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 NEWS
CONTACT: NORMAN BASSETT RELEASE
240-313-2130

Review of Actions Taken in the Washington County
Board of County Commissioners Meeting
September 16, 2003.

COMMISSIONERS' REPORTS AND COMMENTS
Commissioner Jim Kercheval reported on a recent meeting of the Economic Development Commission. EDC support of a new parking deck in Downtown Hagerstown will be discussed at a future meeting. Kercheval also reported on the 9/11 memorial event held by the City of Hagerstown, and Saturday's parade for Hancock Heritage Days. There will be a second City-County "Summit" hosted by the Chamber of Commerce (COC) and the Greater Hagerstown Committee, Kercheval said.
Commissioner Dori Nipps said that the Commission for Women is looking to reduce its membership from 15 to 12 for administrative purposes. Other meetings attended included Groundbreaking for the new Gym facility at Girls' Inc., a Local Management Board meeting, the City/County meeting sponsored by the COC, and the Advisory Committee to the Commission on Aging.
Commissioners' President Greg Snook told the Board that a letter from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development announced funds for the County's FY '03 Shelter Program. The $29,000.00 grant will be utilized by the Community Action Council, CASA, St. John's Shelter and REACH. The Disability Advisory Committee meeting last week announced the appointment of Committee Chair Peggy Martin to the Governor's Coordinating Committee for Human Services Transportation to represent the State Alliance of County Disability Commissions. The DAC also voted to send an advisory letter to the Board regarding the County's role in ensuring accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act when buildings are built, purchased or leased. The letter cited a private non-profit group's use of the Gym at Fort Ritchie as an example.

PUBLIC HEARING: TAX-EXEMPT REVENUE BONDS
Bond Counsel Timmy Ruppersberger brought this matter to Public Hearing. Ravenwood Lutheran Village and The Village at Robinwood Project are requesting
issuance by the County Commissioners of Washington County of its tax-exempt revenue bonds in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $30,000,000. The proceeds from the sale of the Bonds will be used to finance or refinance development of the facilities by Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries, The Lutheran Home at Topton, Pennsylvania, Lutheran Services Northeast, The Lutheran Welfare Service of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Inc., Tressler Lutheran Services, and Hospice Saint John known as the "Obligated Group". Washington County would be only a conduit to issue the tax-exempt bonds, which will be sold, and the proceeds provided in a loan to the Obligated Group. There will be no exposure for the County in that the County will not be liable for the payments. The issuance will have no impact on the County's borrowing limits or financial position. The borrower will pay the costs of the issue. Earl Wolf of Hagerstown asked if the funds would be used for new construction, or to purchase interest in the facilities from Washington County Health System. $4.8 million will be used for construction of new facilities, and the 50% interest owned by the Hospital will be purchased, Ravenwood representatives said. Commissioners' President Snook told the group that Ravenwood Village will be adjacent to the proposed Southern Boulevard/Bypass, and access to that facility should be improved when that project is completed. Snook said that there is no requirement to leave the record open for 10 days, and asked for a motion on the issue. The measure was passed by a 3-2 vote, with Commissioners Wivell and Munson voting "no". Both dissenting Commissioners said they would like to have more details of Ravenwood's business plan presented to the Board.

OTHER BUSINESS
Commissioners' President Snook requested input from the Board on a second Public Hearing on the Rezoning plan, to accommodate those who did not get a chance to speak at Monday night's meeting. Snook said there were about 30 people who signed up who did not get the chance to make their views known. Commissioners agreed that a second meeting needed to take place. By State law the meeting must be advertised for 14 days. The first available date for that meeting would be October 8th, and the time was set for 6 p.m. Location is to be determined, possibly at one of the High Schools in Hagerstown. Planning Staff will set up the meeting and report to the Board.

