Rising Sun adopts updated stormwater code after state and district edits

Rising Sun commissioners voted July 11 to adopt Ordinance 20 23‑10, updating the town’s stormwater management code to incorporate technical language requested by outside regulators. Town Administrator summarized that the changes largely add recognition of the Cecil Soil Conservation District and refer to the 2011 Maryland Standards for Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control.

Town Administrator said the edits include adding Cecil Soil Conservation District to the list of approving agencies, defining what qualifies as an "approved plan," introducing a checklist mechanism for approvals, and adding a definition of "disturbed" to clarify when stormwater and sedimentation controls are required. "They asked for a definition of what disturbed is," the administrator said while reviewing the draft.

The administrator characterized the changes as nomenclature and technical clarifications rather than substantive regulatory shifts and recommended the commission adopt the measure as an emergency ordinance so development reviews already underway would not be delayed. A commissioner moved to accept the ordinance and a second was recorded; the chair announced the ordinance passed with no recorded nays.

Why it matters: the ordinance shifts certain oversight and inspection details into town code and documents the town’s coordination with state and district regulators, which staff said will clarify permitting steps for developers and for town reviewers. Town staff said the edits do not change tax rates, liability or the substantive requirements for stormwater controls.

Next steps: staff said they will implement the revised code language and proceed with pending development reviews under the updated ordinance.