Vienna’s Commissioners met on April 13 with Mayor Pam Travers, Commissioners Greg Cusick and Frank Fluharty, and Town Clerk Kelsie Abey. Ten residents and five scheduled guests attended. The evening covered territory that would challenge a city government twice Vienna’s size: a state-funded infrastructure project stalled by an unresolved land dispute, a new water treatment plant in preliminary design, a federal deadline for lead pipe replacement, and a foundational question about which version of the Town Charter is actually in effect — and whether Vienna has the legal authority to borrow the money its infrastructure projects require.
First, a Charter Question — and Why It Has to Be Resolved
The most immediately consequential item of the evening concerned not pipes or parcels, but paperwork. Questions arose about past charter amendments that don’t appear in the version of the Town Charter currently posted by the State’s Department of Legislative Services. The official version on record remains the 2011 Charter.
The missing amendments are significant: one would have extended Commissioners’ terms from two to four years; another would have required that only individuals who have served a full term as Commissioner may run for Mayor. If those amendments were never formally transmitted to and recorded by the Department of Legislative Services — the step that makes charter amendments legally effective in Maryland — they may not be operative. That question has real consequences: if the amendments aren’t valid, Vienna may be required to hold elections this May, and eligibility for Mayor would be open rather than restricted to current incumbents.
Clarity on this is essential, in part because a public hearing is already scheduled for April 27 on a new proposed Charter amendment — one that has nothing to do with elections and everything to do with Vienna’s ability to fund its infrastructure projects.
The Amendment Vienna Actually Needs Right Now
Bond counsel Pete Golba attended the March 23 Commissioners meeting to explain a proposed “Resolution Concerning Borrowing Powers” that will be the subject of the April 27 public hearing. The full text can be picked up at Town Hall, and is also available at ViennaRadio.com.
What it does, in plain terms: Vienna’s existing Charter contains borrowing authority, but it is buried inside a Water and Sewerage subheading written in 1933, entangled with repayment structures and accounting rules that don’t reflect how municipal finance works today. Before Vienna can cleanly execute the $8.4 million state revolving loan for its wastewater upgrade, or the USDA loan for its new Water Treatment Plant, the Town needs borrowing authority that is legally up to the task.
The proposed amendment moves that authority into a standalone section, broadens it to cover any public facility, frees water and sewer debt from the 1933 accounting constraints, and aligns tax anticipation note provisions with current Maryland law. It doesn’t authorize any specific borrowing — it simply gives Vienna the legal architecture to borrow responsibly when the time comes.
Without it, the financial plumbing can’t be installed. That’s why the April 27 hearing matters.
A 20-Foot Strip, an $8.4 Million Project, and a Clock That’s Running
State records show that Vienna’s wastewater treatment plant Enhanced Nutrient Removal (ENR) upgrade was already programmed on Maryland’s Water Quality Revolving Loan Fund priority list, with $8.4 million in funding lined up and a projected construction start of June 2026. That date is not likely to be met. The Maryland Department of the Environment’s April 2026 BayStat report — a monthly statewide tracking document — still lists Vienna among just seven minor wastewater plants in the Planning phase, the earliest stage in the process. Nine comparable facilities across the state are already in Design; three are under active construction; sixty-six major plants have completed ENR upgrades entirely, most between 2006 and 2024.
The holdup is a 20′ x 50′ strip of land adjacent to the plant. NRG has stated the parcel belongs to Delmarva Power. Delmarva Power has not responded to the Town’s inquiries. Vienna’s upgrade is sitting in administrative limbo — not for lack of funding, not for lack of state priority, but for want of a response to a letter.
This is not a discretionary wish-list item. Every Vienna household contributes $15 quarterly to the Bay Restoration Fund that finances these upgrades. At a Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce meeting last Saturday, State Delegate for District 37B Tom Hutchinson noted that Vienna’s wastewater plant was among the most significant items from Dorchester County to survive the recent legislative session — and acknowledged afterward that it advanced as an MDE priority, and that Dorchester County needs to do a better job identifying and elevating its projects during the legislative process. The BayStat records bear that out.
Chris Derbyshire, a licensed engineer with GMB who attended the meeting, is working with the Town on the wastewater project. He indicated a willingness to help shepherd Vienna through the process — and made clear that what’s needed now is a plan to get out of the starting gate.
A New Water Treatment Plant
On a separate but related front, Katherine McCallister of GMB briefed the Commissioners on the Town’s effort to design and build a new municipal Water Treatment Plant — a project that goes well beyond replacing aging wells and encompasses the full water supply system. A Preliminary Engineering Report and testing of potential new well sites are required before construction can begin. The project has both a USDA grant and a loan in place, though the Town may need interim financing to bridge the gap. A $10 million federal support request has been submitted to Senator Van Hollen’s office; if awarded, it would reduce the USDA grant before affecting the loan. Like Derbyshire on the wastewater side, McCallister expressed readiness to help guide Vienna through the project.
In other words, both engineers are at the table and willing to help move things forward. The borrowing authority amendment is what allows Vienna to meet them there.
Lead Lines and a Federal Deadline
Also on the agenda: Vienna’s obligations under the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule. Beginning in 2027, municipalities must begin replacing lead service lines — typically ten percent per year through 2037. The Town previously asked residents to photograph their water pipes to help identify which lines need replacement. Of 239 affected customers, 159 did not respond. As of the April 13 meeting, Vienna does not yet have a replacement plan. State assistance is available to help develop one.
The Park Grant and a Window That Won’t Stay Open
Vienna has received a $244,000 grant to redesign its entrance park — and this opportunity, too, has a clock on it. Unexpended state grant funds are not guaranteed to wait indefinitely; the State has signaled it may begin reclaiming funds that aren’t being put to use. So far, only a couple of residents have volunteered to help shape the redesign. The discussion during public comment made clear that the Town is actively looking for more voices. This is the kind of project that benefits from community input early, while the plan is still being written. If you’ve ever had a thought about what Vienna’s front door should look like, now is the time to say so.
A Full Plate
Vienna is a town of roughly 300 people, served by a Town Clerk and elected Commissioners who meet twice a month. The items on the April 13 agenda — an $8.4 million wastewater upgrade in administrative limbo, a new Water Treatment Plant in preliminary design, a federal lead-pipe deadline approaching, a Charter in need of resolution, and a park grant waiting on community engagement — represent a level of complexity that strains any small municipality.
The state agencies and engineers working on these projects have signaled, clearly and repeatedly, that they are ready to help move things forward. The April 27 public hearing is Vienna’s next chance to clear the path. It starts at 7 p.m., and the Commissioners meeting follows.
A native Hoosier, Kathryn Masten, Ph.D., is a community informatics scholar who has spent her career helping small communities use information, technology, and local networks to address real‑world problems. She and her husband, Randy Cain, relocated to Vienna in 2021 from Ingleside on the Bay, Texas, a once‑quiet coastal village now surrounded by petrochemical expansion. Kathryn is President of the Community Informatics Institute, home of the Dorchester Connect initiative and the forthcoming low‑power FM radio station in Vienna. As advocates of renewable energy, she and Randy are currently transforming a former sailing catamaran into a fully solar‑electric “smart boat.”
