March 20, 2023 | Issue 18

Beginning in May, the Town Commissioners' meetings will adopt a new format in efforts to increase productivity. The first meeting of the month, which is held on the 2nd Tuesday, will be a Legislative meeting and the second meeting, held on the 4th Tuesday, will be a Working meeting.

During a Legislative meeting, the Commissioners will make decisions and vote on what was discussed in the previous Working meeting. The Legislative meeting is open to the public, but no comment will be taken. The commissioners will also review and approve the Accounts Payable for the month, along with monthly reports for Miller Environmental, the Maintenance department, the Cecil County Sheriff's Office, and the Budget to Actual. All reports will be posted to our website prior to the Legislative meeting for public review. When the reports are posted, notifications will be sent via email and posted to our Facebook page.

At a Working meeting, the Commissioners will discuss current events and what should be considered before the next Legislative meeting. Public comment is welcome and will be requested before voting occurs at the Legislative meeting.

Effective March 15, 2023, the policy and procedures regarding quarterly utility bill payments, shut-offs, and payment plans have changed.

Billing and Shut-Off Procedures:

Utility bills are mailed out quarterly within the first 7-10 days of the months of January, April, July, and October, and are due 30 days from the billing date (not the date received in the mail). If you do not receive your bill by the 15th of the month of the quarter indicated, please contact Town Hall for a duplicate bill. We strongly encourage residents to sign up to receive copies of their bills via email.

Last quarter, we notified you that any accounts more than two (2) quarters past due would be at risk for shut-off. Starting with the 1st Quarter 2023 bill, this time frame will be reduced to one (1) quarter past due. Quarterly bills not paid by the due date are assessed a 5% penalty fee on the full balance owed, and if not paid within two (2) weeks after the due date, water service will be shut off. If shut-off occurs, a $50 Shut-Off fee will be assessed, and in order for service to be restored, the current account balance and $50 Turn-On fee must be paid in full.

Payment Plans:

Payment plans are available for 3-12 month terms and balances of $300+, and ensure no additional late fees are added to your account, as long as you make payments on-time. Since plans are setup for a fixed outstanding balance, charges for future utility bills are still required to be paid by the due date or the payment plan will be considered in default. If for some reason you are unable to make a payment, regardless of if you have an active payment plan or not, please contact us and we will do what we can to help.

To setup a plan, we require a deposit of $210.90 (the minimum quarterly rate). However, the higher the deposit amount, the lower your monthly payments will be, as the deposit goes directly towards your outstanding balance. We also require an agreement be signed and the following guidelines be followed:

1. Payment Plans ensure no additional penalties will be added to the account, as long as the resident makes payments on-time.
2. Residents will be expected to pay all current charges for future bills when they are due or the payment plan will be considered in default. Plans in default will be assessed a $25 Late Fee, and will be voided if payment is not received within 30 days of the due date.
3. Plans in default more than 30 days require the current account balance be paid in full, within seven calendar days, to avoid a $50 Shut Off Fee and water shut-off.
4. If the property transfers before the payment plan is paid off, payment in full is due at the time of transfer.

*Please note that the guidelines can change at any time. Residents with active payment plans will be notified of changes via mail and/or email, if email address provided.

For more information, please contact Mary Culver at (410) 287-6173, extension 4, or via email at mculver@charlestownmd.org.

Pet Waste

In Charlestown, it's required by law to clean up after your pet.

Pet waste is a threat to the health of our residents and our environment, since it transmits disease and degrades the appearance of our Town. When we do not clean up after our pets, the waste is washed away and contaminates our storm drain system. This system reaches nearby creeks, which ultimately drain into the Chesapeake Bay.

We love our pets, so let's be more considerate of our neighbors and help keep our Town clean.

As a residential community, the Town encourages all residents to protect our loved ones

and neighbors by making sure our dogs are properly restrained, vaccinated, and licensed.

Ordinance #23, which was enacted by the Town Commissioners on May 12, 1970, states:

"No person shall permit his dog to be at large or not under restraint in Charlestown. A dog will be deemed to be “at large” when not on the property of its owner and not under the control of a responsible person. A dog is “under restraint” if it is controlled by a leash, or under the control of an owner or other responsible person and obedient to the person’s commands, or within a vehicle or within the property limits of its owner or keeper. Any person violating this ordinance shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined not more than $25.00 or sentenced to not more than 30 days confinement or both."

