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SB385 • 2026

Front Royal, Town of; amending charter, relating to town manager.

An Act to amend and reenact § 14 of Chapter 44 of the Acts of Assembly of 1937, which provided a charter for the Town of Front Royal in Warren County, relating to town manager.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
French
Last action
2026-04-08
Official status
Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information about when this change will take effect, nor does it specify details on how the council appoints the town manager based on qualifications, removes the town manager for cause, or designates a substitute during the absence of the town manager.

Changes to Town Manager Requirements for Front Royal

This act changes the charter of the Town of Front Royal by removing the requirement that the town manager must live in the town.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes the rule that the town manager has to be a resident of Front Royal.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Town of Front Royal
  • The town manager

Terms To Know

Charter
A set of rules that govern how a town is run.
Town Manager
The person in charge of running the day-to-day operations of a town.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not say when this change will take effect.
  • Only changes rules for Front Royal, not other towns.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-08 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 495 (effective 7/1/2026)

  2. 2026-04-08 Governor

    Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0495)

  3. 2026-03-10 Senate

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026

  4. 2026-03-10 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  5. 2026-03-02 House

    Signed by Speaker

  6. 2026-03-02 Senate

    Signed by President

  7. 2026-03-02 Senate

    Enrolled

  8. 2026-03-02 Senate

    Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB385ER)

  9. 2026-02-26 House

    Moved from Uncontested Calendar to Regular Calendar

  10. 2026-02-26 House

    Read third time

  11. 2026-02-26 House

    Passed House (94-Y 3-N 0-A)

  12. 2026-02-25 House

    Passed by for the day

  13. 2026-02-24 House

    Read second time

  14. 2026-02-20 Subcommittee #1

    Subcommittee recommends reporting (7-Y 0-N)

  15. 2026-02-20 Counties, Cities and Towns

    Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns (21-Y 0-N)

  16. 2026-02-17 Subcommittee #1

    Assigned HCCT sub: Subcommittee #1

  17. 2026-02-04 House

    Placed on Calendar

  18. 2026-02-04 House

    Read first time

  19. 2026-02-04 Counties, Cities and Towns

    Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns

  20. 2026-01-29 Senate

    Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

  21. 2026-01-28 Senate

    Read second time

  22. 2026-01-28 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  23. 2026-01-27 Senate

    Rules suspended

  24. 2026-01-27 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  25. 2026-01-27 Senate

    Read first time

  26. 2026-01-27 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A)

  27. 2026-01-27 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  28. 2026-01-26 Local Government

    Reported from Local Government (14-Y 0-N)

  29. 2026-01-13 Senate

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103652D

  30. 2026-01-13 Local Government

    Referred to Committee on Local Government

Official Summary Text

Charter; Town of Front Royal.
Amends the charter for the Town of Front Royal in Warren County by eliminating the requirement that the town manager reside in the town.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
An Act to amend and reenact § 14 of Chapter 44 of the Acts of Assembly of 1937, which provided a charter for the Town of Front Royal in Warren County, relating to town manager.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That § 14 of Chapter 44 of the Acts of Assembly of 1937 is amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 14. The council shall appoint a town manager who shall be the chief administrative officer of the town. The town manager shall be chosen by the council solely on the basis of his executive and administrative qualifications
and need not, when appointed, be a resident of the town or the State, but during his term of office he shall reside within the town
. No member of the council shall, during the time for which elected, be chosen as town manager. The town manager shall be appointed for a term acceptable to the town council and the town manager. He shall be removable by the town council for cause. Before the town manager may be removed, he shall, if he so demand, be given a written statement of the reasons alleged for his removal and the right to be heard publicly thereon at a meeting of the council prior to the final vote on the question of his removal, but pending and during such hearing the council may suspend him from office. The action of the council in suspending or removing the town manager shall be final, it being the intention of this charter to vest all authority and fix all responsibility for such suspension or removal in the council. In case of the absence or disability of the town manager the council may designate some qualified person to perform the duties of the office during such absence or disability.