VDOT: Warren County Traffic alert for September 19 – 23, 2022
Front Royal Town Council Candidates Forum held at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church
None injured in emergency aircraft landing on I-66 in Warren County Saturday morning
Smithfield, VA man arrested for soliciting underage victims in Front Royal
Argument leads to fatal shooting in Frederick County
County Planning Commission recommends data center zoning ordinance amendment to allow data centers by right in industrial and light industrial zones
After hour delay to achieve a quorum, council quickly approves three CUP requests, two for Short-Term Rentals, before convening to work session
Broadband service expansion timeline, costs presented to supervisors prior to Closed Session, including discussion of ‘abolition’ of a sanitary district and non-annexation agreement with Town
Town to spend nearly $33,000 on new compensation study
McFadden cites Town Code to question legal authority of mayor regarding Town personnel matters – But does it really matter?
Town Talk: A conversation with Lt. Robbie Seal and Sgt Terry Fritts – Warren County Sheriff’s Office
Town Talk: A conversation with Fern Vazquez, Christy McMillin-Goodwin, and Rick Hewett – CHEO Community Garden
Town Talk: A conversation with Tony Carter, Archivist – Warren Heritage Society
Town Talk: A conversation with Michelle Ross, Michal Ashby and Erin Rooney – Samuels Public Library – September Activities
Town Talk: A conversation with Lorne Fyfe, Rivermont Baptist Church – Fall Festival on September 10, 2022
Hometown Faces: Meet Scott Reid
Hometown Faces: Meet Suzanne Silek
Hometown Faces: Meet John Marlow
Hometown Faces: Meet Harry Bowen – soon to be 100
WATCH: Faces of Our Valley – Selah Theatre Project, Glory Bea!
Front Royal Town Council Candidates Forum held at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church
Local Republican James Bergida enters race for Virginia Senate District 1
Meet the Candidates: Delores R. Oates, Virginia House of Delegates, District 31
Meet the Candidates: Merritt Hale, US Congress, 6th District
Lance Allen announces candidacy for Virginia’s First Senate District
‘Riopalooza’ celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month & Shenandoah Watershed this Saturday at Elizabeth Furnace Rec Area noon to 6 PM
Save the Date: Third annual Vera Bradley Bag Bingo Fundraiser – Friday, October 7th
Real Estate and Community News (August/September 2022) with Jen Avery, REALTOR
Samuels Library to celebrate the life of long-time employee
Smithfield, VA man arrested for soliciting underage victims in Front Royal
Six arrests in forged gaming ticket scam announced by FRPD
Skeletal remains found in suspicious circumstance identified as Shannon Lee Fox
Ressie Jeffries Elementary School placed in lockdown
Front Royal Police respond to brandishing incident at Royal Plaza
Smithfield, VA man arrested for soliciting underage victims in Front Royal
POLICE: 7 Day FRPD Arrest Report 9/12/2022
POLICE: 7 Day FRPD Arrest Report 8/29/2022
POLICE: 7 Day FRPD Arrest Report 8/22/2022
POLICE: 7 Day FRPD Arrest Report 8/15/2022
Legal Notice: Hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection
EDA: Request for Qualifications for the provision of debt collection legal services
EDA: Invitation to bid; roof replacement
Special Commissioners Sale Saturday, October 5, 2019: Two adjoining tracts 42 & 41 acres
Front Royal Town Council accepting resumes for vacant council seat
UPDATE: Paving continues on North Royal Avenue
Town Notice: Road closure – North Commerce Avenue, 6th Street to Royal Avenue; paving continues
Town Notice: Road closure – North Royal Avenue and 6th Street
Town Notice: Paving on North Royal starts July 18
Poe joins EDA civil defendants in motions to nullify civil liability verdicts; Tran counsel granted additional time to file their motion to overturn jury verdict
FR-WC EDA finalizes $5.7-million sale of Baugh Drive warehouse to Shahi Foods
Warren County EDA tackles multi-faceted August meeting Action Agenda
EDA Board Chairman Jeff Browne reacts to July civil litigation results ordering total of over $13.35 million paid to the County Economic Development Authority
Jury awards WC EDA $11.9 million-plus in civil compensatory claims against ITFederal and Truc ‘Curt’ Tran
