3 days ago
Emmitsburg focuses on residents' costs and maintaining staff with FY26 budget
Emmitsburg approved a town budget on Monday that included a water-rate increase less than earlier planned, as well as above-the-norm salary increases for some town employees.
The town expects to receive and spend $2.7 million in FY 2026, according to town documents.
That represents a 6% increase compared to FY 2025.
The municipal property tax rate will remain 34.64 cents per $100 in assessed value.
The Board of Commissioners passed the budget 4-1.
Commissioners Amy Boehman-Pollitt, Jim Hoover, Valerie Turnquist and Kevin Hagan voted in favor.
Commissioner Cliff Sweeney voted against.
In an interview, Sweeney said he was concerned the water-rate changes would not leave enough money in the budget for repairs and anything unexpected.
Earlier in Monday's meeting, the commissioners voted to increase water rates by 15% in FY 2026, rather than 36%, which would have been in line with a previous ordinance.
The previous ordinance stated that beginning July 1, 2023, water rates in town would increase 36% annually, and continue to increase that rate each year for five years, according to town records. Starting July 1, 2028, rates would increase 3% annually.
'I didn't think the water rates should be adjusted until next year,' Sweeney said. 'I wasn't for the 15%'
He was also the lone dissenting vote in the water-rate increase change, saying the need for a 36% increase was 'partly my fault' for all of the years he served on the board and did not increase rates incrementally.
Hoover said in an interview that he felt the municipal property tax rate staying flat and a reduction in the expected water rates were the most important items to residents.
The tax rate is based on assessed value, so while the rate may be unchanged, individual tax bills might rise and as property assessments rise.
As such, the town projects to receive almost $73,000 in FY 2026 than it did in FY 2025 due to this increase in assessed values.
Hoover said the annual 36% increases were a 'thorn' in his and others' sides and represented an increase that was 'substantially more than I felt was justifiable.'
Hoover added that he felt that the new approach to managing water rates will be more responsive to the needs of the town, since the board will have to be more vigilant by reviewing rates annually and adjusting it as needed.
'I believe wholeheartedly that this will accomplish that,' he said.
Boehman-Pollitt said in an interview that she was happy to implement the smaller increase that would 'still put us in the black,' but also 'not be shocking to our residents.'
She said a proposal by Mayor Frank Davis in May sought to shift how the town paid out benefits to employees.
Currently, the town attaches the benefits to the employee rather than to the departments of their work if their work impacts multiple departments.
Boehman-Pollitt said the mayor's proposal reflected best practices, but would also lead to around an $80,000 increase in cost of the water fund.
She said the commissioners are open to phasing that accounting strategy over time, but the added financial strain on the water fund 'just didn't seem prudent.'
Davis said the was disappointed that cuts to the water fund will lead to downstream impacts to the general fund, ultimately preventing road improvement and other projects.
'But other than that, I am happy with the budget,' Davis said.
Merit increases
One item he fought for at Monday's meeting and previous meetings was salary raises above the standard 3% merit increase for Najila Ahsan, the town planner, and Jared Brantner, the superintendent of water and sewer.
All other town employees will receive a 3% cost-of-living increase in salary, as well as between a 1% and 3% merit increase.
Ahsan and Brantner will receive additional salary increases — not counted as merit-based increases due to town code — of 4% and .2%. The second figure was due to a lack of money in the water fund, according to town staff.
Davis said both town employees performed above expectations and he worried that without salary increases, they could be recruited by other municipalities.
'What made me realize that we needed to do something was when the state of Maryland came and reviewed our comprehensive plan, they asked me what contractor we used to write that plan because it was so well written,' the mayor said. 'That would have been a very costly contract if we had to bring someone in.
'Our town planner was able to go above and beyond what was expected of her and we need to compensate our employees for that.'
Hagan participated in the committee that worked with the town staff and community input to create the comprehensive plan prior to being elected to the Board of Commissioners.
He said at the meeting that Ahsan performed 'a lot of detailed work' for the project that was 'all done at a pretty extraordinary level.'
'I agree,' Hoover said.
Boehman-Pollitt said the increases represented 'a big jump,' but she supports the mayor's recommendations.
Davis said Brantner has certifications and experiences to run large-scale water and sewage plants that were hard to find.
Additionally, the mayor said Brantner runs a team of five or six and manages both the water and sewage plants.
'So we're getting quite the bang for the buck,' Davis said. 'We have good people and we just can't afford to lose them.'
