Town Council Meeting

Plan to link 88 homes to Manchester sewerageAs many as 88 Manchester properties may be added to the town's sewer system under a proposal to be discussed at the Town Council meeting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the town hall.Most of the lots contain homes, but the proposal would also affect two businesses, a church and some vacant lots.Town Manager Terry Short estimated that the cost of joining the system would be about $12,600 for the average affected homeowner.He said he is looking into ways to help homeowners finance the cost, such as loans with interest rates of 4.2 percent to 4.6 percent, spread over 20 years.

As town officials embark on their annual journey through budget-preparation land this month, they'll have a new tool to guide them for years to come.The new tool -- actually an old one in dozens of political subdivisions throughout the state -- is a five-year capital budget, a device the town's projects administrator says will eliminate much of the guesswork in their yearly spending plans."

Revising the town charter to keep up with changes and state laws wasamong the mayor's seven goals when he took office.Ten years and three terms later, Lloyd R. Helt Jr. will move toward the last of those goals tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Town Council meeting.Among the issues to be examined are the number of council members, voter registration and nominations, how vacancies are filled, the passage of ordinances and new employee positions."The charter was adopted in 1964, and it's still basically the same, except for a few amendments here and there dealing with annexations, voter registration, infractions and compensation to town officials," he said.

The town is accepting applications for the position of water/wastewater operator at its plant until Nov. 15.The operator will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the treatment systems and must have a Class I water operator's license and a Class III wastewater license."

Monday's Town Council meeting may as well have been called "Gripe Night," as residents and business people paraded their problems before elected officials during a session that lasted four hours.The lengthy agenda included complaints about destructive cats, abandoned cars, noisy trucks, overgrown weeds and store renovation snafus.Ann Haney of Norwood Avenue told the council how a stray cat crawled under a canvas cover on her 1950 Chevy Coupe and destroyed the cover and scratched the car.Mayor Lloyd R. Helt Jr., an owner of two indoor cats, said the town ordinance concerning pets exempts cats from the county's restraint law.Nicky Ratliff, Carroll County Humane Society director, suggested using traps to catch offending animals, which can be taken to the Humane Society.

Residents will see a familiar face at the next Town Council meeting.After a two-year absence, Selby M. Black will rejoin the council,filling the seat vacated when Perry L. Jones Jr. was elected mayor."

Preliminary work on the town's fiscal 1992 budget has begun, as the project administrator and town staff try to assess the impact of state, federal and county budget cuts.While no numbers have been released, the town's budget is expected to total close to $900,000 for the year beginning July 1.It is not known if the town will change its tax rate of 42 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, one of the lowest in the Baltimore metropolitan region. For the current budget year, the tax rate was lowered from 46 cents per $100.

The developers of a business complex on Raincliffe Road at Route 32 met in closed session with the Town Council and mayor Tuesday to workout additional details of financing.At the Feb. 25 Town Council meeting, the council split, 3-3, on a vote to introduce an ordinance accepting Security Enterprises Inc.'s proposal to finance the Mount Etna Business Center with $1.5 million in state and county loans.David W. Moxley, representing the developer, then requested de-annexation from the town for the center but said that the firm still hoped to work out financing with the town.

SYKESVILLE - The fate of a loan package of state and county money to help financea business park in town could be decided at tomorrow night's Town Council meeting.The council has been divided in previous discussions on a $1.5 million package the town would administer for developmentof Raincliffe Center, a 32-acre commercial/industrial park planned for the intersection of Route 32 and Raincliffe Road.With state coffers drying up amid worsening economic conditions, state officials are looking for a resolution of the council's intentions on the matter, said Mayor Lloyd R. Helt Jr. If such a resolution,which likely will be offered tomorrow, is voted down, the loan proposal could be stalled.

UNION BRIDGE - James E. Slater Jr., director of the Department of Natural Resources Protection, descussed Lehigh Portland Cement Co.'s plans to burn carbon waste material at its plant here.The company has applied for a state permit to burn the non-hazardous carbon fuel instead of coal."The material is no worse than the coal the company is burning now," said Slater at the Town Council meeting Monday. "The state will continue to conduct emissions monitoring, too."The state Department of the Environment will schedule a public hearing in town before issuing the permit.