EDA Board Chairman Jeff Browne reacts to July civil litigation results ordering total of over $13.35 million paid to the County Economic Development Authority
Jury awards WC EDA $11.9 million-plus in civil compensatory claims against ITFederal and Truc ‘Curt’ Tran
EDA civil liability defendant ‘Curt’ Tran on witness stand for over 4-1/2 hours as trial heads into final day
EDA vs. Tran/ITFederal civil liability and counterclaim trial heads into third day with defense poised to call final series of witnesses
First day of $11-million EDA vs. ‘Curt’ Tran civil liability trial concludes
Chamber welcomes Kells Belles to Front Royal
Chamber welcomes Garcia & Gavino to Front Royal
Local Senior Center reopens with new location and new name
Quality Title moves to a new home in Front Royal
Grand re-opening & ribbon cutting at Royal Cinemas
Warner & Kaine secure nearly $135 million for Virginia in Senate FY2023 budget bills
Warner & Kaine celebrate Inflation Reduction Act becoming law
Warner & Kaine announce more than $2.1 million in funding to address COVID-19 in rural Virginia communities
Kaine, Murkowski, Sinema, and Collins introduce legislation to codify Roe v. Wade
Sixth District Perspectives with Congressman Ben Cline – July 29, 2022
U.S. Senate delays same-sex marriage vote until after midterm elections
Maryland becomes haven for out-of-state abortion seekers, providers
U.S. senators criticize federal health officials for lagging monkeypox response
U.S. Senate Republicans shy away from proposed 15-week national abortion ban
Biden pitches ‘moonshot’ to cut the number of cancer deaths in half
Attorney General Miyares urges President Biden to classify fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction
Youngkin administration overhauls Virginia transgender student policies
A UVA rebate for undergrads and more Va. headlines
After years of effort, Virginia is giving lower-income workers a major tax break
Governor Glenn Youngkin announces unemployment rate at pre-pandemic level, nearly 2,000 fewer Virginians unemployed in the month of August
Playoff Game 2 : Front Royal Cardinals vs Woodstock River Bandits – July 27
Rescheduled: Front Royal Cardinals vs Strasburg Express – Monday, July 25
Front Royal Cardinals vs Purceville Cannons – Thursday, July 21
Front Royal Cardinals vs New Market Rebels – Sunday, July 24
CANCELED: Valley Baseball League: All Star Game at the “Bing” – Sunday, July 17th
WCHS vs Handley – Girls Volleyball – September 19, 2022
WCHS vs Harrisonburg – Girls Volleyball – September 15, 2022
WCHS JV vs Fauquier County – September 14, 2022
WCHS JV Football: Warren County vs Strasburg – September 8
WCHS vs Hedgesville – Varsity Football – September 2
Skyline High School Graduation – Saturday, May 28, 2022
Skyline High School Class of 2021 Graduation Ceremony
Baccalaureate service for graduating seniors
Skyline vs Independence High School, February 12, 2021 at 6 PM in the third round of the Region 3B Basketball Tournament
Skyline vs James Monroe High School, February 9, 2021 at 6 PM in the second round of the Region 3B Basketball Tournament
Warren County Middle School vs Skyline Middle School – Girls Basketball, October 4, 2021
Warren County Middle School vs Frederick County Middle School – Girls Basketball, September 27, 2021
Warren County Middle School vs Daniel Morgan Middle School – Girls Basketball, September 23, 2021
Warren County Middle School vs Admiral Richard E. Byrd Middle School – Girls Basketball, September 20th, 2021
Warren County Middle School Academic Honors Ceremony – 8th Grade
Warren County Middle School vs Skyline Middle School – Girls Basketball, October 4, 2021
Skyline Middle School Academic Honors Ceremony – 8th Grade
Skyline Middle School Academic Honors Ceremony – 7th Grade
Skyline Middle School Academic Honors Ceremony – 6th Grade
Skyline Middle School vs Daniel Morgan, June 3rd – Girls Volleyball
Hilda J. Barbour Elementary School – 5th Grade Graduation Event
WATCH: E. Wilson Morrison Elementary School – 5th Grade Graduation Parade
WATCH: Ressie Jeffries Elementary School – 5th Grade Graduation Parade
WATCH: Leslie Fox Keyser Elementary School – 5th Grade Graduation Parade
House selling: should you ever disclose the details of a competing offer?
