The Front Royal Town Council met in work session at 6:30 p.m., Monday, May 13, at Town Hall for discussion of several rather routine matters, most headed for consideration at the May 28th meeting as part of the Consent Agenda. Prior to getting to those items Mayor Lori Cockrell presented a Proclamation for council’s endorsement acknowledging National Police Week May 12 to 18. The holiday in remembrance of the sacrifices of law enforcement officers was begun by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, when he established Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15, which today has expanded to the week-long National Police Week remembrance.

Mayor Cockrell acknowledged two recent remembrances of local officers. Those were   the recent naming of a bridge at South Street for former Town Police Officer Lt. William Patrick “Pat” Farrell and the earlier Commerce Street bridge renaming for FRPD Sgt. Dennis Smedley. Farrell was an FRPD officer from 1971 to 1982, when his early retirement was caused by declining health from an on duty incident in November 1977 when he was bitten and scratched by a suspect authorities did not know at the time was infected with Hepatitis B. Farrell eventually succumbed to Chronic Hepatitis on July 24, 1991, at the age of 43. As noted above, Council recently dedicated the South Street Bridge in Farrell’s name, as they had previously with the Commerce Street Bridge for Sgt. Smedley, killed in the line of duty in 1983.

Mayor Cockrell at head of table convenes the May 13 work session. First on the agenda was a Proclamation endorsing National Police Week, recalling two local officers remembered here recently for their line of duty sacrifices. Then it was into closed session on two personnel matters.

Following the proclamation and remembrance of Officers Farrell and Smedley Council adjourned to Closed Session at 6:35 p.m. for an interview to fill a planning commission vacancy and discuss an item added at the work session’s outset. That was a personnel matter related to providing staff backup for Town Manager Joe Waltz, who is currently absent due to illness it was noted. Following the closed session adjournment at 7:30 p.m., as indicated in Amber Morris’s motion to add the item, Council unanimously authorized Finance Director B. J. Wilson to perform the duties of Town Manager in Waltz’s absence.

Perhaps the most interesting discussion of a series of budget and financial matters scheduled to come before Council in coming meetings was how to appropriate the expenditure of approximately $505,000 requested by Finance Director Wilson as part of a Budget Amendment “to account for revenues that exceeded FY24 budgeted amounts and to approve a FY24 Budget Transfer in the amount of $535,000 to allocate $515,000 (which it appeared was amended to $505,000 in a corrected agenda packet number by Wilson) in additional funds” to the FY24 budget. For while the staff agenda summary suggested that money be used “to advance the Town’s paving plan and to allocate $30,000 for Town Hall security” some Council members had other ideas as expressed beginning at the 19:05 mark of the linked Town video.

The idea of using those transferred funds to achieve established Council goals other than street maintenance initially came from Councilman Glenn Wood (addressing blighted, derelict buildings or creating a Deputy Town Manager’s position) and Vice-Mayor Wayne Sealock (funding additional FRPD officer positions) Councilwoman Morris commented that she liked the blighted building idea; however, it soon became apparent, with a twist (at the 29:28 video mark). That twist was committing the money to the Town’s unilaterally overseen Front Royal Economic Development Authority (FREDA, also known as the Business Development Board).

Finance Director B.J. Wilson, at the podium, had a busy work session, as he not only presented Budget Amendment requests, but stood in for Town Manager Joe Waltz, out due to illness. Councilwoman Amber Morris, first seat from podium to right of table, suggested investing a $505,000 budget amendment amount to help FREDA launch economic development operations.

“I think we’ve looked at for a long time, since FREDA was propped up in 2019 or whenever it started … We haven’t had funds to fund FREDA. And I think a one-time funding mechanism to FREDA would generate year-over-year revenue back to the Town in dividends if we did it appropriately. So, instead of throwing money at something that would be completed one time and done, I think if we fund FREDA and let them loosen the reigns and can go to work, that could generate revenue in the budget for next year and all the years to come, which is what we’re looking to do.”

