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Pocomoke City updates manager search and shifts committee meeting times; council asks Planning & Zoning to draft rental-occupancy code
Summary
Council heard an update on the city manager search with seven applicants, agreed to move committee meetings to 6 p.m., and the mayor asked the Planning and Zoning Commission to draft legislation addressing multi-occupancy rental properties in White Oaks (Homewood area).
The Pocomoke City mayor and council received administrative updates and discussed several operational matters on April 21, including the ongoing city manager search, committee schedule changes and concerns about multi-occupancy rental properties.
Interim City Manager Miss Matthews reported the manager search had attracted seven applicants since the posting opened the previous Saturday. She told the council the application deadline "ends on May" (exact date not specified in the transcript) and that the city was advertising on the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) website, the National League of Cities site, the Maryland Municipal League site and GovernmentJobs.com.
Mayor (unnamed) said committee meeting start times are being moved to 6:00 p.m. to improve public attendance. "We definitely want the public to be more, more involved," the mayor said, explaining that changes in typical work schedules made the earlier meeting times difficult for many residents to attend.
The mayor also raised the condition of several vacant city-owned properties and urged the council to consider selling properties to generate funds for road and sidewalk repairs. "We really have to take a long hard look at this," the mayor said, noting three city properties were sitting vacant and idle.
On housing enforcement, the mayor and other council members reported repeated police calls and crowding at an address in the White Oaks (referred to in the meeting as Homewood/White Oaks) neighborhood. The mayor asked that Planning and Zoning draft legislation to address multi-occupancy situations where enforcement under existing landlord-tenant mechanisms is limited because the homeowner also resides at the property. The mayor described the situation as "out of hand" and asked staff to take the issue to a work session and bring proposed code language to handle repeated nuisance/multiple-occupant situations.
Council members continued broader discussion about road, sidewalk and water infrastructure, citing McMichael Road as a priority because it serves a major employer. Councilman Holland and Councilman Marshall both urged clearer written guidance for event permits and said attention to road maintenance should be reflected in the next budget cycle.
Interim City Manager Miss Matthews said the city website had been updated to allow online job applications and asked council to set a date for the next budget work session. She also said she would follow up on scheduling for the Center Street paving once staff confirmed the contractor schedule.
Public comments during the meeting included brief updates from community members and an introduction from Derek Craig representing Chesapeake Utilities. Kim Jones, board president of the Sturgis Museum, said she had signed an agreement for an Internet installation and was awaiting a schedule. The council adjourned after the administrative items and public comments were completed.
