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November 22, 2024

Talbot Spy

Nonpartisan Education-based News for Talbot County Community

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Democrats Slam Hogan’s Decision to End Expanded Unemployment Benefits, Look to Block Action

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Alarmed at the prospect that needy families will be hurt by Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr.’s decision to end supplemental unemployment benefits in early July, members of the General Assembly scrambled on Wednesday to blunt — and perhaps block — his action.

Legislative leaders sought advice from Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) about a possible special session — and a powerful committee chairman said he will introduce legislation to advance the effective date of Maryland’s $15-per-hour minimum wage law.

The flurry of activity was set in motion by Hogan’s decision to end the $300-per-week supplemental unemployment insurance benefit that some Marylanders have been collecting, effective July 3.

The state will also stop providing a $100-per-week payment that “mixed earners” — typically gig workers who have multiple sources of wage income — have been receiving.

In addition, people who have been out of work for more than 26 weeks will see their benefits end.

Congress approved enhanced payments last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In announcing his actions, Hogan pointed to the state’s improving economy and the surge in the state’s supply of vaccines. Even though 70% of adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the governor said many employers are having trouble finding workers.

Two dozen Republican governors have taken similar steps, with many arguing that jobless benefits create a disincentive to seek work.

More than 175,000 Marylanders receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance — which expanded eligibility to the self-employed, independent contractors and gig workers — and those receiving payments after extended periods out of work — more than 86,000 people as of May 8 — would lose benefits entirely under Hogan’s action.

All Marylanders receiving unemployment would stop receiving an enhanced $300 payment. As of May 15, there were 42,895 continued unemployment claims in the state; an additional 8,625 new claims were filed in the week ending May 22.

In a letter to Hogan, Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and Unemployment Insurance Oversight Committee co-chairwoman Kathy Klausmeier (D-Baltimore County) wrote, “Solving problems requires more than buying into partisan narratives that ignore the very real plight of countless Marylanders facing complex futures.”

The lawmakers urged the governor to reconsider his actions and look at ways to incentivize people back into the labor force, such as those adopted by Colorado.

If Hogan fails to alter his position on supplemental unemployment benefits, the leaders wrote, ”our chamber will be forced to consider all other tools at our disposal to ensure our state’s prosperity.”

The fiscal year 2022 budget was approved by the General Assembly earlier this year — and lawmakers were unclear on Wednesday whether they have the power to force Hogan to reverse his stance. Lawmakers adjourned in April and are not scheduled to return to Annapolis until January.

Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D) urged lawmakers to consider an emergency special session to insist that Hogan keep the payments flowing.

In an interview, Frosh said it would be a challenge for lawmakers to find a way to block Hogan immediately.

“It’s going to be tough to get it done right away, but it may be possible,” he said. “We’ll see.”

A former legislator from Montgomery County, Frosh hammered Hogan for ending federally-funded benefits at a time when many out-of-work residents have yet to find new jobs.

“The fact is, if you’re looking to help the economy and help businesses, the best thing you can do is put money in the hands of low-income families, because it goes right back out the door,” he said. “They spend it.”

Frosh called the supplemental payments “a lifeline for folks who are unemployed” — and he said GOP claims that benefits discourage job-seeking are “fallacious.”

Although the unemployment rate has dropped since the height of the pandemic, the attorney general said many jobs don’t pay enough for people to make ends meet, a claim echoed by Del. Dereck E. Davis (D-Prince George’s), the chairman of the Economic Matters Committee.

Davis told Maryland Matters he will introduce legislation in January to move up the effective date of Maryland’s $15-an-hour minimum wage law by 2 1/2 years.

Under his proposal, employers with 15 or more workers would be required to pay at least $15/hour effective on July 1, 2022, instead of January 1, 2025.

Employers with fewer than 15 employees would have to boost pay starting on July 1, 2023, instead of January 1, 2026.

“I don’t think we need to take away the benefits. I think we need to increase the wages,” Davis said. “It’s simple economics.”

Davis said he was motivated to offer the legislation in response to Hogan’s actions on Tuesday.

Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Darryl Barnes (D-Prince George’s) will co-sponsor the measure, which has the support of Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County).

“If this is strictly dollars and cents, what that tells me is that they’re not paying enough,” Davis said.

Senate Minority Leader Bryan W. Simonaire (R-Anne Arundel) said Davis’s proposal buttresses his belief that the General Assembly is lurching to the left.

“It’s a constant attack on small business, without the balance,” he said. “This is just another way they can redistribute wealth. … Thank God we have Hogan in office to provide a little balance to the legislature.”

Davis said he will pre-file his bill — and he intends to hold a hearing on it at 2 p.m. on the first day of the 2022 session.

The state’s top fiscal officers also hammered Hogan for ending supplemental benefits.

Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp (D) said the move will cause the most harm to single women with children or older dependents, who will now live in “greater misery.”

Franchot, a candidate for governor, noted that the supplemental federal benefits are set to expire on Sept. 6. He said pandemic-era stimulus payments to individuals and businesses have helped the state’s economy weather the pandemic because they are “economic multipliers.”

“We’re giving up, voluntarily, $1.5 billion in additional economic stimulus,” he said. “And it’s not even our money. It’s coming from Washington.”

“This is about compassion for those who are suffering through no fault of their own,” Franchot added. “The end of the pandemic is in sight. We owe them a bridge to it.”

Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore and Harford counties) applauded Hogan’s action.

“With so many businesses unable to fully operate because they cannot find workers, it makes sense,” she said. “There are ‘help wanted’ signs everywhere. Americans are logical. If you pay them to stay home, they will. It’s time to get people back in the labor market and working for a brighter future for themselves and their families.”

An organization representing small business owners also said it welcomed Hogan’s decision.

“Small business owners have been among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis. While they are seeing their sales grow amidst a steady economic recovery, a record 44% of owners reported job openings that could not be filled in NFIB’s latest jobs report,” said Mike O’Halloran, the head of NFIB-Maryland.

“The Governor is right to call this a ‘critical problem.’ Now that capacity restrictions and closings are behind us, we’re hopeful these jobs will quickly be filled as the summer is unofficially underway.”

Even if lawmakers don’t return to Annapolis, they hope to pressure him to allow benefits to flow an additional month — until early August — to give jobless Marylanders more time to find work.

“It’s not like he’s saving the state money by doing this,” Montgomery County Executive Marc B. Elrich (D) said.

Late on Wednesday, the nine Democratic members of Maryland’s congressional delegation issued a statement urging Hogan to reconsider cutting off the benefits.

“…The governor unnecessarily bowed to partisan pressure and ignored the needs of struggling workers and families. We urge the governor to reconsider this decision, which will cost our state money in the long run — and wastes federal resources we fought hard to secure,” the lawmakers wrote. “Marylanders are anxious to get back to work, but this pandemic is not over and many unemployed Marylanders are still suffering.”

By Bruce DePuyt and Danielle E. Gaines

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Hogan Joins GOP Governors in Ending Supplemental Unemployment Aid

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Maryland will join two dozen other Republican-led states whose governors have decided to end enhanced unemployment benefits, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. announced late Tuesday.

The move, which takes effect on July 3, will end the $300 supplemental weekly payment that some out-of-work residents have been receiving under the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program.

Hogan’s decisions will end unemployment insurance checks at 26 weeks.

A pandemic-era change extended them to 39 weeks, but that will expire early next month.

Hogan’s move also ends a $100-per-week payment available to “mixed earners” — typically gig workers who have multiple sources of income.

In making the announcement, Hogan (R) cited Maryland’s improving economy, the increased availability of COVID-19 vaccines, and the growing number of “Help Wanted” signs springing up around the state.

The moves come as Republican leaders express the concern that unemployment assistance is keeping some workers from seeking new jobs.

“While these federal programs provided important temporary relief, vaccines and jobs are now in good supply,” said Hogan, a potential 2024 candidate for president, in a statement.

“And we have a critical problem where businesses across our state are trying to hire more people, but many are facing severe worker shortages. After 12 consecutive months of job growth, we look forward to getting more Marylanders back to work.”

