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HomeMy WebLinkAbout080212 February 12, 2008 Hagerstown, Maryland At 10:00 a.m. the Commissioners attended the building dedication for the new Technical Innovation Center at Hagerstown Community College. The regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Washington County, Maryland was called to order at 1:30 p.m. by President John F. Barr with the following members present: Vice President Terry L. Baker, and Commissioners Kristin B. Aleshire, and James F. Kercheval. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Invocation was delivered by Commissioner Barr, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag by the full assemblage. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – FEBRUARY 5, 2008 Motion made by Commissioner Kercheval, seconded by Baker, to approve the minutes of February 5, 2008 with corrections. Unanimously approved. COMMISSIONERS’ REPORTS AND COMMENTS Commissioner Baker reported that Senator Byrd has secured funding for a section of the rail-to-trail program from Hancock to Paw Paw, West Virginia. He stated that he attended Williamsport High School’s Transition Night for students who will be advancing from middle school to high school. He also noted that he attended the forum sponsored by the Citizens for the Protection of Washington County featuring the candidates for the elected Board of Education. Commissioner Kercheval thanked Greg Murray, County Administrator; Julie Pippel, Director of the Division of Environmental Management; and Earl Stoner, Health Officer, for their submittal of a grant application for septic system upgrades on time. He reported on the meetings of the City/County 2+2 Committee, the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) Legislative Committee, and the meeting with the Washington County Delegation to the General Assembly. Commissioner Kercheval stated that while in Annapolis, he and Commissioner Barr also met with the Leadership Washington County class that was also present that day and attended the State Library Association’s reception. He indicated that he toured the Frederick County Senior Citizens Center and spoke to a class at the University System of Maryland. Commissioner Aleshire stated that he attended the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition meeting. He noted that he distributed information from Earl Stoner, Health Officer, to the Commissioners regarding the clinical services provided by the Health Department for the prevention of teen pregnancy. Commissioner Aleshire indicated that he disagreed with the Delegation’s stance that additional gaming legislation is not necessary. He stated that he attended the Hancock Volunteer Fire & Emergency Services banquet, the Historic District Commission meeting, the Smithsburg Mayor & Council meeting, and the redistricting meeting held by Board of Education in Boonsboro. Commissioner Barr stated that he attended the Hancock Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company’s annual banquet and the Associated Builders & Contractors Annual Skills Olympics. He also reported on the University System of Maryland campus advisory meeting. REPORTS FROM COUNTY STAFF Mike Thompson, Director of Planning & Community Development, informed the Commissioners that the new procedures adopted for rezoning applications eliminated the need for a quarterly joint hearing. Mr. Thompson recommended using a semi-annual cycle for hearings, which will allow additional time for citizen input. He stated that the next hearing for the County Commissioners is scheduled for May 19. It was the consensus of the Commissioners to approve the process as outlined by Mr. Thompson. Gary Rohrer, Director of Special Projects, asked the Commissioners to approve a Change Order for a credit of $41,741.80 for the Court House Project. Mr. Rohrer stated that the credit is for six items related to the prisoner elevator project. FEBRUARY 12, 2008 PAGE TWO Motion made by Commissioner Kercheval, seconded by Aleshire, to approve the Change Order to the Court House Renovation Project totaling $45,741.80 with Callas Contractors, Inc. for six items related to the prisoner elevator. Unanimously approved. Norman Bassett, Public Information Officer, informed those in attendance that all recreation programs are cancelled tonight due to the inclement weather. UPDATE – COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENTS TO INCLUDE PRIORITY PRESERVATION AREAS Jill Baker, Senior Planner; and Eric Seifarth, Land Preservation Administrator, met with the Commissioners regarding the designation of the Priority Preservation Areas. Ms Baker explained that the Maryland General Assembly passed the Agricultural Stewardship Act of 2006 last year, which requires counties with certified land preservation programs to evaluate and designate Priority Preservation Areas where preservation funding could be directed. She stated that the County must amend its Comprehensive Plan to designate Priority Preservation Areas (PPAs) by July 1, 2008 to comply with the Act and to retain the additional 42% agricultural transfer tax from the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Program (MALPP) that the County receives for having a certified preservation program. Ms. Baker reviewed the priority ranking system currently used by the County to evaluate and prioritize lands where preservation funds should be spent. She indicated that the ranking system already implements the majority of the criteria to be evaluated for the PPAs. Ms. Baker reviewed the “Guidelines for Including Agricultural Land Protection in the Sensitive Areas Element of the Comprehensive Plan.” The meeting was opened for questions. Ms. Baker stated that a working draft of the recommendations will be discussed with the Planning Commission on February 18. The Commissioners thanked Ms. Baker and Mr. Seifarth for the information. (Commissioner Wivell arrived at the meeting at 2:40 p.m.) INITIAL CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PRIMER Debra Murray, Director of Finance; Joseph Kroboth, Director of Public Works; and Michael Thompson, Director of Planning, who are members of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Committee, met with the Commissioners to provide an initial overview of the 2009-2014 CIP budget for the Commissioners’ review. Ms. Murray reviewed the projected revenues for FY 2009. She estimated that there would be $1,000,000 in revenues for non- residential Excise Tax and $3,357,628 for residential. Ms. Murray also provided projections for Excise Tax for Fiscal Years 2009-2013 for a total amount generated of $22,638,140. Commissioner Kercheval asked for a breakdown showing how she arrived at the projections. Ms. Murray provided information on the County transfer tax for FY 2008. She projected downward trends in the FY 2008 budget but stated that the budget will be held at $3 million in anticipation of an increase in refinancing due to the drop in mortgage interest rates. Ms. Murray included three scenarios based on the existing trend and exceeding or falling trends. She also noted that $400,000 of these revenues is, by law, reserved for agricultural preservation and that she would be creating a separate account for these funds beginning in FY 2009. Ms. Murray outlined the rating criteria used by the CIP Committee to rank the projects. She indicated that requests for the six-year program (2009-14) total $796 million. Greg Murray, County Administrator, stated that the requests increased by over $300 million since last year. Ms. Murray informed the Commissioners that the CIP Committee would be working on the final project review. She stated that the projects were listed essentialdesirable in five categories and ranked as , , acceptabledeferrablehold , or . The Commissioners reviewed the project rank summary and the meeting was opened for questions and discussion. FEBRUARY 12, 2008 PAGE THREE ADJOURNMENT Motion made by Commissioner Kercheval, seconded by Baker, to adjourn at 3:52 p.m. Unanimously approved. ___________________________ County Administrator ___________________________ County Attorney ________________________ County Clerk