it came as a shock to some members of the community But the mayor of the town told 7News it is in the best financial interest for the town “It's very difficult for a town our size to maintain its own police department,” said Mayor Christopher Bertaut who added the town has a hard time filling police officer shifts and that the Purcellville Police Department regularly loses officers to bigger law enforcement agencies that can pay higher salaries That’s one reason why the Purcellville Mayor said he wants to dissolve the Purcellville Police Department and have the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) be the sole law enforcement provider to the town The other reason is that the town of around 9,000 people has $50 million in debt most of which is for a large wastewater treatment plant that was built years ago under a previous mayor it will have $8 million remaining in the water fund principal and the remaining wastewater principal on the debt is $30 million The debt and cost of maintenance are why many town residents’ water bills are high Town Council Member Carol Luke and the Mayor said the money will go towards measures to lower residents’ high water bills “$500 bi-monthly water bills are not uncommon and that's for households who do not have a swimming pool,” said Bertaut and it was $625 for the last 60 days,” said Luke When news broke last week that the Purcellville Town Council voted in favor of eliminating its police department “What do you say to them when they claim that this was done without much public input?” 7News Reporter Nick Minock asked Bertaut “I would say that there's been a fair amount of public input and there will be further opportunities for same,” said Bertaut Luke said if they don’t find savings in the budget “What we don’t want to keep doing is raising taxes on people,” said Luke And that will be the solution if we don’t find another way The Purcellville Town Council is meeting on Tuesday but the Mayor told 7News it’s unlikely they will vote to formally eliminate the police department at that meeting because the town still has work to do to ensure a smooth transition If the town decides to dissolve the Purcellville Police Department the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office would likely become the sole law enforcement provider for Purcellville The LCSO already provides some law enforcement services to the town Luke told 7News that town residents are paying double for law enforcement coverage right now around $1,000 annually through taxes to fund the sheriff’s office and each household also pays around $1,200 on average for the town police department “I've lived in other parts of Loudoun County I think he's gotten that voted several times And I'm very confident he will do an excellent job.” “I would say that this is a big decision first of all and it touches on financial prudence for the town's residents and businesses and we're trying to come up with a solution that bridges those two concerns and addresses both at the same time,” said Bertaut Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman told 7News that he will need more funding from the county for 8 more deputies to provide service to the town if this goes forward Chapman said residents might not get the individualized service they are used to if the plan goes forward but that the sheriff’s office will provide good public safety services for the Town of Purcellville voted to fund its police force through next year the council of the town of approximately 9,000 people began discussions about defunding the Purcellville Police Department as a cost-cutting option in the town’s budget after hearing from dozens of residents opposed to dissolving the local department as well as two members of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors the council voted to fully fund the department in Fiscal Year 2026 “None of you who support this measure have reached out to me to ask if the county can pay for it None of you have reached out to Sheriff (Michael) Chapman to find out if this plan is even feasible or realistic,” said Catoctin Supervisor Caleb Kershner Proponents of the dissolving plan had said the county’s sheriff department would provide law enforcement services chair of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors said the sheriff’s office had not requested funds for personnel to staff Purcellville because the sheriff hadn’t been consulted you have not reached out to me at any point to have a discussion about budget allocations or adjustments,” said Randall Town residents voiced concerns that relying on the county sheriff’s office would slow current response times Another chided the council for moving forward with a plan that townspeople didn’t support “Our local department knows this town they are part of our community,” said the resident “Dismantling them without a clear whole-community-supported plan is not leadership — it’s pure recklessness.” A motion by Council member Erin Rayner offered a stopgap solution: The council would fully fund its police department this year with the stipulation the panel would have a full budget session to discuss the future of the Purcellville department If the council moves to disband the department it would enter discussions with the county and sheriff’s office about the possibility according to Rayner and Council member Caleb Stought who supported Rayner’s motion to fund the department this year to provide some certainty for the community and officers Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area Neal Augenstein has been a general assignment reporter with WTOP since 1997 He says he looks forward to coming to work every day even though