[00:00:03]
LIKE TO CALL THE FOREVER ALL TOWN COUNCIL MEETING YOU ORDER TONIGHT FOR MONEY.
[1. Pledge of Allegiance]
WHEN WE DO OUR PRAYER TO LIPREAD JEFF ALLEGIANCE, WE HAD A BOY SCOUT TROOP FOR, TO COME FORWARD AND TO LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND THEIR SENIOR LEADER IS KAYLA POEMS. SO WOULD YOU PLEASE STAND WHILE WE HAVE THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, PLEASE?[2. Moment of Silence]
WE'LL HAVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE.[3. Roll Call]
HAVE A ROLL CALL PLEASE.HOUSEMEN GLASBY COUNCILMAN HOLLOWAY.
[4. Approval of Minutes]
TONIGHT IS ITEM NUMBER FOUR.PROVE WITH THE MINUTES, THE REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING.
MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER THE 14TH, 2020 SPECIAL MEETING AND WORK SESSION.
MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER THE EIGHTH, 2020 WORK SESSION, MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER THE 21ST, 2022.
WE APPROVE THE REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 14TH, SPECIAL MEETING WORK SESSION MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 8TH AND WORK SESSION MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2020 TO HAVE A SECOND.
ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE.
THOSE OPPOSED, NO MOTION CARRIED.
[5. Receipt of Petitions and/or Correspondence from the Public]
NEXT ITEMS DENIED AS RECEIPT OF PETITIONS OR CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE PUBLIC.BEFORE WE OPEN THIS UP, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A STATEMENT THAT I WANT TO WE'RE GOT GONNA PRETTY HOME PRETTY MUCH THE THREE MINUTES TONIGHT.
SO ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, PLEASE GIVE YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, AND YOU HOLD YOUR SPEECH TO THREE MINUTES OR PRETTY CLOSE TO THAT.
THANK YOU, MS. PRESLEY, OUR FIRST SPEAKER, GARY CUSHNER.
I'M GARY CUSHNER, 1106 FETCHIT ROAD.
THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS YOU AT THE SEPTEMBER 23RD COUNCIL PRESS CONFERENCE, INSTEAD OF SIMPLY ADVERTISING THE DETAILS OF A LOAN OFFER BY UNITED BANK TO PAY OFF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DEBT, THE TOWN'S INTERIM MANAGER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS LAUNCHED INTO CRITICISM AND INSULTS FOR THE EDA AND THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
AND IN MY OPINION, MISREPRESENTED THE TRUTH WHILE COUNSEL CLAIMS TO BE A COOPERATIVE BODY, THEY HAVEN'T LEARNED THE LESSON THAT YOU GET MORE BEES WITH HONEY THAN VINEGAR.
INSTEAD THEY CHOSE TO BE ADVERSARIAL, NO DOUBT OF THE GUIDANCE OF THEIR PUPPET MASTER THE INTERIM MANAGER.
ONLY THE LAST COUNCIL MEMBER SPEAKER SHOWED THE CLASS AND WISDOM TO NOT FULLY ENGAGE IN SUCH BEHAVIOR AND A DISPLAY OF COWARDICE.
NEW OPPORTUNITY WAS OFFERED AT THAT MEETING FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BECAUSE THIS COUNCIL FEARS THE TRUTH ON MAY 8TH, 2017, A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT WAS EXECUTED BETWEEN THE TOWN EDA AND COUNTY IN PARAGRAPH TWO.
IT STATES IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THE LOAN FUNDING WOULD BE ACQUIRED BY THE EDA FOR THE NEW MARKET TAX CREDIT AT ONE AND A HALF PERCENT INTEREST ANNUALLY.
AND IN PARAGRAPH THREE, IT STATES THE TOWN WILL FUND TO THE EXTENT LEGALLY PERMISSIBLE.
100% OF THE EDA HAS DEBT SERVICE.
THE MOST OPERATIVE TERM IN THAT LANGUAGE IS ANTICIPATED AND THE DEFINITION OF ANTICIPATED IS NOT GUARANTEED.
[00:05:02]
AND THUS THE ONE THAT I HAVE, ONE OF THAT, THE ONE AND A HALF PERCENT RATE WAS NOT CERTAIN SHORTLY AFTER THAT AGREEMENT WAS SIGNED.THE TOWN WAS ADVISED THAT IN ALL LIKELIHOOD IT WOULD NOT QUALIFY FOR THE NEW MARKET PROGRAM FUNDING BY BRIAN PHIPPS, WHO WAS AN AUTHORITY ON THE TAX CREDIT PROGRAM.
AND THE TOWN WAS ADVISED THAT SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A 2.65% RATE, WHICH WAS THEN AVAILABLE.
BUT THE TOWN CHOSE TO ROLL THE DICE ON THE ONE AND A HALF PERCENT RATE, WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY WAS NOT AVAILABLE REASONABLY A COUNCIL MEMBER DECLARED THE TOWN HAD NO LEGAL OR MORAL OBLIGATION TO PAY FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT LOAN AT A RATE DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE AND A HALF PERCENT RATE.
BUT THE LANGUAGE JUST READ AS EVIDENCE SHOWING THAT DECLARATION TO BE FALSE.
I GUESS THAT ONLY IN A POLITICIAN'S MIND CAN A WRITTEN SIGNED AGREEMENT, NOT HAVE TO BE HONORED AND FURTHERMORE, TO HAVE THE AUDACITY TO CONSIDER SUCH POOR JUDGMENT AS A QUALIFICATION TO REPRESENT FRONT ROYAL AS OUR MAYOR, MULTIPLE COUNCIL MEMBERS AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE IN FACULTY CLAIMED THAT THE EDA WAS UNCOOPERATIVE AND ATTEMPTING TO RESOLVE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DEBT, WHICH WAS ALSO UNTRUE.
THE UDA DIRECTOR, DOUG PARSONS INDICATED THE TOWN WAS OFFERED A, A TWO AND A QUARTER PERCENT RATE THROUGH MAYOR T WALT TO FINANCE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DEBT EARLIER THIS YEAR.
BUT NOT ONLY DID COUNCIL REJECT THAT SOLUTION, BUT THERE WAS EVEN A SUGGESTION TO CENSOR THE MAYOR FOR HIS REASONABLE ATTEMPT TO REACH A SETTLEMENT WITH THE EDA COUNSEL ASSERTED THAT THE EDD HAD NOT EXEMPT GOOD FAITH AND NEGOTIATE THE MATTER WITHOUT ACKNOWLEDGING THEY HAD A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR CIVIL LAWSUIT ACTIVE AGAINST THE ADA FOR OVER A YEAR ONLY A FOOL WOULD EXPECT THE EDA TO TRUST DISCUSSIONS WITH THIS COUNCIL WHEN THEY WERE BEING SUED BY THAT SAME ENTITY.
AND WHILE THERE WERE OTHER EDA ATTEMPTS TO DISCUSS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH THE TOWN, THE COUNCIL NEVER SHOWED ITSELF TO BE A GOOD FAITH PARTNER, BUT INSTEAD PROMOTED CONFLICT INSTEAD OF COOPERATION, COUNCIL MEMBERS ALSO CRIED CROCODILE TEARS AND NOT HAVING ANY EXPLANATION REGARDING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AN 8.4 MILLION IN CONSTRUCTION COSTS AND THE 8.9 MILLION TOTAL INDEBTEDNESS FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
HOWEVER, THE FILED EDA COUNTERSUIT CLEARLY EXPLAINS THE AMOUNTS OF THE TOTAL, THE 8.9 MILLION FIGURE.
PLUS IT WOULDN'T TAKE A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO CONCLUDE THAT THE $500,000 DIFFERENCE REPRESENTED DEBT SERVICE, THE ADA HAD OCCURRED THAT THE TOWN HAD AGREED TO PAY PREVIOUSLY IN THE MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT, MR. KUSHA YOU ABOUT FINISHED.
WELL, I HAVE MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THE RIDICULOUS FALSE COMMENTS MADE BY THE INTERIM MAYOR REGARDING THE INTERIM MANAGER REGARDING THE CARES FUNDS TOM DONE FOR ME TO ADDRESS THAT HERE.
SO MY THOUGHTS ARE AVAILABLE IN A ROYAL EXAMINER TOWN TALK RECORDED EARLIER TODAY.
HOPEFULLY AFTER THE NOVEMBER ELECTION, A COUNCIL OF DIFFERENT COMPOSITION WILL SHOW ITSELF TO BE MORE ATTUNED TO CITIZENS' INTERESTS AND DEMONSTRATE AN ATTITUDE OF COOPERATION OVER CONFLICT AND HIRE AN OUTSIDER AS A PERMANENT TOWN MANAGER THAT ALL CITIZENS CAN TRUST, RESPECT, AND BE PROUD OF.
DAVID DOWNS, DAVID DOWNS, 14 CHESTER STREET, PRACTICING CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER FOR THE PAST 33 YEARS IN FRONT ROYAL.
I'VE READ THE PROPOSED DEMANDING JUSTICE RESOLUTION ON THE AGENDA ITEM 10 AND HAVE SEVERAL OBSERVATIONS AND QUESTIONS FIRST.
WHY ARE COUNCILMAN RUNNING FOR OFFICE? THE ONLY COUNCILMAN SEEKING JUSTICE FOR CITIZENS OF FRONT ROYAL AS RESULT OF THE EDA SCANDAL? SHOULD WE IMPUTE THAT THE OTHER COUNCILMAN DON'T WANT JUSTICE? OF COURSE NOT.
WHY DOESN'T THE RESOLUTION AS THE MAYOR, OUR TOWN REPRESENTATIVE TO SIMPLY CALL MARSHA GARTH OR MICHAEL PARKER TOMORROW AND LET THEM KNOW THAT OUR TOWN STILL WANTS JUSTICE FOR OUR TOWN.
WE DON'T NEED A RESOLUTION FOR THAT.
I, AS A PRIVATE CITIZEN CAN AND HAVE DONE THAT.
WHY WAIT FOR TWO MORE MONTHS? THERE'S NO EXPLANATION IN THE RESOLUTION FOR THAT TYPE OF DELAY WHEN ASKING TO EXPEDITIOUSLY PROCEED TO TRIAL ON THESE MATTERS.
ARE WE TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THAT THE VIRGINIA SUPREME COURT HAS STAYED VIRTUALLY ALL JURY TRIALS BETWEEN THE ENTRY OF THE NOLLIE PROCEQ WE ORDER ON APRIL THE 17TH TO 2020 AND TODAY PURSUANT TO, AS OF TODAY'S COUNT 11 VIRGINIA SUPREME COURT.
IN OTHER WORDS, WARREN COUNTY IS NOT CURRENTLY TO HAVE
[00:10:01]
A JURY TRIAL AND HASN'T SINCE THE NOLLIE PROCEDURE IT WAS ENTERED.HAVE WE SO QUICKLY FORGOTTEN 14 DEFENDANTS INDICTED BY THE SPECIAL GRAND JURY HAD THEIR CASES DISMISSED BECAUSE OF THE DEMANDS ON THE FORMER COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEY TO DO SOMETHING THAT PRESSURE TO PROSECUTE HAS LOST HAS LED TO THE LOST FAITH IN THE LOCAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT THIS RESOLUTION CLAIMS TO FURTHER, WHY DOESN'T THE RESOLUTION REQUEST THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO PROSECUTE THESE CHARGES? IF THERE IS IN FACT, A SINCERE BELIEF THAT THIS TOWN COUNCIL CAN APPLY SUCH PRESSURE TO PROSECUTE, WHY NOT CALL DANIEL P BOO BAR, THE ASSISTANT US ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA AND HAVE HIS OFFICE CONTINUE THEIR INVESTIGATION THAT CULMINATED IN A SEARCH WARRANT OF THE EDA IN APRIL OF LAST YEAR, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WOULD BRING GREAT RESOURCES AND LESS CONFLICTS OF INTEREST INHERENT WITH SO MANY PEOPLE INVOLVED IN OUR SMALL TOWN IN THIS EDA SCANDAL YOU WISH TO ADDRESS.
HOWEVER, THE ASSISTANT US ATTORNEY WILL TELL YOU THE SAME THING.
HE TOLD ME TODAY THAT HIS OFFICE HAS A POLICY OF NEITHER CONFIRMING OR DENYING.
IF THERE IS A PENDLE PENDING CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION, IT WILL BE A WASTE OF TIME, TIME, PURE AND SIMPLE AS A FINAL OBSERVATION.
THIS IS THE EXACT KIND OF RESOLUTION I WOULD WANT.
IF MY CLIENT WAS INVOLVED IN THE EDA SCANDAL, I'VE ALMOST FINISHED.
I WOULD WANT THE PROSECUTOR TO FEEL RUSHED AND NOT READ ALL 100 MILLION DOCUMENTS, WHICH WORKS OUT TO REVIEWING OVER 1000 DOCUMENTS PER DAY FOR THREE SOLID YEARS, BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT BE PREPARED FOR TRIAL IN DOUBLE JEOPARDY WILL PRECLUDE MY CLIENT'S PROSECUTION, RUSHED TO JUSTICE JUSTICE, SET MY CLIENT FREE.
PLEASE BE CAREFUL WITH WHAT YOU WISH FOR AND END THE POLITICAL GRAND STANDING A MONTH BEFORE ELECTION.
WILLIAM HUCK, WILLIAM HUCK FOUR ZERO NINE EAST MAIN STREET, FRONT ROYAL, VIRGINIA.
THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR COUNCIL, DON MANAGER TOWN ATTORNEY.
THANK YOU ALL FOR HAVING ME TONIGHT.
I'VE HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS LATELY ABOUT SOME OF THE EVENTS AND STUFF GOING ON IN OUR COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE THE CLOSURE OF MAIN STREET.
THANK YOU ALL FOR, FOR ALLOWING THAT TO CONTINUE.
SO HOMETOWN HALLOWEEN IS GOING TO BE ON MY AGENDA.
SO NOT SURE IF WE'RE GOING TO DO A HOMETOWN HALLOWEEN, BUT I JUST WANTED TO LET THE COUNCIL KNOW HERE THAT THE MERCHANTS OF MAIN STREET ARE PLANNING TO GO FORWARD WITH HALLOWEEN AND WITH EXTRA PROVISIONS INCLUDED IN AS A JACK-O-LANTERN LIGHTING AT DUSK TO BE ADDED TO THE FESTIVITY.
SO I JUST WANTED TO COME AND INFORM ALL OF YOU, WHY YOU ARE HERE TONIGHT AND SAY THANK YOU FOR THE CLOSURE OF MAIN STREET AND WE ARE GOING TO LIVE IT TO THE FULLEST.
