FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: NORMAN BASSETT
240-313-2077
Review of Actions Taken in the Washington
County
Board of County Commissioners Meeting
March 16th, 2004
THE COMMISSIONERS HELD JOINT MEETING WITH THE MARYLAND COOPERATIVE
EXTENSION ADVISORY COUNCIL AT THE BREAKFAST HOUR
PURCHASING MONTH AWARD WINNER
County
Purchasing Agent Karen Luther was honored with a Commissioners'
Certificate of Merit as part of National Purchasing Month activities.
(See photo.) Commissioners' President Greg Snook cited Luther
for many years of duty to the County and for service to the
Maryland Public Purchasing Association. Luther is outgoing
President of that statewide professional organization. The
Purchasing Department sponsors an annual contest in honor of
National Purchasing Month. County employees participate by
answering a number of questions dealing with purchasing policies
and procedures. The winner receives a $50.00 Valley Mall gift
certificate. There was a four-way tie and a Commissioner Jim
Kercheval drew the winner's name. Jack Reynard of the Highways
department was the winner. Reynard was not in attendance, but
had told Luther that the prize would be donated to the Batten
Disease foundation if he won.
COMMISSIONERS REPORTS AND COMMENTS
Commissioner Bill Wivell commented on a meeting with City of
Hagerstown officials on issues involving downtown development.
Commissioner Jim Kercheval reported on the Economic Development
Commission's recent meeting. Under discussion were plans for
a strategic planning meeting, use of the Tusing building downtown
for apartments, retail and office space, and the possibility
of using tax incentives to create high-end housing in the downtown
area. EDC Director Tim Troxell will present the April 7 th Eggs
and Issues program to the Chamber of Commerce. The state Department
of Business and Economic Development may be hit by budget cuts,
Kercheval reported.
Commissioner John Munson commented on attending the Home Show
last weekend.
Commissioner Dori Nipps reported on the Commission for Women
essay contest event last week. Representatives of both Senators'
offices, Hagerstown Mayor Bill Breichner and County Commissioners
attended the event, Nipps said. The Home Show was successful,
Nipps said, and commented on the County's Emergency Services
display.
Commissioners' President Greg Snook told the Board that the
State Highway Department has announced that repair work will
begin soon on a drainage project just west of Conococheague Creek
on I-70. A letter of notification from Allegheny Power indicates
that an upgrade will me made to the main transmission line from
Marlowe, West Virginia to Boonsboro in the near future. Snook
called the Board's attention top the recently released annual
report from EDC and said the reports should be placed in public
places across the County. A letter should be drafted and sent
to the construction industry regarding Adequate Public Facility
Ordinance fees, and when they are due, Snook said.
OTHER BUSINESS
Appointments to Boards and Commissions: County Clerk Joni Bittner
brought a request from the Animal Control Authority for appointment
of Brian Kane to that Board. Kane is an Attorney and would fill
that requirement. The measure was approved by unanimous vote.
County
Administrator Comments: County Administrator Rod Shoop brought
a request from the Board of education for pre-authorization
to use $700,000.00 of the Fiscal Year 2005 budget for purchase
of 7 portable classrooms. If the portable buildings are not purchased
now, they cannot be in place for the start of the 2004-2005 school
year, Shoop reported. The measure was approved by unanimous vote.
Shoop also reported that Employee Casual Day in February raised
$314.00 for Children's Village.
BUDGET PRESENTATION: UTILITIES
Greg Murray, Department of Water Quality (DWQ) Director brought
this operating budget proposal before the Board. Murray told
the Commissioners that DWQ budget for FY 2005 is requested to
be $14,999,088. Four funds make up that department budget, Murray
said. The Utilities Fund Administration budget request shows
an overall increase of 3.8%, the Water Fund is decreasing by
6.6%, the Sewer Fund would increase by 7.8% with most of the
increase due to a pre-programmed increase in principal being
paid on existing debt. The fourth fund, the Pretreatment Fund
remains level with a 0% increase leading into the planned privatization
of the facility. Revenues and Expenditures are balanced for the
coming fiscal year, Murray said. Several factors could cause
modification of the budget request, including proposed marketing
of the Conococheague Industrial Pretreatment Facility, and changes
in state and federal water quality regulations.
