Honoring Those Who Protect, Serve

The nearly $4 million proposed budget is a 9 percent increase in expenditures but includes $125,000 for new attractions at the public water park and more than $1 million for the Chesapeake Beach Railway Trail, a project that has been in the works for about 20 years but is expected to go to bid in four months, Donovan said.

The proposed budget showed a 10 percent increase in user fees for the town's utility customers. The bills would average about $29 more per year, according to town officials.

The budget is scheduled for official adoption in June.

Marking Charles's 350th

Maryland's U.S. Sens. Benjamin L. Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski, both Democrats, co-sponsored a Senate resolution that passed unanimously last week recognizing Charles County's 350th anniversary this year.

"Nestled on the banks of the Potomac River, Charles County has been an active participant in American history since the earliest colonial days and the Articles of Confederation, through the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln's [assassination], to modern developments in defense and naval warfare. I am proud to recognize this gateway to Southern Maryland that has been thriving since 1658," Cardin said in a statement on the resolution.

Mikulski added: "Every citizen in Charles County has a lot to be proud of today, and I am even prouder to recognize each and every one of them for 350 wonderful years."

Democratic Club Meeting

The Democratic Club of St. Mary's County will meet Monday at Petruzzi's Restaurant in Wildewood Shopping Center in Lexington Park.

The guest speaker will be Rick Tarr, solid waste and recycling manager for St. Mary's. He will discuss county programs to reduce, reuse and recycle waste. He will also talk about single-stream recycling.

A buy-your-own dinner will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the meeting at 7.

Donation for Tasers

The Charles County Sheriff's Office recently received a $25,000 donation from the Greater Waldorf Jaycees, the Waldorf Jaycees Foundation and the Waldorf Lions to purchase Tasers for officers.

Jaycees President Eric Vrem, Jaycees Foundation President Dick Gregory, Jaycees past president and sheriff's Sgt. Paul Gregory, Lions president and sheriff's Capt. Mike McGuigan and Lions member John Grimes presented the check to Sheriff Rex W. Coffey (D) at the Waldorf Jaycees Community Center.

The donation was provided through a foundation established as a joint effort between the Jaycees and the Lions. This foundation also donated $25,000 to the Sheriff's Office last year for Tasers. The latest donation brings to 122 the number of officers equipped with the devices. The Sheriff's Office began purchasing the stun gun devices in 2002.