[6a. Report of special committees or Town Officials and Interim Town Manager]
IS LET ME TAKE THIS THING OFF.NEXT ITEM TONIGHT IS REPORTS, UH, REQUEST, UH, REPORTS TO FOR THE FIRST ONE IS A TOWN OFFICIALS OR T INTERIM TOWN MANAGER.
THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR MEMBERS OF COUNCIL.
UH, WE HAVE WITH US THIS EVENING, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BRANDON DAVIS, WITH NORTHERN SHANDO VALLEY REGIONAL COMMISSION HERE TO SEE A FEW WORDS.
THANK YOU, SIR, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE, MR. MAYOR AND COUNCILORS, I ALWAYS ENJOY HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME FOR YOU AND BRIEF YOU ON SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AT THE REGIONAL COMMISSION.
I AM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE REGIONAL COMMISSION HAVE BEEN FOR ABOUT FOUR YEARS NOW.
IT SEEMS LIKE IT HADN'T, HADN'T BEEN THAT LONG, BUT IT HAS, UH, WE ARE A SMALL REGIONAL GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION.
THAT'S CREATED GOVERNED OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN THE NORTHERN SHENANDOAH VALLEY WERE CREATED ABOUT 50 YEARS AGO TO DO THOSE THINGS THAT YOU ALL WANT TO DO TOGETHER, EITHER BECAUSE IT MAKES MORE SENSE OR BECAUSE IT'S LESS EXPENSIVE TO DO SO.
UM, WE HAVE GROWN TO OUR MAXIMUM SIZE RECENTLY OF 10 EMPLOYEES.
SO THAT GIVES YOU SOME SCALE OF WHAT WE CAN DO ACROSS FIVE COUNTIES, THE CITY OF WINCHESTER AND ALL THE TOWNS LOCATED WITHIN THERE.
UM, AS USUAL, I CHOOSE ONE OF OUR PROGRAMS OR HAPPENINGS TO DIVE A LITTLE DEEPER INTO TO GIVE YOU SOME SUBSTANCE, RATHER THAN TRY TO PAINT EVERYTHING WITH A BROAD BRUSH AND BRIEF YOU ON EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON IN RESPECT OF YOUR TIME.
UH, TONIGHT I'LL CHOOSE GO, VIRGINIA.
IT'S AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
WE DIDN'T DO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT UNTIL ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO.
[00:15:01]
OUR BOARD DIRECTED US TO LOOK INTO IT, WE ARE NOT A RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION ORGANIZATION FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, LIKE A TRADITIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OR AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE WOULD BE, WE ARE DOING THE SOFTER THINGS THAT ALLOW THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO DO THE WORK THAT YOU ALL NEED TO DO TO RETAIN BUSINESS.WE'RE GETTING THE PLANS IN PLACE TO GIVE YOU COMPETITIVE ACCESS TO FUNDING THROUGH THE FEDERAL EDA, THROUGH WHERE USDA RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES.
MORE RECENTLY WE'VE BEEN ASKED TO TAKE ON A LARGER ROLE IN THIS PROGRAM CALLED GO VIRGINIA.
IT WAS A BUSINESS LED PROGRAM THAT WAS STOOD UP IN 2016, UM, THROUGH RICHMOND AND, UH, FUNDED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND ROLLED OUT ACROSS THE REGIONS.
OUR REGION IS LARGER FOREGO VIRGINIA THAN JUST THE NORTHERN SHENANDOAH VALLEY.
IT INCORPORATES THE CENTRAL SHANANDOAH VALLEY AS WELL.
SO WE ARE OPERATING THIS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR PARTNER ORGANIZATION, THE CENTRAL SHENANDOAH PLANNING DISTRICT COMMISSION.
AND MORE RECENTLY I'VE ALSO TAKEN ON THE ROLE OF INTERIM PROGRAM MANAGER.
SO KIND OF ONLY CONTINUE TO GROW IN WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE.
IT'S OUR GOAL TO TRY TO STREAMLINE THIS PROGRAM AND MAKE IT EASIER FOR FOLKS TO ACCESS THE FUNDING.
THE KEY TO BE ABLE TO DO IT IS YOU HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER WITH ANOTHER LOCAL GOVERNING BODY TO ACCESS THE MONEY.
NO LOCAL GOVERNMENT CAN ACCESS IT INDIVIDUALLY.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE AT LEAST TWO JURISDICTIONS AND MOST OFTEN MORE, UM, WE ARE WORKING TO, TO SPEND THE FUNDS THAT WERE ALLOCATED ON A PER CAPITA BASIS.
AND WE'RE ALSO WORKING TO ACCESS A STATEWIDE COMPETITIVE POOL OF FUNDS.
NORMALLY IN ORDER TO ACCESS THOSE, IT HAS TO BE MULTIPLE REGIONS WORKING TOGETHER ACROSS THE STATE.
WE'RE TRYING TO GROW INTO THAT AS OF MORE RECENTLY, THE COMMONWEALTH REALLOCATED, SOME OF THOSE, UH, STATEWIDE COMPETITIVE FUNDS IN THE FORM OF ECONOMIC RESILIENCE AND RECOVERY FUNDING.
IT'S AN A MILLION DOLLARS THAT EACH REGION HAS ACCESS TO.
THAT'S TIED TO COVID RESPONSE.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT DIDN'T EXIST, UH, MONTHS AGO AND IT WAS JUST CREATED.
AND SO WE HAVE UNTIL APRIL OF NEXT YEAR TO ACCESS THESE FUNDS WHERE THEY REVERT BACK TO THE POOL OF COMPETITIVE FUNDING, SOME REGIONS HAVE AN ACCESS TO ANY, SOME HAVE MORE REQUESTS THAN THE FUNDING ALLOWS, WHERE SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF WHAT I'M TELLING YOU IS WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY IN THE NEAR TERM TO WORK TOGETHER AND ACCESS SOME FUNDING, UH, THAT WILL GO AWAY IF WE DON'T ACCESS AND IT'LL SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE COMMONWEALTH, WE'LL SPEND IT.
SO WE HAVE, UH, AN INTERIM PROGRAM DIRECTOR, LIKE I SAID, ASHLEY SCHICKEL IS HER NAME.
SHE'S TAKEN ON THAT ROLE OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST MONTH IN MY OFFICE.
AND SHE'S WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH JURISDICTIONS TO ACCESS THIS FUNDING, THE FUNDING CAN'T GO DIRECTLY TO A BUSINESS.
IT CAN'T BE USED TO SUPPLANT CARES FUNDING.
IT CAN'T BE USED, UM, FOR DIRECT EXPENSES FOR THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, BUT IT'S FOR THE TARGETED INDUSTRIES TO, TO BOOST LOCAL GOV, TO BOOST THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND, UH, THROUGH COLLABORATION AND COOPERATION.
UH, THE OTHER PIECE OF THIS, NORMALLY THERE'S A MATCH AND A SIGNIFICANT LOCAL BUY-IN WITH ACTUAL DOLLARS THAT, THAT DON'T RE THAT, THAT CAN'T BE IN KIND.
YOU HAVE TO ACTUALLY BRING MONEY TO THE TABLE TO ACCESS IT.
SOME, SOME THINGS HAVE CHANGED HERE AND THE LOCAL INVESTMENT HAS BEEN WAIVED.
AND NOT ONLY THAT, IT'S NO LONGER ONE-TO-ONE, IT'S TWO TO ONE TO ACCESS THESE FUNDING.
SO IT'S A BETTER OPPORTUNITY TO ACCESS SOME FUNDING IN THE NEAR TERM.
AND I JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT THAT'S SOMETHING NEW THAT IS AVAILABLE AND THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING ON AS WELL AT THE STAFF LEVEL.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ALL.
I'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR FOLLOW UP WITH YOU MORE LIKELY WITH DETAILS IF THE QUESTIONS ARE TOO IN-DEPTH WHAT, YES.
UM, MR. DAVIS, UM, JUST A QUESTION ABOUT SOMETHING YOU HAD SPOKE OF PREVIOUSLY, HAVE WE MADE ANY PROCESS OR PROGRESS AS FAR AS THE, I THINK IT WAS, UH, UH, TRACK COUNTY, UH, RECYCLING PROCESSING FACILITY, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEEING SOMETHING LIKE THAT COMING TO, COMING TO OUR AREA, IF WE CAN POSSIBLY GET IT THERE.
UH, LAST TIME I WAS HERE, WHICH WAS THREE MONTHS AGO, I SPOKE TO THAT ISSUE AND WE HAD JUST AT THAT, LIKE THE WEEK BEFORE I BELIEVE CLOSED OUT THE STUDY ON THAT WE'D HIRED A PRIVATE FIRM TO DO THAT AND GONE TOGETHER WITH ALL THE JURISDICTIONS IN THE NORTHERN VALLEY TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT IF THERE'S A REGIONAL SOLUTION TO OUR RECYCLING CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE FACING LARGELY CAUSED BY CHANGES IN BUYER HABITS, AS WELL AS THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE IN WHAT PLACES LIKE CHINA AND INDIA WILL EXCEPT FOR, UM, RECYCLABLES.
THAT'S SOME BACKGROUND FOR THOSE WATCHING ON TV AND THOSE WHO WEREN'T AROUND.
WHEN WE STARTED THIS PROCESS, WE ENDED UP IN A POSITION WHERE WE DO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR REGIONAL COLLABORATION TO BUILD A FACILITY.
THE ISSUE IS THE PRIVATE SECTOR AS IT'S SUPPOSED TO DO HAS MOVED QUICKER THAN GOVERNMENT.
AND THERE'S A HOPE THAT THE PRIVATE SECTOR WILL BE BUILDING THIS FACILITY.
UH, SO THAT RISK THEN SHIFTS FROM THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE TAXPAYERS TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
THERE WILL OBVIOUSLY BE SOME CHALLENGES ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT, BUT OUR STRATEGY HAS SHIFTED FROM BUILD OUR OWN FACILITY OR CONTINUE TO EXPLORE BUILDING OUR OWN FACILITY, TO MAKE SURE WE WORK WITH
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THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO MAKE SURE WHATEVER THEY DEVELOP WILL SUIT NOT JUST OUR NEEDS, BUT THE COMMERCIAL INDUSTRY, NOT JUST THE COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL USER, BUT ALSO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT USER, A BETTER WAY TO SAY THAT.OUR HOPE IS THAT THAT WILL PROCEED AND THAT IT WILL PROVIDE US THE OPTIONS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE IT ECONOMICAL WHILE REMOVING THAT RISK OF THE TAXPAYER AND THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT TAKING ON THE FACILITY OF ITS OWN.
SO THAT'S SUBJECT TO CHANGE DEPENDING ON, UH, THE, THE STRATEGY OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
SO WE'RE STILL WATCHING IT AND WE'RE COMMUNICATING THROUGH A SOLID WASTE TECHNICAL COMMITTEE THROUGH OUR ORGANIZATION, ALL THE SOLID WASTE LOCAL GOVERNMENT MANAGERS GET TOGETHER ON THAT.
ANYONE ELSE? DO YOU THINK BRANDON, I JUST WANT, LET COUNCIL KNOW IS THE NEXT GROUP COMES UP FOR THEIR PRESENTATION, UH, STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS BY TRISH.
I'M GOING TO INTRODUCE THEM IN A MOMENT, BUT MR. DAVIS, DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE, UH, UH, PANDEMIC.
DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC, HE WAS ORGANIZING, UM, WEEKLY OR EVERY COUPLE OF WEEKS PHONE CALLS WITH ALL THE CITY MANAGERS, COUNTY MANAGERS, COUNTY ADMINISTRATORS IN THE REGION.
AND I FOUND THOSE TO BE VERY HELPFUL, UH, FOR US TO BOUNCE OFF IDEAS WITH EACH OTHER.
SO I'M REALLY APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE LEAD ON THAT.
I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO SAY THAT SOONER.
UM, WE HAVE A GROUP, OUR TOURISM MARKETING, AS WELL AS BUSINESS RECOVERY GROUP, STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS, UH, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, AS A REMINDER, UM, WE RETAIN THEIR SERVICES, UH, SEVERAL MONTHS AGO.
UH, THEY HAVE A PRESENTATION THAT THEY'RE GOING TO ROLL THROUGH.
I THINK, UH, THE AUDIO VIDEO, VISUAL AUDIO VISUAL.
ROOM'S GONNA PUT IT UP ON THE SCREEN HERE AND THERE IT IS.
YOU WANT TO TEST IT TO MAKE SURE THE FANTASTIC, JUST AS A, UH, INTRODUCTION, UH, MR. MAYOR MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, WE HAVE, UH, CHRIS GRIFFIN, MICHELLE MCAFEE, AND TRISHA HUDSON WHO OWNS A STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS BY TRISH.
UM, WE'VE BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THIS ORGANIZATION OVER THE LAST SEVERAL, UM, SEVERAL MONTHS, UH, BEEN VERY PLEASED WITH THE AMOUNT OF EFFORT AND TIME RESOURCES, AS WELL AS THE RESULTS.
AND WE THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO, UH, TO SEE THAT THIS EVENING IS A TRISH.
I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU WHEN YOU CAN PROCEED YOU SO MUCH.
AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US HERE TONIGHT.
EXCUSE ME, LIKE MATT SAID, I'M TRISHA HUDSON AND I'M THE OWNER OF STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS BY TRICIA.
UH, CHRIS AND MICHELLE ARE JOINING ME AND WE HAVE ONE PERSON WHO HASN'T COME UP WITH US, ELENA, WHO IS ALSO A PART OF OUR, OUR TEAM AS IT RELATES TO TOURISM AND BUSINESS RECOVERY FOR THE TOWN.
UH, BUT FIRST I WANT TO THANK YOU NOT ONLY FOR HAVING US, BUT ALSO FOR MAKING THE INVESTMENT IN THIS, UH, IN THIS PROJECT FOR THE TOWN.
AND I HOPE THAT YOU'RE PLEASED WITH THE RESULTS THAT, THAT WE SHARE WITH YOU TONIGHT.
WE HAVE SOME NUMBERS THAT YOU'LL BE, I THINK YOU'LL BE VERY HAPPY WITH AND SOME MATERIALS THAT I THINK THAT YOU'LL FIND VERY INTERESTING IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THEM ALREADY.
SO, UM, AGAIN, THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING US.
WE'RE, WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT BEING HERE AND I'M SHARING THESE RESULTS WITH YOU AND TO WALK YOU THROUGH A VARIETY OF, OF, UM, TACTICS THAT WE'VE USED IN ORDER TO BRING THESE NUMBERS TO YOU.
AND SO, UM, LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.
SO AGAIN, THERE ARE A VARIETY OF US WHO ARE WORKING ON THIS PROJECT.
