County Supervisors Follow Up Discussion of Budget and Revenue Options Cut Short on Scheduling Conflict

The Warren County Board of Supervisors Special Meeting/Work Session on Wednesday evening, April 15, was aborted early and rescheduled after about half an hour into the 6 p.m. meeting. That rescheduling is set for 6 p.m. Monday, April 20, at the government center.

Only an initial presentation on the economic variables involved in producing a final draft of the Fiscal Year-2027 budget and Calendar Year tax rates, presented by North River District Supervisor Richard Jamieson, was nearing completion when a scheduling conflict was addressed. That conflict was the Town of Front Royal Planning Commission’s reservation to hold its April 15th meeting in the WC Government Center main meeting room as 7 p.m. approached.

Supervisor Richard Jamieson, closest to the camera, presented an extended exploration of County financial variables as they might relate to the establishment of the final Fiscal Year budget and Calendar Year tax rate submissions. Below, Board Vice-Chairman Tony Carter, furthest from the camera at right, reacts to what he has heard. Remotely connected, Supervisor Stanmeyer is visible on the wall projection. Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

Just prior to the adjournment, Interim County Administrator Dr. David Martin had left the meeting room to access and then return to distribute a “Wealth Management and Operating Bank Account Balances ending March 31, 2026” to the board. It appeared that those numbers were related to, if not duplicating, Supervisor Jamieson’s accounting of budget and revenue variables in the board’s establishment of a final budget/tax rate proposal.

Among those numbers in the draft presented by Dr. Martin were:

An overview of “Wealth Management and Operating Bank Account Balances” totaling $15,636,375.99 as of March 2026. An interest rate of 3.77% to 3.82% was cited, as were “Withdrawals from VIP (Variable Interest Plan) to cover expenditures of $5,000 each on March 9 and March 27, totaling $10,000 for the month of March 2026.” An interest rate of 3.77% to 3.82% and total interest payments of $67,887.27 were cited in the account balance numbers.

Added in were an Atlantic Union Wealth Management “Agency” number of $2,407,483.48 with Interest of $11,705.58 cited, and two other categories: “IRREV TRUST” $856,981.52 (Interest $2,174.17), and “Scholarship” $213,413.08 (Interest $482.85).

Coupled with a Money Market balance of $1,941,026.49 (Interest $1,026.49) and a United Bank Operating Account of $9,512,113.63 (Interest $20,445.71), a TOTAL number of $30,567,394.19 was cited on the Wealth Management and Operating Bank Account Balances chart.

Interim County Administrator Dr. David Martin, second from right, outlined the parameters of discussion as the work session was convened. Below, the Town Planning Commission, beginning to be seated at the dais, had dibs on the room for its scheduled meeting of April 15 at 7 p.m.

More on these numbers and what they mean should be part of the continued meeting/work session on Monday, April 20, at 6 p.m., in the Warren County Government Center (WCGC) main meeting room.

For more on the work session discussion prior to its early adjournment, see the County video below.