Note: This is a SUMMARY of the Commissioners Meeting for the purposes of a Press Release. These are not the actual minutes of the meeting.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: NORMAN BASSETT
240-313-2130

Review of Actions Taken in the Washington County
Board of County Commissioners Meeting
April 1, 2003

COMMISSIONERS REPORTS AND COMMENTS
Commissioner Bill Wivell reported on a meeting of the Maryland Association of Counties' legislative committee in Annapolis. Additional cuts may be forthcoming from the state, with portions of costs for Circuit Court law clerks and State Police Lab fees assessed to the County. In addition, Washington County stands to lose an additional $37,000 in the disparity grant, Wivell reported. A meeting with Congressman Roscoe Bartlett and Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development Secretary Aris Mellisaratos discussed possible reuse of Fort Ritchie properties, Wivell said, and a meeting was held with Roxanne Ober of the Board of Education concerning potential for consolidations and efficiency improvements.
Commissioner Jim Kercheval told the Board that a meeting with HotSpots administrator Carolyn Brooks revealed that the crime fighting programs may lose as much as 50% of the current budget. Long and short-term solutions are being sought, through additional grant writing, and possible assistance from local governments. Brooks will bring a report to the Commissioners soon. An open house is set for April 27th at the HotSpots office, Kercheval said. Concerns have been registered by several local printers about the move of Board of Education printing facilities to the Technical High School and an apparent plan to advertise those services to the community at large, Kercheval said.
Commissioner John Munson reported on a meeting of the Solid Waste Advisory Board, and said that revenues are up by about 10% at the landfill. Discussion on the annual Tire Amnesty Day took place, with a consensus to wait for word from the State about the level of participation before setting a date for the event. Munson requested a letter be sent to all Emergency Service agencies in the County stating that ambulances must slow or stop for traffic signals, in light of a recent accident. Munson asked for information on maintenance costs for nonprofit agencies over and above County budget contributions to those organizations.
Commissioner Dori Nipps commented on a meeting of the Airport Board with all of the HGR tenants, regarding the facility's Guiding Document and attendant rules and regulations. The Historical Society Board has raised questions over sale of various items by the Miller House. That museum's Board is looking at making the House period-appropriate and has divested itself of some items, Nipps said.
Commissioners' President Greg Snook told the Board that a letter from the Maryland Department of the Environment asked for Commissioners' input on an Air Quality permit from Fil-Tec, Inc. located in Smithsburg. The recent MACo Board of Directors meeting in Annapolis discussed the coming Spring meeting . "Governing the Digital Divide" will be the theme for that event. A letter from the Health Department has requested a public hearing on a change of ordinance to allow for one-time $15 food permits for yard sales, Snook said.

REPORTS FROM COUNTY STAFF
Division of Public Works Director Gary Rohrer told the Board that the annual Spring Cleanup Day at the landfill will be scheduled in mid to late May. The Spring Cleanup is in the current landfill budget, and the event will be coordinated with the City of Hagerstown. The Board is being asked to submit a letter to the Maryland Department of the Environment asking for support of the Tire Amnesty Day, Rohrer said.

BUDGET PRESENTATION: HAGERSTOWN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Hagerstown Community College President Guy Altieri and Board of Trustees Chair Merle Elliott brought the school's Fiscal Year 2004 operations budget before the Board. Washington County provides approximately 27% of the College operational costs, with the remainder coming from tuition and state allocations. Altieri presented a list of 15 priorities for the College, including Information Technology enhancements, support for Health Education programs, reallocation of some faculty and staff positions due to early retirement incentives, a 50% reduction of tuition costs for County High School students taking College-level coursework with possible Foundation partnerships to offset the remainder for low-income students, facility renovations, revisions of master class schedules, adoption of flexible health benefits for employees, and web registration for classes. Enhancement of medical programs is essential so those students will be able to take advantage of future job opportunities from expansion of the Washington County Health System. Altieri compared the County's 27% support level with the average of 34% across all counties in the State. HCC is requesting $188,000.00 in new funding for the operations budget for the coming fiscal year, Altieri said. The College provides excellent quality educational programs, and may be faced with a 5% cut in state support. If Community Colleges could receive full reimbursement for accepting out-of-state students, as do 4-year colleges and universities, revenue would increase by $750,000 per year, Altieri said.

