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Emmitsburg board adopts water-rate increase, approves garden rules and subdivision easements
Summary
At its March 2 meeting, the Emmitsburg Board of Commissioners adopted Ordinance 26‑04 to raise water rates (with an August review), approved Cedar Avenue Community Garden guidelines, amended pool-age categories and accepted multiple Brookfield subdivision easements. Several items passed unanimously.
The Emmitsburg Board of Commissioners on March 2 approved several agenda items, including a water-rate ordinance, community‑garden guidelines, pool-rate policy updates and subdivision easements.
The board adopted Ordinance 26‑04 to implement an annual adjustment to water usage rates — described in the ordinance as a 3.3 percent increase and tied to the consumer price index — and agreed to revisit water income and consumption data at the August meeting. "The motion with the coming back to the board in August after we have seen, what the water consumption and how much money has been in there for this year," said Commissioner (speaker 6), who moved the ordinance with an August review condition; the motion carried.
On the Cedar Avenue Community Garden, commissioners debated whether garden expansion should be contingent on a demonstrated need and whether grant purchases should be shown to the board before expenditure. "I motion to approve the rules for the community garden contingent upon the grant application and seeing a list of those purchases," said Commissioner (speaker 4) before the motion was amended and the guidelines approved as written.
The board also accepted policy 26‑01 on pool rates for the 2026 season, agreeing to retain the prior age-group categories while applying the updated prices. Multiple commissioners suggested minor age‑bracket clarifications for future consideration.
For the Brookfield subdivision final plan (Roof Field Phase 5, 10 houses), the board approved a package of easements covering landscape maintenance, pedestrian access, sewer, snow‑stockpile use, stream access, public utility easements and a forest conservation deed or maintenance agreement; Town Planner (speaker 9) described the changes as necessary to complete the final subdivision plan.
Other routine actions included approval of the Feb. 2 meeting minutes and adoption of the April 13 meeting agenda. Votes on the items above were recorded as carrying unanimously in the meeting record.
Next steps: the board directed staff to provide the FY26 water‑income data for review in August, and staff will return revised charter amendment language and additional documentation about the grant tied to the community garden at a future meeting.
