Taneytown council reviews church easement complaint after well-site clearing; staff to review easement language and reprieve request

At the Aug. 6 workshop the council discussed a complaint from the Pony/Taneytown Baptist Church about tree and brush clearing around Well No. 17, which the city accesses under an easement. Church representatives told staff they were unhappy that vegetation that had previously screened the well site was removed.

City Manager Jim said the clearing occurred because line-of-sight antenna communications to well sites required removal of scrub vegetation that was obstructing the signal. He said the city has an easement for the well and has historically mowed and maintained the immediate well area but will review the recorded easement and aerial plats to confirm whether the trees cut were inside the easement.

Church representatives requested goodwill relief on their water bill, and staff proposed a possible reprieve equivalent to a 6,000-gallon credit (described as roughly 10%-20% above their typical monthly usage) or a recurring reprieve reviewed every five years. During discussion Jim said the church's quarterly bill is about $128 and that the town previously had a license agreement for public parking in that lot for 10 years.

Council asked staff to pull the recorded easement language and plats, to estimate the dollar value of a proposed reprieve and to return Monday with details and a recommendation; council indicated it would seek consensus then.

Ending

Staff will review the easement plat and recorded agreement, calculate the financial impact of any credit and present a recommendation at the next meeting for council action.