Subcommittee approves Front Royal charter change to allow town manager residency outside town limits

Senator French introduced Senate Bill 385 to amend the Front Royal town charter so the town manager may reside outside the town limits. French said the charter dated to 1937 (with an update in 2017) and that recent turnover in the town manager position made the residency requirement a barrier to filling the post.

French told the subcommittee the town has completed the required documentation, public notice and an unanimous town council vote recommending the change. Committee members had no recorded questions in the transcript excerpt. After presentation, a motion to report the bill was seconded and the subcommittee recommended reporting SB 385 by a vote of 7 to 0.

The change is procedural and aimed at recruitment; no fiscal or implementation details were recorded in the provided transcript.