Home Page Categories Archives - Checks and Balances Project

Lack of information on Sussex County website appears to violate Virginia law

2026-07-30

Virginia law requires counties to post the minutes, agendas and agenda packets on their websites within seven days, but Sussex County’s site includes no information on meetings before 2025 and is missing minutes from some meetings after that date. State law § 2.2-3707.2. says, “Posting of minutes for local public bodies. Except as provided in… Read more »

Checks & Balances Project seeks Steve White’s emails with state address

2026-07-14

Checks & Balances Project (C&BP) seeks all emails and other communications in which Sussex County Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve White used his state employee email for county business. Multiple sources show White uses his state of Virginia email address for his county job, but the agency he works for won’t say where he works… Read more »

Two proposed projects could help Sussex pay bills, boost EMS

2026-07-12

Sussex County supervisors said they cut the funding for the county’s fire chief and deputy fire chief because they lacked the money to pay for increased fire and emergency medical service in the rural county. That, Supervisor Thomas Baicy told Checks & Balances Project (C&BP), included contracting with the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad (SCVRS)… Read more »

C&BP seeks Sussex County records on firing of county administrator

2026-07-9

Checks & Balances Project (C&BP) filed a Freedom of Information Act with Sussex County, Virginia, seeking all communications and records related to the April firing of County Administrator Richard Douglas. In a motion by Supervisor Alfred Futrell, Douglas was fired April 16 in a surprise vote by county supervisors. His removal followed months of dissatisfaction… Read more »

Sussex County Sheriff Ernest Giles Sr. refers C&BP complaint to local prosecutor and state police

2026-07-9

In response to a request by Checks & Balances Project for an investigation into the activities of Sussex County Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve White, the county’s sheriff said he is referring the matter to the Commonwealth Attorney Regina Sykes and state police. Here’s Sheriff Ernest Giles Sr.’s email to C&BP: “Received. Good morning, Mr…. Read more »

Tips point finger at alleged actions by White and his connection to Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad

2026-07-8

Checks & Balances Project (C&BP) has received multiple tips from readers concerned about the alleged activities of Sussex County Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve White and his leadership of the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad. C&BP is working to corroborate the details mentioned in these tips and determine if they are accurate. They are posted… Read more »

Checks & Balances Project files complaint with Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services

2026-07-2

Checks & Balances Project (C&BP) filed a complaint with the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services seeking an investigation of the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad (SCVRS) and its chairman, Sussex County Supervisor Steve White. C&BP based its complaint on the lack of transparency involving Stony Creek’s finances and that White has voted on issues… Read more »

Volunteer rescue squad had significant cash surplus that county fire chief said was unaccounted for

2026-06-30

A Checks & Balances Project (C&BP) review of the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad’s (SCVRS) publicly available tax returns from 2015 to 2019 showed the squad made $755,775 in revenues and had expenses worth $451,293, for a surplus of $304,482 over five years. Stony Creek routinely runs a surplus, then-Sussex County Fire Chief Nick Sheffield… Read more »

Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad lost nonprofit status for failure to file taxes

2026-06-29

The IRS stripped the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad of its nonprofit status in 2023 after it failed to file income tax returns for three consecutive years, IRS records show. IRS records show the rescue squad filed its last tax return in 2020 for 2019. No returns were filed for the 2020, 2021 and 2022… Read more »

Sussex County says it needs two weeks to provide copy of county’s recusal policy for its supervisors

2026-06-25

But online searches suggest no such policy exists Shilton Ricks-Butts, the clerk for the Sussex County Board of Supervisors, has informed Checks & Balances Project (C&BP) it will take two weeks for the county to respond to C&BP’s request for a copy of the county’s recusal policy, along with any records of commissioners recusing themselves… Read more »

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