After some additional conversation Mayor Cockrell asked council’s preference in coming to an immediate decision to enable it to be voted on at the May 28th meeting, or forward it to the first June work session for additional discussion and a decision on which fiscal-year budget the appropriation would be included in. The consensus was to point to the early June work session and a decision that would facilitate the money’s commitment in the appropriate fiscal year budget depending on a final consensus on usage.

Other Business

Several of the other budgetary requests moved toward consideration at council’s May 28 meeting the Tuesday after the Memorial Day holiday, others toward June discussion and decisions. They included:

Item 3-A – FY24 Budget Amendment to Receive Funds for Electric Pole Stock Replacement. As noted in the staff agenda summary, Finance Director Wilson explained that council was being requested to “… approve a budget amendment for the Town’s Fiscal Year 2023-2024 budget in the amount of $20,721.76. The Town has received $20,721.76 from Bright Speed to reimburse the Town for replacement of 22 electric poles. If approved, this budget amendment would offset the additional expense incurred by the Department of Energy Services for the pole replacements.”

In addition the staff summary notes: “Per the Pole Attachment Agreement between the Town of Front Royal and Bright Speed (formerly Century Link/Sprint), it is stipulated that in the event of the Town replacing one of Brightspeed’s poles with a Town stock pole, ownership of the pole transfers to Brightspeed. However, Brightspeed is obligated to provide the Town with a replacement stock pole. Regrettably, this practice has not been adhered to by Century Link in recent years, resulting in a shortfall of 22 poles owed to the Town. Following Brightspeed’s acquisition of the company, a decision was reached to address this discrepancy by invoicing Brightspeed for the expenses incurred by the Town for pole replacements – totaling $20,721.76.” The item was moved to the May 28 meeting for action.

Item 3-B –  FY2023-2024 Write Off for Bad Debt – BJ Wilson/staff summary: Council is requested to approve the removal of 5 years or of outstanding accounts receivable (bad debts) totaling $48,897.84 (151 utility accounts) on the Town’s ledger for the remainder of fiscal year 2023-2024. Staff has identified the accounts as bad debt and uncollectible based upon the Bad Debt Policy approved by Town Council in March 2019  and statute of limitations.

It was further noted that, “Annually the Town of Front Royal bills approximately $30 million for utility service. The Town of Front Royal Department of Finance collects approximately 99% of the utilities billed annually before accounts are deemed uncollectible and written off.” So, the bad debts mark about one percent of the Town’s utility service. The previous three fiscal years of authorized bad debts were cited at: FY21 – $41,474.18; FY22 – $46,705.80; FY23 – $47,314.36, with the FY24 total of $48,897.84 pending approval, expected to be authorized at the May 28 meeting.

B.J. Wilson was still at it late into Monday’s work session, as he filled in for the absent Town Manager and Town Attorney, in addition to his four budget updates to council.

Item 3-D – FY24 Budget Amendment, Financing, & Purchase for Single Axle Vac Truck – BJ Wilson. The staff summary noted: “The Town’s FY25 adopted budget for sewer maintenance includes funding for an annual financing payment on a single axle vac truck. Council will be requested to approve the purchase of a new single axle vac truck; specifically, a Vaccon non cdl 3-yard unit, from Atlantic Machinery Inc. using the cooperative contracting via the Virginia Sheriff’s Association Heavy Equipment Procurement Program bid#24-05-0713 in the amount of $451,518.00. This new vac truck will replace unit#644 a 1993 Ford L8000 … Council will be requested to approve the purchase of a new single axle vac truck; specifically, a Vaccon non cdl 3-yard unit, from Atlantic Machinery Inc. using the cooperative contracting via the Virginia Sheriff’s Association Heavy Equipment Procurement Program bid#24-05-0713 in the amount of $451,518.00. This new vac truck will replace unit #644 a 1993 Ford L8000.” Item also appears headed to a vote May 28.

