Taneytown council seeks fresh start for Main Street program, agrees to revise economic development job posting

Taneytown City Council members and local residents spent the special March 12 meeting outlining a restart of the town’s Main Street program, debating the program’s mission, funding levels and how to recruit an economic development manager to lead downtown revitalization efforts.

The council discussed preserving the downtown’s historic character while attracting businesses that serve both residents and visitor traffic. Mayor Pro Tem McCarron and several council members emphasized that the Main Street manager must be a ‘‘salesman’’ able to recruit businesses and work with landlords, while council members and residents repeatedly said the program needs a clearer budget and more staff direction before large initiatives move forward.

Council members and staff described three immediate priorities: inventorying downtown commercial spaces through the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) tracker (DHCD offered intern support for data entry), clarifying the program’s operating ordinance and budget, and filling the economic development/Main Street manager role. Jim, the city manager, said staff will revise the job posting language and bring details back to council; the council reached a consensus to change the ad to ‘‘salary commensurate with experience’’ rather than holding to the current numeric range.

Why it matters: Taneytown’s Main Street program is the principal vehicle the city is using to try to revive downtown storefront occupancy, improve facades and attract more weekday and evening visitors. Council members and downtown business owners said success will require a combination of staff capacity,…