may 18 2023 - town council approved minutes

Exactly as extracted, unformatted — for checking against the original. The readable version is easier to read.

Town Council of Centreville
May 18, 2023
7:00 p.m.
M I N U T E S
The May 18, 2023 Town Council meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Council President Steven K. Kline at
the Liberty Building located at 107 N. Liberty Street, 2nd floor meeting room. The following members and staff were
present: Steven K. Kline, President; Ashley H. Kaiser, Vice President; Eric B. Johnson, Jr., Daniel B. Worth; and Jim
A. Beauchamp, Members; Charles (Chip) Koogle, Town Manager; Clifford (Kip) Matthews, Director of Public
Works; Sharon VanEmburgh, Town Attorney; Karen Luffman, Finance Officer; and Carolyn Brinkley, Town Clerk.
 Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Mr. Worth made a motion to approve the May 4, 2023 meeting
minutes, as presented. Mr. Johnson seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
Citizens Forum
Royce Herman, Hope Road spoke about the constant yield tax rate; Joe Leilick spoke in favor of changes to the
sign ordinance to allow for digital signs and reaffirm the support of the American Legion.
Public Hearing: FY2024 Constant Yield Tax Rate
 Mr. Kline called the hearing to order for the constant yield tax rate at 7:08 p.m.
 Ms. Luffman stated that this year’s constant yield tax rate is $.5247 and the Town’s tax rate is $.535. The
Town is required to advertise and hold a public hearing if the current tax rate is higher than the constant yield
tax rate.
 Ms. Brinkley verified that the notice of hearing was publicized in a newspaper circulated in Queen Anne’s
County.
 There being no legal matters relating to the jurisdiction of the Town Council of Centreville nor any objections
regarding the Notice of Public Hearing, Mr. Kline asked for comments from anyone in favor of the constant
yield tax rate.
 No one spoke in favor.
 Mr. Kline asked for comments from anyone opposed to the constant yield tax rate.
 Mr. Royce Herman stated he had already made his comments in opposition.
 Mr. Johnson made a motion to adjourn the public hearing. Mr. Beauchamp seconded the motion, which
passed unanimously. The public hearing for the FY2024 Constant Yield Tax Rate adjourned at 7:10 p.m.
 Mr. Beauchamp stated the constant yield changes are based on new a aggregate of tax rates. He stated it
fluctuates based on assessed values so that property owners are not paying more in taxes than the previous
year.
 Mr. Worth stated he has been against maintaining the constant yield tax rate because the Town does need the
additional revenue. He reported it is a 2.2% difference between the Town’s current tax rate and the constant
yield tax rate; meaning the Town would need to reduce the tax rate by 2.2%, which is much lower than the
inflation rate. Mr. Worth stated that is a $93,000 difference in the Town’s budget.
 Mr. Kline stated the Town has had many budget work sessions and has encouraged everyone to attend. He
asked, where does the Council cut? He stated that when capital projects are delayed, the cost increases. Mr.
Kline indicated he would love to cut taxes, but they cannot at this time.
 Mr. Johnson stated the Town is blessed with the best department heads when it comes to asks for the budget.
He stated Mr. Matthews comes in with a barebones budget and continues to run his department.
 Ms. Kaiser reported that during the budget, she was in favor of the constant yield tax rate. However, when she
received the budget, she changed her mind to keep the current tax rate.
Old Business
a. Ordinance 01-2023 – FY2024 Budget – Second Reading – Council President
 Mr. Kline read Ordinance 01-2023 for the purpose of adopting a budget for the Town of Centreville for
Fiscal Year 2024.
 A public hearing will be held on June 1st.
New Business
a. Digital Signage
 Mr. Johnson made the following presentation:
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 Ms. Kaiser stated that she is not in favor of digital signage at the high school and the Town needs to get a
handle on code enforcement for the current, non-compliant issues.
 Mr. Worth stated the draft comprehensive plan has the Central Business District (CBD) going out to
Little Hut Drive.
 Mr. Kline stated he has no issue with the American Legion having a sign but is concerned about the
standards not being able to be enforced.
