How Garrett Park Government Works

Mayor and Town Council

The Town Council is made up of the Mayor and five Councilmembers. Each is elected for a two-year term on the first Monday in May. The Mayor and two members are elected in even-numbered years, the remaining three Councilmembers in the odd-numbered years.

The Council meets on the second Monday of each month in the Town Hall at 8:00 PM, unless stated otherwise. Meeting agendas are posted in the Post Office and on the Garrett Park Web Site a week before a meeting. If you wish to place an item on the agenda you should contact the Mayor or the Town Office. Council meeting minutes are available from the town office and on the Garrett Park Web Site.

Annually, after the Town election on the 1^st Monday in May, the Mayor assigns specific areas of responsibility to members of the Council.

Each year the Mayor is required by the Town Charter to submit a budget to the Town Council for the up-coming fiscal year. The Council must adopt the budget as an ordinance. Recent budgets and a description of budget accounts are available on the Garrett Park Web Site.

The responsibilities of the Town's elected officials are set forth in the Section 78-16 and 78-17 of the Town Charter.

Town Administrator/Clerk-Treasurer

All Maryland municipalities are required by state law to have a clerk and a treasurer. Many small municipalities combine these two offices into one position, known as the clerk-treasurer. Most municipalities also appoint an administrator or manager to run the day-to-day operations of government. In Garrett Park that position is also combined, so that the senior appointed official is referred to as the Town Administrator/Clerk-Treasurer.

The town administrator is in charge of the Town Office. Questions, comments, concerns should be directed to the Town Office.

The responsibilities of the Clerk Treasurer are set forth in the Section 78-29 of the Town Charter.