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HomeMy WebLinkAbout180206BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND Hagerstown, Maryland February 6, 2018 INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Commissioner Barr offered the Invocation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag by the full assemblage. CALL TO ORDER President Terry L. Baker called the regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Washington County, Maryland, to order at 9:05 a.m. at 100 West Washington Street, Room 1113, with the following members present: Vice President Jeffrey A. Cline and Commissioners John F. Barr, Wayne K. Keefer and LeRoy E. Myers, Jr. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - JANUARY 30, 2018 Commissioner Barr, seconded by Myers, moved to approve the minutes of January 30, 2018. The motion passed unanimously. CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION Commissioner Myers, seconded by Cline, moved to convene in closed session at 9:07 a.m. to discuss the appointment, employment, assignment, promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation, removal, resignation, or performance evaluation of appointees, employees, or officials over whom this public body has jurisdiction; or any other personnel matter that affects one or more specific individuals; to consider a matter that concerns the proposal for a business or industrial organization to locate, expand or remain in the State; to consider matters that relate to collective bargaining negotiations; and to consult with counsel to obtain legal advice on a legal matter in accordance with Section 3-305(b) (1) (4) (7) and (9) of the General Provisions Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. The motion passed unanimously. In closed session, the Commissioners discussed certain vacancies and the potential appointment of specific individuals to a local board over which the Commissioners have appointing authority, discussed the potential for certain businesses to locate, expand, or remain in the State, considered a number of specific County employee hiring/employment recommendations from staff, reviewed a specific personnel matter, and discussed issues relating to collective bargaining negotiations. During closed session, the Commissioners directed staff to undertake certain steps in regards to the filling of the local board vacancies including the further discussion and presentation for approval of said individuals in a future open session meeting, requested that regular and timely updates be provided to the Commissioners relating to specific February 6, 2018 Page 2 businesses that hope to locate in the County/State; provided direction to staff regarding several hiring/employment recommendations, gave staff direction relating to a specific personnel matter; and provided instruction to staff regarding issues relating to collective bargaining negotiations. Present during closed session were Commissioners Terry L. Baker, Jeffrey A. Cline, John F. Barr, Wayne K. Keefer and LeRoy E. Myers, Jr. Also present were Robert J. Slocum, County Administrator; Vicki C. Lumm, County Clerk; John M. Martirano, County Attorney; and at various times Eric Seifarth, Rural Preservation Administrator, Planning and Zoning; Wonro Lee, CEO, Gunseon Lee, Chairman; and Junehee Lee, CFO, JG Business Link International; Stephanie Stone, Director, and Debra Peyton, Deputy Director, Health and Human Services; Jim Sterling, Director, Public Works; Kassie Lewis, Director, Business Development; and Danielle Crabb, Director, Public Relations and Marketing. RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION Commissioner Keefer, seconded by Cline, moved to reconvene in open session at 10:17 a.m. The motion passed unanimously. COMMISSIONERS' REPORTS AND COMMENTS Commissioner Barr stated that he would be absent from the evening meeting in Williamsport due to a death in the family. He reported on the Day in Annapolis attended by various Commissioners and staff. Mr. Barr reported meeting with several members of Governor Hogan's senior staff and Senate President Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael Busch. Commissioner Barr also spoke with State Secretary of Budget and Management David Brinkley who stressed that the Urban Improvement Project needs to be started soon due to State money committed to the project and other revenue sources being in place. CITIZENS' PARTICIPATION Pat Schooley, Old Forge Road, expressed concern regarding the State Highway Administration's plans to replace the Route 68 bridge. She urged the Commissioners and citizens to write to the Maryland Historic Trust in support of keeping the historic bridge. REPORTS FROM COUNTY STAFF Health and Human Services Position Recommendations Stephanie Stone, Director, Health and Human Services, introduced several position recommendations for approval by the County Commissioners, as follows: Commissioner Barr, seconded by Keefer, moved to promote Susan Buchanan to the Director of the Office of Community Grant Management at Grade 16, Step 1 due to the promotion of the former director, Jim Hovis. February 6, 2018 Page 3 Commissioner Barr, seconded by Cline, moved to approve hiring Susan Small, currently the County's Real Property Administrator, for the Grade 15, Step 2 newly created position of Business Leader in the Department of Business Development. The motion passed unanimously. Commissioner Barr, seconded by Keefer, moved to promote Sara Greaves to the Grade 20, Step 3 position of Chief Financial Officer in the Budget and Finance Department due to a vacancy. The motion passed unanimously. The Commissioners gave their consensus to advertise to fill the vacancies created by