Good news for buyers as home prices cool
Should you buy an existing home or build new?
The pros and cons of refinancing your mortgage
Buying a home within your means: what does it mean?
OPEN HOUSE: 159 High Point Court, Front Royal – This Saturday, April 2nd
House for sale: 159 High Point Court, Front Royal
House for sale: 104 Foam Flower, Lake Frederick
Property for sale: 425 N Royal Ave, Front Royal – Watch the tour!
House for sale: 361 Walnut Drive, Front Royal – Watch the tour!
Start your day with a smile
Start your day with a smile
Start your day with a smile
Start your day with a smile
Start your day with a smile
The first day of autumn is September 22
The infamous chorizo tweet and what it teaches
Astronauts lose bone in space
What you need when hunting migratory birds
What to do when a relative asks for money
To Censor or not to Censor, that is a Difficult Question
The Cracked Acorn: Am I Crazy?
The Cracked Acorn: The Bible
The Cracked Acorn: The Un-Truth
The Cracked Acorn: Time Wings
Should I Choose Passion or Duty?
Why we should be ‘Babyish’ in Love
The School of Life: How to Stop Playing Games in Love
The School of Life: How You Can Be Too Clever
Looking Back: A Mothers Revenge – Hannah Duston
Ben Franklin and his miraculous lightning rod
The Year Without A Summer : “Eighteen Hundred & Froze To Death”
America’s veterans remembered and honored for their service across the years
How much do you know about Veterans Day?
5 meaningful ways to celebrate Veterans Day
5 ways to celebrate Veterans Day
The 11hour of the 11th day of the 11th month – Veterans Day 2020
Real Estate and Community News (August/September 2022) with Jen Avery, REALTOR
Real Estate and Community News (July/August 2022) with Jen Avery, REALTOR
Donations to aid Kentucky still accepted at Aders Insurance Agency
Rugged Terrain Crossfit takes home the trophy at the Waggin’ for Dragons 2022 race
Community groups and businesses donate almost 500 backpacks
The Rotary Club of the Northern Shenandoah Valley hosting blood drive
Help replenish the blood supply after holiday weekend
Community Blood Drive to be held this Wednesday, March 3rd
Santa Claus is coming to Town, Warren County!
A “COVID Christmas” message from Santa
Warren Heritage Society announces the publication of their newest book, “Coming Together”
Send bracelets to quarantined residents of Commonwealth Assisted Living in Front Royal through WeAreSPACE.org
Warren’s Heritage: Native American History-Part 10
Warren’s Heritage: Native American History-Part 9
Warren’s Heritage: Native American History-Part 8
Breakfast with Barry Lee – Dishing out ample servings of positivity, humor, and community spirit.
Odd jobs: How the mud man makes baseballs fly right
Cloud computing: the environmental impact of the virtual world
How buying local can help your business
Before Amazon, Sears disrupted retail
Canning history: How canned food revolutionized society
Tips for negotiating a salary proposal
Demand for truckers is on the rise
Immigrants: transfer your skills to boost your career
Thorough preparation makes all the difference
How to know if you’re buying local food
Local producers: Barriers to buying local
Apple and salt pork pie satisfies the sweet tooth
How to safely handle and cook poultry
3 questions to help you learn more about barn cats
Agriculture: What does it mean to “make the rounds”?
What’s community-supported agriculture (CSA)?
How to safely handle and cook poultry
September is Cholesterol Education Month: Time to check up on LDLs and HDLs
Meat diet draws fire; proponents defend
Astronauts lose bone in space
4 tips for a successful manicure
Overview of the main types of diabetes
4 ways to store your kitchen knives
What to do if a fire breaks out
3 reasons to consider polished concrete for your kitchen
Lovely red vines hold poison
How to choose a smoke alarm
Alcohol consumption as a senior: 3 risk factors
10 ways for seniors to keep busy
5 ideas for a dream retirement vacation
4 symptoms you shouldn’t ignore
Create your own book in 5 steps
Do you know Louis Braille?
