← All documents

2026-03-19-approved budget-work-session-minutes.pdf

Minutes March 19, 2026 · 4 page(s)

View original PDF ↗ Meeting

Full extracted text

The document's complete text, exactly as extracted — not a summary. Use “Summarize this document” above for the short version.

Town Council of Centreville
Budget Work Session
March 19, 2026
5:30 p.m.
M I N U T E S
The March 19, 2026, Town Council budget work session was called to order at 5:30 p.m. by President Ashley
H. Kaiser at the Liberty Building, located at 107 N. Liberty Street, 2nd floor meeting room. The following
members and staff were present: Ashley H. Kaiser, President; Frederick E. Beau, Fred M. McNeil, and Sandra
L. Huffer, Members; Carolyn Brinkley, Town Manager; Karen Luffman, Finance Officer; Chief Robert Hobbs,
Centreville Police Department; Gary Phillips, Operations Manager; Clifford “Kip” Matthews, Director of
Public Works; Krystel Ebaugh, Human Resource Manager; Jacki Payne, Administrative Assistant; Peter Flint,
Zoning Administrator; Ashley Russ, Finance Specialist; and Gaye Adams, Town Clerk.
Citizens Forum
No citizens provided comments.
Discussion
• At the outset, Council began with donation requests because applicants had been invited to attend. Ms.
Luffman noted the packet included a 10-year donation history on the last page.
• Only the Queen Anne’s County Historical Society attended. Barb Pivec thanked the Town for recent support
and described progress on preservation work:
• The Tucker House painting is expected to be completed soon.
• The Historical Society has nearly secured enough funding for a new roof at Wrights Chance.
• Their current request is for assistance with improving the building’s appearance, especially the sides most
visible from Commerce Street.
• Original request for a Town donation was $8,500.
• Revised request for only the front façade and south wall: $6,900
• Full building staining/painting estimate: $13,000
• County has supported roofing and the Tucker House, but no County ask is currently pending for FY2027
painting.
• Ms. Kaiser stated Council will need to revisit donation funding later in the budget process after other
priorities are clearer.
• Ms. Kaiser stated the Council will consider the Historical Society’s revised request of $6,900 for the front
and south side of Wrights Chance.
• Ms. Ebaugh requested to begin the new salary adjustments on April 1, 2026, if the new salary scale is
approved.
• Per Ms. Ebaugh the 40th percentile request is included in the proposed FY2027 budget with step
adjustments and a 3% mid-year COLA..
• Council asked how salaries compare to other similar sized towns. Ms. Ebaugh said that comparison would
be addressed during the Town Council meeting by Paypoint HR, which conducted the compensation and
classification study.
• Compensation changes discussed here are tied to the broader salary study and pending Council action.
• Department Budgets
o A10-Legislative Budget
▪ Revisit donation requests later in the process.
▪ Consider Historical Society revised request of $6,900.
▪ Legislative dinner line increased from $5,000 to $8,000.
Pa g e 1 | 4

