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HomeMy WebLinkAbout990216 February 16, 1999 Hagerstown, Maryland The regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Washington County, Maryland, was called to order at 8:30 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 Schnebly, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag by the full assemblage. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - JANUARY 14 AND FEBRUARY 9 AND 11, 1999 Motion made by Commissioner Wivell, seconded by Iseminger, to approve the minutes of January 14 and February 9 and 11, 1999, as amended. Unanimously approved. NATIONAL PIKE FESTIVAL - WAGON TRAIN Paulette Sprinkle appeared before the Commissioners to inform them that the National Pike Festival is scheduled for May 14-16. She also distributed information on the Maryland National Road Partnership and stated that the  Partnerships development team will hold a summit to introduce the Corridor  Partnership Plan for Marylands segment of the National Road. She distributed a calendar of events for the 1998 Festival and provided information on the activities scheduled in the towns. Ms. Sprinkle requested that the County participate as they have done in the past by acting as the official sponsor for insurance purposes. She stated that an insurance rider will allow the wagon train to apply for a permit from the State Highway Administration. Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Iseminger, to designate Washington County as the official sponsor of the National Pike Festival for insurance and permitting purposes. Unanimously approved.  COMMISSIONERS REPORTS AND COMMENTS Commissioner Snook informed the Commissioners that he received a request from Carol Corwell-Martin, Curriculum Coordinator for Salem Avenue Elementary School, asking that the Commissioners consider placing signs  recognizing the Countys two Blue Ribbon Schools - Salem Avenue Elementary and Hancock Jr./Sr. High School. The Commissioners asked that this request be forwarded to the Board of Education for consideration. Commissioner Snook stated that the ISO Insurance Service has upgraded the Mt. Aetna Fire District which will result in lower insurance rates for that area. He asked the Commissioners if they wished to request that the Maryland Department of the Environment hold a public information meeting on a request to transport sewage sludge from the Winebrenner Treatment Plant to the Conococheague Wastewater Treatment Plant and also a permit to transport sludge from the Nicodemus plant to the landfill. Commissioner Swartz stated that he and Commissioner Wivell participated in a spelling bee on Saturday and finished 9th out of 24 teams. He also indicated that he has been invited to give the invocation at a meeting of the Berkeley County Board of County Commissioners. Commissioner Schnebly indicated that the joint City/County committee has been meeting regarding water and sewer issues and will make a recommendation later today. He stated that the committee has tentatively scheduled a meeting with the Maryland Department of the Environment in Annapolis on Friday on these issues. Commissioner Iseminger reported on the Housing Authority Board meeting. He also asked that the Commissioners send a letter to Governor Glendening in support of the nomination of David Iseminger to the position of student representative on the Maryland State Board of Education. The Commissioners agreed to send a letter of support. Commissioner Wivell reported on the Water & Sewer Advisory Commission meeting. He also requested additional information on a list of projects submitted in the Capital Improvements Program budget. BUDGET PRESENTATIONS - HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT AND SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT Highway Fund - Debra Bastian, Director of Finance, reviewed an operating summary of revenues and expenditures in the Highway Fund. She stated that the Highway Fund is a special revenue fund primarily funded by highway user revenue distributed by the State of Maryland. These are expenditures associated with maintaining the road system. J. Theodore Wolford, FEBRUARY 16, 1999 PAGE TWO Director of the Highway Department; James Sterling, Assistant Director; Jack Reynard, Fleet Manager; Craig Pensinger, Traffic & Safety Supervisor; and Diane Mongan, Office Associate, presented the Highway Department budget request for FY 2000 in the total amount of $6,174,369 for all budgets. This amount represents a 4.3 percent increase from the FY 99 budget. The staff highlighted the major changes in budget categories and line items and the reasons for the proposed increases. Solid Waste - Ms. Bastian reviewed the Solid Waste Fund. She indicated that this fund is primarily funded by tipping fees and the expenditures associated with maintaining the landfill are accounted for in this fund. Ms. Bastian provided a category comparison for operating, capital, and revenues. Robert Davenport, Director, along with Steven Zies, Operations Manager; Donna Fuss, Office Associate; and Harvey Hoch, Recycling Coordinator, presented the budget request for the Solid Waste Department for FY 2000 in the total amount of $3,670,804 for all landfill budgets.  CITIZENS PARTICIPATION Libby Earley, representing the League of Women Voters, introduced Cookie  McDowell who will be hosting the Leagues radio program. BUDGET TRANSFER REQUEST - BOARD OF EDUCATION Motion made by Commissioner Iseminger, seconded by Schnebly, to approve the  Board of Educations request to transfer $26,755 remaining from various construction projects into their general maintenance projects budget. Unanimously approved. RECESS - LUNCHEON WITH SOIL CONSERVATION DISTRICT BOARD The Commissioners recessed at 11:39 a.m. in order to attend a luncheon with the Board of Directors of the Soil Conservation District. TOUR OF MT. LOCK HILL ROAD AND PARK HALL ROAD The Commissioners toured Mt. Lock Hill Road and Park Hall Road to determine if road improvements are needed at these locations as requested by area residents. AFTERNOON SESSION The afternoon session was called to order at 2:37 p.m. by the President Gregory I. Snook, with the following members present: Vice President Paul L. Swartz, and Commissioners Bertrand L. Iseminger, John L. Schnebly, and William J. Wivell. TRI-COUNTY COUNCIL Michael Wagoner, Director of Tri-County Council of Western Maryland, met with the Commissioners to provide information on the mission, purpose, and work plan of the Tri-County Council (TCC). Mr. Wagoner distributed information on TCC and explained that the membership consists of representatives of Allegany, Garrett, and Washington Counties from both the public and private sector. He stated that the Council is mandated by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the Economic Development Administration (EDA). Mr. Wagoner distributed a copy of the budget and distributed a copy of budget and work plan on government assistance and economic development projects. He indicated that efforts are now primarily concentrated on economic development and provided information on the process used to prioritize and submit projects for funding. Mr. Wagoner informed the Commissioners that each county participating in TCC provides an annual contribution of $15,000. After reviewing the membership, Mr. Wagoner asked the Commissioners to appoint a representative to the Revolving Loan Fund Committee. Commissioner Snook thanked Mr. Wagoner for taking the time to review the Tri-County Council programs. PRIORITY FUNDING AREA DESIGNATION Robert Arch, Director of Planning & Community Development, appeared before the Commissioners regarding the designation of priority funding areas (PFA) under the State Smart Growth Act. Mr. Arch presented a map showing the proposed priority funding areas of the Urban Growth Areas, Town Growth Areas, and rural villages as designated in the Comprehensive Plan. He stated that the designations will be submitted to the Maryland Office of Planning for review and comment. He asked the Commissioners to adopt the maps for submission to the State. Mr. Arch informed them that any projects which receive State funding must be in a certified PFA. Motion made by Iseminger, seconded by Swartz, to certify and adopt the priority funding areas as outlined by the Director of Planning & Community FEBRUARY 16, 1999 PAGE THREE Development and to submit the map of these designated areas to the Maryland Office of Planning for approval. Unanimously approved. (A copy of the approved map is attached.) REAPPOINTMENT - SUBSTANCE ABUSE/MENTAL HEALTH ADVISORY COUNCIL Motion made by Swartz, seconded by Iseminger, to reappoint Bonnie Forsyth to the Substance Abuse/Mental Health Advisory Council for a three-year term. Unanimously approved. REAPPOINTMENT - ZONING APPEALS BOARD - ALTERNATE Motion made by Swartz, seconded by Schnebly, to reappoint Ronald Jeter to the Board of Zoning Appeals as an alternate for a three-year term. Unanimously approved. RECESS The Commissioners recessed at 3:35 p.m. to attend a joint meeting with the Hagerstown Mayor & City Council at City Hall. JOINT MEETING WITH CITY OF HAGERSTOWN The Commissioners met with Hagerstown Mayor Robert Bruchey and City Council members Al Boyer, Susan Saum-Wicklein, William Breichner, Lewis Metzner, and Wallace McClure, at City Hall at 4:00 p.m. Proposed