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May 21, 2025

Talbot Spy

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2 News Homepage

Talbot Officials Pleased, Thankful for Passage of Tax Cap Changes

November 4, 2020 by John Griep

Talbot voters are willing to pay slightly higher property taxes in order to better fund public safety and county officials are thankful for the support.

“I am very pleased with the results, and thankful that the citizens of Talbot County have decided to invest in their future,” Talbot County Council President Corey W. Pack said Wednesday in a statement.

“The additional revenue will allow for Talbot County to stay competitive in attracting and maintaining public safety professionals as well as providing for related capital needs,” Pack said. “Again thank you citizens of Talbot!”

Councilman Pete Lesher said he was surprised and relieved by the results but noted the county council will continue be cautious with spending.

“I am quite surprised by the election results on these questions, particularly by the solid majorities that each received,” Lesher said in a statement. “But most particularly, I am relieved, because without the passage of these reforms, Talbot County government was facing the distasteful choice about which essential services to cut.

“My priorities, as promised to the voters, will be to focus additional revenues on public safety, including emergency services and a compensation package that will attract and retain deputies in the sheriff’s office,” Lesher said. “The charter changes still constitute restrictive property tax revenue cap, and county government will still need to be cautious and strategic with expenditures.”

No matter when they voted, Talbot citizens responded favorably to the campaign led by the county council, Emergency Medical Services Director Clay Stamp, Sheriff Joe Gamble, and first responders.

Talbot Citizens for Public Safety urged support for Questions B, C, and D.

Also lending support was the Talbot Citizens for Public Safety group and the local FOP lodge.

Those urging passage of Questions B, C, and D said additional funding was needed to support deputies, EMS crews, and other first responders.

Question B corrects inaccurate language in the tax cap; Question C eliminates a reference to CPI-U; and Question D allows the county council to temporarily increase the property tax rate above the revenue cap by up to one cent per $100 of assessed value for five years only.

A 2018 effort that included all three measures passed Tuesday in a single ballot question failed on a vote of 53.9% against and 46.1% for the charter amendment. One major difference in 2018 was an attempt to raise the allowed annual increase in revenue from 2% to 2.5%.

Following that failure, county officials created a committee to look at Talbot’s property tax revenue cap and make suggestions for changes.

Those suggestions included separating the three provisions into separate charter amendments over concerns that the 2018 ballot question had been too complicated.

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

Filed Under: 2 News Homepage Tagged With: ballot question, charter amendment, county council, election, revenue, Talbot County, tax, tax cap

Question A: Voters Will Decide Whether Council May Waive Residency Requirements for Appointees

October 12, 2020 by John Griep

Talbot County voters will decide on four proposed amendments to the county charter during the November general election.

Three of those ballot questions concern Talbot’s tax cap; the first would allow the Talbot County Council to waive a residency requirement for certain appointed officials.

Question A asks Talbot voters to vote for or against a charter amendment that would allow a supermajority of the county council (4 members out of 5) to waive a requirement that the county attorney, engineer, and planning officer live in the county.

The charter currently requires those three officials — and the county manager — to live in Talbot County. Under existing charter provisions, the county manager, engineer, and planning officer must become a county resident “promptly” upon appointment; the county attorney also must be a county resident at least two years before appointment.

The measure would not allow the county council to waive the residency requirement for the county manager.

During a July 21 vote on putting the question on the ballot, members said the council should be allowed to hire the best person for the job — regardless of residency — and noted family situations, such as medical issues or a spouse’s employment, could mean an official would need to live outside the county.

County council members also noted that Talbot’s tax cap results in Talbot paying its officials less than surrounding counties, which are not constrained by revenue caps.

In the current budget, the annual salaries for the four positions are: county manager, $147,400; county engineer, $110,162; county attorney, $115,000; and county planning officer, $94,856.

The county council voted unanimously July 21 to put Question A on the general election ballot.

As explained on vote411.org, a voter information website from the League of Women Voters Education Fund: “The proposed change would add a new Section to the Charter, Section 407, Residency Waiver, as follows: ‘The requirement that the County Attorney, County Planning Officer and County Engineer be residents of Talbot County may be waived by the County Council by an affirmative vote of four-fifths of the full Council.'”

The need for the proposed charter amendment arose after officials realized two appointees did not meet the residency requirements when hired.

Mary Kay Verdery was appointed as planning officer on Oct. 29, 2014. She had a Caroline County address at the time of appointment until Aug. 30, 2018, when she listed a Talbot County address.

Anthony Kupersmith was appointed as county attorney on Jan. 1, 2018, after being named acting county attorney on May 1, 2017.

Kupersmith began working for the county on Aug. 30, 2013, and lived in Talbot County until June 2016. He also was a resident of Talbot County from January 2018 through the end of 2018; he currently does not live in Talbot County.

At the direction of outside legal counsel, Verdery and Kupersmith are now listed as acting planning officer and acting county attorney, respectively.

R. Andrew Hollis was county manager from 1999-2010 and appointed to the post a second time on Dec. 15, 2014. During the gap in his service as manager, Hollis was elected and served on the county council.

Ray Clarke was appointed as county engineer on Aug. 7, 2000.

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

Filed Under: 2 News Homepage Tagged With: attorney, ballot question, charter amendment, county council, engineer, planning officer, question A, residency requirement, Talbot County

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