Blacksburg Town Council Meeting - August 11, 2026

The Blacksburg Town Council held a regular meeting on August 11, 2026, at the Municipal Building at 300 S. Main St. The meeting was brief, with a consent agenda, two citizen comments, and council announcements. No public hearings or unfinished business were on the agenda.

Consent Calendar

• Approved Town Council minutes from July 14, 2026, and August 4, 2026.
• Scheduled public hearings for September 8, 2026, for CUP 26-01 (a financial institution with a drive-through window in the PC Planned Commercial district) and CUP 26-02 (a general and medical office or fine arts studio at 700–706 South Main St. and 105 Eakin St. SW).
• Approved Resolution 8-A-26 requesting cancellation of a Virginia Department of Transportation revenue sharing project.
• The motion passed unanimously on a roll call vote (7–0).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Peter Spradlin (1010 Montgomery St.) expressed strong opposition to the Flock license plate reader (ALPR) cameras installed throughout town. He cited a randomized control trial in Vallejo, California that found 37% of ALPR hits were misreads, raising concerns about false stops. He also highlighted privacy issues, noting that an LAPD audit found 99.9% of 320 million vehicle photos were not on a hot list, and that Boston Police can store photos indefinitely despite Flock’s 30-day claim. He further argued cybersecurity vulnerabilities, including lack of phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication, as flagged by Congressman Krishnamoorthi and Senator Wyden. Spradlin stated that approximately 23 municipalities have voted to cancel, not renew, reject, or deactivate Flock and urged the council to follow suit.
• Leslie Harwood (2826 Wellesley Ct.) voiced concerns about public access to council decision-making. She noted that most substantive discussion occurs at work sessions held during workdays (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), while evening meetings can be very short (the previous meeting lasted about 10 minutes). She requested that work sessions be livestreamed and recorded, and suggested holding work sessions in conjunction with regular evening meetings, citing Montgomery County’s model. Harwood argued that genuine accessibility requires structuring government so working residents can realistically participate.

Discussion Items

• Council members responded to Harwood’s comments. Mayor Sutphin stated that staff is researching how other localities handle meeting recordings and will present options at the first work session in September, likely recommending recording more meetings. He also noted the ongoing website redesign and a review of the citizen alert system to improve information dissemination.
• Vice Mayor Anderson explained that short meetings do not reflect inactivity; council members receive extensive reading packets (available on the town website) and that much of the town’s business is handled by staff, with only decisions requiring council action coming to public hearings. She emphasized that work sessions are open to the public and no decisions are made there.
• Councilmember Ford underscored the council’s long-standing commitment to openness and communication, pointing to past retreat goals and initiatives such as the Let’s Talk Blacksburg platform, and encouraged continued efforts to educate the public.
• Councilmember Colliver noted that many land-use discussions occur at Planning Commission work sessions (held at 5 p.m.), which are open, well-attended, and thoroughly vet proposals before they reach council. As an example, two CUP items on the consent agenda had been worked through two Planning Commission sessions before being recommended unanimously.
• Councilmember Campbell reminded the public that emails, letters, and in-person comments before a public hearing all count as official input, and urged residents to share their views before decisions are made.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda approved unanimously (7–0).
• Public hearings for CUP 26-01 and CUP 26-02 scheduled for September 8, 2026.
• Council will discuss recording work sessions at a September work session; staff will provide options and recommendations.
• Meeting adjourned at 6:54 p.m.