HomeMy WebLinkAbout180508BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF
WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND
Hagerstown, Maryland
May 8, 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 8:36 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 — MAY 1, 2018
Commissioner Myers, seconded by Barr, moved to approve the minutes of May 1, 2018.
The motion passed unanimously.
CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION
Commissioner Barr, seconded by Myers, moved to convene in closed session at 8:38 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 consult with staff, consultants, or other
individuals about pending or potential litigation; to consult with counsel to obtain legal
advice on a legal matter; in accordance with Section 3-305(b) (1), (4) and (7) of the
General Provisions Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. The motion passed
unanimously.
In closed session, the Commissioners discussed the appointment, employment, assignment,
demotion, removal, and performance of certain individuals under the Board's jurisdiction,
and provided staff with direction concerning those matters. The Commissioners also
discussed pending litigation and secured legal advice on a matter, and gave staff direction
in regards thereto.
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 Kirk C. Downey, Deputy County Attorney; Stephanie
Stone, Director, and Debra Peyton, Deputy Director, Health and Human Services; Sara
Greaves, Chief Financial Officer, and Kim Edlund, Deputy Director, Budget and Finance;
Jim Sterling, Director, Public Works; Scott Hobbs, Director of Engineering; Julie Rohm,
Chair, Economic Development Commission; and John Easterday, Superintendent, and
George Sweitzer, Black Rock Golf Course.
May 8, 2018
Page 2
RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION
Commissioner Barr, seconded by Myers, moved to reconvene in open session at 10:21 a.m.
The motion passed unanimously.
RECESS
The Commissioners recessed at 10:21 a.m.
AFTERNOON SESSION
The Commissioners reconvened at 1:16 p.m. with the following members present:
Commissioners Terry L. Baker, Jeffrey A. Cline, John F. Barr, Wayne K. Keefer and
LeRoy Myers, Jr.
REPORTS FROM COUNTY STAFF
Budget and Finance
Chief Financial Officer Sara Greaves announced that the County's sale of $14 million
Public Improvement Bonds this morning had nine bidders, with the low bid being 3.05%.
Health and Human Services — Amendment to Policy EB -15
Stephanie Stone, Director, and Debra Peyton, Deputy Director, Health and Human
Services, discussed proposed amendments to County Policy EB -15 — Health Insurance
Benefit Credit. This benefit applies to employees that do not take the County's health
insurance plans or choose not to cover an eligible dependent. Ms. Peyton reviewed the
policy and stated that the revisions allow such an employee to receive a defined amount of
vacation days or money as a benefit credit, depending on their tier election, to be applied
the first pay in July. The health insurance benefit credit form must be submitted before
Friday, May 18 or the benefit will be reduced by 25%. If the form is not submitted before
August 1, the employee will forfeit eligibility for the fiscal year. Due to the proposed
amendments, County employees will be allowed to change and re -submit any forms that
may have already been submitted.
Commissioner Barr, seconded by Keefer, moved to approve the amendments to County
Policy E-15 — Health Insurance Benefit Credit as presented. The motion passed
unanimously.
County Clerk — Appointments to Boards/Commissions
Economic Development Commission
Commissioner Barr, seconded by Keefer, moved to reappoint James Herbert and Joshua
Martin to second, three-year terms through June 30, 2021; and appoint J. Randall
Thompson to a first, full three-year term through June 30, 2021, all as at large members.
The motion passed unanimously.
CITIZENS' PARTICIPATION
Donny Ravas, County Commissioner candidate, commented on red light cameras, which
are within the jurisdiction of the City of Hagerstown.
May 8, 2018
Page 3
LOBBYIST BRUCE BEREANO - REPORT ON THE 2018 GENERAL ASSEMBLY
SESSION
Bruce Bereano, hired by the County Commissioners as a lobbyist this legislative session,
discussed the recent session and reported on several bills that affect Washington County. A
bill giving additional highway user revenue to counties and municipalities was passed,
along with the County's public facility bond funding request. The Maryland Safe to Teach
Act applies to all counties and provides State funding for school safety with flexibility to
jurisdictions as to how it is best spent. The legislature also passed a bill which continued
the rural broadband committee and extends the date of its existence. The Commissioners
thanked Mr. Bereano for his work on behalf of Washington County.