Democrats said Hogan’s decision will harm working families.

“There have been many thoughtful decisions made by Governor Hogan during this pandemic. This is not one of them,” said Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) in a statement.

“This rash and rushed decision will hurt Marylanders who have been hit the hardest during the pandemic, having lost jobs through no fault of their own. It feeds into a hard right-wing narrative that denies human dignity, puts profits over people, and puts politics over sound economic research.”

Del. Dereck Davis (D-Prince George’s) said the state should have kept the commitment it made to keep enhanced benefits in place through August — particularly in light of difficulties that the Maryland Department of Labor had getting checks to some applicants.

“It’s easy to make the claim that folks are taking advantage or folks don’t want to work,” Davis said. “I think people do want to work.”

Many of the 24 Republican governors who decided to end supplement benefits in May said the aid served as a crutch. But research distributed by the economics team at JPMorgan Chase last week cast doubt on that theory.

The move to cut federal unemployment benefits seems “tied to politics, not economics,” those economists concluded, according to CNBC.

“While some of these states have tight labor markets and strong earnings growth, many of them do not,” researchers wrote.

Last month, Hogan — a business tycoon before entering politics — hinted that the state would soon curtail supplemental benefits.

“We’re hearing over and over again about businesses not able to staff up because people won’t come back to work,” he told reporters on May 14.

Davis, who chairs the House Committee on Economic Matters, said many of the people who are still out of work are struggling with child care issues, sick parents and other concerns.

He accused the state of “pulling the rug” from people who are in need, despite a commitment to continue passing on federal assistance to unemployed Marylanders through the summer.

“We could have waited. Another two months wasn’t going to kill us,” he said.

According to the statement issued by Hogan’s office, Maryland has “prioritized” the reopening of child care centers. “As of today, 92% of licensed providers in Maryland are open and operating.”

Since March 2020, the State of Maryland has paid out more than $12.3 billion in unemployment benefits to 730,759 recipients, resolving more than 97% of claims, the statement added.

In addition to ending the pass-through of supplemental federal benefits, Maryland has reinstated the requirement that aid recipients engage in three “reemployment activities” each week, beginning on July 4.

Those who fail to do so may become ineligible for future benefits.

Out-of-work Marylanders can submit a job application through the state’s workforce exchange, complete an American Job Center workshop, or attend a job fair.

Additional employment opportunities and services can be found at labor.maryland.gov/employment.

By Bruce DePuyt

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

St. Michaels Hard Talk: A Town Debates the Tourism Tax Revenue

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This video is about 30 minutes long.

A proposed 70% cut to the town’s advertising budget during a recent budget work session has St. Michaels business owners concerned.

During the April 16 virtual session, St. Michaels Commissioner T. Coleman “Tad” DuPont suggested reducing advertising spending from $140,000 to $40,000 in the proposed Fiscal Year 2022 budget.

DuPont, the commission’s treasurer, said the town should not be encouraging more visitors when businesses are unable, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to accommodate current visitors.

He later suggested the savings could be used to fund other costs associated with tourism, such as an additional police officer and Saturday trash pickup.

The funds for advertising do not come from town taxpayers, but from the accommodations tax paid by guests staying at hotels and other lodging.

Talbot County collects the tax, then disburses it to the towns where the money was collected (after deducting up to 5% for administrative costs).

County law requires towns to use accommodations tax revenue “to alleviate costs associated with tourism.”

St. Michaels currently allocates 25% of its accommodations tax revenue “directly to advertising,” 5% to the volunteer fire department, and the remaining 70% throughout its budget “to help support the cost of tourism to the town, ie. Personnel, restroom maintenance, weekend trash pickup, a small portion of dump fees, park maintenance, a portion of Liability Insurance, infrastructure repairs and maintenance, a portion of capital improvements, etc.,” Town Manager Jean Weisman said in response to an information request.

If the town commissioners were to adopt DuPont’s proposal, St. Michaels would only be committing about 8 percent of its accommodations tax revenue directly to advertising to promote tourism to the town.

