Tom Larson for Colonial Beach

03/09/2026

Tonight (March 9th) at Colonial Beach Brewing

Join Potomac Riverkeeper Network (PRKN) for a community discussion on the January 19th Potomac Interceptor sewage spill. Listen to your Potomac Riverkeeper,

12/16/2025

Town Council has been working with the town's financial advisors on funding options for items in the town's Capital Improvement Plan. Debt financing is being considered. Want to read my thoughts on funding the CIP with borrowed money? Check out my blog post:

As we head into 2026, Colonial Beach Town Council and Town Staff, together with our professional financial advisors, are considering how best to fund a list of costly needs. I think we all understa…

11/15/2025

CAROLING ON WASHINGTON!!!
Saturday, Dec. 6, 3pm

Happy Holidays, Colonial Beach!

Please come and join Santa and Mrs. Claus for Colonial Beach’s Annual Christmas Caroling on Washington Street, Saturday, Dec. 6, 3pm, along the sidewalk in front of Town Hill’s magical holiday decorations. We will be caroling about an hour.

Singers will delight the drivers-by and the folks enjoying the holiday sparkle on Town Hill. The Santas will greet children of all ages. Carolers will hand out candy canes.

Printed lyrics will be provided to share with fellow carolers. Be sure to don your gay, colorful, festive and outlandish holiday apparel. Wear your Santa hat, your ugly holiday sweater or your best holiday attire interpretation!! Get fancy and silly!! Bring along your jingle bells, too! Well behaved dogs are welcome. Join in on the frolicking fun! We will sing, sing, sing! Talent not required.

No need to register to carol. Just arrive by 2:45! Singing begins right at 3p. Please spread the word. Everyone is welcome!!

Spectators are encouraged to set up a chair on the sidewalk in front of Magnolia Hall/Pier 909/Hunan.

Contact Angela Calos if you have questions at (703) 740-7994.

06/27/2025

So happy to see the carnival return!

D&J Amusements are bringing the carnival back to Colonial Beach from July 2-6. Funnel cakes and Ferris wheels will be on the beach side of Town Hill weekdays from 5-11 PM and weekends from 1-11 PM. All day wristbands are just $25. We’ll see you there!



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05/22/2025

We Have an Approved Budget!

The Town Council approved the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) budget at last night’s (May 21st) council meeting. Here’s my take:

The budget was approved unanimously – the first time in many years. I’m very pleased that the council was able to work effectively to get to a resolution we could all live with, even if we didn’t love all aspects of it. That’s what compromise looks like in action.

The budget includes no increases in real estate taxes, meals taxes, or lodging taxes. This is obviously a great outcome for citizens and business owners.

The budget includes a 2.5% cost of living adjustment (COLA) for town staff in keeping with the council’s direction at the May 7th work session. I talk and write frequently about sustainability. Not providing a COLA to town staff, many of whom are already being paid 10% less than the industry average, is not sustainable (or humane).

To close the gap between expected revenue and expenses, the council authorized the transfer of roughly $136K from reserve funds into the general fund. While I was the one that suggested this approach in last night’s meeting, I also recognize that it is generally considered a poor practice and not sustainable in the long-term.

Why? It is akin to renting a house for $1000 more than you can afford to pay each month, but saying “Yeah, but I can use my $12,000 in savings to help cover the monthly rental expense.” That strategy works for a year, after which time your savings are depleted and you have the same $1000 hole in your monthly budget. (to be clear, the transfer we authorized represents maybe 5% of the reserve, not all of it)

The transfer from the reserve – you’ll often hear it called “the ARPA fund” in the meetings – isn’t great fiscal management. But the council as a group committed to take action over the course of this year to ensure we can build next year’s budget (FY27) without having to "borrow” from the reserve. This is a big deal.

