Sykesville's Town Council president said Monday she wants the town to hold a meeting dedicated to the proposal to annex Springfield Hospital Center.

Town Council President Jeannie Nichols said she has a lot of unanswered questions and would like to see the town analyze and discuss the effects an annexation could have.

"It would be nice to see what the resources were, how the money breaks down for the initial annexation and what are the legal ramifications; ... how it would affect the police department," she said.

Mayor Jonathan Herman said he hopes to invite state planning officials to a meeting on annexation. He's expecting to talk to or meet with Gov. Martin O'Malley and state Department of Economic Development to discuss the topic as well as the Warfield Cultural and Commerce Center.

Herman said annexation would be beneficial to the town, but the process would take time.

"Clearly there are challenges, but with a broad brush stroke, clearly there would be advantages to the town if (Springfield) were in the town," he said.

Town officials are exploring whether it should annex Springfield Hospital Center so it can have more say and control over land and building use on the campus. Officials have expressed displeasure regarding communication of the Sykesville Secure Evaluation and Therapeutic Treatment program's move into the hospital's Muncie Building.

This month, the state's Developmental Disabilities Administration program will move nine patients from the closing Rosewood Center in Owings Mills.

Town intern Brady Dyjak said the legal and engineering costs of annexing Springfield could cost $5,000 to $13,000.

The advantage to the town, Herman said, would be controlling both land that could be developed and 22 vacant buildings, mostly in the Martin Gross area and Clark Circle, that could be leased or sold to private corporations, developing an additional business tax base for the town.

Town Manager Matt Candland said about 500-plus acres of undeveloped land at Springfield lay along Route 32.

"It's not a question of if it's going to be developed, it's going to be a question of when it's going to be developed," Candland said. "I think it would be very important for us to at least have a say in it and have some influence."

Some costs to be considered include hiring an additional police officer, at a cost of about $60,000 including benefits, and whether to accept state roads at Springfield and maintain them, Dyjak said.

The cost depends on how the land and buildings develop, Candland said.

One factor some officials are weighing is what kind of respect the state will give to the town in regards to planning in the state's buildings and land.

State planning and zoning overrides local zoning, but traditionally the state respects local planning and zoning.

Police hammer out details

Meanwhile, Sykesville Police Chief John Williams Jr. is working with organizations and agencies to clarify responsibilities and communication on the Springfield campus.

Williams said he has drafted a memorandum of understanding with the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as well as a written policy for his officers to follow when responding to calls at Springfield.

He said he has to ready his department for the transfer of Rosewood Center patients, which could come as early as Nov. 20.

Currently -- and also in the memorandum -- Maryland State Police would be the lead agency in charge of the campus and buildings, Williams said.

"As it stands right now, we have no authority over those (state) facilities even though they reside within our jurisdiction," he said.

The draft Sykesville Police Department policy discusses communication responsibilities, and also dictates what information town officers should gather to determine if notification to the community and surrounding businesses, schools and agencies is necessary.

Williams met Nov. 5 with representatives from Fairhaven Retirement Community, Sykesville Middle School, Carroll County Board of Education, State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Springfield Hospital Center and the Developmental Disabilities Administration to talk about sharing information in times of an incident on campus.

Williams said he intends to meet with other parts of the community, such as Warfield businesses, to develop communication plans.

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