Town short-term rental rule decision deferred to Feb. 28; citizen concerns voiced and Solid Waste staff and Energy Department Director Jenkins lauded for service

(Writer’s note: as observed in the first caption below, apologies for any name misspellings as Royal Examiner was informed by Council Clerk Tina Presley the afternoon of Jan. 26 that any media requests for information, even correct spellings of involved parties or public speaker sign-in sheet names, must now be forwarded by town staff to the Town’s out-of-town Public Information Officer Joanne Williams for a response, which has not yet been received.)

At its meeting of Monday evening, January 24, the Front Royal Town Council delayed action on an ordinance amendment setting in-town regulations for short-term “tourist” rentals; removed “Vape-Oriented” from a recommendation on lighting regulation code changes for businesses in the town limits; finalized naming of an interim town attorney and authorized the expenditure of $24,500 in contracting an executive search firm to recommend a permanent replacement for recently retired Town Attorney Doug Napier, among other business items.

While only four of the six cited were present, Solid Waste crew members James Swindle, Eric Tergusson, James Walker, George Guerrero, Paul Breed, Dane Craig, with citizen and later BZA appointee Michael Williams, sixth from right, were acknowledged for their work and civic responsibility. (Apologies for any misspellings here or in story as we could not get spellings verified by the council clerk on instructions that ALL informational inquiries must go through the Town’s out-of-town Public Information Officer.) Royal Examiner Photos by Roger Bianchini

But before getting down to its action agenda items, two recognitions of Town personnel were acknowledged. First, was the Solid Waste crew for its ongoing work under sometimes trying conditions to keep the town from accumulated waste. Then a fond farewell was bid to soon-to-be-retired Department of Energy Services Director David Jenkins for his 30 years of service to the town and its electric/energy department.

Retiring after 30 years in the department as of Jan. 27, 2022, Energy Services Director David Jenkins created a blur of good wishes around him following photo op with town council. And let’s get a closer look at that plaque, David – sorry to see you go – BUT you earned it!

With no citizens present to comment and some questions remaining, the one scheduled public hearing on the short-term rental ordinance was left open so that the public could appear at council’s February 28 meeting to express opinions on how short-term rentals should be regulated in the town’s often more tightly packed than county residential neighborhoods. One change suggested by several council members was elimination of a mandate that short-term rentals have an active landline phone to assure the ability of renters to reach emergency services if cell phone service was to fail. The recommendation was initially made at the planning department level due to sometimes spotty cell phone service in some areas. Amber Morris called the condition “archaic in this day and age” and several members supported that notion.

Public Comments raise questions

Following council discussion of the short-term tourist rental issues, council heard from four public speakers on four separate issues of public interest not on the agenda. Those speakers were George Cline Jr., president of the Warren County Builders Association, who addressed concerns about the Town’s process in taking over inspection on in-town building and repair projects; Gene Kilby restating his initiative to have council rename a town street in honor of the town’s first African-American mayor, George E. Banks, who was laid to rest this past week; third, Michael Shutton, who addressed issues he has observed with uncleared sidewalks packed with ice-covered snow in town in front of private business or residential properties forcing at least one handicapped person in a wheelchair and students heading toward Skyline High and/or Middle Schools to walk or wheel in the cleared street; and finally attorney Tom Sayre who questioned the $24,500 contract expenditure on the town attorney search with a competent, long-term assistant town attorney, George Sonnett, in place, in house.

In posing a list of questions to council and staff (at 17:45 to 28:40 mark of linked Town video), Cline was somewhat critical of a lack of Town communications with the Builders Association in the process of developing the new Town Building Inspection Department.

The quartet of Public Comments speakers had questions and observations for council and staff, beginning with WC Builders Association President George Cline Jr. – ‘Hold on a second,’ Cline may be indicating as he questioned the creation and function of the new Town Building Inspection Dpt., as well as whether Town Manager Hicks (far left on dais) is ‘certified’ to fill his role as the Town Building Official.

