Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout990202 February 2, 1999 Hagerstown, Maryland The Commissioners participated in the State of the County forum sponsored by the Hagerstown/Washington County Chamber of Commerce at the Four Points/Sheraton at 7:00 a.m. The regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Washington County, Maryland, was called to order at 9:30 a.m. by President Gregory I. Snook with the following members present: Vice President Paul L. Swartz, and Commissioners John L. Schnebly and William J. Wivell. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Invocation was delivered by Rodney Shoop, County Administrator, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag by the full assemblage. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - JANUARY 26, 1999 Motion made by Commissioner Schnebly, seconded by Swartz, to approve the minutes of January 26, 1999, as amended. Unanimously approved. PROCLAMATION - BLACK HISTORY MONTH Commissioner Schnebly presented a proclamation to Carolyn Brooks, Coordinator of the HotSpots Program, designating the month of February 1999 as Black History Month in Washington County and urging all citizens to celebrate the diversity which exists in our community. Ms. Brooks thanked the Commissioners for the proclamation and noted various ways that African- Americans have contributed to the history of Washington County. Leon Brumback also spoke in support of preserving the history of African- Americans.  COMMISSIONERS REPORTS AND COMMENTS  Commissioner Swartz expressed concerns regarding the Gaming Commissions decision to deny funding to Western Maryland Blues Fest. Commissioner Snook informed him that the County Attorney has sent a letter to the Gaming Commission expressing his opinion that the Blues Fest is eligible to receive funds from the Commission. Commissioner Swartz stated that he will be meeting with Lynn Hendershot to attempt to establish an advisory board for disabled citizens in the County. He also informed the Commissioners that the Chamber of Commerce will be holding a luncheon meeting on February 16 to discuss how other Maryland cities have dealt with the funding of new stadiums. Commissioner Wivell asked that a policy be developed regarding disposal of real estate by the County. He expressed concerns that only one bid was received on a recent contract for highway maintenance equipment and asked that staff follow up to determine why no local companies submitted bids. Commissioner Wivell asked that staff develop a policy for maintenance and ownership of stormwater management ponds. Mr. Shoop advised him that Gary Rohrer, Director of Public Works, will draft a policy for review by the Commissioners. Commissioner Wivell then reviewed the initiatives identified by the Maryland Association of Counties for this legislative session. The Commissioners agreed to recognize Allegheny Power for its donation of land for the construction of the University Systems of Maryland campus.  Commissioner Snook distributed the Commissioners meeting schedule for the months of February - June. He stated that Mike Waggoner, Director of Tri-  County Council, has been scheduled on the Commissioners agenda this month. Commissioner Snook informed the Commissioners that he has been contacted by representatives of the Anhui Province of the Peoples Republic of China  inquiring if Washington County is interested in developing a sister city relationship with them. INTRODUCTION OF NEW EMPLOYEE Alan Davis, Director of Human Resources, introduced Beth McCusker, who was recently hired as an Office Associate in the Human Resources Department. BID AWARD - HAGERSTOWN REGIONAL AIRPORT WINTER EQUIPMENT STORAGE BUILDING Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Wivell, to award the contract for construction of the Winter Equipment Storage Building at the Hagerstown Regional Airport to Myers Building Systems, Inc. which submitted the low responsive, responsible bid of $669,000. Motion carried with  Commissioners Swartz, Wivell, and Snook voting AYE and Commissioner  Schnebly ABSTAINING. APPLICATIONS FOR NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES - CEDAR GROVE & ST.  MARKS EPISCOPAL CHURCH Stephen Goodrich, Senior Planner, met with the Commissioners to present two FEBRUARY 2, 1999 PAGE TWO applications for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.  Mr. Goodrich reviewed the applications for the Cedar Grove and St. Marks Episcopal Church. He stated that Washington County, as a Certified Local Government, can recommend properties for nomination. He then reviewed the criteria for eligibility on the National Register. The Commissioners discussed each of the applications. Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Schnebly, to submit the  applications for Cedar Grove and St. Marks Episcopal Church to the Maryland Historical Trust for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. Unanimously approved. BUDGET APPROPRIATION - PURCHASE OF POLICE VEHICLES FOR FY 1999-2000 Sheriff Charles Mades met with the Commissioners to request authorization to  purchase replacement police vehicles by piggybacking onto the State contract. He stated that this will to allow them to receive the best price. He explained that there is a deadline of March 15 for placing the order; but the funds would be taken from the Fiscal year 2000 budget. Sheriff Mades requested authorization to purchase seven 1999 Ford Crown Victoria cars and one 1999 Chevrolet Blazer and to refurbish five vehicles from the current fleet. He indicated that the Towns of Boonsboro and Williamsport will reimburse the County for two of the cruisers. Motion made by Commissioner Schnebly, seconded by Wivell, to authorize the  Sheriffs Department to piggyback on the State of Maryland contract and to the purchase seven (7) 1999 Ford Crown Victoria police cruisers at $20,099 each and one (1) 1999 Chevrolet Blazer 4 x 4 at $20,540, and to refurbish five (5) vehicles from the current fleet at $11,000 each, with funding to be taking from the Fiscal Year 2000 budget. Unanimously approved. CITIZENS PARTICIPATION James Bestpitch, Staff Representative of AFSCME Council 67, commented on the copy he received of the proposed county resolution on collective bargaining that the Commissioners are considering. He expressed concerns that the areas of discharge/discipline and promotions and transfers are not addressed in the proposed resolution. He stated that while these concerns could be addressed in a side letter to the existing collective bargaining agreement, he asked the Commissioners to consider including them in the resolution. Alan Davis, Director Human Resources, explained the procedures outlined for grievances in the Employee Handbook and stated that this also applies to union employees. Mr. Bestpitch informed the Commissioners that they hope to seeking a Federal mediation grant to initiate training sessions on conflict resolution for labor/management partnerships. He stated that they also have ideas for generating additional revenues. The Commissioners took this request under consideration. APPROVAL OF RESOLUTION TO CHANGE THE NAME OF THE WASHINGTON COUNTY REGIONAL AIRPORT COMMISSION Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Wivell, to approve the Resolution changing the name of the Washington County Regional Airport Commission to the Hagerstown Regional Airport Advisory Commission to coincide with the action taken on October 6, 1998 changing the official name of the airport to the Hagerstown Regional Airport - Richard A. Henson field. Unanimously approved.  COUNTY ADMINISTRATORS COMMENTS Rodney Shoop, County Administrator, asked the Commissioners to review the meeting schedule distributed for the months of February - June and provide him with comments. He reminded the Commissioners of the workshop session on February 4 from 4:30 - 7:00 p.m. Mr. Shoop also noted that Commissioner Iseminger is absent from the meeting due to illness. HAZARDOUS INCIDENT RESPONSE TEAM (HIRT) - REQUEST TO CHANGE AGENCY NAME COMPANY NUMBER, AND CHAIN OF COMMAND Greg Socks, Coordinator of the HIRT Team, and John Bentley, Deputy Coordinator, met with the Commissioners to provide an overview of their operations. Mr. Bentley distributed a booklet for their review which contained information on operations and financial support. Mr. Socks asked the Commissioners to consider changing the name of HIRT to the Washington County Office of Emergency Services, Office of Special Operations to more accurately reflect their duties. He explained that HIRT was formed initially for hazardous incident response but over the years they have been FEBRUARY 2, 1999 PAGE THREE assigned additional duties which include confined space rescue, explosive device support response, drug lab response, and emergency response to terrorism incidents. Mr. Socks also asked that the company number be changed from Company 25 to Company 20 to coincide with the new name. Phil Ridenour, Emergency Services Administrator, and Ronald Karn, Emergency Management Director, also spoke in favor of the request. Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Schnebly, to accept the recommendation to change the name of the Hazardous Incident Response Team (HIRT) to the Washington County Office of Emergency Services, Office of Special Operations, and to change the company number to Company 20. Unanimously approved. Mr. Socks also asked that they approve a change in the chain of command. He stated that they propose that Phil Ridenour, Emergency Services Administrator, be their direct link with County government. Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Schnebly, to change the administrative chain of command for the Office of Special Operations and place these responsibilities under the authority of the Emergency Services Administrator. Unanimously approved. CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Wivell, to convene in closed session at 11:19 a.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 11:53 a.m. Unanimously approved. In closed session, the Commissioners consulted with counsel to obtain legal advice on one (1) issue and discussed three (3) personnel matters. Present during closed session were Commissioners Gregory I. Snook, Paul L. Swartz, John L. Schnebly, and William J. Wivell. Also present were Rodney Shoop, County Administrator; Richard Douglas, County Attorney; Joni Bittner, County Clerk; and Alan Davis, Human Resources Director. RECESS - LUNCHEON AT BLACK ROCK GOLF COURSE The Commissioners recessed at 11:55 a.m. to attend a luncheon meeting with members of the Public Golf Corporation at Black Rock Golf Course. AFTERNOON SESSION The afternoon session was called to order at 1:30 p.m. by Vice President Paul L. Swartz, with the following members present: Commissioners John L. Schnebly, and William J. Wivell. (Commissioner Snook was excused from the meeting at this time and Vice President Swartz assumed the chair.) BUDGET WORKSHOP - CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM (CIP) BUDGET The Commissioners conducted a budget workshop to discuss the project submitted for the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) projects for Fiscal Years 2000-2005. Debra Bastian, Director of Finance, Robert Arch, Director of Planning & Community Development, and Gary Rohrer, Director of Public Works, attended the workshop and reviewed the CIP requests from Recreation & Parks, Transportation, the Hagerstown Regional Airport, Hagerstown Community College, and the Board of Education. Mr. Arch urged the Commissioners to discuss the philosophy of borrowing bond funds and services to be provided. He stated that they may wish to discuss this after taking time to absorb the information provided today. RECESS The Commissioners recessed at 3:30 p.m. EVENING SESSION - TAX SET-OFF PROGRAM - TOWN OF BOONSBORO The evening session was called to order at 7:00 p.m. at the Boonsboro Town Hall by the President Gregory I. Snook, with the following Commissioners present: Vice President Paul L. Swartz, and Commissioners John L. Schnebly  and William J. Wivell. Also in attendance were Mayor Charles Skip Kauffman, Howard Long, Assistant Mayor, and Council members Richard E. Hawkins, Sr., Richard Gross, Ray Grove, and Kevin Chambers. FEBRUARY 2, 1999 PAGE FOUR Tax Setoff Program Commissioner Snook stated that, pursuant to Section 6-306, of the Tax- Property Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, the Commissioners are required to meet with each municipality annually to discuss the tax set-off program. He then reviewed the calculations made for the services included in the program - parks, highways, and police. Commissioner Snook stated that for Fiscal Year 1999 the Town is estimated to receive $59,082, although the payment is capped at $43,000 to account for repayment of admissions and amusement taxes that the State incorrectly remitted to Boonsboro. Mayor Kauffman stated that he read in the newspaper that the County would be discussing the tax set-off program with the City of Hagerstown and asked that they take the smaller municipalities into consideration in their deliberations. Commissioner Snook assured him that any new agreement on tax setoff would be fair to all of the municipalities. Commissioner Snook then opened the meeting to hear any concerns from the Mayor and Council. Mayor Kauffman discussed the need for Program Open Space funding. He also asked the Commissioners to address the regulation of cellular telephone towers. Mayor Kauffman expressed concerns about the  request made to expand the quarry and the effect it may have on the Towns water supply. He asked that the County be sensitive to urban sprawl in its planning functions. Mayor Kauffman provided an update on the Boonsboro by- pass. ADJOURNMENT Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Wivell, to adjourn at 7:45 p.m. Unanimously approved. County Administrator County Attorney , Clerk