Talbot County Council removes proposed rails-to-trails segment from MDOT priority list after farm and safety concerns

Talbot County Council voted to remove a proposed rails-to-trails segment from the county's MDOT priority list after residents and some council members said the corridor would conflict with farming operations and raise safety and liability questions.

Council members debated the trail's return to the list during a lengthy discussion about whether to keep, amend or delete the entry. Councilman Leer moved to remove the item entirely; the motion passed with three votes in favor and two opposed (Callahan: yes; Stepp: yes; Leer: nay; Milky: yes; Hay: nay). The council directed staff to notify MDOT of the removal.

Why it mattered: Residents living along Route 309 between Easton and Queenstown told the council at public meetings that a trail running adjacent to working farmland could create dust, interfere with spraying operations and raise safety questions for both farm workers and trail users. Opponents also raised liability and maintenance concerns.

Supporters of the trail described benefits such as connectivity, health opportunities and nonmotorized access, but several council members said those goals did not outweigh local objections without additional planning and property-owner engagement.

How the council decided: After council members discussed alternatives—including adding explicit language requiring outreach to adjacent property owners during project planning, or commissioning additional environmental and safety analysis—Councilman Leer argued removal was the clearest option because the community had voiced strong opposition. He moved to remove the project from the list; Councilman Callahan and Councilman Stepp voted to approve the removal. Councillors Milky and Hay voted against removal.

What happens next: County staff said they would send a notice to MDOT the following day. Council members who favored keeping the entry said future planning could include public engagement and technical studies before any corridor advances.

Direct quotes from the meeting: "So, my motion still stands to remove it from the, uh, from the from the list altogether," Councilman Leer said during debate. "We've spent $800,000 of taxpayer dollars... to put a red line on a map."

"I think keeping it on there and moving forward with some type of research and making sure that the public is informed would be the way to go as well," another council member said, urging study and outreach.

Next step: Staff will notify MDOT of the council's action; any future rail-trail proposals would require renewed county consideration and public outreach.