“Our association has a tremendous amount of depth and knowledge, and could have probably presented some great ideas or suggestions had we been asked. We weren’t asked,” Cline said, echoing previous criticism of the Town’s clearing of trees and vegetation at Happy Creek without consultation with available boards or consultants that led to the resignation of the Town’s Urban Forestry Board and a philosophical break with The Tree Stewards.

Next up (at 29:05 to 31:50 marks of linked Town video), Kilby acknowledged the burial of Front Royal’s first and only African American mayor, George E. Banks, in the Veterans Cemetery in Culpeper, Virginia, earlier that day. Noting his call of a year ago to council to name a street after a man he said, “succeeded in bringing this community together while making considerable improvements,” Kilby renewed that call with some added detail. That detail included support from residents of the involved street at Edgemont Avenue where it turns right into Scranton Avenue and goes by Banks’ property.

“We have signatures (of support) from almost all of the residents of Edgemont Avenue, and I don’t think it would be difficult for us to get signatures from the four properties that face Scranton Avenue,” Kilby told council and the mayor, concluding by giving a brief bio of Banks service to the council clerk.

Gene Kilby revisited a plea to council to name a town street in honor of late Front Royal Mayor George E. Banks; and Michael Shotton (sp?) addressed a Town failure to hold businesses and residential owners more immediately liable for clearing sidewalks of show and ice to prevent the kind of in-street pedestrian traffic he has recently witnessed.

Next was Michael Shutton (at 32:00 to 35:55 marks of the linked Town video). Shutton, whose name we hope we are spelling correctly in the absence of verification from the council clerk, described a recent experience coming to the aid of a middle aged man struggling in a wheelchair in the street at the intersection of Route 340 (South Royal Ave.) and South Street due to the accumulated snow and ice on the sidewalk. Shutton, who said he has children at both Skyline Middle and High Schools, noted he had also seen children walking toward the schools in the street for the same reason.

Concluding the Public Comments on non-agenda items, which council has approved moving to after all of a meeting’s public hearings are completed, was local attorney Tom Sayre (36:08 to 37:20 mark of linked video). Sayre questioned the $24,500 expenditure on an executive search contractor to find a new town attorney, suggesting council first take a hard look at current Assistant Town Attorney George Sonnett (not a bad idea, Tom). However, with the expenditure approved, Council member Thompson cited the contractor’s extensive background work beyond what council could accomplish in house. “It really is a perfect company to deal with this. – And we got Steven,” Thompson said of the company bringing current Town Manager Steven Hicks to council’s attention. But if memory serves correctly, Hicks was chosen after a search during which a round or two of interviewed candidates were rejected by council.

Other business

Near the meeting’s end council appointed Christine Arrons (sp?) and Michael Williams to the Board of Zoning Appeals. Earlier at the request of Council member Letasha Thompson, Williams was asked to join the Town Solid Waste Crew for its photo op due to his call to the town government alerting it to the accumulating waste situation at the Kendrick Lane subdivision where the property’s ownership appears to have let its privately contracted waste pick up lapse, leading to the town crew being dispatched to cleanup a quickly deteriorating situation for subdivision residents.

The interim town attorney named as one of the meeting’s last four action items, as noted in an earlier press release, is James E. Cornwell Jr. of White Stone, Va. As previously reported with the press release announcement of the plan to hire Cornwell, White Stone is a coastal town near the mouth of the Rappahannock River in Lancaster County. The Town press release noted Cornwell’s 45 years of experience in representation of local “governments, public bodies and authorities”.

Non-FOIA compliant closed meeting addition rejected

At the meeting’s outset (1:50 mark) Councilman Gary Gillespie made a motion to add one item to the agenda, a closed session without any FOIA-mandated identification of subject matter. The motion was seconded and a role call vote of approval was made until the final name called, when Letasha Thompson voted “no”. Mayor Holloway noted that with late agenda additions requiring a unanimous vote of approval, the motion failed. Queried later by the media about her “no” vote, Thompson explained that without clarity on the topic she felt that “whatever it was could wait until next week”.

See these recognitions, discussions, votes, and council and manager reports in the above-referenced Town video.