Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout941011 October 11, 1994 Hagerstown, Maryland 21740 The Regular Meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Washington County was called to order at 9:00 a.m. by the President, Richard E. Roulette, with the following members present: Vice President Ronald L. Bowers, and Commissioners Linda C. Irvin-Craig, John S. Shank, and Gregory I. Snook. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Invocation was delivered by Commissioner Snook, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag by the full assemblage. BOARD/COMMISSION REPORTS Commissioner Irvin-Craig reported on the Action for Homeless Conference and reviewed recommendations from the Historic District Commission meeting; Commissioner Bowers reported on the Planning Commission meeting; Commissioner Shank reported on the Parks Board meeting; and Commissioner Roulette reported on the Convention and Visitors Bureau meeting. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - SEPTEMBER 27 AND OCTOBER 4, 1994 Motion made by Commissioner Irvin-Craig, seconded by Bowers, to approve the minutes of September 27, 1994, and October 4, 1994, as submitted. Unanimously approved. TAX ABATEMENTS - RURITAN & CIVIC CLUBS Motion made by Commissioner Bowers, seconded by Snook, to approve the abatement of personal property taxes for the listed Ruritan Clubs and civic organizations, in accordance with Tax-Property Article 4-401, Section 7-204, of the Annotated Code of Maryland, and submitted by the County Treasurer. Motion carried with Commissioners Bowers, Snook, Shank, and Roulette voting "AYE" and Commissioner Irvin-Craig "ABSTAINING". (Copy of list attached.) TIPPING FEES - DIGBY BUILDING Barry Teach, County Administrator, presented a request from the City of Hagerstown to consider waiving one-half of the landfill fees for the demolition of the Digby Building. Mr. Teach stated that they estimated that there will be 1,000 tons of rubble from the building to be hauled to the landfill. After discussion and questions, the Commissioners suggested deducting $5,000 per year for the next 4 years from the County's payment to the City for its share of the Eastern Boulevard project rather than losing the revenue to the landfill budget which cannot afford to lose this income. TRANSFER OF CAPITAL FUNDS - LIGHT INSTALLATION - SHOWALTER ROAD Motion made by Commissioner Snook, seconded by Bowers, to approve the installation of an obstruction light at the apartment building on Showalter Road near the Regional Airport for a maximum amount of $800 with funds for this project to be transferred from the Stormwater Management Project in the Airport's CIP budget. Unanimously approved. NOVEMBER 8 MEETING The Commissioners agreed to meet from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Election Day, November 8, 1994. BID AWARD - DOZER-CRAWLER TYPE - LANDFILL Motion made by Commissioner Bowers, seconded by Irvin-Craig, to award the bid for a dozer-crawler type for the landfill to Alban Tractor Co., Inc., who submitted the low net bid of $237,000, which includes a trade-in allowance of $32,000 for a caterpillar D-6 dozer, and to waive the performance/payment bond. Unanimously approved. BID AWARD - COMPUTER EQUIPMENT Motion made by Commissioner Snook, seconded by Irvin-Craig, to award the bid for 15 personal computers to Tarson Micro System who submitted the low responsive lump sum bid of $23,340. Unanimously approved. UNITED WAY - ALLOCATION TO AGENCIES RECEIVING COUNTY FUNDING The Commissioners discussed a letter they received from the United Way of Washington County asking that all monies contributed by the County to individual agencies who are recipients of United Way funds, be given to the United Way for allocation rather than directly to the agency. Ralph France, County Attorney, stated that he is unsure if the County has the power to grant this request under the Code of Local Public Laws of Washington County. After discussion, the Commissioners stated that they are interested in the concept but asked that additional information be provided. JOINT PUBLIC HEARING - REZONING TEXT AMENDMENT RZ-94-04 - DIRECTIONAL SIGNS A Joint Public Hearing of the Board of County Commissioners and the Washington County Planning Commission was convened at 10:34 a.m. to hear testimony regarding OCTOBER 11, 1994 MINUTES, CONT'D. Rezoning Text Amendment RZ-94-04 - Directional Signs. Bertrand Iseminger, Chairman of the Planning Commission, presided at the hearing with Planning Commission members Donald Spickler, Paula Lampton, and Andrew Bowen IV present, and ex-officio member, County Commissioner Ronald Bowers. The Staff Report was presented by Robert Arch, Planning Director, to amend Section 22.21 "Signs Permitted without Zoning Permits". Mr. Iseminger stated that the Commission must consider whether the amendment is compatible with the County's Comprehensive Plan. After discussion and questions, the hearing was then opened for public comment. There was no one present to speak in favor or in opposition to the proposed rezoning. Mr. Iseminger stated that the record would be held open for ten (10) days in order to receive any written testimony. The hearing was closed at 10:46 a.m. CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION Motion made by Commissioner Snook, seconded by Irvin-Craig, to convene in Closed Session at 10:47 a.m. with regard to personnel and property matters and to confer with the County Attorney to obtain legal advice, in accordance with Section 10.508 of the State Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. RECONVENE IN REGULAR SESSION Motion made by Commissioner Shank, seconded by Snook, to reconvene in Regular Session at 11:01 p.m. Unanimously approved. In Closed Session the Commissioners discussed three (3) personnel matters, and obtained legal advice on one (1) matter with the County Attorney. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION There was no one present who wished to participate. EMPLOYMENT - HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION Motion made by Commissioner Snook, seconded by Bowers, to employ Walter Frazee as Maintenance Technician to fill an existing vacancy in the Housing & Community Development office; Joseph Kuhna as Community Development Coordinator to fill an existing vacancy in the Housing & Community Development office; and to employ Richard Palmer as Director of the Economic Development Commission to fill an existing vacancy. Unanimously approved. RECESS - LUNCH The Commissioners recessed at 11:02 a.m. for lunch. AFTERNOON SESSION The Afternoon Session was convened at 1:18 p.m. by the President, Richard E. Roulette, with the following members present: Vice President Ronald L. Bowers, and Commissioners Linda C. Irvin- Craig, John S. Shank, and Gregory I. Snook. WATER/SEWER TASK FORCE - STATUS REPORT Gary Rohrer, Chief, Division of Public Works, and Lynn Palmer, Director of the Sanitary District, appeared before the Commissioners to present a report on the implementation and status of the recommendations made by the Water & Sewer Task Force. Commissioner Roulette provided a history of the formation of the Task Force and the areas of their review and stated that the Commissioners want to focus on how to make the system more efficient and cost effective. Mr. Rohrer distributed a handout showing the status of the Task Force recommendations to date. The Commissioners reviewed each of the recommendations and fielded questions from interested parties and municipal officials in attendance. After discussion of the Sanitary District's administrative costs and questions on how they might be reduced, the Commissioners asked for a line-item breakdown of costs in administrative categories and also asked Mr. Rohrer to have Hagerstown Junior College examine the idea of merging the mechanical or computer portion of the Sanitary District with the County government and to have the County's Financial Consultant and Bond Counsel study the effects of consolidating the Sanitary District into the County's Division of Public Works. Mr. Rohrer suggested hiring a consulting firm who specializes in this field to review this recommendation, and the Commissioners asked him to obtain more information. ADJOURNMENT Motion made by Commissioner Irvin-Craig, seconded by Snook, to adjourn at 3:51 p.m. Unanimously approved. County Attorney Clerk to the Commissioners