Middleburg Council approves $40,000 for farmers market after lengthy debate; several town code amendments pass

The Middleburg Town Council voted on Feb. 13 to include $40,000 in this year’s municipal budget to support the town-run Middleburg Farmers Market and directed staff to prepare a 3‑ to 5‑year business plan for council review.

The action followed more than an hour of debate among council members, staff and vendors about whether the market can reach the scale needed to sustain vendors and whether the town should continue to underwrite it. Council also approved several housekeeping ordinances and appointments during the regular meeting.

Why it matters: Council members were sharply divided on whether the market is a civic service worth subsidizing or a recurring expense that has not produced sufficient turnout or vendor income. The $40,000 appropriation (approved 4–3 on a roll call) will appear in the fiscal‑year 2026 budget as the line item for the market; council asked staff to present a business plan that defines goals and success metrics before committing to future years’ funding.

Council members, market organizers and vendors alternated on whether the market’s struggles stem from inconsistent location, inadequate advertising and vendor turnover or from more fundamental limits: a small local population and competition from larger nearby markets. Market manager Kim Basinger urged consistency. “The thing is you have to be consistent,” Basinger said, describing long experience running the market and the need for fixed location, repeat vendors and clearer signage.

Ali (Ali/Ally) McIntyre, the town’s economic development director, summarized the financial ask and program aims and noted the council would need to decide whether to commit…