Follow the Sewers

October 26, 2026 · By Jay Hubbard

Mayor Bridge Littleton gives the State of the Town address, October 20, 2026. (Town of Middleburg meeting video)

In his State of the Town address on October 20, Mayor Bridge Littleton reported a surplus five times bigger than projected, a reserve worth more than a year of spending, and three lawsuits, all filed against the Town. Two days later Council banned new rooftop dining, lifted the mandatory water restrictions, and heard the plan to raise $2 million for the Asbury Church. The town also lost Asbury Lloyd Jr., the Negro Leagues ballplayer whose story anchored the church's oral histories.

Council met October 8 and October 22 with all members present. Mayor Littleton votes only to break a tie.

The State of the Town

Littleton spoke for about 45 minutes in the Council chamber ▶ video:

Money: the Town budgeted a $135,000 surplus for fiscal 2026 and finished at about $715,000, before the audit. The reserve policy is 125 percent of a year's operating budget, about $6.3 million, because meals and lodging taxes, which can collapse in a recession or a pandemic, bring in most of the revenue. The Town holds about $12 million in all and earns about $430,000 a year in interest. Its debt costs 1.8 to 2.7 percent.
Water: the new tiered rates have cut average bills at the low end by 40 to 45 percent, he said, and about a fifth of the town's housing is subsidized. Groundwater is still at emergency level even after a wet fall. The Town is reviving Well 2, may lower pumps and dig a new well, and will feed its data to the County's western Loudoun groundwater study.
Why not pipe water in from Loudoun Water: "Developers are like rats. They'll always follow the sewers," he said, quoting someone else. Central water and sewer along Route 50 would invite dense building: "It's 30 or 40 years now when that next group of people come along, do they sacrifice what all of us who work so hard to preserve?"
The lawsuits: "We do have three pending litigation items with the town," he said, and the Town filed none of them. Closed-session agendas name Cooper Building Services and two Salamander companies.
Staff: the Town made an offer to a town manager candidate, "but they declined and went to go do something else, so we're still out there." The police lieutenant's job is open too.
Events: "We don't want to over bake the cake," he said. More visitors are good, up to the point where they wear on the people who live here.

At the next meeting Salamander managing director Scott Little praised "great stewardship." He noted that meals and lodging taxes bring in about $3 million of the Town's $5.2 million in revenue.

Two Million by December

On October 22 Town Clerk Rhonda North laid out the fundraising plan for the Asbury Church ▶ video:

First, construction: about $1.8 million beyond the Town's $1.1 million, rounded to $2 million. A $2 million endowment for upkeep comes after.
A quiet phase, then a public one: committee members will ask a few donors directly, then hold a reception, then one open to everyone. The consultant's pyramid starts with three gifts of $300,000.
Pledges over three years: the consultants say donors give more that way. To open the church for its 200th birthday in 2029, the Town might bridge the gap with short-term borrowing of $1.8 million to $2 million, backed by the pledges. Council committed to nothing; the Strategic Finance Committee will look at options.

The committee hopes to know by December whether the quiet phase is working. Earlier in the month North reported a $30,000 grant from the Hillsdale Fund, secured with help from Megan and Peter Gallagher. The oral histories did not win the VML award.

Asbury Lloyd Jr.

Asbury Lloyd Jr. died in October at 97, Council was told. Gallagher said he inspired this year's veterans banners. "He from his wheelchair was the first speaker at the massive community meeting" on Mickie Gordon Park, she said, and told of playing 200 games with the Middleburg Braves and the Negro Leagues, wearing his veterans cap. All 21 light posts on Route 50 now carry banners, and the dedication is November 7 at the Community Center.

Rooftops, Banned

Council adopted the rooftop dining ban on October 22 after a public hearing ▶ video. Rooftop dining is prohibited from now on, ground-level dining stays by right, and the one approved rooftop, at the old Fun Shop, gets strict standards. Gallagher thanked the Historic District Review Committee, the Planning Commission, Planner Amy Rogers and Interim Town Manager Will Moore. Little said the resort, which sits in an agricultural district the rules don't cover, takes no exception to the final version.

Littleton said he has heard from only one person who wants rooftop dining. He suggested two more limits for later: no glass or metal tableware on the roof, because "those sharp noises carry a lot," and perhaps no rooftop service after sundown. Either would need another hearing.

