A Proposal, A Study, and A Request at Town Council Work Session

After discussing the purchase of salt spreaders, bringing a bioretention pond into compliance, and two budget amendments, the Town Council at their work session on the evening of Monday, February 10, beginning at 7:23 p.m. after a closed session in the Front Royal Town Hall at 102 East Main Street, considered a proposal from Main Street businesses On Cue and Vibrissa for their use of commercial trash collection services in lieu of current town trash collection services. The council also discussed the obligation of the town, if any, to jointly fund a fiscal impact analysis study with the county. Finally, before conducting another closed session, they reached a consensus for the mayor to send a letter to the Warren County Board of Supervisors in support of the BOS deciding whether the apartment development on East Criser Road merits the designation of “revitalization area”, as requested by Surber Development and Consulting LLC on behalf of Hardwood Place Va LLC in the interest of acquiring funding.

Town Council comes out of a closed session to conduct a work session on the evening of Monday, February 10. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh.

The town has been seeking to address a deficit in terms of the cost of solid waste collection in the Main Street Solid Waste Service Area (MSSWSA) in contrast to the revenue generated by its accounts. Last year, the town developed a new model that divided businesses in that area into three classes based on the volume of trash produced, the third and most expensive class paying a monthly rate of $425. Only two businesses fall into that category: On Cue and Vibrissa. Owners from both restaurants were present at the work session and submitted their analysis and proposal to the council for commercially sourcing their trash collection. As the resolution of the problem is in progress, the two businesses will not be required to pay the Class III rate. If the owners’ analysis is correct, the town will more than cover the deficit if these two businesses no longer need to be serviced through the town’s trash collection. Even with the new model, the deficit had not been eliminated.

Manager of Purchasing Michelle Campbell presents two items to the council.

Hearkening back to a recent liaison committee meeting between town and county, Mayor Lori Cockrell underlined the role the county plays in keeping its fiscal impact model updated. Citing the Voluntary Settlement Agreement, she emphasized that the burden of a fiscal impact analysis does indeed rest on the county’s shoulders. It is possible that with turnover and new players learning the ropes at the county level, this important resource for developers and the proffers they make has been lost in the shuffle. The model was last updated well over a decade ago. This is impactful on several fronts, especially in terms of the school system. If the numbers are updated, developers will have a better idea of what they should proffer to offset the cost to the school system if they are requesting a rezoning. Cockrell mentioned that when asked at the meeting if the town has anything that needs analysis, the answer was no. Looking at the issue from a taxation perspective, it stands to reason, for this reporter, that town citizens should not have to pay twice for a study in what they pay to the town as well as the county. The study is not inexpensive, but it appears the county is moving in that direction.

The proposed ninety-unit apartment community off East Criser Road could potentially be designated as a “revitalization area” if the county determines that it merits that designation. Such a designation could qualify the development for funding through the Virginia Housing Development Authority. Hence, the request. Such a designation would be made by the county after receiving a letter from the mayor in support of the county’s decision to make that designation. However, Cockrell was joined by Councilwoman Amber Morris in considering the designation to be “a stretch”. It implies that there was a previous use at this location when, in fact, there was no use whatsoever. It also bears the connotation that the parcel had fallen into disrepair when, in fact, it is simply a vacant parcel bordered by a library, a shopping complex, and a park. Thus, the mayor is not asking the board to designate the development as a revitalization area so much as she is asking them to do their due diligence to make the findings necessary to render a judgment.

At 8:05 p.m., having completed the public portion of their business, the council went into a second closed session.

Click here to watch the Front Royal Town Council Work Session of February 10, 2025.