AND SO OF COURSE MY TEAM HERE WITH ME TONIGHT, BUT ALSO BACK HOME AND THEN ELENA PATRICE, WHO OWNS A SOCIAL STATUS IS RIGHT BEHIND ME AND FEEL FREE TO JOIN US HERE IF YOU'D LIKE.
AND THEN OF COURSE, UM, THERE'S A GREAT VARIETY OF BUSINESS LEADERS WHO ARE VOLUNTEERS THAT ARE WORKING WITH US AS WELL.
AND SO YOU'LL HEAR MORE ABOUT AS WE GO ALONG.
SO COLLABORATION HAS BEEN KEY.
SO, SO THERE, YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE TEAM BACK AT HOME, IT'S WORKING TO A PERMIT BUSINESS AND BUSINESS RECOVERY AND TOURISM HERE IN THE TOWN ALAINA.
AND THEN, LIKE I SAID, THERE ARE SOME, UM, SOME KEY FOLKS WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT AND ALSO IN THE BUSINESS ARENA THAT ARE HELPING TO THAT STARTED THIS EFFORT A FEW MONTHS AGO AND WHO ARE, WHO ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON THIS EFFORT AND, UH, WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO SO AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
SO TO START US OFF, WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU, IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ALREADY A GREAT VIDEO THAT WAS PRODUCED BY A LOCAL VIDEOGRAPHER AND ALSO SPONSORED BY A LOCAL BUSINESS.
I'M SORRY, THERE'S NOT SOUND TONIGHT FOR YOU.
I HOPE THAT YOU'LL GO TO THE DISCOVER FRONT ROYAL WEBSITE, IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT AND VIEW IT THERE BECAUSE THE SOUND IS TERRIFIC, BUT, BUT WE'LL VIEW IT TONIGHT FOR THE RECORD.
I HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO SEE THIS AND I DO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GO AND LISTEN TO IT BECAUSE THE SOUND IS PHENOMENAL.
[00:25:01]
MUCH.I WISH YOU HAD BEEN ABLE TO HEAR IT, BUT THANK YOU.
UM, BUT AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, GO ONTO DISCOVER FRONT ROYAL, UM, FACEBOOK PAGE AND ONTO THE WEBSITE AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO LISTEN TO IT AS WELL.
UM, AGAIN, THANK YOU TO OUR LOCAL BUSINESS, UM, OWNER WHO HELPED US SPONSOR THAT VIDEO.
SO TONIGHT YOU'RE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE INCREASED TRAFFIC THAT WE'VE SEEN, NOT ONLY TO THE DISCOVER FRONT ROYAL WEBSITE, BUT TO SOCIAL MEDIA, TO, UM, TO PRINT THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO USE AND TO OUR RADIO, UM, ADVERTISEMENTS HAVE GONE FORWARD IN THE TOWN.
AND SO YOU'LL SEE SPECIFIC STRATEGIES THAT WE'VE, I'M SORRY, TRISHA, LET ME INTERRUPT YOU DWAYNE.
CAN YOU GET IT BACK UP ON THE SCREEN, PLEASE? THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE USED THIS SCREEN WITH OUR NEW SWAGGART SYSTEMS. SO WE'RE APOLOGIZED FOR THE AUDIENCE.
WE'RE STILL TRYING TO WORK OUT SOME OF THE KINKS CENTER CAMERA THOUGH.
YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND CONTINUE TRISHA BELOW.
UM, I DO HOPE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO GET THAT, BUT, BUT THE MAIN THING IS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO USE, UM, UH, DIFFERENT STRATEGIES TO PULL TOGETHER, UM, SOME DESIRED OUTCOMES AND ALSO DELIVERED MEASURED RESULTS.
SO, UM, THE TOURISM EFFORTS STARTED BACK WITH THE WEBSITE CREATION, THE DISCOVER FRONT ROYAL WEBSITE CREATION BACK IN 2019.
THERE WERE SOME TACTICS THAT WERE PUT IN PLACE.
WE SAW SOME ACTIVITY BACK THEN.
UM, HOWEVER THAT PLATEAUED, BECAUSE IT WAS ONE DIMENSIONAL, WE WEREN'T FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS.
WE WEREN'T TAKING A LOOK AT WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
WEBSITES, SOCIAL MEDIA, WE WEREN'T TAKING CARE OF OUR PRINT NEEDS.
WE DIDN'T HAVE ALL OF THESE PIECES INTEGRATED.
AND SO IN TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES STILL IS HAPPENING.
UM, SO ALL OF THAT THEN CREATED A LITTLE BIT OF A LULL IN WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO ACHIEVE DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME.
AND SO WE'VE THEN FAST FORWARD TO ABOUT FEBRUARY, 2020.
AND THAT'S WHEN ELENA WHO WAS BEHIND ME WAS HIRED.
AND SHE WAS REALLY THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR, UM, REALLY AMPING UP THE WEBSITE USAGE AND SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE FOR THE TOWN.
AND SO, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO TOURISM.
AND SO SHE IS QUITE THE WIZARD BEHIND THE CURTAIN, IF YOU WILL, AND BEING ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE DIFFERENT AVENUES THAT WE NEEDED TO USE THESE TWO TACTICS.
AND SO WE'RE GOING TO WAIT JUST ONE MORE MINUTE.
AND SO IN FEBRUARY, 2020, THAT HAPPENED, UM, AGAIN, THE BACK TO BUSINESS, BACK TO NATURE COMMITTEE OF VOLUNTEERS, THE BUSINESS LEADERS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS, UH, LEADERS WITHIN THE TOWN GOVERNMENT ALL CAME TOGETHER AND MADE SOME CHANGES TO THE WEBSITE AND OTHER AREAS, PARTICULARLY SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION WAS NEEDED.
AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME.
AND THEN AS MATT, MY COMPANY WAS HIRED IN JULY OF 2020, AND IT WAS OUR ROLE TO COME UP WITH A INTEGRATED COMMUNICATIONS PLAN AND STRATEGIES TO BE ABLE TO MOVE ALL OF THESE PIECES TOGETHER WITH THE RIGHT MESSAGE, DELIVERY IT ON THE RIGHT CHANNEL AND GETTING US THE RESULTS THAT WE WERE ANTICIPATING IN DESIRING.
[00:30:01]
ALL RIGHT.ARE WE CONTROLLING THESE LEDS NOW? OKAY.
AGAIN, COMPREHENSIVE INTEGRATED STRATEGY, UH, FIRING ON ALL PLATFORMS. IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO DELIVER THE CONTENT THAT WE NEED TO DELIVER TO THE VARIOUS AUDIENCES THAT WE HAVE.
WE HAVE QUITE A DIVERSE DEMOGRAPHIC HERE IN THE TOWN AND ALSO OUTSIDE OF THE TOWN.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE AGE, DEMOGRAPHICS, THE INCOME DEMOGRAPHICS, AND, UM, WHERE PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM, WHETHER THEY'RE IN THE TOWN AND THEY WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT IS HERE, OR IF THEY'RE TRAVELING TO THE TOWN AND SPENDING MONEY HERE COMING TO VISIT HERE.
AND SO WE'VE GOTTA BE ABLE TO TALK TO ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT CONSTITUENCY GROUPS ON DIFFERENT CHANNELS.
AND SO AGAIN, IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THE INTEGRATED STRATEGIES LIKE WE'VE, WE'VE PUT TOGETHER.
SO YOU'LL SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THOSE NOW.
UM, AGAIN, THE LAUNCH OF THE WEBSITE WAS VERY IMPORTANT AND THEN, UM, FAST FORWARDING A YEAR, IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP STEP AND DO SOME SEO WORK AND TO DO THE REVAMP OF THE FRONT END AND THE BACKEND OF THE WEBSITE TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS PERFORMING TO ITS OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE AND THAT WE WERE ABLE TO RESTRUCTURE THE INFORMATION THAT WAS ON THE WEBSITE SO THAT IT WAS EASILY, UH, INFORMATION WAS EASILY FOUND, WHETHER IT BE ABOUT BUSINESS RECOVERY, THE CARES ACT WHAT'S HAPPENING ON MAIN STREET.
WHAT EVENTS ARE HAPPENING IN THE TOWN? HOW CAN PEOPLE PARTICIPATE? UM, HOW CAN PEOPLE COME AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT TALENT THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL HAS TO OFFER IN THE WAY OF ATTRACTIONS, BUSINESS, AND INDUSTRY.
AND SO WE HAD TO DO SOME REORGANIZATION THERE, AND THAT WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THAT SET THE STAGE FOR THEN HOW WE WOULD MEASURE WHAT WE DID DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME.
AND I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO CHRIS FOR A MINUTE AS HE'S GOING TO GO THROUGH SOME OF THIS STUFF.
SO JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE ON THIS SLIDE, WE SHOW WHEN DISCOVER FRONT ROYAL.COM WAS LAUNCHED.
UM, BACK IN THE END OF MAY IS WHEN WE HAVE THIS DATA SHOWING, UM, THE GROWTH HERE.
SO WE REGISTERED THE WEBSITE WITH GOOGLE ANALYTICS, THE END OF MAY.
SO THAT'S WHAT THE INFORMATION YOU'LL SEE HERE.
THAT'S THE DATA THAT WE HAVE TO SHOW.
SO AS SOON AS WE BEGAN, UH, WE WERE PRETTY CONSISTENT AVERAGING ABOUT A HUNDRED NEW, UH, VIEWS EVERY EVERY DAY.
AND SO THIS SPECIFIC GRAPH SHOWS THE USERS BY DAY.
I KIND OF TRAILS OFF IN THE NOVEMBER RANGE.
AND THEN IN APRIL BACK TO BUSINESS, BACK TO NATURE COMMITTEE COMES ON BOARD.
UM, THERE'S A SLIGHT DIP, UM, IN JULY AND THAT'S WHEN, UH, WE CAME ON BOARD TO TRY TO, UH, PUSH OUT ALL THE STUFF THAT WE WERE DOING.
WE HAD TO OPTIMIZE THE WEBSITE, OBVIOUSLY THE WEBSITE HAD TO BE DOWN.
SO THAT'S WHAT THAT DIP COMES FROM THERE.
SO WE, UH, DID SOME MAINTENANCE AND OPTIMIZE PER THE TOURISM TEAMS, UM, INSTRUCTIONS.
SO THIS IS ANOTHER GRAPH SHOWING THE SAME DATA, BUT BY MONTH.
SO YOU CAN SEE WE HAD THE GOOGLE, GOOGLE ANALYTICS DATA, THE END OF MAY, UM, AND IT KIND OF TRAILS OFF AROUND NOVEMBER.
IT STARTS TO DECREASE A LITTLE BIT.
UM, BUT BY THE TIME WE CAME ON BOARD, UM, IN JUNE AND JULY BASED OFF OF ELENA'S HIGHER AND OUR HIGHER, UM, THE TEAM OPTIMIZATION JULY, AUGUST, AND SEPTEMBER HAVE BEEN A LOT HIGHER THAN WHAT WE'VE SEEN PREVIOUSLY.
SO THIS GRAPH SHOWS NOT ONLY NEW USERS, BUT ALSO SESSIONS.
SO HOW MANY NEW VISITORS ARE COMING TO THE WEBSITE AND HOW MANY TIMES ARE THEY COMING? SO BOTH OF THOSE INCREASED SINCE WE TAKEN OVER AND ALSO WANTED TO SHOW THE DATA BY THE LAST THREE MONTHS THAT WE'VE BEEN ON BOARD AS WELL.
SO, UM, JULY, 2019, THIS IS A, UH, ANNUAL COMPARISON.
UM, WE SEE THAT WE HAVE A 47% INCREASE FOR THE NEW USERS AND A 47% INCREASE FOR THE SESSIONS IN JULY.
AND THEN IN AUGUST, IT KIND OF SHOOTS UP TO 82%, UM, YEAR OVER YEAR FOR AUGUST INCREASE A NEW USERS AND A 90% INCREASE IN NEW SESSIONS IN SEPTEMBER.
IT INCREASES 43% FOR NEW USERS AND 37% IN SESSION, RIGHT? SO IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE TOWN, WE STREAMLINED COMMUNICATION TO MAKE SURE THAT THE INFORMATION IS BEING SHARED THROUGH MULTIPLE CHANNELS, INCLUDING FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, AND TWITTER.
UH, WE HAVE SEEN AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN A THOUSAND LIKES AND FOLLOWERS ON FACEBOOK, UM, INSTAGRAM, WHICH WE DIDN'T REALLY USE, UM, EFFECTIVELY ENGAGED IN EFFECTIVELY.
PREVIOUSLY, WE SAW AN ENGAGEMENT OF MORE THAN A THOUSAND WITH MORE THAN A HUNDRED FOLLOWERS AND TWITTER, UH, WHICH ALSO WASN'T ENGAGED PREVIOUSLY NOW HAS MORE THAN 400 FOLLOWERS.
AND SO WE WANTED TO DRILL DOWN A LITTLE BIT ON FACEBOOK.
[00:35:01]
CAN KIND OF RECOGNIZE THE LIKES AND FOLLOWERS OBVIOUSLY LIKES ARE MORE INSTINCTUAL.I LIKE THIS PARTICULAR POST OR WHATEVER IT IS, BUT FOLLOWERS, THEY WANT TO SEE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, UM, CONSISTENTLY, RIGHT? THEY WANT TO SEE THE SAME TYPE OF INFORMATION WHAT'S GOING ON WITH FRONT ROYAL.
UM, SO THOSE THAT'S WHAT'S BEING SHOWN HERE IS THE LIKES AND FOLLOWERS.
SO, UM, THIS GOES ALL THE WAY BACK TO 2018 AS FAR BACK AS WE COULD RETRIEVE THIS DATA FROM, FROM FACEBOOK.
UM, AND WHAT WE FOUND WAS IN 2019, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF LIKES WAS ALMOST 700 AND THE FOLLOWERS WERE 765 FOLLOWERS.
AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO IN 2020, UH, HAVE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO INCREASE 150%, UH, THE LIKES AND 135% FOLLOWERS YEAR OVER YEAR.
SO THIS KIND OF DRILLS DOWN, AND YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THE LINE GRAPH OF 2018, 19 AND 2020.
UM, SO JUST WHERE WE WERE, UM, IN DECEMBER, WE WERE ABLE TO INCREASE 8.2% YEAR OVER YEAR, AND THEN ANOTHER 18.8%, UM, FROM WHERE WE WERE IN 2019 TO RIGHT NOW IN SEPTEMBER.
SO DRASTIC NUMBERS BASICALLY DOUBLING WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO, UH, FROM THE JUMP FROM 2018, 2019, SAME THING WITH FOLLOWERS, WE SEE THE CONSISTENCY THERE AS WELL.
