(April 20, 2017) Show Hill Town Council discussed the following items during a meeting on April 11 at the Train Station on Belt Street.
Town mourns with Hall
Councilwoman Jenny Hall fought back tears as numerous condolences were offered following the passing of her husband, Jimmy Hall, on April 4.
John Holloway, Snow Hill EMS supervisor, said the Pocomoke Volunteer Fire Company was also in mourning.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Ms. Hall for the loss of her husband Jimmy, who was a life member of our fire company,” he said.
Free bulk trash day
Snow Hill residents are invited to spruce up their surroundings as part of Town Cleanup Day on April 24.
Trish Goodsell, assistant to the town manager, said all discarded items for the spring cleanup should be placed curbside.
“We ask that you have everything out by 6 a.m. that morning for public works to pick up,” she said. “It’s a free service.”
The town will pick up regularly discarded materials, appliances, furniture, mattresses and box springs.
Public works will not pick up the following items: liquids, poison, batteries, medical waste, tires, fuel tanks, electrical equipment, yard waste, wood, demolition materials, or anything that could possibly harm the environment.
The town asked that all small items be placed in garbage cans or trash bags.
Short-term rentals
The council unanimously passed an ordinance to establish short-term rental regulations on second reading, following a few minor revisions.
Code Enforcement Officer Jon Hill said the term “continental” was removed from the definition of food that may be provided for guests.
The new ordinance will amend the section on rental properties in Snow Hill’s town code to include a definition for short-term rentals and primary residences.
Included in the ordinance are provisions for parking, owner contact information, insurance coverage and compliance with town code standards.
Budget first reading
The council held a first reading for the fiscal year 2018 budget.
Mayor Charlie Dorman said preparation work has been ongoing since January and included a relatively flat request from the county.
In fiscal year 2017 Worcester County gave a $450,000 unrestricted grant to Snow Hill, along with $150,000 in lieu of taxes for county owned property in the town.
“Hopefully that will go up because the taxable property that the government buildings sits on we lose $320,000 in taxes,” he said. “They’re giving us $150,000 back for that so it’s better than nothing.”
While Dorman noted there would not be an increase to real or personal property tax rates, but said residents should be ready for other hikes in subsequent budgets.
“Water and sewer rates are going to have to go up because the water and sewer plant is suppose to pay for itself and right now were not,” he said. “Somewhere in the future we’ll have to make that adjustment but not this year.”
Meeting poorly attended
Dorman expressed disappointment with the lack of attendance at an opioid information meeting organized by Police Chief Tom Davis during the previous evening.
“We had advertised this so much and the chief put a lot of time in this,” he said. “If you don’t think we’ve got a problem in this town I don’t know where you’re looking at.”
The information session was intended to encourage a dialogue on the issue and teach community members how to spot the signs of drub abuse and lend assistance to help their neighbors.
While acknowledging the paltry turnout, Councilmember Michael Pruitt said the meeting was a first step.
“We all know people who are now buried because of this drastic situation,” he said. “We need to keep at it [because] we’re not going to fix this overnight. We just need to do it again and we will.”
Town mourns with Hall
Councilwoman Jenny Hall fought back tears as numerous condolences were offered following the passing of her husband, Jimmy Hall, on April 4.
John Holloway, Snow Hill EMS supervisor, said the Pocomoke Volunteer Fire Company was also in mourning.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Ms. Hall for the loss of her husband Jimmy, who was a life member of our fire company,” he said.
Free bulk trash day
Snow Hill residents are invited to spruce up their surroundings as part of Town Cleanup Day on April 24.
Trish Goodsell, assistant to the town manager, said all discarded items for the spring cleanup should be placed curbside.
“We ask that you have everything out by 6 a.m. that morning for public works to pick up,” she said. “It’s a free service.”
The town will pick up regularly discarded materials, appliances, furniture, mattresses and box springs.
Public works will not pick up the following items: liquids, poison, batteries, medical waste, tires, fuel tanks, electrical equipment, yard waste, wood, demolition materials, or anything that could possibly harm the environment.
The town asked that all small items be placed in garbage cans or trash bags.
Short-term rentals
The council unanimously passed an ordinance to establish short-term rental regulations on second reading, following a few minor revisions.
Code Enforcement Officer Jon Hill said the term “continental” was removed from the definition of food that may be provided for guests.
The new ordinance will amend the section on rental properties in Snow Hill’s town code to include a definition for short-term rentals and primary residences.
Included in the ordinance are provisions for parking, owner contact information, insurance coverage and compliance with town code standards.
Budget first reading
The council held a first reading for the fiscal year 2018 budget.
Mayor Charlie Dorman said preparation work has been ongoing since January and included a relatively flat request from the county.
In fiscal year 2017 Worcester County gave a $450,000 unrestricted grant to Snow Hill, along with $150,000 in lieu of taxes for county owned property in the town.
“Hopefully that will go up because the taxable property that the government buildings sits on we lose $320,000 in taxes,” he said. “They’re giving us $150,000 back for that so it’s better than nothing.”
While Dorman noted there would not be an increase to real or personal property tax rates, but said residents should be ready for other hikes in subsequent budgets.
“Water and sewer rates are going to have to go up because the water and sewer plant is suppose to pay for itself and right now were not,” he said. “Somewhere in the future we’ll have to make that adjustment but not this year.”
Meeting poorly attended
Dorman expressed disappointment with the lack of attendance at an opioid information meeting organized by Police Chief Tom Davis during the previous evening.
“We had advertised this so much and the chief put a lot of time in this,” he said. “If you don’t think we’ve got a problem in this town I don’t know where you’re looking at.”
The information session was intended to encourage a dialogue on the issue and teach community members how to spot the signs of drub abuse and lend assistance to help their neighbors.
While acknowledging the paltry turnout, Councilmember Michael Pruitt said the meeting was a first step.
“We all know people who are now buried because of this drastic situation,” he said. “We need to keep at it [because] we’re not going to fix this overnight. We just need to do it again and we will.”