Taneytown ethics board approves disclosure forms pending corrections, schedules closed session on complaint

The Taneytown Ethics Board on March 26, 2025, approved prior minutes, directed the clerk to contact filers to correct annual financial-disclosure and campaign-finance forms, approved forms pending those corrections and voted to hold a closed session to consult counsel about an ethics complaint under the Maryland Open Meetings Act.

The action follows the board27s review of annual financial-disclosure forms and the first reporting period of campaign finance filings ahead of the May election. Clerk Claire Coleman was directed to contact individuals with incomplete or inconsistent disclosures and to send a certified-mail request to a Parks and Recreation Board member who had not submitted a form. The certified-letter notice will advise that a late fee of $2 per day, up to a maximum of $250, will begin if the form is not received by March 13, 2025, as provided in Chapter 16, Section 8 of the Taneytown code.

Why it matters: The board27s review affects candidates' and officials' compliance with local disclosure rules and sets the timeline for follow-up enforcement and additional reviews ahead of the May reporting deadline.

Key actions and votes

- The board accepted minutes from its May 15, 2024, meeting by unanimous consensus. - The clerk was instructed to contact filers for clarifications and to send a certified-mail notice to the Parks and Recreation Board member who had not filed, warning of the late-fee schedule in Taneytown code Chapter 16, Section 8. - The board decided by consensus to discontinue a quarterly financial-disclosure requirement going forward but emphasized that filers must submit updated forms if circumstances change. - The board scheduled additional review meetings (transcript lists March 26, an April meeting listed as "April '20 third," and April 30 at 3:30 p.m.). - A motion that corrected forms be approved pending the required corrections was made, seconded and approved by voice vote (recorded as "Aye"). - The board voted to hold a closed meeting to review an outstanding benefit-assessment complaint and receive legal advice under the Maryland Open Meetings Act; the motion was seconded and carried.

During review of individual filings, board members raised specific questions about several candidate and filer entries, including whether certain filers should disclose business ownership or list compensation. The board noted instances where addresses, ownership percentages, or schedules (for business and real property) needed clarification. Clerk Claire Coleman said she would contact filers for needed clarifications: "I'll contact her for clarification." (Claire Coleman.)

The closed-session motion cited the Maryland Open Meetings Act, Title 10, Governmental Procedure, Subtitle 5 (Meetings), with the transcript specifically citing Section 3-305(b) and related provisions for consulting counsel and reviewing an ethics complaint. The board recorded that the closed session would follow the March 26 meeting.

What the board did not decide: The transcript records that the board agreed to stop requiring quarterly disclosures, but it did not adopt new language or a formal ordinance at the meeting to replace that requirement; the board only directed that filers must submit updated disclosures when changes in circumstances occur.

Next steps: Clerk Coleman will contact filers identified for corrections, arrange certified-mail notices where required, and provide corrected forms to Rachel Miller and other candidates as needed. The board will meet in closed session after the March 26 meeting to consult counsel on the benefit-assessment complaint.