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Pocomoke City budget session: council weighs donations, Discovery Center debt and building repairs
Summary
At a fiscal-year 2026 budget work session, Pocomoke City officials reviewed recommended donations to local nonprofits and debated whether to forgive a $20,000 debt and fund repairs at the Discovery Center, while asking staff for a prioritized repairs list.
Pocomoke City mayor and council discussed proposed donations to local nonprofits and the financial and maintenance status of the Discovery Center during a fiscal-year 2026 budget work session. Council members and staff reviewed individual requests, agreed on several recommended amounts, and directed staff to collect a prioritized list of needed repairs for the Discovery Center before making further commitments.
The discussion opened with a review of line‑item requests. Staff presented specific recommended amounts: $500 each for high‑school banners and the senior prom, $10,000 requested for the Samaritan shelter (noting last year’s gift was $1,500), $10,000 requested for Marwood Theater (previously budgeted $5,000), $7,000 for the Christmas parade, $3,500 for Sturgis School (down from a prior $10,000 allocation), and sponsorship for youth sports teams (amount to be covered from a $1,500 youth‑sports line). The Life Crisis Center requested $5,000; staff noted the organization had received $1,000 last year. During the meeting, council members said they had consensus to budget $5,000 for the Life Crisis Center.
Council members raised questions about documentation and accountability for some recipients. For boat docking organizers (request: $3,000, same as last year) staff noted the group did not submit a full tax return or balance sheet and only supplied expense information; council asked that required financial documents be provided before releasing funds. For organizations whose funding supports operations rather than capital repairs, some council members urged recipients to diversify fundraising and volunteer recruitment.
The Discovery Center prompted the lengthiest discussion. Staff and council recounted that the center still owes the city an outstanding balance—referred to in the meeting as roughly $20,000—from a prior loan, and that the city previously forgave about $6,600 in one year. Staff said the center had experienced roughly $90,000 in building repairs related to water intrusion and that some repairs remain. Council directed staff to ask Todd, the Discovery Center executive director, to provide a specific list of repairs and proposed projects and to clarify which items would be repairs (maintenance the city, as owner, is obligated to carry out) versus upgrades that would require city permission. A council member proposed forgiving the $20,000 debt; Miss Matthews (who presented budget items) said, "In my opinion, we should forgive it because I don't believe we're gonna get it." That suggestion prompted follow‑up debate about setting parameters if the council forgave the debt and whether the center should be eligible to request donations again in the near term.
Council ultimately directed staff to table further action on the Discovery Center's debt and to budget a reduced donation figure for now; one council member instructed staff to "drop it to $10,000" as the donation placeholder while staff obtains the repairs list and additional financial information. Members emphasized that repairs the city must perform as building owner should be separated from donor funding for operations. Council also discussed potential lease amendments tied to responsibilities and access to adjacent property.
Other items noted: WCDC (Worcester County Development Corporation) requested $1,000, the Cricket Center (referred to in the meeting by its prior name) requested $2,000, and a food bank request was discussed at $10,000. Several council members said they would follow up with specific departments and the Discovery Center executive director for documentation before finalizing allocations.
The mayor and council did not take a formal roll‑call vote on the Discovery Center debt or on forgiveness during the session; the group recorded consensus on some line‑items and directed staff to return with repair lists, documentation, and options for handling the outstanding loan. The council closed the donations portion of the budget discussion and moved on to rates and fees review.
Meeting participants said they would reconvene the work session next week with department presentations and visuals to finalize budget line items and justifications.
