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HomeMy WebLinkAbout090120 January 20, 2009 Hagerstown, Maryland The regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Washington County, Maryland was called to order at 9:00 a.m. by President John F. Barr with the following members present: Commissioners James F. Kercheval and William J. Wivell. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Invocation was given by Commissioner Barr followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag by the full assemblage. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – JANUARY 13, 2009 Motion made by Commissioner Kercheval, seconded by Wivell, to approve the minutes of January 13, 2009 as revised. Unanimously approved. INTRODUCTION OF NEW EMPLOYEES William Sonnik, Human Resources Director, introduced new County employee Bradley Stotelmyer (Division of Fire & Emergency Services). The Commissioners welcomed the Mr. Stotelmyer and wished him well in his new position. (Commissioner Baker arrived at 9:14 a.m.) COMMISSIONERS’ REPORTS AND COMMENTS Commissioner Kercheval reported on meetings of the Local Management Board and the Board of Directors of the Public Golf Corporation. Commissioner Wivell stated that he attended the annual banquet of the Williamsport Volunteer Fire & Ambulance Company and provided statistical information presented at the banquet. Commissioner Baker stated that he received a telephone call from a concerned citizen regarding the escaped prisoner from the Maryland Correctional Institution and the proximity of Rockland Woods Elementary School to the prison. The citizen asked that notification be provided to the school when incidents occur at the prison. Commissioner Barr informed the Commissioners that he attended a Chamber of Commerce mixer at the Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex. He stated that he also attended a Center for Business and Training Board meeting, the Commission on Aging’s installation of officers, Williamsport Fire & Rescue Company’s annual banquet, Community Rescue Service’s annual banquet, and the Winter Gala for PenMar Development Corporation and COPT. Commissioner Barr stated that he received a letter through Larry Glenn at Kaplan College regarding the County entering into a possible “sister community” partnership with Jinhua, China. (Commissioner Aleshire arrived at 9:33 a.m.) REVIEW OF PROPOSED SPECIAL EVENTS ORDINANCE Andrew Wilkinson, Assistant County Attorney, presented the proposed Special Events Ordinance for the Commissioners’ consideration. Mr. Wilkinson stated that the General Assembly approved enabling legislation for this during the 2008 session. He indicated that the purpose of the Ordinance is to require that a permit be obtained before holding certain events on county roads, county property, or on private property when the event may have an impact upon health, fire and rescue, police, transportation, and other services. Mr. Wilkinson reviewed the proposed permitting process. He stated that an information packet has been developed that will be provided to the applicants. The meeting was opened for questions and discussion. The Commissioners expressed a variety of concerns about the draft ordinance including timelines for outside agencies to respond and the number of steps included in the process. Mr. Wilkinson stated that a number of the items discussed had already been deleted from the current draft of the ordinance. Sheriff Mullendore indicated that the ordinance would only apply to large events that require government services or roads to be closed. JANUARY 20, 2009 PAGE TWO It was the consensus of the Commissioners that additional revisions are needed and staff was asked to address those concerns and return with the revised draft Ordinance in a few weeks for further review. EMERGENCY NUMBER SYSTEM BOARD GRANT – EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS Motion made by Commissioner Kercheval, seconded by Aleshire, to authorize the Department of Emergency Communications to accept two grants from the Emergency Number System Board as follows: $10,449 for communications equipment/headsets and $16,860 for communications equipment/chairs. Unanimously approved. CITIZENS PARTICIPATION There was no one present who wished to participate. REPORTS FROM COUNTY STAFF Julie Pippel, Director of the Division of Environmental Management, informed the Commissioners that the Sharpsburg Water Storage Tank is back in service. Ms. Pippel and Dave Mason, Environmental Engineer, requested approval of a change order for the Resh Road Landfill to allow for redesign of Stormwater Management Pond B. Ms. Pippel stated that funding is available in the project budget. Motion made by Commissioner Aleshire, seconded by Baker, to approve a change order for a design change for Stormwater Management Pond B at the Resh Road landfill in the amount of $50,627.68. Unanimously approved. Joe Kroboth, Director of Public Works, reported on the resources used during the snow event yesterday. Kevin Lewis, Director of Fire & Emergency Services, provided information on the 50-car pile up that occurred