DuPont’s proposal led to a lengthy and occasionally heated discussion among town commissioners, with Vice President Jaime M. Windon questioning such a drastic cut.

Windon said town business owners would be “aghast” to hear the proposal.

In an April 19 email, Kim Hannon, St. Michaels Business Association president, informed members about the proposed cut.

“Hi, I am writing to let all of you know that the Commissioners of St. Michaels have been discussing slashing the annual advertising budget from $140,000 to $40,000! YES, slashing it $100,000 – 70% CUT,” Hannon wrote.

Town commissioners did not reach a consensus on the cut during the April 16 budget work session and are waiting to learn how much it would cost to outsource trash pickup before setting the next work session.

A public hearing on the budget will be held after it is officially introduced.

The town’s current draft budget, which includes other changes town commissioners accepted by consensus during the April 16 work session, is below.

St. Michaels FY22 Budget 4-16 DRAFT

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Hogan Announces Second $250 Million Business Relief Plan

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Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) on Wednesday pulled $250 million from the state’s rainy day fund, intending to keep small businesses open during the COVID-19 pandemic through help with rent, employee salaries, upgrades and other efforts.

During a State House press conference, Hogan said the state’s economic and health recoveries depend on everyday Marylanders continuing to follow safety guidance, while he also pushed some of Maryland’s larger counties to reopen businesses further.

The governor also chided the rate that smaller counties have spent federal stimulus money; only about one-third of $362 million in CARES Act funding directed to 19 counties in the state has been spent so far, with a deadline of Dec. 31.

Hogan said the new state funding would also be required to be spent by the end of the year, and suggested that counties use their unspent federal stimulus money to create matching grants.

“I have directed our teams in each agency to ensure that this much-needed funding gets out the door to our struggling citizens and small businesses as quickly as possible,” Hogan said.

The governor’s relief plan announced Wednesday includes:

  • $50 million for the Maryland Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Fund; the new infusion brings total state spending for fund to $145 million since March and will clear a backlog of all applications that have been submitted.
  • $50 million in new relief for restaurants, which can be used to help them buy improvements including HVAC filtration, outdoor dining amenities, technology upgrades to help with carryout and delivery orders, protective equipment for employees, or to help with rent. This money will go to counties, which will distribute it to qualifying restaurants.
  • $20 million for grants from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to help businesses and entertainment venues in the state’s “Main Street Maryland” and “Baltimore Main Streets” programs.
  • $20 million to the COVID-19 Layoff Aversion Fund. This program already disbursed $20 million through the Maryland Department of Labor, and has saved 9,000 jobs, Hogan said.
  • Additional funding includes $5 million to the Maryland Small Business Development Financing Authority, $2 million for local tourism efforts, and $3 million for arts organizations and artists.

Another $100 million is set aside as an “emergency response fund,” which would allow the state to immediately direct money to areas of economic concern in the future, Hogan said.

The spending will be “critical to the thousands of struggling restaurants, small businesses and main streets across the state who are attempting to weather this crisis,” the governor said.

“Equally important to their survival will be all 24 jurisdictions finally moving into stage three of the Maryland strong roadmap to recovery plan,” Hogan said. State law allows counties to reopen at a pace slower than the statewide recommendations, depending on local health concerns.

Some of Maryland’s larger jurisdictions, where COVID-19 case rates have been higher, continue to limit certain businesses, including indoor dining.

“They had particular situations on the ground that caused them to go a little slower, which they thought was prudent,” Hogan said. But now, he said he believes health metrics in the counties warrant wider reopening efforts.

“We’re trying to get the schools open, we’re trying to get the businesses open,” Hogan said.

Overall, Maryland’s economy is rebounding faster than other states, but more help is still needed for small businesses, Hogan said.

“Our economy is doing better than the country and most almost all the states in America, but it’s still really bad. It’s not it’s not a great situation for all these hardworking, struggling folks,” he said.

The governor continued to call on federal lawmakers to get moving on a second round of nationwide stimulus relief.

