Thank you for your attention to this address. It is my privilege to share the State of the Municipality with you. This is more than a report, it is a story of where we’ve been, what we’ve accomplished together, and where we are headed.
Let me also say this: this State of the Municipality covers two years. I did not deliver one last year, and I should have. Tonight is about making that right by giving you a full and honest picture of our finances, projects, challenges, and vision for Rock Hall.
Let me say it plainly at the start: Rock Hall has a bright future. We are a town on the upswing. With direction, energy, and vision, we are on a path that leads to great things.
Finances
Once again, we have delivered a balanced budget. We are not only obligated, but proud to do this on behalf of our residents, ensuring that Rock Hall remains financially sound while continuing to invest in our future.
A balanced budget means more than just revenues and expenses matching on paper. It reflects the resources needed to keep the Town operating every single day, from payroll for our staff, to materials and equipment that keep services running, to the maintenance that ensures our facilities remain safe and functional. At the same time, it reflects our commitment to planning ahead, to set aside the resources needed to make major investments and improvements that will shape Rock Hall’s future.
This year, we lowered the property tax rate from thirty-nine to thirty-eight cents per $100 of assessed value, real relief for our homeowners. At the same time, we made the responsible decision to increase water and sewer rates by three percent to keep up with rising costs. Unlike property taxes, utility revenues don’t rise with inflation, so we must adjust them carefully when costs increase.
Just as important, over the last two years, we have gone from essentially zero reserves to establishing meaningful savings. Today, we have a rainy-day fund of $110,000 in the General Fund and over $700,000 in the Utilities Fund. For many years, the Town struggled to save even a few thousand dollars in reserves. This turnaround is a major milestone. Building and maintaining reserves is essential to Rock Hall’s long-term stability. It ensures that we can weather the unexpected, sustain operations in difficult times, and keep moving forward with confidence.
Even with this commitment to saving, Rock Hall has secured over thirty-nine million dollars in outside investment, most being grants, since 2023. That extraordinary level of support shows confidence in Rock Hall’s leadership, its planning, its people, and its potential.
Communication and Accessibility
A key part of moving Rock Hall forward is communication. Residents deserve to know what’s happening in their town, and they should feel like local government is accessible and responsive.
Over these past two years, we’ve made improving communication a priority. We have established a new Communications Board to help guide how we share updates and keep the public informed. We’ve focused on keeping the town website current as we build out its new design. We, thanks to a few generous volunteers, have also maintained the two information boards in town, ensuring they’re updated with useful, timely information. And we’ve worked to increase the regular dissemination of information, whether through meetings, online updates, or postings around town.
The goal is simple: the Town of Rock Hall should feel open, transparent, and responsive. Residents should not have to wonder what’s going on, they should be able to find it easily, and they should feel comfortable reaching out. That is the standard we are setting and the goal we are working towards.
Infrastructure and Projects
Our commitment to infrastructure is visible everywhere, and the scale of what we’ve accomplished over these years is notable.
In 2023, Rock Hall invested or secured over $5.27 million dollars in projects. This included the Haven Road water main replacement, upgrades to the Civic Center, engineering design for future water plant improvements, and secured $3.8 million dollars for water and sewer projects later reallocated to support the 2025 Wastewater Treatment Plant ENR upgrade.
In 2024, we secured and delivered another $1.42 million dollars in investment. These projects included Project Restore on Main Street, one million dollars in EPA funding reserved for pump station upgrades, and shared improvements at the Civic Center and Ferry Park Beach.
And in 2025, we are undertaking the largest year in Rock Hall’s history for capital investment: over $32.7 million dollars. This includes the Wastewater Treatment Plant ENR upgrade at $31.39 million, the Boundary Avenue water main replacement at $1.18 million, the Ferry Park Beach restroom at $153,000, officially approved by the Board of Public Works in August, and the installation of a new water filtration system at the Town Water Plant, a $400,000 investment that has drastically improved the quality of drinking water for all of our residents.
The ENR upgrade at the Wastewater Treatment Plant is not only our largest project, it is also a model for how Rock Hall now finances major improvements. In the past, the Town relied heavily on single-source funding, which limited what we could accomplish. But for this project, we successfully pulled together seven separate funding sources, including:
- MDE BRNR/BRF Grant: $20,085,000
- MDE SWQH Grant: $1,500,000
- 2020 MDE SRF Loan/LF: $3,000,000
- 2024 CDS Grant: $2,325,000
- 2024 CDS Grant: $1,501,000
- 2025 Agency Loan: $759,000
- 2025 Agency Grant: $2,224,000
This multi-source strategy is a huge financial success, enabling us to leverage outside support at unprecedented levels. By structuring projects this way, Rock Hall is accomplishing more with fewer local dollars, stretching every resource further. The ENR project is the example and the model for how we will fund and deliver big projects going forward.
