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Town of North Beach
Mayor and Town Council
Town Council Meeting Minutes
Date: Thursday, January 15, 2026 Location: Zoom
Beginning: 7:00 PM Adjourn: 8:04 PM
Mayor and Council Attendance:
Mike Benton, Mayor
Allen Creamer, Councilman
Michelle Crosby, Councilwoman
Gregg Dotson, Councilman via Zoom
Mary Healey, Councilwoman - Absent
Mickey Hummel, Councilman
Ken Wilcox, Councilman
Staff:
Linda Vassallo – Town Administrator
Stacy Milor – Town Clerk/Human Resources Manager
Emma Donaldson – Assistant Waterfront Manager
Donnie Bowen – Public Works Director
Rick Crump – Planning and Zoning Director
Joanne Hunt – Town Treasurer
Agenda
• Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance
• Approval of Agenda
• Approval of Minutes
• Scheduled Appointment
• Staff Reports
• Public Comment
• Mayor’s Report
• Town Council Member Reports
• Adjournment
Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance
• Jan. 15, 2026, Town Council Meeting was called to order at 7 pm by
Mayor Benton.
• Approval of Agenda: Councilman Wilcox moved to amend the agenda and place the election of the
Vice-President on the February 2026, Town Council Agenda. Seconded by Councilwoman Crosby.
All in favor. Motion carried. The agenda was approved as presented.
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Meeting Minutes
• Minutes from Dec. 11, 2025, Town Council Meeting. MOTION was made by Councilman Hummel
to approve the minutes as submitted. Seconded by Councilman Wilcox. All in favor. Motion carries.
• Minutes from Jan. 8, 2026, Town Council Work Session. Councilman Dotson moved to approve the
minutes from the Jan. 8, 2026, Town Council Work Session as submitted. Seconded by Councilman
Hummel. All in favor. Motion carried.
Scheduled Appointments:
No Scheduled Appointments
Staff Reports
All staff reports are located on the Town website under Board Docs
https://go.boarddocs.com/md/nbeach/Board.nsf/Public. If there are any questions regarding any report,
please contact the Department Head.
• No public comment
Business Items:
2026 Town of North Beach Election Guidance - on Jan. 8, 2026, the Mayor and Town Council discussed
HB 322, which allows municipalities to partner with the State of Maryland to support the administration of
local elections. Following the Council’s discussion at the Work Session and in response to Council
questions, staff refined cost estimates by obtaining updated pricing and clarifying the scope of services under
each election administration option. The revised figures reflect a more accurate comparison and include cost
components that required follow-up confirmation, such as vendor support levels, State administrative
charges, Town staffing, legal requirements, and public outreach costs.
Option 1 - Town Run Election (Independent Town Administration)
Election would be administered by the Town, within municipal limits. The Town must:
• Notify the State of the Town’s intent.
• Appoint an Election Board by April 1st.
Fiscal Impact:
o Independent Contractor: $19,000
✓ $11,700 (approx.) for independent contractor, with enhanced support (see Table 1)
✓ $7,300 (approx.) for Town costs (including Town Election Board salaries and administrative
costs)
o State Equipment Lease: $26,300
✓ $19,000 (approx.) to lease State voting equipment, including State administrative costs, with
limited State support (see Table 1)
✓ $7,300 (approx.) (including Town administrative costs and estimated printing/mailing costs).
Option 2: State-Run Election (State Administration)
Election would be administered by the State, outside the municipal limits at the North Beach Volunteer Fire
Department (NBVFD). The Town must:
• Submit request to the State to transfer authority.
• Update the Town Charter.
Fiscal Impact: $17,000
o $0 - estimated direct cost to the Town for State administration.
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o $7,000 (approx.) - Town costs (Town Charter update: legal fees, public hearing, etc.) $10,000
(approx.) - Town costs (a State-run election moving out of Town Hall to NBVFD represents a
notable change from prior practice. This will require enhanced public outreach to ensure
continuity of voter participation, avoid Election Day confusion, day of signage, and support a smooth
transition to the new process).
Conclusion/Recommendation:
The staff is requesting a vote of the Council to proceed with Option 1 or Option 2. If Option 1 is selected,
please further direct staff to use either a private contractor or pursue an agreement with the State.
Options:
1. Town-run election (the Town administers the election), using either:
• A private contractor, or
• An agreement with the State
2. State-run election (the State administers the election)
• MOTION made by Councilman Hummel to continue the election in the North Beach Town Hall
and hire a private contractor to assist with the election with an approximate cost of $19,000.00.
Seconded by Councilman Creamer. VOTE: AYE: Councilman Hummel, Dotson, Creamer; NAY:
Councilman Wilcox and Councilwoman Crosby. MOTION passes 3-2.
• MOTION was made by Councilman Wilcox to add a non-binding referendum question to the
ballot asking residents if they prefer the Town election to be conducted in the Town Hall or at the
North Beach Volunteer Fire Department. Seconded by Councilman Hummel. All in favor. Motion
carried.
Mayors Report
• The Mayor thanked everyone for coming out. He thanked the Council for their vote on the election
tonight, we are elected to make these decisions.
Council Reports
• Councilmember Crosby, Community engagement: Noted limited engagement in response to the
recent newsletter reporting. Emphasized that, given the current state of democracy, the burden is on
the Town to actively engage residents. She has been reaching out directly to neighbors via email to
gather their opinions. Councilmember Crosby also reported that she has followed up on her letter to
the County Commissioners regarding the establishment of an HOA Committee.
• Councilmember Dotson thanked Councilman Wilcox to changing his motion to a non-binding
question on the 2026 ballot question. Thanked everyone for coming out. It was nice to have a good
meeting and conversation on a business item. Stay warm and keep safe.
• Councilmember Hummel thanked everyone for joining tonight. Was happy to see the Council
working together on a subject, not agreeing and continue to move forward and work together. The
Polar Bear Plunge was fun, cold and I always enjoyed participating.
• Councilmember Creamer thanked everyone for attending and aligned with Councilwoman’s
community engagement, it is especially important to get the community involved. I will continue to
move towards getting all the Town committees back up and running in 2026. In the next month or
two I will have a proposal to introduce for the committees.
• Council Member Wilcox thanked everyone for attending and reminded everyone the temperatures are
dropping and to look out for your neighbors.
Adjournment
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• Council Member Creamer motioned to close the meeting at 7:45 pm. Seconded by Councilman
Wilcox. All in favor. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted:
Stacy Milor, Town Clerk/HR Manager Mike Benton, Mayor
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