Our newly elected Talbot County Council discussed legislative matters impacting our county with delegates Tom Hutchinson and Chris Adams, state senator Johnny Mautz, and “other celebrities” attending the last council meeting of 2022.
As a representative of MACo (Maryland Association of Counties), former council member Laura Price joined a discussion of issues related to the mandated use of body-worn cameras. Council member Dave Stepp had discussed this matter with Sheriff Gamble and Captain Bollinger and recommended consideration of either “opt-in” or state funding in some cases.
Talbot’s program is currently managed by an outside firm, but county council Vice President Pete Lesher agreed that funding for storage capabilities and legally defined access might better be centrally managed, particularly for smaller communities.
Having been approved by Maryland voters, adult recreational use of cannabis is also on the horizon. Options for local growing and retailing facilities were discussed, as setting local standards has been left to counties and municipalities. Dave Stepp offered data from Colorado, where local standards also prevail. Traffic deaths related to testing positive for cannabis were “up 138% in 2020.” Those 131 deaths also represented an increase from 11% to 24% of total traffic deaths since cannabis had been legalized in 2013.
Council member Keasha Haythe also pointed out that municipalities would be making decisions concerning facilities, as growth is targeted around existing infrastructure in Talbot County.
Lower incarceration rates won’t make up for costs associated with legalizing cannabis, either. And the Talbot County Department of Corrections does not appreciate being required to treat the drug addiction and mental issues of incarcerated individuals due primarily to the closing of treatment facilities.
Should perspective also be appreciated under such dire circumstances as 131 cannabis-related deaths, since 2013 Colorado had also experienced 212 alcohol-related traffic fatalities and 903 firearm deaths by 2020.
Concerning the Blueprint, a 10-year plan for improving education in Maryland, education is Talbot County’s single largest budget item. That $60 million could “become $80 million,” and Laura Price also pointed out that Talbot would be impacted more than other counties.
Lack of planning is hardly an issue here. The priorities of early childhood education, quality teachers, resources for student success, college and career readiness, and accountability are all addressed in detail over the plan’s 185 pages. And this plan may be timely, as teacher shortages are experienced nationwide.
The Blueprint recommends pay comparable to that of other college graduates and a starting salary of $60,000. Talbot’s starting pay is closer to the U.S. average of around $45,000. Teacher pay overall is higher than average in Maryland, but lower on the Eastern Shore and down 4% nationally due to inflation since 2019.
Local districts will submit their own plans for education in a few months, making council member Lynn Mielke’s query regarding a meeting with our board of education possibly worth consideration. In any case, regular updates will be available.
Additional time was devoted to discussion of the transformative UM Shore Regional Healthcare Center to be located near the Talbot County Community Center on Route 50, approximately 3.5 miles from the current hospital. This regional medical center will serve residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne, and Talbot counties. The $100 million project is still in planning stages for at least a year.
Council President Callahan asked if both hospitals would be open for a time. UM Shore Regional Health President Ken Kozel responded that Easton’s hospital would close. Educational programs are addressing staffing issues, and Lynn Mielke inquired as to whether population growth had been factored in. The current hospital has 124 beds, and 140 beds are planned for the new medical center.
President Kozel responded that this was considered, and improvements in healthcare and more outpatient care were expected to result in fewer hospitalizations. He summarized, “It’s an exciting time for all of us. In my recollection this is the largest project ever in Talbot County.”
There’s always more to be done, but Talbot County seems to be on a positive path. Development is all about sewerage. That’s the county’s strength, and Pete Lesher has been requested to prepare a resolution addressing remaining wastewater treatment concerns in Trappe.
A federal appeals court judge has also ruled that the Federal Energy Regulator Commission (FERC) improperly awarded the Conowingo Dam a permit after the State of Maryland and Constellation agreed to scrap a water certification process that had passed. Good news for a county with over 600 miles of shoreline.
We could even hear more concerning the Talbot County Circuit Court’s summary decision in favor of defendants claiming that county code regarding a planning commissioner’s term could be ignored – because it had not been enforced in Talbot County since 1974, and although it was upheld in Maryland’s Supreme Court in 2004? Judge Kehoe invited newly elected council members to come, alone or in groups, to our court to see “how justice works in Talbot County.”
Carol Voyles is a graphic designer/illustrator who retired to the Eastern Shore and became interested in politics. She serves as communications chair for the Talbot County Democratic Forum and lives in Easton.
Lorraine Claggett says
Not being present at Council’s meetings, it is possibly essential that I get news like Carol’s condensing the issues, problems and achievements the Council faces for the county’s benefit . Thank you Carol and “The Talbot Spy” for making watchers of all of us.