REPORTS FROM COUNTY STAFF
Public Works Director Gary Rohrer told the Board that he will testify before the State Hellman Commission on the effects of state road-use fund cuts on local government. The Cemetery Project at the Landfill is underway, with clearing of brush and small trees at the site. Head and Foot stones are being mapped, and ground-penetrating radar will be used to locate unmarked graves, Rohrer said. Permits and Inspections have reduced the Backlog to 10 weeks as of Tuesday morning, and Commercial Early Starts have a 3-4 week time frame. The Maryland Department of Transportation will take a Tour of the County in coming weeks to look at and hear about transportation needs. The State will not support funding for the Southern Boulevard project, with 17 other major projects statewide. Rohrer said a Pilot project will be undertaken using High Density Polyethylene Pipe as a more economic solution to water quality issues.
Budget and Finance Director Debra Bastian reported on progress on the Debt Capacity report, and on end-of-year closeout of budgets. The final financial statement for FY '03 should be available by October 7th, Bastian said. The County's annual bond sale is tentatively set for October 14th. Bastian told the Board that the total amount to be borrowed for FY '04 will be $7 million, a reduction of $2 million from budget projections. $5.4 million will be through tax-exempt bonding, while $1.6 million will come through Maryland Water Quality bonds.
Department of Emergency Services Director Joe Kroboth reported on preparations for the coming hurricane Isabel, and the County-Wide meeting set for 1 p.m. today to discuss plans and duties of those involved in the process. Heavy rain with high winds will be seen during the period between Thursday night and Friday morning. A separate operational meeting for Fire and Rescue companies will be held Tuesday evening at the Williamsport Fire Station. The Emergency Operation Center will be staffed between midnight and 6 a.m. on Friday, with the possibility of full activation should circumstances dictate. Special phone numbers will be activated for citizen communication in non-emergency needs. Inventory of readiness of County heavy equipment has been performed. The County is updated on the official status of the storm every 6 hours, Kroboth said.
Interim Planning and Community Development Director Steve Goodrich discussed the second Public Hearing on planned Zoning changes. The Planning Department has begun looking at the backlog of Zoning violation complaints, the next meeting of the Planning Commission is October 6th, and discussion of major adjustments to the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) is set to occur later in the week, Goodrich said.

CITIZENS PARTICIPATION
Each week the Board of County Commissioners sets aside time to hear from citizens of Washington County on matters of importance to the community.
No one appeared to comment on this date.

OTHER BUSINESS
County Administrator's Comments: County Administrator Rod Shoop reminded the Board that the APFO meeting to discuss changes is set for Friday morning, weather permitting.

DISCUSSION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT OPTIONS
County Administrator Rod Shoop brought this discussion before the Board. On August 26th, three members of a League of Women Voters Task Force on Local Government Options appeared before the Board to request consideration of changing the way in which the County is governed from the Commissioner form to Code Home Rule. That form of government allows for greater lawmaking within a County without having to rely on the local Delegation to the Maryland General Assembly. The 10-month study involved about 40 regularly attending citizens and asked questions as to whether the current form of government is serving the County best, and if the delegation is being best served by having to deal with as many local issues as it does. Under Commission form of government, the County must rely on the delegation for enabling legislation in order to set many laws and regulations into motion. Currently 5 Counties in Maryland operate under Code Home Rule (CHR), in which Commissioners, elected to four-year terms, remain the governing body. The elected BOCC could legislate change in the structure of County government, enact, repeal or amend local laws, and legislate through "police powers". All legislation would be subject to voter referendum. The Board could not create or levy any new form of tax, license or franchise fee that was not authorized at the time of the change in government structure. Zoning provisions of the State Code would be followed, there would be no maximum debt limit, but General Assembly action would be needed to enact "tax-cap" and a cap on debt. Charter Home Rule has been proposed and taken to public referendum in Washington County twice, failing in both 1977 and 1988 by substantial margins. Commissioners' President Snook asked if the Board supported the citizen group's request to pursue such a change. Commissioner Nipps said that the relatively small number of citizens participating in the Task Force meetings was not enough to mandate such a sweeping change. Commissioner Kercheval said that many questions remain to be answered about how such a change would affect the citizens of Washington County, and asked if this is the time to become involved in such a complex matter, with rezoning matters, the APFO, and State budget cuts requiring so much time and attention. Commissioners' President Snook said that the current form of government contains a system of checks and balances provided by interaction of the Delegation, and that the Board of County Commissioners can effectively deal with current issues. Those Counties with Code Home Rule are considerably smaller in population and land mass than Washington County, Snook said. A motion to deny the requested change was approved by unanimous vote.

The Board toured the Cedar Ridge Children's Home and School during the noon hour.

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BUDGET WORKSHOP FY 95-99
Budget and Finance Director Debra Bastian brought this discussion before the Board. Additional requests have been made to the County by the Board of Education and other entities for increased Capital Improvement Funding. Bastian presented the second Draft of the CIP budget for the next 4 years, that included a plan for borrowing which would provide $43.4 million in tax-supported revenue over the period from Fiscal Year 2005 through 2009. The recent debt affordability study recommends no more than $48 million be borrowed over the same 4-year period. Bastian told the Board that the plan would fund Board of Education and Hagerstown Community College requests for school construction and renovation projects, the County's much-needed Communication System, infrastructure projects including roads and bridges, Solid Waste landfill construction, Water and Sewer projects and general operations. A letter from the State Board of Education to School Board Facilities Director Dennis McGee cited a 2 million-dollar temporary shortfall in the $4.1 million the state promised Washington County for school projects. McGee told the Board that the funds were to pay for an existing contract and that the BOE could need $2 million for a 6-month period, until funds could be freed up by the state. Bastian told the Board that the CIP budget as presented does not include the Airport runway extension project, but that state and federal aviation agencies may begin providing up-front grant money for the project, rather than the spend-and-be-reimbursed plan that currently exists.

ASSESSMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES NEEDS
Department of Social Services Director David Engle brought this matter before the Board. DSS is embarking on strategic planning for the future, and is distributing a Survey to Community Leaders to assess Social Service needs for the County. The form asks respondents to describe strengths and weaknesses of DSS, to comment on what the agency should continue or cease doing, and describe opportunities for the agency. DSS also wants to know where local leaders expect to see increases in service needs and to describe the greatest unmet human service needs in Washington County. Engel distributed copies of the survey to the Board. Commissioners' President Snook told the agency head not to take on any new activities through Fiscal Years '04 and '05, rather treat those as "maintenance years". DSS operates on an annual budget of approximately $30 million.

CONTRACT AWARD: AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
County Purchasing Agent Karen Luther and Washington County Community Partnership (WCCP) Director Stephanie Stone brought this contract award before the Board. WCCP, in partnership with the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention (GOCCP), issued a Request for Proposals for After School Programs for Youth. Funds given through the grants must create a safe environment with healthy children, and/or reduce the incidence of identified risk behaviors. $40,000.00 is the maximum sum for the award for the current fiscal year, with an option to renew for up to 2 consecutive one-year periods. Recommended vendor is the Washington County/Hagerstown HotSpots program. The HotSpots After School Programs will provide 4th and 5th graders living within the North and South High catchment area with structured after school activities to be implemented on-site at two schools, Bester and Winter Street Elementary. The program will provide a safe environment in which academic achievement will be encouraged and skills to discourage anti-social activities, including substance abuse and violence, will be emphasized. Program components include completion of school assignments, computer lab opportunities, supervised recreation, snack time and character building activities. Programs will be staffed by a program director, assisted by two aides and several volunteers, and will take place each week Tuesday through Thursday for three hours immediately following the school day, operating 34 weeks between the months October 2003 to May 2004. Each site will serve at least 20 participants. The programs incorporate the Character Counts! strategy as a model to engage participants in making wise choices and decisions. Formal performance measures will be specified by the Program Development Evaluation (PDE) Plan created by the UMD Evaluator contracted by the Governor's Office for Crime Control and Prevention. Additional process measures such as daily attendance and number of participants will also be documented. The measure was approved on a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Wivell voting "no".

CONTRACT AWARD: HEATING FUEL
Luther also brought the recommendation for awarding the annual bid for heating fuel for County buildings to the Board. Luther recommended piggy-backing on the Board of Education's bid, which designates AC&T Company of Hagerstown as Tank Wagon provider at the Bidder Factor of $.1039, and Petroleum Traders of Fort Wayne, Indiana for Transport services with a Bidder Factor of $.0288. Estimated usage for Tank Wagon services is 24,402 gallons, and estimated usage for Transport services is 8,000 gallons. The Bidder Factor is the value added to the average price of #2 heating oil as published in the Oil Price Information Service. The contract term is September 1, 2003 through August 31, 2004. The measures were approved by unanimous vote.

BID AWARD: DIGITAL RECORDER
County Buyer Vicky McKenzie brought this bid before the Board for approval. Low bidder for the digital recorder needed by the Washington County Sheriff's Office is recommended as SBM Electronics, Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the amount of $26,885 for one Mercom Audiolog Max-Pro recording system. The unit is used to record 9-1-1 dispatch information. Funding for the device is being provided through the Maryland 9-1-1 Emergency Number Systems Board. The measure was approved by unanimous vote.

REQUEST APPROVAL OF ENGINEERING REVIEW FEES
Director of Public Works Gary Rohrer brought this issue before the Board for discussion. In June, the Board approved addition of two new positions within the Engineering Department, to be funded through revised Engineering Review Fees. The structure supports all growth-related operating expenses within that department attributed to the current building boom. Action on the measures was postponed in July, with some Commissioners calling for additional time for review. Rohrer told the Board that the fees address General Fund expenses, and would relieve general tax spending in the department by raising approximately $345,000.00 per year. The issue was discussed on August 26th, and additional information was requested on that date. Rohrer presented information from updated spreadsheets on the original staff recommendation, and requested establishing the fees to pay for the new positions. The Board had requested an additional week to review the information. Today's discussion centered on the amount needed to be raised to cover expenses that would not overburden new home buyers. A motion by Commissioner Wivell to cap the amount at $250,000.00 died for lack of a second. A motion by Commissioner Jim Kercheval to cap the revenue at $275,000.00 passed by a 3-2 vote with Commissioners Wivell and Munson voting "no". Rohrer will develop a new set of fees based on the reduced revenue total.

 

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