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HomeMy WebLinkAbout020917 September 17, 2002 Hagerstown, Maryland The regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Washington County, Maryland, was called to order at 8:00 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. CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Wivell, to convene in closed session at 8:00 a.m. to consult with counsel to obtain legal advice and consider a proposal for a business or industrial organization to locate, expand, or remain in the State, 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 8:55 a.m. Unanimously approved. In closed session, the Commissioners consulted with counsel to obtain legal advice on one (1) issue and considered a proposal for a business or industrial organization to locate, expand, or remain in the State. 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; Carolyn Motz, Airport Manager; Greg Larsen, Business Development Manager for the Hagerstown Regional Airport; Ed Rakowski, Airport Operations Manager; and Steve Pearl, Chairman of the Airport Advisory Commission. 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. COMMISSIONERS REPORTS AND COMMENTS Commissioner Wivell reported that he attended several 9/11 commemoration ceremonies. He stated that he also attended the th Civil War Trails dedication and the 140 anniversary re- enactment of the Battle of Antietam. Commissioner Wivell informed the Commissioners that he toured the gymnasium at Fort Ritchie with several members of the County staff to see if it would be feasible to open it for use by the community. Commissioner Iseminger reported on the various 9/11 Gods commemoration ceremonies he attended, the sneak preview of & Generals , the Sharpsburg Heritage Festival, and Hancock C & O Canal Apple Days. He stated that he also attended the one-year celebration for the Clear Spring branch library. Commissioner Schnebly stated that he attended the Battle of Antietam activities and the 9/11 commemoration ceremonies. Commissioner Swartz informed the Commissioners that he attended several 9/11 commemoration ceremonies. He reported on the meetings of the Disabilities Advisory Committee and the CASA Board of Directors. Commissioner Swartz stated that he attended the meeting sponsored by the Mental Health Authority with Gods & Generals, Speaker Cas Taylor, the sneak preview of and the re-enactment of the Battle of Antietam. Commissioner Swartz stated that he met with the Citizens for the Protection of Washington County regarding the possibility of imposing a moratorium for large subdivisions in rural areas until zoning is adopted that is in line with the revised Comprehensive Plan. Commissioner Snook reminded the Commissioners that the Paramount Elementary School walk-a-thon is scheduled for October 1 and the Greater Hagerstown Committee meeting is September 20. SEPTEMBER 17, 2002 PAGE TWO REPORTS FROM COUNTY STAFF Joe Kroboth, Emergency Services Director, informed the Commissioners that the terrorist advisory threat level was increased last week. He stated that the medical staff treated an estimated 200 patients at the reenactment last week. Mr. Kroboth stated that he spoke at the City/County remembrance program on September 11. He distributed a new policy to the Commissioners regarding the distribution of 911 tapes and radio traffic that was developed with the assistance of the County Attorney’s office Pete Thomas, Executive Director of the Western Maryland Consortium, introduced Anthony “A.J.” Petrore. Mr. Petrore was recently hired as the Director of Administration at the Consortium. Debra Bastian, Director of Finance, stated that her department is working on financial statements. She stated that she hopes to have the final income tax distribution by September 24. Ms. Bastian informed the Commissioners that the Gaming Director is at a national seminar this week. She also stated that Orlyn Ostereich was appointed as the new chair of the Gaming Commission. Robert Arch, Director of Planning & Community Development, thanked the Commissioners and staff for their support on the th 140 commemoration of the Battle of Antietam. He informed them that C-Span would be doing special coverage of the reenactment to be shown on television in November. REPORT ON WASHINGTON COUNTY DETENTION CENTER Sheriff Mades read a prepared statement to the Commissioners outlining the concerns of the correctional deputies. He outlined the disparity in salaries between patrol and correctional deputies and asked that the Commissioners carefully review the wage and salary study once it is completed. Sheriff Mades stated that he is working to resolve other issues at the Detention Center and that he has asked for outside assistance to review and analyze the rank structure and create a modern, realistic flow chart. He indicated that he is also considering the establishment of a conflict resolution committee and training in both team concept and team building skills. Sheriff Mades urged the Commissioners to fund a salary increase even if it would be done over a phase-in period. The meeting was then opened for questions and discussion. The Commissioners thanked Sheriff Mades for taking the time to present the issues to them. Commissioner Snook assured him that the Commissioners would take the concerns seriously and that they would be looking closely at the results of the wage and salary study. EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TEFAP) CONTRACT Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Iseminger, to designate Food Resources, Inc. as the Emergency Feeding Organization for renewal of the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) contract for Washington County, pending satisfactory review by the office of the County Attorney. Motion carried with Commissioners Swartz, Iseminger, Wivell, and Snook voting “AYE” and Commissioner Schnebly “ABSTAINING.” UPDATE ON HOTSPOTS INITIATIVE Carolyn Brooks, Director of the HotSpots Program, met with the Commissioners to provide an update on the program. Ms. Brooks distributed a map delineating the HotSpots designated area in the core of Hagerstown. She provided a history of the program and stated that the initiative was to engage law enforcement, residents, and service providers to resolve the problems in the designated area. Ms. Brooks provided information on the funding and accountability requirements. Commissioners Snook suggested that they may want to contact the owners of the old Coca-Cola facility to see if they would consider donating the building. He stated that it could be demolished for open space or a small park. Ms. Brooks stated that she would pursue this matter. Ms. Brooks then provided information on some of the programs provided through HotSpots including after school programs, homeownership, community mobilization, code enforcement, community policing, seminars SEPTEMBER 17, 2002 PAGE THREE and workshops. She stated that the Maryland Symphony Orchestra has provided tickets to the symphony and ballet. Ms. Brooks indicated that they are developing an initiative through the community policing program to place a camera system in the Jonathan Street corridor. The Commissioners thanked Ms. Brooks for her presentation. PUBLIC HEARING – REPEAL OF THE 1999 NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE AND ENACTMENT OF THE 2002 NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE WITH LOCAL AMENDMENTS FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY The Commissioners convened a public hearing at 10:15 a.m. for the purpose of considering the repeal of the 1999 National Electrical Code (Code) and the enactment of the 2002 Code for Washington County with some local amendments. Paul Prodonovich, Director of Permits & Inspections, reviewed the updated Code with the Commissioners. He stated that Board of Supervisors and Examiners for Electricians reviewed the Code and recommended changes to simplify and clarify selected sections. The meeting was then opened for public comment. No one spoke in favor of or in opposition to the proposed adoption of the 2002 Code, and the hearing was closed at 10:20 a.m. Commissioner Snook stated that the record would be held open for ten (10) days to allow additional comments to be submitted in writing. BID AWARD – HELLS DELIGHT ROAD Motion made by Commissioner Iseminger, seconded by Wivell, to award the contract for improvements to Hells Delight Road to Antietam Construction, Inc., which submitted the low responsive, responsible bid of $37,114. Unanimously approved. CITIZENS PARTICIPATION Lou Close, former Town Manager for the Town of Hancock, introduced new Town Manager Larry Logan. Mr. Close and Mr. Logan thanked the Commissioners for working with the Town. Commissioner Snook welcomed Mr. Logan. They also offered their best wishes to Mr. Close on his retirement. “Hank” Livelsberger, representing the Washington County Citizens for the Protection of Washington County, requested that a moratorium be placed on major subdivisions in rural areas, to remain in place until the drought conditions are eased and the zoning is in place in accordance with the revised Comprehensive Plan. TIRE AMNESTY DAY – REQUEST TO EXPAND PROGRAM William Christoffel, Health Officer, provided a brief update on the West Nile virus. He proposed expanding the pick-up sites during County’s tire amnesty day on September 28 in an effort to dispose of scrap tires that can provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes and, thereby, reduce the danger of the West Nile Virus. Mr. Cristoffel stated that the Health Department would contribute an additional $2,500 and asked for a matching amount from the County to supplement grant funds from the Maryland Environmental Service (MES) allocated for this program. Gary Rohrer, Director of Public Works, explained that MES has allocated funding for the collection of 100 tons of tires. Ms. Rohrer stated that he has concerns with the logistics at the outlying sites with transportation and storage as well as the additional costs at the alternate sites. The Commissioners discussed the proposal. It was the consensus of the Board not to amend the Solid Waste Advisory Committee’s recommendation to limit the program to six tires per household. Mr. Christoffel agreed that the Health Department would increase its contribution if necessary. Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Iseminger, to approve the concept to expand the Scrap Tire Amnesty Day by increasing the pick-up sites to six locations and to maintain the original limit of six tires per household per vehicle, with funding for the program to be addressed through staff recommendation after the event. Unanimously approved. APPOINTMENT – BOARD OF EXAMINERS & SUPERVISORS FOR ELECTRICIANS Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Wivell, to appoint Daniel Shank to fill the unexpired term of David Campbell on the Board of SEPTEMBER 17, 2002 PAGE FOUR Examiners and Supervisors for Electricians which extends to June 30, 2003. Unanimously approved. FUNDING FOR HAGERSTOWN-EASTERN PANHANDLE METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION BUDGET Motion made by Commissioner Iseminger, seconded by Schnebly, to accept Federal grant funding of $1,204,954 into the appropriate County budget for the Hagerstown-Eastern Panhandle Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) budget for fiscal year 2002-03. Unanimously approved. REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL VEHICLES - HIGHWAY USER FUND Rodney Shoop, County Administrator, informed the Commissioners that the State recently informed the Budget & Finance Department that Washington County would be receiving $300,000 more in Highway User Funds than was anticipated for FY 2003. He stated that the Highway Department is requesting that $213,770 be reinstated to their budget for machinery and equipment that was cut during the budget process. After discussion, the Commissioners took the request under consideration until additional information is received. CONTRACT AWARD – COMPREHENSIVE TAX BILLING & COLLECTION PROCESSING SYSTEM SOFTWARE FOR THE WASHINGTON COUNTY TREASURER Karen Luther, Purchasing Agent, presented the Coordinating Committee’s recommendation for purchase of the comprehensive tax billing and collection processing system software for the County Treasurer. She stated that the Committee is recommending that the County “piggy-back” the Talbot County, Maryland bid/contract with MUNIS in the amount of $272,700 for software licenses, third party hardware, system software, consulting, implementation and training conversion, installation and estimated expenses and the amount of $29,500 for the first year’s third party hardware, software system and application software maintenance fees for a total contract amount of $302,200. Todd Hershey, County Treasurer, reviewed the benefits of the system. The meeting was opened for questions from the Commissioners. Motion made by Commissioner Wivell, seconded by Iseminger, to approve the recommendation of the Coordinating Committee to “piggy-back” the Talbot County, Maryland bid/contract with MUNIS in the amount of $272,700 for software licenses, third party hardware, system software, consulting, implementation/training conversion, installation and estimated expenses and the amount of $29,500 for the first year’s third party hardware, system software and application software maintenance fees for a total contract amount of $302,200 for the purchase of the comprehensive tax billing and collection processing system software for the Office of the Washington County Treasurer. Unanimously approved. CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Schnebly, to convene in closed session at 11:30 a.m. to discuss a personnel issue and 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 11:55 a.m. Unanimously approved. In closed session, the Commissioners discussed one (1) personnel issue and consulted with counsel to obtain legal advice on one (1) issue. 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; Gary Rohrer, Director of Public Works; and Rob Slocum, Deputy Chief Engineer. EMPLOY – PROJECT MANAGER AND ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN II Motion made by Commissioner Schnebly, seconded by Swartz, to employ Bruce Matthews, Project Manager (Grade 11) at a salary of $39,000 and to employ SEPTEMBER 17, 2002 PAGE FIVE John Shank, III as Engineering Technician II (Grade 8) at a salary of $28,000, in the Engineering Department. Unanimously approved. RECESS The Commissioners recessed at 11:55 a.m. to attend a luncheon meeting with the Board of Education. JOINT MEETING WITH BOARD OF EDUCATION The Commissioners met with the Board of Education at the central office on Commonwealth Avenue at 12:30 