Despite Light Action Agenda, County Supervisors Handle Some Touchy Topics Before and After Public Hearings

It was a fairly light action agenda for the Warren County Board of Supervisors at its regular meeting of Tuesday evening, April 15. The board faced just three public hearings, none of which drew any public comment or opposition. Consequently, after staff overviews and brief discussion all three were approved unanimously. As summarized in the agenda packet those were:

Public Hearing K – CUP2025-02-03 – Short-Term Tourist Rental – applicant Paul Bell – A request for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a Short-Term Tourist Rental. The property is located at 551 Jonathan Rd. … is zoned Residential-One (R-1) and is located in the Happy Creek Magisterial District;

Public Hearing L – CUP2025-02-04 – Short-Term Tourist Rental – Elizabeth Baxter and Saurabh Prakash – A request for a CUP for a Short-Term Tourist Rental. The property is located at 168 Riley Court … is zoned Residential-One (R-1) and is located in the Shenandoah Magisterial District;

Short-Term Rental CUP applicants Paul Bell, above, and Saurabh Prakash were present to respond to any questions the supervisors had about their applications. With no public opposition expressed both applications were unanimously approved. Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

Public Hearing M – Ordinance Amending Warren County Code § 160-23 and enacting § 160-23.1 regarding roll back taxes. As explained by County Administrator Ed Daley, this was a board-initiative, so there was no staff summary report, as County Planner Kelly Wahl had presented on the first two.

Other than that there was only approval of a 22-item Consent Agenda of what is generally considered routine business facing approval. However, four items related to the Little Boy Ventures Conditional Use Permitting requests to allow a Training Facility, Social Hall, and Private Use Camping on former Fire Station property at 714 Rivermont Drive, along with a related Code Amendment request to make its requested uses allowed in Agricultural (Ag) Districts by Conditional Use Permitting, were removed for discussion by Fork District Supervisor Vicky Cook.

Pulled Consent Agenda items

And South River District Supervisor Cheryl Cullers removed Consent Agenda item 3 for discussion. That item was the citizen appointment of John Lundberg to the County’s Finance and Audit Committee. During that discussion Cullers noted that Lundberg has long been very outspoken on his perspectives on County business, and wondered if he could approach the committee’s business objectively enough to act in the best interest of the County as a whole. After positive comments on Lundberg from Supervisors Stanmeyer and Chairman Butler, on a motion by Supervisor Jamieson, Lundberg’s appointment was approved by a 4-1 margin, Cullers dissenting. Lundberg was present at the meeting.

A November 2024 file photo of new citizen appointee to the WC Finance/Audit Committee John Lundberg. Pointing to Lundberg’s past out-spokeness on issues facing the County, Supervisor Cullers wondered if he could approach the job objectively enough to make decisions in the best interest of the entire county. Her four colleagues did not share Cullers’ concern.

During discussion of the four Little Boy Ventures permitting and code amendment requests concerns that approval of those requests could have unforeseen, negative impacts on Ag District properties throughout the county resurfaced. As discussion indicated a board reluctance to move forward on the requests at this time, County Administrator Ed Daley noted that the board would have to vote on the requests after a public hearing. The property owner has a request in before them, and requires an answer one way or the other, Daley told the board.

County Administrator Ed Daley, left, reminded the board that the four Little Boy Ventures applications on commercial permitting and a related code amendment request regarding Conditional Use Permitting on Ag District land was only to authorize advertisement for a coming public hearing. After approving that authorization it appears the public hearing will be on April 29.

Daley also reminded the board that the four Little Boy Ventures items on the agenda that night were only to authorize advertisement for a public hearing to come. It appeared that public hearing would be scheduled for an April 29th Special Meeting if approved for advertisement on April 15. And with that information in hand, the board unanimously approved all 4 Little Boy Ventures matters for public hearing.

Added Resolutions

Also added to the meeting agenda were three Resolutions acknowledging various items or situations. All three were approved unanimously. Those included:

1/ Honoring the WCSO Animal Control Deputies for National Animal Care and Control Association Week 2025;

2/ Honoring the Emergency Communications Center Team for National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week 2025; and,

3/ Emergency Procurement Notification Courthouse Sewer Line Repairs, in the necessary amount. Accompanying paperwork notes that: “On April 11th, 2025, the Finance and Purchasing Department was notified of a sewer line break at the Courthouse that resulted in the afternoon closure of the building … estimates for this emergency vary between $25,000 to $100,000 for the repair of the sewer pipe, and project clean-up. Staff will keep the Board of Supervisors aware of a completion date if this project cannot be completed and the courthouse reopened on Thursday, April 17, 2025. In addition, Staff recommends a transfer of unused Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund LATCF) revenue in the amount of $80,447. Any unused budget will return to the general fiord and be re-appropriated.”

In an emergency procurement action the board authorized up to $80,447 of General Fund Local Assistance (LATCF) revenue for repair work to the WC Courthouse sewer line break and consequent damage that occurred on April 11.

Its meeting agenda business taken care of, the supervisors regular meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. However, preceding its regular meeting the board convened a 6 p.m. closed session, then had a remotely connected work session report on the contracted search for a new county administrator to replace the retiring Ed Daley.

Closed Meeting Legal matters

According to the agenda packet the Closed Meeting topics were:

1/ “The Industrial Development Authority of the Town of Front Royal and the County of Warren, Virginia (the “EDA”), the recovery of EDA funds and assets, the outstanding indebtedness of the EDA, bank actions and potential actions related to the same, the Forbearance and Support Agreements, and Lewisburg Way, LLC v. the EDA; and,

2/ “the provision of legal advice regarding specific legal matters requiring such advice. The subject matters are the providing of library services and matters related to health insurance.”

While the work session was scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m., the board did not exit the closed meeting until 6:40 p.m. Then there were some technical issues with the remotely connected Colin Baenziger of Baenziger & Associates handling the County Administrator candidate search leading that work session not to begin until 6:53 p.m., with a half hour put aside for the work session discussion.

Colin Baenziger was remotely connected for work session discussion of the county administrator search to replace the retiring Ed Daley. Below, at least you could fully hear the board discussion of time frame issues and their hope completion of the selection process can be reached by some point in July.

However, in opening the work session board Chairman Butler explained that the open meeting was advertised for 7 p.m., so the work session would have to be shortened to accommodate the advertised open meeting starting time. And the board was close, convening the regular, open meeting at 7:04 p.m. That work session discussion begins, with some sound issues, at the :28 second mark of the linked County video after Butler’s explanation the work session would have to be shortened. Audio-friendly Board discussion of potential schedule adjustments allowing a replacement choice at some point in July begin at 1:01, 1:54, 3:58, and 5:00 video marks, concluding at the 9:50 video mark.

Richard Jamieson, left in blue and white shirt, listens to ‘Save Samuels’ President Samantha Good’s less than complimentary Public Comments review of his Board Member Report self-assessment of his service as a county elected official.

See all these discussions and the two public comments sessions in the linked County video referenced above. Those public comments include Samuels Library supporter and “Save Samuels” President Samantha Good’s scathing reaction to Supervisor Jamieson’s Board Reports self-assessment of his service as a supervisor in response to questions submitted to him by constituents. Those Jamieson comments begin at 26:52 video mark, and Good’s response at the 1:19:53 video mark.

Click here to watch the Warren County Board of Supervisors Meeting of April 15, 2025.