Oxford Commissioners Vote Tuesday on New Trash Rules and a Private Paid-Leave Plan for Town Staff

OXFORD, MARYLAND — Oxford commissioners vote Tuesday on a rewritten trash policy that limits each household to two lidded cans a week and keeps plastic bags off the curb for yard waste.

Under the draft policy, regular trash is collected Mondays, and cans must be out by 7 a.m. Each dwelling unit may set out two lidded cans of no more than 50 pounds each. Small businesses other than restaurants and marinas may set out three lidded cans per storefront, also capped at 50 pounds, with any food in a closed container. Recycling is collected Thursdays. Trash may not go out before 5 p.m. the day before collection, and containers should be pulled back by 9 p.m. on collection day.

Yard waste must be clean and go in authorized reusable 80-gallon bags with handles or reusable containers of no more than 50 gallons, with no more than three per collection and no plastic bags. Branches must be trimmed to no more than 4 feet long and 8 inches in diameter. Bulk trash, rubble and leaves are picked up as the commissioners budget for them, for residential use only. The town will not collect debris left by licensed contractors, and marinas and restaurants must provide their own dumpsters. A violation is a municipal infraction carrying a $50 fine, with each day a separate offense.

At their Oct. 27 work session, the commissioners said plastic bags should not be left curbside because of wildlife, according to draft minutes included with the agenda. The minutes say the commissioners also recommended posting the updated policy online for public review and comment before further consideration. Resolution 2604 is listed to be introduced and voted on the same night.

The commissioners will also decide how the town's nine employees get coverage under Maryland's paid family and medical leave law, known as FAMLI. Town Manager Holly Wahl's Nov. 5 memo recommends a private plan instead of the state-run program. The agenda asks the commissioners to authorize a declaration of intent to the state and fund the 0.45% employee rate in escrow starting Jan. 1, 2027; the memo says that means setting aside 0.45% of employees' gross wages. A second item would sign the town up with a private insurer the agenda names as "Renaissance." Premiums of $216.34 a month would start Jan. 1, 2028, pending state approval of the plan, which the agenda says is expected in October 2027. The memo says a declaration of intent to use a private plan is due by Nov. 15, and that employers with fewer than 15 workers pay no employer share.

In a work session, the commissioners will review boat slip policies and rates for 2027 for the 43 slips the town owns. Wahl's Nov. 6 memo says about 11 slip holders do not meet the town's rules for a slip and should not be renewed. Enforcing the rules would open about eight slips, the memo says. It also recommends giving slip holders 30 days to respond to renewal notices, and asks the commissioners to consider a special rate for watermen who are also active fire company members.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 101 Market St. and streams online on Town Hall Streams. The commissioners' next regular meetings are Nov. 24 and Dec. 7, which was moved from Dec. 8.