by James Rada, Jr.
Thurmont
New Commissioners Sworn In
Thurmont Mayor John Kinnaird swore in newly elected commissioners Marty Burns and Bob Lookingbill during the November 4th town meeting to serve four-year terms.
Connection and Impact Fees Raised
The Thurmont Mayor and Board of Commissioners raised impact fees for the town, and they are expected to increase the connection fees. Connection fees are the cost new development pays to connect to the town’s water and sewer systems. The impact fees are fees that new development pays based on the development’s impact on various things in town. The fees must be spent on the items they are paid for.
The new impact fees are:
Water — $3,935, up from $2,885.
Wastewater — $5,575, up from $2,275.
Sewer Pumping Station — $1,000, up from $250.
Roads — $2,760, up from $1,500.
Parks — $1,840, up from $1,000.
The proposed connection fees that the commissioners are expected to pass are:
Water — $4,145, up from $2,500.
Sewer — $5,065, up from $2,500.
Easements Released
The Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners voted to release easements the town holds on two parcels because they are no longer needed for a public purpose. The easements were on a property on Clark Drive and the Mountain Gate Business Park. The property owners will now have the property with encumbrances.
Emmitsburg
Appointments Made
The Emmitsburg Board of Commissioners unanimously appointed former mayor and commissioner Jim Hoover to fill the unexpired term for the commissioner seat that was left vacant when Frank Davis was elected as Emmitsburg mayor during the recent town election.
The commissioners also appointed Patricia Galloway as a member of the Emmitsburg Planning Commission, with a term running from November 6, 2023, to March 1, 2026.
Board Reorganized
In a change from years past, rather than putting forth recommendations for which board members should serve in which positions, Mayor Frank Davis allowed the board to decide among themselves which roles the board members would serve.
President: Amy Boehman-Pollitt
Vice President: Jim Hoover
Treasurer: Valerie Turnquist
Parks and Recreation Committee Liaison: Tim O’Donnell
Planning Commission Liaison: Valerie Turnquist
Citizens’ Advisory Committee: Jim Hoover
Town Gets Some Water Fund Relief
Emmitsburg received almost $3.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act money in two payments in 2021 and 2022. It is money designated to help towns and states deal with losses due to the COVID pandemic. Town staff determined that it lost $300,000 from one of its largest water users, FEMA, during the COVID restrictions. Town staff proposed using $300,000 from the ARPA money to fund operating and maintenance costs in the water fund for fiscal year 2024. The hope is that it lessens the impact of the water rate increases the town needed to make recently.
