Panel sends 2012 spending plan back for more cuts

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By J.R. Williams-jrwilliams@nvdaily.com

MIDDLETOWN -- The Town Council voted Monday night to send the fiscal 2012 budget back to the drawing board after agreeing that more cuts need to be made.

The $1,728,809 plan was slated for approval at Monday's council meeting, but officials will revisit spending cuts at a committee meeting May 17. A special meeting may be called to satisfy an approval deadline.

Also at Monday's meeting, council members narrowly voted against increasing the town's cigarette tax from 25 cents to 30 cents per pack.

The vote was 3-2, with Councilmen Charles Harbaugh, Mark Davis and Councilwoman Donna Gray voting against the measure.

It was the first meeting since Councilman John Owings' recent resignation from the panel. Former Councilman Gerald D. Sinclair was unanimously appointed to serve on the panel until elections in November. He was the only applicant.

Owings resigned after recently moving outside town limits.

Monday's decision to reconsider the budget came after several residents criticized it during a public comment period at the meeting. Town officials have been working for months to draft a budget that compensates for an uncertain financial future.

Trip and Susan Chewning spoke out against rising water and sewer rates and personnel cost decisions.

"Obviously, we cannot keep going down this path," Chewning said. "... There is already a lot of discontent. People talking about moving out of town, and that can only get worse.
"I think you need to be a little bit more responsible with the town's money and with its future."

The town has passed several water and sewer rate hikes on to its residents in recent months, many as a result of increased charges from Winchester, the town's water vendor.

"The people of Middletown are working very hard, too," said town resident Jane Pike. "Everything is going up. It's got to come down. We might be better off doing away with council and joining Frederick County."

Town officials defended the document: Mayor Marshall J. "Mark" Brown said "not a single item" in the budget hasn't been justified, and Councilman Carl H. Bernhards -- who voted against postponing action on the plan -- said it has been carefully scrutinized.

"We've already spent 100 man-hours working on this," Bernhards said.

Brown said he would urge council members to reconsider their decision on the cigarette tax to help generate funds.

In other business, the Town Council:

• Voted to support moving the town's election from May to November, and changing and its polling place from Town Hall to Middletown Elementary School, and directed the town attorney to explore additional steps required for state or federal approval.

• Voted to approve a lease agreement between the town and Extreme Pyrotechnics for that company to use storage space at 2480 Third St. in exchange for providing a free fireworks show for the town.