Princess Anne residents left asking many questions surrounding the town’s budget
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – After a town council meeting Monday addressing the budget, many residents were left with unanswered questions.
“I’m feeling like we don’t have many answers or much direction as to where going,” Dale Parker said.
Cindy Perry has lived in Princess Anne for 14 years and asked about the Somerset Landing Development drainage issue. “The drainage is so bad in spots that sometimes we have up to 10-12 inches of standing water, that will stay there for many days when we have heavy rains or storms that come through,” Cindy Perry said.
Perry says it’s an issue she’s been wanting to be resolved for some time now, still waiting on a report that surveyed the drainage problems. “We’ve been waiting 6 weeks for that report, it was supposed to be presented, there was a delay, there was another delay. 6 weeks from 4 or 5 meetings, now we still don’t have that report, we don’t know where this is going,” Perry added.
A lack of activities for local children is another concern that residents brought to the table. “I believe that its enough money in the budget for the town of Princess Anne to open these recreational centers. With summer fastly approaching and this being the last week for the kids in school I’m looking for something for the kids to do,” Eric Ballard said.
Eric Ballard has lived in Princess Anne all his life and proposed a youth basketball league to ensure children go down the right path. “We have a crime rate because of the poverty rate that we live in so it’s easy to get caught up in the streets,” Ballard said.
Dale Parker, co-owner of CROPA Station also asked about funding for small businesses. The town council president referred Parker to look into the Main Street Princess Anne program.
And the big question many residents are asking follows the former town manager Clayton Anderson’s resignation and what it means for the town of Princess Anne.
“I’m not feeling – it seems like we would have had more in place by now and not having that makes me feel like – not sure what’s going to happen with that position,” Dale Parker said.
And Town Council President Joseph Gardner tells us they’re working on it. “We’ll be coming up with a game plan right away to get that advertisement out for new positions,” Gardner said.
The recording of Monday’s meeting will be posted on the town’s website. Town officials say this was just the first hearing of the budget, the second hearing will be June 19th where they plan to address the concerns of the community.
