By Diana McFarland

Managing editor

SURRY — Surry County Administrator Tyrone Franklin resigned Thursday during the regular Board of Supervisors meeting.

After a closed session in the midst of the meeting, Bacon’s Castle District Supervisor Judy Lyttle announced that the Board had accepted his resignation.

She then read off the terms of his separation from the county — he is to remain on the job no longer than Oct. 1, will be provided with 35 months of service within the Virginia Retirement System at a cost of about $97,000 and three months salary at about $42,000. {mprestriction ids=”1,2,3,4,5,6″}

Franklin did not provide any comment and the meeting resumed according to the agenda. 

Over the past couple of years, Surry has initiated numerous changes to enhance the county, such as bringing in the Hampton Roads Sanitation District to take over several small, unconnected sewer systems, building a marina and being landlord to a the operators of the Surry Seafood Company, erecting a tower and contracting with a wireless internet provider to bring broadband to Surry, working to build a new rescue squad building and E911 center, and most recently, proposing that the county build a retail center and enter into a contract with an operator and supplier to provide a grocery store. 

The reaction to some of those initiatives have been mixed. The Board of Supervisors is also up for re-election next year. 

Franklin has served as county administrator since 2005, and before that, served as director of planning and community development for four years.

Franklin declined to comment at this time. 

Efforts to reach Board Chairman John Seward for comment were unsuccessful by press time.   {/mprestriction}