(7/2019) Town adopts year-end budget amendments

Thurmont’s Board of Commissioners adopted the Fiscal Year 2019 budget amendments during their June 25 meeting. Chief Financial Officer Linda Joyce presented Commissioners with a short list of amendments to the General Fund as well as amendments to each of the Enterprise Funds.

Within the General Fund, the town received additional monies from grants and additional interest earned in their bank accounts. $32,000 worth of additional interest was earned and was applied to the unrestricted fund balance. State grant money was received, in the amount of $20,000, for improvements to the railroad bridge; a Clean-up Green grant was received, in the amount of $1,000; and a $3,075 grant was received for the town’s wayfaring signs. Additionally, a $10,290 grant was received from the Lion’s Club Foundation for the Trolley Trail Lighting Project.

Additional expenditures within the General Fund include: $20,000, which was moved out of the unrestricted fund balance to cover unforeseen legal items; $10,500 moved from snow salaries to snow supplies, to cover the cost of additional salt used this year; and $5,000 moved from employee relations to the employee salary line item.

Within the Waste Water Fund, $15,000 was moved to help cover employee overtime. Both the Water Fund and Electric Fund saw an interest income increase of $14,500 and $2,600 respectively. Both were applied to each fund’s unrestricted fund balance.

Thurmont student competes in National History Bee Championship

Michael Metz, Emmitsburg resident and sixth grade student at Thurmont Middle School, traveled to Chicago to compete in the 2019 U.S. Middle & Elementary School History Bee National Championships on June 7-8. History Bee is a buzzer-based quiz competition that tests students on knowledge of world history and culture from the earliest civilizations through the twentieth century. Michael placed 32nd out of almost 260 sixth grade students from across the country and advanced to the Quarterfinal round.

Michael qualified for the National Championships as one of the top 10 sixth grade finalists at the Baltimore Regional History Bee Competition held on March 30. As a Regional finalist, he also qualified for the biennial International History Olympiad to be held July 2020. He was the only student from Frederick County to attend the National Championships.

Michael has been passionate about history from a very young age and studied a great deal to qualify for this competition. History Bee is an extracurricular club at Thurmont Middle School. Participating students met once a week and qualified to attend the Baltimore Regional Competition by taking an online exam over the winter. The students were assisted by Candace Desonier, Advanced Academic Specialist at Thurmont Middle School, and supported by the school’s Principal, Daniel Enck.