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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10.03.2000 Minutes October 3, 2000 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 Snook, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag by the full assemblage. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – SEPTEMBER 18 & 19,2000 Motion made by Commissioner Iseminger, seconded by Wivell, to approve the minutes of September 18 and 19, 2000, as amended. Unanimously approved. COMMISSIONERS’ REPORTS AND COMMENTS Commissioner Wivell informed the Commissioners that he presented a proclamation to the Business & Professional Women’s Association at their annual banquet. He reported that the joint Facilities Review Committee for the Board of Education met last week. Commissioner Iseminger reported on the meetings of the Healthy Families Committee and the Planning Commission. He also attended the retirement reception for Dr. Robert Parker. Commissioner Iseminger stated that the MACo Legislative Committee is scheduled for next week. Commissioner Swartz reported on the Hagerstown Community College alumni appreciation dinner and on meetings with the Community Action Council Board and Greater Hagerstown Committee. He informed the Commissioners that the Grate American Sleep-out is scheduled in November. Commissioner Swartz also attended Dr. Parker’s retirement reception. He reminded the Commissioners that the Maryland, You Are Beautiful reception is scheduled for October 5 as well as the Local Government Insurance Trust dinner. He asked the Commissioners if they are interested in considering a tax on campgrounds. The Commissioners agreed that they would like additional information from the County Attorney on projected revenues. Commissioner Snook stated that he attended a meeting regarding the possible relocation or renovation of the Maugansville Post Office. He informed the Commissioners that the Longmeadow Lions Club is interested in partnering with the County if there is a park developed in that area. The Commissioners discussed correspondence they received from Harold Phillips regarding “right sizing” of schools. They agreed to have Mr. Phillips make a presentation at the next joint meeting with the Board of Education. Commissioner Snook stated that he attended the annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce. He also informed the Commissioners of a letter he received from the Governor’s office on “Smart Codes” legislation that will be introduced in the upcoming session of the General Assembly. PROCLAMATION – NATIONAL 4-H WEEK Commissioner Iseminger presented a proclamation to Mary Ellen Waltemire, Director of the Washington County Cooperative Extension Service, and a group of 4-H members, designating the week of October 1 – 7, 2000 as National 4-H Week and urging citizens to observe this week by engaging in projects benefiting their community. PROCLAMATION – CHARACTER COUNTS MONTH Commissioner Wivell presented a proclamation to Carolyn Brooks, Director of the Character Counts! Program, and Michelle Wills, designating the month of October 2000 as Character Counts! Month and encouraging citizens, schools, businesses and government to support the program. The Board recognized the six pillars of character taught by the program: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. Ms. Brooks thanked the Commissioners for the proclamation and their support of the program. STATUS OF CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS Gary Rohrer, Director of Public Works, and Terry McGee, Chief Engineer, met with the Commissioners to provide a status report on the Capital Improvements Program (CIP). Mr. Rohrer introduced the new members of the Engineering staff and outlined their duties: Melissa Yates, Project OCTOBER 3, 2000 PAGE TWO Manager; John Meidunas, Project Manager; Scott Hobbs, Structural (Bridge) Engineer; and Roger Goodwin, Civil Engineer. Mr. Rohrer provided background on the concerns they had regarding ratio of the workload to staff and for the state of bridge projects. He thanked the Commissioners for allowing them to add a full-time project manager and structural engineer. At this time, Mr. Rohrer and Mr. McGee reviewed some of the larger projects they have planned including revisions to the following documents: the highway/street acceptance policy, the Road Adequacy policy, stormwater management regulations, and the Sediment & Erosion Control Ordinance. Mr. McGee outlined the new State stormwater management regulations. He and Mr. Rohrer then reviewed the construction schedule for 2000 and 2001. The meeting was then opened for questions. Commissioner Snook thanked them for the presentation and asked to convey their appreciation to staff CITIZENS PARTICIPATION Edward French invited the Commissioners to attend the dedication of the veterans’ monument to be held in Widmyer Park on November 11, which is being sponsored by the Hancock War Memorial VFW Post 10502. Dave Pearson, General Manager of Prime Retail, distributed a copy of the current statute regarding licenses for transient or temporary vendors. He asked that they consider an exemption to allow shows, sales, and exhibitions in a non-enclosed shopping center. Mr. Pearson asked that the word “enclosed” be eliminated to allow these types of activities in an open area mall. APPROVAL FOR GRANT SUBMISSION – JUDY B. HOYER CENTER- Dr. Herman Bartlett, Superintendent of Schools, along with staff members John Festerman and Bill Abbott, met with the Commissioners to inform them of the opportunity to apply for a Judith P. Hoyer Early Child Care & Education Center grant to establish what are commonly known as “Judy Centers.” Dr. Bartlett explained that the grants are funded through the Maryland State Department of Education and are used to provide comprehensive early childhood education and adult literacy centers, as well as services to children and their families. Mr. Festerman and Mr. Abbott provided details of the grant and stated that they anticipate that the centers would be established at Bester Elementary School and the Family Support Center. Services would be provided by six County agencies working together cooperatively. They asked the County Commissioners to fund the local match to allow them to apply for the grant funds. Dr. Bartlett stated that a local commitment of $67,500 over 18 months to fund the Project Manager position would allow them to access approximately $2 million in grant funds over a four-year period. He stated that the funding would serve a minimum of 50 families and increase the number of children who enter school ready to learn. Motion made by Commissioner Iseminger, seconded by Schnebly, to approve the submission of an application for a Judith P. Hoyer Early Child