5 tips for camping in your backyard
3 ways to have fun with soap bubbles
How well do you know your summer sports?
Shedding in dogs: what you need to know
Preventive care: How to keep cats and dogs healthy
5 tips for driving with your pet this summer
What you need to know about head pressing in pets
Can you teach your dog to speak?
5 ideas for a dream retirement vacation
How to prepare for a solo trip
5 good reasons to book your cruise early
How to inspect your vehicle’s oil in 7 easy steps
5 car noises you should never ignore
Today’s economy dictates a new way of driving
One flaw made Tesla’s autos easy to steal
The first day of autumn is September 22
5 car noises you should never ignore
Demand for truckers is on the rise
How to safely handle and cook poultry
The Warren County Sheriff’s Office wants to inform the public that certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians will be offering free car seat safety checks and education to parents and caregivers on Saturday, September 24, 2022, between 10:00am and 1:00pm at the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.
Every year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) partners with local communities to hold Child Passenger Safety Week, which runs this year from September 18-24. The annual safety week caps off with National Seat Check Saturday, a day for parents and caregivers to receive free instruction on how to correctly install and use the right car seats for their kids. Technicians will help determine if your children are in the right seats for their ages and sizes and explain the importance of registering car seats with the manufacturers so you can be notified if there is a recall.
Sadly, two children under 13 were killed every day in 2020 while riding in vehicles, and another 278 were injured. Don’t wait for a crash to happen to find out if your child’s seat is installed correctly. At that point, it’s too late to check.
Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children, and the latest research from NHTSA shows that 46% of car seats are misused. Using age- and size-appropriate car seats and installing them correctly are the best ways to reduce crash fatalities among children. More than a third of children 12 and younger who died in crashes in 2020 in cars, pickups, vans, and SUVs were unbuckled. Never let your children ride unbuckled—the consequences could be devastating.
From 2016 to 2020, there were 1,721 “tweens” (8 to 14 years old) killed in passenger vehicles, and in 2020 alone, the 8- to 12-year-old age group had the highest number of fatalities (216) among children in passenger vehicles. Booster seats are a critical step between harness car seats and adult seat belts. If the seat belt doesn’t fit your child correctly, it won’t offer them the optimal protection in a crash.
Myths and Mistakes About Car Seats
There is a deadly misconception that a certain type of vehicle may offer greater protection for your child. In 2020, 53% of the children killed while riding in light trucks were unrestrained, followed closely by SUVs (46%), passenger cars (34%), and vans (34%). Children are safest when correctly secured in the right car seats or booster seats for their ages and sizes — no matter the vehicle type. A bigger vehicle doesn’t mean your child can ride unbuckled.
One of the most common mistakes parents and caregivers make with car seats is moving their children to the next seat or position too soon. Keep children rear-facing, if possible, up to the top height and weight allowed by their particular seats. The recommendations are based on decades of research that have shown the safest way for children to ride in vehicles. Once a child outgrows a rear-facing car seat, he or she is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness and tether. The tether is 100% essential for installing a forward-facing car seat; it keeps the seat from moving forward in a crash. After outgrowing the forward-facing car seat, a child should be buckled in a booster seat until tall enough to fit in an adult seat belt properly. Children might ask to ditch the booster seat because it makes them feel older to ride without it, but the truth is: their safety is what matters most.
Once your child is ready to use a seat belt, ensure that it fits correctly, and remember that the safest place for all kids under 13 is buckled up in the back seat.
Warren County Sheriff’s Office National Seat Check Saturday event is being held at The Warren County Sheriff’s Office September 24, 2022, from 10:00am to 1:00pm. All parents and caregivers are invited to attend this free event.