PUBLIC HEARING: MODIFICATION OF WATER AND SEWER RATES
Water and Sewer Department Director Greg brought this matter before the Board. On March 19th rates were proposed for the coming Fiscal Year. Murray recommended a 3.3% increase in the Water rate for FY '04. The Sewer rate would rise by 3% on the base allocation. Overall monthly cost increase for the average 12,000 gallon per quarter user would be $1 for water and $1 for sewer. No one appeared either in support of, or in opposition to the proposed increases. The measure was approved by a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Munson voting "no".

WEB PAGE PRESENTATION
Information Technologies Technician Kim Artz brought a demonstration of the County's newly revised web page before the Board for informational purposes. The new page features scrolling links to news and information, and drop-down directory menus. Each department is listed under the County Directory link, and links provide information about each function of County Government. Official County Minutes, summaries of weekly Commissioners' meetings, agendas and calendars for coming meetings and latest news releases are available on the home page. Artz has headed the Webpage Standards Committee, which established guidelines for content and appearance for each Department or Division. Artz told the Board that the site is not 100% updated as yet, but work continues daily. The public is invited to surf www.washco-md.net, Artz said. In addition, the information Kiosk at Valley Mall has been reworked, and information is available through touch-screen technology there.

CITIZENS' PARTICIPATION
Each week the Board of County Commissioners sets aside time to hear from citizens of Washington County on matters of interest and concern to the community.
Donald Allensworth of Hagerstown commented on campaign finance issues and a recent lawsuit by the County.
Bob Maginnis of Smithsburg questioned legal action on a request for financial information regarding a grant.

GRANT FOR WORKCREW SUPERVISOR
Alternate Sanctions Office director Terry Masters and State's Attorney Ken Long requested Commissioners Support for expansion of the Workcrew Supervisor position within that department. Alternate Sanctions is a part of the State's Attorney's Office and administers community service time for persons convicted of crimes in the County. A workcrew operates on weekends, and performs maintenance for private nonprofit organizations in the downtown area. Masters told the Board that a focus of the program has been the Police Athletic League clubhouse at the Hagerstown Fairgrounds. Expansion of the activities to 40 hours will make free maintenance services available for County buildings. Crews could work several days per week, as some of the crewmembers are no longer employed due to the economic conditions. The funds are made available through the state Division of Parole and Probation, and have no impact on the County general fund. The labor could be worth approximately $72,000 per year to the County, and the Grade 7 position would be $28,303.00 per year. The measure was approved by unanimous vote.

OTHER BUSINESS
County Administrator's Comments: County Administrator Rod Shoop told the Board that because of the lead time needed to purchase portable classrooms, the Board of Education requested permission to purchase the 6 portable classrooms contained in the Capital Improvement Project request for the coming Fiscal Year. The measure was approved by a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Wivell voting "no".
Lead-time for purchase of Sheriff's Department vehicles approved in the FY '04 capital budget is also critical, in order to take advantage of the joint state contract for vehicles, Shoop said. The purchase involves 12 cars at $22,000 per car, with police package of lights, siren and engine modifications. The measure was approved by a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Munson voting "no".
Appointments to Boards and Commissions: Commissioner Nipps requested approval of Dr. Carl Galligan as Commissioners' representative to the CASA Board of Directors. The measure was approved by unanimous vote.

BUDGET PRESENTATION: GENERAL FUND
Budget and Finance Director Debra Bastian brought information relative to the FY '04 operating budget before the Board. Bastian said that the Accounts Receivable Supervisor has resigned, and requested approval to advertise the position. The measure was approved by unanimous vote. Bastian presented graphs dealing with the distribution of new money in the coming FY budget, showing salary and wage figures of $485,000.00, separate from $500,000.00 in Sheriff's Patrol positions which were previously approved by the Board. An additional graph showed potential revenue possible if monthly 9-1-1 user fees were increased. If legislation authorizing the increases is passed, and a maximum of 25 cents was added to the fee, $294,373.00 in revenue could be realized. Commissioners' President Snook told the Board that there is information from the legislative delegation indicating that the County may have to pick up part of costs associated with Sheriff's Department use of the State Police laboratory, and provide a portion of the Circuit Court's Law Clerks' salaries. Costs would be about $125,000.00. Additional budget workshop schedules were discussed, with Commissioner Snook requesting staff to investigate departmental cuts in operational budgets. The Board of Education budget request stands at $9.4 million, and there is still about a $5 million shortfall in projected revenue. The operating budget will be discussed again before the Public Hearing set for May 6th at Kepler Theater on the HCC campus.