Under “New Business” council was informed by Finance Director Wilson in the absence of Town Attorney George Sonnett that the Town would be required, as it is annually along with all municipalities across the state, to bring its local traffic and vehicle laws into compliance with any changes at the State level. Staff recommended that Council approve advertisement for a public hearing at the June 22nd regular meeting, so the changes will be in place at the July 1 start of FY-2025.

The work session adjourned at 8:10 p.m.

Click here to watch the May 13, 2024, Front Royal Town Council Meeting.

As promised, Royal Examiner is following up on our lead story on the May 7th Warren County Board of Supervisors meeting on other actions and discussions. One topic added to the agenda at the meeting’s outset under “Additional New Business” was how the county government will absorb increases in its Employee Health Care coverage through United Health Care. Board Chairman Cheryl Cullers presented the agenda addition, which was approved unanimously.

And while the addition was made near the outset of the 7 p.m. meeting, the “Additional New Business” was the meeting’s final agenda item. So, it was two hours later (2:02:45 linked County video mark) when Assistant County Administrator Jane Meadows took the lead in presenting the options facing the supervisors to them. Meadows opened noting that for the coming Fiscal Year-2024/25 the County had received a 7.7% increased cost for Group Health, Dental, and Visual coverage, “along with a $40,000 premium holiday for the July bill.”

Meadows noted the board had been presented with two options in covering those increases. “Option A reflects the County absorbing the increase in the rates, and the employee contribution to the premium is remaining the same as premium year 2024.

“Option B reflects the portion of the increase being absorbed by the employees in the higher deductible $1,000-dollar plan and the preventive dental plan, and the County contributions being mirrored from the $1,000-dollar plan to the $250-dollar plan, as well for Comprehensive Dental,” Meadows said, noting that, “We are currently staying with the $1,000 and $250 deductible plans. And then the Comprehensive and Preventive Dental Plans are remaining the same. The Vision Plan did not change, the Vision Plan, the pricing for that was locked in for this year during our renewal previously.”

Deputy County Administrator Jane Meadows summarizes employee health care coverage cost-increase options brought forward by staff. Royal Examiner Photos

Meadows continued to point out that, “From the proposed FY-24/25 budget approximately $3.3 to .4 or .5 million dollars have been allocated for insurance premiums for our full-time employees. The estimated increase in the full costs for FY-25 versus FY-24 is $269,000. And that cost will vary depending on the number of participants in each plan.” Completing her summary, Meadows fielded board questions beginning at the 2:04:52 video mark.

Fork District Supervisor Vicky Cook began by verifying that the amount the County would absorb under Plan A was $69,000. Meadow confirmed that number. Cook then sighted the savings to the County from going with Plan B was about $45,000 of that $69,000 Option A cost to the county government to absorb its employees health care coverage cost hikes. Meadows again confirmed Cook’s reading of the material circulated to the board prior to the meeting.

The long story, made short is that a board majority found that $45,000 cost too high a price to place on county citizens as a whole in a year the board was raising taxes to cover its FY-2025 budget. That consensus was reached despite Meadows appearing to point out that the last several years of Cost of Living raises county employees received had not matched the inflation rate for across-the-board living expenses.

Asked by Vice-Chairman “Jay” Butler which option she recommended, Meadows replied, “Option A” further stating, “I feel that since we are still, with cost of living shifts, we are still below it. I feel personally, I was director of HR (Human Resources), I’m a little employee biased … I feel Option A would be greatly appreciated by our team. Option B of course, saves $45,000. Those are the options we are presenting to you, and  that is the challenge for each of you,” Meadows observed.

Cook elicited an admission that over the past three years in the new health insurance carrier plan, the County had absorbed any increases because overall the coverage plan was saving the County money over other options.

The board ponders the saving of $45,000 in the FY-2025 county budget by having employees shoulder health care coverage cost increases.

