[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6595828,"mediaKeyId","3023275-c239d75e5bec5b8b836206464055c8ff","parentId",3023275,"title","Wicomico County Council approves a series of resolutions and introduces building-code update on first reading","audioSeconds",225,"startMs",848000,"endMs",1073000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3023275-c239d75e5bec5b8b836206464055c8ff&start=848&end=1073","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3023275-c239d75e5bec5b8b836206464055c8ff/thumbnail_848000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6595828/Wicomico-County/Maryland/Wicomico-County-Council-approves-a-series-of-resolutions-and-introduces-building-code-update-on-first-reading","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6595828-21e58ac4aba0b0903f8bde5efe1ce11e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161066&Signature=Uzh~xaencHaC~mF1o5wU2Pabop9zhV1N55v6oIzsv0uDmKBXch7xI0b8kGDpC0kddJiBURpgy7rIbdHkdBwtK2LOW3XJbgqMN~QSIRHQ7jWcYoIlTZtm8daE~r9ntAAYZ8wvTG7WrXD01AMHZg6Vvn2oLFQH3GSH9zyHbVAxB129JZzSLEtqU-dYQK3y8O22LcWMHqoSuURyXQwXnTlnI5OddoIlN7fGHA7OrwCfPQESEqFpGYm~x42JDic6m10JjXHFzN7YpcZY2WTYW4DFg88MvCx9e5UAOzjXWNRTFiW5lX2Z8E~jei85Lg6fwahSa~puqY~VJ5ZbfnuU7PRE7A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Wicomico County, MD","date","2025-04-16T16:34:01.84Z","article","At the meeting the Wicomico County Council considered and voted on multiple resolutions and a legislative bill. The council approved routine property and right-of-entry agreements, confirmed an appointment to a local board, approved a right to allow natural gas distribution in county rights-of-way by a 6-1 vote, and introduced a legislative bill updating the county's building-code adoption process on first reading.

Votes at a glance:

- Resolution 46-2025 (Permanent easement and temporary workspace agreement with Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company on property at the West Side of Wicomico County detention center): motion to approve carried by unanimous vote.

- Resolution 47-2025 (Right-of-entry agreement with Maryland Department of Transportation for county-owned property on the northerly side of Owens Branch Road for grading and training): motion to approve carried by unanimous vote.

- Resolution 48-2025 (Confirmation of appointment of John T. Cannon to the Wicomico County Local Management Board, also known as the Wicomico Partnership for Families and Children): motion to confirm carried by unanimous vote.

- Resolution 26-2025 (Approving Eastern Shore Natural Gas distribution services to install utilities in county right-of-way): passed 6-1; the council recorded six votes in favor and one opposed.

- Legislative Bill 2025-05 (Introduced and adopted on first reading; amends chapter 117 of the Wicomico County Code to adopt current editions of the International Residential Code, International Building Code and International Energy Conservation Code and to modify the promulgation process for future editions): the bill was introduced, discussed with county staff and the county attorney present, and passed on first reading by unanimous roll-call vote; a public hearing was scheduled for May 6.

Several motions were made and seconded from the dais; where individual movers and seconders were not identified in the transcript the council used standard procedure (motion, second, voice or roll-call vote).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Wicomico County Legislative and Open Work Sessions April 15 2025 part 2","oneSentenceSummary","The county council approved a set of routine easements and agreements, confirmed an appointment, approved a countywide natural gas distribution services resolution (6-1), and adopted legislative bill 2025-05 on first reading to update the county's building codes; votes and motion details are listed below.","taxTitle","Wicomico County, Maryland","taxId",4258,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6595832,"Council approves amended audit plan adding gift-card review, narrows lookback to four years",317,1356000,1673000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3023275-c239d75e5bec5b8b836206464055c8ff&start=1356&end=1673","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3023275-c239d75e5bec5b8b836206464055c8ff/thumbnail_1356000.jpg","/articles/6595832/Wicomico-County/Maryland/Council-approves-amended-audit-plan-adding-gift-card-review-narrows-lookback-to-four-years","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6595832-dc02016ee5f773002e1aeba40f5ead52/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161066&Signature=iex4OX8fvzeqvOxFtXeEoVxG5yuBIN0PU1zSJ3vgIPXtiX~-BhftuKA-YQiDXpWj5jOM6V6X3HVDzV~xEoZCdhs5m-BotwG2JCiIo~MPX85-GFTbin8JjAtT4JQf3m0FycatMZGA3HzBs6BtFxBxwiaIgduI9URYGZXH466POIy0lyz-Q8Ay04Sri7aEL3~tS-M5XaWLPPD5tay5MUMjlYK1Jzj4McdA5qsAFgg8L5BYZAvTFK~OSn7LA814tFXu-B1urDEoWSNAO1oFrcfL9fDokZWiOgVth5326dmLBf1mQ7b4wCaqujPLMbKZ5OBHdZmWgQLomz69uweU4JdR4w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Wicomico County Council unanimously approved Resolution 51-2025 amending the county's annual internal audit plan for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, to add a gift-card review and remove audit projects the internal auditor will not complete this year.