YOU CAN SEE ONE OF OUR BLOG POSTS THERE, UM, IN ADDITION TO SOME NICE PICTURES THAT WE'VE BEEN TAKING AND POSTING AS WELL.
AND WE HOPE THAT YOU'RE ALL FOLLOWING WHAT'S HAPPENING ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
SO MAYBE YOU'VE ALREADY SEEN SOME OF THIS.
UM, SO WHAT WE ALSO LEARNED IS THAT WE NEEDED TO BROADEN OUR REACH, UH, AGAIN, AGAIN, SO WE HAD ALL OF THESE ACTIVITIES HAPPENING.
WE HAD ALL OF THIS, UH, THIS CONTENT FLOWING, BUT WE NEEDED TO PICK UP SOME MORE FOLLOWERS AND SOME, THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE OUR MESSAGE TO A WIDER AUDIENCE.
AND SO WHAT WE DID WAS TO GO OUT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD A, A LIST OF ALL OF THE BUSINESS LEADER GROUPS IN THE AREA, SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR WEBSITES AS IT RELATES TO TOURISM AND FACEBOOK PAGES, SO THAT WE COULD GATHER ALL THAT INFORMATION AND BE ABLE TO SYNTHESIZE THAT INTO A COMPLETE LIST OF WHERE WE NEEDED TO PUT OUR CONTENT.
UM, SO WE DID THAT AND WE CAME UP WITH THIS SHORT LIST OF THOSE THAT WE NEEDED TO DO SOME OUTREACH WITH INTO.
AND SO WHAT WE DID WAS WE ADDED ABOUT A LITTLE OVER A MILLION, TWO IN ACCESS POINTS FOR OUR, OUR TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL.
AND SO WHAT WE DID IS IN ALL OF OUR, UM, FACEBOOK POSTS AND DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE SHARE IN SOCIAL MEDIA, WE ALSO ARE TAGGING THESE GROUPS SO THAT THEY ARE THEN IN BEING ABLE TO SHARE INFORMATION AND BEING ABLE TO SHARE OUR CONTENT.
SO I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT SO THAT WE CAN SHARE OUTSIDE, UM, OF NOT JUST OUR PEOPLE THAT ARE LOOKING AT OUR WEBSITE AND LOOKING AT OUR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS, BUT MORE GET THE, YOU KNOW, IT'S A RIPPLE EFFECT, RIGHT? SO THAT WAS OUR APPROACH TO TAKE, UH, THERE AT 1.2 MILLION ADDITIONAL PROSPECTS.
SO THIS WAS A BIG THING THAT WE STARTED BACK IN JUNE.
UM, OUR, WE POSTED OUR FIRST BLOG.
AND SO THIS IS BECAUSE IT HELPS TO MAXIMIZE OUR SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ON THE WEBSITE, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE SEEING SUCH GREAT NUMBERS ON OUR WEBSITE AS WELL.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, THE EFFORTS INCLUDE BUSINESSES EVENTS AND NATURAL ATTRACTIONS IS WHAT THE BLOGS ARE KIND OF FOCUSING ON.
SO SINCE JUNE, WE'VE ALREADY, UH, ESTABLISHED 14 NEW BLOGS, UH, AND THEY JUST INCREMENTALLY CONTINUE TO KIND OF COMPILE AND DO BETTER THAN THE LAST ONE YOU CAN SEE ON, UH, JULY 12TH, FIRST BLOG, OVER 50 VIEWS BY JULY 28TH, FIRST BLOG, OVER A HUNDRED VIEWS.
AND THEN THE FIRST ONE OVER 200 VIEWS IN AUGUST.
SO WE'RE SEEING SOME, SOME INCREASE THERE.
UH, THE LINKS ALSO HELP WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES AS WELL.
ALL OF THESE BLOGS ARE KIND OF FOCUSING ON SPECIFIC ATTRACTIONS, SPECIFIC BUSINESSES TO GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT THESE.
AND SO THE LINKS HELP WITH THE WEBSITE AS WELL TO BRING TRAFFIC OVER.
THIS WAS ANOTHER WAY WE'RE CONNECTING, UM, TO POTENTIAL TOURISTS.
UH, WE ARE TARGETING, UH, NEW DEMOGRAPHICS.
AND SO WE CREATED SHORT VIDEOS ON A SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM CALLED TICK-TOCK.
UH, AND THIS IS TO APPEAL TO, UH, THE USER BASE GEN Z AND MILLENNIALS WHO ARE USING THIS PLATFORM LIKE CRAZY RIGHT NOW.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE HEARD OF IT.
SO WE HAVE THREE VIDEOS THAT HAVE BEEN PRODUCED, UH, WITH STEADY TRAFFIC.
[00:40:01]
VIEWS FROM THOSE THREE VIDEOS ONLY.UH, WE JUST HAVE 16, UH, TICK-TOCK FOLLOWERS AND 28 NEW LIKES.
BUT AGAIN, THIS IS FROM THREE 15 SECOND VIDEOS THAT HAVE BEEN POSTED ABOUT THE TOWN.
HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO HEAR SOUND, BUT MAYBE NOT, BUT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE LIKE JUST A QUICK SNIPPET
SO AGAIN, THESE FOCUS ON LOCAL BUSINESSES ATTRACTIONS, UH, THE LATEST ONE WAS ABOUT NATURE, UM, AND GOING TO LURAY CAVERNS.
SO, UM, WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO FOCUS ON DIFFERENT AREAS.
UH, YOU MAY HAVE HEARD TIK TOK MIGHT BE HERE IN THE NEAR FUTURE OR NOT.
SO WE DO HAVE A CONTINGENCY PLAN WITH INSTAGRAM REELS, UM, WHERE WE CAN DO SOMETHING SIMILAR WITH THE 15 SECOND VIDEOS.
SO THEN ON THE MORE TRADITIONAL ROUTE OR BACK TO THE RADIO, AND SO WE'VE DONE SOME PAID RADIO ADVERTISEMENTS, AND SO THAT'S AN ANNUAL CONTRACT.
THAT'S ABOUT A $6,000 INVESTMENT.
SO PRETTY MINIMAL FOR A THOUSAND ADS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
SO AGAIN, I'M BROADCASTED THE PEAK TIMES FOR OUR LISTENERS WHO FIT OUR DEMOGRAPHICS, OBVIOUSLY THAT'S IMPORTANT.
AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SHARING ALL THE MESSAGES FROM NOT ONLY TOURISM TO BUSINESS RECOVERY, TO THE CARES ACT TO INFORMATION THAT'S REALLY PERTINENT TO ALL OF THE CITIZENS OF THE TOWN.
AND SO AGAIN, IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE USING THE TRADITIONAL ASPECTS OF, OF MARKETING AS WELL, TOO, AS WELL TO THE NEW ASPECTS LIKE CHRIS WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE THERE TOO, THAT WE HAVE ABOUT 60 TO 80 ADS THAT RUN PER MONTH, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT.
WE TALKED ABOUT OUR, OUR SCAVENGER HUNT.
MAYBE SOME OF YOU PARTICIPATED IN THAT, UH, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT SOME DIFFERENT BUSINESSES AND, AND OPENING ON MAIN STREET, ALL THINGS THAT ARE RELEVANT TO DRIVING PEOPLE, TO SPEND MONEY AND TO COME VISIT HERE.
AND THEN WE ALSO, UM, TRY TO UNIQUE APPROACH, UM, AND THAT WAS TO INTEGRATE EMAIL CAMPAIGNS INTO THE MARKETING STRATEGY.
AND SO WE PARTNERED WITH COVA BUSINESS.
WE'VE WORKED WITH THEM BEFORE THEY'RE OUT OF THE HAMPTON ROADS AREA OF VIRGINIA.
AND WHAT THEY DID WAS THEY HELPED US IDENTIFY 180,000, UH, VETTED EMAILS THAT WERE IN THE TOURISM, LEISURE, ATTRACTION, FOOD BEVERAGE SPACE, SO THAT WE COULD COMMUNICATE THE MESSAGE OF FRONT ROYAL AND TOURISM UP TO THAT GROUP OF PEOPLE.
AND WE'VE DONE SO IN A THREE-PART SERIES, WE'VE ALREADY HAD TWO OF THEM GO OUT.
THE FIRST ONE WAS FOCUSED ON THE, UM, CRAFT BEER.
AND THEN OF COURSE WE INTEGRATED RETAIL AND RESTAURANTS AS A PART OF IT.
AND THEN THE SECOND PART WAS FOCUSED ON, UM, THE DISTILLERIES, BECAUSE IT WAS A, A CRAFT BEER DISTILLERY AND WINE, UM, SERIES.
AND OF COURSE, AGAIN, FOCUSING ON RETAIL AND RESTAURANTS WITH THAT.
AND THEN, UM, THIS LAST ONE WILL BE IN OCTOBER AND AGAIN, FOCUSED ON WINERIES AND, UM, AND RESTAURANTS, RETAIL.
AND SO WHAT WE SAW THERE NOT ONLY THE 180,000 PEOPLE THAT WE REACHED, WE ALSO SAW A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFORMATION.
AND THAT WAS THAT WE HAD A VERY LARGE CLICK-THROUGH RATE.
WE HAD AN OPEN RATE THAT WAS IMPRESSIVE ALL ALL ACROSS.
UH, WE INCREASED, UH, VISIBILITY FOR THE TODDLER FRONT ROYAL, AND TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT, UM, THIS WAS A UNIQUE PROJECT THAT REACHED A LOT OF PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS AND ALSO IN OUR EMAIL CAMPAIGN.
SO BUILDING OFF OF THE EMAIL STRUCTURE, UM, WE IMPLEMENTED A NEW STRUCTURE COMMUNICATION TOOL TO AID IN LOCAL BUSINESS RECOVERY.
SO AS PART OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, WE USED, UM, THE EXISTENCE EXISTING, UM, CONTACT, CONTACT, CONSTANT CONTACT THAT, UM, THE TOWN HAD.
UM, BUT WE IMPLEMENTED A PLAN, UM, TO SEND OUT THE EMAILS BIWEEKLY, UM, FOCUSING THE MESSAGES, TARGETING TO WHAT THE BUSINESSES, UM, NEED, UM, AND MESSAGES THAT WERE REITERATED ON DISCOVER FRONT ROYAL WEBSITE AND, UM, SOCIAL MEDIA.
UM, THE EMAILS REACH ABOUT 2000 LOCAL FRONT ROYAL RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES, UM, WITH EACH ONE OF THE CENTERS.
SO, SO FAR WE'VE DELIVERED NINE OF THESE TARGETED MESSAGES TO 22,500 PEOPLE.
UM, AND AS PART OF THE CONSTANT CONTACT CAMPAIGN, WE ALSO CREATED AND DELIVERED DIGITAL FORUMS THAT ALLOWED, UM, LOCAL BUSINESS LEADERS TO COMMUNICATE BACK WITH US, THEIR INTEREST IN PARTICIPATING IN SMALL BUSINESS, SATURDAYS
[00:45:01]
AND OTHER MARKETING EVENTS, UM, WHERE THEY CAN PROVIDE THEIR LOGOS AND THEIR IMAGES AND THEIR INFORMATION TO BE FEATURED ON MARKETING PIECES, UM, AND DISCOVER FRONT ROYAL ON SOCIAL MEDIA AS WELL.UM, AND WE'VE HAD GREAT SUCCESS.
ACTUALLY, THE OPEN RATES FOR THE CONSTANT CONTACT EMAILS HAVE BEEN FAR GREATER THAN THE NATIONAL AVID AVERAGE AND THE CLICK-THROUGH RATE HAS ALSO BEEN FAR ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.
UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE INDUSTRY AVERAGE IS ABOUT 12.6% AND THE CLICK-THROUGH IS ABOUT 5.4, BUT FOR OUR CONSTANT CONTEXT ON THE OPEN RATE WAS ABOUT 22%.
AND THE AVERAGE CLICK-THROUGH RATE WAS 7% JUST IN THE LAST 60 DAYS.
AND THEN SOME OF THE EVENTS THAT WE'VE HELPED, UM, PROMOTE AND MARKET INCLUDE THE SCAVENGER HUNTS WERE, WERE VERY POPULAR, UH, FAMILY FRIENDLY AND ALSO THE DOWNTOWN REBOUND, UM, WHICH GAVE RESTAURANTS AND LOCAL SHOPS, MORE OUTDOOR SPACE TO SET UP, UM, AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, GAVE MORE OPPORTUNITIES, ESPECIALLY DURING THIS TIME PERIOD FOR RESTAURANTS AND BUSINESSES, TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO SELL THEIR PRODUCTS AND HAVE THEIR RESTAURANTS OPEN, UM, AS WELL.
SO WE HELPED DEFINITELY WITH THEM, THEY'RE PROMOTING AND MARKETING OF THOSE AS WELL.
ONE OF THE, UM, UPCOMING EVENTS THAT WE HAVE IS THE BACK TO NATURE CELEBRATION, AND WE'VE WORKED CLOSELY WITH LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS AND ORGANIZATIONS TO PLAN AND MARKET AND PROMOTE THE CELEBRATION ON OCTOBER 10TH.
UM, IT WILL ALSO TAKE PLACE DURING ANOTHER EVENT THAT TRISHA IS GOING TO SPEAK ABOUT IN A MOMENT THAT WILL RUN CONCURRENTLY, UM, DURING THIS BACK TO NATURE CELEBRATION OR DRAWING IN NATURE LOVERS, CANOE LOVERS FROM ALL OVER THE REGION, UM, TO TAKE IN, UH, FREE CANOE RIDES ON THE RIVER, UM, SHOP AT OUR OUTDOOR THEMED, UM, BOOTHS ALONG MAIN STREET, THERE'LL BE VENDORS SET UP, UM, FROM VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS AND BUSINESSES, INCLUDING MOUNTAIN TRAILS, FRONT, ROYAL OUTDOORS, UM, AND ALSO THE WARREN COUNTY, UM, FRONT RURAL APPALACHIAN TRAIL COMMUNITY WILL BE THERE WITH THEIR QUEST PROGRAM.
THAT'S, COVID FRIENDLY TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO GO OUT AND HIKE, UM, ON THESE DIFFERENT QUESTS AND, UM, EARN BADGES FROM THEM.
THEY'RE ALSO BE ARTISTS THERE, UM, LIKE ROSE TURNER AND CHRIS ANDERSON AND LIVE MUSIC, UM, SPONSORED BY FRONT ROYAL BREWING AS WELL.
AND THAT LEADS US UP TO OUR NEXT BIG EVENT THAT TRISHA WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE AGAIN, TRYING TO REACH ALL GENERATIONS, ALL DEMOGRAPHICS.
AND SO ONE OF THE EVENTS THAT WILL BE NEW FOR US THIS YEAR, AS WELL AS OUR INFLUENCER EVENT.
