Bipartisan bill could save Snow Hill almost $18K

Late last year when it was revealed Comptroller Peter Franchot’s office misallocated a total of about $21.4 million, it was discovered that Snow Hill was the lone Worcester town to owe the state money.

A new bill aims to forgive that debt.

The matter wasn’t exactly pressing, since the state had already agreed to a 17-year payback schedule, outlined by Franchot in response to the discovery.

“For those jurisdictions that owe money as a result of this reconciliation process, we are mitigating the financial impacts by providing ample time for long-term budget planning,” the statement read. “Those jurisdictions will not have to begin repaying what is owed until 2024, and they will have the flexibility to repay the funds over the course of ten years from that point forward.”

Snow Hill was found to owe the state $17,784.

Senate Bill 397, sponsored by George Edwards (R-1) and Richard Madaleno (D-18), is known as House Bill 1433 in the other chamber of the state’s legislature and is co-sponsored by more than a dozen delegates including several from Prince George’s County. Neither Sen. Jim Mathias nor Del. Mary Beth Carozza have signed onto the legislation, but lower shore delegates Chris Adams (R-37B) and Carl Anderton (R-38B) have.
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