Acting EDA Chairman reflects on September 17th legal action against Town

Following Thursday morning’s announcement of the filing of civil litigation against the Town of Front Royal to recover nearly $9-million dollars spent to construct the new town police headquarters, Acting Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority Board of Directors Chairman Jeff Browne told Royal Examiner that United Bank officials, holders of the EDA’s FRPD loan, were aware of the developing situation that could see those debt service payments stop next month.

As reported in our lead story, September’s payment will be the last made by either the EDA or Warren County in support of the EDA debt service on the police station project. Town officials have been informed of this situation, Browne told us. So, as noted in our companion story unless the Front Royal Town Council authorizes assumption of that United Bank debt service, payments on the new town police station will go into default by mid-October. Those payments come due 10 days after receipt of monthly payment-due notices at the beginning of the month.

It is the TOWN police station, right? EDA acting board chairman calls Town stance on FRPD debt service ‘disingenuous’. Royal Examiner Photos by Roger Bianchini

Of the Town’s stance in previous direct negotiations on the matter, Browne said, “The only thing that they consistently said is that ‘we believe you guaranteed us a one-and-a-half percent interest rate.’ Okay, you can state that, and we can get to deciding that. But that would mean that you would go ahead and pay the principal off; you pay the one-and-a-half percent – none of which is there is any question about.

“The new wrinkle was this week when the argument was made that the loan, I’m not sure what, is fraudulent. Therefore the Town doesn’t need to pay it,” Browne said again referencing Councilman Chris Holloway’s September 14 reading of a contract attorney-prepared statement into the council meeting record about why the Town has no obligation to pay for its police station. – Though it sure makes it easier to accomplish capital improvements while promising to never raise taxes, as Holloway did during the recent County Republican Committee Candidates Forum.

“But again, disingenuous that your police force is sitting in a building that’s been approved, and they approved it,” Browne observed.

Queried about that approval, Browne continued, “They actually have several resolutions, in the lawsuit you’ll see we hung our hat on the last one, which increased the amount to $12 million dollars. And again a resolution, no indication of what the interest rate was or anything regarding it.”

He added that the EDA was in possession of correspondences from the town finance department acknowledging approval of various aspects of the construction project and payment of those aspects.

Jeff Browne and contract attorney Rosalie Fessier go over some last second proofing of EDA lawsuit against Town over FRPD headquarters debt.

“The lawsuit is very clearly written – it isn’t 500 different contentions. It’s just a simple story and then alternate legal theories as to why we ought to get it,” Browne said, revisiting a perceived difference in the new EDA litigation and the Town’s now amended litigation that has grown from an initial estimated $2 million amount to “over $20 million” at this point.

As our post-meeting conversation was winding down, Browne said, “What I would leave you with, is when you direct someone to build something for you; you approve all the construction invoices; and then you occupy the place, to have an argument for any real reason that you don’t owe that sum of money seems to me to be disingenuous. And it’s time that the Town pay its bill,” Browne said.

“We’re sad that it’s come to this – but we had no choice. I didn’t get into the EDA to fight with the Town,” Browne said in wrapping up. “I loathe that we have to be doing this when we should be concentrating on economic development. If the Town wanted to help resolve all this they would help work on our lawsuit (against McDonald and her co-defendants).

“I hope they come to their senses, get financing and we can begin all working together. We are one community,” Browne concluded.

Mayor Tewalt at December 2019 EDA meeting where he said he would urge cooperation rather than litigation with the EDA. Maybe council should have listened as nine months later things escalate with a community’s financial credit rating at stake.

Whether it is one community on the up or down side of future economic development will apparently be decided over the next 23 days or so as the deadline on payment of the October FRPD debt service, the final interest only payment of $21,000-plus to United Bank, approaches.

The ball, to use a sports metaphor, has landed with a thud on the Town side of this legal and financial court (pun intended).