Rain at Last

June 30, 2025 · By Jay Hubbard

Council works through the water rationing rules, June 12, 2025. (Town of Middleburg meeting video)

The rain came in June, and with it the news that Loudoun County was officially out of drought. Council adopted next year's budget without a dissent, paid off the water system's short-term debt by lending itself the money, and kept working on a rationing rule it hopes never to use. It also gave a museum a grant and then rewrote the rules so it won't have to again. Well 4's pump now sits more than 500 feet down.

Council met June 12 with all members present and June 26 with Councilmember Bud Jacobs absent. Mayor Bridge Littleton votes only to break a tie.

Rationing, Revised

The water conservation ordinance came back on June 12 with its biggest change in the rationing tier ▶ video:

A flexible cap: instead of a fixed 150 gallons a day, the Town Manager or Council would set the household limit when rationing starts. It might begin at 300 gallons and tighten if the wells keep falling.
What the cap saves: Town Manager Danny Davis's numbers showed a 300-gallon cap would save about 1,300 gallons a day, and 150 gallons about 4,500. That is 1 to 3.75 percent of production. Last year's outdoor watering ban saved 35,000 to 40,000 gallons a day, and Davis expects mandatory conservation to capture 80 to 90 percent of what can be saved.
Who's affected: Middleburg households average 1.5 to 2 people. Apartments are counted per unit, and every multifamily unit in town already uses less than 150 gallons a day.
Businesses: commercial users take 50 to 60 percent of the water. Town Attorney Martin Crim said a 10 percent cut can legally be required of them in an extreme drought. Businesses that use no more than a household would fall under the household cap instead.

Vice Mayor Chris Bernard raised seasonality. A restaurant's twelve-month average says little about July, and a business facing surcharges might cut its hours instead, which costs the Town tax revenue. Littleton pointed out that some businesses, such as Scruffy's, use water only in summer. Davis offered to base the average on April through September. Littleton still did not think the ordinance was ready for adoption, and it comes back in July.

Davis also announced that, by the U.S. Drought Monitor, Loudoun was no longer in drought. Littleton said that could change. On June 26 operator Vince Gugliotta reported that Well L had come back from 33 feet of water above its sensor in May to about 80. Well 4's new pump, replacing one staff thought might never have been changed, was installed that day at 503 feet below grade. The brine system repair should end the salty-water complaints, and a repaired reuse system now saves 8,000 to 9,000 gallons of drinking water a day at the sewer plant.

The Budget, and a Loan to Itself

Council adopted the fiscal 2026 budget, the trimmed Option 2 version, 7-0 on June 12 ▶ video. Littleton was uneasy that spending was running about $1 million, or 20 percent, under budget with two weeks left in the year. "We're off budgeting by 20%," he said. By June 26 the final figures showed about 5 percent underspent, and he wants next year's budget "good and tight" so Council can plan what to do with any surplus.

On June 26 Council paid off $1.4 million in water system notes due June 30 ▶ video. The general fund lends the utility fund $1.1 million at the rate its investments earn, now 4.5 to 4.75 percent. The Strategic Finance Committee had suggested an interest-only demand note for flexibility. Littleton said a bank would never lend on interest alone and wanted something closer to a 25-year schedule. The loan was approved 6-0, with staff to return in July with interest only the first year and regular principal payments after that.

Grant First, Rules After

The Museum of Hounds & Hunting asked for a $5,000 infrastructure grant to pay back the cost of the security system it installed before opening in 2023 ▶ video. Director of Operations Katrina Ryan said the museum can't borrow pieces from private collectors without it. Council's policy didn't clearly say whether removable electronics count as infrastructure. Bernard said grants to a tenant made him "a little wiggly," and Councilmember Cindy Pearson warned that approving it would open the door to similar requests. Littleton said the request didn't meet the policy's intent. He suggested approving it anyway, since the museum had applied in good faith, and fixing the policy right after. The grant passed 7-0. On June 26 Council tightened the policy, 6-0: an infrastructure grant must now pay for a permanent part of the building, not electronics, and not for work already started or finished.

Also This Month

- Events permit: staff narrowed the large-event rules to events on public property, including streets and sidewalks ▶ video. Michelle Myers of Christmas in Middleburg told Council the parade, which she called the last large volunteer-led event in town, will meet the new criteria. Councilmember Darlene Kirk described house parties of 100 to 125 people spilling into her street with "music until four in the morning," and Pearson counted three loud private events in one recent weekend. Littleton would rather look again at the noise ordinance than regulate private gatherings now. - Loudoun Water: the County's water authority is ready to study taking over town water systems that want it, and to look at harmonized rates. Littleton told the Coalition of Loudoun Towns that "people don't study what they don't potentially want to do," and said Middleburg isn't interested. He will sit at the table and agree to nothing. - Asbury Church and Juneteenth: - Caandor Ventures recorded eleven oral-history interviews with twelve people, including Tutti Perricone singing "Amazing Grace" and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" in the church. - An architect's contract is expected in July. - At Juneteenth, Littleton presented proclamations honoring Mr. Grayson and Mr. Dodson for their part in desegregating Middleburg. James Smith then took the microphone for about 15 minutes "and told the whole story." The Town hopes to get the recording for the oral-history project. - People: - Council commended Artists in Middleburg on its tenth anniversary; Executive Director Sandy Danielson is looking for a bigger space in town. - Will Heron, a founding member of the Strategic Finance Committee, is moving to Arizona. - Robert Dry joins the Sustainability Committee. - Other business: - Middleburg Day drew 250 to 300 people despite rain. - The Town passed 50,000 Facebook followers. - Coffee with Council at the farmers market keeps hearing about vacant storefronts. Jacobs said the market may be worth continuing if the summer goes well. - The Town Hall security system was found to have missing equipment and connector prongs that had been deliberately cut. - Segra's fiber franchise and a buyer for the South Madison stones both come back later. - A variance goes to the Board of Zoning Appeals July 1. - The first August meeting is canceled.

Public Comment

June 12 ▶ video

Michelle Myers, Executive Director of Christmas in Middleburg, with members of her board, said the parade will meet the proposed large-event rules and asked to keep working with Council on its agreement.

June 26: no one spoke. Public hearing, fiscal 2025 budget amendment: no one spoke.

Tips & Wags (opinion)

Tip of the Hat to James Smith, who took the microphone at Juneteenth and told the whole story. Somebody get that recording to the oral-history team.

Tip of the Hat to Council for saying yes to a museum and then fixing the rule instead of pretending it was fine all along.

Wag of the Finger to whoever cut the prongs on Town Hall's security wiring. The building keeps finding new ways to cost money.

Coming Up

July 1: Board of Zoning Appeals variance hearing.
July 4: Independence Day at the charter school, with Visit Middleburg's parade at 5:45.
July: water conservation ordinance and loan amortization return; Asbury architect contract; events permit.
August 5: National Night Out.
September 20: Oktoberfest.

Sources: the meeting videos (June 12, June 26), the Town's minutes (pending approval) and the transcripts attached to them. Quotes come from the Town contractor's transcripts; each ▶ link opens the video at the start of that agenda item.