Town Debates Short Term Rentals And Yard Waste Collection
The Commissioner's election in Oxford was a quiet one this year, Sitting Commissioner Katrina Greer ran unopposed, earning 196 votes. Twenty -seven "write-in" votes were not valid, since they contained the names of several people who did not fulfill the rule of registering to be a write in. It wouldn't have mattered if they had been valid considering the huge margin for Greer.
On Wednesday, July 8, Greer was sworn in for her second term by Talbot County Clerk of the Circuit Court Kathy Duvall.
Katrina Greer Being Sworn in for Her Second Term by Talbot County Clerk of the Circuit Court Kathy Duvall.
The meeting got interesting when the Commissioners elected their President for the next year. Commissioner Dave Donovan opened the process by nominating Greer, stating that each Commissioner usually gets their "turn" at President. Since Commissioner Bell had his turn as had Greer, Donovan acknowledged that it might be his turn, but in the interest of continuity and respecting the great job had Greer had done this past year, nominated Greer.
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Commissioner Bell then stated that he had often talked about wanting to get back to the "third year rotation" for President. This seemed odd to many people since shortly after Bell was elected for his initial term in 2024, former Commissioner Tom Costigan nominated Bell for President over Greer who had been in office for a year. Bell seconded Costigan's nomination and thus Bell became President of the Commissioners without spending a single day in office.
Many saw this action in 2024 as a message to Greer from a group in Oxford who strongly opposed her overwhelming election over Susan Botkin in 2023. Botkin was then appointed to Brian Wells' vacant seat after the loss. This was a calculated move by some in town to subvert the election results.
The election of newly seated Bell as President was when the "third year" rotation was broken.
Greer was elected President of the Commissioners in a 3-0 vote.
Gordon Graves Scholarship
The town then honored the two recipients of the Gordon Graves Scholarship, Jack Chapple and Robert Newbury.
Sheriff's Office Report
Talbot County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant JR Dobson reviewed the police report. Sheriff Gamble, the Commissioners, and the Talbot County Council authorized a MOU for a resident deputy program in Oxford which is in effect starting July 1, 2026.
Commission President Greer and Sheriff Gamble addressed the County Council during
their regular meeting on June 30, 2026. Thank you to Sheriff Gamble, Major Elliott, Lt.
Dobson, County Council, the County Manager and Oxford PD Sgt. Brandon Bobbick
for their support of the Town during this transition.
Short Term Rentals/Yard Waste Collection
The rest of the meeting centered around the topics of short-term rental rules and the yard waste collection pause.
The town has been reviewing short term rental policies and discussed amendments to Ordinance 2605 mainly regarding penalties for owners and agents who violate those policies. Commissioner Donovan stated that he thinks the down should possibly expand communication on the policy while contracting the penalties, i.e. 1 year instead of 3 if a property is listed without proper licensing.
Resident Barbara Ranson spoke about the short-term rentals and suggested the town create a more friendly environment for family tourism by working with homeowners who wish to have STR's.
Susan Hayward, who is the Government Liaison with the Mid-Shore Board realtors, aggressively expressed other concerns about the part of the ordinance which legislates consequences for other agents who work for a business which has one agent who has broken the rules. The Commissioners agreed to address amendments to the ordinance and make changes as needed at the August 11 public session.
Here is a copy of the proposed ordinance 2605 which will have a public hearing on August 11, 2026 on the same day as Ordinance 2603 regarding the town's comprehensive plan:
Town Manager Holly Wahl and Commission President Greer reminded citizens that the yard waste pause of two months was done to allow the maintenance crew to complete new water meter installation by the July 31 deadline as well as infrastructure improvements for flood mitigation. The use of our crew versus subcontractors potentially saves the town $800,000 to $1 million dollars. Greer reminded everyone that Oxford's yearly income from property tax is $1,100,000 and $290,000 in income tax, so priorities need to be set.
It is possible that failure to install the meters prior to the deadline could trigger a penalty from the USDA. The town has had funding for the project years prior to Wahl's hiring but did not complete it under previous management.
As discussion of yard waste and junk removal continued, many options were discussed including scheduling collections further apart during some parts of the year and more frequently during months like November and December when leaf collection is more necessary. Donovan described "rubble collection" as a "nice service" and stated he was surprised that there are residents who put out junk every month. He said he has possibly used that service twice since he has lived here.
Town Manager Wahl indicated that RFP's have been sent out for private contractors to do the collection of yard waste and junk.
At this point Commissioner Bell brought up enforcement since there are ordinances that contractors must remove waste and rubble they create when working on a property. He felt this was something the town needed to consider.
Commissioner Dave Donovan noted that what Oxford is doing is much more in this regard than many other jurisdictions of similar size. He stated that arguments such as "no no, no, nothing can change" and "doing away with it (yard waste removal) would destroy the fabric of the community" were "not rational." He also stated that there is not much merit in the argument that "all services are getting taken away." He reminded everyone that funding is the determining factor in having the Talbot County Sheriff's Office rather than an Oxford Police Department, reallocating maintenance staff hours to infrastructure projects, and no longer having a bank in town. These actions alone have saved the town a half a million dollars a year on a two-million-dollar budget and have allowed vital infrastructure projects to be completed.
Greer commented that she felt our citizens are much more resilient than what some of these comments might indicate.
Donovan then closed discussion with the fact that Commissioners are looking at a problem like yard waste, rubble collection and other services while attempting to salvage as many town services as they can without foregoing the critical needs of the town. *
Public comment regarding yard waste collection included suggestions that a more focused plan regarding the timing of collection when it resumes. Art Muir, who lives on the Strand, asked if the town would still address storm debris, which is a different issue from yard waste.
Resident Debbie Krolicki said she didn't think there was adequate communication that the pause was coming. Manager Wahl mentioned that it had been talked about in several previous meetings, sent via email, and also announced with a mailing to residents.
On a positive note, Will and Irina Cawley, and their son Austin, volunteered to help fill the gap in yard waste collection using their truck and labor! They notified the town they would be doing this. On Facebook Irina Cawley posted, "we wanted to do our part to show our appreciation for the job Mike Bell and his crew are doing. They are working hard to install water meters by the end of the month deadline."
Austin Cawley Helps Load Yard Waste In His Dad's Truck
Reaction on FACEBOOK to their efforts was extremely positive.
SIDE NOTE: We had several citizens who live in portions of town that don't get flooded tell us that they don't think the town should work to correct flooding in areas of the town that do get flooded. In our opinion, this argument shows disregard for residents in town continuously threatened with the loss of their property, homes and even lives due to flood waters. At the very least they should recognize that massive flooding in ANY section of town will negatively impact their quality of life in town as well as their property values whether they are in the flood prone areas or not. These people constantly affected are their neighbors and friends.
They may also want to consider the fact that if infrastructure is not fixed, they could be the next victims of flooding.
Link to Livestream of the Meeting: Stream Video - Town Hall Streams
