An ordinance that would have allowed an auction house in the village zone of Emmitsburg was not approved at the September 10 town meeting. The vote was a 2-2 tie.

Town resident Amy Phillips said she opposed the ordinance because of the increased noise and traffic she thought an auction house would bring to the area. "Although Main Street is a business area, we also live here," she said, "and this is a quality of life issue."

Commissioner Jim Hoover said he did not think an auction house would cause harm to the quality of life. Parking issues will be resolved by the business, he said and the auctions will be held inside. "We want to encourage other businesses here in Emmitsburg," he added.

Mr. Hoover and Mayor William Carr voted for the ordinance, and Commissioners Patrick Boyle and Cliff Sweeney opposed it. Commissioner Chris Stahley was not present.

Town manager David Haller said the ordinance can be reheard.

In other business the council voted 4-0 to accept Ordinance 01-19, an Employee Salary Chart which will standardize the wages of town employees in relationship to those of other municipalities in the county. "We need to be competitive or we will not be able to keep good employees," Commissioner Hoover said. Mr. Hoover initiated the development of the salary chart in August 2000 so that the town government will always treat town employees fair as to pay raises and rate of pay. The salary chart includes 9 grades with12 steps within each grade. For example: Grade 1 begins with an annual base pay of $16,640. The hourly rate is $8.00. Step 1 of grade 1 would be $8.28 an hour for a total annual salary of $17,222.40. As long as the employee performs the same job he/she will stay in the same grade and progress to the higher levels. Step 12 for grade 1 provides an annual salary of $21,097.49. at $10.14 an hour.

The Council also adopted a policy regarding meeting attendance regulations. The mayor and commissioners may each miss seven meetings per year without penalty. This includes agenda, town, special and committee meetings if called at least 72 hours in advance. With the eighth missed meeting, the official will have his/her salary reduced by $100. The person’s salary will be reduced by an additional $100 for every additional meeting missed during that one year period. The year runs from July 1 to June 30 and will be retroactive to July 1, 2001.