At these free appointments, certified CPSTs explain how to use car seats, booster seats, and seat belts correctly. The technicians help educate consumers on choosing the correct car seat, installing that seat correctly, and using that seat correctly every time. Find out if a Technician is available in your community by visiting nhtsa.gov/car-seats-and-booster-seats. You can filter your search results to show Spanish-speaking technicians, virtual appointments, and Child Passenger Safety Week events.
NHTSA encourages everyone who drives child passengers to check out its list of free, online resources at nhtsa.gov/car-seats-and-booster-seats:
For more information on child car seat safety, as well as how to find other car seat check events, go to www.nhtsa.gov/therightseat.
Six arrests in forged gaming ticket scam announced by FRPD
Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: Northern Raccoon
Ressie Jeffries Elementary School placed in lockdown
Town Talk: A conversation with Lt. Robbie Seal and Sgt Terry Fritts – Warren County Sheriff’s Office
‘Operation Lifesaver’ cited by WC Sheriff’s Office in locating missing person
Warren County Sheriff’s Office Community Advisory Council (CAC) is looking for new members and new leaders
Body camera footage details circumstances of Ralph Ennis’s April 2 traffic stop
Culpeper police charge man with Sexual Battery
Sting operation nets charges for local businesses that sold alcohol and vape products to minors
The 2nd Annual Warren County Sheriff’s Office Football Camp was held on April 2nd
2022 U Drive. U Text. U Pay. Campaign
The following is a list of highway work that may affect traffic in Warren County during the coming weeks. Scheduled work is subject to change due to inclement weather and material supplies. Motorists are advised to watch for slow-moving tractors during mowing operations. When traveling through a work zone, be alert to periodic changes in traffic patterns and lane closures.
*NEW* or *UPDATE* indicates a new or revised entry since last week’s report.
INTERSTATE 66 *UPDATE* Mile marker 6 to 7, eastbound and westbound – Overnight single lane closures and daytime shoulder closures for maintenance to bridge over Route 340, from 9 a.m. Tuesday through 2 a.m. Friday.
Mile marker 14 to 13, westbound – Right shoulder closures for sign work, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
INTERSTATE 81 No lane closures were reported.
PRIMARY ROADS *NEW* Route 55 (Strasburg Road) – Mobile work zone between Route 616 (Messick Road/Richardson Road) and Route 664 (Whipporwill Road) for utility work, September 19 – 30, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
SECONDARY ROADS No lane closures were reported.
Vegetation management may take place district-wide on various routes. Motorists are reminded to use extreme caution when traveling through work zones.
Traffic alerts and traveler information can be obtained by dialing 511. Traffic alerts and traveler information also are available at www.511Virginia.org.
The VDOT Customer Service Center can assist with reporting road hazards, asking transportation questions, or getting information related to Virginia’s roads. Call 800-FOR- ROAD (800-367-7623) or use its mobile-friendly website at my.vdot.virginia.gov. Agents are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Front Royal Catholic Civic Education Group sponsored the Town Council Candidates Forum held at the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Front Royal on September 16, 2022.
The Front Royal Catholic Civic Education Group wants the community to be able to make informed choices regarding the November election, so they asked all Front Royal Town Council candidates to this Candidates’ Forum.
Approximately 200 people filled the parish hall below the Church. The format was typical for such events. Everyone was given time for opening and closing remarks. The moderator was Wayne White, from Lake Frederick, who asked each candidate to respond to the same questions on subjects relating to the office sought.
Candidates for the Town Council special election to fill the vacant seat of Scott Lloyd include Gene Kilby and Wayne Sealock.
Candidates Josh Ingram, Zack Jackson, Amber Poe, and Bruce Rappaport are running for the three open seats on Town Council in the November election. Lori Cockrell is the lone candidate for Mayor.
Watch the Candidates Forum on this exclusive Royal Examiner video.
Questions were provided to the candidates as they arrived at the forum, and no questions were taken from the audience.
Questions for the Front Royal Mayoral Candidate.
Along with the five questions above, two additional questions were asked of the mayor candidate.
At 10:43 a.m. Saturday, September 17, Virginia State Police responded to a report of a small, private aircraft making an emergency landing along Interstate-66 (westbound) at the 6-mile-marker in Warren County.