AND THAT IS WHERE WE'LL INVITE SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS THAT HAVE A VERY LARGE FOLLOWING TO COME AND JOIN US FOR A WEEKEND IN TOWN.
WE'LL HAVE A ROUTINE THAT, OR A ROUTE, EXCUSE ME, THAT WE'LL FOLLOW AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CATCH AS MANY LOCAL BUSINESSES AS POSSIBLE, BE ABLE TO SHARE THEIR STORY AND THE INFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE EXPERIENCING.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'LL BE QUITE A FUN-FILLED ACTIVITY OF, OR A WEEKEND OF ACTIVITY ONLY.
UM, UH, IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT THEY, WHAT THEY SHARE ON THEIR INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK PAGES AND, AND ALL THE THINGS THAT THEY ARE GOING TO BE COMMUNICATING THROUGH.
AND SO ABOUT 10 TO 15 SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS WILL JOIN US AGAIN WITH A VERY LARGE FOLLOWING SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO DO, UH, FOR THE TOWN GOING FORWARD.
SO WE'RE EXCITED TO HOST THEM DURING THAT WEEKEND AND SHARE THEM ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR TOWN TO, UH, TO GO AND DO AND CONSUME.
AND SEE, MICHELLE'S GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR GRANT ACTIVITY.
YEAH, ONE OF MY PRIMARY ROLES AS THE GRANT COORDINATOR IS TO ASSIST, UM, LOCAL BUSINESSES.
SO ONE OF THE FIRST ITEMS THAT I WORKED ON WAS A WEBINAR, UM, WHERE WE INVITED LOCAL BUSINESSES TO COME IN AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TON OF FRONT RAIL CARES ACT AND REBUILD VIRGINIA, WHICH WAS CREATED TO TARGET THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT MIGHT NOT HAVE RECEIVED THE FUNDS DUE TO VARIOUS REASONS WITH THE CARES ACT AND PPP LOAN.
UM, AND BASICALLY, UM, WE ASSISTED THESE LOCAL BUSINESSES WITH THE QUESTIONS THAT THEY HAD REGARDING THE APPLICATION PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE COMPLETELY PREPARED WHEN THE PORTAL OPENED AND THEY UNDERSTOOD EVERYTHING THAT THEY NEEDED, UM, SO THAT THEY DIDN'T MISS THE TIME TO GET THEIR APPLICATIONS IN.
AND THEN ALSO JUST TO CLARIFY THE APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION PROCESS, AND I WAS ABLE TO WORK WITH THE STATE TO, UM, PREEMPT ANY QUESTIONS AND BE ABLE TO DELIVER THOSE TO THE LOCAL BUSINESS LEADERS DURING THAT, UM, WEBINAR.
UM, ADDITIONALLY WE'VE SECURED A GRANT FROM THE NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORPORATION TO ASSIST WITH THE BACK TO THE BUSINESS, UM, UM, INITIATIVES, UM, AND THAT'S $5,000 OF NEW MONEY, UM, FOR THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL.
AND ADDITIONALLY, OUR TEAM IS WORKING ON MORE THAN $500,000 IN GRANT OPPORTUNITIES OVER THE NEXT THREE MONTHS, UH, THROUGH CORPORATE GOVERNMENT AND FOUNDATIONAL GRANT SOURCES TO AID IN REVITALIZATION PROJECTS, AS WELL AS BUSINESS RECOVERY IN THE TOWN THAT TAKES US TO OUR OTHER SUCCESSES.
SO WE'RE, UM, WE'RE EXCITED TO ALSO WORK ON SOME ADDITIONAL PROJECTS, YOU KNOW, ALL
[00:50:01]
OF THIS WILL NEED TO BE MAINTAINED.SO THIS WILL BE WHAT W WHAT WE WILL FOCUS ON FROM NOW THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR, BUT ALSO WE'LL BE HELPING TO DEVELOP AN ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE TOWN THAT'LL BE SHARED WITH, UM, WITH THE CITIZENS WILL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH IT BACK TO BUSINESS, BACK TO NATURE COMMITTEE.
UM, ALL OF THE THINGS THAT YOU SAW TODAY THAT WERE REPRESENTED AND MEASURED, WE'LL STILL BE WORKING ON THOSE AND PUSHING THAT CONTENT AND ACTUALLY DEVELOPING THE CONTENT AND DELIVERING IT, AND, UM, CONTINUE TO REFINE THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF COMMUNICATE AN INTEGRATED COMMUNICATION STRATEGY SO THAT WE'RE ABLE TO THEN PASS THE BATON TO THE COMPANY THAT'S HIRED TO DO, UM, YOUR TOURISM PROMOTION THROUGHOUT 2021.
SO WE'VE BEEN, UM, VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO ALL OF THESE GREAT THINGS THAT YOU SAW TODAY.
WE HOPE THAT YOU'RE PLEASED WITH THE NUMBERS THAT YOU'RE SEEING, UH, FOR THE INVESTMENT THAT YOU MADE.
AND AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR MAKING AN INVESTMENT.
IT'S MADE A GREAT, A GREAT BIG DEAL OF DIFFERENCE.
AND WE DEFINITELY HEAR THAT FROM THE MERCHANTS HERE IN THE TOWN.
SO AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TONIGHT, AND WE'D LOVE TO ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS.
SO THE INFLUENCERS ARE COMING AND THESE SORT OF SPECIFIC ROUTES, ARE THEY ONLY GOING TO BE VISITING LIKE MAIN STREET BUSINESSES OR WILL THEY GO ELSEWHERE? THEY'LL GO ELSEWHERE.
YES, WE'VE TRIED TO MAKE IT, UM, SO THAT WE COVER AS MUCH GROUND AS WE CAN DURING THAT WEEKEND.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
AND, UM, YEAH, I WAS GONNA TOUCH ON ELENA IN A MOMENT, UM, JUST TO LET THE COUNCIL KNOW, IF YOU NOTICE IN APRIL, UM, TOWN STAFF, WE REALLY WANTED TO GET, GET A FOOTHOLD IN THE RECOVERY EFFORTS OF OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES DUE TO THE PANDEMIC.
AND SO, UM, THE BACK TO NATURE BACK TO BUSINESS, BACK TO BUSINESS, BACK TO NATURE COMMITTEE, UH, HAVE BEEN MEETING FREQUENTLY TO TRY TO HELP NEVER COVER EFFORTS.
AND THEN WITH, UH, WITH, UH, STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS COMING IN, THEY REALLY OFFERED A VERY HIGH LEVEL OF EXPERTISE, UM, IN DEVELOPING THE STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS PLAN, WHICH I THINK IS CRITICAL.
UM, I MEAN, YOU CAN SEE THE TYPE OF RESULTS THEY'RE GETTING IN JUST A FEW MONTHS.
THEY'RE TASKED WITH LAYING THE FOUNDATION, SO TO SPEAK AS IT RELATES TO TOURISM MARKETING MOVING FORWARD.
AND I THINK YOU GUYS, YOU HAVE TO SET IT SET A GREAT FOUNDATION SO FAR.
AND THEN LASTLY, ELENA PETRUS WITH, UH, SOCIAL STATUS, ELAINE HAS BEEN HELPING US NOT ONLY WITH, UM, THE OUTREACH AS IT RELATES TO BUSINESS RECOVERY AND, UM, TOURISM MARKETING, BUT ALSO IN HUMAN RESOURCES.
UM, WE'VE CONVERTED MUCH OF OUR HUMAN RESOURCES PROCESS FROM A NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING AND THEN ONLY TOWN WEBSITE ADVERTISING TO REACHING OUT MORE ON SOCIAL MEDIA, LINKEDIN, ET CETERA.
WE'RE GETTING NOW HUNDREDS OF APPLICATIONS, UM, WHICH IS, WHICH IS VERY REFRESHING.
SO I THINK THANK YOU, THANK YOU A LOT FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS ON THAT.
UH, THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR THAT, MR. MAYOR, UH, MS. MARY, I HAVE NOW I HAVE SOME PRIDE AND PERFORMANCE TO PRIDE AND PERFORMANCE AWARDS THAT I'D LIKE TO GIVE OUT.
UM, IF YOU JOIN ME DOWN AT THE BOTTOM IS PREMIERE.
IF I CAN GET MS. KAYLA THOMAS, THEN I THINK HER HUSBAND, OR, OH, YOU SAID HE'S NOT A FRONT ROW GUY.
SO, UM, AS I'VE SHARED IN THE PAST, THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE, UH, OPPORTUNITIES TO RECOGNIZE EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE JUST REALLY GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT THEY, THEY, UH, YOU WOULD THINK AN EMPLOYEE SHOULD GO, UH, KAYLA'S COLLECTION EFFORTS FOR MEALS AND LODGING TAXES AND BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL OCCUPANCY LICENSING HAS TREMENDOUSLY HELPED THE TOWN DURING THE RECOVERY PROCESS FOR COVID-19 A MEALS TAX COLLECTION FOR 2020 WAS AT 99% OF BUDGETED REVENUE.
AND I FEEL THAT IS A DIRECT REFLECTION OF KAYLA'S PERSISTENCE ON THE COLLECTION AND COMMUNICATION WITH BUSINESSES THAT ARE NON-COMPLIANT FOR REMITTANCE.
AND JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, THE MEALS TAX IS, UH, IT'S COLLECTED BY THE BUSINESS, AND THEY HAVE RESPONSIBILITY TO TURN THAT OVER AND TURN THE TURN OVER FOR THE APPROPRIATE AUTHORITIES.
AND SO, UH, KAYLA CHASES IT DOWN AND, AND GETS THAT FOR THE TOWN TOWN GOVERNMENT, THE MEALS AND LODGING TAXES COLLECTED BY BUSINESSES IS HELD IN TRUST FOR THE TOWN.
AND IF NOT REMITTED TO THE TOWN AS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE, KAYLA COMMUNICATES WITH BUSINESSES TO AVOID LEGAL ACTION.
UH, FILING CRIMINAL COMPLAINTS INVOLVES CREATING THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS, GOING TO THE MAGISTRATE, HAVING THE BUSINESS
[00:55:01]
SERVED, AND THEN GOING TO COURT DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE, UH, KAYLA FILED 15 CRIMINAL COMPLAINTS FOR NON-COMPLIANCE FOR MEALS AND LODGING AND OPERATING WITHOUT A BUSINESS LICENSE.THIS IS IN ADDITION TO THE MULTIPLE NOTIFICATIONS, BOTH WRITTEN AND TELEPHONE THAT WERE PROVIDED TO MANY BUSINESSES COLLECTED MONEY DURING THESE DIFFICULT TIMES AS HARD, BUT THE TOWN, UM, BEFORE THE TOWN TO BE ABLE TO COLLECT 99% OF THE BUDGETED MEALS TAX REVENUE, TO ME SEEMS JUST UNPRECEDENTED, UH, KAYLA'S EFFORTS HAVE HELPED ENABLE THE TOWN USE CONTINGENCY FUNDS THAT WERE SET ASIDE IN OTHER NEEDED AREAS, UH, FOR THAT I'M GRATEFUL.
AND I KNOW I'M SPEAKING FOR THE COUNCIL, WE'RE GRATEFUL AS WELL.
THIS IS A REALLY SPECIAL, UM, AWARD AS WELL.
AND, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S WHAT, WHAT OUR EMPLOYEES DO WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING, RIGHT.
AND, AND, AND HOW THEY, HOW THEY INTERACT WITH THE, UM, THIS WAS BACK IN JUNE AND WE'RE, WE'RE JUST NOW GETTING IT, GETTING IT, UH, PRESENTED TO YOU AND SAYS A FEW WEEKS AGO, AND THIS IS FROM A, A FEMALE CITIZEN OF THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL.
I HAD A BELOVED PET PASS AWAY IN MY HOME AND COULDN'T LIFT HIM ON MY OWN.
I TRIED CALLING SEVERAL FRIENDS TO NO AVAIL.
I ENDED UP CALLING THE LOCAL POLICE THINKING THAT MAYBE ANIMAL CONTROL COULD HELP.
THE DISPATCHER DID NOT DISREGARD MY CALL AND SENT OFFICER HAYWOOD TO MY HOME.
HE WAS VERY RESPECTFUL, COMPASSIONATE, AND PROFESSIONAL.
HE AND ANOTHER OFFICER, I DIDN'T GET HIS NAME, MOVE MY DOG TO MY CAR.
I APOLOGIZED FOR ASKING FOR THE HELP AND OFFICER HAYWOOD REASSURED ME THAT HE WAS THERE TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE.
SO MUCH OF WHAT THEY DO GOES UNRECOGNIZED.
AND I JUST WANT TO LET THEM KNOW, I APPRECIATE THEM BEING THERE.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEIR JOB SCOPE ENCOMPASSES, BUT I WOULD THINK THEY EASILY COULD HAVE SAID NOT OUR PROBLEM LIVING IN A SMALL TOWN AND HAVING CARING AND COMPASSIONATE LAW ENFORCEMENT GOES A LONG WAY.
I KNOW THIS PROBABLY ISN'T THE MOST HEROIC, DRAMATIC STORY, BUT IT'S THE SMALL KINDNESS THAT MAKES A COMMUNITY.
MR. MAYOR MEMBERS OF COUNCIL'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO TOP THAT.
SO, UM, CONCLUDES MY, MY REPORTS.
[6b. Requests and inquiries of Council members.]
NEXT ITEM TONIGHT IS THE REQUEST INQUIRES OF THE TOWN CASTLE.ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS OR ANY, ANY SPEECH, WHATEVER TONIGHT.
MR. MAYOR, I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK COUNCILMAN HALLWAY'S ALREADY SEES MY NOTES AND SO HE'S LIKE, YEAH, GO FOR IT.
UM, FIRST LET ME SAY, UH, THANK YOU FOR, UH, THE BOY SCOUTS COMING OUT TONIGHT AND JOINING US.
UM, I'M SURE THIS IS RIVETING CONVERSATION AND YOU GUYS ARE THOROUGHLY ENJOYING IT.
SO, UM, I HOPE YOU GET SOMETHING, A BADGE OR A CREDIT OR SOMETHING FOR BEING HERE, IF NOT TACKLE HAWK ON YOUR WAY OUT AND SHAKE THEM DOWN FOR SOME ICE CREAM OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT TONIGHT.
UM, ALSO WANT TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU TO KAYLA HAVE JUST DISAPPEARED, BUT I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT THAT JOB OF HAVING TO CALL AND COLLECT FUNDS, ESPECIALLY DURING THIS DIFFICULT TIME.
SO CERTAINLY APPRECIATIVE OF HER SERVICE AND ALSO OFFICER HAYWOOD, UM, FOR REPRESENTING THE TOWN AND HIS SERVICE.
