The Middleburg Town Council approved increases in the real-estate tax rate and the town's water rates during its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, May 13.

At the sparsely attended Thursday session, recently retired Town Administrator Jerry Schiro presented the case for both increases, noting that both were required for the Town to cover its budgeted expenses for the year ahead.

No one spoke during the public hearings to discuss both proposals, held immediately before Council's vote.

Council's decisions, in both cases, were unanimous.

Real Estate Rate Increase

Council increased the real-estate tax rate for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011, from $0.15 per $100 in assessed value, to $0.19 per $100, an increase of nearly 27%.

By carefully managing expenses, Schiro reminded Council the town had managed to survive a fourteen percent decline in assessed property values last year without increasing taxes.

Another seven percent decrease in assessed values accompanied by significant declines in other sources of projected state funding and other revenues made the increase necessary.

On the brighter side, Schiro noted that the "equalized" tax rate, the rate necessary to generate the same real-estate tax revenue as last year, was in fact only $0.16 per $100, due to the strength of the Town's real estate values compared to most of Virginia, despite the current recession.

Council member Mark Snyder suggested that Council at least explore the possibility of raising the tax rate to only $0.18 or $0.185 per $100.

Schiro noted that each penny increase on the real estate tax rate generated only around $23,000. That's around $58 from each of the town's approximately 400 taxpayers.

Increase in Water/Wastewater Rates

On Thursday, Council also approved a six percent increase in the town's water use rates and availability fees.

Schiro positioned the increases as part of an on-going three-year effort by the town to stabilize its utility rates and expenses.

With only 400 utility customers, Schiro noted, Middleburg must meet the same water-safety criteria as much larger municipalities, including day to day operating costs, repairs and capital improvements.

The addition of the Salamander Inn and Spa, and its related activities to the Town's customer base in 2012, he continued, should, at the very least, stabilize water rates, and perhaps permit the Town to consider lowering them.

Election Results

In the May 4, 2010, Town elections, Mayor Betsey Davis, Vice Mayor Darlene Kirk and Council member Mark Snyder all ran unopposed, and all were re-elected to the Middleburg Town Council. Write-in votes gave David B. Stewart and Kevin Hazard the two remaining open seats. Official returns credited May-or Davis with 112 votes out of 123 cast.

Mark Snyder received 96 votes and Darlene Kirk, 89.

Write-in candidate David B. Stewart was officially credited with 92 votes and Kevin Hazard with 91.

After a slow start, with not enough declared candidates to fill all the empty seats, a vigorous citizens campaign not only produced two strong write-in contenders, but two winners, one of which may well have received more votes than anyone else in the race.

Turnout, in fact was up nearly a third, with 123, or 26% of the town's 472 registered voters turning out in 2010, compared to only 20% two years ago.

Council Member Bundles Murdock, Council Member Trowbridge Littleton, and former Council member Eura Lewis are credited with driving much of the late enthusiasm for the Council race.

Just days before the elections Murdock reported that she, with the help of her mother and friends, drafted, wrote, copied, folded, sealed, inserted, stamped and helped hand-cancel letters to most, if not all the registered voters in Middleburg.

Indeed, last minute candidate David B. Stewart may well have received more votes anyone else in the race. Misspellings of "Stewart" on write-in ballots may well have cost him at least a dozen votes or more.

Newly elected Council Member Kevin Hazard, is the proprietor of the Middleburg County Inn, co-owner of the Hidden Horse Restaurant, and has long served on the Town's zoning commission.

The Reverend David B. Stewart, ordained a Baptist minister in 2008, is a native of Middleburg, who came home after well over a decade of service as a Deacon in churches in West Virginia and other parts of northern Virginia.

Mayor Betsy Davis received Council's congratulations and a new full-time job. A motion by Vice Mayor Kirk, and approved unanimously and retroactively appointed her Acting Town Administrator, as of May 1, 2010.

Sidewalk Displays

During the Council's May 10 work session, Town Planner and Zoning Administrator David Beniamino was asked to draft a letter to the town's business owners, outlining recent complaints received about outdoor displays of merchandise on Middleburg sidewalks.

Beniamino noted that the Town's sidewalks were technically not owned by the town, and suggested thanking everyone for their voluntary compliance with the Town's rules banning such displays.

By May 13, Beniamino told Council he had received letters from Ben Wegdam of Lou Lou's and one from long Howard Armfield, of AH&T Insurance, who included copies of Leesburg's ordinance on the matter, which specifically allows such displays.

He explained that the difference between Middleburg and Leesburg was that Leesburg owned its streets and sidewalks. Middleburg's are owned by the Virginia Department of Transportation.

VDOT's regulations, in fact, prohibit Towns like Middleburg from enacting ordinances to allow signage and other "structures" in the state's right-of-ways.

According to Beniamino, VDOT's Howard Massie advised him that "sidewalk sales" can be permitted in special situations, but noted that the Town would have to get a special permit for an "event" in order to do so . . . or secure a permit for everyone who wanted to display their wares for sale on the sidewalk.

After lengthy discussion of the legal implications of planters, benches, trees, sandwich boards, and building corners that technically lie within the state right-of-way, Mayor Davis suggested this item be placed on the upcoming work session agenda for further discussion.