Mayor Bailey called the Mayor and Council meeting to order at 7:52 p.m. In attendance were Councilmembers Harrison C. Bristoll, Jr., W. Whaland Clark, Mabel Mumford-Pautz and J. Brian Kirby, W. S. Ingersoll, Town Manager, Joan Merryman, Stenographer, and guests.

Mayor Bailey asked if the Council had reviewed the minutes from the previous meeting and executive session. Mr. Bristoll said they just received them and felt they should be held for approval at the next meeting. Mayor Bailey announced that the Mayor and Council had cash on hand and in banks of $511,656.24.

Mayor Bailey asked Chief Bradley to remind everyone about the K-9 demonstration. Chief Bradley said the K-9 demonstration will be Saturday, June 24 from 10 a.m. to noon at Wilmer Park. He said they had done a brochures listing the participants and exercises that the dogs will do. He said bleachers will be available for seating and he invited the Mayor and Council and the public to attend.

Mayor Bailey called on the Town Manager for his report. Mr. Ingersoll said he did not have a report to make since the Council and he had been away at the MML Convention. He requested that the Council hold a executive session following the meeting to discuss a property acquisition matter and a legal matter. Mr. Bristoll moved that an executive session be held following the meeting pursuant to Sec. 10-508 of the Annotated Code of Maryland, was seconded by Mrs. Mumford-Pautz and carried unanimously. Mr. Kirby said he had a legal matter he would like to discuss and asked if that needed a separate motion. Mr. Ingersoll said there did not need to be a separate motion.

Mayor Bailey said that a draft of the Upper Eastern Shore Heritage Area: Application for Recognition had been available for the Council to review between meetings. She said the Upper Shore Area comprising Caroline County, Talbot County, Queen Anne's County and Kent County would like to apply for Recognition Status as a Maryland Heritage Authority. She said the recognition process was a process where the State reviews the cohesive plan for the area including management proposals before designation of the four county area as a Heritage Area. She asked for a motion to send a letter of support of the application. Mrs. Mumford-Pautz said she believed this four county area was the link between the lower Eastern Shore and Annapolis that have already received the heritage designations. Mayor Bailey said that was correct.

Mayor Bailey said was a member of the Maryland Heritage Authority Commission of the State of Maryland. She said she was appointed to that Board as a Mayoral representative by the Maryland Municipal League. She said asked them if she could sign the letter of support as the Mayor of Chestertown. She said they advised that she could sign the letter as Mayor of Chestertown, but when it comes time to vote on the application, she will not be able to vote. Mrs. Mumford-Pautz moved that Chestertown send the letter of support and that Mayor Bailey be authorized to sign the letter, was seconded by Mr. Clark. Mr. Kirby asked if it was just Chestertown that was the missing link or the County. Mayor Bailey said the area includes the four counties because each of these counties was too small to apply separately. She said the tourism departments of each county was heading this up and they have asked for support from all county commissioners and mayors of the towns involved. Mr. Bristoll asked if the County Commissioners had approved. Mayor Bailey said she presumed they had since the County Tourism Office had done the paperwork and that had been some money involved to do that work. The motion carried by unanimous vote.

Mayor Bailey asked Ms. Merryman to explain the Resolution on the Flexible Benefits Program. Ms. Merryman said that the Sec. 125 plan, which the Town had adopted allowed, employees to pre-tax medical insurance premiums. This year the Town had changed the medical insurance coverage and ended up with a short plan year from June 1 to July 1. The Resolution needs to be adopted to change the date of the Plan year. Mrs. Mumford-Pautz moved that the Resolution be adopted to make the change to the Sec. 125 Plan, was seconded by Mr. Clark and carried unanimously.

Mayor Bailey read a letter from David Sandebeck who submitted his resignation from the Ethics Commission effective July 1, 2000. She thanked Mr. Sandebeck for his service. She said they will need to fill the vacancy on that Commission.

Mayor Bailey said she had nominations for reappointments to several Commissions which she would introduce at this meeting and the Council will vote on at the next meeting. They were: Cynthia Saunders to the Tree Committee for 3 years; James J. White, IV to the Planning Commission for 5 years; Alex Rasin to the Ethics Commission for 3 years; Clark Ensor and Ted Hornaday as Alternates to the Board of Appeals for 3 years; and Anne Vansant to the Board of Appeals for 5 years.

Mrs. Mumford-Pautz asked if they were going to vote on Michael Berry for the Recreation Commission. Mayor Bailey asked if she had gotten a resume from Mr. Berry. Mrs. Mumford-Pautz said she had not. She said she would ask him to come to the next meeting to meet the Council.

Mayor Bailey introduced Gene MaGary from Charter Communications. Mr. Magary said he would explain some of the changes that have been made with the Cable TV system. Mr. Magary discussed the change in the ownership of the company from Falcon to Charter Communications. Next he discussed the changes in the channel lineup, the loss of channel 5, the addition of channels, and the standardization of the lineup to coordinate with other Charter systems. He said the basic service was change to channels 2 through 22 (16 channels) and there was a small raise for that service. He said Sat Pak (6 channels) and Tier (6 channels) formed an expanded basic service. He said people who had the basic service would be losing channels. He said they looked at the numbers for customers and proceeded with the changes. He said they have offered people an unadvertised special through telephone calls for changing over to the new service to get expanded basic free for three months. The customers could have the service for three months to decide if they wanted to keep it or find another option. He said about 1000 people have changed over.

Mr. Magary said the engineering had been started to rebuild the systems in all three counties. He said currently the headend was in Wye Mills and they microwave the signal to all the surrounding areas. He said internet service cannot be carried on a microwave so they are going to fiberlink it all together. He said the timetable was 14 months and at the end of that time they want to be the internet provider in this area through the TV.

Mr. Bristoll asked when the company would get a letter out to the customers telling them what their options were. Mr. Magary said they were contacting everyone by telephone. Mr. Bristoll said they had gotten a call which did not thoroughly explain, but many people have not. He said most people have just gotten a bill with increased rates. He said people must be given a notice in writing allowing them to make a choice. Mr. Magary said if that was what the Council wanted, they would do that. The Council agreed this should be done.

Mr. Clark described the problems he had over the previous weekend after a storm, the promises of service all weekend which never happened, and the continued loss of 10 channels. Mr. Magary said he will see that he gets service for the problem, but that some of difficulties are because of the microwave system. He said all those problems will be corrected at the end of 14 months when the fiberlinks are completed.

Mr. McClung asked Mr. Magary why the senior citizen discount had been dropped. Mr. Magary said that was something that had been dropped by cable companies in general a long time ago, but Falcon had kept it. He said Charter does not give a senior discount. Mayor Bailey thanked Mr. Magary for coming to explain the cable television situation.

Mayor Bailey asked if there were any questions or comments. Mrs. Hoon asked if there was any conflict for Anne Vansant to serve on both the County and Town Boards of Appeals. Mr. Ingersoll said Ms. Vansant raised that question when she was asked to serve on the County Board and the Town Attorney said there was no conflict.

Mayor Bailey asked the Council to review the bills submitted for payment. Mr. Clark moved that the bills be paid as presented, was seconded by Mrs. Mumford-Pautz and carried unanimously.

Mrs. Mumford- Pautz moved that the meeting be adjourned at 8:48 p.m., was seconded by Mr. Clark and carried unanimously.

Submitted by:
Joan Merryman
Stenographer

Approved by:
Margo G. Bailey
Mayor