AND I GOTTA SAY, UH, CHIEF, UM, WE HAD QUITE A FEW NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS OUT PLAYING THE OTHER DAY.
AND ONE OF YOUR OFFICERS DROVE BY, UM, AND EXTENDED, UM, I THINK THE FREE SLURPEE CERTIFICATES TO THEM.
AND I SAW HIM DO IT FROM A DISTANCE.
I COULDN'T RECOGNIZE WHO IT WAS.
UM, BUT I STARTED LAUGHING TO MYSELF BECAUSE IT, I KNEW IMMEDIATELY HE WAS GOING TO BE THE EQUIVALENT OF AN ICE CREAM TRUCK PULLING UP AND KIDS RUSHING OUT FROM THE HOUSE.
AND SURE ENOUGH, I THINK ABOUT 15 LITTLE KIDS TO SEND IT ON THE VEHICLE QUICKLY.
AND, UM, I WANTED TO COMMAND YOUR OFFICERS BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE THING JUST TO TAKE THE TIME TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
UM, BUT IT WAS ANOTHER THING WHEN THE OFFICER REALIZED
[01:00:01]
THAT HE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH SLURPEES CERTIFICATES AND CALLED IN FOR REINFORCEMENTS AND, UM, ANOTHER VEHICLE SHOWED UP TO, TO PASS OUT THE SURPI CERTIFICATES.AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY YOU MADE THOSE, UH, LITTLE, LITTLE KIDS DAYS.
UM, AND SO I WANTED TO THANK YOUR OFFICERS FOR THAT.
AND, UM, OFFICER HAYWOOD, UH, CUSTOMER SERVICE JUST REMINDED ME OF THAT.
SO YOU GUYS DO A PHENOMENAL JOB AND I WANT TO SHARE THAT STORY.
UM, IF YOU COME TO THESE MEETINGS OFTEN YOU'LL KNOW THAT, UM, WHEN REMARKS ARE MADE, UM, THE QUESTION OF THE INTEGRITY OF COUNSEL, I USUALLY LIKE TO, UH, ADDRESS THEM.
UM, AND SO TONIGHT, UM, MR. CUSHNER BROUGHT FORWARD, UM, A FEW FACTS THAT I WANTED TO, UM, UH, RESPECTFULLY ADDRESS.
UH, I KNOW WHEN THE MAYOR MADE THE COMMENT AND LAST WEDNESDAY, UM, ABOUT HIS OR EXPRESSES DISAGREEMENT, UM, WITH, UH, WHAT TRANSPIRED WEDNESDAY NIGHT, I KNEW THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME AMBIGUITY IN THAT, AND I'M NOT SURE I CAN'T SPEAK FOR THE MAYOR, BUT I'M NOT SURE IF HE EXPRESSED HIS DISAPPOINTMENT BECAUSE COUNCIL TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SOME CLARIFYING STATEMENTS AND WHERE THEY WERE WITH THE EDA OR BECAUSE HE DISAGREED WITH THE FACTS THAT WERE BEING EXPRESSED THAT NIGHT.
I'M SURE THAT HE CAN CLARIFY THAT.
UM, BUT WITH REGARD TO A FEW OF THE COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE IN MISREPRESENTING THE TRUTH, UM, I THINK THAT, UH, NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE CASE FROM THE TRUTH.
UM, I'M HAPPY TO BE FACT CHECKED ON ANY OF THE STATEMENTS THAT WERE MADE.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE IS THAT EVERYTHING THAT WAS REPRESENTED THAT NIGHT WAS BASED IN DOCUMENTATION AND CONVERSATIONS, RESOLUTIONS, UM, THAT WE PRODUCED PROOF OF AS WELL.
UM, THE COMMENT WAS MADE THAT PEOPLE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
IT WAS A PRESS CONFERENCE WHERE THE COUNCIL WAS USING A, A SPECIAL MEETING AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO SHARE INFORMATION WITH THE PUBLIC AND OPEN IT UP TO THE PRESS TO ASK QUESTIONS.
IT WASN'T AN OPEN FORUM TO THE PUBLIC.
UM, SO I APOLOGIZE IF THAT WAS MISLEADING.
UH, BUT THAT WAS THE INTENT OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE.
UM, YOU MADE A COMMENT ABOUT THE OPERATIVE WORD OF BEING ANTICIPATED, UH, IN PURSUIT OF OUR LOAN WITH THE EDA OR THE REPRESENTING THE TOWN, UH, IN PURSUIT OF OUR LOAN.
UM, I WANTED TO PAUSE ON THAT FOR JUST A SECOND, BECAUSE THINK ABOUT THE SCENARIO WE ARE REFERENCING A COUNCIL USING A REGISTERED AGENT TO PURSUE ALONE ON THEIR BEHALF.
AND IF AT ANY POINT IN TIME, A COUNCIL OR IN THIS, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, UH, YEAH, UH, COUNCIL, UM, THOUGHT TO THEMSELVES, HUH? THIS LOAN CAN GO ANYWHERE FROM 4% OR HIGHER OR 4% OR LESS, OR IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE REPRESENTED IN THE, UM, HIGH ONES.
AND THEN ENDED UP IN THE THREE TO 4% RANGE.
IF ANTICIPATED WAS THE WORD THAT WAS USED TO DESCRIBE THE LOAN, WHAT COUNCIL WOULD EVER SIGN OFF ON MOVING FORWARD WITH A PARTICULAR INTEREST RATE.
I THINK THAT'S MISLEADING TO SAY THAT ANTICIPATED SHOULD HAVE ALLOWED FOR FLEXIBILITY IN AN INTEREST RATE WITH REGARD TO THE INTEREST RATES FROM THE EDA.
THERE WERE OTHER OFFERS OF HIGHER INTEREST RATES TO THE TOWN.
I THINK WHAT IS PARTICULARLY FRUSTRATING THOUGH, IS IF THE TOWN WAS ABLE TO GO TO THE BANK THAT WAS WORKING WITH THE EDA AND BROKER A DEAL FOR A LOWER INTEREST RATE, WHY COULDN'T IT HAVE THE EDA JUST ON THAT TO BEGIN WITH? WHY DID WE HAVE TO SETTLE IF YOU WILL, FOR A 3% LOAN OR SOMETHING THAT WAS OFFERED, UH, JUST SHY OF THAT.
WHY WOULD WE HAVE TO DO THAT? IF WE COULD GO AND BROKER A DEAL FOR A BETTER INTEREST RATE, WHY WOULDN'T THE EDA REPRESENT THAT INTEREST RATE TO BEGIN WITH? AND LASTLY, THE 8.4 VERSUS 8.9 MILLION, UM, YOU ARE RIGHT, THAT WAS MENTIONED IN THE SUIT.
THAT WAS THE EXACT POINT OF OUR STATEMENTS THAT NIGHT 8.9 MILLION WAS FIRST DISCLOSED IN THAT SUIT TO THE TOWN COUNCIL.
IT WASN'T DISCLOSED, UM, AS I THINK IT WAS BEING REPRESENTED IN A CONVERSATION WITH THE TOWN OF, OH, BY THE WAY, THIS IS THE DEBT SERVICE THAT IS OWED.
UH, IT WAS FIRST DISCLOSED IN A LAWSUIT TO THE TOWN.
SO I JUST WANTED TO, I WANTED TO CLARIFY THOSE FACTS AND AS I'VE, AS I'VE EXTENDED BEFORE, UM, MR. CUSHNER, I I'M HAPPY TO SIT AROUND AND DISCUSS THIS.
UM, I'M NOT GOING TO BE A COUNCIL MEMBER.
THAT'S JUST GOING TO COME UP HERE, UM, YOU KNOW, AND BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, IN THIS CASE YOU HAVE THE EXCHANGE AND THEN BE ABLE TO SAY SOMETHING BACK TO THE TOWN.
UM, I'M HAPPY TO STICK AROUND AND DISCUSS IT AND HEAR YOU OUT, UH, THOROUGHLY THROUGH THIS.
UM, BUT I DID WANT TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO CLARIFY A FEW OF THOSE STATEMENTS.
[6c. Report of the Mayor]
WE HAVE THE REPORTER, THE MAYOR, UH, I'M HAPPY TO SEE[01:05:01]
THE BOY SCOUT TROOP.NUMBER FOUR HERE THIS EVENING, THEY WERE BEING SPONSORED BY THE FRONT ROW ROTARY CLUB.
YOU'VE DONE, CALEB, UH, HOMES.
IS THAT CORRECT? UH, SOMEONE, BUT IT IS GOOD TO HAVE YOU GUYS HERE TONIGHT AND COME, COME, ANYTIME YOU FEEL LIKE YOU NEED TO CALL THEM.
AND WE, WE ENJOYED YOUR PRESENCE HERE THIS EVENING, AS WELL AS EVERYONE ELSE HERE, THEY SAVED HIM.
SO THAT, THAT, UH, CONCLUDES MY ANYTHING.
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE SAVING BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO THE SITUATION OF THE EDA.
SO I RATHER NOT EVEN DISCUSS THAT TO SAVE ME.
THE NEXT ITEM TONIGHT IS, ARE PROPOSALS AND ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA HERE IN NINE,
[7. CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS]
WE GO TO ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS. WE HAVE, I BELIEVE I SEE ONE, TWO, FOUR, SEVEN, EIGHT, EIGHT, NINE.FIRST ONE WOULD BE VACATION TO HAVE RIGHT AWAY A POLICY REVIEWS, A PROCLAMATION OF PUBLIC WORKS WEEK, THIRD QUARTER, RIGHT OFF A BAD DEBTS, SOLE SOURCE PURCHASE OF PORTABLE MESSAGE BOARD BID FOR ELECTRICAL POLES, MOVE LOCATION OF OCTOBER, THE 19TH, REGULAR MEETING TO ANOTHER DATE.
COVID 19 EMERGENCY ORDINANCE AMENDMENT F Y 21 BUDGET AMENDMENT DMV SPEED SLASH UH, ALCOHOL ENFORCEMENT TO HEAR A MOTION.
WE APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS. I HAVE A SECOND MOTION IN SECONDS.
ANYBODY WANT TO PULL ANYTHING OFF THE CONSENT AGENDA? UH, COULD WE HAVE A ROLL CALL, PLEASE FIND SOME OF YOUR SEED LOT.
[8. COUNCIL APPROVAL – Ordinance Amendment to Chapter 138 (2nd Reading)]
ITEM NUMBER EIGHT TO SAVING IS ORDINANCE A MINT AMENDMENT TO CHAPTER ONE 38.UH, MS. PRESIDENT, WOULD YOU READ THE SUMMARY PLEASE? COUNCIL'S REQUESTED TO ADOPT ON ITS SECOND AND FINAL READING AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND FRONT ROYAL TOWN CODE CHAPTER ONE 38, PEDDLERS SOLICITORS IN ITINERANT MERCHANTS TO ALLOW THE USE OF BENDING VEHICLES OPERATED ON TOWN STREETS TO PEDAL ICE CREAM AND OTHER FROZEN DESSERTS AS PRESENTED TO HEAR A MOTION.
MR. MAYOR, I MOVE THAT COUNCIL ADOPT ON ITS SECOND AND FINAL RATING.
AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND FRONT ROYAL TOWN CODE CHAPTER ONE 38, PEDDLER SOLICITORS AND ITINERANT MERCHANTS TO ALLOW THE USE THE VENTING VEHICLES OPERATED ON TOWN STREETS TO PEDAL ICE CREAM AND OTHER FROZEN DESSERTS AS PRESENTED.
SECOND, I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
ANY DISCUSSION HEARING? NO DISCUSSION.
[9. COUNCIL APPROVAL – FY21 Budget Transfer and Bid Approval for SCADA System]
NEXT ITEM DENIED IS ITEM ITEM, NUMBER NINE, FYI BUDGET TRANSFER AND BID FOR APPROVAL FOR SCADA SYSTEM.COULD YOU READ THE SUMMARY PLEASE? COUNCIL'S REQUESTED TO APPROVE AN F Y 21 INTERFUND BUDGET TRANSFER IN THE AMOUNT OF $113,280 TO ALLOCATE FUNDS FROM THE GENERAL FUND RESERVE FUNDS TO THE ELECTRIC FUND AND TO APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF A SCADA SYSTEM.
UPGRADE FROM SURVALENT TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATION IN THE AMOUNT OF $113,280.
YES, I MOVE THE COUNCIL PROVEN Y 21 FUND BUDGET TRANSFER IN THE AMOUNT OF A HUNDRED, $13,280 TO ALLOCATE ANTICIPATED CARES FUNDS FROM THE GENERAL FUND TO THE ELECTRIC FUND AND TO APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF A SCADA SYSTEM UPGRADE FROM SURVALENT TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED IN THE AMOUNT OF $113,280.
DO YOU HAVE A SEC, SECOND MOTION AND A SECOND? ANY DISCUSSION? YEAH.
UM, THE COVER PAGE FOR THIS ITEM, STATE'S GENERAL FUND COVID 19 EXPENSE PER THE ATTACHED MEMO.
WE ARE TO BE REIMBURSED WITH FUNDS FROM THE CARES ACT WE ARE UNABLE TO DO SO BECAUSE ACCORDING TO THE U S DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY'S WEBSITE, THE EXPENDITURE WOULD NOT QUALIFY PER THE WEBSITE.
THE CARES ACT REQUIRES THE PAYMENTS TO RUN THE CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUND ONLY BE USED TO COVER EXPENSES THAT WANT OR NECESSARY INCURRED DUE TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY.
WITH RESPECT TO THE CURRENT CORONA VIRUS, AND TWO WERE NOT ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE BUDGET MOST RECENTLY APPROVED AS OF MARCH 27TH, 2020, WHICH IS THE DATE OF THE ENACTMENT.
UM, SCADA CAN BE FOUND ON PAGES 52 AND 53 OF OUR FISCAL
[01:10:01]
YEAR, 2021 BUDGET FARTHER, UM, PER MR. THAT THE CA THE CARES ACT COMMITTEE WILL NOT APPROVE THE EXPENDITURE FOR THE ABOVE MENTIONED REASONS.UH, SO WE WILL NOT GET REIMBURSED.
IT IS FOR THIS REASON I WILL VOTE NO ON THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT.
AND I HAVE A LINK TO THE TREASURY, UH, WEBSITE, IF ANYBODY NEEDS IT.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION POINT OF CLARIFICATION OF MR. T? WELL, JUST TO MAKE SURE THE PUBLIC'S AWARE, UM, THE FINANCE DIRECTOR AND I, AND I GUESS PASS IT ON TO COUNCIL, UM, THE CARES ACT COMMITTEE AT THE COUNTY LEVEL, UH, WAS, IT WAS ASKING FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AS RELATES TO THE SCADA SYSTEM AND OTHER, AND THE PEACE APP.