p.m. The following members of the Board of Education were present: Dori Nipps, Mary Wilfong, Herbert Hardin, Ed Forrest, Bernadette Wagner, Roxanne Ober, and Paul Bailey. Staff members present were Dr. Elizabeth Morgan, Superintendent of Schools; Dennis McGee, Director of Facilities Management; William Blum, Chief Operating Officer; and Christian South, Director of Budget & Finance. Master Plan for Washington County Public Schools: Dr. Patricia Abernathy, Assistant Superintendent, presented the Master Plan for Washington County Public Schools. She reviewed their vision, mission and goals. Dr. Abernathy then reviewed the objectives and strategies to achieve their vision of “ensuring world class education for all students.” The meeting was then opened for questions and discussion. Fountaindale School for Arts and Academic Excellence: Roger Giles informed the Commissioners how the idea of the magnet school was initiated. He stated that the Board decided to give the public the choice to apply to attend the special program for the arts and the response was overwhelming. Mr. Giles indicated that they hope to expand magnet and signature programs to serve the range of individual student needs and interests. Update on Reading Initiative: James Newkirk, Supervisor for Elementary Reading, provided a history of the reading initiative. He stated that the Board of Education made reading a priority in 1999 and hired additional reading improvement teachers. Mr. Newkirk outlined the benchmark used and the testing procedures. He reviewed graphs showing the progress that has been made each year. Update on Enrollment and Enrollment Projections: Dennis McGee, Director of Facilities Management, reviewed historical enrollments for the period 1993-2002. He then reviewed the enrollments by grade for 2002 and stated that there are a total of 19,561 students. Mr. McGee stated that 29 additional classrooms and 32 teachers would be needed for all- day kindergarten. Mr. McGee informed the Commissioners that the renovations at South Hagerstown High School are nearing completion. He stated that change orders from the project have placed it $75,000 over budget. Mr. McGee requested a transfer of $75,000 from FY 2003 maintenance projects to close out the South High project. Motion made by Commissioner Iseminger, seconded by Swartz, to approve the transfer of $75,000 from FY 2003 Maintenance Projects to close-out the South Hagerstown High School renovation project, as requested by the Board of Education. Unanimously approved. Health Care Self-Insurance Fund Update: Chris South, Director of Finance, provided an update on the self-insurance fund for health care. Mr. South stated that the revenues exceeded expenses by $298,000 for a year-end fund balance of $43,700. He stated that $200,000 of the excess was the result of a one-time deposit by the Commissioners. Commissioner Schnebly reminded the Board that they need to devote resources to loss control for workers’ compensation insurance. Dr. Morgan stated that they are working to resolve that issue. SEPTEMBER 17, 2002 PAGE SIX Pledge Across America: At this time, the group observed “Pledge Across America” Day with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag by the full assemblage. Fourth Quarter Adjustments – FY 2002: Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Iseminger, to approve the following fourth quarter budget adjustments as requested by the Board of Education by decreasing the following categories: Mid-Level Administration - $63,149; Student Personnel Services - $3,151; Special Education - $6,132; Student Health Services - $3,157; Student Transportation - $70,393; Operation of Plant - $13,826; and Maintenance of Plant - $55,242, and to increase the following categories: Revenue - $263,647; Administration - $19,839; Instructional Salaries - $79,353; Instructional Textbooks & Supplies - $87,596; Other Instructional Costs - $37,163; Fixed Charges - $47,613; and Capital Outlay - $67,821, for a total adjustment to the Fund Balance of $154,322. Unanimously approved. Request for Financial Assistance: Dr. Morgan requested that the County provide $10,000 to assist with the replacement of windows at Bester Elementary School that have to be replaced due to vandalism. She stated that insurance would cover $20,000 of the $30,000 estimated damage. She also requested $16,000 to help fund the cost increase for the purchase of buses. After discussion, it was the consensus of the Commissioners that the funding should be taken from the Board of Education’s existing cash reserves. The Commissioners stated that they hope to be able to assist the Board with one- time expenses if it is determined that the County would end the year with a surplus. ADJOURNMENT Motion made by Commissioner Swartz, seconded by Iseminger, to adjourn at 2:30 p.m. Unanimously approved. , County Administrator , County Attorney ___________________________, County Clerk