Pocomoke City council approves bill list and festival permits; mayor urges opposition to House Bill 239
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Summary
On Feb. 2 the council approved routine minutes, the city’s bills list and annual permits for Fourth Friday festivals, heard staff updates on repaving and grant opportunities, and the mayor urged residents to oppose House Bill 239 and criticized state green-energy policy.
Pocomoke City’s mayor and council approved a series of routine actions and heard staff updates during their Feb. 2 meeting, while the mayor also called for resident action against a state zoning bill.
Council voted by voice to approve open‑session and closed‑session minutes from Jan. 20, 2026; to approve the bill list after council discussion about payment delays and a desire for more frequent financial snapshots; and to grant the Downtown Pocomac Association annual beer‑and‑wine permits for six Fourth Friday street festivals running April through September from 5 to 8 p.m.
City Manager Matthews reminded residents that Feb. 6 is the last day to register for District 1 and District 2 elections and announced a work session Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Matthews said Market Street repaving under the SIP project is delayed by cold weather and that planners and contractors will meet Thursday to reschedule; when weather allows, full patching and paving is expected to take about 15 days. He also announced that Pocomoke City was accepted into the Sustainable Maryland program, opening eligibility for green‑energy and community grants, and that job postings for an events/engagement coordinator and a grant writer are live (seven applicants had applied for the events role by the meeting).
On public‑works timing and recent water‑meter work, Matthews and council members said sidewalk repairs damaged during meter installation will be completed by April 1, weather permitting, and that the fairgrounds require a deep clean before the city resumes control.
Near the end of the meeting the mayor urged citizens to oppose House Bill 239. “I’m completely against House Bill 239,” the mayor said, arguing the measure would “prohibit local governments from adapting or enforcing many traditional zoning regulations” — including minimum lot sizes, setback and lot‑coverage standards and local design or architectural controls — and said that change would disproportionately harm small towns like Pocomoke. The mayor also criticized a statewide green‑energy push as burdensome for owners of older homes and encouraged residents to write letters and testify against the bill.
Procedural motions at the meeting were approved by voice vote, and the council adjourned at the meeting’s close. The city manager and staff will follow up with scheduling information on Market Street repaving and with further information about grant opportunities and the events/staffing recruitment process.
