Budget Work Session Meeting Minutes The meeting of the Pocomoke City Mayor and Council was held in Council Chambers on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm. Present: Mayor: Todd Nock Council Members: R. Scott Holland, Diane Downing, Brooke Cottman, C.L. Marshall City Manager: John Barkley City Clerk: Melinda Stafford Rates & Fees Finance Director Brandy Matthews speaks about the Log Cabin. Finance having a lot of people who are asking to rent and they'l! pay the security deposit, but then they're not actually renting. There are people that are calling and wanting to actually rent. So, then the city is losing revenue by not collect. being able to They are requesting if we can add a fee for not giving proper notice or proper time if they cancel the log cabin. It is asked why don't you just keep the security deposit? To make something effective. Her response is that when someone makes an actual reservation, we give them two weeks from the date that they call and let them know to hold their spot, that you have two weeks from the date that we mail you, email you what's emailed most of the time, or when they come in to fill out the application. They have two weeks to pay the security deposit and return the application. They have two weeks from the date of their actual date of the event to pay the actual renters, the renter fee and the certificate of insurance. Sometimes we get people who will actually pay the security deposit to hold the date, but then it's. We'll call the day before and let them know we haven't received your payment. Then they are informed that the renter has gone somewhere else to have their event. The renters have two weeks from the date of your event to actually pay the rental deposit and pay the certificate of insurance. And we're just losing out on income when people do that. Council asked if we have something in writing. Ms. Matthews states there is a contract and it is actually in the contract that you have two weeks to make the payment. Mayor Nock states that the first thing that we really need to look at when we're talking about this is the, is the method of the security deposit. People are giving you all checks. They do checks, credit cards or cash. It would be much better if people paid their security deposit via credit card. I believe that there needs to be some type of portal for people to pay home versus just coming in here and giving their debit card. There needs to be some type of portal to pay the security deposit and the hole would be placed on their account. Mayor nock asks the City Clerk, Melinda has the website been updated where we can upload like the videos and stuff now? Like can we actually get to it now? Her reply is no, it is in process still. The security deposit is supposed to be paid within two weeks of them saying, hey, this is the date that want. Ms. Matthews then explains that the insurance is $100 if the renters choose to purchase it through the city. It was suggested that there may be a need of some type of a clause. If they wait until 24 hours prior to their event, then they're going to lose some money. Whether that be the security deposit or what the Council comes up with, there needs to be something in writing, submitted to them that states if you neglect to inform the city and you wait until a day before your event or whether you want 24 hours or 72 hours prior to, then you're going to lose your deposit. Water Reconnection Fee There are times that Public Works personnel have had to come back after hours and go out to cut residential water on and off and back on again. There is currently a fee to turn the water on, but Ms. Matthews feels stated that there should be something in place with excessive turn ons and turn offs. Especially when personnel are having to be called out after hours. When questioned as to why this is happening, the response is when the plumber comes out, they call in or either they call or they have the homeowner call and say, hey, can you have someone from your public works department come turn it on or come turn it off. So it's, the repeat of that and it's because they will not go down and actually turn it off. It's not that they can't, they just don't and they just rather for one of our public works guys to just go out to do it. Pocomoke City has had a few people where it's been, they're repeats and it's been after hours. It has been after hours because public works leaves before, we do. So, there we have that time difference between 3 and then 4:30. I think that this isn't necessarily a budget conversation. I think that this falls in line with everything that we're going to be rolling out soon. This will give Ms. Matthews time to formulate this and bring it back to the Council to make the changes that need to be made. Also, the Council need to see the existing policy on this. Shopping Cart Ordinance Fines There is something in the code with the municipal infraction. There is, and it does state, in the bottom of our rates and fees, it does say if something is not listed in our rates and fee schedule, then it shall be subject to the general Provision of subsection 118 of the Pocomoke City Code. Ms. Matthews thinks that it needs to include a fine for the shopping carts onto the fees and schedule. There's a first offense and a second offense. It is considered a municipal infraction, not a city violation, an actual municipal infraction. It is stated that this is something that should be placed onto the rates fee schedule. Pocomoke City cannot put fines on people that we already know don't have the means to pay them. Before it is even enforced, based on what our code says, the stores that have shopping carts have to put a notice up, have to put a sign up those outlines exactly what the charter says, before there can be a municipal infraction or anything like that, the signs have to be up. Once that's there, it can be enforced. Notices will be sent out, an official letter. Tax Abatement List Review Council reviewed the abatement list that was provided to them on February 27, 2025. Councilman Marshall stated that looking over this, he believes this is the same list that we approved last year and he thinks that we (Council) probably should approve. Consensus was to approve. C. Budget Work Session Planning There will be a full draft budget emailed to the Mayor and Council within the week. The next sork session for the budget will focus on donation requests from the community. During the next session, the initial budget review will begin. There was a request to Ms. Matthews to begin collecting financial statements from organizations and have them appear in person if they wish to seek a donation. Adjourned at 7:15 pm Approved: City Clerk Agenda items may or may not be considered. in sequence. This agenda is subject to change to include the addition or deletion of items, including executive/closed. session.