There was extensive discussion and estimations of the number of employees affected by Option B (65 in high deductible group was cited) and their monthly and annual costs ranging in the neighborhood of $228 to $288 per year and $19 to $24 monthly. As the board approached a vote, North River Supervisor Richard Jamieson noted the pending tax increase to cover the Fiscal Year-2025 budget on the table (2:17:30 video mark). “Especially in a year where we’re raising taxes everybody takes a little bit on their shoulders,” Jamieson observed.

“I’m just not really comfortable with the idea of completely shielding — county employees are sort of like a different class from these realities. I’ll harken back to other people out in the economy that are struggling with, well, they’re going to get a tax increase, as are the employees. Who else is going to get their health insurance premiums going up?” Jamieson asked rhetorically.

He complemented Meadows on her background work; however, added that he thought it was “a relatively small slice” that employees were being asked to shoulder under Option B.

Finally the chairman sought a motion. Vice-Chairman Butler responded first, seeking approval of Option A with the County covering the increased health insurance costs. His motion died without a second. Cook then made the motion in support of Option B, which was seconded by Jamieson. That motion was approved by a 4-1 vote with only Butler dissenting. However, Chairman Cullers preceded her vote with a lengthy preface that it pained her to have to make the choice for the County not to absorb the Health Insurance increases, but with the financial variables before the board, including if we recall correctly its first tax increase in about 4 years, she would reluctantly support Option B. Before casting the final vote, John Stanmeyer also bemoaned the choice before the board, but also acquiesced to support of the $45,000 savings to the county budget that Option B would provide.

Other ‘New Business’

In other business the board approved the six public hearing requests following the opening one on the private school relocation to Rockland. Unlike that approval of the CUP for the John Paul the Great Montessori Academy to a portion of the former Bowling Green South Golf Course which had 14 speakers in support, all of the subsequent public hearings were approved without a dissenting vote and no public comment pro or con. Those final six public hearing topics will be listed at the end of this story.

A 12-item Consent Agenda was approved with two items removed for discussion. Those two items were a contract with TACS for the collection of delinquent county tax accounts, and the Awarding of contract with BFI Waste Services. Both were also approved after discussion.

Also under New Business, the Authorization to Advertise for Public Hearings of two items brought forward by planning and zoning staff were approved. Those items were:

1. Authorization to Advertise for Public Hearing: Z2024-04-01 – Campground – Michaun Pierre – A request to amend Chapter 180 of the Warren County Code to amend §180-8C to add definitions for Camping Unit and Tent, to modify the existing definitions of Commercial Campground and Commercial Camping, and to repeal the existing definitions of Unit Space, Vacation Camp, Day, and Vacation Camp, Overnight, to amend §180-21D to modify the listed Commercial Campground use and to repeal the listed Vacation Camp, Day/Overnight use in the Agricultural District Regulations, to amend §180-27D to modify the listed Commercial Campground use in the Commercial District Regulations, to amend §180-41 to modify the existing supplementary regulations for Commercial Campgrounds, and to amend §180-57 to repeal the existing supplementary regulations for Vacation Camp, Day or Overnight. – Summarized by Chase Lenz, Zoning Administrator; and:
2. Authorization to Advertise for Public Hearing: Z2024-04-02 – Zoning District Regulations – Warren County Planning Staff – A request to amend Chapter 180 of the Warren County Code to amend §180-21 to make Public Schools permissible only by Conditional Use Permit in the Agricultural (A) District, to amend §180-25 to make Store/Dwelling Combination and Library permissible only by Conditional Use Permit in the Village Residential (VR) District, to amend §180-26 to add Church as a use permissible only by Conditional Use Permit in the Suburban Residential (SR) District, and to amend §180-28 to add Church as a use permitted by right in the Industrial (I) District. – Chase Lenz, Zoning Administrator.

The county supervisors May 7 meeting began at 6:30 p.m. with a Closed Session, the motion into reading: “I move the Board enter into a closed meeting under the provisions of Sections 2.2-3711(A)(8) for consultation with legal counsel pertaining to the process for the providing of funds for Business development”.

