Welcome to the Town of Oxford

Dear Residents,

As you have heard, we mutually agreed to part ways with Michael Calvert on Thursday as we determined that the situation was not a good fit. Mr. Calvert underwent a pre-employment background check, but the results of such are confidential personnel records and not subject to disclosure. At this time, we want to assure our citizens that we heard their concerns about the hiring process. We intend to be patient and deliberate in our efforts to fill this important position. This may result in the placement of an interim Town Manager.

During this time, we ask that you be patient with us and Town staff, as the office will be short-handed. We also hope that this time period of transition will allow our Town some time to mend its current divisions.  

We received applications from 7 qualified candidates and were surprised when 3 candidates later withdrew prior to their scheduled interviews, and 1 failed to respond to a request for an interview. Of the 3 candidates that we interviewed, 1 was not willing to relocate from Southern Maryland, and the other lacked the necessary experience for the job. This process has made us aware of the unique qualifications and characteristics that our Town needs in its Town Manager. 

We will strive to use the next few months to generate interest of potential leaders of our small, unique Town.  We hope to solicit a vast pool of applicants in the future using all options available. We request everyone’s cooperation to achieve this goal. 

The Commissioners of Oxford 


OXFORD ELECTION STREAMING 

The recording of the Town of Oxford election and canvass will be posted on the Town website for a period of 10 days for the public to view. Due to the size of the video, it will be removed after 10 days. The right of each voter to cast a ballot free from intimidation or coercion is a foundational principle of a free and democratic society. Federal law prohibits voter intimidation, knowingly or willfully intimidating, threatening, or coercing any person, or attempting to do so, for registering to vote or voting, and forcing or threatening to injure, intimidate, or interfere with any person because the person voted. Shall the Town become aware that individuals are utilizing the video for voter intimidation, the Town will contact the Office of the Attorney General.

Oxford Election Recording Link: 

https://townhallstreams.com/stream.php?location_id=156&id=60907


TOWN OF OXFORD PUBLIC NOTICE OF 2024 ELECTION

Election Results June 18, 2024

Norman Bell – 224 Votes

Joshua Coder – 212 Votes

Commissioner elect Norman Bell will be issued the Oath of Office at the next Commissioners Meeting on July 9, 2024 at 6 pm.

TOWN COMMISSIONER MEETINGS ARE NOW STREAMING LIVE AT: https://townhallstreams.com/towns/oxford_md

Streaming disclaimer: There may be circumstances where, due to technical difficulties or internet reliability, live streaming may be disrupted and unavailable. The Town will make every effort to ensure proper functioning, but cannot be held responsible or liable for temporary unavailability due to technical reasons beyond our control. Should you experience any difficulties, please go back to the Town of Oxford’s website and re-access the townhallstreams link from there. Contact the town office at 410-226-5122 with any questions or concerns.


Want to receive communications from the Town Staff?  You can subscribe to the Town’s Constant Contact program by e-mailing Vickie Sharp at [email protected]


The Town of Oxford is pleased to have available the Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for Calendar Year 2023. This report is designed to inform you of the quality of water and services that the town delivers to you every day. The Annual Drinking Water Quality Report  is mailed with the quarterly water bills at the end of June of each year and can also be found here:  Oxford 2023 CCR

The Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for each Calendar Year is provided to the public by July 1st of the new year by mail and posted here.

Prior year report:   Oxford 2022 CCR  

If you live in Oxford’s service area, but do not receive a water bill, you can also pick up a hard copy at the Town Office at 101 Market Street.



R. Gordon Graves Community Service Scholarship Opportunity

The 2024 application season for the R. Gordon Graves Community Service Scholarship has closed. We will be listing winners here in the near future. More information on the annual program can be found here. 


Congratulations Chief Chris Phillips!
 
Click picture for video:

