It’s official. Circuit Court Judge Joel Branscom signed the order to expand the Town of Fincastle’s boundary and it was recorded May 21 in the clerk’s office— just in time for the approximately 220 new residents to consider running for one of three Town Council seats that will be up for election in November.

The timing addresses one of the primary concerns Fincastle Town Council members had when proposing a larger Fincastle— giving the new residents the opportunity to both vote and run for office in town elections this November.

According to Town Manager David Tickner, the town has been working very closely with county officials and Traci Clark, the Director of Elections and General Registrar, to expedite the process so anyone wanting to run for office can file by the June 12 deadline.

As it now stands, anyone living in the town corporate limits, including those in the newly annexed area, may run for a council seat and the mayor’s job. Council and the mayor’s terms are four years.
Fincastle Town Council approved the boundary adjustment at its January 11 meeting and the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors approved the adjustment at its January 23 meeting.

According to Tickner, after both jurisdictions approved the adjustment, town officials contracted with McMurry Surveyors to survey and draw up the official boundary lines as approved by council and the supervisors.

“As you can imagine, this was a very cumbersome and time-consuming task. Reid McMurry, Chris McMurry and the entire company dedicated significant time in the late winter and early spring conducting deed research, reviewing previous surveys and conducting field surveys to assemble the plat of the new town limits as required by State Code,” Tickner said.

“During that time, town staff worked closely with county staff and the voter registrar to ensure that the transition would be as smooth as possible. The town was aware of the tight schedule for new citizens to register to run for office,” the town manager added.

“Regardless of whether or not new citizens decide to run for office, they will immediately have a say in the direction that the town heads,” Tickner continued. “In addition to participation in the election, the new residents will be invited to help determine what Fincastle will look like in the future.”

He said in the coming months, the town will finalize plans to hold open community visioning meetings where residents— new and old— will have the opportunity to meet their leaders, Planning Commission members and their new neighbors.

“The meetings will also be input sessions to determine what land uses, ideas and values are important to the community, and what steps we can take together to make Fincastle the community we envision it to be,” he continued.

The town now encompasses just over 1,314 acres— 8.5 times larger than the 155 acres that were laid off in 1772 when the town was founded. This is the only boundary change in the town’s 246 years.

The town’s new population hasn’t topped 400 since 1960, and the last time it was over 500 was in the 1930, according to the U.S. Census. The estimated 570 residents are now the most since the 1900 census when 652 residents were counted in the old town limits.

A new plat of the town was recorded with the judge’s order.