Does County Special Meeting Focus on Library Services & Related FOIA Request Indicate Anticipated Legal Battle Closer?

A Tuesday evening, May 13th Special Meeting and Work Session of the Warren County Board of Supervisors beginning at 6 p.m. featured two items related to the Board majority’s continued walk toward hostile litigation with the Samuels Library non-profit LLC. Library supporters have pointed out that Samuels has served this community well since not only in the 1950s under the Samuels name but indirectly since its preceding entity became the second licensed community public library in Virginia in 1799.

Other than continuity of service, Samuels supporters, a number of whom were present to observe Tuesday’s Special Meeting, as were a number of Samuels officials, have noted that the library’s current level of excellence is illustrated by its selection as Virginia’s Library of the Year 2024. It is a designation likely fueled not only by the depth and quality of services offered to a broad cross-section of county citizens but also by Samuels’s 2023/24 battle with what appeared to be a distinct minority of citizens to remove all LGBTQ-referenced books from the library.  It was a book removal battle Samuel’s supporters have publically pointed out that it appears at least two of the current majority of four supervisors seeking to break ties with Samuels Public Library participated in, directly or indirectly.

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Prior to the meeting’s start, Samuels Library supporters, gathered in the 2nd and 3rd rows, discuss the state of ‘Library Wars 2025’ as the fate of the community’s relationship with its multiple awards-winning Library of the Year rests in the hands of four people who will shortly be seated before them. Below, Samuels Library officials were seated further back while keeping up with county board majority actions. Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

But “back to the present” of 2025, the Special Meeting library agenda items at issue were first item “B,” a Closed Meeting on the topics of “the providing of library services and FOIA (Freedom Of Information Act) matters,” and item “C” the Board’s Special Meeting’s “Authorization of FOIA Requests payment”.

The agenda packet staff summaries indicated the necessity of the FOIA items due to the board of supervisors filing a FOIA request on a number of fronts from Samuels as it appears hostile litigation looms. Samuels officials had declined a response, pointing out that: “SLI (Samuels Library Incorporated) has declined to respond to the FOIA requests that were authorized by and sent on behalf of the Board of Supervisors on the basis that FOIA does not require SLI to respond as the County is not a citizen of the Commonwealth for purposes of Code of Virginia 2.2-3704 (see attached correspondence dated 5/7/25 from SLI).  Dr. Jamieson will, therefore, submit the FOIA requests in order to dispense with this issue with the least County legal expense possible.”

That things may have gotten interesting for a “fly on the wall” had there been one behind the closed meeting’s doors was first indicated by South River District Supervisor Cheryl Cullers, the board’s lone current Samuels Library supporter, exiting from the still closed meeting’s doors at 6:46 p.m. while her colleagues remained behind those closed doors until 7:10 p.m.

Interestingly, upon coming out of the closed meeting, Supervisor Jamieson made a motion to remove Item “C”, the board’s authorization of the necessary FOIA Requests payment now to be filed by Jamieson, ostensibly as a private citizen. After a second by Supervisor Vicky Cook, that motion was approved unanimously.

Cheryl Cullers sits alone after leaving closed session discussion of library services and related FOIA actions some 24 minutes before the session ended. Below, the 4-member majority returns to the board dais as County Attorney Jason Ham talks with Cullers, likely about her early departure.

Special Meeting Agenda packet background noted that the Samuels Library staff estimate is that the “total fees associated with these requests are estimated to be $10,487.60,” observing that, “Most of the documents are not digitized and are in storage.”

In explaining those costs, Library Director Erin Rooney is quoted in the Samuels Library staff response, observing that, “In addition, as each of these requests are for an extraordinary volume of records, they will require an extensive search longer than the allotted additional S day extension (12 days max) as allowed by law. We estimate at least 100 hours will be needed to complete all of these requests. In order to still meet our operational responsibilities this would require a minimum of 10 weeks to complete.”

It might be noted that once the item of County Board payment of those FOIA fees for Supervisor Jamieson became public, questions arose on the library side as to why County funds, likely public tax revenue, would be paid for a “private citizen” making a FOIA request. One can only guess as to what feedback the board may have gotten from County Attorney Jason Ham on that topic in closed session. It might be noted that Ham left the meeting after the closed session adjourned.

Speaking of the county attorney, he gives us the legally friendly I’m sure, stare down as we photo the Closed Session breaking up.