Approved Public Hearing items I through N

21. Public Hearing: CUP2024-03-01 Joel Didriksen – A request for a conditional use permit for a Short-Term Tourist Rental. The property is located at 3017 Blue Mountain Road and identified on tax map 16A, section 1, block 1, lot 21. The property is zoned Residential-One (R-1) and located in the Blue Mountain subdivision and in the Shenandoah Magisterial District.
22. Public Hearing: CUP2024-03-02 Jennifer Wynn – A request for a conditional use permit for a ShortTerm Tourist Rental. The property is located at 703 Sunset Village Rd. and identified on tax map 27D, section 1, lot 9A. The property is zoned Residential-One (R-1) and located in the Junewood Estates subdivision and the Fork Magisterial District.
23. Public Hearing: CUP2024-03-04 Jack Donohue – A request for a conditional use permit for a Contactor Storage Yard. The property is located at (0) Winners Ct. and identified on tax map 5, lot 11B. The property is zoned Industrial (I) and located in the Walker-Brugh subdivision and the North River Magisterial District.
24. Public Hearing – Lease Agreement of Hangar B17 to Andrew Gass at $350 per month.
25. Public Hearing – Lease Agreement of Hangar A14 to Otis Blake Bacon at $350 per month.
26. Public Hearing – Lease Agreement of 179 Stokes Airport Rd. at $350 per month.

Click here to watch the May 7th Warren County Board of Supervisors Meeting.

The Tuesday, May 7th public hearing-focused regular meeting of the Warren County Board of Supervisors began with a one-two punch surrounding community schooling issues. The first “punch” was delivered by five of seven Public Comments speakers regarding non-agenda item issues, prior to the 7:30 p.m. cutoff time to public hearings. The final of those speakers, Megan Marrazzo had a long wait to make her case, as only the first six made it prior to the public hearing starting time.

Those five speakers, Cameron Williams, Richard Baker, Matthew Purdie, Anne Miranda,  and Marrazzo urged the board not to approve any tax increases in support of county public schools. Several cited Supervisor Richard Jamieson’s April 30 Joint supervisors-school board budget work session comments on a developing lack of trust over a perceived lack of transparency or effective use of county funding to positive educational ends by public school officials. Local tax increases in support of county law enforcement and fire and rescue services was acceptable, if necessary, most of those speakers indicated, but not for county public schools as currently overseen, even though as Jamieson has acknowledged, a majority of the community’s children are still educated in public schools.

Anti-Public School funding Public Comments speakers, including Cameron Williams here, had a full house to hear their perspectives. Most of that crowd was there in support of the first public hearing permitting request for the relocation of the private Montessori School in Rockland on a portion of the former Bowling Green South Golf Course. That permitting passed unanimously and the crowd thinned out considerably.

The first speaker to this topic following initial speaker Fern Vasquez’s questions about the status of a public restroom in Eastham Park, Cameron Williams (14:30 linked County video mark) set the tone against increased funding of Warren County Public Schools. He suggested, as others would, that Fire & Rescue and the Sheriff’s Office could be adequately funded without a tax increase, pointing the finger at public schools for responsibility for any tax increase. He cited an April 9th board meeting public speaker in making his case against additional funding for public schools this year and possibly into the future: “Mr. Purdie put it quite well at the April 9th hearing that ‘Warren County Public Schools have become a money pit that the County cannot get out of.’

“It’s about time that the public schools take a much-needed cut, and potentially even a funding freeze so that more necessary public resources can be funded and equipped. I don’t believe that public schools should receive another cent until there’s proof of improvement in enrollment and quality,” Williams told the supervisors, further asserting, “They do not need to be operating with such a large budget when there’s been a drastic decrease in enrollment, and increase in funding and plummeting test scores.” In closing, Williams pointed to ongoing disciplinary issues in public schools he stated could not be fixed with additional funding, coupled with the fiscal disciplinary issue facing the board of supervisors over the public schools budget request.

