St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission (MetCom) Executive Director Jacquelyn Meiser presented the commission’s proposed FY 2012 budget to the county commissioners on Tuesday. As Meiser explained to the commissioners, the presentation was for informational purposes only, as the commissioners currently have no say in the budget, except to approve any new hires.
All of that will change on October 1. A bill submitted by the St. Mary’s County Delegation, which passed the legislature and has been signed by the governor, eliminates the county commissioners’ approval authority over new hires. But the bill does give the commissioners approval authority over MetCom’s facilities plans, five-year capital improvement plan and annual capital budget. Then the county commissioners amend the county’s Water and Sewer Plan by incorporating the five-year capital improvement plan into it.
The approved bill (HB 1212) also prohibits Meiser from serving as both the commission’s director and attorney, as she now does. Meiser told the Bay Net that she has not made a decision on what to do about that.
At Tuesday’s county commissioners’ meeting, after an hour-long presentation on the budget, Meiser explained that the commission has included in it one new full-time position, a wastewater system operator, to complete the split of the wastewater and water divisions. She said that was done in part in response to three spills last year and to provide better system maintenance.
Also the budget includes converting two contractual positions, a full-time IT tech and a part time legal assistant, into regular employee positions with benefits.
The commissioners approved the new positions 4-1 on a motion by Commissioner Todd Morgan (R: 4th) and seconded by Cindy Jones (R: 2nd). Commissioner Larry Jarboe (R: 3rd) voted against, noted that the majority of the commissioners couldn’t find enough money to fund the teacher position shortfall.
The MetCom proposed budget includes a rate increase for residential customers of $2.54 per month on average. No one commented on that rate increase at the commission’s May 17 public hearing…
