plate-scanning cameras and the division’s strong, trusted partnership with residents and businesses.
“Our community has been very proactive in terms of providing information. They are not just being quiet about things,” he said. “So when stuff happens, they are talking to us. And again, it goes to the relationship building that we’ve had over several years.”
Municipal cold weather shelter funding in progress through March 31
In October, the county and neighboring localities announced their support for a new regional “Surge Shelter” that would be operated by CARITAS in South Richmond and open as needed during cold weather.
Henrico, along with Hanover and Chesterfield counties and Richmond city, help to support two inclement weather shelters (IWS) in Richmond when temperatures drop below 40 degrees or there is over an inch of snow or ice. Storms and low temperatures arrived in the area earlier than expected and threw the region into a total of 30 days of inclement weather by Dec. 9, three weeks sooner than anticipated. Many people used both the region’s primary IWS at Salvation Army on Chamberlayne Avenue as well as the Surge Shelter at the CARITAS Center on Stockton Street.
During the work session, county officials shared they are arranging the next round of funding to ensure adequate surge sheltering through March 31 for future inclement weather.
Individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness or are within three days of losing housing may contact the Homeless Connection Line at 804-972-0813. More information about the Surge Shelter can be found on the CARITAS Center website.
Board meeting schedule set for 2026
The Board of Supervisors will hold its regular meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, except in July, November and December.
All regular meetings will begin at 6 p.m. in the Board Room at the Henrico County Government Center, 4301 E. Parham Road, except in March.
Exceptions to the regular 2026 schedule include:
- March: The Board will meet twice on the second and fourth Tuesday, but the second meeting on March 24 will begin at 5 p.m.
- July: The Board will only meet once on the fourth Tuesday at 6 p.m.
- November: The Board will meet only once on the second Tuesday 6 p.m.
- December: The Board will meet twice on the first and third Tuesday 6 p.m.
Weather or other hazardous conditions could cause scheduled meetings to be postponed to the following Tuesday.
Next Board of Supervisors meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 27
The next Board meeting will be Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. in the Board Room at the Henrico County Government Center, 4301 E. Parham Road.
Livestreams, meeting agendas and more are available on the Board of Supervisors webpage.
27 Regional boards and commissions sworn into action
The collaboration between community members and elected officials ensures that county projects have input from residents.
The 27 boards, commissions and committees took oaths at Tuesday’s meeting to focus on environmental issues, transit, area development and more for the region. A full list of each group is available on the Board and Commissions webpage, along with member information and meeting schedules.
The Planning Commission hearings are held on the second Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. in the Board Room of the County Administration Building, 4301 E. Parham Road. The next meeting is Thursday, Jan. 15 at 6 p.m.
The public hearings of the Board of Zoning Appeals are held on the fourth Thursday of the months January through October, and the third Thursday of the months November and December. The hearings begin at 9 a.m. in the Board Room of the County Administration Building, 4301 E. Parham Road. The next hearing is Thursday, Jan. 22 at 9 a.m.
More information on the Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals scheduled hearings, video livestreams and more can be found on the Planning Department’s meeting webpage.
Stay up to date with county news
There are several ways for community members to stay up to date on what’s happening in the county:
- Subscribe to Henrico’s weekly e-newsletter
- Subscribe to receive Board of Supervisor meeting information and Agend-O-Gram emails
- Follow Henrico County Government on social media
- Sign up for emergency text alerts
