The 55-year old suspect accused of ramming his truck into the front of the Taneytown City Hall in August 2019 caused $51,735.99 in damages, according to information provided to the News-Journal.

City Manager James Wieprecht said, "While I can't provide exact details, I can summarize most of it is attributable to damage to the building itself and lost property within the building."

Exterior and interior damage repairs to the town offices were completed in August, nearly a year after Rodney Davis drove his truck into the front of the building, reportedly after having become angered that the city had cut his water service off.

Attorney Jack Gullo previously told the town counselors that Rodney Davis had "pled guilty to first-degree assault, which is a felony, and malicious destruction of property," during the then-suspect's court status hearing.

Gullo said that Davis will likely be sentenced following an in-person hearing planned to take place on September 3. The attorney had further stated, "You can read between the lines that Mr. Davis is likely to be incarcerated for some period of time for the act of violence committed against the city."

Wieprecht appointed city manager

Jim Wieprecht will no longer be the acting city manager for Taneytown, as he was unanimously appointed to the position of city manager at the council's August meeting. Wieprecht will assume his duties immediately, with an annual salary of $88,907.

Wieprecht has served as the acting town manager for the past 27 months, having been appointed to the position in May 2018. He has served in various capacities with Taneytown since 1996.

Wieprecht also served as planning and zoning administrator at the same time he was employed as the acting town manager. As a result of his new status, the town will be looking for a new planning and zoning administrator, as he will only continue with those responsibilities until a new administrator is hired.

Mayor Bradley Wantz stated, "I've had the honor to work with Jim for a little over a year now … He has done a great job at leading the city. I've been very pleased with what he has done."

Free parking permits to be tried

Taneytown will be issuing free parking passes to prospective customers of downtown businesses during a pilot program to test the effectiveness of the passes. Businesses themselves will serve as the issuers of the individual permits.

The passes will be made available during the last quarter of the budgetary year, starting in September, with intent to help boost business sales while the town continues to undergo stress caused by the on-going COVID pandemic.

Wieprecht told the Town Council that the permits are being rolled out for three months starting in September, especially to encompass the holiday shopping season.

The process would involve merchants being able to issue town-provided, day-long, free-parking passes to customers to encourage shopping at businesses where parking is metered. The merchants would date the permits so ensure to they are only used on one day, and then the signed permit would be displayed on a business patron's windshield.

Virus delays police vehicle deliveries

Police vehicles Taneytown had hoped to purchase this year are not being produced due to COVID-related industry shutdowns.

The town had placed an order of $89,000 for Ford Explorers, but City Manager Wieprecht said those vehicles were not being built this year, and will not be delivered until fiscal year 2021, thus the 2020 budget needed to be amended to omit the purchase and move the expenditure to the 2021 budget.

The issue relating to the police cars was one of several arising out of the need to amend the FYI 2020 budget. Additionally, $146,000 that had been allocated for the Bollinger Park project (sited on land annexed to the city in 2016) has been moved to 2021 because the work has proceeded slower than expected.

The councilors approved the proposed budget amendments.