Private School permitting for Rockland location

The second educational issue addressed was the topic of the first public hearing convened (28:05 County video mark) following the Public Comments adjournment for the 7:30 p.m. start of public hearings, and was the focus of the great majority of a full house of spectators filling the Warren County Government Center main meeting room. That issue was the requested conditional use permitting to allow the relocation of the private John Paul the Great Montessori Academy to approximately 53 acres of the former Bowling Green South Golf Course.

A graphic presented by applicant of the existing Bowling Green South Clubhouse that will be converted into the main John Paul the Great Montessori Academy school facility.

Planning Director Matt Wendling Opened the public hearing with a summary of the Conditional Use Permit application. As noted in the staff-prepared agenda summary: “The applicant is requesting a conditional use permit for a private school to be located on what is currently the Bowling Green South Golf Course which has been closed since its recent purchase in 2023 by Helltown River Investments LLC. The school currently serves 141 students and has 20 full-time and 18 part-time employees and has a curriculum based on the Catholic Montessori approach as stated in their mission statement … The property is located at 768 Bowling View Road and identified on tax map 13 as lot 46D. The property is zoned Agricultural (A) and is located in the Morrison Family subdivision in the Shenandoah Magisterial District.”

Wendling noted the school, which features an Agricultural curriculum, was established in 2020 and is currently located in Front Royal. “They currently have programs for pre-school children 3 days a week and elementary and middle school age children for 5 days a week. Their long-term plans are to expand to include toddlers and high school students and not to exceed enrollment of more than 200 students,” the planning director said.

Zoning Administrator Chase Lenz and Planning Director Matt Wendling on the job.

It was noted that the County Planning Commission had unanimously forwarded a recommendation of approval with conditions as amended. Following applicant Noel Sweeney’s presentation of the application and school plans, 14 speakers, many parents with children attending the school, urged approval. The supervisors listened, and on a motion by John Stanmeyer and what appeared to be Supervisor Richard Jamieson edging Vicky Cook for the second, the board unanimously approved the CUP.

County achieves “Storm-ready designation”

Early in the meeting the board got a report on the County achieving a “National Weather Service Warren County Storm Ready Designation”. Fire & Rescue staffer Brian Foley introduced National Weather Service’s Chris Strong, who summarized the process Foley had been local liaison to in qualifying the County for the designation.

Fire & Rescue Department’s Brian Foley, dark uniform, introduced National Weather Service’s Chris Strong to explain the county’s designation as a Storm Ready community.

As the staff summary noted: “In early 2023 Warren County Fire and Rescue began working with the National Weather Service in Sterling, Virginia to become a Storm Ready Community. The National Weather Service approved our application on March 11, 2024. Storm Ready uses a grassroots approach to help communities develop plans to handle all types of extreme weather-from tornadoes to winter storms. The program encourages communities to take a new, proactive approach to improving local hazardous weather operations by providing emergency managers with clear-cut guidelines on how to improve their hazardous weather operations.” The board unanimously approved the “Storm-ready designation” for the years 2024 to 2028.

There will be a subsequent story on additional business conducted at the meeting.

Click here to watch the May 7th Warren County Board of Supervisors Meeting.

In what was the focus of a work session for the county’s planning commission, beginning at 6 p.m. on May 8 and giving way to the commission’s regular meeting at 7 p.m. in the Warren County Government Center, chapters three and four of the developing comprehensive plan were considered for elements of design and content.

Warren County Planning Commission meets for a regular meeting on the evening of May 8 at the Warren County Government Center. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh.

The plan faces several months of intense development and reworking with a hopeful release date in which it will become available to the public by September, an estimate given by Planning Director Matt Wendling. Although exactly when the plan will be released is a matter of give or take, Wendling used the opportunity to explain a future land use map depicting the Route 340/522 corridor, giving the commission members something to “chew on” over the next month. The corridor is a complex entity that may soon see the development of industrial use, commercial use, residential use, and negotiation of rural areas as well. If geography is destiny, this is a very appropriate conversation for the county commission to have in the spring of 2024.