o A70- Planning Commission
▪ Remove $65,000 parking study from the budget.
o A92- Administration
▪ Council revisited a retreat priority: implementing a dedicated full-time Economic Development
Manager.
▪ The current structure had previously included: half-time Main Street Manager and half-time,
contract Economic Development Manager.
▪ The Economic Development contractual part-time position was eliminated on a temporary basis.
Council discussed whether the right next step is to make this a full-time Main Street/Economic
Development Position.
▪ Ms. Ebaugh estimated the salary for a specialized position may be $75,000–$85,000.
▪ Fully loaded cost with benefits could be much higher, potentially in the $120,000–$150,000 range
depending on package assumptions.
▪ Council members supported the idea in principle, noting that many small towns combine Main
Street and Economic Development
▪ Volunteer boards such as CEDA will need staff support to function effectively.
▪ Ms. Ebaugh will prepare the next budget draft showing the current part-time position converted
into a full-time position for review.
▪ Council asked about reductions in “contract services/professional fees” seen between draft
versions.
▪ Ms. Luffman explained some lines were reduced because costs had been reallocated more
accurately to other categories such as software or department-specific lines.
▪ YMCA costs and other items had been moved to individual departmental budgets.
▪ In the landfill/sanitation area, no true reduction occurred; expenses were just broken out more
transparently into trash, recycling and yard waste.
▪ Council then asked specifically about Harris Jones and Malone, the Town’s lobbying firm, after
seeing significant payments.
▪ Ms. Brinkley states the firm advocates plant funding for wastewater treatment and broader
municipal interests in Annapolis.
▪ Their work helped secure $16 million in funding.
▪ They also provide legislative monitoring, access, and introductions, though they do not write
grants.
▪ Council accepted that the lobbying expense appears worthwhile but requested a clearer list of
consultants and what each one does.
▪ Ms. Luffman will prepare a list of consultants/contract services, including firm/vendor name,
amount paid and purpose/services provided.
▪ This should help Council better understand recurring outside service costs across departments.
o C11- Street Department
▪ Mr. McNeil raised a question about whether staff had a budget line available for courses, CEUs,
and job-related training.
▪ Ms. Luffman confirmed that every department has budgeted lines for safety/training/education/
lodging/travel and conferences.
▪ Employees can request training through supervisors, and the funds are available.
▪ Ms. Luffman stated adding two new full-time positions are in the working draft for now.
▪ Provide historical staffing/full time equivalent data for additional context.
o H40 Centreville Main Street
▪ Ms. Adams presented material to the Council regarding Main Street events and grants.
▪ Centerville Day was viewed by the Council as a community-building event that does not need to
make money.
Pa g e 2 | 4

▪ Maryland Crafted prompted more skepticism because it requires substantial staff time and has not
generated a net gain on its own financials. Council debated whether a drinking-oriented event
should primarily be judged as an economic driver and whether it provides enough return.
▪ Several members emphasized that community events can have value even when they are not
revenue positive.
▪ Others stressed that staff time matters just as much as direct budget cost.
▪ First Fridays was praised as a successful, local, arts-centered event with strong community value,
but Council learned that much of the coordination has relied heavily on volunteer labor and one
council member’s personal time.
▪ A major issue was raised: Ms. Kaiser, who has been helping to drive First Fridays will be
unavailable for much of the upcoming season, so if the event continues, the Town will need to
decide whether staff time should be dedicated to it.
▪ Council wants clearer goals for each event: community-building, tourism, revenue generation,
business support, etc.
▪ Maryland Crafted may need further review of its purpose, partners, and expected outcomes.
▪ First Fridays has a high community value but may require staffing decisions to continue.
▪ Council also linked events to broader goals such as an Arts and Entertainment district designation
and economic development branding.
▪ Council members will review Main Street and event materials in more detail before the next
session.
▪ Ms. Adams and Council to continue discussions individually before the next work session.
▪ Revisit the broader “events universe” at the next budget session, including Maryland Crafted, First
Fridays and event staffing expectations.
▪ No final changes were made at this budget work session.
o C25-Reuse Farm
▪ Ms. Huffer asked why farm revenue had dropped from $59,000 to $40,000.
▪ Ms. Luffman explained the reduction is due to loss of acreage associated with lagoon expansion
for the wastewater treatment plant, reducing the land available to generate farm-related revenue.
o The Enterprise Fund Revenue
▪ Ms. Luffman reported that the Town had its final meeting with Stantec for the utility rate study.
▪ A presentation to Council will take place at the second meeting in April to discuss recommended
user rates.
▪ Council has asked for comparisons to other municipalities, including some smaller and more
comparable communities.
▪ The intent is to allow enough time to make any rate changes needed before July 1.
Capital/General Fund
▪ Ms. Luffman summarized changes already made since the last work session:
▪ Salary and benefit lines were adjusted based on staffing levels and vacancies.
▪ A10 Legislative Dinner was increased from $5,000 to $8,000.
▪ The proposed grant writer expenditure was removed after the individual passed away.
▪ Ms. Luffman removed a $70,000 police vehicle computer expenditure from capital because it will
be covered in the current fiscal year.
▪ General fund surplus: $98,493
▪ Enterprise fund surplus: $8,895
Citizens Forum
No citizens provided comments.
Motion to Adjourn
Pa g e 3 | 4

Ms. Huffer made a motion to adjourn the March 19,2026, Town Council budget work session. The meeting
adjourned at 6:41 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Gaye Adams
Town Clerk
Pa g e 4 | 4