Altogether, from 2023 through 2025, Rock Hall has secured nearly $39.5 million dollars in investment. For a town of our size, that level of progress is nothing short of extraordinary.
And we are not done. In 2026, we plan to break ground on the rehabilitation of the Old Municipal Building. This project is about more than bricks and mortar, it is about restoring pride in a civic building that reflects who we are as a community and planning for the future.
The design will respect the history of the original building while bringing it up to modern standards. It will be right-sized for our needs, not oversized or extravagant, but efficient, practical, and long-lasting. Inside, it will include a true community space where residents can gather, administrative offices to keep local government services running, and, importantly, a permanent home for our Police Department.
For too long, Rock Hall has operated out of temporary or rented spaces. The new Town Hall will give us a stable, modern home that matches the pride we feel in this Town, while also meeting the needs of our residents for decades to come.
And beyond 2026, there are many more projects on the docket, from infrastructure upgrades to community improvements, and we fully intend to keep this momentum moving forward.
Modernization and Service Improvements
Rock Hall is 318 years old, but we are bringing this town into the 21st century. Our progress isn’t just in concrete, pipes, and pumps. It’s also in how we serve our residents.
In 2025, we launched online bill pay, giving residents the convenience of paying water and sewer bills anytime, anywhere. And right now, a new town website is in development, designed to be more accessible, more informative, and more user-friendly for residents and visitors alike.
These may seem like small steps compared to million-dollar infrastructure projects, but they represent something just as important: Rock Hall embracing modern tools to make local government more responsive, efficient, and connected.
Housing, Planning, and Full-Time Residency
But we know infrastructure and modernization alone aren’t enough. Rock Hall must grow its year-round population. For too long, housing affordability has limited families and workers from putting down roots.
That is why one of our biggest accomplishments in 2025 was the adoption of Rock Hall’s new Comprehensive Plan. This plan took almost two years to develop, with extensive work from our Planning Commission, the public, and the Mayor and Council. It reflects hundreds of hours of input, review, and discussion, and it lays out a clear vision for Rock Hall’s future.
The public hearing on the plan was the best attended meeting this town has had in years, if not decades. That turnout spoke volumes about the dedication and passion of our residents for the future of Rock Hall. This was not a process happening behind closed doors, it was a true community conversation, and the level of engagement we saw is something to be proud of.
At its heart, the Comprehensive Plan emphasizes housing affordability. It identifies pathways to create and support housing options that allow families, workers, and retirees to remain here long term. But it goes further, it speaks to economic development, land use, infrastructure, and community culture, all framed around strengthening Rock Hall as a place to live, work, and raise families.
The adoption of this plan was not a small step. It was a major accomplishment, and it provides the framework to guide decisions and investments for the next decade. By putting this plan into action, we are making sure that Rock Hall grows in a way that is responsible, balanced, and centered on residents.
A bright future for Rock Hall means more full-time residents, more children in our elementary school, more volunteers, and more life in our community every day of the year.
Business, Main Street, and Workforce Opportunity
Our economy, too, is a blend of the old and the new. We are proud of institutions like Ford’s Seafood, Coleman’s Tavern, and the Rock Hall Marine Railway, all examples of businesses serving this Town for almost a century. They are reminders of our resilience and our tradition. At the same time, new businesses are opening their doors, 10 in the last year alone, bringing fresh energy to our economy. Main Street revitalization efforts through programs like Project Restore are beginning to bear fruit, and we are seeing both old and new businesses helping to build and lay the foundation for a vibrant and diverse economy.
And earlier this year, we released our Skilled Trades Feasibility Study for Rock Hall and Kent County. This study explores ways to grow opportunities and training in fields like construction, electrical, plumbing, and marine trades, skills that built this Town and will sustain it.
This is only the beginning, and it will take some heavy lifting to bring it to life. But it is a worthwhile effort, one we must make to ensure our community and our economy survive and thrive. By providing resources and education for our young people, and by connecting them not just with jobs but with careers, we give them a reason to stay, to work, and to build their lives here.
Tourism and Seasonal Economy
Tourism will always play an important role in Rock Hall, and we are working to make the visitor experience stronger. One example is Rock Hall Rides, a new public transportation service that provides a bus route through town every Friday through Sunday. Funded through a collaborative effort with Main Street Rock Hall and the Greater Rock Hall Business Association, this service makes it easier for visitors to move around town and helps support our seasonal businesses.
At the same time, we recognize that tourism alone is not enough. That’s why, while we strengthen services like Rock Hall Rides for visitors, we are also pursuing strategies to reduce seasonality and build up a more stable, year-round economy.
Diversifying the Economy and Building a Year-Round Community
Tourism has always been one of Rock Hall’s greatest strengths, and we will continue to welcome visitors who discover the beauty of our harbor, our Main Street, and our natural surroundings. But our future depends on more than just the summer season.
We want people to visit all year round, but we also want a year-round population that can support our vision for a year-round economy. That means more families, more workers, and more opportunities that keep our town alive and thriving in every season.
To achieve this, we must diversify. Rock Hall cannot rely on just one industry or one season. That is why we are building partnerships across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to support this economic change. Together, we are creating the infrastructure that will empower our residents, our entrepreneurs, and those who want to join our community to succeed.
This is how we will build an economy that is sustainable, balanced, and forward-looking, one that honors Rock Hall’s traditions while preparing us for a stronger future.
Community, Culture, and Heritage
Community is what makes Rock Hall more than a collection of houses and docks, it’s who we are. For more than three centuries, our identity has been tied to the Chesapeake Bay and to the watermen whose skill, perseverance, and traditions shaped this town. Unlike many places, Rock Hall is still home to a large, active working waterman community and a truly water-dependent economy. That heritage is not only part of our past, it remains at the heart of our present, and it must guide our future.
In 2026, we will unveil Wickes Day, honoring our Revolutionary War hero Lambert Wickes. This event, aligned with Maryland’s 250th anniversary, will showcase Rock Hall’s contribution to America’s founding story and remind us that even a small town can make an outsized mark on history.
But just as Wickes Day honors our past, our work on the harbor secures our future. The harbor is more than an asset on a map, it is our lifeblood. It sustains the watermen who harvest crabs and oysters, it supports marinas and boatyards that serve visitors and boaters from across the region, and it anchors the tourism that brings thousands of people to Rock Hall each year. Without a strong, reliable, and well-maintained harbor, Rock Hall would not be Rock Hall.
Today, the harbor is facing real challenges. The bottom, which should range from eight to ten feet deep, has silted in, to the point where depths are now at or slightly over four feet in some places. That makes navigation more difficult and limits both commercial and recreational use. If left unaddressed, it threatens the very lifeblood of our economy and culture.
That is why we are working closely with Kent County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to push forward a major dredging effort. Rock Hall is serving as a local partner to facilitate this project, which is essential to keeping our harbor open, safe, and productive. If the current timeline holds, we expect to see real results in 2026 and 2027.
Maintaining and improving the harbor is not just an infrastructure project, it is an investment in the working traditions, businesses, and livelihoods that define Rock Hall. It is about honoring our past while guaranteeing that our maritime culture and economy remain strong for generations to come.
Recognizing Our Team
Before I close, I want to thank the people who make all of this possible. Our employees, who keep services running day in and day out. Our volunteers, who step up through the fire company, committees, and community events. Rock Hall accomplishes big things because of the dedication of its people.
Challenges and Path Forward
We have made great strides, but we must be candid about the challenges that remain.
Housing affordability continues to be one of our biggest hurdles. If we want young families to live here, work here, and raise children here, we must create more opportunities for them.
Access to medical services is another challenge for a town of our size. Here too, we are seeing progress. The Choptank Community Health System expanded its School-Based Health Center program into Rock Hall in 2024 and now has a staffed office three days per week at Rock Hall Elementary School. That is a big improvement over having no local medical services at all.
But while the situation is improving, it is still a challenge. There is more work to do to ensure that Rock Hall residents have consistent and comprehensive access to the care they need.
We also continue to wrestle with the seasonal nature of our economy. Tourism is and always will be a strength, but to be truly sustainable, Rock Hall must become less dependent on just a few busy months and more balanced across the whole year.
And while we’ve celebrated incredible progress in infrastructure, from water mains to wastewater upgrades to civic spaces, the reality is that we are not finished. Full revitalization of our collection system, pump stations, storm system, and other critical infrastructure will take six to ten more years of steady work. We are on the right path, but we’ve only scratched the surface.
These challenges are real, but they are not roadblocks. They are the very reasons we are pushing forward with such energy and urgency.
Closing
Friends, Rock Hall has a bright future. We are a community with direction, energy, and vision, and it shows in everything we’ve accomplished together. We are not standing still. We are on the move, and we are on an upswing.
In 2025, we break ground on Boundary Avenue. In 2026, we plan to break ground on a renewed Town Hall that respects our history, meets our needs, and provides a permanent civic home. Wickes Day arrives, reminding us of our proud past while pointing us toward our future. We strengthen housing, business, maritime, and community culture. And above all, we strengthen full-time residency, ensuring that Rock Hall remains not just a place to visit, but a place to live, to work, and to raise families.
The State of the Municipality is strong. The spirit of Rock Hall is strong. And together, with focus and determination, we are building a town that honors its heritage, embraces opportunity, and ensures a future worthy of its people.
Rock Hall is on a path that leads to great things, and we will walk that path together.
Thank you.
