Latest news with #BenNett
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Purcellville residents want answers on budget as shutdown looms
The Brief Residents in Purcellville, Va., still don't have answers about the town budget as a shutdown looms. Two emergency meetings to address the crisis were abruptly canceled. One was finally held on Tuesday. Purcellville faces a $3 million budget deficit and must find a solution by June 30 to avoid a state takeover. PURCELLVILLE, Va. - The Purcellville Town Council remains in turmoil. Tuesday night's meeting drew a large crowd of residents demanding answers about the town's budget after two emergency meetings to address the crisis were abruptly canceled. Without a resolution, the town faces the real threat of a government shutdown. What happened The mayor opened Tuesday night's meeting with a warning: no disorderly conduct, no speaking out of turn, and no exceeding the two-minute time limit after the last meeting saw angry outbursts from dozens of frustrated residents. Purcellville faces a $3 million budget deficit and must find a solution by June 30 to avoid a state takeover. One proposal to close the gap was to eliminate the town's police department, costing just over $3 million a year, but public outcry forced the council to reverse course, on the condition that an emergency meeting be held to explore alternatives. Those meetings, set for April 28 and May 6, were canceled by the mayor, who insisted the full council be present. The holdup is Vice Mayor Ben Nett, who has been barred from police-related discussions by the Loudoun County Commonwealth's attorney due to a criminal conflict-of-interest investigation. Nett voted to defund the department just a week after being fired from it. But with the council now voting to fully fund police in 2026, the town attorney has ruled Nett can rejoin the conversation. A town divided The council remains divided, with the majority and minority disagreeing over how to balance the budget — the main issue being the utility fund, which carries the bulk of the town's debt by undercharging approximately $17 for every 1,000 gallons of water. Part of the mayor's proposal suggested increasing the amount of the meals tax revenue allocated to the utilities fund from 50 to 84 percent, which equals a difference of approximately $1.2 million and cutting just over $1.6 million from the general fund, directing the town manager to identify what can be eliminated. Both items passed by a vote of 4-3. Dig deeper There is a petition with nearly 2,000 signatures on each calling for the recall of the mayor and three council members who voted to defund the police department. It will be sent to the Commonwealth's attorney in Stafford on May 15. If they find cause, the case will go before a judge and a trial date will be set.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Virginia town backs away from dissolving police department after citizen uproar
Amid backlash from residents, leaders in a Virginia town voted Tuesday to keep Purcellville's police force a week after they tried to eliminate it to save more than $3 million, according to reports. The town of Purcellville, located in Loudoun County, Virginia, has found itself around $50 million in the red following the construction of a major wastewater treatment facility, and the council sought to tighten the town's budget by disbanding the local police department and relying on the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office for law enforcement. The initial decision to dismantle the police department led to recall petitions to remove several council members and Vice Mayor Ben Nett from office. Council members who proposed eradicating the force said they wanted to do so to reduce water bills for the town's 9,000 residents. But the council reversed course and voted to fund the police force at $3.2 million for 2026 at a jam-packed town council meeting Tuesday where outraged residents and other officials voiced their concerns about the proposal. Trump Lifts Police 'Burden' With Executive Orders In First 100 Days: Veteran Officer The result of the vote was met with cheers by residents in attendance. Read On The Fox News App Residents who spoke during public comments said they didn't want to get rid of the police department to save on water bills and criticized the council's vote two weeks ago without having public comment on that particular motion, according to Fox 5 DC. Dem Elites Accused Of Slapping Small-town Cops With 'Witch Hunt' Fines Twice Their Pay "The four of you snuck agenda items in at the end of the meeting and took away my lawful right to comment on them," one resident said, ABC7 reports. Sheriff Mike Chapman, of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, released a statement before the meeting saying the town council and manager had not discussed plans and said a transition could not happen in two months. The vote came amid a criminal investigation into Vice Mayor Ben Nett for potential violations of Virginia conflict of interest laws, according to Fox 5 DC. Nett was absent from Tuesday night's meeting. Nett was fired from the Purcellville Police Department on April 8 and within a week he voted to disband it with no effort to recuse himself, a letter from the Loudoun County Commonwealth's attorney states, per Fox 5 DC. The council, meanwhile, has come under fire for other issues too, including appointing former Mayor Kwasi Fraser as town manager without the council interviewing the 82 candidates that applied. Purcellville council member Erin Rayner said there's been a lot of behavior that she found questionable since the new council took office earlier this year. "I am happy that it's not just me and my fellow colleagues that are seeing this behavior and are seeing what's going on and looking into it," Rayner article source: Virginia town backs away from dissolving police department after citizen uproar