The preliminary investigation revealed the aircraft, a single-engine Cessna, suffered engine failure. The pilot and only occupant were uninjured in the emergency landing on I-66 westbound. And no land vehicles are believed to have been impacted by the emergency landing.
According to VSP Public Information Officer Sgt. Brent Coffey the plane has been moved to the crossover, and all lanes of traffic on I-66 are open as of 12:30 p.m.
The FAA and NTSB were notified of the emergency landing. The incident remains under investigation.
Watch the video of the incident courtesy of Collin Finnell.
On Thursday, April 28, 2022, Front Royal Police detectives initiated an investigation regarding soliciting minors in the Warren County/Front Royal area. Detectives started a proactive approach to apprehend individuals soliciting underage victims for sexual purposes. An undercover operation ensued, and an adult male began soliciting one of our detectives, who he believed to be a female under the age of 15 years old, for photographs and sexually explicit material. The adult male suspect sent sexually explicit materials to the detective, posing as a juvenile in an undercover capacity. The initial conversation was unsolicited and started by the offender in this case.
During this investigation, police identified the suspect as 28-year-old Smithfield, Virginia resident Sean Kreinsen. On September 16, 2022, Kreinsen was arrested and transported to the Western Tidewater Regional Jail. Kreinsen went before the magistrate and was ordered to be held without bond. The court date for the listed offenses has been set for October 13, 2022, at 09:00 a.m. in Warren County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
Name: Sean Kreinsen Description: 5’09” white male, brown eyes, and black hair Address: Smithfield, VA Offenses: § 18.2-374.3. Use of communications systems to facilitate certain offenses involving children. (x3)
The Front Royal Police Department is an active member of the Northern Virginia/DC Metro (NOVA/DC) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, which is coordinated by the Virginia State Police. We request anyone with information regarding the solicitation or exploitation of a minor to contact Front Royal Police Department. Anyone with further information regarding this case please contact Detective M.R. Ramey at (540) 636-2208 or by email at mramey@frontroyalva.com.
The Front Royal Police Department would like to thank the Isle of Wight Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in the apprehension of this individual.
A Frederick County man is dead after being shot at a home on the county’s western end during an apparent argument. At approximately 5:38 pm, a 9-1-1 call was received by emergency communications personnel requesting police respond to a home on Whitlock Lane where someone had been shot. Both law enforcement and emergency medical crews were dispatched to the scene as attempts were made to gather more details about the incident.
Upon arrival, deputies located a subject, later identified as Jeffrey Behneke Jr., lying near the residence with an apparent gunshot wound to the chest. The victim had no pulse and was pronounced deceased by EMS personnel. A suspect was on the scene and identified as Thorsten Schulze, who lives at the residence.
Schulze was detained and the Criminal Investigations Division of the sheriff’s office responded to take over the crime scene. During the course of the investigation, and subsequent interviews with Schulze, indications are that some form of verbal argument arose between the victim and the suspect which escalated and eventually culminated in Behneke being fatally shot by Schulze.
Schulze was transported to the regional adult detention facility, where he has been preliminarily charged with second-degree murder.
This continues to be an ongoing investigation, and no other details will be released at this time.
Warren County Public Schools Superintendent Christopher Ballenger addresses the Warren County Board of Supervisors/Warren County School Board Joint Budget Committee during its Monday meeting.
The Warren County School Board would like to get the $1.2 million chunk of the school division’s fiscal year 2023 budget appropriated by the Warren County Board of Supervisors (BOS) as soon as possible.
“While it’s been said 150 thousand times, I hope we can get to looking at that $1.2 million sooner rather than later,” said School Board member Antoinette Funk, referring to the amount of money the BOS has approved for the school division but still hasn’t appropriated.
Funk chairs the Warren County Board of Supervisors / Warren County School Board Joint Budget Committee, which met on Monday, September 12.
The joint committee was formed earlier this year for members of both boards to tackle the County’s education budget and related spending.