Talbot Works: May 2, 2024 – The Oxford Mews Project was honored with a 2024 Talbot County Community Impact Award for its revitalization of commercial property in Oxford. A Sweet Partnership Built in 1878, the two-story Mews building sits at the intersection of Morris and Market streets, anchoring the tiny downtown Oxford business district. Over the years, it has been home to a general store, an art gallery, a smokehouse, and a combination bike shop and gourmet market. At one point, the historic building was even slated to become a pizza parlor, but problems ensued, and the project faltered. The Oxford Mews soon fell into disrepair and sat empty before the Town Commissioners intervened. “When I first moved here with my wife in 2001, you could come in here and buy a bicycle tire, cocktail napkins, and a steak,” says current Oxford Commissioners President Tom Costigan. “It was looking rather forlorn until the whole process of the rejuvenation and the renovation of the building took place. And that’s what you see here today.” Long a member of the Historic District Commission, Costigan believes in the preservation of historic buildings, and he says the renovation is nothing short of “fantastic.” Not only does it house a key commercial business, but there also are two renovated apartments upstairs and two new apartments in a back addition. The project has breathed new life into the town’s core. In 2017, the Town of Oxford purchased the dilapidated property and used Town funds and grant money to stabilize the building. Town commissioners announced in 2021 that they had leased the building to Rich and Christine Leggett. The public-private partnership helping to make this project a reality was a victory for the town, for the business community, and for residents. The town’s beloved Scottish Highland Creamery was located on Tilghman Street at the time, and owners Christine and Rich Leggett had no plans to move—until the renovation of The Mews began. The couple had purchased another building in the center of town, across the street from The Mews, and founded the coffee shop Oxford Social after also purchasing the creamery from founders Susan and Victor Barlow. “We bought that building because we recognized we needed a way to expand our ice cream production capability,” Rich explains. “The Scottish Highland Creamery is a gathering place for the community in the summer, but there was nothing like that in the winter. That’s what the coffee shop turned out to be.” Looking at The Mews, day in and day out, fired the couple’s imaginations. Though Rich had enjoyed a long career in banking and finance, working on Wall Street and in both New York and London, his true dream was to own an ice cream business. “I stood there many days and looked across the street, and I saw this beautiful building that was sitting empty,” Rich says. “If you had called a Hollywood set designer and said, ‘Design me an ice cream parlor out of central casting,’ it would be this building.” Renovating The Oxford Mews turned into a COVID project for the Leggetts. “It was just a shell,” Rich says. “We had an aesthetic in mind. We wanted it to be somewhat like an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, and we really had a blank canvas to work with. We wanted it to feel a little bit nautical, a little bit old-fashioned. I think we were able to achieve that.” Ranked as one of the top small-batch ice cream parlors in the country by TripAdvisor, the Scottish Highland Creamery was known far and wide even before it moved to The Oxford Mews. The secret? “Everything’s made in small batches, one or two gallons at a time,” Rich explains. The creamery even has a budding wholesale business, with hand-packed quarts sold in markets and stores across the Eastern Shore. Before it was renovated, Costigan remembers walking past The Mews building and seeing empty plastic party glasses sitting on the table, left to decay. “It was as if somebody just locked the door and said, ‘Oxford, we’ll see you later,’” he says. “Fortunately, someone has now said ‘Oxford, I’m happy to come here and start a business.’ That’s what we have here today, and I think it’s been a great addition.” The Talbot County Business Appreciation Summit is hosted annually by the Talbot County Department of Economic Development and Tourism in partnership with the Talbot County Economic Development Commission. This year’s summit sponsors include Platinum Sponsor APG Chesapeake, Gold Sponsors BSC Group and Easton Utilities, and Silver Sponsors Shore United Bank and the Talbot County Chamber of Commerce. 

See all our winners on our YouTube Channel:  Talbot County Economic Development and Tourism


April 9, 2024 – Commission President Tom Costigan issued the Oath of Office to Vickie Sharp, the new Oxford Clerk-Treasurer

 Photo credit: Robert Burgner

 

To participate in the Talbot County Emergency Alert Notification program please follow instructions found here: Citizen Alert Registration

 


 

 

 

 

The presentation is available on the OCC YouTube channel below: 


Please visit the Oxford Resilience tab for the latest information on the town’s resilience efforts, including the completed Oxford 2100 Strategic Resilience Plan.

 Visit Ready.Gov to learn more about the risk Hurricanes and other weather related events pose and the advance planning that will keep you and your family safe. Local information can be found at the links below:

Oxford Emergency Preparedness

Oxford Hurricane Preparation

Talbot County Emergency Services Hurricane Information  

Are you prepared for a flood? Brochure 2022

When is the best time to purchase Flood Insurance? 

All residents should access the vulnerability of your individual properties and make sure you have a Flood Insurance Policy in place. The current Flood Insurance rates are less than they have been in past and if you do not have a policy, this would be a good time to get one. As participants in the FEMA Community Rating System, Oxford residents also receive a 15% discount off normal NFIP rates. Most Homeowner Insurance providers can assist you with Flood Insurance or put you in contact with a Flood Insurance provider.

And as mentioned in a past newsletter, you may also want to consider downloading the MyCoast app on your phone and participate in collecting high tide flooding information for our community to help inform our future planning… mycoast.org/md  

Planning Commission information regarding the update as it becomes available can be found at the link below:

UPDATE TO THE OXFORD COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2023

The Planning Commission proposed the adoption of a new Oxford Sewer Tier Map as a recommendation to the Commissioners of Oxford based on the recent public input. 

Res 2308 Growth Tier Map 2023 as approved by the Commissioners of Oxford on August 22, 2023. 


For the most recent Notices of Public Hearings and Request for ProposalsPublic Notices/Public Hearings

For Commissioner and Board Agendas: Meeting Agendas

Other town news and information can be found below and at: News, Calendar and Town Information

Recent Information concerning ongoing efforts to build resilience for Oxford can be found here:  Oxford Resilience

Oxford Shoreline Improvements      

Oxford Community Resilience Committee CRC

Information regarding Oxford’s Economic Development efforts can be found here: Oxford Economic Development


 


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Please note this website is currently going through a domain transition and some functionality may be lost. If you discover missing information or a non responsive page, please email the information to [email protected]

Complete copies of all ordinances, meeting minutes, maps, and other town records are maintained in the Oxford Town Office. This website, and the partial records shown on this website, are provided as a convenience only. This website is not a repository of official public records of the Town of Oxford.