that means waking up at 3:30 a.m by 7News Staff, Christian Flores comments and outbursts from outraged residents the Purcellville Town Council abandoned plans to dissolve the local police department and voted to fully fund the law enforcement agency through next year Council members met Tuesday night in front of a packed room with standing room only and some residents being forced to listen to the meeting outside the building to discuss the potential disbandment of its police department It followed a vote two weeks ago to start the process of eliminating the department and relying solely on the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) for law enforcement Mayor Christopher Bertaut said the initial plans to vote were financially motivated He has also repeatedly pointed to the fact LCSO deputies already provide overnight patrols and taxpayers are paying double the taxes of other neighboring towns and cities for law enforcement council members learned it would be almost impossible to transition from Purcellville Police to LCSO in the allotted time and there was a strong chance they would not be able to finalize their budget before the July 1 deadline Missing that deadline would put the town in danger of a government shutdown we cannot send ourselves into a government shutdown for this," said Council Member Erin Rayner shortly before introducing the motion to fully fund the Purcellville Police Department through Fiscal Year 26 enough votes flipped for the council to approve the funding of the police department through at least one more year as long as the council holds a budget meeting to discuss the town's financial issues and the future of the law enforcement agency and Caleb Stought voted in favor of this dramatic reversal Khalil and Luke had previously voted to begin the process of eliminating the police department It became clear to the crowd there would be enough votes to keep the police department when Khalil announced her change of heart "I will trust that all the members of this council can sit down and take an honest look at the budget and come up with something that makes sense I will trust that what we are discussing tonight will be a factor in our discussions next week or whenever they happen Luke later added: "The caveat is we actually try to solve the budget problems our town has the original majority decision to shutter the doors of the police department sparked discontent among many residents leading to recall petitions to try and kick Bertaut after the Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney announced Tuesday they had just been informed the Virginia Attorney General authorized Virginia State Police to launch a criminal investigation into the vice mayor "Vice Mayor Nett should be prevented from accessing all police department records and attending all meetings involving discussions about PPD," the commonwealth's attorney announcement stated 7News reached out to the Attorney General of Virginia "The Attorney General’s office cannot comment on the existence or absence of a criminal investigation." LCSO Sheriff Mike Chapman had also raised concerns regarding the transition process he released a statement saying the town council and manager had not discussed plans with his office and took issue with the town dictating terms for how deputies would operate "It is clear from everything in this packet and a host of other inputs and comments that we have received that we cannot do this transition in two months Regardless of what your position on it is - for or against - it cannot be done in two months," Stought said ahead of the vote Chapman also said additional funding would be necessary to hire eight more deputies to serve the town if the plan proceeds This was an issue raised by Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall hours before the council reversed course The board is the body in charge of deciding the budget for the county Randall signed up to speak during the public comment period and told the town council the board had already completed the budget process without allocating money for extra deputies in Purcellville because the town had not made this need known "Not included in [LCSO's] request were enough full time positions to take on the law enforcement duties in Purcellville The sheriff did not request them because he was not informed by any member of this council," Randall said primarily from a wastewater treatment plant constructed under a previous administration the town will have $8 million remaining in the water fund principal with $30 million still owed on the wastewater debt High water bills are a result of this financial burden Mayor Bertaut and Town Council Member Carol Luke said that dissolving the police department could redirect funds to alleviate residents' water bills residents - one after another - stated they do not wish to ease their water bills by getting rid of the police department and criticized the council's vote two weeks ago without having public comment on that particular motion "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 Another resident added: "Why would you remove the peace of mind that allows us to walk the streets at night?" One potential turning point that may have changed enough council members' minds came when Town Manager and former mayor Kwasi Fraser spoke up "You have heard the voice of the people tonight I think if a decision is made from this dais I believe you can make that decision tonight The reason I say that is I've sat here and I have not heard any opposing views," Fraser said Council Member Rayner told 7News the public budget meeting is set for next Tuesday (7News) — Brian Morgan longs for the time when