UM, WE HAD A FOUR PAGE MEMO PREPARED TO SEND OUT, AND THEN ON FRIDAY, UM, WE HAD A CONVERSATION WITH, UH, MR. FARRELL AND, UH, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD EXCHANGE OF EMAILS.
AND IT, UH, WE BELIEVE WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO PAY FOR THE SCADA SYSTEM LOAN TO BELIEVE WE'RE CONFIDENT WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO PLAY FOR THE SCADA SYSTEM, THE PEACE APP, AS WELL AS A BUSINESS RECOVERY MONEY, UM, THROUGH THE, UM, UH, CA UH, CATEGORIZING THE LAW ENFORCEMENT LEO'S, UM, UH, MONIES THAT'S BEEN SPENT FROM JUNE 1ST UNTIL NOVEMBER.
THAT'S WHAT THE COUNTY IS DOING.
UM, THAT'S WHAT THEY RECOMMENDED THAT WE DO THAT WAY.
IT TAKES AWAY, UM, UM, TH THEIR, THEIR, UH, THEIR CONCERN ABOUT SPENDING THE MONEY FOR SCADA AND, AND PEACE APP.
UH, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT OTHER JURISDICTIONS ARE USING THE MONEY, UM, FROM SCADA FOR, UM, FOR THE, UH, IN THE CARES ACT, BUT BY DOING IT THE WAY WE'RE DOING IT, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE APPROXIMATELY $1.2 MILLION THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO SPEND OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS INTO NEXT, UH, NEXT YEAR.
UM, AND, UH, I THINK IT'S, IT'S GONNA OFFER A GREAT DEAL OF FLEXIBILITY.
SO THE TREASURY DID COME OUT WITH CLARIFICATION AS IT RELATES TO, UH, USING, UH, LAW ENFORCEMENT, UM, HOURS, AS WELL AS THEIR BENEFITS.
AND SO WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO ACCOUNT FOR IT THAT WAY.
SO, UM, JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT POINT, MR. MAYOR, THAT'S A NEW INFORMATION THAT JUST CAME OUT FRIDAY IN OUR, IN AND OVER THE WEEKEND.
MR. MAYOR, THERE WAS A REVISED, UM, MOTION FOR ITEM NUMBER NINE, BEFORE WE GO BACK TO THE MISSION.
MAY I ASK A CLARIFYING QUESTION, MR. TODRICK, MR. MAYOR, MR. MAYOR.
MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT THEY DID READ THE REVISED MOTION.
I APOLOGIZE THAT I PROFILED IT, BUT I THOUGHT IT SOUNDED EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE HERE.
UM, CAN YOU GO AHEAD THEN AND READ THE ACTUAL REVISED MOTION, PLEASE? SHOULD WE VOTE ON THE, UM, ORIGINAL MOTION FIRST? WELL, WE CAN, BUT I DON'T REALLY DON'T THINK IT WASN'T APPROPRIATE TO BEGIN WITH.
SO I THINK THAT SAID, ALL RIGHT, MR. NAPIER, DO WE HAVE TO VOTE ON THE FIRST ONE THEN THE SECOND ONE, MY MASK UP, IF THE MAKER OF THE MOTION AND THE SECOND, UH, OF THE MO UH, SECONDER OF THE MOTION WENT TO WITHDRAW THE ORIGINAL MOTION AND, UH, SUBSTITUTE, UH, THEY CAN DO THAT.
WOULD YOUR SECOND WITHDRAW THERE? SECOND, SECOND.
AND WOULD YOU WITHDRAW YOUR MOTION? WOULD YOU READ THE CORRECT EMOTION IN PLACE? YES.
WITHOUT A DOUBT, I MOVE THAT COUNCIL APPROVE AND F F Y 21 INTERFUND BUDGET TRANSFER IN THE AMOUNT OF A HUNDRED, $13,280 TO ALLOCATE FUNDS FROM THE GENERAL FUND RESERVE FUNDS TO THE ELECTRIC FUND, AND TO APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF ESCAPE, THE SYSTEM UPGRADE FROM SURVALENT TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED IN THE AMOUNT OF $113,280.
NOW THERE IS A SECOND, SECOND, ANY MORE DISCUSSION ON THIS SUBJECT? YES, MR. MAYOR.
UH, COUNCILMAN TOM, UH, COUNCILMAN, UM, THOMPSON BROUGHT UP A GOOD POINT THAT I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY.
THANK YOU, MR. TJ, YOUR CLARIFICATION, BUT COULD YOU, SO I'M ON THE SAME PAGE THAT I'M FOLLOWING HERE.
UM, SO ARE YOU SAYING THAT THERE ISN'T A PLAN TO, UM, APPLY FOR CARES, CARES, ACT FUNDING FOR THE SCADA SYSTEM, UM, BUT RATHER USE THE CARES ACT FUNDING TO FUND OTHER, UH, EXPENSES WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, THAT WOULD IN ESSENCE OFFSET THE, THE EXPENDITURE OF US HAVING TO GO OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND FOR THE SCADA SYSTEM? UH, YES AND NO.
UM, SO ORIGINALLY, WHEN WE WERE REQUESTED TO SUBMIT A SPENDING PLAN TO, TO THE CARES ACT COMMITTEE, THAT'S BEING RUN BY THE COUNTY, UM, WE ITEMIZED CERTAIN ITEMS, PEACE APP SCADA FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT SCADA FOR, UM, UH, ELECTRIC, ET CETERA.
[01:15:01]
ALLOCATION FOR BUSINESS RECOVERY ASSETS.UM, THEY'VE REPLIED BACK THAT THEY, THEY HAD CONCERNS THAT, UM, UH, WE MAY BE MISINTERPRETING THE CARES ACT AS IT RELATES TO MONEY GOING TOWARDS THE PEACE APP AND MONEY GOING TOWARDS THE SCADA SYSTEM.
SO, UH, RICK PHARELL HAD, UM, W UH, REFOCUSED OUR ATTENTION ON A TREASURY, UM, TREASURY DEPARTMENT, UM, FAQ THAT WAS RECENTLY SENT OUT.
I WANT TO SAY THE 21ST OF SEPTEMBER AS A SOUND RIGHT.
AND, UM, IT SPECIFICALLY TALKS ABOUT, UM, ALLOCATING MONEY, ALLOCATING WAGES AND BENEFITS FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT TO ELIO'S THAT THAT COULD BE REIMBURSED THROUGH THE CARES ACT.
SO WHAT WE'RE PLANNING TO DO, WE'RE GOING TO BE RESUBMITTING A SECOND ROUND, SECOND SPENDING APPROVAL.
WE'RE GOING TO PUT DOWN, WE BELIEVE WE CAN HIT THE 1.2 MILLION, WHICH IS OUR ALLOCATION FROM THE COUNTY WHERE WE'RE BELIEVE WE CAN HIT THAT ALMOST TO THE DOLLAR.
SO WE'RE GOING TO GET BACK THE MONEY FROM THE CARES ACT, AS REIMBURSED THROUGH THE, UH, PD, UH, WAGES AND BENEFITS, AND THEN THE COUNTY, COUNCIL'S GOING TO BE ABLE TO ALLOCATE THOSE FUNDS YOURSELF.
SO ONE ITEM YOU MAY, YOU'RE GOING TO SPEND MONEY ON IS THE PEACE APP.
ONE MONEY, A REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE PIECE APP.
ONE MONEY COULD BE THE SCADA, AND THEN YOU CAN SET MONIES ASIDE FOR BUSINESS RECOVERY, LIKE WE PLANNED ALL ALONG.
SO IT'S GOING TO, BUT THE GOOD NEWS WITH THAT IS THE BUSINESS RECOVERY EFFORTS.
YOU MAY DECIDE TO DO A PORTION OF IT IN DECEMBER AND A PORTION OF IT IN APRIL.
AND YOU CAN STILL DO THAT BECAUSE YOU'LL HAVE THE MONEY IN YOUR GENERAL FUNDS FROM THE CARES ACT.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS WE'RE GETTING THE 1.2 MILLION TO BE ABLE TO DISPERSE TO THESE DIFFERENT EXPENSES, WHETHER WE USE IT FOR THE SCADA OR NOT.
NOW IT'S GOT TO GO THROUGH, WE'VE GOT TO GO SUBMIT OUR SPENDING PLAN.
THEY APPROVE THE SPENDING PLAN.
WE'D HAVE TO SHOW ALL THE EXPENSES OF THE POLICE OFFICERS, ET CETERA.
THEY VALIDATE, WE GOT THE COP, YOU KNOW, DUPLICATE TRIPLICATE, AND THEN THEY CUT THE CHECK.
AND AGAIN, THIS, THIS HAPPENED FRIDAY, SATURDAY, AND WE HAD THREE OR FOUR EMAIL EXCHANGES ON SATURDAY.
THAT'S WHY THE REVISED, UM, MOTION TONIGHT.
ANYONE ELSE I JUST WANTED TO ASK? I KNOW MR. JENKINS IS IN HERE, BUT MS. SCOTT, I BELIEVE IS HERE.
UM, I ASSUME THOSE, UM, THAT ARE IN THE ROOM, SEE WHAT WE'RE SEEING, BUT COULD YOU SPEAK TO THE SCADA AND LIKE, UM, AND YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT WHY WE'RE PURCHASING IT AT THIS TIME? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE OR, OR MAYBE BJ KEN OR, I MEAN, I'M JUST THE COUPLE OF PARAGRAPHS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE IS SO THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS WHAT WE'RE SPENDING IN ON DATA SYSTEM.
IT HELPS, UH, THE RELIABILITY OF OUR SYSTEM.
SO FOR INSTANCE, INSTEAD OF SENDING A LINE CREW OUT TO SWITCH OVER SERVICES, WHEN WE HAVE A SUBSTATION GO DOWN OR A CIRCUIT GO DOWN, UH, THE SKATER MONITORS THAT, UH, MONITORS IT, UH, SO THAT, UM, OUR CREWS CAN SWITCH OVER THAT SERVICES, UH, FROM WORKING MAYBE AT HOME OR AT THE OFFICE, UH, VERSUS SENDING CREWS OUT AND HAVING TO GO OUT THERE AND ACTUALLY MAKE THE MANUAL SWITCH, OR ACTUALLY LOCATE THE, UH, THE DOWN ITEM.
SO IF WE HAVE A SQUIRREL GET UP AND DO A TRANSFORMER, UM, THE SCADA SYSTEM WILL NOTIFY THEM EXACTLY WHERE THAT OCCURS AT.
UH, SO IT HELPS, UH, HELPS IN THAT CAPACITY.
UM, AS MR. TJ SAID, OTHER LOCALITIES HAVE USED, UH, THE CARES FUNDING FOR SCALE-UP, BUT, UM, UH, I GUESS THE, UH, UH, THE CREW APPROVING IT, UH, UM, DIDN'T FEEL THAT THIS WAS, UM, AND WITHIN THE GUIDANCE AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANYONE ELSE? NO OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS EVER.
COUNCILMAN THOMPSON, NO MOTION CARRIED ITEM NUMBER
[10. COUNCIL APPROVAL – Resolution Seeking Justice for Citizens of Front Royal as a Result of the EDA Scandal]
10.TONIGHT IS RESOLUTION SEEKING JUSTICE FOR CITIZENS OF FRONT ROW.
AS A RESULT OF THE EDA SCANDAL.
MS. PRESIDENT, WOULD YOU READ THE SUMMARY PLEASE? COUNCILMAN COCKEREL AND HOLLOWAY REQUEST THAT COUNCIL CONSIDER A RESOLUTION SEEKING JUSTICE FOR CITIZENS OF FRONT ROYAL, AS A RESULT OF THE EDA SCANDAL AS DRAFTED, UM, BEFORE WE MAKE A MOTION, DOES ANYONE MS. ROW, OR DO YOU WANT TO READ THE RESOLUTION? UM, I CAN READ THE RESOLUTION.
I COULD ASK WHEN WOULD BE AN APPROPRIATE TIME FOR ME TO SHARE SOME COMMENTS, WOULD YOU RATHER NOT UNTIL AFTER THE, AFTER WE GET IT ON THE FLOOR.
DO YOU WANT TO READ THE ACTUAL RESOLUTION OR NOT? YEAH.
[01:20:01]
I MEAN, THEY DON'T HAVE TO, BUT IF YOU ALL WANT TO READ IT, LET'S READ IT THIS TIME.DO YOU ME TO READ, YOU WANT ME TO READ IT NOW? THAT'S WHAT HE'S ASKING.
RESOLUTION DEMANDING JUSTICE FOR THE CITIZENS OF THE TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL RELATED TO THE EMBEZZLEMENT OF FUNDS FROM THE FRONT ROYAL WARREN COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY.
WHEREAS ON MARCH 26, 2019, THE FRONT ROYAL WARREN COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, HEREAFTER KNOWN AS THE EDA FILED A CIVIL SUIT ALLEGING THE EMBEZZLEMENT OF OVER $18 MILLION BY ITS FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JENNIFER MACDONALD, HEREAFTER MCDONALD, AND OTHER PERSONS AND ENTITIES.
AND WHEREAS THE WARREN COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT ON MARCH 27TH, 2019, CONVENED A SPECIAL GRAND JURY TO INVESTIGATE AND BASED UPON PROBABLE CAUSE TO ISSUE TRUE BILLS OF INDICTMENT AGAINST INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY HAVE COMMITTED CLAIMS RELATED TO THE EMBEZZLEMENT OF SAID FUNDS FROM THE EDA.
AND WHEREAS DURING THE FOLLOWING YEAR, THE SPECIAL GRAND JURY OBTAINED OVER 1 MILLION DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE VARIOUS ALLEGED EMBEZZLEMENT SCHEMES AND RETURNED OVER 75 TRUE BILLS OF INDICTMENT AGAINST MCDONALD AND OTHERS.
AND WHEREAS THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR, MICHAEL PARKER, WHO WAS DESIGNATED BY MARSHA GARST HARRISONBURG, ROCKINGHAM COUNTY COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEY TO PROSECUTE THESE MATTERS, MOVED TO DISMISS ALL OF THE TRUE BILLS RETURNED BY THE SPECIAL GRAND JURY, BASED UPON HIS PROFESSIONAL, INABILITY TO PROVIDE DISCOVERY TO THE DEFENDANTS AND HIS LACK OF PREPARATION TO COMPETENTLY PROSECUTE THE OVER 75 TRUE BILLS PREVIOUSLY ISSUED AGAINST MACDONALD AND OTHER DEFENDANTS, AND WERE AS CHIEF JUDGE REUS ALBERTSON, WHO REGULARLY SITS IN HARRISONBURG.
