By Robert King -- Daily Staff Writer

FRONT ROYAL — Despite the Town Council's decision against resuming liaison committee meetings with Warren County, many members of the Board of Supervisors hope the sessions can resume.

The council voted 5-1 Monday to not resume the meetings. Some council members thought the meetings could lead to grandstanding and conflicts, and should instead be informal.

But many supervisors feel the meetings are necessary.

"We've had a considerable amount of problems over the last several years because the town and county could or would never get together to talk things out," said Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman Glenn L. White.

The meetings were suspended in December 2006 as town and county relations deteriorated. Since then, there have been informal meetings between the supervisors' chairman and Front Royal's mayor.

The supervisors had previously discussed holding formal meetings.

Councilman Carson C. Lauder Jr. motioned Monday to resume the liaison meetings.

His proposal had the liaison committee comprised of the mayor, two council members, the town attorney and manager, the supervisors chairman, two supervisors and the county attorney and administrator.

Councilman Bret Hrbek said Monday that the formal meetings might result in conflicts. Hrbek lobbied for informal meetings.

Mayor Eugene Tewalt wants to resume liaison meetings, but said Lauder's proposal included too many panel members.

Councilman Thomas H. Sayre said formal meetings could open the door for "grandstanding."

White responded that a set agenda and strong leadership from supervisors Chairman Archie Fox and Tewalt could stop any grandstanding during meetings.

White also said arguments are common in meetings. "When you get two bodies that are very similar but have different views of what needs to be done ... those kinds of things need to be argued out," he said.

Shenandoah District Supervisor Dick Traczyk said he suspended the meetings when he was chairman in 2006 for the reasons cited by Hrbek and Sayre. He said, though, that the two bodies do need to meet in some capacity.

"If it's not in that formal venue, then I'm OK with something smaller, perhaps the chairman and the mayor," he said.

Happy Creek Supervisor Tony F. Carter, who attended the council meeting Monday, said the meetings should be open.

"It is discussion of public business, and it should be done in the public," he said. "By having a formal structure where minutes are taken [you] have less of a tendency to let things slip through the cracks."

Carter said he always thought of the meetings as a "communications tool."

"At no times should there be decisions made, and at all times the members should be conveying what their respective boards' intentions are," he said. "It is just supposed to be an opportunity to get together and talk about issues of common interest."

South River District Supervisor Linda P. Glavis wasn't available for comment Tuesday.

Many supervisors agreed the county should work with the town on a liaison agreement both bodies could agree on.

The supervisors were open to fewer committee members .

Carter suggested the council and supervisors try liaison meetings on a trial basis for six months. Fox wondered though whether the town would be open to negotiations.

"When you consider a 5-1 vote, [they are] probably not going to want to negotiate," he said. "It sounds to me they would like to continue with the type of meetings we are having now, which is the mayor and myself meeting informally."

* Contact Robert King at rking@nvdaily.com