Before the regular meeting, the county commission meets for a work session in the Caucus Room.

At one point in the regular meeting, Wendling thanked Planner Kelly Wahl and Office Manager Allison Mutter for the hard work they have been doing to bring the comprehensive plan to completion. They have made significant progress in reformatting it and bringing the data together. “We hope that next month if everyone is here, we can finish chapter 4, and maybe we’ll hop into six, which is economic development,” Wendling said. In the future, the commissioners will have forwarded to them those items which have been reworked and will have the chance to give their input, via Wahl and Mutter who are assisting Wendling in this endeavor.

During the work session, Planning Director Matt Wendling explained to the members a future land use map for development in the 340/522 corridor.

Chapter three of the comprehensive plan focuses on natural resources, while chapter four focuses on growth management and land use. “Characteristics of the natural environment affect development to varying degrees,” chapter three begins. “While some natural features encourage and enhance development, others correspondingly limit certain land uses and development intensity.” The rest of the chapter is a deep dive into the county’s natural features, ranging from the Shenandoah River and the mountains that bound the county to the implication of soil types for septic systems. Chapter four discusses land use types as they appear in the county with a tight focus on trends over the past decade or so, seeking how the county government can play a role in responsible development, preserving rural character, and respecting agricultural preservation.

Chapters three and four, as they stood during the work session, can be found online at the county’s website under the May 8, 2024, agenda.

Click here to watch the May 8th Planning Commission Meeting.

The run of county government administrative departmental staff defections continues to expand with a notice on the Warren County website about “Job Opportunities” now including the County’s in-house Director of Economic Development. It is a position held by multi-faceted County staffer Joe Petty since the position’s creation in early 2022. Petty verified that he was hired to the in-house County EDA Director’s position on February 1, 2022. The position was created in the wake of the Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority (FR-WC EDA, EDA) becoming unilaterally overseen by the County in the wake of the Town of Front Royal’s post-financial scandal withdrawal as it attempted to distance itself from financial liability for project costs or losses during the 2014-18 FR-WC EDA “financial scandal” time-frame under the EDA executive directorship of Jennifer McDonald.

Two perspectives of Joe Petty on the job, above reporting to the WC Board of Supervisors on work at the now unilaterally County-overseen FR-WC EDA; and below at an EDA Asset Committee meeting. Remember, Petty’s soon-to-be former position was with the County, not the EDA. By state law EDAs are an independent “quasi-governmental” entity of its creating municipality, or as in this case, municipalities. – Royal Examiner File Photo

Contacted about his departure, Petty verified that his last day will be Friday, May 17. “I’m happy to have been at the County for so long. I’m leaving on good terms. I have a new opportunity in the community, so, I’ll still be around. I’ll miss the people here,” he added of leaving the Warren County Government Center where he has been employed since January of 2018. His history with the Warren County government began the first month of 2018 when he was hired as Zoning Officer. In July 2019 he was promoted to Zoning Administrator and became Planning Director in April 2021, before being named Warren County’s first in-house Director of Economic Development in February 2022. He pointed out he initially held down double duty there, continuing his work with the Planning Department until Matt Wendling was hired as Planning Director in May of 2022.

The starting salary for the County Director of Economic Development and Tourism position is advertised at $93,308.80 “depending on qualifications and experience, with an excellent benefits package.”

Asked about his new opportunity locally, Petty declined comment, saying he would let the announcement come from the organization that was hiring him. Asked if we should call a historical or perhaps “heritage” society for that verification, Petty was non-committal. At publication we were still awaiting a return call from the Warren Heritage Society from someone in position to verify their pending hiring of a new director, or not.