“We need both parties in Washington to stop playing politics to end the gridlock and to get this done for the American people,” Hogan said. “Our small business community and our struggling Marylanders who depend on them for their jobs cannot afford to wait any longer.”

Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D), who has been instigating for a state-level small business stimulus, including at Wednesday’s Board of Public Works meeting chaired by Hogan, said after the announcement that the proposal was insufficient.

Franchot, a likely candidate for governor in 2022, has suggested an infusion of at least $500 million, either from 2020 surplus funds, the state’s rainy day fund, or through borrowing.

“Today’s announcement by Governor Hogan is a good start, but it’s simply not enough,” Franchot said. “Contrary to the Governor’s analysis of our fiscal posture, we are in a position to do more without taking another penny from the Rainy Day Fund.”

Franchot also noted that $100 million of Hogan’s proposal is not yet earmarked for relief.

“Just two years ago, the State of Maryland was willing to pony up $8.6 Billion to lure Amazon’s East Coast headquarters. Surely, we can do better than letting tens of thousands of small businesses, nonprofits, and Main Street communities fight over scraps,” Franchot said in a statement.

Hogan said during the press conference that his administration landed on the $250 million figure because it would leave the state’s rainy day fund with about $1 billion, which has been the state’s longtime recommended reserve level.

Hogan also cautioned Wednesday that the state is monitoring a small uptick in coronavirus-related hospitalizations in the past week and that small gatherings and parties continue to be the number one source of new cases in the state.

“We can’t let our guard down and we should remain vigilant ― even when we are in close contact with the people that we know and love,” Hogan said. “Outdoor activity continues to be much safer than indoor activity, and frequent hand washing remains a critically important tool. Following these simple guidelines will keep us firmly on the road to recovery and help us slow the spread, prevent the surge and keep Maryland open for business.”

By Danielle E. Gaines

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Easton OKs Limited Promenade for Weekend Dining

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The town council voted 3-1 Tuesday to try a very limited version this weekend of the downtown promenade that was halted in a reversal last week.

Easton will use rented barricades to close off the parallel parking spaces along Washington Street in front of Scossa Restaurant & Lounge, Doc’s Downtown Grille, and the Washington Street Pub. Both lanes of traffic will remain open.

Closing the parking spaces will allow the restaurants to expand outdoor dining, creating the opportunity for additional revenue for businesses closed for a time due to the COVID-19 pandemic and currently operating at 50 percent capacity due to continued emergency restrictions.

The parking spaces will be blocked off early Friday morning and the barricades will be removed early Monday.

The vote came Tuesday afternoon following a 90-minute special worksh0p meeting at which the council heard from several officials, but did not take public comment despite several business owners being in attendance.

Council President Megan Cook led the push to take some action in time for the weekend. Councilman Don Abbatiello made the motion to close the parking spaces for the weekend and Councilman Ron Engle voted in favor.

Councilman Al Silverstein opposed the effort, saying the town needed to properly study the plans and talk to downtown business owners after rushing the initial decision to close down the block of Washington Street between Dover and Federal streets.

Instead of closing parking spaces this weekend, Silverstein suggested the businesses take advantage of language in the mayor’s executive orders allowing restaurants to place tables — with permission of adjoining businesses — beyond the restaurant’s storefront.

It was unclear if any restaurants had sought to extend outside dining areas under that provision.

He said the town needed to look at the cost of the street closures and should determine whether a grant program would be a more effective use of the town’s funds.

Silverstein also expressed concern about social distancing as confirmed COVID-19 cases climb in Talbot County and elsewhere.

Easton Mayor Robert Willey had urged action before the vote, noting additional delays could push the issue to the end of summer and restaurants would get little benefit.

“We’re now into the third week talking about this, we’re talking about setting up a meeting next week,that may be two weeks after that, you’re into August, rapidly going into Labor Day,” Willey said. “Before you know it, the summer’s going to be over and we might as well talk about next year because we’ll be too late into the process to get something done.”

Ross Benincasa, executive director of Discover Easton, presented three options for the council to consider:

• Entirely closing the block of Washington Street, but only on weekends

• Closing the parallel parking spaces and the adjacent northbound lane of Washington Street

• Closing the parallel parking spaces and leaving the road open to traffic

Benincasa said the restaurant owners were hoping to have a plan in place for the weekend.

