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HomeMy WebLinkAbout020730 July 30, 2002 Hagerstown, Maryland The regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Washington County, Maryland, was called to order at 9:15 a.m. by President Gregory I. Snook with the following members present: Vice President Paul L. Swartz and Commissioners Bertrand L. Iseminger, Jr., John L. Schnebly, and William J. Wivell. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Invocation was delivered by Commissioner Swartz, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag by the full assemblage. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – JULY 23, 2002 Motion made by Commissioner Iseminger, seconded by Schnebly, to approve the minutes of July 23, 2002, as amended. Unanimously approved. COMMISSIONERS’ REPORTS AND COMMENTS Commissioner Swartz informed the Commissioners that he attended meetings to develop campaign strategies for Kathleen Kennedy- Townsend and met with House Speaker Casper Taylor. He stated that he met with the Hancock Development Corporation and also met with residents of the Summerlin development regarding their concerns. Commissioner Swartz commended the Information Technologies (IT) Department for organizing the County employees’ annual picnic. He stated that he would like information on the funding for the summer concert series at PenMar Park. Commissioner Schnebly reported on a meeting regarding the runway extension project. He stated that he met with the Economic Development Commission subcommittee on urban issues. Commissioner Schnebly informed the Commissioners that he filmed a public service announcement for the Board of Education. He stated that he also attended the County picnic. Commissioner Wivell reported on the meetings of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee and the Water & Sewer Advisory Committee. He also expressed his thanks to the IT Department for organizing the County picnic. Commissioner Iseminger stated that he met with the Airport Manager regarding marketing issues at the Airport. He informed the Commissioners that he met with City Council member Penny Nigh regarding the sewer allocation policy. Commissioner Iseminger reported on the meetings of the Emergency Services Council and the Wellness Committee. He stated that he attended the County picnic and the public hearing on the State’s proposal to construct a new communications tower. Commissioner Snook asked for information on the State Highway Administration’s plan to install a traffic signal at the intersection of Longmeadow Road and Leitersburg Pike. He informed the Commissioners that they would be receiving an invitation to the opening of the Civil War Trails in September. REPORTS FROM COUNTY STAFF Joe Kroboth, Emergency Services Director, informed the Commissioners that the Emergency Services Council discussed the distribution of State 508 funding and agreed that the funds should continue to be equally distributed among all companies. He stated that the emergency operations center was partially activated last week due to the plane crash on Fairview Mountain. Mr. Kroboth reported that his quarterly meeting with Community Rescue Service (CRS) representatives was held last week and that CRS finished the year in a positive cash position. He stated that he testified at a public hearing on the closing of the trauma center at Washington County Hospital. Mr. Kroboth informed the Board that he had been invited to participate on the Trauma Center Task Force. Kroboth noted that he would be meeting with the Maryland Emergency Management Agency representatives later this week. Robert Arch, Director of Planning & Community Development, stated that he is working with CHIEF to finalize the contract language on the Economic Development Administration grant for Halfway Boulevard Extended. Mr. Arch also provided an update on th the 140 re-enactment of the Battle of Antietam scheduled in September. JULY 30, 2002 PAGE TWO Debra Bastian, Director of Finance, informed the Commissioners that the auditors would begin next week. She stated that she would be meeting with the City Finance Director on the tax differential model and that the Gaming Commission is now holding workshops on its annual distribution. Alan Davis, Director of Human Resources, stated that he is preparing information for the actuarial report. He informed the Commissioners that MacKay Shields is scheduled on the agenda for August 20 to give an update on investments and the LOSAP program. APPOINTMENT – BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS – ALTERNATE Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Iseminger, to appoint Thomas Oyster to the Board of Zoning Appeals as an alternate for a three-year term. Unanimously approved. COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR’S COMMENTS Rodney Shoop, County Attorney, informed the Commissioners that next week there would be a brief session in the morning followed by a trip to the Agricultural Education Center for the Ag Expo. APPROVAL OF BUDGET TRANSFER – HAGERSTOWN COMMUNITY COLLEGE Motion made by Commissioner Schnebly, seconded by Swartz, to approve the budget transfer requested by Hagerstown Community College (HCC) for $120,000 to be used for close-out of the Library Conversion project with funds to be transferred from the following projects: Renovation of the Administration Building ($112,800) and the Learning Resource Center project ($7,200). The Commissioners requested that they receive an update on HCC’s capital projects at a later date. Unanimously approved. CITIZENS PARTICIPATION Mike Mowen appeared before the Commissioners to express concerns about the debris and flooding that occurs since the construction began at the church adjoining his property on Brookfield Avenue. Commissioner Snook informed Mr. Mowen that he would have the County Engineer contact him to review the situation and discuss what could