near the Frederick County line on Interstate 70. Mr. Lewis thanked all the agencies and staff that were involved in assisting with the emergency. William Sonnik, Director of Human Resources, requested authorization to advertise to fill the Operations Superintendent (Grade 15) vacancy in the Water & Sewer Department. Motion made by Commissioner Wivell, seconded by Baker, to approve the request to fill the Operations Superintendent (Grade 15) vacancy in the Water & Sewer Department. Unanimously approved. COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR’S COMMENTS Greg Murray, County Administrator, stated that he met with the Director of the Housing Authority of Washington County to discuss its newly developed strategic plan. He informed the Commissioners that planned initiatives will be addressed later this year. Mr. Murray indicated that he received a notice from the Town of Hancock that it is holding an open house to showcase the Fleetwood property and that he would forward the information to the Commissioners. CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION Motion made by Commissioner Wivell, seconded by Baker, to convene in closed session at 10:40 a.m. to consider the acquisition of real property for a public purpose and matters directly related thereto 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 REGULAR SESSION Motion made by Commissioner Kercheval, seconded by Aleshire, to reconvene in open session at 11:11 a.m. Unanimously approved. In closed session, the Commissioners considered the acquisition of real property for a public purpose and matters directly related thereto and consulted with counsel to obtain legal advice. Present during closed session were Commissioners John F. Barr, Terry L. Baker, Kristin B. Aleshire, James F. Kercheval, and William J. Wivell. Also present at various times were Gregory Murray, County Administrator; John Martirano, JANUARY 20, 2009 PAGE THREE County Attorney; Andrew Wilkinson, Assistant County Attorney; Joni Bittner, County Clerk; Joe Kroboth, Director of Public Works; and Joe Kuhna, Real Property Administrator. SALARY REVIEW COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS Greg Murray, County Administrator, stated that in accordance with Policy PR-29, a Salary Review Committee was appointed to review 1/3 of the salary classification system, Salary Grades 8- 14, as well as reclassification requests from Department Heads and Division Directors. Mr. Murray thanked the following individuals for serving on the Committee: Jill Baker (Planning & Community Development); Verna Brown (Emergency Services); Rick Curry (Purchasing/Budget & Finance), Dennis Embly (Solid Waste/Union representative); Brian Hale (Engineering/Public Works), Mike Rohrer (Environmental Management); Tina Rupert (Public Works/Clerical); Joe Tischer (outside representative); Randy Wilkinson (Sheriff’s Office/Chair); William Sonnik (Human Resources Director); Dee Hawbaker (Human Resources/Administrator); and Carrie Aaron (Human Resources). Colonel Randy Wilkinson, Chair of the Salary Review Committee, and William Sonnik, Human Resources Director, presented the Committee’s recommendations. Colonel Wilkinson stated that positions in grades 8-14 were evaluated to ensure that the employees are fairly compensated for the value of the work performed. He indicated that this also enables the County to remain competitive in attracting and retaining qualified employees and he outlined the scale and categories used to assess the positions. Seven reclassification requests were also reviewed. Colonel Wilkinson stated that the fiscal impact of the Committee’s recommendations would be $195,595.86 in direct salary costs and $46,619.34 in benefits if the full recommendation is adopted, which would be an increase to the County’s total labor budget of 0.4%. He noted that with 68% of job classifications evaluated; only 15% of the employee base has been recommended for upgrade. Mr. Tischer commended the County staff for its dedication in undertaking this task and urged the Commissioners to accept the Committee’s recommendation. The Salary Review Committee recommended that at least one-third of the “committee” be replaced annually with new members to ensure that a base of experienced members remain for continuity. It also recommended that an effort be made to recruit those new members from different departments or from outside of County government. The Committee also found that there was a need to update job descriptions for the salary grades to be reviewed for the following budget year. The meeting was opened for questions regarding the recommendations. Mr. Murray stated that the staff would need to know in the near future whether to include the fiscal impact of the recommendations in the FY 2010 Operating Budget. The Commissioners agreed to incorporate the recommendations as a discussion item in the budget. ADJOURNMENT Motion made by Commissioner Aleshire, seconded by Kercheval, to adjourn at 11:50 a.m. ____________________________ County Administrator ____________________________ County Attorney ________________________ County Clerk