PROCLAMATION - TEEN PREGNANCY PREVENTION
Carol Lourie, an advocate in the community for teen pregnancy prevention and education,
discussed Teen Pregnancy Month observed during the month of May 2018. Ms. Lourie,
James Kercheval, Director of the Greater Hagerstown Committee, and other
representatives, accepted a proclamation from the Commissioners to raise awareness of the
consequences of teen pregnancies on children, families and communities.
PROCLAMATION - BUILDING SAFETY MONTH
The Commissioners presented a proclamation to Rich Eichelberger, Director of
Construction, Tim Lung, Director of Plan Review and Permitting, Frank Quillen, Chief
Plans Examiner, and Terry Feiser, Chief Building Inspector, in the observance of Building
Safety Month during the month of May 2018. The observance serves to bring awareness of
Washington County's economic growth and strength which depends on the safety and
value of the homes, buildings and infrastructure serving its citizens. It also highlights the
importance of building safety and fire prevention.
APPALACHIAN REGIONAL COMMISSION PRELIMINARY PROJECT
DESCRIPTION REVIEW AND RANKING — FISCAL YEAR 2019
Susan Buchanan, Director, Grant Management, described the process taken to compile the
preliminary project description prioritizations as determined and forwarded to the Tri -
County Council of Western Maryland (TCC) for funding consideration. Area development
projects require a cost match of 50% of total project costs, whereas access road projects are
100% Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) funded. This year's ARC funding for
Allegany, Garrett, and Washington counties is expected to be approximately $1,500,000
for Area Development Projects and $2,500,000 for Local Access Road Projects. Funding
requests for Washington County's Area Development Projects include five proposed
projects requesting $574,121 in ARC funding and six projects requesting $4,800,000 in
funding from the Transportation Equity Act for the 21" Century (TEA -21) Access Road
category. The total requested ARC funding for eleven projects is $5,374,121. There is no
required match for TEA -21 funds. The overall goal of ARC funding is to improve the
quality of life and economy through jobs creation. Ms. Buchanan introduced Amy Jacobs,
Economic Development Planner for TCC.
May 8, 2018
Page 4
Ms. Buchanan presented the requests developed from submittals by various municipalities
and organizations for funding through the ARC as follows: 1) The Maryland Theatre
(Expansion Furnishings & Theatrical Equipment, Phase I) - $250,000; 2) Town of Clear
Spring (Inflow & Infiltration Upgrade) - $30,000; 3) United Way of Washington County
(Western Maryland Non-profit Professional Dev. Opportunities) - $9,121; 4) Washington
County Public Schools (Creating Computational Thinkers) - $160,000; and 5) City of
Hagerstown (Life Safety Codes Upgrade Fund) - $125,000.
Requests for TEA -21 Funds for Local Access Road Projects (100% ARC -funded) were
submitted by 1) Washington County (Eastern Boulevard Extension Phase I) - $1,000,000;
2) Washington County (Eastern Boulevard Extension Phase II) - $1,000,000; 3)
Washington County (Crayton Boulevard Extension Phase II) - $1,000,000; 4) City of
Hagerstown (Professional Court Widening) - $500,000; 5) Town of Boonsboro (Warrior
Boulevard Phase I) - $1,000,000; and 6) Town of Williamsport (Route 11 Mill & Overlay
Project) - $300,000.
Commissioner Myers, seconded by Keefer, moved to accept the Appalachian Regional
Commission Preliminary Project Description prioritizations as prioritized by the County
Commissioners and to forward the ranking to the Tri -County Council of Western
Maryland for funding consideration; to allow applicants to proceed with application
submission to the Appalachian Regional Commission for those projects that receive Tri -
County Council's funding recommendation from the Tri -County Council; and to accept the
grant funding approved and provided by the Appalachian Regional Commission as
presented. The motion passed with Commissioners Myers, Keefer, Cline and Baker voting
"AYE" and Commissioner Barr "ABSTAIN".