Agreement - Centre at Hagerstown Mayor Bruchey stated that Phillip Ross of Petrie Dierman Kughn, developers of the Centre at Hagerstown, have requested that the County issue an access permit for the development. Commissioner Snook indicated that all of the issues have been resolved with the developer and asked that the City sign  the proposed three-party agreement regarding compliance with the Countys Road Adequacy Policy for future phases of the development. Mayor Bruchey stated that the City feels they have fulfilled their obligations and do not want to be a party to the agreement. After discussion with the Council members, the Mayor and Council recessed at 5:05 p.m. to discuss the matter in council chambers. The meeting was reconvened at 5:25 p.m. and the City Council voted to table any discussion of the issue to allow them to further review the document with their legal counsel. General Service Agreement - Proposed Modifications Greg Murray, Director of the Water & Sewer Department, and Rick Thomas, Director of the Water Pollution Control Department for the City of Hagerstown, met with the group to outline a proposed modification to the General Services Agreement. Commissioner Schnebly provided background information on the history of the joint City/County committee. Councilman Breichner provided information on the conceptual framework for the plan that the Committee is recommending for consideration. Rick Thomas introduced Ginny Kearney, representative of the Maryland Department of the Environment, who was in attendance at the meeting. He then reviewed the proposed modification to the Consolidated General Services Agreement. Mr. Thomas explained that the committee is proposing that a  portion of the flows from future outside City customers be transferred to the County Water & Sewer Department for treatment. The amount of flow would be based on a pre-determined formula. He reviewed the three types of customers groups recognized by the City of Hagerstown. Greg Murray stated that the plan will be driven by new development and would institute a combined City-County fee for the new class of customers. He indicated that  this would allow a uniform capacity charge for outside-City customers which would include an amount to finance capital expenditures relating to the construction of the interconnections between the City and County systems. Mr. Thomas stated that the County would be treated as a contractual customer and would be charged at a wholesale rate. The plan would not directly affect rates for City customers. Mr. Thomas then reviewed the potential advantages and disadvantages of the plan to both the City and the County. Commissioner Snook emphasized that the State needs to be a partner in this project to make it become a reality. Mr. Murray indicated that the City and County could prioritize their project lists to submit to the State for funding and may be able to receive more State monies because they would not be in competition with each other for the funds. Plans for Flow Transfer  Mr. Murray presented the Committees proposal to proceed to transfer flow from the Sharpsburg Pike Service Area to the Conococheague Wastewater Treatment Plant. He noted that the transfer would be contingent upon the County attaining State grant funding to construct the needed infrastructure. FEBRUARY 16, 1999 PAGE FOUR Mr. Murray explained why the committee chose this area to begin a joint project. Mr. Murray and Mr. Thomas stated that flow sharing between the City and County service areas will positively impact both utilities. The County would receive additional revenue of approximately $65,000 per year in revenues and the City can resell the reserve capacity. They proposed an  agreement to maintain the Citys revenue stream for a fixed period while the allocation is resold. The meeting was then opened for questions and discussion by the Commissioners and the Mayor and Council. After discussion, they agreed to allow the committee to proceed conceptually with the plan and to devote staff time to prepare a financial plan for a final analysis of the Sharpsburg Pike Service Area. They agreed that the project would be contingent upon receiving grant funding necessary from the State. Mr. Murray estimated that it would cost $500,000 for the project and stated that they will be requesting funding from the State in this amount. Commissioner Iseminger suggested that they approach the Western Maryland Delegation to the General Assembly to request their support of this joint City/County project. ADJOURNMENT Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Schnebly, to adjourn at 5:30 p.m. Unanimously approved. County Administrator County Attorney , Clerk