The Talbot County Council’s September 8 meeting produced an unusually lively discussion over proposed speed cameras on Route 50, while also bringing action on data centers, short-term rentals and several other county issues.
The sharpest debate came over a request from the Town of Easton for county support of a state speed-monitoring system along Route 50. Easton Deputy Police Chief Craig Wright told the Council that speed cameras have been effective elsewhere in changing driver behavior and noted that making conventional traffic stops on the three-lane highway can be difficult and unsafe.
Several Council members, however, said the proposal lacked important details, including how many cameras would be installed and exactly where they would be located. Council President Chuck Callahan questioned whether the system might be viewed as a speed trap, while Councilman Dave Stepp said the request was too open-ended and indicated he would vote against it in its current form. Councilwoman Keasha Haythe also said she wanted more information before supporting the proposal.
The Council ultimately postponed a decision until September 22 and asked Easton to return with more specifics, including the number and location of cameras and additional information about the need for the program. Officials said there have been nearly 900 traffic accidents and three fatalities along the Route 50 corridor during the past five years.
In another significant action, the Council unanimously approved a 12-month moratorium on new data-center applications while the county considers how such facilities should be regulated. Tom Alsbach of the Talbot Preservation Alliance urged the Council to use the pause to examine the potential effect of large data centers on Talbot County’s rural character, infrastructure and land-use goals. Councilman Pete Lesher noted that officials from Loudoun County, Virginia, which has extensive experience with data centers, had recommended that communities without existing regulations first impose a moratorium and then develop appropriate zoning rules.
The Council also introduced legislation that would reduce the number of neighboring property owners who must receive notice of hearings involving short-term rental licenses. The proposal, requested by Stepp, would retain the current 1,000-foot notification area but limit required notices to the 50 nearest properties when that number is smaller.
Stepp said the proposal came from a constituent who was spending thousands of dollars on certified-mail notices for STR renewals in a densely developed area. The Planning Commission had recommended a different approach, suggesting that the notification distance itself be reduced to 500 or 750 feet rather than setting a 50-property limit. A public hearing on the legislation is scheduled for October 13.
