Front Royal solidifies utility connection pre-payment codes

After work session discussion a week earlier, on Monday (Nov. 28) the Front Royal Town Council voted to allow a specific water and sewer hook up that was pre-paid over a decade ago, while closing a loophole to prevent others from taking advantage of similar staff oversights.

“It’s our oversight – we’re going to have to bite the bullet,” Mayor-Elect Hollis Tharpe commented when the situation was explained by Finance Director B.J. Wilson at a November 21^st Work Session.

The oversight was that despite an existing policy mandating that taps be connected within a year of payment, the applicant in question was never informed of the policy, nor was his money refunded in the intervening 12 years that he has not built.

Consequently, it is an estimated $24,000-dollar bullet the Town will bite in the difference between seven water and sewer taps paid for in 2004 – as long as that applicant builds by December 31, 2017.

The policy extension approved unanimously on November 28 technically impacts any tap fee payments made prior to November 30, 2015.  If Town water and sewer taps haven’t been connected by December 31, 2017, the pre-paid amount will be refunded without interest, forcing re-application at the going connection fees.