FY 2004 MENTAL: HEALTH PLAN PRESENTATION
Dr. Phil Dukes, Executive Director of the Washington County Mental Health Authority (WCMHA) brought this report to the Board. Each year the WCMHA must file its proposed plan for the coming funding period with the board, and report on needs in the community, and trends in care for people who have mental illness. WCMHA acts as the Core Service Agency for this jurisdiction, under the Authority of the Secretary of the Mental Hygiene Administration. The majority of funding to the WCMHA comes from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, which has proposed some changes in service delivery for the local agencies. WCMHA does not provide direct services, but acts as a funding flow-through and monitoring agency. Dukes told the Board that state cuts could mean a loss of as much as $200,000.00, which is a third of the agency's budget. The WCMHA staff is seeking creative strategies to deal with these cuts, Dukes said.

WAGE AND BENEFITS STUDY
Acting Director of Human Resources Dee Hawbaker and Roger Scott of the Springsted consulting firm brought this report before the Board. The previous Board of County Commissioners authorized a wage and benefits study for all County employees, requesting salary Information from 6 local and 12 regional governments and agencies and 6 local businesses and industries. Many technical positions are difficult to fill, and personnel are hard to retain due to the County's lower rates of pay. Scott presented the comparison to the Board, showing current salary range of the various job classifications, the area average, and recommended changes in the County structure. In addition, steps within pay grades were discussed. Washington County had a similar wage structure in place some years ago, but was changed to accommodate a pay for performance method of granting salary increases. 3 alternates were presented. Do nothing, minimizing impact on the current budget, but risking employee morale problems. Utilize the same system, and adjust grade assignments, giving eligible employees a minimum of 2% over grade level increases. 475 of the County's 640 full-time employees would be upgraded under the alternative, which would cost $422,000.00. A third alternate would adopt a step-pay plan with all employees receiving an upward adjustment, at a cost of about $598,000.00. The latter two plans would make the County competitive in most areas. Fringe benefits Washington County currently offers are comparable or superior to the surrounding region, Scott said. Promotion increases were recommended for upgrade as well, with a 5% increase in non-supervisory positions and 10% in positions supervising three or more employees. Shift differential payments should be equalized for all departments, the study said, at 55 cents per hour for evening and 75 cents per hour for night shifts. Currently the County has 243 job titles, and should have 150 to 175, Scott said. The study will be evaluated by an employee committee and recommendations made at a later date.

PROCLAMATION: NATIONAL FAIR HOUSING AWARENESS MONTH
Hagerstown Home Store and Community Housing Resources Board Director Patricia McMillan and that Board's chairperson Joe Kuhna received the proclamation of April as Fair Housing Awareness Month from Commissioner Greg Snook. The Proclamation cited guarantees of fair housing equal opportunity in federal and state statutes, and recognized continual striving to ensure general happiness and well being of all County residents. Our County has a firm commitment to Fair Housing practices, assuring that all persons are treated fairly and lawfully without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, familial status, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or genetic status. The proclamation recognized the Community Housing Resource Board, known as Community Housing Resources in its efforts to promote fair housing awareness and to educate and serve all persons regarding Fair Housing practices.

RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT URBANIZED AREA BOUNDARY
Planning and Community Development Director Bob Arch brought this recommendation before the Board. After each census the Federal Government designates urban boundaries based on population density. Arch told the Board that the Urbanized Area (UA) boundary is different from the Urban Growth Area (UGA) and has nothing to do with the Comprehensive Plan. The UA is based on population density of 1,000 persons per square mile, and is used to designate highway function classifications used in roadway design. The UA can also be used as a basis for compliance with federal stormwater management requirements. A primary purpose is creation of the Metropolitan Planning Organization and its responsibility for long-range transportation planning, and its influence on mass transit funds the County receives. The UA extends from Greencastle, PA southward through Hagerstown to the Fairplay area, east to Smithsburg and West through Williamsport, linking to the Martinsburg area. In addition, Urban Clusters can be designated in areas of 500 persons per square mile. Boonsboro is listed on the current map as such a cluster. The City of Hagerstown has already approved the UA, and the State Highway Administration has concurred with the boundary, Arch said. The Board questioned an area south of Lappans Road, as meeting the population requirements. In addition, municipalities in the County were not designated as Urban Clusters, even though population figures would indicate otherwise. The measure was approved by unanimous vote.