Staff targets nearly flat Fiscal Year-2024 Budget and updated Comp Plan vision for Front Royal’s future – and there’s going to be a FR Karate Club Proclamation!

At 7 p.m., Monday, March 13, the Front Royal Town Council held a work session at Town Hall to be updated by staff on the status of development of the Fiscal Year-2024 budget and the long-overdue update to the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. Finance Director B. J. Wilson handled the budget presentation to open the meeting. Then after a review of six items and their costs slated for inclusion on the upcoming March 27th regular meeting’s Consent Agenda, first Public Works Director Robbie Boyer, then Planning Director Lauren Kopishke double-teamed the status of Capital Improvements and the Comp Plan update.

Pointing to PowerPoint screen, Public Works Director Robbie Boyer charts coming capital improvement projects, including key upgrades to several utilities systems. Below, lower right, Planning Director Lauren Kopishke reviews the Town’s Comprehensive Plan update process.

Boyer reviewed looming Capital Improvement Projects the Town will have to finance and Kopishke reviewed the Comp Plan outline being developed under various categories based on the public input received from citizens on what they feel are the most important social and developmental issues facing the town government in coming years. Boyer’s presentation begins at the 1:04:00 mark of linked Town video, Kopishke’s at 1:35:35 video mark for those seeking additional detail on those presentations.

Among the Consent Agenda items slated for the March 27th meeting will be a “Proclamation” acknowledging the 50th anniversary of a local business – the Front Royal Karate Club of Sensei Arthur “Art” Drago (discussion at 46-minute mark of Town video). The Front Royal Karate Club, located for all of those 50 years at 7 Kidd Lane just off East Main Street in Historic Downtown Front Royal, will commemorate its 1973 founding with a “buffet-style celebration” from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, April 8 at Moose Lodge #829 at 1340 John Marshall Highway (Route 55 East) on the southeast side of town.

Photo from FR Karate Club website shows a somewhat younger Sensei Art Drago, right, working with Sensei Zenko Heshiki.

More remarkable than the longevity of the martial arts club itself, is that of Sensei Drago, who still trains and works out with his students, many aiming for black belt level promotions, while having entered his eighth decade on the planet — GO Art!!! In fact, two black belt promotions will sandwich the anniversary celebration by several days.

But back in the municipal trenches, due to technical difficulties with the live-stream broadcast Finance Director Wilson’s budget presentation is picked up at the :00 mark of the linked Town video. Highlights include a $49.7-million budget proposal, that is a $1.7-million increase (3.6%) over last year’s FY-2023 budget of $47.9 million.

Town Finance Director B. J. Wilson, standing, runs the FY-2023 budget numbers by council.

Noted was $16 million earmarked into personnel, including adjustments to some staff positions from part-time to full-time. Aspects of those personnel aspects of the town budget include:

• Inclusion of Compensation Study Salaries – $425,117
• 1% C.O.L.A. – $129,170
• 2% Average Merit Increase – $280,075
• 1.7% Health insurance increase $28,185

Following the budget presentation, discussion of the March 27th meeting Consent Agenda topics included:

Riverton Pump Station Engineering with professional services cost of $162,900 of a total $570,000 purchase order budgeted for the Pump Station upgrade project. It was noted that this pump station collects all the sewer waste from the 522 North Corridor and Viscose City Area.

Various Single Phase Pad-Mounted Transformers of which it was noted: “On February 23, 2023, the Town held a public opening for request of quotations for various transformers and received 2 quotations in accordance with the Virginia Public Procurement Act. Council is requested to approve the purchase of (5) 25 kVA and (5) 50 kVA Single-Phase URD Pad-Mounted Transformers in the amount of $47,855.00 from Jerry’s Electric, Inc., in Colman, SD.

Three-Phase Pad-Mounted Transformer – Council is requested to approve the purchase of a 1000 kVA Three-Phase Pad-Mounted transformer, totaling $63,941.47 with a lead time of 3-5 weeks, to Wesco/Anixter, of Ashland, VA.

Council also agreed to authorize a Resolution approving Town’s participation in proposed settlement of opioid-related claims against pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors with settlement funds to be used to help remediate damages caused by the opioid epidemic. It was explained that settlement money will go directly only to cities and counties, but that the Town’s participation is likely to up the amount settled in the Virginia claims. The benefit to the town will come indirectly, but hopefully be achieved. This discussion begins at the 40:55 video mark.

And in a late item added to the work session agenda (48:15 video mark), council discussed a proposed town code text amendment that would allow a recently deceased minister at Dynamic Life Ministries to be buried on the church property. Council decided to try and speed up the process to facilitate the burial if the code can be changed to accommodate setback rules in local or state codes on cemetery or graveyard criteria.

Watch the March 13th Town Council Work Session here.