Purcellville was considered a sleepy town in western Loudoun County But residents have recently awoken in a fury in response to a decision from the town council while the mayor has found himself suspended from a coalition of other mayors in the county devoted to advocating for their residents we all want to forget about that there's town council meetings We'd like it to be boring again," Morgan said "This is absolutely not a partisan issue I can't even tell you what political party or leanings they all have This is 100 % about the Town of Purcellville and how things are being done here." which is comprised of mayors who advocate for their towns' needs to Loudoun County leaders announced they have suspended Purcellville Mayor Christopher Bertaut "This suspension arises from the ethically questionable practices resulting in multiple violations of Virginia state law including breaches of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and compliance with the law are cornerstones of public service Mayor Bertaut's conduct in recent months has not lived up to these legal and ethical standards," the letter stated 7News On Your Side reached out to Bertaut by call and email for his reaction to this suspension but he has not responded as of publication We obtained his letter responding to the suspension from Vice Mayor Ben Nett "It's a black eye to Purcellville," Morgan said "It really brings out very publicly the dysfunctionality of this mayor and town council and the other thing is we lose our voice with these other mayors and the process Purcellville is going to have to be part of." Critics of Bertaut point to the town council meeting on Tuesday as a prime example of what the suspension letter mentions tensions boiled over after two key decisions by the council during that meeting instead using the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office for law enforcement needs "You are defunding the police that protect this town!" Purcellville resident Christie Morgan yelled during Wednesday night's meeting since she was unable to attend the meeting when the decision was made Purcellville resident Cody Trail told 7News: "You wouldn't know there was a problem with our police department You wouldn't know there was a need to abolish them We wouldn't know that because they're such a secure Council Member Susan Khalil defended eliminating the police department "We don't have coverage between 1 and 6 a.m. so the services are no longer commensurate with the tax dollars," Khalil said moments before Tuesday night's vote 7News On Your Side caught up with Mayor Christopher Bertaut Wednesday night asking him for his response to residents who said they think their public safety will be jeopardized "I don't believe that to be the case," Bertaut said "We already have significant coverage from the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office here in town That happens overnight between 1 and 6 a.m. when we have no coverage whatsoever due to manpower issues Part of the transition process will be identifying key areas where they need to do additional patrolling where they don't already do today." Bertaut also pointed to larger cities in Loudoun County that do not have their police department and The mayor also said this cut would save $3.4 million in taxpayer money Tuesday's meeting only became more contentious members approved hiring former mayor Kwasi Fraser as the full-time town manager Fraser had been acting town manager since January which had already drawn criticism after the current council fired the person in that position in the opening days of their tenure Council Members Erin Rayner and Kevin Wright immediately called into question the expedited process when the motion was called 'We're not going to interview candidates?" Wright asked Outcry from residents in attendance can be heard over the microphone of the councilmembers the council carried on with the vote and approved Fraser's hiring "This is not normal!" a resident could be heard shouting after a vote was called who had to miss the second half of Tuesday's meeting because he was out of town with work obligations and Wright were not part of discussions with the majority who voted for the elimination of the police department and hiring of Fraser There were 82 candidates for the town manager job and Wright had narrowed down the list with the town's human resources department in anticipation of interviewing a short list of candidates pointing to his time as mayor before he opted not to run for re-election "I would think that eight years as mayor would qualify as the highest rating in municipal government experience," Nett said Nett also provided the following statement to 7News: Critics like Morgan said Fraser's qualifications are also in question even though he served four two-year terms as town mayor "We don't have any evidence of interviews being held we have no idea who else was spoken to or what the competition was for that position," Morgan said "If he was the mayor for all that time why not do an interview process and compare other qualified people to make sure we're getting the best person?" Morgan has been leading the way in the petition process to recall Bertaut and Council Member Carol Luke -- the four town elected officials who approved the elimination of the police department and hiring of Fraser as town manager "The four members of the majority council have been introducing motions last moment not taking input from staff," said Josh Shields a Purcellville resident working with Morgan to gather recall petition signatures When 7News On Your Side reached out to Bertaut about his suspension from the mayors coalition we also asked him for his response