Commission President Tommy McKay addresses the crowd    -The Bay Net photos by Sean Rice

Citizens for and against a proposal to create a new youth football league administered by St. Mary’s Parks and Recreation weighted-in on the debate Tuesday night at a public forum.

Near 40 people filled a meeting room at the Lexington Park library for a St. Mary’s Board of Commissioners public forum for the opportunity to sound off on any issue they desire.

Only a fraction of the residents braved the podium to give their two cents or make an announcement, with issues ranging from the Newtowne Players 2006 season and a fundraiser concert this weekend, to an announcement that the Lexington Park Volunteer Rescue Squad is buying a new fleet of ambulances using only money in savings.

The dominating issue, though, was a county proposal to start a youth football league that would be the only football organization allowed to play on county public parks.

St. Mary’s Pigskin Football, a privately run organization, has been the county’s only youth football squad for near 30 years and currently contains 46 teams. The group has come under fire lately after a November incident in which a new Lexington Park team was reportedly ejected from the league after an argument among players, coaches, officials and parents broke out at a game.

A few people associated with the Pigskin league spoke in opposition to the plan, and a few parents spoke on favor of breaking the Pigskin monopoly on youth football, including a current coach for the league.

David Goddard, coach of four years and executive board member with the Pigskins, said he played football as a kid in the 1980s and is very appreciative of all the hard work put in by owners Don and Trudy Kemp, and others, but the time has come to break up the huge club into smaller regional clubs to form a county-wide league, as the county has proposed.

With smaller clubs that are centered in the various regions of the county, players, parents and club board members can have a more active role in the administration, Goddard said. Parents and players will have more ownership and pride the in their local clubs and volunteers would have less travel time. Since its inception the Pigskin league has grown so large, county-run administration and standards would be beneficial.

“There are almost 100,000 people living in the county and its growing at an unbelievable rate,” Goddard said. “The times have changed since I played the game and I think its time we changed with it. A lot of people don’t like change until it happens, but when it does, they will all support it.”

Aeschlimann

Prior to Goddard, Pigskin cheerleading director Andrea Aeschlimann again told the Board she does not support the proposal.

“I’m not in favor of county funds going toward starting a league,” she said.

In response to the question of funding, Parks and Recreation Director Phil Rollins stated his department’s plan calls for a new employee position to oversee the new league and administer a new set of federally recommended youth sports standards for all sport leagues, which also awaits a decision by the Commissioners.

In a “worst case scenario” the county would be asked to “loan” the new clubs in the new league up to $250,000 to get their feet on the ground and buy equipment.

Linda Thomas of Lexington Park took the podium and said her son has been playing with the Pigskins for 8 years, and she strongly supports a new county-run league.

She said the county would bring more equal representation and a

Thomas

“level, even playing field.” Also, she said there would be less of the “inappropriate behavior that’s been exhibited on the field.”

“I don’t feel I should have to go over the bridge to be sure my son can play football,” Thomas said.

Laurie Hale, a former Pigskin board member, questioned why the county is proposing to only regulate football, and said its not fair for citizens to be further taxed for the program.

“Residents should decide”… not the county based on a few “disgruntled parents,” Hale said.

Rollins again stated he hopes the Pigskin league will not feel alienated if a new league is created, and hope they participate.

Football is a particular sport, he said, and Calvert and Charles counties also administer their football programs, and not all volunteer sports. Also, if St. Mary’s had a county-run program, Calvert would allow inter-county games.

“We’re not re-inventing the wheel here,” Rollins said.

Before the forum was brought to a close, Minnie Russell, of Ridge, took the podium to announce that the long-awaited cell phone tower has finally gone up in Ridge. She also aired her complaints about skyrocketing property taxes.

Russell said her property taxes have tripled on her properties, and people such as her on a fixed income with properties in holding cannot afford to maintain paying taxes.

“I’m going to have to get the hell out, if somebody doesn’t do something,” she said.

Commission President Tommy McKay reminded the crowd that lawmakers in Annapolis set the property tax rate increases, and St. Mary’s county is doing all they can to keep rates in check. He noted the property tax rate cap for seniors aged 70 and their spouses, and the 5 percent cap on per-year property tax payment liabilities. Though the senior tax cap only pertains to the property the taxpayer lives in, not investment properties.

Other facts McKay pointed to: St. Mary’s takes in on average $570 per resident in property tax, compared to $780 in Charles and $770 in Calvert. Also only two counties in the state have lower tax rates than St. Mary’s: Talbot and Worcester counties.

When Russell commented from her seat that the senior cap and 5 percent cap only pertain to county property taxes, not state taxes, McKay joked, “I know, I can’t control the state, yet.”

See the original story on the youth football proposal to the commissioners HERE

Parks and Recreation Director Phil Rollins explains the football proposal

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