The Community Fire Company of Perryville has requested to connect a station to the town's water supply.
The request, which was brought up during the town's mayor and commissioners work session Tuesday evening, was for Station 16 near the I-95/Route 222 interchange.
Town Administrator Denise Breder wrote in an e-mail Wednesday that other alternatives are being considered, "in addition to the proposed connection point and extension of underground water lines."
If this request moves forward, there could be a possibility of allowing others to connect to the town's water system and charging a recoupment fee for the service.
"This was a preliminary request for consideration and no action will be taken on this issue at the February town meeting," Breder noted. "Most likely more information will be forthcoming during the budget process."
TowerCo lease
Perryville's staff recommended to the town board that it reject a proposal from TowerCo, which owns a communications tower at 1232 Cedar Corner Road and leases the tower site from the town.
The independent tower company sent an offer to the town to buy the right of first refusal if another party was to offer to buy the lease from the town.
In 2010, TowerCo made an offer for a perpetual easement of the property for $150,000. The town then requested $300,000, and the financial director and town's bank determined a fair amount to accept would be between $245,000 and $315,000.
TowerCo counter-offered with $200,000, but the Board of Town Commissioners voted to decline that offer.
Town Hall office hours
After a six-month trial period, the town board re-evaluated if the extended Town Hall office hours were beneficial to the public and its employees. The hours were first extended July 1 to allow for more public accessibility.
Breder wrote that the administrative office "finds the new hours beneficial, but the finance and planning offices do not." This is most likely because the administrative office has the most contact with the public.
"There is a possibility that the modified hours will remain for admin., but the office hours of finance and planning will go to [8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday]," she wrote.
Memorandums
Two memorandums of understanding — one with Port Deposit and another with the Greater Perryville Chamber of Commerce — were brought up Tuesday.
The memorandum with Port Deposit would observe the verbal agreement struck between the two towns for Perryville to provide support to Port during the flooding of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in the summer of 2011.
In a memorandum between the town and chamber of commerce, the ownership of the annual Autumn Fest and Fall Appreciation Days Parade would be transferred to the chamber, as well as the funds for the parade.
Budget amendments
The town board will most likely vote on several budget amendments at the next town meeting Feb. 7.
One would recognize a department of natural resources debris removal grant for $6,000 and the related costs, and recognize the previous year's grant, also for debris removal, in the fiscal year 2012 budget for $2,000. That money would be taken from the mayor and commissioners contingency budget.
Another amendment for $2,850 would transfer that money from the town's sewer fund supplies to its sewer fund capital outlay for the purchase and installation of a sludge meter.
Sale of commissioner's book
There was a request to sell Town Commissioner Alan Fox's book, "Images of America: Perryville" at Town Hall and to schedule book signings.
According to http://www.amazon.com, the book was released Monday and "offers a unique glimpse at the changing face of a town that has been witness to a wealth of history."