Supervisors approve funding requests for F&R equipment and County website upgrade – bid farewell to Deputy Clerk

At its meeting of Tuesday, April 4th, the Warren County Board of Supervisors took care of several outstanding business matters, including authorizations to award contracts on Fire & Rescue Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); the Information Technology Department’s request to procure website services to assist the County in developing a new website; and the movement of funds to accomplish Phase II of Senior Center facility upgrades, which staff noted included moving a fuel tank and installing a courtyard patio and sign. The board unanimously approved all those departmental funding requests on motions by Vice-Chairman Cheryl Cullers, seconded by Delores Oates. They were as follows:

Fire and Rescue purchase of Personal Protective Equipment: Authorized purchase from the Maryland Fire Equipment Corporation in the amount of $69,546.83, with authorization to the County Administrator to issue the purchase order in that amount.

County Finance Director Alisa Scott explains the Fire & Rescue Personal Protective Equipment purchase proposal, as F&R Department’s Lieutenant Mickey Sirna is ready to provide any needed backup. Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

Funding New Website: Authorized funding, which staff pointed out is in the FY-2022/23 budget, for Computer Software from CivicPlus in the amount of $30,193.38. An Annual Recurring Services cost that will have to be approved for each subsequent year was also approved. That cost in FY-2023/24 will be $5,812.50.

Senior Center, Phase II: Authorized the inter-fund budget transfer of $207,190.06 from the General Fund’s Prior Year End Fund Balance to the Capital Improvement Fund for a purchase order for $139,900 to Lantz Construction for the successful completion of Phase II of the Senior Center.

IT Director Todd Jones reviews plans for a County website upgrade thru a contract with CivicPlus at a cost of $30,193 and change. Several supervisors lauded the plan, noting difficulties with the existing website. Jones also responded to questions about the new sites’ compatibility with the SWAGIT videotaping system.

Also on the agenda was revisiting the modification request of a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for Non-Commercial, Private Use Camping by Gillian Greenfield & Richard Butcher on a parcel located off Beech Road. The staff agenda summary noted that the applicants purchased the property following the death of previous owner John Kovac, who was issued a CUP for private use camping in March of 2015. Due to restrictions against camping in the Shenandoah Shores subdivision where the property is, a condition was added to Kovac’s permitting that “prior to private use camping and parking of campers or recreational vehicles, the applicant shall have written permission from the Shenandoah Shores POA to camp and shall provide a copy of the letter to Planning staff.”

After their purchase Greenfield and Butcher formally requested that the Kovac CUP be updated in their names. In briefing the board on the modification request Zoning Administrator Chase Lenz said planning staff had recommended the language of the above-referenced first condition to the CUP on getting permission from the Shores POA be amended to: “The parking and use of major recreational vehicles for private use camping on the property shall be prohibited.”

With no questions from the board and no comment from the applicants, on a motion by Supervisor Walt Mabe, seconded by Jay Butler, the CUP modification switching the use to the applicants passed unanimously, as amended.

Following that action on the lone “Unfinished Business” item on the agenda, the supervisors unanimously approved an 11-item Consent Agenda as presented, on a motion by Mabe, seconded by Vice-Chair Cheryl Cullers.

During Public Comments at the meeting’s outset, a friend, Suzie Delgado, spoke on behalf of a woman present, Candy Beaston, whom she said was too emotionally affected by the issue to speak to it herself.

During Public Comments Suzie Delgado spoke on behalf of friend Candy Beaston, standing to her right, regarding issues with the County and one of its delinquent tax collection law firms lack of communications over a number of years to the family of a man who suffered a debilitating traumatic brain injury in 2007, leading to a foreclosure effort and exorbitant penalty and interest charges.

Delgado read a statement into the record blasting the County’s Treasurer’s Department and one of its back-tax collection agencies, the Pond Law firm, for its handling of and non-communications with the family about delinquent taxes on the home property of a relative who had suffered from, and was incapacitated by, a traumatic brain injury suffered in 2007. The County, apparently through the Pond Law firm, is now trying to foreclose on the property over the back tax issue. Beaston and her family are asking for that action to be stopped, and the back tax issue to be resolved in an equitable manner based on the County’s long-time failure to contact her directly, as she is also on the deed of her brother’s property.

During board and staff reports, several board members and County Attorney Jason Ham bid farewell to Deputy Board Clerk Emily Ciarrocchi, whom they noted would be leaving the County at the end of the week. During the meeting, Ciarrocchi read into the record the written Virginia Department Of Transportation monthly report, submitted in the physical absence of a representative, as it has generally been since the board eliminated the monthly morning meetings created decades ago to accommodate outside agency monthly or quarterly reports. Ciarrocchi, who is six months pregnant, has taken a job in the private sector that will allow her to work from home. Goodbye Emily, we concur with Mr. Hams’ observations (23:15 video mark) of working with you.

County Attorney Jason Ham lauded the professionalism and dedication of departing Board Deputy Clerk Emily Ciarrocchi after six years with the County. Below, Ciarrocchi reads the written monthly report of VDOT, submitted in the physical absence of Ed Carter, into the meeting record.

Following completion of the above-cited actions, as well as public, board, and staff comments, with no Additional New Business brought forward, the board adjourned the meeting at 7:39 p.m. See highlights of the above discussions and actions in the County video.