GRANTED PARKER'S MOTION TO DISMISS SAID INDICTMENTS, NO PROSECUTOR, WHICH PERMITS PARKER TO SEE SEEK REINSTATEMENT OF THE CHARGES AT A LATER DATE.
AND WHEREAS OVER NINE MONTHS HAVE PASSED SINCE PARKER WAS APPOINTED TO WORK WITH THE SPECIAL GRAND JURY AND PROSECUTE THESE MATTERS, GIVING HIM AMPLE TIME TO REVIEW THE VARIOUS INDICTMENTS AND DOCUMENTATION SUPPORTING THESE INDICTMENTS.
AND JUST TO DECIDE WHETHER SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE EXISTS TO SEEK CONVICTION OF MACDONALD AND THE OTHER DEFENDANTS FOR THE ALLEGED CRIMINAL ACTIVITY CONTAINED WITHIN THESE 75 TRUE BILLS PREVIOUSLY ISSUED BY THE SPECIAL GRAND JURY AND WHEREAS JUSTICE FOR THE CITIZENS OF FRONT ROYAL IN THESE MATTERS HAVE THUS FAR BEEN JUSTICE DENIED AS A RESULT OF PARKERS DISMISS SAID INDICTMENTS.
AND WHEREAS MANY TALENTS, CITIZENS HAVE LOST FAITH IN THE LOCAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, AS A RESULT OF PARKER'S SEEMING RELUCTANCE TO PROSECUTE THE ALLEGED CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.
AND WHEREAS THE FRONT ROYAL TOWN COUNCIL IS DETERMINED TO ENSURE THAT THE CITIZENS OF FRONT ROYAL RECEIVED JUSTICE IN THIS MATTER, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE CRIMINAL PROSECUTION OF ALL CRIMES AND THE PAYMENT OF RESTITUTION TO REIMBURSE OUR CITIZENS FOR THE ALLEGED $18 MILLION EMBEZZLED FROM THE EDA AND, AND BE IT RESOLVED THE FRONT-WHEEL TOWN COUNCIL IN ORDER TO ATTEMPT TO RESTORE THE TRUST OF OUR CITIZENS IN OUR LOCAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM DEMANDS THAT WITHIN 60 DAYS OF THE ADOPTION OF THIS RESOLUTION, MARSHA GARCE COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEY FOR HARRISONBURG ROCKINGHAM COUNTY DIRECT HER SURROGATE, MICHAEL PARKER ESQUIRE TO REQUEST THAT HARRISONBURG CIRCUIT, JUDGE CLARK RICHIE CLARK RICHIE RECONVENE THE SPECIAL GRAND JURY TO CONSIDER REISSUING ANY OF THE FORMER TRUE BILLS OF INDICTMENT, WHICH SHE AND HER SURROGATE HAVE DETERMINED ARE WORTHY OF CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.
AND TO EXPEDITIOUSLY PROCEED TO TRIAL ON THESE MATTERS AND SEEK RESTRICTION FROM THOSE CONVICTED AS A RESULT OF THE FUNDS, EMBEZZLED FROM THE EDA AND BY EXTENSION FROM THE CITIZENS OF WARREN COUNTY, AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED IF MICHAEL PARKER ESQUIRE CHOOSES NOT TO REISSUE TRUE BILLS OF INDICTMENT AND THE ALTERNATIVE TO PUBLICLY EXPLAIN TO THE CITIZENS FRONT ROYAL AND WARREN COUNTY, WHY NO STATE PROSECUTION HAS BEEN SOUGHT RELATED TO THESE MATTERS AND HOW THEY PROPOSE TO ENSURE THE CITIZENS OF FRONT ROYAL ARE GUARANTEED A JUST RESULT.
THE CLERK OF COUNCIL IS DIRECTED TO FORWARD THIS RESOLUTION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE FRONT ROYAL WARREN COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND THE WARREN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS REQUESTING THAT THEY ADOPT A SIMILAR RESOLUTION ON BEHALF OF TOWN AND COUNTY RESIDENTS, DEMANDING JUSTICE ON BEHALF OF OUR MUTUAL
[01:25:01]
CONSTITUENTS.THE RESOLUTION HAS BEEN READ TO HEAR MOTION, MR. MAYOR, I MOVE THAT COUNCIL APPROVE A RESOLUTION SEEKING JUSTICE FOR CITIZENS OF FRONT ROYAL, AS A RESULT OF THE EDA SCANDAL AS DRAFTED SECOND, HAVE A MOTION AND SECOND, ANY DISCUSSION MAYOR TO WALT, WOULD THIS BE APPROPRIATE TIME FOR ME? SO HAS THAT BEEN GOING DOOR TO DOOR SEEKING INPUT FROM THE TOWN CITIZENS? MANY, MANY TOWNS, CITIZENS HAVE ASKED ME WHY THOSE WHO EMBEZZLED MONEY FROM THE EDA HAVE NOT BEEN BROUGHT TO JUSTICE.
IT'S OBVIOUSLY FIRST AND FOREMOST ON THEIR MINDS WITH THE RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE EDA HAS FILED BANKRUPTCY EFFECTIVELY PREVENTING THE EDA AND ITS CIVIL LAWSUIT FROM RECOVERING ANY MONEY FROM OUR PERSONALLY, A CRIMINAL PROSECUTION OF HER AND OTHERS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EMBEZZLEMENT IS THE ONLY WAY THAT OUR CITIZENS CAN BE PAID BACK.
THIS WOULD BE IN THE FORM OF CRIMINAL RESTITUTION FOR THE OF DOLLARS THAT WE ARE ALL PAYING NOW, AND WE'LL HAVE TO CONTINUE TO PAY IN THE FUTURE TO KEEP THE ADA AFLOAT.
SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, THE PRESS, THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR DISMISSED OVER 75 INDICTMENTS AGAINST THE FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND OTHERS PROMISING THAT HE WOULD ENSURE THAT THOSE WHO COMMITTED CRIMES WOULD BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE, THE TOWN CITIZENS, AND I SUSPECT COUNTY CITIZENS AS WELL AS WELL, WANT THAT TO OCCUR SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.
AND THEY DESERVE SWIFT ACTION BY THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR ON AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY NO ONE IS CURRENTLY BEING PROSECUTED FOR THESE CRIMES.
THIS RESOLUTION BEFORE US TONIGHT SEEKS AN ANSWER FOR THE CITIZENS OF FRONT ROYAL, THE CITIZENS OF FRONT ROW I'M WARREN COUNTY ARE VICTIMS OF THESE CRIMES.
AND BY EXTENSION MEMBERS OF THE TOWN COUNCIL, THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, THE EDA BOARD PAST AND PRESENT ALL OUR VICTIMS, UH, THE RESOLUTION REQUESTS THAT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND THE ADA BOARD ADOPT A SIMILAR RESOLUTION REQUESTING ACTION BY THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR.
THIS REQUEST IS BASED UPON MY MANY CONVERSATIONS WITH CITIZENS ON THEIR FRONT PORCH, WALKING DOWN THE STREET, OR JUST THIS PAST WEEKEND AT MY CLASS REUNION.
EVEN I BELIEVE THE COMMUNITY WANTS US TO WORK TOGETHER TO BRING THE CRIMINALS TO JUSTICE FIRST AND THEN LEAD FOR ANOTHER DAY OUT.
ANY OF THE MONIES RECOVERED SHOULD BE DISTRIBUTED AS A RESULT OF THE CRIMES WITH THE RECENT BANKRUPTCY FILING, WHICH MAY BE FOLLOWED BY OTHERS, UH, MAY BE FOLLOWED BY OTHERS.
OUR FOCUS MUST MOVE IN MY OPINION, FROM THE CIVIL LAWSUITS TO SEEKING CRIMINAL RESTITUTION AND ANY CRIMINAL INDICTMENTS BROUGHT BY THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR OR IN CASES BROUGHT BY THE US ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
IF THE PRESSED SPECIAL PROSECUTOR AS TURN THE INVESTIGATION OVER TO THE FBI ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, I THINK OUR CITIZENS DESERVE AN EXPLANATION.
FINALLY, I'M HOPEFUL THAT THE RECENT SETTLEMENT OF THE PRINCIPAL DEBT FOR THE FRONT ROW POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE ADOPTION OF THIS RESOLUTION BY ALL THREE BODIES, THE TOWN COUNCIL, THE BOARD OF SUPERVISOR AND THE EDA BOARD, HOPEFULLY WOULD SERVE TO FOSTER A MORE COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP GOING FORWARD BETWEEN ALL OF US, THE RESOLUTION ACKNOWLEDGES THAT WE ARE ALL VICTIMS AND MUST AS A COMMUNITY FOCUSED ON BRINGING THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WRONGDOING TO JUSTICE.
UM, TO PREPARE MYSELF FOR THIS MEETING AND TO MAKE AN EDUCATED VOTE ON THIS MATTER, I REVIEWED SEVERAL NEWS ARTICLES, ET CETERA, A FEW THINGS THERE ARE OVER 1 MILLION DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE MATTER THAT THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY HAS TO GET THROUGH.
MR. PARKER SAID IN AN EMAIL TO THE NORTHERN VIRGINIA DAILY, I ASSURE YOU, I AM NOT PLEASED ABOUT THIS.
I ALSO ASSURE YOU THAT THIS IS NOT THE END, HOWEVER, WHILE IT IS MY DUTY TO BRING JUSTICE TO THE GUILTY, IT IS ALSO MY DUTY DUTY TO BE JUST AN ETHICAL IN MY CONDUCT AT ALL TIMES TO EVERYBODY THAT INCLUDES PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN ACCUSED, BUT HAVE NOT YET BEEN FOUND GUILTY AT THE CURRENT TIME, I AM UNABLE TO SATISFY CERTAIN BASIC OBLIGATIONS.
I HAVE TO THE DEFENDANTS, WHICH HAVE EXISTED SINCE BEFORE I WAS APPOINTED ON THE CASE.
I CANNOT ETHIC ETHICALLY, KEEP THIS STATUS QUO.
IN FACT, IF I TRIED TO KEEP THE CASE ACTIVE, I'D RUN THE RISK OF A JUDGE AT SOME POINT, DISMISSING THEM WITH PREJUDICE SO THAT I COULD NOT BRING THEM BACK.
UNFORTUNATELY, I WAS UNABLE TO REACH MR. PARKER TODAY TO ASK IF THERE WAS ANY UPDATE.
I AM NOT SURE IF MY COUNSEL HAS CONTACTED HIM FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BEFORE DEMANDING CERTAIN ACTIONS, IT IS MY OPINION.
IT IS BETTER TO WAIT AND HAVE IT DONE THE RIGHT WAY VERSUS RUSHING AND HAVING THE ENTIRE THING DISMISSED WITH NO CHANCE OF BRINGING IT BACK FURTHER.
THE VIRGINIA STATE POLICE HAVE STATED, UM, AS OF TODAY, THEY ARE STILL INVESTIGATING THIS MATTER AS WELL.
SO I PREFER TO LEAVE THAT TO LAWYERS AND PULL POLITICAL ISSUES TO THE POLITICIANS.
[01:30:01]
IT IS FOR THE REASON STATED THAT I WILL VOTE NO ON THIS ITEM TONIGHT.YES, MR. MAYOR, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR CITIZENS DEMAND JUSTICE AND IT DESERVED JUSTICE.
AND I THINK THIS IS A STEP FORWARD IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
UM, I KNOW THERE WAS A CITIZEN HERE EARLIER THIS EVENING, THAT'S IT OF A LOCAL POLITICAL PARTY, UM, SAID THAT WE'RE POLITICAL, UH, IT'S CALLED POLITICAL GRAND STANDING.
NO, IT'S CALLED DEMANDING JUSTICE.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR, FOR THE CITIZENS OF FRONT ROYAL.
ANYONE ELSE HERE? NONE COULD HAVE A ROLL CALL PLEASE.
NO MOTION CARRIED THEIR LIFESTYLE.
[11. CLOSED MEETING – Public Alley, EDA Lawsuit, Personnel]
TONIGHT WAS A CLOSED MEETING.DO I HEAR A MOTION? I WAS GOING TO SAY, I CAN DO THIS ONE.
MR. MAYOR, I MOVE THE COUNCIL GOING TO CLOSE MEETING FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSES, WITH RESPECT TO THE TOWN MANAGER'S POSITION, THE DISCUSSION CONSIDERATION OR INTERVIEW OF PROSPECTIVE CANDIDATES FOR EMPLOYMENT, ASSIGNMENT, APPOINTMENT, PROMOTION, PERFORMANCE SALARIES, A RESONATION OF SPECIFIC PUBLIC OFFICE OFFICERS, UH, APPOINTEES OR EMPLOYEES OF THE PUBLIC BODY PURSUANT TO SECTION TWO DOT TWO DASH THREE SEVEN ONE ONE.A.ONE OF THE CODE OF VIRGINIA WITH RESPECT TO THE TOWN'S LAWSUIT AGAINST THE EDA CONSULTATION WITH THE LEGAL COUNSEL AND BRIEFINGS OF STAFF MEMBERS OR CONSULTANTS PERTAIN TO ACTUAL OR PROBABLE LITIGATION WHERE SUCH CONSULTATION OR BRIEFING AND OPEN MEETING WOULD ADVERSELY AFFECT THE NEGOTIATING OR LITIGATING POSTURE OF THE PUBLIC BODY, PROBABLE LITIGATION, MEANING LITIGATION THAT HAS BEEN SPECIFICALLY THREATENED OR ON WHICH THE PUBLIC BODY OR ITS LEGAL COUNSEL HAS REASONABLE BIAS TO BELIEVE WILL BE COMMENCED BY OR AGAINST A KNOWN PARTY PURSUANT TO SECTION TWO DOT TWO DASH THREE SEVEN ONE ONE.A.SEVEN OF THE CODE OF VIRGINIA REGARDING A TOWN PUBLIC ALLEY.
THE DISPOSITION OF PUBLICLY HELD RE UH, UH, PUBLICLY HELD REAL PROPERTY WHERE DISCUSSION IN AN OPEN MEETING WOULD ADVERSELY AFFECT THE BARGAINING POSITION OR NEGOTIATING STRATEGY OF TOWN COUNCIL PURSUANT TO SECTION TWO DOT TWO DASH THREE SEVEN ONE ONE DOT EIGHT THREE.
THEY'RE NOT TO READ THAT AGAIN.
WE HAVE A SECOND MOTION, A SECOND, ALL IN FAVOR, SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.
THOSE OPPOSED? NO, LIKE THANK EVERYBODY FOR COMING TONIGHT.
UH, I KNEW IT WOULD BE GOING INTO CLOSE MEETING AND VERY SHOULD NOT BE ANYTHING BROUGHT FORWARD AFTER THE MEETING MEETING JOURN.