The Restrictions Lift

Mandatory water conservation ends November 1. Council voted October 22 to step back to voluntary conservation on the Utility Committee's recommendation, after 45 days of steadier wells and the end of watering season. On October 8 the committee had said no to a short break for power washing, fearing everyone would rush the same days. Vince Gugliotta of IES said Well L recovered 85 feet after a month off, Well 3 held steady through two weeks of pumping, and Well 2 is showing good yield in its tests. Councilmember Chris Hersh asked residents not to treat it as a free-for-all.

Littleton reported an early look at a state study of western Loudoun and Fauquier groundwater, due December 31. Average well levels fell about two feet between 1990 and the early 2000s, while about 16,000 new wells were drilled. Many were dug before the County's 2001 down-zoning, he said, to lock in building rights.

Also This Month

- The cookie crawl: Wendy Osbourne of Chloe's of Middleburg praised the November 2 Cookie Crawl's sellout, 165 tickets, but said leaving out most retailers was "very, very hurtful," especially with an EDAC member among its organizers. Director of Community Engagement Jennifer Bell said it is a private event and the "Middleburg Shopkeepers" account isn't the Town's. Councilmember Darlene Kirk said Town events include every business. - Burns Night: the 2027 event goes ahead within the Town's budget, with higher ticket prices. Council plans no funding after that, and organizer Kathleen Frazer hopes the St. Andrew's Society of Washington will take it over. - Police: Officer Natalie Amaya, four years with Maryland police, joined October 8 and goes on patrol in December after the state's short academy. Chief Shaun Jones cut the cost of police tires from $250 to $125 through a state contract. - Route 50: VDOT's overnight milling and paving began October 22, skipping Friday and Saturday nights. Moore is watching the brick crosswalks and bump-outs closely. - The County: comments on Loudoun's data center rules close October 31. Littleton said a 500-foot setback still isn't enough. On cannabis stores, which localities can't ban, he wants narrow County rules. - Other business: - Granicus keeps the agenda software contract, now year to year so the Town can drop it if service doesn't improve. - A North Jay Street property with Town liens for safety repairs is paid off and headed back into use. - Council cancelled its fourth-Thursday meetings in November and December and approved $100 local gift certificates for staff. - The Fun Shop owner held a community meeting October 12 on his Phase 2 plans.

Public Comment

October 8 ▶ video

Scott Little, of Salamander, thanked Chief Jones for violence-response training at the resort and promoted the Middleburg Film Festival.
Wendy Osbourne, of Chloe's of Middleburg, praised the Cookie Crawl but objected to the retailers left out.

October 22 ▶ video

Megan Gallagher, East Marshall Street, thanked the Utility Committee, announced the veterans banner dedication and remembered Asbury Lloyd Jr.
Scott Little, of Salamander, praised the Chief's training and the State of the Town.

Public hearing, rooftop and outdoor dining: Megan Gallagher supported it; Scott Little said the resort takes no exception.

Tips & Wags (opinion)

Tip of the Hat to Asbury Lloyd Jr., who played 200 games for the Middleburg Braves, served his country, and came to Town meetings in a wheelchair and his veterans cap to tell the rest of us what this town used to be. We were lucky to get his story on film.

Tip of the Hat to everyone who cut their water use by a fifth this summer. The wells noticed.

Wag of the Finger to a cookie crawl that sold Middleburg's name while leaving out most of its shops. Next year, invite the whole street.

Coming Up

October 26: Planning Commission. October 26–November 16: veterans banners on Route 50.
October 29: volunteer reception. October 30 or 31: services for Asbury Lloyd Jr. in Purcellville.
October 31: County data center comments close.
November 1: water restrictions drop to voluntary. November 2: Cookie Crawl.
November 7: veterans banner dedication, Community Center, 10 a.m.
December: the audit to Council; Christmas in Middleburg; the Asbury quiet phase results; the state groundwater study.

Sources: the meeting videos (October 8, State of the Town, October 20, October 22), the Town's minutes for October 8 (pending approval) and the transcript attached to them, and our own transcripts of the October 20 and 22 recordings, since the Town had not posted its own.