 Mr. Beauchamp suggested restricting the signs to certain zones with the same zone across the street and
limiting it to certain roads.
 Mr. Worth suggested non-residential zones on either side of the property or only institutional and
government businesses on a State highway with commercial zoning on either side.
 The Council agreed they would still not be permitted in the CBD.
 Mr. Lielick from the American Legion stated he has no issues with what has been suggested so far.
 The Town Council agreed to draft a digital sign ordinance.
b. Summer Meeting Schedule
 Ms. Brinkley presented the following memo:
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 After some discussion, the Town Council agreed on the following summer schedule:
 June 15th meeting – cancelled
 July 6th meeting – cancelled
 July 20th meeting – scheduled
 August 3rd meeting – cancelled
 August 17th meeting – scheduled
Reports of Boards and Commissions
a. Maryland Municipal League
 Mr. Beauchamp had nothing to report.
b. Council of Governments
 Mr. Worth stated that COG met the previous Wednesday, May 10th, in Sudlersville.
 Church Hill installed a cell tower to improve cell service for the area.
 Sudlersville has installed speed cameras on 313.
 Church Hill is looking at installing speed cameras.
 Queenstown has limited options for speeding and are making arrangements with the QAC Sheriff’s
Office to increase patrol.
 No one from the County Commissioners was present.
 The next meeting will be held in September.
c. Economic Development
 Mr. Johnson reported that the fireside chat took place on May 3rd and the video of that meeting is posted
on-line which is about 45-minutes. He stated he would have one slide for the next meeting.
d. Park Advisory Board
 Ms. Kaiser reported that she has been spending more time at the Town parks and stated how appreciative
she is of Town staff for maintaining them.
e. Centreville Planning Commission
 Mr. Kline reported that the Planning Commission met the previous night and gave conditional final
approval of the new Board of Education building.
Reports of Department Heads
a. Town Manager
 Met with EPA for the $2.155 million in federal funds that the Town was approved for. There is a
$500,000+ match required which can include State funds and in-kind. There is no deadline to spend and
once submitted for reimbursement, the turnaround time is expected to be approximately 2 months.
 The Preliminary Engineering Report should be completed in the first or second week of June.
 The EPA requires a lead and copper pipe survey to be completed. Mr. Matthews submitted a $52,000
grant to assist in completing the survey. Mr. Koogle stated the Town needs to look at software to help
inventory the Town’s infrastructure.
 The City of Baltimore is being required by MDE to cover their drinking reservoir. This is acres of water
and millions of dollars.
 The owner of the Mill was at Town Hall the other day to get a fence permit to put around the Mill to
keep people out while they are working on it. Mr. Kline stated he spoke with the Maryland Historical
Trust and there is a Society for the Preservation of Old Mills (SPOOM). The Town can help identify
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funding options for the landowner.
b. Town Clerk
 Ms. Brinkley reported that Centreville Main Street applied for a grant through the NASCAR Day
Giveathon. They have raised $500 (as of this meeting) and the funds are being raised to pool advertising
funds for Centreville businesses, non-profits, and schools. If they raise $750 or more, they will receive a
share of the general funds donated. The event ends on Friday, May 20th at 8:00 p.m.
Citizen Comments:
Royce Herman, Hope Road, discussed the speeding on Hope Road/305. The Town Council requested the speed
trailer be moved to Hope Road.
Council Roundtable
 The Town Council had no additional reports.
Motion to Adjourn
There being no further business, Mr. Johnson made a motion to adjourn the May 18, 2023 meeting. The meeting
was adjourned at 8:07 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn M. Brinkley Town Clerk
Council Action Items:
1. Approved the May 4, 2023 meeting minutes, as presented.
2. The Town Council agreed to draft a digital sign ordinance.
3. The Town Council agreed on the following summer schedule:
 June 15th meeting – cancelled
 July 6th meeting – cancelled
 July 20th meeting – scheduled
 August 3rd meeting – cancelled
 August 17th meeting – scheduled
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