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HomeMy WebLinkAbout050106 January 6, 2005 Hagerstown, Maryland A workshop meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Washington County, Maryland, was called to order at 9:00 a.m. by President Gregory I. Snook with the following members present: Commissioners James F. Kercheval, John C. Munson, and Doris J. Nipps. REVIEW OF VISION STATEMENT, MISSION STATEMENT AND 2004 GOALS Rodney Shoop, County Administrator, reviewed the process used to update the County’s goals. Staff members reviewed the 2004 goals and the action plans and outcomes associated with each one. Ronald Whitt, Director of the Information Technology Department, reviewed the progress on the goal to enhance e-government services by developing procedures to post appropriate documents and data on the Internet and intra-net and by developing a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) system on the County web page. Mr. Whitt and Kim Artz, Webmaster, presented the enhancements made to the County’s web page, including the FAQs pages “e- George” and “Ask Martha.” Ms. Artz stated that they would be adding property tax data from the Treasurer’s Office in the near future and they are in the process of implementing on-line permitting for the Department of Permits & Inspections. Debra Bastian, Director of Finance, stated that customers would have the ability to make utility payments on-line beginning this month. The Commissioners discussed the administrative fee being charged and asked Ms. Bastian to report back to them after the service is operational. Gary Rohrer, Director of Public Works, reviewed the 2004 goal to “Develop and Implement a Highway Pavement Management Plan.” Mr. Rohrer indicated that there had been delays and that they hope to award the contract to a consulting firm by the end of the summer. He stated that the project is approximately one year behind schedule; however, the staff is still pursuing the goal. The meeting was then opened for questions from the Commissioners. The Commissioners discussed the goal to “Adopt Rural Area Zoning after consideration of the Task Force recommendations and begin implementation of Comprehensive Plan recommendations for Urban and Town Growth Areas” and agreed that this goal should be carried over to 2005. Commissioner Kercheval indicated that he believes that a decision can be made in the next few months. David Hankinson, Director of Human Resources, reviewed the progress on the 2004 goal to “Develop and implement a reward and recognition program for County employees that is linked to a suggestion program.” Mr. Hankinson reviewed the type of program being considered. He stated that they hope to adopt a two- tiered approach to reward ideas that increase efficiency and those which create a tangible and measurable savings for the County. Norman Bassett, Public Information Officer, provided information on the IDEA program that was previously used by the County. The Commissioners discussed the goal to “Work with municipalities to develop policies to increase urban tax base” and agreed that the “2+2” Committee has been working with the City to accomplish this goal. They also reviewed projects in other municipalities, including the development of two libraries, a housing project, and major road improvement. Carolyn Motz, Airport Manager, reviewed the progress being made to develop a program to utilize the runway extension, increase the tax base, and promote the advantages of the foreign trade zone at the Airport. She indicated that the Guiding Documents have been developed for the Airport and should be approved in the near future. Ms. Motz stated that an economic impact analysis is also underway. The Commissioners discussed scheduled commercial service and the development of other possible businesses at the Airport. Joe Kroboth, Director of Emergency Services, discussed Goal 7, which was to develop a master plan to ensure that adequate emergency medical services are available for the citizens of Washington County. Mr. Kroboth stated that a tremendous amount of progress has been made. He indicated that a subcommittee of the Emergency Services Advisory JANUARY 6, 2005 PAGE TWO Commission has been working on this objective and is looking at the system as a whole. He explained that he does not believe that consultant services will be needed and he will revise the action plan to reflect this. Mr. Kroboth informed the Commissioners that he hopes to present the plan to them in March or April of this year. The Commissioners made suggestions for consideration of possible goals for 2005. Ideas were proposed on the topics of solid waste, affordable housing, a joint long-range plan with the Board of Education on construction and renovation of facilities, rural area zoning, a downtown revitalization plan, allocation policy, energy plan, lease/sale of the industrial pretreatment plant, agricultural preservation plan, promotion of local University System of Maryland campus, Airport business plan, infrastructure at Hopewell Business Park, and revision of policies and procedures relating to the AFPO. Mr. Shoop stated that another workshop meeting would be scheduled to refine and adopt proposed goals for 2005. The meeting was adjourned at 11:25 a.m. , County Administrator , County Attorney ___________________________, County Clerk