Anjali Chatel, the county internal auditor, told the council the plan adds a gift-card review because the purchase-card audit disclosed gift-card purchases and a council member requested a closer look. She said the review would help the council decide later whether to adopt new rules governing gift cards.

Councilman Holloway successfully moved two amendments during consideration. The first amended the draft to limit the review's lookback period to four years rather than the 5-to-10-year range originally proposed. The second amendment directed the audit to include information on who received gift cards. The council debated whether names of county employees should be published; some members urged transparency because public funds are involved, while others asked the auditor to consult the county attorney about what must be redacted under law.

Chatel said the gift-card review is informational rather than a formal compliance audit that would issue findings. She also said she removed projects she has not started this year so the amended plan can be completed by the end of the fiscal year. After the amendments, the council voted to approve Resolution 51-2025 as amended.

Council members and the internal auditor discussed balancing transparency with legal obligations on personnel information and agreed to consult the county attorney about appropriate redactions before publishing sensitive details.","Wicomico County Council approved an amended annual audit plan for FY2025 that adds a gift-card review following a purchase-card audit; council members approved amendments to limit the review's lookback to four years and to include recipients in the report, prompting debate about employee privacy and legal redactions.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6595837,"Wicomico County executive submits balanced FY26 operating and capital budget at revenue cap rate",438,180000,618000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3023275-c239d75e5bec5b8b836206464055c8ff&start=180&end=618","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3023275-c239d75e5bec5b8b836206464055c8ff/thumbnail_180000.jpg","/articles/6595837/Wicomico-County/Maryland/Wicomico-County-executive-submits-balanced-FY26-operating-and-capital-budget-at-revenue-cap-rate","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6595837-a26943447082f35eda2b3dfd94e46024/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161066&Signature=nZ7QxldzDSiKF-ys6ztgX3OIuAxm~arx4D9MkrUv05NKjXJ5LMYAdCLRCqFLGF9XH5WiJV6q7kRqbenB997Ij9DTtC~JgN7FMC41S4aAmTwYme0mqRAnwwnf0Eb2WlnVt0VdSasmpvFX6mqc46qFLNTquXHx3DbRSNG4uMaic0GqBf5HDD1oc5CX7TpLxZiaYWoe9ItxQqz2TW46MawH4JD7V7~IweIJ92Z0sXk~xByJwnGH53BdxQmGoVH-7T2Rgigf78khRkT3DNv04vwCrt2a8QGMMjVJbyB95-2SZGZeDbttJWqynEtLjZEwDP67dDm2eRL1Q5SwBcytneA7VQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The county executive submitted the proposed fiscal year 2026 operating and capital budget to the Wicomico County Council on a motion to set council review dates, covering the period July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.

Pamela, the county finance director, told the council the proposal is a balanced budget \"as required by the charter\" and that the property tax rate is set at the revenue-cap number of 0.8099, a decrease of just over 3 cents from last year. She said the county's assessable base grew by more than 9 percent, and that personal property tax rates were reduced to comply with state limits tying personal property to real property rates.

The nut of the budget, officials said, is a mix of recurring and one-time changes. Pamela said the budget includes a one-time increase in a disparity grant of $2.7 million from the state but that the state also passed along roughly $1.7 million in teacher pension costs, which offsets part of the bump. She cautioned that income tax receipts are volatile: the county receives those amounts 18 months in arrears from the state, and the estimates must be monitored as the year progresses.

County leaders told the council they included funding to meet the Board of Education's maintenance-of-effort (MOE) requirement and that the board's requested investment is included for FY26. The executive said the MOE amount rises automatically with enrollment and that the county committed to the current request this year, while acknowledging the recurring nature of the cost.

On capital spending, officials said the budget provides $16 million in capital pay-go across 28 projects and plans for some debt issuance for specific capital projects. A change in state funding for Fruitland Primary significantly affected the schedule: the Interagency Committee (IAC) increased the school's state grant from an original $5 million to $12 million for FY26, a $7 million swing that eliminated the need for county forward funding for that project in FY26 and eased the county's 2026 cash-flow requirements. County staff said forward funding could remain a possibility in FY27.

The budget also includes the second year of the FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) contract; most county departments are proposed to receive a 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) effective the first full pay period in July and a 2 percent step increase in January. Departments operating as enterprises, such as solid waste and the civic center, include proposed fee and rate increases to better fund operations and capital needs; solid waste rate increases were noted as a means to avoid borrowing for future landfill cells.

The finance director asked council members to schedule budget work sessions and offered to return with department heads to answer detailed questions, noting staff can provide information in advance to improve responsiveness.

Council review and public hearings were discussed as the next steps in the budget process.","County executive submitted the proposed FY2026 operating and capital budget to the Wicomico County Council proposing a tax rate at the revenue-cap level, funding the school system\u0000maintenance-of-effort request for FY26, $16 million in capital pay-go and programmatic increases including county employee cost-of-living adjustments.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Wicomico County Council approves a series of resolutions and introduces building-code update on first reading

Council approves amended audit plan adding gift-card review, narrows lookback to four years

Wicomico County executive submits balanced FY26 operating and capital budget at revenue cap rate