Council changes direction on Building Inspection Department – will it be a permanent change back to County control?

At a Wednesday, February 23, Special Meeting sandwiched by Closed Sessions on personnel matters, the Front Royal Town Council tackled problems with the new Town Building Inspections Department and the Joint Town-County Tourism Committee, among other topics. As to the open meeting discussion of the Town Building Inspections Department put into effect January 3, a full house of county builders association members was once again present at the Town Hall meeting room for follow-up on issues raised at a February 15 council work session. However, they were not allowed input into this discussion as they were the previous week as reported in the linked Royal Examiner story “Local builders voice concerns about new Town Building Department”

Rather, the bulk of the Wednesday discussion, moved from Agenda topic three to one to accommodate the number of builders present for it, was council’s reaction to Town Manager and Building Official Steven Hicks presentation of eight organizational/funding options for the new Town department moving forward. As the agenda cover page for the presentation pointed out “The current Building Code Division goal is for the funding to be self-sufficient where the applicants for the permits cover the 3^rd party plan review and permits.” It is also noted that “Currently Warren County is subsidized with general funds to offset their Building Code’s operation.”

Town Manager Steven Hicks, left head of table, runs over various funding options and costs as local builders and council listen. Below, some builders, including WC Builder’s Assn. President George Cline, second from right in first-floor lobby, spent some time discussing what they had heard upstairs earlier Wednesday evening. Royal Examiner Photos by Roger Bianchini

Unfortunately for the local builders, the Town plan to achieve self-sufficiency entails what are considered exorbitant inspection and plan review fees – four or five times existing County fees, which also remain in play, was cited at one point. In the above-referenced Norma Jean Shaw story on the February 15 discussion, fee discrepancies compared to County rates as high as $400 versus $5 and $1,995 versus $391 was cited. At one point in that February 15 discussion it was suggested that if such fees stand, builders will simply stop taking jobs in the Town of Front Royal. That would throw a wrench into what the town manager forecast as a coming home building explosion in town in coming years.

On Wednesday, citing duplication of effort and the cost of fees to achieve self-sufficiency in the range of $165,000 to $185,000 without the use of General Fund reserves or general tax increases, a council consensus was reached to hand-building inspection and plan review responsibilities back to the County. Whether that would be a temporary or permanent solution seemed unresolved by the time council moved on to other topics. Also at issue was whether the Town would offer financial support to the County Building Department for additional staffing to help cover in-town projects.

“We tried to fix a problem that we perceived happening, and with the best intentions we’ve actually created a bunch of new problems,” Councilman Scott Lloyd observed, adding, “What I’m hearing from the community is that they prefer what existed before to what we’ve got now. I’d rather default to that and figure out if there’s a third way forward rather than keep the Town structure in place to the detriment of those people who have applications pending.”

Scott Lloyd, center left opposite side of table, suggested restoring the previous County Building Department permitting and inspection authority in town limits, at least until other, better options are explored to the current system in place for seven weeks.

How to move forward while moving backwards to determine if there is yet another alternative path forward was a particular matter of concern for council for those builders with current projects and clients that have begun permitting under the new Town department. Council seemed receptive to the idea of reimbursements and/or handing a partially completed process over to the County building department for completion. How the County might react to such a proposal from the Town also seemed to be an unknown. Town Manager Hicks said he would contact “Ed”, an apparent reference to County Administrator Ed Daley, on a mutually agreed-upon path forward, and backward, it would seem. That path would seek to place minimal difficulties on those already enmeshed in what appears to be a dysfunctional initial Town effort to take on building permitting and review processes.

In response to a question, staff noted the next Town-County Liaison Committee meeting was scheduled for March 11. Councilman Joe McFadden observed that thus far in development of this new Town departmental process involving an already existing county department that also functions inside the town limits, the two municipalities appeared like ships that “pass in the night” with little to no direct communications.

Other business

Also on Wednesday’s agenda was solution to a Water Meter Waiver Request by Poe’s River’s Edge LLC on hookups to a planned riverfront campground presented by Public Works Director Robbie Boyer. The meeting-opening Closed Session was to interview to fill a vacancy on the Town Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA); the second was to review “the performance of the Town Manager including his role as Executive Director of the Front Royal Economic Development Authority …” according to the motion into that closed session.

Town Finance Director B. J. Wilson, standing blue shirt, adds some relative costs on various size water lines, to Public Works Director Robbie Boyer, right at podium’s, explanation of a resolution to a water hook-up fee waiver request from Poe’s River Edge LLC.

One might have thought with the uproar surrounding the new Building Inspections Department, the town manager’s developmental role as the un-certified “Building Official” head of that department might have also been specified for discussion. Though with the recent vagueness in FOIA (Freedom Of Information Act) motion topic disclosures by the Town, who’s to say it wasn’t; even if Hicks was essentially following council directives on funding the new department, much as he is in developing his new EDA director’s role.

See all these discussions, at least the non-closed session ones, in the Town video.