Those present for the Monday meeting were School Board members Funk and Andrea Lo, Warren County Public Schools (WCPS) Superintendent Christopher Ballenger and WCPS Finance Director Robert Ballentine, BOS members Delores Oates and Vicky Cook, Warren County Administrator Edwin Daley, and County Finance Director Matt Robertson.
The request from Funk (above, during a previous School Board meeting) came during the last roughly five minutes of the almost hour-long joint committee meeting. She was referring to the $1.2 million the BOS is still considering appropriating to schools.
The division was funded at 75 percent to start the school year, or about $6.9 million. The BOS recently approved $5.7 million, which leaves $1.2 million outstanding.
There were identified needs that the school division had in the budget, but they were placed on hold due to the funds not being appropriated to the operational budget for the time being. These included additional teaching positions, supplements, and other costs.
Part of the reason for the BOS holding the funds was to ensure there was enough funding for the capital projects from the county. The Warren County BOS provides the school division with 40 percent of its annual funding.
During the joint committee meeting, Oates, who is vice chair of the BOS, said one of the concerns for the BOS is planned renovations at Leslie Fox Keyser Elementary School “and what will actually be the reality of that versus the speculation,” she said. “There are uncertainties there. I know we also have E. Wilson Morrison [Elementary School]; if there’s any way that we can make that a priority at some point for those kids, that’s another consideration.”
Funk said that while she understands the BOS’s concerns, “from our perspective, it just feels like you’re holding part of the operations budget for capital instead of for operations, for which it was originally appropriated for… Because we originally approved it for operations, and some of it is being withheld for capital… and it really puts us in a predicament, obviously. We may have to talk to our staff about not getting the supplement yet,” she said, adding that the School Board has been telling WCPS staff that the board continues to work on obtaining the funds. “And we don’t want to be in the same predicament come next September,” she said.
One of the BOS’s concerns in the future, Oates continued, is the sustainability of some of the budget decisions that were made during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. “What’s going to happen with future funding, the biennial budget? There are so many things,” said Oates. “The $1.2 million may not be used for capital; it may be used for future operations. But it’s yours. We’ve appropriated it to schools.”
“But we don’t have it yet for operations,” Funk said.
Cook pointed out that one of the purposes of reevaluating the school division’s budget every quarter is to look at its performance, “and if there’s something there… then that’s when we’ll open it up for discussion,” she said.
“Well, again, I just want to reiterate I hope that come next September [for the 2024 budget] we’re not sitting here still trying to get a finalized budget that should have been done back in March,” said Funk. “And I think you guys [the BOS] want that too.”
“We don’t want it to go from March to September, but that’s the realization of where we’re at,” Funk said.
Another issue, Oates pointed out, was that the Virginia General Assembly [GA] didn’t approve a budget until the end of July. “A lot of it had nothing to do with the supervisors,” she said. “It had to do with the GA.”
Funk acknowledged that that was “a huge factor,” as well.
Oates also said that local governments in the state are basically learning on the fly about navigating the budget cycle, which from 2020 until now has been impacted by the pandemic, as well as new state legislators. “This is new territory,” she said. “We’re all trying to learn.”
The BOS wants to plan for the school division’s future needs “and not get caught in a situation where we can’t fund something,” Oates said.
Superintendent Ballenger said: “And that’s what we’re doing — planning on where we need to go.”
Regarding renovation funding for Leslie Fox Keyser Elementary School, Ballenger updated the joint committee, saying that about $245,800 would be available from cafeteria funds, with another $217,700 coming from value engineering savings identified by the general contractor. Additional savings are also forthcoming from other contractors, he told the committee members, which could help reduce renovation costs at the school from roughly $15.5 million to the school division’s available revenue for the project of $14.8 million.
“We’re still waiting on four or five contractors to get back on some other things,” he said, “and we estimate that to be about $128,000. But of course, we don’t know until they give us their numbers. So, value engineering right now totals about $463,500,” without the estimated items still to come in. The renovation project is slated to start on January 1, 2023.
The joint budget committee also set its next meeting for Monday, October 24 at 4 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Warren County Government Center, 220 N. Commerce Ave., Front Royal, Va.
Watch the joint budget committee meeting in its entirety on this exclusive Royal Examiner video.
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