be done to resolve the problem. Nelson Smith, also a resident of Brookfield Avenue, distributed pictures and copies of correspondence he received from the pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Temple in his attempts to resolve the drainage issues. Terry McGee, County Engineer, arrived at the meeting and agreed to meet with Mr. Mowen and Mr. Smith to review their information and make a recommendation. Willie Conyers, President of the Board of Directors of Memorial Recreation Center, thanked the Commissioners for the funding they received. He also thanked them for the repairs made to the North Street Center facility. LAND ACQUISITION APPROVALS – AVIGATION EASEMENT AND MAUGANS AVENUE REALIGNMENT PROJECT Motion made by Commissioner Schnebly, seconded by Swartz, to approve the avigation easement of .85 acres from Bobby and Saundra Jones for $11,500 for property located at 14629 Pennsylvania Avenue, in order to meet FAA runway protection zone requirements. Unanimously approved Motion made by Commissioner Iseminger, seconded by Schnebly, to purchase the Hatfield property located at 18620 Maugans Avenue at a cost of $115,000, which is needed for the Maugans Avenue realignment project, with the provision that the lot be resold in the future consistent with the road improvement plans and that there is a review by staff regarding whether the house should be rented. Unanimously approved. WORKSHOP – COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Robert Arch, Director of Planning & Community Development, met with the Commissioners to discuss the comments made at the recent public hearing on the proposed revisions to the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Arch provided an overview of the comments made at the hearing and the written comments JULY 30, 2002 PAGE THREE that were submitted. He also provided individual map changes that were requested and changes in the Urban Growth Area boundaries. The Commissioners discussed the State’s position on Smart Growth principles and the financial incentives involved. Mr. Arch described the process that would be used to amend documents such as the Zoning Ordinance, Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance, and Subdivision Ordinance. He stated that the changes would be made concurrently with the adoption of the revised Comprehensive Plan. He estimated that it would take a year or more to implement the Plan. Mr. Arch explained that the Comprehensive Plan is a planning tool for the vision of the County and is not a static document. Commissioner Swartz asked about implementing a moratorium on development until the Plan is finalized. Mr. Arch stated that there is validity to that suggestion, but recommended that the moratorium be limited to non-processing of major subdivisions in the rural areas. He indicated that his staff was discussing the possibility of offering low-interest loans to farmers to assist them. Commissioner Schnebly stated that he met with Senator Haines from Carroll County regarding how the changes in densities would affect agricultural land values. He indicated that the Senator stated that Carroll County’s plan is more restrictive and has had little effect on land values. The Commissioners agreed to schedule time on the August 20 agenda to hold another workshop meeting to discuss the Plan and individual map changes that were requested. ZONING ORDINANCE TEXT AMENDMENT RZ-02-002 – ANIMAL CONTROL Richard Douglas, County Attorney, briefly reviewed text amendment RZ-02-002. Commissioner Wivell stated that he listened to the tape of the hearing since he was not present. Motion made by Commissioner Iseminger to adopt zoning text amendment RZ-02-002, to amend and add certain provisions to the Zoning Ordinance and to reenact said Ordinance with the changes relating to its text. The Amendment would create a new definition and adding and deleting existing verbiage in the Ordinance in relation to dog kennels and the number of dogs allowed per household before a kennel license is required, pet shops, farm animals, animal hospitals, and the acreage and setback requirements for each. Motion died for lack of a second. RECESS – LUNCH The Commissioners recessed at 12:15 p.m. for lunch. AFTERNOON SESSION The afternoon session was called to order at 1:10 p.m. by President Gregory I. Snook, with the following members present: Vice President Paul L. Swartz and Commissioners Bertrand L. Iseminger, Jr., John L. Schnebly, and William J. Wivell. CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION Motion made by Commissioner Iseminger, seconded by Schnebly, to convene in closed session at 1:10 p.m. to discuss personnel issues and to consult with counsel to obtain legal advice, in accordance with Section 10-508 of the State Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. Unanimously approved. RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Schnebly, to reconvene in open session at 3:21 p.m. Unanimously approved. In closed session, the Commissioners discussed four (4) personnel matters and consulted with counsel to obtain legal advice on two (2) issues. Present during closed session were Commissioners Gregory I. Snook, Paul L. Swartz, Bertrand L. Iseminger, Jr., John L. Schnebly and William J. Wivell. Also present at various times were Rodney Shoop, County Administrator; Richard Douglas, County Attorney; John Martirano, Assistant County Attorney; Joni Bittner, County Clerk; Alan Davis, Director of Human Resources; Debra Bastian, Director of Budget & Finance; JULY 30, 2002 PAGE FOUR Lisa Kalkbrenner, Gaming Director; and Deborah Murphy, Mary Ellen Waltemire, Terry Reiber, William McKinley, Orlyn Oestereich, Deiter H.B. Protsch, and Kim Kidd, members of the Gaming Commission. ADJOURNMENT Motion made by Commissioner Iseminger, seconded by Wivell, to adjourn at 3:21 p.m. Unanimously approved. , County Administrator , County Attorney ___________________, County Clerk