Town Engineer Rick VanEmburgh said the town had rented 10 barricades for the initial plan to close the block to all vehicular traffic and would be able to get 30 barricades by the weekend to close off some of the parking spaces in front of the three restaurants; closing that entire stretch would require 50 barricades.

However, the barricades also may be connected with steel bars and chains, rather than interlocking together, he said.

VanEmburgh said he was concerned about putting up the barricades on Friday afternoons after the courthouse closes.

“How do we move all those vehicles out of the space and then put the barriers in place and then the restaurants get the tables out to the street?” he asked, noting it took town crews several hours to erect the 10 barricades across Washington Street last week.

The town engineer also said he met with a consultant to discuss a traffic study for the street closure, but was told it would take 8-12 weeks and cost $30,000 to $40,000.

VanEmburgh said he also spoke with the state transportation secretary and the state would be willing to look at any planned street closures.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Easton Meets Today to Talk About Downtown Promenade

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The Easton town council will meet this afternoon in a workshop session to discuss downtown business. The meeting comes less than a week after the council decided in a previous workshop meeting to halt plans to close off the block of Washington Street in front of the courthouse for a pedestrian mall, outdoor concerts, and expanded outdoor dining for nearby restaurants.

In a July 12 Facebook post, Easton Town Council President Megan Cook said she is “more confident than ever that we will revisit and approve the proposed Washington Street Promenade” and anticipated “another meeting with the date and time to be announced as quickly as possible, for this very purpose.”

Today’s workshop meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the town council chambers and will be streamed live at Mid Shore Community Television’s Facebook page.

In her post on the Megan Cook for Easton Town Council President Facebook page, Cook wrote:

“As President of the Town Council, and as a longtime advocate for a more vibrant downtown Easton, I have been a strong supporter of the proposed Washington Street Promenade.

“This concept, which has proven to be highly successful in communities across Maryland, will be a lifeline for our local and independent businesses and will provide Easton’s families with an enjoyable and memorable downtown experience.

“I was disappointed by last week’s abrupt postponement of the Washington Street Promenade. The decision, and the process in which that decision was made, has understandably shaken public confidence in our town’s business climate and undermined our town’s hard-earned reputation for open and transparent government.

“To those who share my disappointment and my concerns about last week’s decision, let me assure you that it was merely a pause to, and not the end of, the Washington Street Promenade. I remain more committed than ever to a solution that achieves the economic, fiscal and quality-of-life benefits of a street closure while addressing issues that have been raised over the past several days.

“Having spoken with Mayor Willey and my Council colleagues over the past several days, I am more confident than ever that we will revisit and approve the proposed Washington Street Promenade. I anticipate that there will be another meeting with the date and time to be announced as quickly as possible, for this very purpose.

“It is my vision that the Washington Street Promenade will be remembered as the beginning of a renewed commitment by all of our town’s stakeholders toward a more vibrant downtown Easton, an economic climate that inspires innovation, and a community that offers our families the best and most memorable experiences of any in our state.”

In response to Cook’s post, one local businessman is asking the council to lay out the process for establishing any future pedestrian promenade in downtown Easton and offering a list of items for the council to consider.

In a July 13 letter to the town attorney, Zach A. Smith, an attorney for Bluepoint Hospitality, Beowulf Energy, Bluepoint Development, and their affiliates, said Bluepoint would be affected “by any plans that involve street closures, changes to traffic patterns, and the elimination of parking in and around downtown.” Bluepoint is owned and operated by Paul Prager, CEO of Beowulf Energy.

A copy of the letter also was hand-delivered to 84 downtown businesses, according to Bluepoint.

Bluepoint asked the town to address seven questions, including whether the council was considering new plans for the promenade, if such plans were available for public review, any timeline for public comment and council action, and if there were any studies/surveys of the current needs of downtown businesses.