We will work with staff to implement or revise policies that constrained our cost cutting this year. We will look to renegotiate contracts. We will likely implement a policy requiring staff COLAs. We are discussing a possible second full day work session dedicated to this effort. Effectively, we will be working to optimize what will become the FY27 budget throughout the entire year. This will be more possible this cycle than last, because this year is not an election year so we will have continuity of council membership from now until though the FY27 budget development and beyond. Council won’t have to wait for us three newbies (me, Lisa, and Maggie) to arrive before getting started.

So, while we used the ARPA Fund parlor trick to get to a good outcome for the FY26 budget, we did so with eyes wide open and with a commitment to not repeat that questionable practice next year.

We have lots of work ahead, but today is a good day!

05/19/2025

Colonial Beach Budget Reality Check

As most Colonial Beach citizens are aware, the town staff and council are in the final stages of creating the FY 2026 budget. It’s a daunting task to be sure. Many citizens have voiced their opinions, oftentimes in opposition to any and all tax increases. The trendy saying is: “We don’t have a revenue problem we have a spending problem”. There’s some truth to that but read on.

The first fact everyone should understand is this:
In an environment where costs are increasing for virtually everything, the town staff brought us a draft budget that had an overall reduction in General Fund spending of roughly $115,000 – were it not for a $181,000 increase in the state mandated contribution to Colonial Beach Public Schools (CBPS). To get to that level of cost reduction, staff shrank spending in dozens of categories, eliminated or deferred multiple open staff positions, and even removed any cost-of-living (COLA) increase for themselves and their teams.

On Wednesday evening (May 21st) based on additional suggestions from council, there will be even more spending reductions in the draft budget. However, also at the direction of council, that draft budget will include a COLA for town staff. It’s the right thing to do.

Regarding CBPS, this community has repeatedly and passionately voiced their support for continuing to have an independent school system. I continue to be a strong supporter of our schools and the “Drifter Pride” that it brings to our community and I am personally willing to pay my fair share as a taxpayer to support the schools.

But everyone should understand that it is an expensive option that we’ve chosen for ourselves. Here’s what I mean:

In compliance to the state mandate, 30% of our General Fund revenues ($3.3MM of $11MM) comes out of the town’s revenues and goes directly to the school system

Real Estate taxes are by far the largest revenue line item in the town budget. ($4.77MM) and 70% of RE tax revenue is consumed by the mandated contribution to the schools – yes, that means $700 of every $1000 you pay in Colonial Beach real estate taxes goes directly to CBPS and not to other town priorities.

As I said above, so long as the community remains committed to an independent school system, I will support it wholeheartedly. I meant it during my campaign, and I mean it now.

However, we cannot continue to shrink the town’s operating budget to accommodate the annual and large increases in the school funding mandate. It is not sustainable. If we want to continue to be unique – one of only two Virginia towns with its own school system – then we must accept that it is going to require increases in financial support.

As always, I am willing to sit down and discuss your concerns face-to-face. If you'd like to do so, reach out to me on my town email: [email protected]

Tom Larson
Council Member, Town of Colonial Beach, VA

01/14/2025

On January 8th, I participated in the Virginia Municipal League's conference for local elected officials. The content of every presentation was useful to this new challenge. What I enjoyed the most though was meeting dozens of town and city council members and mayors. It's somehow comforting to know that other localities are working to address many of the same challenges we have in Colonial Beach.

12/16/2024

Thanks to all who supported my campaign. To all citizens of Colonial Beach, you have my word that everything I do as a member of Town Council will be what I believe is best for our town. I said during the campaign that I have no other motive or agenda, and I meant it.

11/06/2024

I am truly honored by having been selected to serve on our Town Council.

I met so many wonderful folks during the campaign and was touched each and every time someone approached me and said: "Good luck, I voted for you". That probably happened more than 50 times. But nearly 1000 of you saw fit to cast your ballot for me! This was my first time running for any office, and the magnitude of that support is humbling and a little overwhelming.

Thanks to all who voted for me and for everyone who supported my campaign. As I embark on this new challenge, I promise to honor the trust you have placed in me by always focusing on what's best for our town and all its citizens.

10/16/2024

Check out my conversation with Kelly Woods Vaughn