EASTON, MARYLAND — Easton Town Council met Aug. 17 at 5:30 p.m. at 14 South Harrison Street with the East End Small Area Plan still on its desk.

The Planning Commission held a public hearing on the draft East End Small Area Plan on March 26, 2026, and voted unanimously to forward a favorable recommendation to the Town Council. On April 16, 2026, the commission took a formal resolution vote to transmit that recommendation. Chair Phil Toussaint's commission recommended that the council adopt it. The plan's stated aim is to stabilize neighborhood character, improve walkability, and set rules for redevelopment on the east side of town rather than handling parcels one by one. A council public hearing is still required before adoption. Until that hearing is noticed and closed, the favorable recommendation remains a recommendation, not an adopted map.

The fiscal frame for that work is now the town's current FY27 budget, about $30.4 million, introduced by Mayor Megan Cook on May 4, 2026, and later adopted by council — not the prior FY26 $28.1 million general fund. The property-tax rate remains 52 cents per $100 of assessed value, unchanged since 2008. Public safety and public works still take the largest shares.

Council sessions are live on MCTV 98 and at eastonmd.gov. The Patriot will recap the East End hearing when the council holds it.