to residents who believe the town manager hiring process was not transparent "You've been doing this in secret you didn't have any conversations about it you didn't have any deliberations about it with the other town council members the minority council members," Morgan said it's the not using established and best practices ways of managing the issues and it's also they're not listening to the whole town." by Tom Roussey, Christian Flores (7News) — In a move critics said they were blindsided by Purcellville Town Council in Loudoun County voted on Tuesday night to begin a process to eliminate its police department the council members voted to have its staff write up an ordinance that would eliminate the Purcellville Police Department The tense moments in the moments before and after Tuesday night's vote carried over into Wednesday night's council meeting 7News On Your Side caught up with Morgan after she left Town Hall She said she is not only frustrated councilmembers came to the decision to dissolve the police department but she believes the process was not transparent "To see them throw out they're going to defund the police without any conversation with the minority councilmembers nor anybody in the public they haven't spoken to anybody about this," Morgan said "You can't make a decision like this taking away this type of service to your town without speaking to your constituents." The vote comes after low crime statistics led to Purcellville being declared the safest town in Virginia in 2024 “We are currently the safest town in Virginia We will no longer be,” said Purcellville Council Member Erin Rayner one of the two members who voted against the measure She said she had no idea it was going to be brought up at a budget meeting Tuesday night to say we’re going to defund the police and get rid of them." The council voted on the police department motion in the waning minutes of Tuesday night's meeting You could hear shouts of disapproval from the crowd over council members' microphones so the services are no longer commensurate with the tax dollars," Council Member Susan Khalil said moments before Tuesday night's vote defending the decision to get rid of the police department Rayner shot back when it was her turn to talk about the motion "This is reckless and ignorant to go this path so quickly without even having proper discussions with Virginia State Police with Loudoun Sheriff to see what this would look like Shame on all of you," Rayner said Tuesday night trying to get signatures to recall the four members of the council - including the mayor and vice mayor - who voted in favor of dissolving the police department "I'm usually not a political person last night's town council meeting got me heated," Shields said Cody Trail was one Purcellville resident to sign the petitions "Last night's last-moment agenda items were just totally over the edge," Trail said "You wouldn't know there was a problem with our police department Tuesday night’s vote was not a final vote to eliminate the department 7News has learned that the earliest that could happen is April 22 Purcellville’s mayor and vice mayor were among the council members who voted in support of the measure aimed at eliminating the police department 7News On Your Side spoke with Mayor Christopher Bertaut before Wednesday's council meeting He defended the move to get rid of the local police department by pointing out the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office would take over the law enforcement duties "We already have a strong law enforcement presence from the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office and we hope to extend that partnership to take over the services for policing," Bertaut said "Next steps are to initiate a stronger series of discussions with the sheriff's office to discuss how to cleanly and smoothly transition over to coverage by the sheriff's office and to work through the various steps Some of that will take a good period of time I would anticipate there would be some involvement by the town for a period of a good year 7News On Your Side asked Bertaut for his response to residents who told 7News they felt their public safety would be jeopardized by getting rid of the town police department that do not have their own police department and 7News On Your Side also reached out to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office to ask them if they have already been in contact with Purcellville leaders and how the transition process would work A spokesperson provided the following statement: Rayner was upset by Vice Mayor Ben Nett’s vote because until last week She said he was removed from his job after internal investigations and after he was placed on the “Brady List,” which negatively impacts an officer’s credibility as a court witness “The vice mayor was on the Purcellville PD until Friday I don’t think that is right,” Rayner said I don’t know how there’s not a conflict of interest that he’s allowed to vote on this.” He wrote that the investigations into him were “politically motivated.” “My efforts have been focused on saving the PD Given the weaponization of the police department – to include politically motivated Internal Affairs investigations and unauthorized leaks of Internal Affairs matters to the press – many urged a leadership change in order to restore morale to a department that was consistently hemorrhaging Officers," Nett said urging that I get control of the police department that was failing in its mission that my own elevation to Chief of Police was untenable I have recommended several Chief of Police alternatives – none of whom would agree to take on the mantle of leadership for fear