the personnel moves. Commissioner Barr, seconded by Keefer, moved to hire Brittany Higgins for the Grade 15, Step 1 Public Relations Coordinator position in Public Relations and Marketing due to a vacancy. The motion passed unanimously. County Administrator County Administrator Rob Slocum introduced Sara Greaves and Susan Buchanan. He noted that the owners of property on the Downsville Pike at Halfway Boulevard were not interested in selling the property. In answer to a previous question from the Commissioners, he stated that the property would qualify for Program Open Space funds at the appraised value. JARMY CONSERVATION RESERVE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM EASEMENT Eric Seifarth, Rural Preservation Administrator, Planning and Zoning, requested approval of the Imre T. Jarmy and Linda A. Jarmy Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Easement project, paid for 100% by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, for $28,540.26 onl2.981 easement acres, to adopt an ordinance approving the easement purchase and to authorize the execution of the necessary documentation to finalize the easement purchase. The property is located at 18703 Keedysville Road, Keedysville. The CREP easement will protect the entirety of the property that contains 2.62 acres of forest and 9.251 acres of crop and hay fields. It will also serve to buffer 541 linear feet of an Antietam Creek tributary on the property. CREP and Rural Legacy funds are 100% State funds derived mainly from Program Open Space funds. In addition to the easement funds, the County will receive up to 3% of the easement value for administrative costs, a mandatory 1.5% for compliance/monitoring costs and funds to cover all of the County's legal/settlement costs. Commissioner Myers, seconded by Barr, moved to approve the Imre T. Jarmy and Linda A. Jarmy Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Easement project, paid for 100% by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, for $28,540.26 onl2.981 easement acres, approve the adoption of Ordinance approving the easement February 6, 2018 Page 4 purchase and authorize the execution of the necessary documentation required to finalize the easement purchase as presented. The motion passed unanimously. (Ordinance No. ORD -2018-04 is is recorded among the Acts, Ordinances, and Resolutions of Washington County and the original is located in the County Commissioners' Office.) SOLE SOURCE BID AWARD — PURCHASE OF GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY/MASS SPECTROMETER EQUIPMENT Rick Curry, Buyer, Purchasing, and Sheriff Doug Mullendore, recommended the Sole Source procurement of Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer Equipment, warranty, software, PC, monitor and installation for use by the Western Maryland Regional Laboratory in the amount of $116,036.48 from Agilent Technologies, Inc. of Wilmington, Delaware based on its proposal dated December 18, 2017. The Mass Spectrometer used by the Western Maryland Regional Laboratory is nine years old and can no longer be repaired. This is a vital piece of equipment for the laboratory to test evidence for numerous police agencies in the area. Pursuant to Sections 1-106.2(a)(1) & (2) of the Code of Public Local Laws of Washington County, Maryland, a sole source procurement may be authorized and permissible when: (1) only one source exists that meets the County's requirements, and (2) the compatibility of equipment, accessories, or replacement parts is the paramount consideration. Commissioner Barr, seconded by Myers, moved to award the Sole Source procurement of Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer Equipment, warranty, software, PC, monitor and installation for use by the Western Maryland Regional Laboratory in the amount of $116,036.48 from Agilent Technologies, Inc. of Wilmington, Delaware, based on its proposal dated December 18, 2017. The motion passed unanimously. REJECTION OF BIDS — ONE NEW HAZMAT UNIT Rick Curry presented a recommendation to reject the two bids received on October 25, 2017 for the purchase of one Hazmat Unit. Two bids were received, one was more than the available budget and the other did not meet bid specifications. The division will revise the specifications to solicit new pricing if the recommendation is approved. Commissioner Myers, seconded by Barr, moved to reject the bids received on October 25, 2017 for the purchase of one Hazmat Unit for the reasons presented. The motion passed unanimously. CONOCOCHEAGUE TREATMENT PLANT ENR UPGRADE CHANGE ORDER Mark Bradshaw, Deputy Director, Environmental Management, requested Change Order 44 to HRI Bridge Company, Inc. in the amount of $179,506 and the addition of thirty-three days to the Conococheague Treatment Plant ENR Upgrade project. Mr. Bradshaw described the reasons for the request that involved cost increases for necessary or required modifications to the project and also decreases due to value engineering suggestions from HRL He advised that there are adequate funds in the project budget to cover the change order. February 6, 2018 Page 5 Commissioner Barr, seconded by Myers, moved to approve Change Order 44 to HRI Bridge Company, Inc. in the amount of $179,506 regarding the Conococheague Treatment Plant ENR Upgrade project as presented. The motion passed unanimously. OFFICE OF COMMUNITY GRANT MANAGEMENT NAME AND TITLE CHANGES Jim Hovis, Chief Operations Officer, and Susan Buchanan, Director, Office of Community Grant Management, presented the proposal to rename the Office of Community Grant Management (OCGM) to the Office of Grant Management and to change the job title of the department's Administrative Assistant position to Charitable