We started off our meeting today with the Invocation and Pledge followed by the approval of the Consent Agenda. We then presented the following proclamations:
- Travel and Tourism Week
- National Afterschool Professionals Week
- Administrative Professionals Day
- Law Day
After a ten minute recess we held a Public Hearing on the Comcast Cable Franchise Agreement. We had no speakers. It is important to note that this franchise agreement in no way prevents other companies from entering St. Mary’s County to provide competition, and the Commissioners would love to see additional competition from internet providers. The record will remain open for a week for comment if you would like to review the agreement and provide feedback through email or mail.
During out Main Agenda time, we approved a request to change the zoning from Rural Preservation to Rural Commerce for 41170 Oakville Road in Mechanicsville (the Wentworth property). We also approved a Public Hearing for a requested change to the Zoning Ordinance that would allow for a property owner to apply for a Critical Area Variance to construct a swimming pool in the Critical Area Buffer. This is one of the strange exceptions where our current zoning regulations are more restrictive than the state regulations and this proposal would bring us in line with the state regulations. This hearing will be on the morning of May 17th.
Switching over to County Administrator time, our first item of business was review of upcoming meeting agendas. Second we heard a presentation on the Metropolitan Commission’s (METCOM) FY2023 Capital Improvement Budget FY2024-2028 Plan. Third we approved the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP-2) grant funds for $1,400,000—these funds will be used by the Housing Authority to help people at risk of eviction. To date the ERAP1 funding has assisted 504 families with rent and utilities and distributed $3,850,653.53. Fourth we approved waiving the landfill fees for Christmas in April projects—their annual build day is scheduled for Saturday, April 30th, so if you are looking for a great way to spend a Saturday, get plugged in with them as they help make our community a better place to live. Fifth we approved an option contract for property and easement for FDR Blvd phase 3B for $17,250. Sixth we approved a grant application for $1,856,000 for the Adult Detention and Rehabilitation Center (jail)—this is the fourth and final portion of the state’s funding (will total $13,628,000) for the renovation of the facility. Seventh we heard an informational briefing on EMS Staffing—the average ambulance response time from 911 phone call to arrival on scene is 7 minutes. We received the data on the number of calls that county career EMS are running and an update on EMS Billing. Since inception on July 1, 2021 (which includes a long “ramp-up” period), EMS Billing has collected $893,593.59, which is used to offset the cost of career EMS personnel. Eighth we approved Snow Hill Park Deed of gift that provides historical artifacts uncovered at the park to the Maryland Historical Trust. Our final item of business was approval of budget amendments to move $742,182 of salary and fringe savings to the Commissioner’s Emergency Reserve account and then move $1,729,888 from the Commissioner’s Emergency Reserve account to the snow removal account. Historically we have not budgeted for snow removal (since the amount changes every year) and then realign funds near the end of the Fiscal Year when the final costs are known—this year the costs of snow removal were high. The pending budget (that will go to Public Hearing tonight!) currently includes $849,475 allocated for snow removal, and we do have additional budget reserve funds that could be realigned to snow removal during the appeals process.
We finished the morning with a briefing from the County Attorney’s Office on Legislative Highlights from this past General Assembly session.
During Commissioner Time I spoke about some of the great activities over the past weekend, including the Ribbon Cutting at the 2nd District Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad building and the Helpful Hooves Carnival. This evening we will have a Budget Public Hearing at 6:30 pm at Chopticon High School—everyone is welcome to attend to listen or provide feedback (3 minutes per speaker) and the video will be replayed on Channel 95 and the County’s YouTube channel. During my Commissioner Time I made a mistake when discussing the Public Hearing…I referred to it as a Public Forum, if you were listening and caught that slip up, I apologize. A Forum is for general open discussion on any topic, but hearings are specific to certain topics at hand.
We then entered into Closed Session to discuss Personnel. Have a great week!
#CommissionerUpdate