of political retribution.” Nett went on to write that the main driver of his decision was saving money something echoed in a letter sent to 7News every household and business in Purcellville pays twice for law enforcement—once through County taxes especially when the landscape of law enforcement is rapidly changing and increasingly competitive another departs for larger agencies like Leesburg or the Counties of Loudoun and Fairfax This revolving door has made it nearly impossible to maintain the fully staffed robust department that our residents deserve.” Interim Police Chief Sara Lombraña told 7News the department is budgeted for as many as 21 officers She said her budget is more than $3 million “You can’t put a price on community engagement and safety for our citizens,” Lombraña said in an interview “You can’t really put a price on a response time either but they have a 17-minute response time versus six minutes or less for the department.” Bertaut wrote in his letter that the town would benefit by relying on the sheriff’s office instead of its police force Census data indicates Purcellville has about 9000 people It is located in a rural area west of Leesburg A police spokesperson said the Purcellville Police Department dates back to 1908 when the town’s first sergeant was elected But you're going to take away the police we're no longer living in a safe town where we have very quick response," Morgan said "This is a very big portion of Loudoun County and it's very country and there's a lot of areas here that's not going to have somebody closeby if something happens." WASHINGTON (7News) — Purcellville's Town Council has postponed its budget meeting for another week a decision made hours before the meeting was set to begin Town Mayor Christ Bertaut said he is seeking additional legal advice after the Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney clarified that the vice mayor is prohibited from participating in any discussions involving the police department This clarification is linked to a criminal investigation launched last week by the Virginia Attorney General into the vice mayor Leaders weren't expected to approve a final vote during a meeting on April 22 previously citing concerns over the transition process the council voted to fully fund the department into next year after an intense hours-long public hearing inside the packed council chamber The city is working to resolve the millions of dollars remaining in its water and stormwater-related debt and further developments are expected as the new meeting date approaches Our mission is to support a model of growth that allows America's cities towns and neighborhoods to become financially strong and resilient The new book from Strong Towns, Escaping the Housing Trap, is available for preorder now. Get yours today Purcellville, Virginia. (Original photo: Strawser Elected officials across the country are facing an impossible financial reality and there isn't enough cash on hand to address them all Debt seems like the only way out of today’s problem the list of deferred projects that now need urgent attention grows longer stretching beyond what any budget projection can handle This is how the Growth Ponzi Scheme we have described at Strong Towns plays out in real life offers a stark example of where this path leads is considering taking on $34 million in new debt to cover a long list of deferred utility infrastructure projects Local leaders now find themselves with nothing but bad options They can either take on massive debt — financing they can obtain but not afford — to fund critical projects or they can continue deferring maintenance Budget Analyst Linda Jackson laid out some of the risks, as reported in a piece for Loudoun Now: “It’s notice of violations if we have a temporary solution for any kind of breakage that comes up there would be the need for generators and emergency pricing.” This is the inevitable result of a development pattern that produces more liabilities than a town has the capacity to manage Purcellville can’t afford to invest in maintenance or improving residents’ quality of life because so much of its budget is consumed by past obligations and urgent repairs “General Fund projects are fully funded with external sources [largely debt]," Purcellville Director of Finance Liz Krens said “Parks and Rec projects will not move forward unless grants are secured.” When a community has to rely on grants for the kind of basic amenities that make it a great place to live it’s a clear sign that this approach is not working So, how did Purcellville get here? By their own words, growth masked their insolvency problem for years: “When we were growing we were bringing in a lot of availability [fee] dollars,” Krens said “A regular house is about $50,000 per new home that comes into town," she continued I’m just saying the funds were there when the town was growing like crazy that we were able to do some of these projects which is placing a lot of pressure on the residents and the businesses towns and cities take on liabilities without concern because cash is flowing in But those periods of growth are when the worst financial decisions are made Purcellville’s struggles aren’t the result of local mismanagement today They are the result of a national approach to growth and development that encourages local governments to take on obligations they can never hope to sustain If you’re an elected official, the first step to fixing this is understanding why your city is insolvent. The Strong Towns approach offers a way out. Take the Strong Towns 101 course, read "Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity," and start on the path to real financial