Mayor Kawahna Persinger expressed concern over the town's budget during Thursday night's meeting, noting the options currently seemed limited to raising the bills for residents or giving up their charter to be absorbed into Alleghany County.

UPDATED: Fate of Iron Gate Appears Bleak Following April Meeting By Jennifer Bailey Staff Writer   Iron Gate, VA (Apr. 30, 2026)— For the town of Iron Gate, the choices seem to have narrowed down to just two options following years of money woes: either raise prices all around or give up the charter and be absorbed into Alleghany County. The two choices come after years of financial struggle following a 5-year-old lawsuit that has been increasing in interest since the town lost in 2021. With the debt still unpaid and prices on the raise nationally, residents could be looking at a spike in their water, sewer, trash pickup, and taxes, said Mayor Kawahna Persinger Thursday night. The current utility bill sits at $115/month, but could increase to $130/month, if not more, Persinger stated. The Mayor also noted that the budget committee was currently working on the outstanding debt from the lawsuit, but also struggling to figure out other options apart from raising bills for residents. The most obvious alternative is surrendering their charter, which is essentially a legal document serving as the town's "constitution" enabling them to govern themselves. However, giving up their charter to be absorbed into Alleghany County would take time and, unfortunately, more money, including paying more to the town attorney, Jim Guynn, who charges them $200/hour. According to Councilman Chris Mayo, increasing the utility bill to $130 a month would still put the town in an annual deficit of $14,000. A heated exchange occurred shortly after between council members, particularly Mayor Persinger and Vice Mayor Mayo, and resident Randy Unroe, who insisted that a public hearing needed to be held to alert residents to the dire situation and their limited choices. Ultimately, council agreed that a public hearing to discuss the budget needed to be held, as well as a separate meeting to "garner the thoughts of the residents to see if they want to remain a town or get absorbed into the county," said Persinger. The Journal does not currently have any further details on the dates or times of those upcoming meetings. Some portions of Thursday night's meeting will soon be made available on the Alleghany Journal's Facebook page. Iron Gate resident, Randy Unroe (right), is a regular at the monthly meetings and, on Thursday evening, expressed his frustration and concern over the town's growing deficit. (l to r) Councilwoman Jennifer Tyree, Vice Mayor Chris Mayo, Mayor Kawahna Persinger, Councilwoman Norvella Burrell, and Councilwoman Pat Shiflett.

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