Petty’s departure follows a growing list of lost administrative staffers and institutional knowledge beginning about six years ago in the wake of the pressured resignation of long-time County Administrator Doug Stanley, whom some thought was being scapegoated by a newly-elected board for a lack of preventative County EDA oversight regarding the “financial scandal”. Offered Stanley’s job, then long-time Deputy County Administrator Robert Childress declined, choosing rather to leave for employment elsewhere. Following Childress eventually to other employment opportunities, not necessarily higher-paying ones, have been County Attorney Dan Whitten, also long-tenured Planning Director Taryn Logan, Assistant County Attorney Caitlin Jordan, along with several finance directors over a relatively short period of time as the county government has dealt with the financial and litigation aftermath of the FR-WC EDA “financial scandal” circa 2014-2018.

For an interesting perspective on the financial aftermath of the EDA financial scandal, check Royal Examiner’s OPINION page for a new Letter to the Editor from recent former EDA Treasurer Jim Wolfe, who left the EDA board when his four-year term expired at the end of April.

In a 5-0 vote to expedite the transformation of the Baymont Inn into an apartment complex aimed at servicing young professionals, the Front Royal Economic Development Authority (FREDA) determined that with the appropriate conditions, this is a worthy project and set it on a course to be considered by the Front Royal Town Council before the council’s next regular meeting. That very same day, Monday, May 6, in a work session that began at 7 p.m. in the Front Royal Town Hall at 102 East Main Street, the Town Council assessed a request from the applicant and owner of the Baymont Inn for a special use permit and delayed it for further examination to a June work session.

Town Council meets for a work session on Monday evening. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh.

Not everyone on the Town Council is in favor of the delay. Councilman Glenn Wood is in alignment with FREDA. He carefully delineated the benefits of this project for his fellow council members. One of the chief reasons this project is so exceptional is the opportunity it would afford young workers starting without large families in this community to live locally, enjoy the amenities of Front Royal while being close to their workplace, and keep the blood vessels of our workforce from being drained into a bedroom community like Winchester. Mayor Lori Cockrell heartily agreed with this point. Keeping our teachers in the school system locally is something she cares about deeply, perhaps partly because when she is not wearing the mayoral hat, she is known as having been a teacher herself.

However, there seems to be a bureau of reasons why this item requires more study, presented forcefully by Councilwoman Amber Morris, who did not receive an invitation to tour the proposed conversion site at Baymont Inn and would like the opportunity to do so before voting in favor of the special use permit. Is the housing truly going to be affordable for everyone? Tied to that, will the owner succeed in reaching the demographic of young professionals? How will the cost of utilities be handled? Will the loss of the lodging tax be an irremediable harm to the town? What about the displacement of school-attending children whose parents can only afford to house them in a motel room? Until these spider webs are swept away, the council will not be voting on this proposed SUP and the corresponding request for relief from Town parking standards, and it will be postponed to a work session in early June.

Planning Director and Zoning Administrator Lauren Kopishke presents the contents of Monday evening’s work session to the council.

Capable of cleaning house, Planning Director and Zoning Administrator Lauren Kopishke explained how this looks from the staff’s perspective in an interview. “This application, as a whole, aligns with the comprehensive plan. The implementation matrix makes the case that high-quality development can be achieved with redevelopment and specifically calls out the conversion of hotels as a potential means of providing housing. In this instance, the Town needs housing for its citizens, and this project offers that.” She also said: “Council should be considering the use only; rent rates are typically not a consideration because this property is not subject to rezoning with proffers. There is no negotiation aspect here for them to wrestle with. A special use permit determines if a use that may have a higher impact on an area is appropriate at a location.”

Though not a point-by-point response to all of Morris’s concerns, Kopishke addresses perhaps the most important point: will the apartments offered at the former Baymont Inn truly be affordable? According to Kopishke, that is truly the applicant’s concern. Red for a comet approaching, it does not take the queen’s astrologer to predict that the town of Front Royal is on a collision course with serious change. One might ask in this connection what a truly laissez-faire policy is. Here, Ayn Rand’s statement on the final page of Atlas Shrugged rings ominously true: “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of production and trade.” Neither should the town council in crafting an ordinance or transacting a vote. Hopefully, this will only be a delay, and the freedom of independent business owners to fulfill the comprehensive plan will not be abridged.