Beach town hires former its first ever administrator

One year after leaving Calvert County government following a tenure of nearly 30 years and serving in three administrative posts, Linda Vassallo is making North Beach history.

Officials in the bayside municipality announced June 18 that Vassallo has been appointed North Beach’s first town administrator.

“This pivotal step signifies our commitment to enhanced governance and community development,” North Beach Mayor Mike Benton said in a press release. “Linda’s extensive background in public service and proven leadership abilities make her the ideal candidate to help guide our town as we continue to build on our strengths and embrace new opportunities for the benefit of every member of our community.”

The mayor did not respond by deadline to a request for the salary of the new position.

Vassallo, who earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Towson University, started with Calvert government in 1996 as the county’s first marketing and communications specialist. Three years later she became director of economic development and in 2017 she was appointed Calvert’s first communications and media relations department director. In 2020 Vassallo was named deputy county administrator.

“I have been incredibly fortunate throughout my career to work and learn from so many talented individuals,” Vassallo said. “I am excited to embark on this journey to support the residents in making meaningful contributions to the community.”

Town property tax lowered to match constant yield

During their June meeting the North Beach Town Council unanimously approved the municipality’s fiscal 2025 budget, which totals $3.75 million. The largest revenue source is from town property taxes, for which the rate has been lowered for the fifth straight year.

It is noted in the town’s budget summary that the rate of $0.5272 per $100 of assessed value “matches the constant yield.”

The total town property tax revenue is estimated at $1.665 million for the new fiscal year, which begins July 1.

The second-highest revenue source is gambling revenue — the town’s take of the electronic gaming receipts in the Twin Beaches area ($503,000) — followed by water front development ($454,513). The latter category mostly comes from beach fees charged to out-of-town visitors of the beach and pier.