In the letter, Smith also asked the town to consider 15 items, including:

• Providing direct notice to all downtown business owners

• Identifying specific goals and objectives for a promenade

• Hiring a traffic engineer to examine any proposed street closures and traffic diversions

• The need for additional police resources, sanitation, and publicly available, ADA accessible restroom facilities

• Getting input from the Easton Police Department, Easton Volunteer Fire Department, Talbot County Emergency Medical Services, University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton, and the town’s historic district commission, planning commission and planning staff.

• Having downtown business owners meet and develop a plan to present to the council with Tracy Ward from the Easton Economic Development Corporation recommended as a group facilitator. Bluepoint offered to host such a meeting at its auditorium on Washington Street to allow for proper social distancing.

The complete letter from Smith to Town Attorney Sharon M. VanEmburgh is below:

I am writing on behalf of Bluepoint Hospitality, Beowulf Energy, Bluepoint Development, and their affiliates (collectively, “Bluepoint”), regarding recent discussions and actions by the Town Council related to the possible establishment of a pedestrian promenade in downtown Easton.

As the owner and operator of numerous properties and businesses in downtown, Bluepoint will undoubtedly be impacted by any plans that involve street closures, changes to traffic patterns, and the elimination of parking in and around downtown. Even when such changes may be undertaken with the best of intentions, as I am sure they were here, the unintended consequences of such changes may have adverse impacts to downtown businesses, employees, and customers. For this reason, Bluepoint became very concerned by the Council’s recent decision to abruptly close what is arguably the busiest segment of the busiest street in downtown for a prolonged and open-ended period of time.

This initiative by the Town appears to have been hastily rolled out, without adequate consideration of traffic impacts and without any meaningful effort by the Town to engage all individual downtown business owners to discuss such plans in advance of implementation. As you know, the Council voted unanimously on July 7th to shelve this initial concept, after hearing concerns raised by individual Council Members, the Easton Police Department, and some downtown business owners, including Bluepoint. Bluepoint applauds this decision by the Council, and appreciates its recognition that such a significant undertaking must be carefully planned and executed to avoid potential adverse impacts to the overall downtown business community.

Based on recent public comments by Council President Megan Cook, it appears that the Council may soon consider another iteration of the downtown promenade concept. Bluepoint would like to participate in any future public discussion of any new plan(s) to ensure that the interests of its businesses, employees, and customers are considered.

Accordingly, Bluepoint has several questions related to where the Council currently stands in this process, and what that process may look like moving forward. Specifically, please provide responses to the following questions:

1. Is the Council currently considering a new plan(s) for the promenade? If so, is that plan(s) available for review by the public? If so, where?

2. If and when any new plan(s) is made available, will there be an opportunity for review and comment by the public in advance of any Council deliberations? How will the plan(s) be made available to the public? How long will the public have to review any plan(s) before the Council may take action?

3. How will the Council provide notice to the public regarding any review and deliberations on any new plan(s)?

4. In light of the current pandemic, and anticipation that there may be considerable public interest moving forward, how will the Council ensure proper social distancing and other safety protocols during its public review process?

5. Are there specific stated goals and objectives that the Council is trying to achieve by establishing a promenade? If so, what are those goals and objectives? How will success or failure be measured?

6. Have there been any studies of the current needs of downtown businesses? Have there been any surveys of downtown business owners inquiring into their current needs? If so, are these studies and/or surveys publicly available? If so, where?

7. Bluepoint understands that the Town has engaged RK&K civil engineers to provide some level of input on potential traffic impacts. Has the Town given RK&K a specific scope of services to be provided? If so, is that document publicly available? Has RK&K made any recommendations to the Town regarding the scope of services that it recommends under the circumstances? If so, will the Town authorize RK&K to perform any recommended analysis, and provide the amount time that may be needed to complete such? Will the Town make any recommendations from RK&K regarding the recommended scope of services publicly available?

In addition to seeking information regarding the questions above, Bluepoint would like to offer a few initial comments to the Council for consideration moving forward. Once any new plan(s) is made publicly available, I anticipate that Bluepoint may have additional substantive comments based on that specific plan(s), but the comments below are threshold matters that Bluepoint believes the Council should consider in advance of, or concurrent with, the development of any new plan(s).

