20080731 Towns asked to cover cost of MML scholarships By Jennifer Jiggetts, Times Staff Writer for the Carroll County Times

20080731 Towns asked to cover cost of MML scholarships By Jennifer Jiggetts, Times Staff Writer for the Carroll County Times

“Town asked to cover cost of [MML] scholarships” By Jennifer Jiggetts, Times Staff Writer for the Carroll County Times, Thursday, July 31, 2008

Town asked to cover cost of scholarships

By Jennifer Jiggetts, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, July 31, 2008

The president of the Carroll County chapter of Maryland Municipal League is asking each county municipality to pay $375 to cover the cost of scholarships the league awarded.

After a two-year hiatus, the Carroll chapter decided to give three $1,000 scholarships to students pursuing municipal careers. But the chapter was surprised to learn it would have no monetary help from the state association, said chapter president Frank Johnson. The scholarships were awarded in June, the same time the chapter found out they’d have to foot the bill entirely. The checks have recently been sent to students, Johnson said.

[…]

Johnson, who’s also the mayor of Mount Airy, said he was under the impression that things stayed the same and the state would continue to supply the funds because they did so in the past.

When the state organization stopped funding the scholarship several years ago and the Carroll County chapter put it on hold, Johnson said he wasn’t around to have found out about the state’s decision.

“Our assumption was that nothing had changed from a few years ago,” Johnson said. “No one was aware that there had been a change.”

[…]

Johnson said he has already paid the $3,000 from his personal savings account with the intent of reimbursement from Carroll’s eight municipalities. Johnson told town officials they needed to pay him back in July.

Johnson suggested the $3,000 scholarship bill be split evenly between the county’s eight municipalities.

With tight budgets and limited funds, some Carroll County town officials saw the payment as a surprise. Others were displeased at the proposed $375 amount.

Union Bridge Mayor Bret Grossnickle said the funds were unfairly split. They should have been divided per capita, not by town, he said.

“$375 is not going to break us, but we have to do it differently next year,” Grossnickle said.

New Windsor Mayor Sam Pierce said changes need to be made to the scholarship program.

“You don’t go out and spend money before making the budget,” he said. “If we know we’re going to do something, we budget for it. That’s basic. It’s the way towns operate.”

Haven N. Shoemaker Jr., mayor of Hampstead, said the situation is a misunderstanding.

“Hampstead had no objection,” he said. “$375 is a fairly small price to pay.”

Reach staff writer Jennifer Jiggetts at 410-857-7873 or
jennifer.jiggetts AT carrollcountytimes.com.

20080731 Town asked to cover cost of scholarships By Jennifer Jiggetts, Times Staff Writer for the Carroll County Times

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2008/07/31/news/local_news/newsstory5.txt

20030904 September 4th, 2003 Carroll County MML Quarterly Chapter Meeting Minutes

20030209 Carroll County Times editorial: Frank Johnson – “A problem of wearing many hats”

20000427 Carroll County Chapter MML Meeting at Union Bridge

20060617 Mount Airy Mayor Frank Johnson joins county attorney staff

MD Municipal League Carroll Co. Chap. Meeting Minutes

Labels: MD Municipal League Carroll Co. Chap., MD Municipal League Carroll Co. Chap. Scholarship Program, Westminster Mayor 200105 200505 Kevin E. Dayhoff, People Carroll Co. Johnson – Frank Johnson,