This morning we started off with a Joint Meeting with the Board of Education at their offices. We discussed our FY23 Budget, the Kirwan Blueprint updates, Staffing, and Summer Programming. I asked the Board of Education to work with our Recreation and Parks team to try to find a solution for some long-standing camps that have taken place in the school system for many years. We then adjourned and returned to the commissioner’s meeting room for our regular meeting. I would encourage everyone to go back and watch the joint meeting to hear about some of the state level impacts that are coming down to the county.
Our regular meeting started off with the Invocation and Pledge followed by the approval of the Consent Agenda. We then presented Proclamations for Older Americans Month and National Transportation Week.
We also participated in a presentation of a symbolic check for $2,705 to the Jane Hale Sypher Scholarship Fund to the College of Southern Maryland. These funds were raised by our Commission for Women during their symposium. Thank you for all of your hard work every year to support our community!
Our only Main Agenda item was approval of the Comcast Franchise Agreement. We held a Public Hearing on this agreement on April 26th. Just a reminder, the Commissioners are in full support of competition with Broadband Services in St. Mary’s County. This agreement allows Comcast to make use of the county’s right-of-ways, but in no way prohibits other cable companies from entering St. Mary’s County.
Moving into County Administrator time, our first item of business was review of upcoming meeting agendas. Second we approved the Living Well Center of Excellence Application for the Department of Aging and Human Services – this allows for the delivery of evidence-based programs to help older adults maintain independence. Third we approved a grant application for the FY2022 National Fish and Wildlife Design Grant for the Piney Point Shore Erosion on the Lagoon Side of the property. This grant will provide $75,000 in Federal Funds and require $20,217 in county funds. Fourth we approved a revision to the by-laws of the Commission for People with Disabilities to change their meeting schedule to bi-monthly—this was requested by the commission. I also advocated for a formal name change from “Commission on People with Disabilities” to “Commission for People with Disabilities,” and I appreciate the other commissioners supporting that idea. Our final item of business was approval of department reorganizations to move a Fiscal Specialist IV from Emergency Services to the Finance Department.
During Commissioner Time I spoke about a letter that we received from Maryland Transportation Secretary James Ports regarding suicides on the Thomas Johnson “Solomons” Bridge. Because of our request for the state to assist, they are performing a feasibility study to identify measures that will help prevent or deter suicides from the bridge and he informed us that the results of that study will be shared with us upon its completion. After Commissioner Time we entered into Closed Session to discuss Personnel.
This afternoon we will hold our second to last Budget Work Session. The budget is scheduled to be approved on May 24th and we have some updated revenue information and multiple budget appeals to review.
#CommissionerUpdate