Gaming Manager. The OCGM was created in 2011 as a result of the merger of the Washington County Community Partnership for Children and Families and the Washington County Gaming Office. Since that time, the role of the office has changed from managing community grants for youth and families to providing management and oversight for all County grant funding. The proposed renaming more accurately reflects the department's purpose and is consistent with other county grant offices in the State of Maryland and nationwide. In addition, the department's Administrative Assistant now manages and provides oversight to gaming operations. Changing the job title to Charitable Gaming Manager and updating the job description to include these duties more accurately reflects the nature of the position. There is no fiscal impact to the requested changes. Commissioner Myers, seconded by Barr, moved to rename the Office of Community Grant Management to the Office of Grant Management and change the job title of the department's Administrative Assistant to Charitable Gaming Manager as presented. The motion passed unanimously. HAGERSTOWN URBAN IMPROVEMENT PROJECT GRANT AGREEMENT AND SUB -RECIPIENT AGREEMENT REVIEW AND APPROVAL Susan Buchanan, Director, Office of Grant Management, presented sub -recipient agreements between the County and City of Hagerstown for consideration and formal approval by the Mayor and Council, for non -substantive modifications to the sub -recipient agreements with the concurrence of the County Attorney; and upon execution of these sub - recipient agreements, approve the execution of two Fiscal Year 2018 Capital Projects Grant Agreements between the State of Maryland (Funder), the County (Grantee) and the City of Hagerstown (Recipient). The Hagerstown Urban Improvement Project (UIP) received two Maryland Capital Bond Bill awards, one for $155,000 and one for $45,000. The Bond Bill language designated Washington County as the Grantee and the City of Hagerstown as the beneficiary on both bond bills. As the Grantee, the County is responsible to draft and enter into sub -recipient agreements with the beneficiary. Upon execution of the sub -recipient agreements the County and beneficiary must agree to and execute the Capital Projects Grant Agreements to receive awarded funding. Should approval be provided upon the agreements presented herein, any substantive requests from sub -recipients will be brought before the board for formal approval. February 6, 2018 Page 6 The total award of $200,000 will be used for expenses associated with the Plaza component of the UIP. The execution of the sub -recipient agreements and the Capital Grant Agreement will have no fiscal impact to the County; however, the County could be responsible initially for fiscal recovery in the event of default by the sub -recipient. The sub -recipient agreement will provide the County remedies to recover any liabilities from the sub -recipients of the awarded funding. Commissioner Barr, seconded by Myers, moved to approve sub -recipient agreements between the County and City of Hagerstown for consideration and formal approval by the City's Mayor and Council, for non -substantive modifications to the sub -recipient agreements with the concurrence of the County Attorney; and upon execution of these sub - recipient agreements, approve the execution of two Fiscal Year 2018 Capital Projects Grant Agreements between the State of Maryland (Funder), the County (Grantee) and the City of Hagerstown (Recipient). The motion passed unanimously. RECESS The Commissioners recessed at 11:01 a.m. to attend a Chamber of Commerce lunch event. JOINT MEETING WITH WASHINGTON COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION The Board of County Commissioners met with the Board of Education at 10435 Downsville Pike, Hagerstown. President Terry L. Baker called the meeting to order at 1:32 p.m. In attendance were Vice President Jeffrey A. Cline and Commissioners John F. Barr, Wayne K. Keefer and LeRoy E. Myers, Jr. Board of Education members present were President Melissa Williams, Vice President Stan Stouffer, and members Jacqueline Fischer, Michael Guessford, Linda Murray, Wayne Ridenour and Pieter Bickford. DISCUSSION OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION'S DRAFT FISCAL YEAR 2019 GENERAL FUND OPERATING BUDGET Superintendent Boyd Michael, staff and Board of Education (BOE) members presented the draft Fiscal Year 2019 General Fund Operating budget for the Board of Education. The presenters described the challenges of meeting the needs of a diverse student population and providing appropriate compensation for employees including health care. The budget is valued at $275,995,704 with $99,353,005 requested in County funding. The BOE is requesting $97,039,242 in maintenance of effort funding, $1,261,518 as a result of the County being identified as a "low effort" county according to the Code of Maryland Regulations. A low effort county is designated as each fiscal year in which a county's prior year's education effort is below 100% of the Statewide five-year moving average of education effort. The BOE is requesting $1,052,245 above the maintenance of effort. The BOE's capital improvement project budget will be discussed at a future joint meeting. RECESS The Commissioners recessed at 2:04 p.m. February 6, 2018 Page 7 EVENING MEETING — TOWN OF WILLIAMSPORT An evening meeting of Board of County Commissioners of Washington County, Maryland, was held at Williamsport Town Hall, 2 North Conococheague Street, Williamsport. