Today we started off our meeting with a moment of silence for both Pearl Harbor Day and in memory of Ridge Volunteer Fire Department member Joseph Ridgell.
After that we had the Invocation and Pledge followed by the approval of the Consent Agenda. The Consent Agenda included the minutes of last week’s meeting and:
- A letter to Ridge Volunteer Fire Department confirming that they will receive the proceeds from leased space on their radio tower
- A letter to a local scout waiving the site plan and permit application and review fees for his Eagle Scout project
- A letter to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources informing them of approval of a Deer Cooperator Permit Operation Plan for Naval Air Station Patuxent River
We then held a Public Hearing for a proposed ordinance to amend the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for Agricultural Beverage Production and Alcoholic Beverage Production. We had four people speak.
After that we heard our FY2021 Audit Report and approved acceptance. Our independent auditors issued an unmodified opinion. They did not discover any instances of fraud, no material weaknesses in internal controls, and there were no audit journal entries—this was a strong audit! Also interesting to note, our General Fund balance increased $22,435,495.
Moving into County Administrator time, our first item was review of upcoming meeting agendas. Second we approved a resolution providing county employees with two additional holiday leave days on December 23rd and 30th and approved of June 19th (Juneteenth) as an official county holiday since it is now a Federal holiday. Third we approved the continuation of a Legislative Bond Grant application through Senator Bailey’s office for $150,000 to design a Sports Complex in St. Mary’s County. Fourth we approved the Local Management Board’s FY2022 Community Partnership Agreement with $448,657 in state funds and $1,102 county funds—these funds provide a variety of services for children. Fifth we approved the American Rescue Plan Act of the Older Americans Act grant award for $335,690—these funds will be used for congregate meals, home delivered meals, preventive health and family caregiver services for pandemic recovery. Sixth we approved stipends for Non-Public School Bus Drivers for a total of $227,700 and O&M Maintenance Factor increase of $33,194—this mirrors the steps taken by the Board of Education last week so that we can maintain equal pay across all of our bus drivers. Seventh we approved the FY2022 Maryland Department of Transportation Capital Grant Agreement for the St. Mary’s Transit System (STS) for $311,445 ($249,156 Federal Funds and a required County match of $62,289)—this will be used for preventative maintenance and two small bus replacements. Eighth we approved submitting a grant application for Buses and Bus Facilities for $982,016 ($785,612 in federal funds and $196,404 in County match)—these funds will be used for Vehicle Maintenance Facility Addition and Renovation, vehicles for STS paratransit clients, vehicle maintenance equipment, and repair of a sinking concrete slab in the bus barn. Our final item of business was approval of an application for American Rescue Plan funds for the STS system for $121,500 that does not require a county match and would be used for cleaning/sanitizing vehicles and providing an additional driver.
After Commissioner’s Time we entered into Closed Session to discuss Personnel, Litigation and Real Property. We reentered open session to approve signing on with national opioid settlement agreement.
I’ll be on the Eastern Shore for the MACO Winter Conference this week…stay tuned for updates as the conference progresses!
