Town Council Weighs Pros and Cons of Accommodating Special Events on Town Property

It takes a special type of intelligence to operate in a grey zone. At a Town Council work session on June 8, Town Manager Joseph Petty revealed that he is aware of many moving parts involved in special events held on Town property. This consideration, held over from a March 23 meeting, is oriented towards charging the most appropriate fees to event organizers, setting up a timeframe that gives not only the Town but businesses time to react, and developing an apparatus for engaging with organizers to determine whether they are meeting their goals and how best resources can be managed. The council’s consensus was to bring this item to a vote at the regular July meeting, thereby allowing citizens a window of opportunity to offer input.

The Town Council met for a work session on June 8. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh

It is not an exact science. With many departments involved in facilitating these events, there is an appreciable cost for all, and a relatively more liberal idea of what organizers should be charged still leaves the Town not breaking even. Petty is weighing the value these events give to Front Royal against not only the formidable cost to the Town but also the potential net loss for business owners who may suffer from roads being closed. A special events committee and a steeper fee schedule could be the vehicle for a process that keeps special events from overwhelming the downtown area, especially. Events vary in magnitude; not all require road closures, but even those that don’t may disrupt normal activity.

Whether an event is worthy is the ultimate judgment call. How to make that call without the appearance of favoritism is even more complicated. And the morale of business owners is not to be taken lightly. Should the taxpayer subsidize in every case, sometimes for events that only benefit a relatively small number of people? The proposed fee schedule remains unchanged from March: a proposition that eases the burden without eliminating it. On some level, the Town owes it to the citizens to give back out of the funds it has received from them, but whether every application is a worthy expenditure is, once again, a judgment call. The word application carries within its penumbra the concept of denial.

Watch the Front Royal Town Council Meeting of June 8, 2026.