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Commissioners observed a moment of silence followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag by the full assemblage. CALL TO ORDER President Terry L. Baker called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. with the following members present: Vice President Jeffrey A. Cline and Commissioners Wayne K. Keefer and LeRoy E. Myers, Jr. (Commissioner John F. Barr was absent.) MAYOR AND COUNCIL COMMENTS Mayor William `Bill" Green welcomed the Commissioners to Williamsport and introduced Council members Dennis Grove, James Kalbfleish, and Charles Brown, III. He distributed information on the Town's proposal to combine its Memorial Library with the relocation of the C&O Canal National Historical Park. The current library needs to be upgraded and federal officials are considering a new headquarters for the Park at the former Miller Lumber Company location. The Town would have until September 2018 to come up with funding. The Commissioners discussed the fact that the property is appraised at $790,000 and the owner is requesting $1.25 million. Town Clerk/Treasurer Donnie Stotelmyer stated that the owner may agree to hold a mortgage on the property and the Town was advised it could obtain a strategic demolition grant from Secretary Holt's office. CERTIFICATE OF RECONITION The Commissioners presented a certificate of recognition to Williamsport resident/Council member Charles Brown for his renovation of properties in the Williamsport community. Mr. Brown's also owns rental properties and maintains them to high standards. COMMISSIONERS REPORTS AND COMMENTS Commissioner Keefer thanked the Chamber of Commerce and Greater Hagerstown Committee for hosting the Day in Annapolis. He noted that several Williamsport officials were also present. Commissioner Cline thanked the Town for the warm welcome. He introduced Danielle Crabb, the County's new Director of Public Relations and Community Affairs, who may be contacted to promote events in the Town. Commissioner Baker reported on the County's Recreation and Parks Board and introduced its chair, Greg Shank. Mr. Baker attended Comptroller Peter Franchot's visit last week to Spicher's Appliances to promote the Shop Maryland Energy tax-free event to be held February 17-19. February 6, 2018 Page 8 Commissioner Myers thanked the Town for hosting the Commissioners' meeting. He commented that Gerald Cump recently requested a certificate of recognition for the 100th birthday of his mother, Pearl Cump. REPORTS FROM COUNTY STAFF Department of Emergency Services Charles Summers, Assistant Director, Emergency Services, reported on the recent 3.5 mile Potomac River ice jam near Kemp's Mill Road that could have resulted in flooding and the emergency evacuation of residents. He recognized the extraordinary efforts of County staff that assisted with the situation and emergency personnel that personally visited each resident and advised them how to obtain emergency care. The ice jam eventually melted away and other debris in the area was cleared. Engineering Scott Hobbs, Director, Engineering, updated citizens on Bottom Road storm drainage project and noted the sidewalk improvements made last summer to the Town's Memorial Library. Chief Operations Officer Jim Hovis, Chief Operations Officer, reported that during the Commissioners' morning meeting, Susan Buchanan was named Director of Grant Management. He discussed the charitable gaming fund that benefits Washington County citizens. County Administrator County Administrator Rob Slocum reported that the Commissioners' evening meetings are being streamed live on Facebook. He stated that a drone was used to assess the ice jam which was very helpful. Mr. Slocum and several Commissioners attended the Day in Annapolis last week where the County was well represented. He noted that several bills requesting additional highway user funding are being proposed during the current legislative session. The local delegation will be presenting bills regarding a change for credits for disabled veterans and Washington County bond authorization to continue funding County projects. He commended the County's Highway Department for keeping ahead of last weekend's snow event. He also praised Agriculture Business Marketing Specialist Leslie Hart for organizing an event at Big Cork Winery that displayed agricultural products available in the County. Rob Slocum introduced Dan DiVito, Deputy Director, Water Quality, who also assisted during the ice jam, and was in attendance to address any water or sewer matters. Donnie Stotelmyer thanked him for assisting with projects in the Town. County Clerk — Appointments to Boards and Commissions Economic Development Commission Commissioner Myers, seconded by Keefer, moved to appoint Randy Thompson to fulfill an unexpired term through June 30, 2018 as an at -large member representing the February 6, 2018 Page 9 agricultural community on the Economic Development Commission. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0, Commissioner Barr was absent.) Agricultural Reconciliation Board Commissioner Keefer, seconded by Cline, moved to appoint Marcia Watters (attorney member), Ellen Matheny (Farm Bureau member), Jeff Semler (Cooperative Extension Office member), and Jill Hudson and Edward Wurmb, IV (at large members) to serve first, three-year terms through February 28, 2021 on the Agricultural Reconciliation Board. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0, Commissioner Barr was absent.) CITIZENS PARTICIPATION There were no citizens present who wished to participate. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Myers, seconded by Keefer, moved to adjourn at 7:31 p.m. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0, Commissioner Barr was absent.) Robert J. Slocum, County Administrator John M. Martirano, County Attorney Vicki C. Lumm, County Clerk