Federalsburg Mayor Kim Abner discussing a memorandum of understanding with the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office.
FEDERALSBURG — On Monday, the Federalsburg Town Council held a special meeting to discuss the Memorandum of Understanding it is creating with the Caroline County Sheriffs Office.
The MOU will establish policing duties for the town to be carried out by the Sheriff’s Office, which will be replacing the town’s police department.
While the MOU is not final and revisions could be made, the proposed agreement states that there would be four officers assigned to the Town of Federalsburg for a one-year contract.
According to the council, the four officers would be former Federalsburg Police Department Sgt. Brian McNeill, two cadets from the police academy and one current Sheriff’s Office deputy.
At prior meetings, town officials expressed that Federalsburg was pursuing the agreement with the Sheriff’s Office to save money on policing services as part of a plan to tackle the town’s $5 million debt.
The agreement is set to last for a year, and council members said at prior meetings that regular check-ins will be held with the public.
“We felt as we wanted to give this MOU situation a try for a year, and throughout that year we want to have quarterly meetings with the public,” Council Member Brandy James said at an Aug. 3 meeting.
According to the MOU, the cost of the Sheriff’s Office coverage for one year would be about $863,000. The town currently pays $1.146 million for the Federalsburg Police Department annually.
The cost saving of $280,000 is slitting less than the projected savings made at a prior public forum. On July 21, Council Member Ian Furgerson said if the town were to sign an MOU with the Sheriff’s Office, it would save the town between $300,000 and $500,000 per year.
According to town officials, during a meeting with Sheriff Donnie Baker, there were discussions of potentially utilizing half of the police department building as a space for the town and the other half to house the Sheriff’s Office deputies.
Under the draft agreement, the town would provide its police vehicles for the station officers, with line items to be paid by the town for gas and maintenance. The town would pay a $15,000 line item for uniforms for officers.
The Sheriff’s Office would manage press releases for criminal events, while the town would handle releases related to town events.
A motion was made to move forward the modified agreement after Town Attorney Lyndsey Ryan makes some modifications for clarity.
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