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ANNAPOLIS---At today’s Board of Public Works meeting, Comptroller Peter Franchot announced plans to open his agency’s first remote customer call center to assist taxpayers during the 2017 tax season. The new center, which will open in early January adjacent to the existing Salisbury Branch Office at Sea Gull Square, will enhance the agency’s ability to assist taxpayers in a timely manner and add up to 25 jobs to the local economy.

“This new center will substantially increase our capacity to respond more quickly to taxpayers’ calls – especially during the busy tax season -- and boost Salisbury’s local economy with some new jobs,” Comptroller Franchot said.

The new center’s staff will assist Marylanders with tax questions and tax payment options. During the busy tax season from January through April, the agency’s current Taxpayer Services unit in Annapolis typically swells from 35 to 75 employees to handle the volume of taxpayer inquiries. Some of the new Salisbury jobs will be permanent and others will be temporary during the tax season.

Salisbury University President Janet Dudley-Eshbach praised Comptroller Franchot for his broad vision and his ability to work with multiple constituencies to benefit Maryland taxpayers.

“We are pleased that the Maryland Comptroller’s Office is creating its first remote customer call center in the state at Sea Gull Square on the campus of Salisbury University,” President Dudley-Eshbach said. “The Lower Eastern Shore will benefit from the 25 professional jobs to be offered at the center. ³ÉÈ˶¶Òõstudents, we hope, also will have opportunities to learn there with internships in communications, public service and other fields.”

Salisbury Mayor Jake Day said the city is proud to welcome an expansion of the Comptroller's Office.

“Maryland taxpayers from the Eastern Shore are grateful for the services provided from this office without requiring trips over the Bay Bridge,” Mayor Day said. “We thank the talented team in the Comptroller's Office and Comptroller Franchot for his continued, focused and dedicated service to Maryland, the Eastern Shore and Salisbury."

Training for the new hires will begin at the Salisbury office and continue in Annapolis later this fall. The call center will not be open to the public, but anyone with a tax question or in need of free tax help can stop by the neighboring Salisbury Branch Office at Unit 182, 1306 S. Salisbury Blvd., weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Anyone interested in one of the positions may go to https://www.jobaps.com/MD/ for more information and to apply.