LAND PRESERVATION, PARKS AND RECREATION PLAN
Jill Baker, Chief Planner, Planning and Zoning, introduced a discussion of the Land
Preservation, Parks and Recreation Plan (LPPRP) that is typically updated on a three-year
cycle as required by Maryland law. The preparation and update of this document is a
prerequisite for County participation in the Maryland Program Open Space (POS)
Localside Program, which provides annual grants for the acquisition of land for
conservation and park purposes and for the development of public recreation facilities.
Funding received from the POS program is also shared with the nine incorporated
municipalities in the County. The Commissioners held a public hearing on the LPPRP
April 10, 2018 where no comments were received.
Commissioner Keefer, seconded by Barr, moved to adopt the Land Preservation, Parks and
Recreation Plan as presented. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0, Commissioner Myers
was absent during the vote.)
Commissioner Barr suggested postponing the discussion of the next agenda item, the
Deliberation/Decision on Zoning Map Amendment RZ-17-005, due to several questions
that have come to light. It was the consensus of the Commissioners to postpone the
discussion.
May 8, 2018
Page 5
PROPERTY TAX CREDIT FOR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS
Sara Greaves, Chief Financial Officer, presented information on legislation relating to a
property tax credit for public safety officers that was originally passed in the 2017
Legislative Session of the General Assembly. This enabling legislation gives local
governments the authority to issue a tax credit of up to $2,500 to Public safety Officers
against their principal dwelling's County real estate property taxes. A public safety officer
is defined as a firefighter, emergency medical technician, correctional officer, police
officer or deputy sheriff employed full time by a public safety agency in the county or
municipality where the individual resides; or a volunteer firefighter for a public safety
agency where the individual resides.
Factors affecting the financial impact of the credit include: 1) number of eligible public
safety officers, 2) taxable assessment, 3) amount of property tax credit, and 4) cost to
administer the credit. The size of the potential pool of individuals why may qualify for the
tax credit is unclear; however the census has listed 2,483 individuals who could be
classified as public safety officers. Two thousand, four hundred eighty-three claimants
multiplied by the maximum $2,500 credit would result in a budget impact of $6,207,500.
There would also be a cost to administer the credit as County staff would have to verify the
information eligibility provided and monitor continuing qualification for the credit. The
Commissioners discussed the information presented.
CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION
Commissioner Barr, seconded by Keefer, moved to convene in closed session at 2:08 p.m.
to consult with counsel to obtain legal advice on a legal matter; and to consider a matter
that concerns the proposal for a business or industrial organization to locate, expand or
remain in the State, in accordance with Section 3-305(b) (4), (7) and (8) of the General
Provisions Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. The motion passed unanimously.
(Commissioner Myers left the meeting at 2:08 p.m.)
In closed session, the Commissioners discussed a legal issue and gave direction to staff
regarding same. They also discussed some matters concerning the proposal for business
organizations to locate and remain in the State and provided staff with direction regarding
those matters.
Present during closed session were Commissioners Terry L. Baker, Jeffrey A. Cline, John
F. Barr, and Wayne K. Keefer. Also present were Robert J. Slocum, County Administrator;
Vicki C. Lumm, County Clerk; John M. Martirano, County Attorney, and at various times
Kirk C. Downey, Deputy County Attorney; Stephanie Stone, Director, and Debra Peyton,
Deputy Director, Health and Human Services; Sara Greaves, Chief Financial Officer;
Darryl Brown, Accounting Supervisor, Budget and Finance; Jim Sterling, Director, Public
Works; Dan DiVito, Deputy Director, Water Quality; Danielle Crabb, Director, Public
Relations and Community Affairs; and Kassie Lewis, Director, Business Development.
May 8, 2018
Page 6
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned 3:43 p.m.
Robert J. Slocum, County Administrator
Kirk C. Downey, Deputy County Attorney
Vicki C. Lumm, County Clerk