Chairman Tim Doss and members of the Mathews County Board of Supervisors faced more than two hours of public comment Thursday after the county abruptly closed and padlocked the Hole in the Wall restaurant following a county attorney recommendation to terminate the lease.

The hearing opened with a detailed defense of the action by Chairman Tim Doss, who said the board’s 3–2 vote last week to follow the county attorney’s recommendation was based on unpaid rent and long-running health and septic problems. "Even though the decision was immediate and harsh, I chose to move forward with the county attorney's recommendation, which ended the lease. The tenant does have an option to enter into a licensing agreement and reopen," Doss said.

Why it matters: the dispute touches property-management, public-access and fiscal questions for Mathews County. Residents, restaurant employees and supervisors offered competing views on whether the county should have sought a court ruling instead of using what some supervisors called "self-help" to enforce the lease.

Board debate and legal concerns

Supervisor Tom Bowen, who opposed the immediate action, told the meeting he believes the board increased the county's exposure by locking out the tenant rather than first asking a court to rule on whether the lease default procedures were properly triggered. "They have taken on a tremendous gamble with your taxpayer money," Bowen said, urging a civil filing as the prudent first step.

Supervisor Janice Phillips and others also criticized the speed and notice given before the closure, saying the county should have provided formal written notice to the tenant and allowed more time for negotiation.

Costs and contract history discussed

Chairman Doss read a breakdown of county expenditures tied to the property and operation of the restaurant. He listed the following totals from FY2018 to FY2025: NextGen (engineering/consulting) $68,000; exterior deck $20,044; Miller's septic service FY2018–FY2021 $99,597; engineer services $39,703; pump-and-haul FY2021–FY2025 $205,044; outside law firm $277,288. Doss said that, after subtracting reimbursements of $74,255 and CARES funds of $88,044, "that leaves a total impact ... of $547,379" to Mathews County.

Several board members and members of the public noted the county also receives meal-tax revenue; Doss said meal-tax revenue for FY 2025 totaled $370,669 but that Code of Virginia §58.1-3 prevents disclosing how much a single business paid.

Public comment and community impact

Dozens of citizens and multiple employees of Hole in the Wall urged the board to reopen the restaurant or sell the building to its operators. Manager Tom Sawyer said the restaurant supports 34 employees and described the business as a community institution: "We have 34 employees who depend on this work ... Sell the building. Let us stop having the taxpayers unreasonably pay for our septic."

Tenant Michael Casale ("Mac") said he negotiated in good faith and that he terminated a prior lawsuit so discussions could proceed: "I purposely terminated my lawsuit so I could talk to [Tom Bowen] ... I believed that I was negotiating in good faith." Several speakers asked the board to rescind or pause the lockout while parties negotiate a sale or licensing agreement.

Board direction and next steps

The public hearing was intended in part to collect input on whether the county should sell the building. The board did not take a new final action on the lease at this meeting; supervisors debated options that include selling the county-owned building, seeking a court judgment on the lease, renegotiating a license with the tenant, or installing replacement septic tanks paid for by the county to reduce ongoing pump-and-haul costs.

Chairman Doss and multiple supervisors said staff and legal counsel would continue to work on options; no timetable for a final decision was adopted during the meeting.

Ending

Speakers at the microphone reflected the county split: some urged the board to protect public land and retain the boat ramp and parking, others urged a practical solution that would restore jobs and preserve the restaurant. Supervisors said the issue would be revisited at a scheduled follow-up meeting on July 31, 2025.