Care & Education Center grant by the Board of Education and to commit $22,500 from Commissioners’ Contingency fund to provide the funding necessary for FY 2000 with the remainder to be included in the budget each fiscal year for the life of the grant if it is approved. For the record, the Commissioners stated that they are not committing to funding the program after that time if the grant is discontinued. Unanimously approved. PROCLAMATION – DISABILITIES AWARENESS WEEK Commissioner Schnebly presented a proclamation to Linn Hendershot, representing the Disabilities Advisory Committee, designating the week of October 2-8, 2000 as Disabilities Awareness Week in Washington County. Mr. Hendershot thanked the Commissioners for their support and noted the activities scheduled throughout the County to promote Disabilities Awareness Week. COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR’S COMMENTS Rodney Shoop, County Administrator, reminded the Commissioners of the reception honoring Maryland You Are Beautiful nominees scheduled for OCTOBER 3, 2000 PAGE THREE October 4 at Richardson’s Restaurant. He also reminded them that the meeting of the County Commissioners of Western Maryland is scheduled for October 6 at the Agricultural Education Center. Mr. Shoop informed the Commissioners that the County has agreed to forward any notices of job openings to the Department of Social Services to assist with their Welfare to Work Program. CHANGE ORDER – METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION BUDGET Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Schnebly, to approve the fiscal year 2000-01 budget of $701,186 for the Hagerstown/Eastern Panhandle Metropolitan Planning Organization, of which 90% will be reimbursed by the Federal government, and to provide the local share in the form of in-kind contributions. Unanimously approved. BUDGET TRANSFER – AERIAL SURVEY Motion made by Commissioner Schnebly, seconded by Wivell, to approve the transfer of $123,664 from various line items and to allow the remaining funds from the FY 2000 budget to be brought forward to complete funding for the aerial survey being done by the Sanborne Lockwood Mapping Company. Unanimously approved. APPOINTMENTS – ADVISORY COMMISSION TO THE BOARD OF HEALTH Motion made by Commissioner Iseminger, seconded by Schnebly, to appoint John Budesky, James Taylor, and Julie Barr-Strasburg to the Advisory Commission to the Board of Health for three-year terms. Unanimously approved. REVISED POLICY FOR “NAMING OF EXISTING UNNAMED STREETS & ROADS” POLICY S-6 Richard Douglas, County Attorney, presented a revised policy for the “Naming of Existing Unnamed Streets and Highways” (Policy S-6). Mr. Douglas stated that the main purpose of the revision is to remove the Commissioners from the decision-making process at their request. Now that the policy has been in effect for several years and is running smoothly, the involvement of the Commissioners is no longer considered to be necessary. Under the revised Policy, all written requests suggesting a name for an existing unnamed street or highway would be filed with the Planning Department and the Planning Director would be responsible for the final designation of the street or highway name. Motion made by Commissioner Schnebly, seconded by Swartz, to approve the revised policy for Naming of Existing Unnamed Streets and Highways (S-6) to direct and to grant authority to the Planning Director for the final designation of the street or highway name. Unanimously approved. INCOME TAX DISTRIBUTION MONEY FY 2000 – TRANSFER OF FUNDS Motion made by Commissioner Wivell, seconded by Swartz, to transfer $2 million of income tax revenues from FY 2000 into the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) contingency fund pending recommendations from staff to use the funding to reduce debt or long-term borrowing. Unanimously approved. RECOGNITION PLAQUES – RECREATION & PARKS BOARD Robert Arch, Director of Planning & Community Development, informed the Commissioners that the Recreation & Parks Board has recommended that two former members and one current member be recognized for their long-time involvement and dedication to promoting recreation in Washington County. He stated that a subcommittee established by the Recreation & Parks Board has recommended that a plaque honoring Jim Brown be placed at the Pinesburg Softball Complex. A plaque for Joe Hannah would be placed at South County Park, and a plaque honoring Yogi Martin would be placed at the junior football league field at Marty Snook Park. The subcommittee has recommended that the plaques be cast aluminum with black background and gray lettering with a 5” x 7” photo placed on the plaque. Commissioner Iseminger stated that there are many individuals deserving of such recognition, and he expressed concerns on how the individuals would be selected. The Commissioners discussed the use of County funding for the plaques. They indicated that, although they agree with the concept, they would like to have a countywide policy to be developed with further recommendations from the Recreation and Parks Board on how to fund the OCTOBER 3, 2000 PAGE FOUR recognition plaques without using County funds. The Commissioners tabled this issued pending recommendations and development of a policy. RECESS – LUNCH The Commissioners recessed at 12:00 p.m. for lunch. AFTERNOON SESSION The afternoon session was called to order at 1:08 p.m. by President Gregory I. Snook, with the following members present: Vice President Paul L. Swartz and Commissioners John L. Schnebly, Bertrand L. Iseminger, Jr., and William J. Wivell. CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION Motion made by Commissioner Schnebly, seconded by Swartz, to convene in closed session at 1:08 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 Iseminger, seconded by Swartz, to reconvene in open session at 3:23 p.m. Unanimously approved. In closed session, the Commissioners discussed one (1) personnel issue and consulted with counsel to obtain legal advice on four (4) matters. 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 Joni Bittner, County Clerk; Richard Douglas, County Attorney; John Martirano, Assistant County Attorney; Carolyn Motz, Airport Manager; Robert Arch, Director of Planning & Community Development; Timmy Ruppersberger, County bond counsel; Richard deGorter, New Dominion Management; Fran Busby and Pam Hamilton, Prager, McCarthy & Sealy; John Stalfort, Esq., Miles & Stockbridge; Mack Davis and Jed Bell, Davis Renn & Associates; and Debra Bastian, Director of Budget & Finance. ADJOURNMENT Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Iseminger, to adjourn at 3:23 p.m. Unanimously approved. , County Administrator , County Attorney , County Clerk