During a special referendum Tuesday, 27 residents voted yes to the question of should Glen Lyn dissolve, and six voted no.
The town has less than 100 people, according to the US Census, and few jobs. The largest employer was Appalachian Power, before it closed the Glen Lyn coal-fired power plant in 2015. Appalachian is still cleaning up coal ash from the facility, and there are talks to renovate the building, but so far, no solid plans have materialized.
Glen Lyn’s final mayor, Howard Spencer, is under federal indictment. He is charged with violating clean water laws when he allegedly instructed town employees to dump sewage in the New River several years ago. That case is set to go to trial in District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Roanoke on January 21.
Spencer told Cardinal News that he was one of the 27 residents who voted to disband the town.
Glen Lyn will keep its name, but residents will no longer pay property taxes to the town.
