Talbot County Council Meeting Highlights, July 1, 2025

07/03/2025

Category: County Manager’s Office County Council

The Talbot County Council held their regular meeting on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.; all Council members were present. A moment of silence was held in honor of Darren Foxwell, a 2025 Easton High School graduate who tragically passed away last week.

Discussion of Senior Citizens Task Force

Council Member Lynn Mielke, Council liaison for the Commission on Aging, highlighted the need for additional action to be taken to address the issue of homeless senior citizens in Talbot County and requested the establishment of a “Senior Citizens Task Force” through an Administrative Resolution.

“We do have a growing problem with homeless senior citizens; they are need of services in Easton and throughout Talbot County. Because they are senior citizens, they have special needs that cannot currently be covered by Talbot Interfaith Shelter,” said Council Member Lynn Mielke. “I think it’s extremely important that we formulate this task force and move forward to address those special needs.”

While Council introduced the Administrative Resolution, they recommended that the County hold a work session before voting on the Administrative Resolution to establish a task force. That way Council can collect relevant information and data and hear directly from various County agencies and non-profits who work directly with senior citizens to identify potential solutions with the appropriate community members.

The date and time for the work session has not been announced at this time.

Community Development Block Grant Projects

Mary Kay Verdery, Grants Administrator, presented two Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) projects updates. CDBG grants, administered through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, require two public hearings on projects:  at the time of application and at the time of completion of the project. To see current CDBG projects for Talbot County, visit: Community Development Block Grant - Talbot County, Maryland

  • Second Public Hearing – St. Vincent de Paul of Easton: A public hearing was held on the CDBG application submitted by St. Vincent de Paul of Easton for an addition and renovations to its food pantry, thrift store, and client services facility located at 29533 Canvasback Drive. For this project, $624,000 was received in CDBG funds for construction, demolition, and renovation. The project also received an additional $100,000 from Talbot County’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
  • Public Hearing and Vote– Talbot Interfaith Shelter: A public hearing was held on a CDBG Special Project application for Talbot Interfaith Shelter, seeking $121,090 for commercial elevator lifts at both Easton’s Promise and Evelyn’s Place homeless shelter facilities at 107 and 109 Goldsborough Street. Following the public hearing, Council unanimously introduced and adopted the administrative resolution authorizing submission of the CDBG Special Project application for the Talbot Interfaith Shelter Elevator Lift Improvement Project.

County Manager’s Report

  • Board and Committee Appointments: Council approved board and committee appointments as presented:
    • Agricultural Advisory Board – Council unanimously approved the appointment of Tamara Lees.
    • Airport Board – Council unanimously approved the reappointment of Pete Griffin.
    • Economic Development Commission – Council unanimously approved the reappointment of Reza Jafari, Debbie Walsworth and Chris Kleppinger.
    • Golf Board – Council unanimously approved the reappointment of Ron Vener.
    • Historic Preservation Commission – Council unanimously approved the reappointment of John Renda.
    • Social Services Board and Directors – Council unanimously approved the reappointment of Sandy Brown and Samantha Jeter, and the appointment of Devon Beck and Tina Jones.
    • Weed Control Committee – Council unanimously approved the reappointment of John Swaine, III.
  • Talbot County Social Services: Council unanimously approved the award of Bid No. 25-10 to the Law Offices of Stevens Palmer LLC for the provision of legal services related to child and adult welfare and child support. These services include legal representation for matters such as public guardianship, paternity, and child support cases. The contract is fully funded through state resources with no County funds required. Linda Webb, Director of Social Services, also provided an overview of programs that support employment and financial stability for families, including the Young Fathers Non-Custodial Parent Employment Program, which helps participants gain job readiness skills and meet child support obligations. Council Member Pete Lesher commended the agency for utilizing all available resources to assist families before pursuing legal remedies.
  • Sheriff’s Office: Council approved the purchase of in-car video cameras to support law enforcement operations and provide additional transparency on law enforcement actions.
  • Department of Corrections: Council unanimously approved extensions to the following agreements:
    • Contract with Wellpath™ for inmate medical and mental health services in the amount of $659,541.
    • Contract with Trinity Food Services Group for food and beverage services in the amount of $360,000.
  • Public Works: Council unanimously approved the following requests from Public Works:
    • Award of Bid No. 25-01 to NewGen Strategies and Solutions for a Sanitary District Cost-of-Service and Rate Study in the amount of $44,000 for direct services and $4,800 to Davis, Bowen & Friedel to provide technical assistance as a sub-contractor.
    • Purchase of twenty (20) E-One Extreme Grinder Pumps and conversion kits for use in Regions I, II, and V Sanitary Districts in the amount of $72,420 from Freemire & Associates. The County is in the process of upgrading pumps across the districts, residents are not asked for reimbursement unless they are applying for a new connection.
  • Economic Development and Tourism: Council unanimously approved the submission of a joint grant application, in partnership with the Town of Easton and Easton Utilities, to the Economic Development Administration (EDA) in the amount of $3.5 million for the Regional Medical Center Project. If awarded, the grant will assist with the extension of water and sewer to the Regional Medical Center as well as the Easton Utilities substation project.
  • Finance Office: Council unanimously approved fourth quarter budget transfers for Fiscal Year 2024–2025. Section 615 of the Talbot County Charter states that transfers between agencies of the county government may be made only during the last quarter of the fiscal year and only on the recommendation of the County Manager and with the approval of the Council. This request focuses on budget transfers from remaining contingency funds and unspent funds in other departments to be used for budget transfers related to increased electric costs, increased snow removal costs, increased maintenance contracts on facilities, and contingency items approved at the April 8, 2025 Council meeting.
  • Strategic Facilities Master Plan: Council unanimously approved the request to reject all proposals received for Bid No. 25-02 (Strategic Facilities Master Plan Development for Talbot County Government). “Declining the current proposals will allow us to regroup and develop a framework of current priorities while preserving the option to refine and rebid the RFP to align with these priorities while ensuring fiscal responsibility,” said County Manager Clay Stamp.
  • Easton Airport: Council unanimously approved submission of a grant application to the Federal Aviation Administration in the amount not to exceed $17M for Phase 3 of the Easton Airport Modernization Program. More information about this project can be found on their website at: Airfield Modernization Program - Easton Airport.
  • Mr. Stamp noted County Offices are closed on Friday, July 4, 2025 in observance of the 4th of July holiday.

The Council’s next legislative meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 23, 2025, beginning at 5:00 p.m. in the Bradley Meeting Room, South Wing, Talbot County Courthouse, 11 North Washington Street, Easton. The meeting is open to the public.

council highlights council meetings meeting highlights cdbg grants economic development easton airport senior housing commission on aging

Return

Page last modified Friday, May 3, 2024 11:38:20 AM