Purcellville residents want answers on budget as shutdown looms

Purcellville residents want answers on budget as shutdown looms

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.

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.