To lodge a complaint about a loose animal or more information regarding animal control, vaccination clinics or licensing, contact A Buddy for Life, Inc. via email at info@ab4l.org.

To purchase a dog license, please visit https://www.ccgov.org/government/animal-services/dog-licensing.

Although we follow a single stream recycling system, there are some things that must go into the garbage and cannot be recycled.

Did you know that food-stained cardboard, Styrofoam, plastic grocery bags and disposable diapers, for example, are not recyclable?

Please carefully review the Cecil County Single Stream Recycling flyer for more information. (Click the image to enlarge.)

Some residents will receive notification from Trash Tech for non-compliance, if recycling is contaminated. Please make sure your recycling is not contaminated and that trash and recyclables are in the correct containers.

Contact Information Request

How do we contact you in an emergency? Do we have the correct information?

It's important for Town Hall to have accurate and up-to-date contact information for all homeowners and residents in case of a water emergency or if we need to provide critical information in a hurry. So, if you're new to Town or recently changed your phone number, please complete our Contact Information Update Form by clicking the button below.

Weather permitting, the Ice House will be open every Sunday in March & April from 1-3pm for tours by Jeannette Armour and Sonny Diamonte. You won't want to miss the opportunity to learn about this piece of Charlestown's rich history.

The Ice House is located next to Veteran's Park at the intersection of Water & Market Streets.

On Thursday, March 30th, why not take a walk in

one of our beautiful parks for “Take A Walk In The Park Day”? Rain or shine, our scenic parks are breathtaking!

If you want to see beautiful hill-like views of the Elk Neck Peninsula and the North East River, visit the Stone Wharf or Foot Log Park. The Stone Wharf is a designated “free fishing” zone, so no fishing license is required, and Foot Log Park is a cozy little spot for peace and tranquility.

Looking for something more exciting for the kids? They will surely enjoy the playgrounds at Fairgreen Park, in Trinity Woods or Cool Springs, or the Athletic Complex, which offers a ball field, basketball, pickleball, and tennis courts, and a new skatepark.

For more information on all our parks, please visit our website at https://www.charlestownmd.org/around-town/town-parks-public-facilities/.

Saturday, April 22nd - 9am

at Foot Log Park

For this year's Earth Day and River Sweep event, the Town of Charlestown will be planting native trees and shrubs at Foot Log Park as required for our shoreline erosion control project.

If you are able to volunteer your time to help us, we would greatly appreciate it! Please park at Town Hall or at Fairgreen Park and meet us at Foot Log Park at 9am with your own gloves and shovel. To show our gratitude, we will provide lunch.

Sunday, April 30, 2023

9:00am to 2:00pm

Calvert Regional Park, North East

Come out and Play! Fun-filled activities for kids of all ages, vendors, crafts, food, games & Fusion 5K.

Sponsored by Friends of Cecil County Parks & Recreation. Proceeds of the 5K race and donations will be used to provide scholarship support for enrollment in CCPR sports and recreation programs.

VENDORS: Register now at https://tinyurl.com/apr30park. Vendor tables $15, non-profit tables free.

RUNNERS: Register now! More details via QR code in attached flyer.

Click on the below flyer images to enlarge.

All meetings held at Town Hall, unless otherwise noted.

Meeting Dates

Historic District Commission

Held on the 1st Tuesday of the month.

• Next Meeting: April 4, 2023

Planning & Zoning Commission

Held on the 1st Thursday following the 1st Tuesday of the month.

• Next Meeting: April 6, 2023

Town Commissioners

Held every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month.

• Next Meeting: March 28, 2023

Bulk Trash Collection

South of Route 7 - Last Wednesday of the Month

North of Route 7 - Day after Last Wednesday of the Month

Town Hall must be notified by 4pm the day prior.

Next Collection: March 29 & 30, 2023

Yard Waste Collection

Every 2nd and 4th Monday of the month.

No need to notify Town Hall.

Next Collection: March 27, 2023

Household Trash & Recyclables Collection

Every Wednesday, starting at 6am.

All holidays included, unless otherwise noted.