Following work session Town poised to move on several key initiatives

It was a varied and potentially far-reaching Front Royal Town Council work session that followed Monday evening’s dedication of the Town Hall foyer placement of a Memorial Plaque to Dr. Joseph Warren, the Revolutionary War figure for whom Warren County is named. Period-costumed re-enactors Larry Johnson and Ned Farenholtz keynoted the dedication, citing the Massachusetts physician’s pivotal role in galvanizing support for American independence and his early death as a martyr to that cause.

Above, a council quorum and the mayor join Revolutionary-period clad Larry Johnson and Ned Farenholtz in dedication Dr. Joseph Warren plaque for Town Hall; below, with a little help from his friends Interim Town Manager Tederick, left, oversees Mayor Tewalt and Councilman Holloway’s plaque hanging efforts. Royal Examiner Photos/Roger Bianchini. Video by Mark Williams, Royal Examiner.

Following a closed session to interview candidates for the Board of Architectural Review and Mayor Tewalt’s now-vacated council seat, Town officials, minus Vice-Mayor Sealock reportedly cited out west in Oklahoma, launched into several key topics surrounding the Town’s future on several fronts.

Primary among those (not in chronological order) were:

A/ what will be necessary to facilitate an apparently growing majority consensus to create an independent Town Economic Development Authority (EDA) – hint, it won’t be easy and will require a change in State Codes and the cooperation of the County;

B/ facilitation of the long-brewing “Blighted Building” aspect of a Town Property Maintenance Code, as well as developing a report from the Subdivision Committee anticipated by the end of January;

C/ hiring of a professional facilitator at a cost of $2,000 dollars to try and reach a consensus among downtown business owners on how best to proceed on parking, street closings and other issues revolving around special events in the Gazebo/Downtown Commons area at the intersection of East Main and Chester Streets;

D/ funding at a cost of $45,000 dollars, a council-requested “detailed review” of Town water-sewer rates, connection and other service fees.

On that latter front there appeared to be a council consensus to re-enact Town staff handling of utility Tap and Connection hook ups. Discussion indicated that an administrative decision was made in 2008 “somehow, somewhere” as Town Attorney Doug Napier put it, to withdraw the Town from providing that service.

See these discussions, as well as other “Open Discussion” and related topics touching on items ranging from providing volunteers to help financially-strapped people perform major property cleanups to improve the overall appearance of the town; exploring the Town-County Memorandum of Understanding regarding possible Town annexation of the North Commercial Corridor; and writing off the uncollected bad debt owed the Town for over five years.

As Interim Town Manager Matt Tederick pointed out, that $11,141.46 number representing 34 unpaid utility accounts being written off the books represents .3% (point-3 percent) of the Town’s public accounts – and a 99.7% collection rate isn’t bad, as Tederick told council. In fact, later discussion indicated an initiative, at least on the commercial side, to prevent Town utility clients from being hit with unreasonable deposits due to minor delinquent accounts.

Tederick cited the example of one customer with a $42 delinquent commercial rental bill that resulted in a $500 deposit being tacked on to that $42 back bill payment – okay guys, let’s add residential utility customers who may have had a day or two late utility payment on their records into that equation and we might be on to something.

See all these discussions impacting the Town and its citizens’ futures in this exclusive Royal Examiner video: