Paid for by Citizens for Colburn Committee. Authority John W. Phillips, Jr., Treasurer

Colburn will hold hearings today on legislation of local interest
Dorchester bills include $1.5M for Y; ban on bottle clubs; beer, wine sales at chain grocers
March 6, 2006
Star Democrat

CAMBRIDGE — Hearings on local legislation will be held in Cambridge Monday by state Sen. Richard F. Colburn from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Dorchester County Council meeting room in the county office building.

Among the legislation to be considered are bills to allow grocery and drug stores to sell beer and wine in Dorchester County, a bond bill that would provide $1.5 million for upgrades and expansion at the Dorchester Family YMCA and increasing salaries of Dorchester’s Orphan’s Court Judges.

“The public is invited to this meeting to express any comments, opinions, concerns or suggestions regarding any of these bills,” Colburn said. If warranted by heavy attendance, oral testimony may be limited to two minutes per person on each bill. Written testimony is encouraged. For further information, call Sen. Colburn’s office directly at 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3590 or 410-841-3590.

(If Dorchester County Schools are closed because of inclement weather conditions Monday, the hearing will be rescheduled.)

Colburn is holding hearings in Cambridge to gather citizen input regarding Dorchester County legislation, with plans to consider the pending legislation in the following order:

Senate Bill 768-Dorchester County-Orphans’ Court-Compensation of Judges — This bill will increase the annual salary of the judges of the Orphans’ Court of Dorchester County from $3,500 to an amount as determined by the Dorchester County Council but which is not less than $4,700. If this bill passes, the changes would not take effect until the beginning of the next term of office.

SB 767-Creation of State Debt-Dorchester County-The Family YMCA Dorchester County Inc.

This legislation would authorize the creation a $1.5 million bond bill to be used as a matching grant to the Board of the Dorchester County Family YMCA for the planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, expansion and capital equipping of the YMCA of Dorchester County.

SB 898-Dorchester County-Transfer Tax Revenues-Use for Costs of School Buildings — This bill would authorize Dorchester County to use revenues generated from the Dorchester County transfer tax to pay school building construction/renovation costs after all bills for maintenance and debt service for the County Court House have been paid.

SB 899-Dorchester County–Alcoholic Beverages-Bottle Clubs — This will prohibit a bottle club in Dorchester County from selling, giving, serving, dispensing, keeping or allowing alcoholic beverages to be consumed. It would also prohibit an unlicensed business from knowingly allowing customers to bring alcoholic beverages for consumption into an unlicensed building and would establish a maximum fine of $10,000 for violations.

SB 605-Dorchester County-Alcoholic Beverage Licenses-Chain Grocery Stores — This legislation would simply allow grocery and drug store chains to sell beer and wine in Dorchester County as they do in Talbot County.

Also, Sen. Colburn will introduce legislation concerning the Dorchester County Sanitary District. This bill would grant the Dorchester Sanitary District the authority to disconnect water service by state or a private company for unpaid sewer service.