County supervisor proposes joint strategic economic‑development planning project; asks if town will cost‑share consultant

A county supervisor proposed that Front Royal and Warren County jointly engage a strategic planning consultant to assess institutional roles (including the EDA), evaluate cooperation models and produce recommendations for integrating tourism, economic development and resource sharing.

The supervisor described the local institutional landscape as complex — including the county EDA, town activities and recent organizational disruptions — and argued a consultant could provide a scoped set of deliverables: institutional integration analysis, cooperation models, strategic position recommendations, and an implementation framework. The supervisor said the proposal was for a cost‑shared project and noted that some prior attempts at institutional alignment had been complicated by litigation, staffing changes and prior political disputes.

Town council representatives said they would bring the question to the council work session and evaluate whether to participate or cost‑share the project; the liaison committee agreed to return answers from each governing body before advancing procurement. No procurement decision or funding commitment was made at the liaison meeting.