Water/Sewer fee increases?

Emmitsburg Commissioner Burns suggested at April 5 Town Council meeting that the town needs to engage in "hard discussions" regarding the town’s water and sewer rates in the near future.

"Doing the research that I have (made him realize), we in Emmitsburg have some of the lowest water fees in the county – I have yet to find anybody that’s lower," Burns stated. As far as sewer fees, he said the town’s fees rank "right there in the middle," relative to other municipalities.

He said that with all this work that needs to be done on the water clarifier and other projects, that "there’s going to have to be some hard discussions on how our sewer fees are going to shape-up as well as our water fees in the near future."

Burns said he was certain that the town staff and commissioners are aware of it (the need to raise rates to support water and sewer infrastructure improvements), as well as all the people in town are being aware of it.

N. Seton ‘Green Street’ plans progress

The town commissioners approved the conceptual plan for the North Seton Avenue "Green Street" project at the board’s April 5 meeting, with Commissioner Joe Ritz voting against over the propped reduction in parking spaces planned.

The commissioners previously approved a $19,825 contract to develop a Green Street Concept Plan, which included plans to enhance North Seton with trees and plants, create safer road conditions, and help relieve flooding at the Northgate subdivision.

Being more than just a beautification project, the estimated $290,800 project will also help the municipality meet all of its requirements under the state MS4 program, which requires communities to reduce stormwater-runoff. Also planned to occur in conjunction with the North Seton enhancements is the replacement of subsurface waterlines, which will bring the total cost of the overall project to $1.5 million.

Police warn of local scams

Frederick County Sheriff's Office Deputy Ben Whitehouse informed the town commissioners that area residents should be on the alert for ongoing scams.

Whitehouse said that anytime someone calls and claims the recipient can take part in a money-making scheme and asks the recipient to put money on an eBay card or a Green Dot money card and then call the caller back and give them the card number or numbers - "Those are scams."

"I know there was a gentleman this past month – about three weeks ago - who was out some $1,600. He was told to get some eBay cards and put various amounts of money on them (and provide the caller with the card-numbers). Now this gentleman is out $1,600," the deputy stated.

He said in another case in the county last month, a caller told the intended victim that a relative was in jail and needed bail money which "was somewhere north of $10,000, so this gentleman put over $10,000 on a card – called the people back – so this guy’s out $10,000."

Whitehouse stated that the scammers attempt to target old people. "This is money that is not going to be refunded by your bank. This money is gone," he said. The deputy asked that residents contact the Sheriff’s Office anytime they receive a suspicious phone call involving the request for the recipient to send money via money cards.