Town Hall Reports
by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Public Hearing on Water and Sewer Rates The Town of Thurmont held a public hearing on the new proposed water and sewer rates for Fiscal Year 2025, which may be increased by 15 percent at all usage levels. The rates were last raised in 2012, and costs since that time…
Town Hall Report
by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Approved The Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners adopted the budget for Fiscal Year 2025 by adopting the constant yield real estate tax rate of 29.87 cents per $100 of assessed value of the property. The constant yield rate is the rate needed so that the town collects…
Town Hall Reports
by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Town Considering Adjusting Water and Sewer Rates Chris Simms with Smart Utilities Management talked with the commissioners about the need to raise water and sewer rates in town. The town’s water rates haven’t been adjusted since 2012, and the water system is starting to run at a deficit as the…
Town Hall Report
by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Parking Option Explored Parking in downtown Thurmont has become a problem, with the municipal parking lot regularly filled to capacity. Thurmont Economic Development Director Vickie Grinder and Commissioner Bill Blakeslee investigated possible solutions to the problem and came up with a promising solution. They reached an agreement in principle with…
Town Hall Reports
by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Commissioners to Address Blocked Sidewalks The Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners are looking to amend the town code to address obstructions to the sidewalk because of construction and renovation. Currently, there is nothing in the ordinance that addresses this problem. The proposed changes are based on the Walkersville town code and…
Town Hall Reports
by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Chicken Ordinance Forms Available The Thurmont Town Office now has the forms needed for people with existing chickens in their yards or who want to start keeping them. Those with existing chickens must have them registered by March 1. If not, and they have more than six chickens or a…
Town Hall Reports
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…
Town Hall Reports
by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Colorfest Services Approved Shentel Will Offer Fiber Optic Service The Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners recently approved a franchise agreement with Shentel. The agreement, similar to the one the town has with Comcast, will provide the town with a 3 percent franchise fee. Shentel will be allowed to build a fiber-optic…
Town Hall Reports
by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Colorfest Services Approved The Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners approved bids for services that are needed for Colorfest to run smoothly. Mays Security in Frederick will provide security with 26 guards, 2 supervisors, and 2 relief guards for $21,600. Rill’s Bus Service in Westminster will provide bus service with…
Town Hall Reports
by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Approved Bids The Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners recently approved a bid for a new water department truck to replace a 2007 utility bed truck. Three bids were received, and the mayor and commissioners accepted the $72,504 bid from Crouse Ford in Taneytown for a new truck. The mayor and commissioners…
Town Hall Reports
by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Thurmont Volunteer of the Year Named The Thurmont Lions Club recently announced at a Thurmont town meeting that Bernie and Joanne Ricketts had been named recipients of the annual Thurmont Volunteer of the Year Award. They are volunteers at the Thurmont Food Bank and help with a variety of jobs…
Town Hall Reports
by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Town Joins Mass Tort Action The Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners voted to participate in a mass tort complaint against manufacturers of the PFAS chemicals that Thurmont and other municipalities are now working to remove from their water systems. The town’s vote is to retain a law firm to investigate, file…
Town Hall Reports
by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Police Join LEOPS Pension Program The Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners recently voted to move the Thurmont Police Department to the Law Enforcement Officers Pension System. They have discussed the move for years, and it is considered a more appropriate program for the police officers. The advantage is that it offers…
Town Hall Reports
by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Program Open Space Projects Decided The Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners decided on a selection of projects to request Program Open Space money to fund. The total is estimated to be $479,500. It is unlikely that all of the projects will be funded this year, so they also needed to be…
Town Hall Reports
by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Town Approves Bond Issue After a public hearing, the Thurmont Commissioners voted for the ability to issue infrastructure bonds up to $6 million. The proceeds from the bond sale will be used to complete the Thurmont Boulevard project and the wetlands mitigation. The town does not necessarily need to issue…
Town Hall Reports
by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Annexation Comings and Goings The town suspended the Simmers Property 16.7-acre annexation, which the Thurmont Mayor and Board of Commissioners had approved last year. Thurmont residents submitted a petition with 1,154 verified signatures. The group, Envision Thurmont, collected the signatures and submitted them to the town office. Only 906…
Town Hall Reports
by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Town Considering Raising Colorfest Permit Fees Once again, the Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners are considering increasing the Catoctin Colorfest permit fees. The income generated from the fees pays the town’s costs for security, sanitation, and transportation at the festival that attracts an estimated 100,000 people to Thurmont during the second…
Town Hall Report
by James Rada, Jr. Emmitsburg For more information on the Town of Emmitsburg, visit www.emmitsburgmd.gov or call 301-600-6300. Parking Discussions Get Heated Parking became a hot topic during the July meeting of the Emmitsburg Mayor and Commissioners. As town staff looks to replace old and outdated parking meters with digital ones, the topic of increasing…
Town Hall Reports
by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Town Gets Tips to Improve Safety In Electric Department Tim Lawrence, electric utilities director for the Town of Berlin, gave the Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners some advice from his 41 years of work in municipal electric departments on how to improve safety at the Thurmont Electric Department. What most of…
Town Hall Reports
by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Commissioners May Adjust Colorfest Fees The Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners reviewed the costs and revenues the town incurred during the 2021 Colorfest. The town had $25,707 deficit, which was the greatest loss since 2014. The town works to balance the income it receives from permits and fines against the costs…
