Supervisors Approve Three Service Contracts, Debate Liaison Committee Structure

Near the opening of its regular meeting of Tuesday, April 16, the Warren County Board of Supervisors was introduced to new officers and support staff by Sheriff Crystal Cline; board and staff reports followed prior to routine monthly business. Portions of the reports, particularly from Fork District Supervisor Vicky Cook and County Administrator Ed Daley, focused on efforts to further cut departmental or outside agency operational requests in an attempt to balance the County’s Fiscal Year-2024-25 budget without the necessity of additional tax hikes to what has already been forwarded by the board.

Sheriff Crystal Cline, at podium, introduces new deputies and staff to supervisors as she continues to finalize departmental personnel structure. Below, the supervisors continue to ponder expenditures as they attempt to balance tax-based revenue with departmental and outside agency service providers FY-25 budget requests. Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

As reported of last week’s special meeting of the board, facing a $7.5 million revenue shortfall on the initially proposed FY-25 budget, the board has targeted tax hikes adding $4 million of revenue, leaving a $3.5-million shortfall the board seems committed to eliminate through further cuts to what they consider non-essential departmental or outside agency requests.

And speaking of requests, the board’s “Unfinished Business” opened the action portion of the meeting agenda with three staff presented contract proposals. Two of them were for renewals or updates of existing contracts, and one regarding tourism promotion from a Request For Proposal (RFP) issued by the County. Those contract items were, in the order presented:

1. Contract – ACOM, LLC Contract for Technical Services – staff presentation by Todd Jones, IT Director (20:50 linked video mark); on a motion by ‘Jay’ Butler, second by John Stanmeyer, approved by a 4-1 vote, Ms. Cook dissenting.
2. Contract – Earthdiver, LLC Contract for Tourism Website – staff presentation by Joe Petty, County Director of Economic Development (1:05:53 video mark); on a motion by Ms. Cook, second by Richard Jamieson, approved by a 5-0 vote.
3. Contract – Civicplus, LLC Renewal of Annual Term Contract – staff presentation by Todd Jones, IT Director (1:09:48 video mark); on a motion by Ms. Cook, second by Mr. Butler, approved by a 5-0 vote.

While the latter two proposals were approved after brief discussions by the board following the staff summaries, the ACOM LLC computer tech services contract drew a lengthy inquiry and questioning of contract dynamics from Fork District representative Cook (beginning 32:42 video mark). The Fork District representative seemed troubled by the condition allowing the contractor to approach the board for additional funding if its annual cap, $35,000 in current FY-2023/24, $34,000 of which has been spent to date Jones told the board, was surpassed. Her mind did not seem eased by the fact a board of supervisors majority must approve the requested additional funding, as well as approve any IT project that arose where funding over $50,000 would be required, as in IT wiring to a new building. IT Director Jones noted the contract wording had been crafted to allow other Virginia municipalities to access needed IT services from ACOM through the Warren County contract. Jones noted such open contracting was a common practice in the state, and helped achieve the best possible pricing through the multiple municipal contracting availability.

The board also heard from ACOM principal Rob Adanitsch (23:50 video mark), who noted the company engaged in proactive community projects like IT instruction for high school students through Samuels Public Library, and contributions to tech-based student scholarships.

Staff, including IT Director Todd Jones at podium and applicant, seated, listen as Supervisor Vicky Cook, top left, questions financial variables in ACOM LLC Technical Services contract renewal request. Below, ACOM principal Rob Adanitsch explained his company’s services and community involvement in bringing IT educational instruction to local students through Samuels Public Library, as well as tech-related scholarship contributions. Four out of five supervisors liked what they heard.

And as noted above, if not Cook, a four-member majority was satisfied with the contract’s dynamics, voting to approve the contract extension for another fiscal year.

On a motion by Mr. Stanmeyers, second by Mr. Butler, the board then unanimously approved a four-item Consent Agenda as presented. Three of those items were Authorizations to Advertise for Public Hearing hangar leases at the County’s Front Royal Airport (FRR), the fourth a Sole Source Award Notice precluding the necessity of issuance of an RFP on a specific pending item.

About that Liaison Committee

The meeting concluded with another somewhat lengthy exploration initiated by Supervisor Cook when Chairman Cullers asked if anyone had any “Additional New Business” to discuss (1:11:05 video mark). Cook expressed some confusion, not only on how board or council members not scheduled as official Town-County Liaison Committee members at a given meeting may offer input, but on the current structure of the liaison committee membership. The Front Royal-Warren County Liaison Committee, which generally meets quarterly, is composed on a permanent basis of the supervisors chairman and the town’s mayor, and one additional county board member and council-person generally rotated alphabetically by the first letter of their last name. The county administrator and town manager are also recognized as permanent members. Other supervisors and council members may attend Town-County Liaison Committee meetings as observers, with no authority to offer input unless recognized by the liaison meeting chairman. The meeting chairmanship is based on which municipality is hosting that quarterly meeting.

In response to Cook’s question on submitting input, Chairman Cullers recounted her experience as board chairman with the recent evolution of liaison committee meetings as the County and Town contemplated creation of a “Joint Tourism System”. She noted that while full board and council attendance had developed during the Joint Tourism discussion, the rules voted and agree upon in December were to return to the two-and-two board/council member format at liaison committee meetings moving forward. Consequently, she had communicated that non-participating board members should submit any questions or points they wanted discussed at liaison to her through the board clerk prior to the date of the next liaison meeting.

Board Chairman Cheryl Cullers, left, and Vicky Cook, right, were not on the same page on Town-County Liaison Committee structure and processes near the end of Tuesday’s meeting. County Attorney Jason Ham, below right, backed up Cullers explanation that the liaison committee has returned to the one-permanent (board chair and mayor) and one-rotating elected bodies liaison committee membership.

After County Attorney Jason Ham explained the legal rights of non-participating board or council members to attend and observe, but not speak unless recognized by the chair to do so, Cook insisted that full board and council membership was the existing structure of the liaison committee (1:17:40 video mark), to which both Ham and Cullers simultaneously disagreed. However, that did not initially deter Cook from continuing her comment based on an erroneous assumption she asserted she had written proof of.

Cook’s confusion seemed to stem from the fact she was allowed to speak at a liaison committee meeting she attended in January. Board Chairman Cullers explained to Cook that Mayor Cockrell, chairing that meeting hosted by the Town at Town Hall, recognized she had a question and had allowed her to pose it from the viewer’s gallery as a chairman may allow meeting rules to be exempted on occasion as they see fit.

And with that resolved the meeting adjourned just shy of 8:30 p.m.

Click here to watch the Board of Supervisors Meeting of April 16, 2024.