resilience towns and neighborhoods take local action to grow safe Become a MemberSign Up for EmailsPitch a StoryRSS Feed BooksAction LabBlog RollShopPress About UsTeam | BoardEmploymentContact Us Privacy PolicyComment PolicyFAQSearch Strong Towns is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Our work is performed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License by Tom Roussey (7News) — Leaders of an effort to recall four leaders in the town of Purcellville said on Monday they turned in nearly 1,200 signatures for each elected official they are seeking to have thrown out of office and Council Members Susan Khalil and Carol Luke Although a vote by those four elected leaders to get rid of the small town’s police department as of this summer gained the most attention for the recall cause organizers said they launched their effort even before that vote They said they are upset about other votes also and that’s one reason they are continuing the recall effort even though the council majority backtracked and agreed to fund the police department for at least another year “This has always been about more than just the police department We started this two or three weeks before they even made that decision,” said Brian Morgan Morgan said recall supporters are upset about the council majority’s decision to fire the town manager and replace him with a former mayor as well as the fact that Vice Mayor Nett cast a vote to get rid of the police department just days after he was fired from it Morgan accuses the council majority of making decisions in secret without informing not only the public but even the three council members who routinely disagree with them 7News reached out to all four elected officials who are facing the potential recall only Mayor Christopher Bertaut and Council Member Susan Khalil had responded “The Town of Purcellville conducted a 'recall' 174 days ago — an election in which Council members Rayner and Wright saw their 5-2 majority reduced to a 3-4 minority Voters embraced a new direction — one focused on slow and lowering water rates,” Bertaut wrote in an email “Yet despite this clear mandate for change and Wright continue to push for the status quo of escalating taxes and preservation of an inefficient town government Their desperate quest for power — now marked by unsubstantiated personal attacks on their opponents — will not succeed in reversing the will of the people.” “If the Council minority can succeed at unseating one majority seat they create an open door to a seat that favors development The Council minority has demonstrated that they will stop at nothing to accomplish this goal,” Khalil wrote to 7News “The false accusations and allegations are laughable Clearly people are grabbing at anything they can in order to unseat one or all of us.” Several things still need to happen before the four Purcellville officials can be removed from office the county office of elections has to certify that there are enough valid signatures then the Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office has to decide if there are valid grounds for removing the officials it would be up to a judge whether the members should be thrown out and either side could appeal the judge’s decision to the Virginia Supreme Court The judge would have the authority to suspend the elected officials as the process moves forward “We need to get them suspended so that they can’t take any more actions until the final determination is made,” Morgan said If the recall effort achieved ultimate success the officials would be thrown out of office The expelled officials would be eligible to run again as long as they are not disqualified for other reasons Since it’s unclear how long the entire process could take it’s possible a new election would be held this fall but it’s also possible it would happen after that Nett and Khalil would not have to run again until November 2028 Bertaut and Luke would face reelection in November 2026 “If there was ever an election that really needed and deserved to be overturned it’s the one last November that put these folks in control of our town,” Morgan said DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live The Purcellville Town Council voted to eliminate the Purcellville Police Department A look at stories making headlines in D.C. The deadline to get a Real ID is fast approaching -- and many are rushing to get their ID updated The historic First Baptist Church at the corner of Kirby Street and New York Avenue has been subject to illegal dumping over the past year A cold front will slowly progress through the DMV through Tuesday A brief break in the wet weather is forecast for Wednesday before more rain and possible storms return late in the work week The NFL Draft is coming to the District after the NFL commissioner and President Trump shared the news at a press conference at the White House Katerina Manoff is the CEO and founder of ENGin a non-profit that utilizes English-speaking volunteers from the DMV area to connect with English learners from other countries Some enterprising students in Frederick are making art a focal point for social change A nonprofit group said it is offering free Lyft rides on May 5 for Cinco de Mayo A University Park man was indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple child exploitation charges including producing and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) Mayor Muriel Bowser said she plans to repeal Initiative 82 (I-82) under her proposed 2026 budget reverting the District to its previous tipped minimum wage policy President Donald Trump announced Monday afternoon that the 2027 NFL draft will be held in Washington