Letter to Senator Perry

Dear Senator Perry,

Thank you for taking an active interest in our Town. I was grateful that you traveled from Richmond to speak at our recent Town Council meeting. I am writing to strongly encourage you to follow through on your commitment to help Purcellville.

My wife Becky and I have lived in Purcellville since 1998. Becky is a retired Loudoun County elementary school teacher, and I am a retired aerospace engineer and business owner with experience managing multimillion-dollar NASA, Orbital Sciences, and Stratolaunch launch and test facilities. Both of our sons graduated from Valley High School, worked at Nichols Hardware, and built their lives here. I currently serve as Chairman of the Planning Commission.

As of the 2020 Census, Purcellville had 8,929 residents—a small community now carrying large-scale financial and infrastructure burdens.

In your letter to the Mayor, I believe you noted that your office has a duty to evaluate whether intervention is warranted. Under the Dillon Rule, you are correct—and Purcellville’s condition urgently requires that evaluation.

The Town’s situation is concerning:

Debt burden: The Town reported $49.2 million in outstanding debt as of July 1, 2024—an extraordinary load for a community of fewer than 9,000 residents and a very limited tax base.

Deferred utility infrastructure: Town department heads reported in the FY 2026–2030 CIP (Jan. 23, 2025) that $34 million in utility projects are needed and can no longer be deferred.

Aging core systems: Key water and sewer infrastructure is past its reliable service life, including the Town’s one-million-gallon fresh water storage tank, now approaching 100 years of service.

Unresolved floodplain hazards: 100-year floodplain risks remain unresolved. At the November 2022 Town Council meeting, the Town Vice Mayor and the Chair of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors publicly committed to mitigation along the South Fork of Catoctin Creek in the Catoctin Meadows subdivision; no project has yet been delivered.

Transportation delays: Town transportation needs remain unmet. Safety and congestion issues at Route 7/287persist, and the Route 7/690 interchange project has been delayed by VDOT until at least 2026—despite Town roads serving five schools inside Town limits and two County schools only two-tenths of a mile outside Town limits, exacerbating traffic.

Severely constrained tax base: Purcellville’s tax base is highly constrained and limited. Of the Town’s 2,159 acres, 41%—roughly 890 acres across 63 properties—pay no real estate taxes. That leaves only 1,203 taxable acres, two-thirds of which are residential, to support all Town operations, utilities, debt service, and capital obligations.

Politically, the Town Council—neither the majority nor the minority factions—has been unable to govern effectively. Both have contributed to strain within the governance process, too often diverting from common sense and engaging in conflict with one another rather than keeping the needs of all citizens at the forefront. 

Furthermore, the County has provided limited support and, in several instances, has contributed to delays or further erosion in the Town’s ability to govern itself.

Given the circumstances outlined above, I have little confidence that the Town can, on its own, promote—consistent with present and future needs—the health, safety, order, convenience, prosperity, and general welfare of the citizens of Purcellville without assistance and guidance from the Commonwealth.

I respectfully request your help in initiating a comprehensive, fact-based evaluation of Purcellville’s fiscal and infrastructure condition—independent of local political conflict—to determine whether state oversight or intervention is warranted.

Purcellville’s residents deserve safe infrastructure, sound governance, and a sustainable path forward. Without outside evaluation and support from the Commonwealth, our community’s quality of life will continue to deteriorate. 

As taxpayers and citizens of Purcellville, we simply ask for the health, safety, order, convenience, prosperity, and general welfare that our elected and appointed officials are expected to safeguard.  I am confident this is something you would agree with. 

Ronald B. Rise
Purcellville, Dec. 12, 2025