Other Business – Tax deadlines

The Special Meeting opened with discussion and a Public Hearing at which there were no speakers, of the board initiative to delay certain tax deadlines to coincide with Town tax deadlines. County Treasurer Janice Shanks presented background on the situation, which reflected the agenda staff summary which said:

“The Town of Front Royal, Virginia (the “Town”) has extended the date for Penalties and Interest for Town taxes until June 23, 2025; in order to assist Town and County residents in avoiding having the County due date be two weeks before the Town due date, the Board of Supervisors wants to provide additional time for individuals and businesses to pay certain taxes without penalty, interest, and collection activities. Warren County offices are closed on June 19, 2025 <and June 17 Primary Day>, and so the Board would like to provide taxpayers until June 23rd’ to pay the taxes specificized in the ordinance without the imposition of penalties and interest.”

County Treasurer Janice Shanks at podium gives background on the initiative to extend the deadline to pay certain currently due taxes, real estate, personal property, and machinery and tools, to June 23. The board unanimously agreed to authorize the extension.

According to the staff summary, the involved taxes are: “real estate, personal property, and machinery and tools taxes that first become due on June 5, 2025.”

On a motion by Cheryl Cullers, second by Richard Jamieson, the ordinance amendment delaying payment of those above-listed taxes to June 23, was approved by a 5-0 vote.

Work Session

Following the above special meeting agenda, the work session agenda Items “D” thru “G” began with its second listed item, “E” — a presentation on the status of the Virginia Department Of Tranportation (VDOT) Secondary Road Six-Year Plan by Public Works Director Mike Berry, who had support from VDOT representative Matt Smith.

Following that the board heard from local “Liberty Man” Larry Johnson on his initiative regarding additional recognitions of historial figures and properties in Warren County related to the approaching 250th “birthday celebration” of the United States. Specifically, Libery Man Johnson focused on James Markham Marshal, whom he asked that the WC Courthouse be renamed after, among other suggestions.

With Board Clerk Zach Henderson’s assistance, Liberty Man Johnson presented illustrations to accompany his multi-faceted presentation.

Liberty Man Larry Johnson, with a little assistance from Board Clerk Zach Henderson, presents visual aids to his presentation for initiatives related to the approaching 250th ‘birthday celebration’ of the USA. Special focus was placed on new acknowledgments of James Markham Marshal’s role in the revolutionary war of independence.

Agenda item “F” an update of the search for a replacement for retiring County Administrator Ed Daley was skipped, which led to the work session’s closing item, a review of the coming Fiscal Year-2026 Budget. Some department heads, including Fire & Rescue Chief James Bonzano and Assistant Chief Gerry Maiatico, Sheriff Crystal Cline, spoke on specific issues and plans to deal with personnel, service, and equipment issues.

Fire & Rescue Chief James Bonazano, with Assistant Chief Gerry Maiatico seated behind him, addresses emergency services budgetary needs and limitations to county-wide services without certain funding authorizations. Below, Sheriff Crystal Cline addressed similar issues in her FY-2026 budget overview.

County Finance Director Alisa Scott and Assistant County Administrator Jane Meadows also presented overviews of budget numbers tied to the coming fiscal year.

This budget perspective and County debt presentation led Fork District Supervisor Cook, who is not seeking re-election, into a lengthy summary of her perception of how the current board had reached the financial situation it currently finds itself in regarding County debt related to, among other things, capital improvement projects approved by previous boards. The tone of Cook’s lengthy summary led Supervisor Cheryl Cullers to present a rebuttal. Of the proportion of the County’s debt related to capital improvements, Cullers noted that much of it had been spent on public school upgrades.

“The schools were in bad shape, windows, and there was no air conditioning in the high schools, there was no air conditioning in Ressie Jeffries, whole windows were dilapidated… So yes, there was a huge investment, but look at the schools our children have to go to now,” Cullers said.

“So, any time you invest in the children, you’re investing in the future. And that money I think is well spent,” Cullers, a former employee of the public school system, said, adding, “But to say in a disparaging way that decisions of prior boards to get us in that debt was a mistake. I don’t think it was because we have the schools, we have the buildings, and the programs that have benefitted this community.”

Supervisors Cullers, closest, and Supervisor Cook at opposite end of the dais, were also on opposite sides in the wake of Cullers’ reaction to Cook’s end of meeting review of County debt service additions through multiple previous board’s approval of Capital Improvement Projects. At issue for Cullers was what she intepreted as a negative implication on approval of those projects, particularly as related to public schools physical plant upgrades.

When Cook responded to say she hadn’t intended to make certain debt-creation observations sound negative, Cullers rebutted that Cook’s debt-creation summary “sounded that way to me,” adding, “I don’t think your statement was fair — I have to say that.”

And shortly after that little supervisors spat over financial debt versus return on investment, the 6 p.m.-convened Special Meeting/Work Session adjourned at 9:35 p.m.

Click here to watch the Warren County Board of Supervisors Work Session of May 13, 2025.