Rising Sun adopts 2022 tax rate, codifies utility discounts and recognizes Juneteenth

The Mayor and Board of Commissioners of Rising Sun adopted a tax rate of 0.46 per $100 of assessed value for fiscal year 2022, the town announced at its April 2022 meeting. Town Administrator explained the state’s constant-yield certification and said assessed values rose roughly 1.8%, producing a projected $17,365 in additional revenue while keeping the adopted rate effectively at the town’s current level.

Why it matters: The town framed the action as maintaining revenue neutrality under the state’s constant-yield calculation while addressing rising costs for core services including street and sidewalk maintenance, police patrols and weekly sanitation. The adoption sets a baseline for the coming year’s budget process.

Town Administrator said the Department of Assessments and Taxation certified a taxable base increase of about $3,775,163 and described the constant-yield concept: “As those property values go up or down, the state basically determines what your tax rate would need to be to yield the same amount of revenue,” he said. The board then voted to maintain the town rate at 0.46.

The board also adopted a resolution that formalizes utility-rate treatments for nonprofit community providers and the volunteer fire company. The resolution, brought by the Town Administrator, states that churches and the Rising Sun Little League connected to the town system will pay only out-of-pocket third-party and regulatory charges (for example, direct charges from Chester Water, the Maryland Bay Restoration Fund and Susquehanna River Basin fees), while the town will continue to absorb other base water and sewer operating costs. The administrator summarized the rough numbers: “These entities would be paying about $10 in change for every thousand gallons of water and sewer,” referencing the out-of-pocket charges passed through to those accounts. The resolution caps discounted usage (first 2,000 gallons discounted for churches/Little League) and exempts critical public-safety engine-room water for the volunteer fire company; ancillary rented spaces are treated separately.

Finally, the board approved a personnel-manual update to mark June 19 as Juneteenth, reflecting the recent federal legislation. The Town Administrator told the board the holiday will be observed on the calendar date rather than converted to a Monday observance.

Votes at a glance:
- Resolution 2022-06 (real-estate tax rate): moved and seconded; recorded voice vote “Aye” and the resolution passed. (All commissioners present voted in favor.)
- Resolution 2022-07 (utility rates for nonprofits and fire company): moved and seconded; recorded voice vote “Aye” and the resolution passed.
- Resolution 2022-08 (personnel manual: Juneteenth): moved and seconded; recorded voice vote “Aye” and the resolution passed.

What happens next: The adopted tax rate and the personnel manual change will be incorporated into the town’s budget and employee policy documents. The administrator said staff will implement the newly codified utility rate table and account separations described in the resolution.