Numbers, More FY-23 Numbers for County Officials to Pour Over; Library Director Presents Strong 6-month Report

The Warren County Board of Supervisors Work Session of Tuesday, August 13, kicked off with an update on the Fiscal Year-2022/23 audit. And while the audit report took up 213 pages of the 386-page Agenda packet, it was, as Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates CPA Michael Lupton said it would be in introducing it, a brief report at this time. That was due to the recent updated submission of it to the supervisors for review. It was indicated that most, if not all of the board had not yet had time to pour over the updated report to develop questions for additional clarity on the FY-2023 audit’s conclusions.

However, on page 29 of the work session packet we did come across this summary of some numbers that seem to indicate a positive trend through FY-23, apparently continuing into FY-24:

Remotely connected, RFCA Certified Public Accountant Michael Lupton briefly summarizes the FY-23 audit to supervisors, who only received the lengthy, updated, annual financial document recently. Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

Financial Highlights

• The assets and deferred outflows of resources of the County exceeded its liabilities and deferred inflows of resources at the close of the fiscal year by $108,518,371 (net position), an increase of $7,630,309.
• As of the close of the current fiscal year, the County of Warren’s governmental funds reported a combined ending fund balance of $42,386,468, an increase of $2,067,097 from the prior year. The majority of the balance ($37,507,915) is available for spending at the government’s discretion (unassigned, assigned or committed).
• At the end of the current fiscal year, the unassigned fund balance for the General Fund was $18,127,361.
• The County’s total long-term obligations (Note 7) decreased by $9,209,070 during the current fiscal year after recording decreases attributable to scheduled debt service payments and a decrease in the net pension liability.

A strong first half of year for library

Up next (7:25 linked video mark) was the Samuels Public Library Board of Trustees and staff with a Power Point report on the community’s public library’s first six months of the calendar year. That report was presented by first-year Library Director Erin Rooney. Rooney, who noted in response to a question that she has been with Samuels Library since 2015, cited the Library’s stated mission: “to bring people, information, and ideas together to enrich lives and build community”

In the PowerPoint presentation we counted 18 programs for citizens to participate in through the first six months of the year, with more to come.

With some Library Trustee members in second row behind her, Library Director Erin Rooney reviews Library programs, events, and plans for the county supervisors. Below, two graphics from PowerPoint presentation on library events, upgrades, and plans moving thru FY-24 into FY-25.

Those programs from January through June included various reading themed and cultural explorations, an eclipse watch party in which 1,000 safety glasses were distributed to citizens in the week run up to the April 8 solar-lunar event, which 300 patrons attended on the library grounds. There was also the “Taste for Books: British Invasion (musical that is) fundraiser that saw $28,000 come in to help support the community’s well-respected regionally public library.

Going back to the last fiscal year, from July 2023 through June 2024, Rooney reported that Samuels Library recorded 401,859 books checked out; 2,204 patrons added; 127,751 visits to the library from a total of 16,148 patrons. She also reported nearly 9,000 volunteer hours (8,860) contributed to library operations, that was calculated by an independent organization as equating to $295,747 of paid work.

Another Samuels Library update graphic

She described physical plant work and equipment upgrades, some enabled by a Studio 330 Mellon Grant, as well as download and streaming services offered, and in some cases expanded. Rooney also noted planned Capital Improvement Projects:

“One of the things the library really prides itself on is being able to provide the community with a really premier facility. And our building is now  going on 15 years old. And as priorities changed we want to make sure we’re being proactive in updating and improving on the facility itself. So, with that in mind we would really love to ask the County to come in and join the library in creating a committee to work on updating the library’s capital budget,” Rooney said in looking toward a jointly cooperative future.

Supervisors Chairman Cheryl Cullers was in a better mood listening to the Samuels Library 6-month report than she was here, later listening about Valley Health’s stance in a State-mandated overhaul to municipal Emergency Medical Services on call drug oversight responsibilities and concurrent costs.

“I think that’s a great idea. We have a building committee. I think your the only one that’s not on it,” Supervisors Chairman Cheryl Cullers observed of the past separation of the library from that internal conversation on County-involved CIPs. “I’m on that committee and  I’m on your board,” Cullers continued, adding, “So, I think that would be a great opportunity blend those two and bring in Ms. Shakelford, who I believe knows every corner of every building in this county that the County owns. So, I think that’s doable and we can build that relationship and work on a five-year plan or beyond for that,” Cullers concluded.

“Alright, we’ll be in touch,” Rooney replied.

In response to a later question from Shenandoah District Supervisor John Stanmeyer, Rooney noted that yes, most of the online access programs, “Jobs Now” was mentioned, were accessible from home with a link to the library website. “The only one currently that you actually have to be in the building for is the Ancestry.com. Everything else is accessible online from home. You just go to our website, the link will take you there. They’ll just ask you for your library card information,” Rooney explained.

See the full library presentation and question and answer with the supervisors in the linked County video. The library report and discussion, beginning at 7:25, ends at the 43:35 video mark.

Other Business

Other business presented to the board on upcoming meeting items for their final approval included zoning text amendments regarding Fairgrounds and Rural Resort Centers, (44:43 to 1:04:45 video marks); Sheriff’s Office equipment purchases (vehicles 1:38:15 video mark, in-car video cameras 1:41:25); and an annual lease renewal with the Shenandoah Area Agency on Aging, facilitating their move into the Health and Human Services Complex (1:33:42 video mark).

The four supervisor present for the Aug. 13 work session got a variety of staff updates on coming items that will be on their meeting, action agendas in upcoming weeks. Here, their heads are pointed to the staff table occupied by County Administrator Ed Daley and Finance Director Alisa Scott.

The board went into Closed Session at the (1:05:40 video mark) to discuss, guess what, “actual or probable EDA litigation”. The motion into closed read:

“I move the Board enter into a closed meeting under the provisions of Sections 2.2-3711(A)(7) and (A)(8) for consultation with legal counsel pertaining to actual or probable litigation and the provision of legal advice regarding the Industrial Development Authority of the Town of Front Royal and the County of Warren, Virginia (the “EDA”), the Town of Front Royal, the EDA vs. Jennifer McDonald, et al., the Town of Front Royal vs. the EDA, et al., the EDA vs. the Town of Front Royal, other potential claims and litigation relating to other possible liabilities of the EDA, the recovery of EDA funds and assets, the outstanding indebtedness of the EDA, bank actions and potential actions related to the same, and the Forbearance and Support Agreements.”

For an in-depth exploration of the Discussion of “Changes to the Virginia EMS Drug Box Exchange Program” see related story (‘Acting Like Jerks’ is Board Chair’s Assessment of Valley Health on Rx Billing tied to State EMS Operational Overhaul), that discussion starts at 1:07:44 video mark.

Click here to watch the Board of Supervisors Work Session of August 13, 2024.