Please forward the following initial comments to the Council for consideration:

1. Consider providing direct notice to all downtown business owners to seek their engagement in this discussion. Discussions and notices occurring on social media platforms reach some individuals, but may not reach all important constituencies. Additionally, discussions on social media platforms may discourage some from participating and/or speaking candidly. Bluepoint believes strongly that the Council’s deliberations on this matter should occur in a public meeting of the entire Council where informed comments and constructive debate are encouraged.

2. If the Council has not done so already, consider identifying specific goals and objectives that the Council wants to achieve, and consider if a promenade is likely to produce the desired outcome(s).

3. Consider the appropriate frequency and duration of any promenade that may be needed to achieve the desired outcome(s).

4. Consider potential traffic impacts related to any street closures and the resulting traffic diversions. If the Council has not done so already, consider engaging a professional traffic engineer to ensure that any changes to traffic patterns do not cause unsafe and/or otherwise undesirable conditions.

5. Consider the potential impacts to businesses, employees, and customers if important public parking opportunities are eliminated, including impacts to the elderly and individuals with disabilities.

6. Consider the potential impact that the design, size, configuration, and location of a promenade may have on downtown. Recommend requesting input from design professionals regarding important considerations related to the form and function of this type of feature.

7. Consider if there may be alternatives that provide broader benefits to the overall downtown business community, and/or may result in less harmful unintended consequences.

8. In light of the current pandemic and the increasing infection rate here locally, consider how the design of the promenade can ensure proper social distancing and other recommended safety protocols.

9. Consider the need for additional police resources and the associated costs, including any overtime pay and the costs of any additional equipment that may be needed.

10. Consider the need for additional restroom facilities, the maintenance thereof and the associated costs, and who will be responsible for such costs. Consider the need to ensure the provision of clean, ADA accessible and convenient restroom facilities.

11. Consider the need for additional sanitation, particularly in light of the current pandemic, and the associated costs.

12. Recommend requesting input from the Easton Police Department, the Easton Fire Department, and Talbot County Emergency Medical Services.

13. Recommend requesting input from the University of Maryland Shore Medical Center, to the extent that the promenade may involve a street closure.

14. Recommend requesting input from the Town’s Historic District Commission, Planning Commission and Planning staff.

15. Consider asking downtown business owners to meet in advance of any further Council deliberations to develop a plan from that group to be presented to the Council for consideration. Bluepoint is willing to host such a meeting at its auditorium on Washington Street, which will allow for proper social distancing. Such a meeting will allow business owners to discuss internally and perhaps develop a group consensus on how to best proceed.

Bluepoint recommends that Tracy Ward from the Easton Economic Development Corporation participate in such a meeting to act as a group facilitator. Assuming a consensus is reached, Tracy can then present a plan to the Council using one voice that is informed by the comments of all applicable stakeholders. Tracy can also include any minority opinions that any individual group member(s) may want relayed to the Council, and/or any individual business owner will obviously be free to address the Council directly during any subsequent Council meeting.

Bluepoint believes that careful consideration of the above should be given by the Council before it moves forward with developing and implementing any new plan(s). Bluepoint applauds the Council’s efforts to support downtown, and looks forward to participating in any upcoming public discussions. Furthermore, please know that Bluepoint stands ready to assist the Town with the design and execution of an appropriate plan that involves input from all stakeholders and that is carefully tailored to benefit the overall downtown business community.

Given the urgency expressed by the Council President in a recent social media post, it appears that the Council may be moving forward very quickly on this issue in the coming days. In light of that anticipated action, Bluepoint will be grateful if you can provide responses to the questions posed herein as soon as possible. Please also proceed by forwarding Bluepoint’s initial comments to the Council for consideration. Note, to ensure that others are kept aware of what is transpiring, Bluepoint intends to hand-deliver this letter to the owners of other downtown businesses. Bluepoint also plans to share any response(s) received from the Town with this same group to ensure transparency and the distribution of all important information.

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