WATCH: Town Council work session of May 7th

This is a summary of the May 7th work session from the Front Royal Town Council.

UFAC Presentation – David Means
David Means, Chairman of the Urban Forestry Advisory Commission (UFAC) will talk about trees, and the methods of communication to support the transfer of information to the public.

Police Department Radio Communications System
The Front Royal Police Department is researching options to address the existing radio communications system that we are currently utilizing. The existing system that we utilize from a local provider is aging and does not share interoperability with Warren County Fire and Rescue. The Warren County Sheriff’s Office is in the process of migrating to another provider and system at which time we will also lose interoperability with them. We have been struggling with the shortcomings of the existing system for several years and have at times jeopardized the safety of our officers.

Request to Use Trolleys for Humane Society Fundraiser
Alyssa Ellison, Executive Director of the Humane Society of Warren County is seeking a donation from the Town to utilize two (2) Trolleys to transport participants from the Lowes/Wal-Mart Parking Lot to the Front Royal Country Club from 8:00am – 4:00pm Saturday, August 11, 2018 for their Annual “Waggin’ for Dragons” Boat Race. The cost estimate to utilize two trolleys as requested is
$1,159.00 [$1,037.00 to utilize two trolleys + $122.00 travel time for 2nd trolley]

2017 – Council approved the donation in the amount of $1,037.00 for two trolleys ($518.50 per trolley).
2016 – Council approved the donation in the amount of $600.00 for one trolley only

Ordinance amendment to Section 158-6 of Front Royal Town Code pertainint to adoption by reference of State Motor Vehicle Laws.
Va. Code § 46.2-1313 states that “[o]rdinances enacted by local authorities pursuant to this chapter may incorporate appropriate provisions of… [the State Code pertaining to motor vehicle laws].

Nothing contained in this title shall require the readoption of ordinances heretofore validly adopted. Local authorities may adopt ordinances incorporating by reference the appropriate provisions of state law before the effective date of such state law; provided that such local ordinances do not become effective before the effective date of the state law. The provisions of this section are declaratory of
existing law.”

This has several benefits to localities: it allows localities to write traffic tickets on local summons, and retain the fines generated therefrom, thus helping pay for local law enforcement, keeping localities safer; it helps localities not have to constantly amend its local code of ordinances pertaining to traffic laws to keep inconformity with minor tweaks in the State Code pertaining to traffic laws; and it helps
keeps local codes of ordinances shorter.

An Opinion of the Attorney General, 81-82 Va. AG, 272 held “local governing bodies may adopt statutes by reference and may also adopt statutory amendments by reference, provided the amendments to them are adopted subsequent to the statutory amendments.” This means that annually, the Town must readopt Section 158-6 of the Town Code, which legally allows the Town to incorporate all the changes
to the State Code traffic laws that have been made during the year.

Watch now and see your Town Council at work: