Last night I attended a rare night meeting of the Wicomico County Council. The stars must have been aligned just so because I was far from the only one.
County Council President Gail Bartkovich called this turnout “wonderful.”
I’m not going to make this a blow-by-blow account of what turned out to be a four-plus hour meeting and work session, just hit the highlights. There were two proclamations, nine resolutions, and three public hearings on the agenda plus a open work session, not to mention a presentation of the county’s new website and new crime initiatives the county was planning.
It was that crime initiatives segment which seemed to draw the most interest.
Speaking with Lt. Ernie Leatherbury of the Maryland State Police, Acting Chief Ivan Barkley of the Salisbury Police Department, and State’s Attorney Davis Ruark flanking him, Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis stated the solidarity between these agencies has never been stronger and that they were “working harder than we have ever been” to be preventive.
Sheriff Lewis added that the unity was “extraordinary” and “unprecedented” during the Sarah Foxwell search and complemented the newly-installed Salisbury chief who “wants to work on everything” with the assistance of the WCSD and MSP. He also had a message for criminals: they’re “getting ready to rock their world.”
Lt. Leatherbury also praised the “unprecedented” cohesiveness with other agencies and shared his willingness to bring the full resources of the State Police to the Eastern Shore when the problem dictated such a response.
Chief Barkley had little to add as the “rookie” of the group but assured those gathered “we’re gonna get this done.”
From his side of the crime issue, Davis Ruark called the Christmas Day search for Sarah Foxwell “a moving experience” and vowed that Wicomico County “will be the safest county in Maryland” with the cooperation of these agencies.
Regarding the Foxwell case, Lewis said “no case has affected me more deeply” and that he “just can’t thank the community enough” for their help. He also revealed that the FBI had offered 200 agents to help (Lewis accepted 18) and called the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police the “unsung heroes” of the investigation.
Lewis also addressed the question of why no murder change had been placed against suspect Thomas Leggs, noting that time is on their side because Leggs is being held without bond and that allows them time to “tie up some loose ends” – they still have “a lot of work to do.” Ruark as well promised “additional charges will be forthcoming” within 45 days, and they would be sufficient to keep the suspect from ever molesting again. “Ultimately justice will be served,” concluded Ruark.
Once Lewis and company had said their piece, some of the audience left and the topics eventually turned to the more mundane business of running the county. Most of the issues were dispensed with briefly and by a unanimous vote but there was some controversy.
The normally ho-hum task of selecting names to submit to the Property Tax Assessment Appeal Board drew opposition because one applicant happened to be a county employee. Eventually Bartkovich sided with the three Democrats (McCain, MacLeod, and Sample-Hughes) to send two additional names to the Governor, including the county employee. They now have the six required to choose from.
Spirited objection to the acquisition of five acres for additional parking for the Civic Center was led by District 5 Councilman Joe Holloway and District 2 Councilwoman Stevie Prettyman. While the lot designer attempted to assure the Council that the state would indeed allow over 500 spaces on the parcel, the pair also asked for a new appraisal, considering the $300,000 per acre too much despite the fact the money comes from a Program Open Space grant. They were the lone opposition to moving the project along and scheduling a public hearing for February 2.
Another item hitting a roadblock was a proposal to change the burning permit laws to better reflect state law and allow county enforcement. Some provisions were objectable to several members of both the County Council and all but one of those who spoke about the proposed rule change, which was tabled on a unanimous vote.
The final item on the agenda for passage that yielded a split vote was a proposal to reject the Compensation and Allowance Commission’s recommendations for increasing the County Executive’s salary. Only Democrats David MacLeod and Bill McCain voted against rejecting the recommendation while the others (who all rejected the CAC’s recommendation for increasing the salaries of County Council) voted to reject.
The public hearing on our Capital Improvements Program also drew criticism from the Holloway/Prettyman camp as one item to be considered was the purchase of 15 more acres adjacent to the 5 acres being considered for Civic Center parking at a lesser price – $250,000 per acre. The county would chip in only a portion, but the pair rightfully fretted about the two deals being separately priced.
But the biggest discussion was yet to come, and occurred after all but a half-dozen or so patrons had left and the PAC-14 cameras turned off.
The County Council hashed out a number of ideas on filling a $2.9 million hole in the county roads budget, placed there when state funding was pulled. The consensus for moving forward seemed to be a combination of dipping into the county’s reserves along with another fund the county unexpectedly received. Other measures would eventually be taken to rebuild the reserve fund; one in particular I was asked not to disclose.
Perhaps the best comments during this portion of the meeting belonged to Prettyman, who bluntly noted, “we are going to have to cut the size of government (next year)” instead of continuing to “kick the can down the road.”
We elect our representatives to make hard choices like this, and sitting through that meeting was an inspiring learning experience. Obviously the roads department is a core function, and perhaps some are right when they claim you can’t rob Peter to pay Paul.
Yet there’s only so much the public is willing and able to give. During the next budget go-round it may be prudent to begin thinking outside the box to alternatives like privatizing services and starting the budget from scratch at a department level. These evening meetings may go a little late, but it also gives the public the chance to directly involve itself in the process. So I commend the Wicomico County Council for holding this meeting in the evening and encourage more of the same.
Michael,
Where exactly is the 5 acres that the developer wants to acquire? Is it the Old Mall lot? If not, I don’t know of any other ground around there that would be available for parking.