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Leesburg Briefs: Council weighs in on city status
City status
The town will look into the pros and cons of becoming a city.
An agreement between the town and county stating that Leesburg would not seek city status expires in less than a year. Given this, Town Council discussed Leesburg's status at its March 25 meeting.
The legal agreement, filed with the Loudoun County Circuit Court, said Leesburg would not seek a transition to city status for a period of 25 years from Jan. 1, 1984, to Jan. 1, 2009. In return, Leesburg would be able to annex some county land into the town's limits.
“I don't think it would be worth the staff's time,” said Councilman David Schmidt, who was against looking into city status.
The town will need to find out if the state's moratorium limiting towns from applying for city charters has been lifted before moving ahead with its study.
If Leesburg became a city, it would likely have to pay for its own schools and court system, unless it paid the county for these services.
Public arts review
Public Arts Commissioner Judy Craun presented March 24 proposed guidelines that would establish a process for approval of art on public land.
Public art, under this proposal, would go before a panel of 20 to 25 artists from different disciplines, who would review the art for approval.
The proposal raised concerns among Leesburg's Town Council members about what is art and whether the the town should judge public art displays.
Councilman Kevin Wright said the town needs to make sure it's not limiting or requiring the evaluation of already-approved projects like water fountains because they could be considered art and would therefore need the art panel's approval.
The council's concerns are being taken under advisement, Craun said.
“We are going to have to go back and make a few changes,” she said. “It's a work in progress.”
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