Pocomoke City council approves code‑enforcement billing change and critical‑area updates

Pocomoke City’s mayor and council approved two municipal code changes during the meeting: one to improve collections for municipal infractions and another to adopt state-recommended amendments to the city’s Critical Area Program.

Ordinance 2026‑10 amends chapter 1, article 5 (Municipal Infractions) to permit the city to deem code‑enforcement fines delinquent 60 days after final adjudication and to transfer those charges to the municipal utility account for the property where the violation occurred. The ordinance allows such charges to be collected via standard utility collection procedures, including possible service interruptions and placement of liens consistent with Maryland law.

During the summary reading council referenced state authority under the Local Government Article and said the amendment would aid compliance and collections; no public comments were recorded before council moved, seconded and voted to approve the ordinance.

Ordinance 2026‑11 amends chapter 206 to incorporate changes suggested by the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Commission, designates the code‑enforcement officer or designee as the point of contact for critical‑area matters, and establishes an appellate process. Council heard the summary, had no public comment on the item and approved the ordinance on second reading.

Both measures were approved in the meeting record; the transcript records motion, second and affirmative responses for each item but does not print a full recorded roll‑call tally on the transcript.