Council moves through budget second readings at first live meeting since pandemic restrictions enacted – and public-comment fireworks were back!

On Monday night, June 8, the Front Royal Town Council moved quickly through an agenda featuring second readings of a number of previously thoroughly discussed budgetary matters before breaking to a work session with some pressing business (to be covered in related story).

Noteworthy was the fact that Monday’s meeting and work session were council’s first, live and in person with media, the public and staff all present in the Warren County Government Center meeting room under the Phase 2 guideline of 50 people allowed present in a public or business space.

Together again, masked and unmasked – town council, staff, public and media were present at the WCGC meeting room on Monday, June 8. Royal Examiner Photos/Roger Bianchini – Royal Examiner Video/Mark Williams-Mike McCool

Forwarded by council during the meeting were approval of:

• appropriations of $48,604,340 to support the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget;
• contingency fund transfers totaling $3,052,260 to support various Enterprise or utility and service funds as COVID-19 pandemic revenue reductions are expected;
• a budgetary amendment of $439,732 to cover a contract on sewer line maintenance as part of the I&I (Inflow & Infiltration) Abatement repairs mandated for the Town’s wastewater treatment system;
• previously cited increases to sewer service rates and a decrease to system development charges (tap fees) for new development connections to the Town water-sewer utilities;
• and adjustment to certain Town fee rates, including removal of a $100 fee for a hardcopy of the Town Code; removal of a $100 fee for Town Right of Way Vacation Application; removal of a $10 fee for Business License Zoning Clearance; removal of a $15 fee for Construction Specification: and consolidation of various tire fees to one $5 fee.

Council also took care of an annual housekeeping ordinance adjustment to bring Town Codes into alignment with changes to State Traffic Codes.

Good seeing you again, or not

Also at Monday’s meeting were the first live and in-person public comments to council since the approximate two-months of pandemic-related public building closings and virtually conducted-and-broadcast meetings.

Front Royal Unites organizers Stevi Hubbard and Samuel Porter estimated a peaceful crowd of 1,500 to 2,000 gathered in support of an anti-racism message as part of nationwide demonstrations in the wake of the death of George Floyd in the hands, and knees, of four Minneapolis police officers on May 25.

On the positive side, Front Royal Unites march against racism organizers Stevie Hubbard and Samuel Porter appeared to include the mayor and interim town manager in their thanks for helping facilitate last Friday’s, June 5^th event. They estimated the crowd that remained peaceful throughout an eight-block march and return to Bing Crosby Stadium for speeches at 1500 to 2,000. They called it the largest demonstration in Front Royal’s history. This reporter on the town-county beat for three decades certainly has never seen a larger one.

Other speakers weren’t so all-encompassingly complimentary to the workings of local government, particularly on the town side.

Council candidate Bruce Rappaport was scathingly critical of council’s continuation of its taxpayer-funded civil litigation against a re-tooled EDA already in place to conduct economic development work on behalf of the Town and County. Rappaport stated that of the existing EDA’s $31 million in property assets, $21 million of it lies inside the town limits. He chided council for continuing to duplicate effort by seeking to create a parallel, unilateral EDA, rather than continue initial efforts to work with a now re-staffed and seemingly very competently administered Town-County EDA already in place, with marketing ownership of over $20 million of property in town. – OH WAIT, that amount matches the Town’s claim of lost assets in its civil litigation against the EDA.

Bruce Rappaport, who is running to bring a change of direction to this town council, continued his criticism of the Town’s civil litigation against the existing EDA as it re-staffs and moves on from the financial scandal alleged in a forensic audit commissioned by the County and EDA.

But the property is not lost, it’s right there, isn’t it? And includes the new FRPD headquarters the Town owes the EDA at least $8.4 million in principal payments and continually accumulating interest on, right?

Linda Allen continued her criticism of council and the interim town manager’s upheaval of the Town Tourism function and other departmental firings, suggesting an altered course of action – “Why not four councilmen and the interim town manager resigning,” Allen proposed.

A final public speaker, Alisa Carson, launched a verbal attack on Mayor Tewalt, Royal Examiner Publisher Mike McCool who was present with our videotaping team, and County Board Chairman Walter Mabe, not present, for their attendance at a Friday, June 5^th Phase 2 pandemic re-opening ribbon cutting at the Virginia Beer Museum.

Carson, who has been observed sitting next to Councilman Chris Holloway at a Warren County Republican Committee meeting during the fall 2019 election cycle, was accompanied by large reproductions of publicity photos posted online by Beer Museum proprietor David Downes, who was present with his wife Monday. Those photos advertised a reopening weekend “International Bikini Team” motorcycle-washing event held in the museum’s seven-foot privacy fenced-in back biergarten and parking lot.

Alisa Carson brought LARGE props to illustrate her complaint about town and county and media officials’ participation in a Friday ribbon-cutting for the reopening of the Virginia Beer Museum. However, none of those she named were present for the Saturday bikini-clad motorcycle washing event that accompanied a BBQ-catered, live music augmented event in the museum’s backyard biergarten behind an 7-foot privacy fence.

Republican Committee member and Councilman Jacob Meza jumped on the anti-Beer Museum bandwagon, decrying the Chester Street, Village Commons area Beer Museum, Tavern, and biergarten as counterproductive to his perception of the “Family Friendly” atmosphere he said the Town is trying to promote.

Though Councilwoman Letasha Thompson later did, what Carson failed to note in her and Councilman Meza’s “morality police” attack on the Beer Museum, was that the ribbon-cutting attended by the mayor, board chairman, and Royal Examiner videotaping team was the afternoon of Friday, June 5, while the bikini team event was held the following day, Saturday afternoon, June 6. This reporter, who did cover the Saturday event as reported in Royal Examiner with still photos, can report that neither Tewalt, Mabe nor McCool was present for Saturday’s motorcycle cleaning, BBQ catered (yum), and musical entertainment (very good, by Nick Folk of York, PA) event.

Welcome to the already partisan-politically-tinged, down-and-dirty Front Royal Town Election season, 2020.

See Royal Examiner’s video of the council meeting, including Mayor Tewalt’s reply to Carson, in this linked Royal Examiner video. The work session video will be linked to a related Royal Examiner story.