BUDGET PRESENTATION: PROPOSED UTILITY RATE SETTING
Water Quality Director Murray presented proposed water and sewer
rates to the Board for Fiscal Year 2005. A 3% revenue increase
per year for both the Water and Sewer funds is projected through
Fiscal Year 2006 with the Sewer Fund increasing to 4% in Fiscal
Year 2007 and beyond due to increased costs associated with new
State requirements for Enhanced Nutrient Removal. An increase
in the average Sewer rate of 3% would see the average 12,000-gallon
per quarter user's bill increase by $3.00 per quarter. An increase
in the Water rate of 3% was recommended, costing the average
12,000 gallon per quarter customer $3.28 per quarter. There is
no new borrowing for either the Water or Sewer fund, Murray said,
and requested endorsement by the Board to take the proposed rates
to Public Hearing. The measure was unanimously approved, and
the Public Hearing will take place in two weeks.
CITIZENS PARTICIPATION
Each week the Board of County Commissioners sets aside time
to hear from the Citizens of Washington County on matters of
community interest.
Jim Laird of Citizens for the Protection of Washington County
questioned the need for the proposed Airport runway extension,
based on information in recent news reports. Commissioner Dori
Nipps requested that Laird and anyone else wishing to get factual
information on the runway expansion project, get in touch with
Carolyn Motz, Airport Manager, or attend a meeting of the Airport
Advisory Board.
Barbara Hovermale, also representing CPWC questioned the cost
of airline tickets at Hagerstown Regional. Commissioner Nipps
requested that facts be gathered prior to writing letters to
local newspapers based on inaccurate information.
Ron Lydell of Hagerstown distributed information on a new local
business, the Contemporary School for the Arts, located on West
Franklin Street.
Dieter Protsch requested information on a timeline for providing
water service to the Cascade area. Department of Water Quality
Director Greg Murray said that state-promised funds for the project
should be available during FY 2005.
BUDGET PRESENTATION: SOLID WASTE
Solid
Waste Department Director Bob Davenport brought the FY 2005
operating budget for that department before the Board for review.
A balanced operational budget of $6,005,820.00 was presented,
up about $260,000 from FY '04. Davenport told the Board that
there will be an expected drop in permitting fees of about $113,000,
and recommended that tipping fees be leveled at $38.00 per ton
for all users. Current rates are $45.00 for regular household
trash, $35 per ton for yard waste, and $36 per ton for high volume
users. The price of mulch sold by the landfill should be revisited
with an eye toward greater revenue generation, Davenport said.
Currently, mulch generated from yard waste is sold for $4 per
ton. Retail rates are $13-16 for the same amount of mulch, Davenport
said. Other items discussed were the lack of revenue streams
from closed site operations, set-aside funds for site closures,
and future set-asides to cover construction costs. All budgets
will be reviewed and refined prior to the Public Hearing on the
County budget set for May 4 th .
THE COMMISSIONERS MET WITH THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF HAGERSTOWN
COMMUNITY COLLEGE AT THE NOON HOUR FOR A REVIEW OF THAT INSTITUTION'S
OPERATING BUDGET FOR THE COMING FISCAL YEAR.
HCC President Guy Altieri and members of the Board of Trustees
outlined the College budget for FY 2005 for the Commissioners.
The projected budget $19,226,282, comes from Credit and Non-credit
course tuition, Student fees, the State of Maryland, Washington
County, Interest income and Miscellaneous sources. The College
asked the board for a contribution of a 6% increase over 2004
funding levels, to $5,222,377. The increase would amount to $295,606.
If the County supports this funding level, tuition increases
can be held to 5%. If not, an additional 1% increase in student
tuition will be needed. The state has further reduced its contribution
to the school by 7%, which has had a negative impact on HCC's
proposed plan for the coming fiscal year. The County Commissioners
have reviewed the HCC Capital Improvement Project budget request
for $1.65 million in FY '05, to be used for the Career Programs
Building renovation. All budgets will be reviewed further before
the final approval, in May.
BID AWARD: RUNWAY 9-27 IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM--PACKAGE 1
County
Purchasing Agent Karen Luther, Hagerstown Regional Airport
Manager Carolyn Motz and URS Consultant Steve Luchhesi brought
this request, to award the low responsible, responsive bid for
the first phase of Runway 9-27 improvements before the Board.
Luther told the Board that C. William Hetzer , Inc. of Williamsport,
MD submitted the low bid in the amount of $17,429,655.00, contingent
on Federal Aviation Administration approval. This portion of
the project "Package 1" includes all work east of U.S.
Route 11. Major items include floodplain relocation, regional
storm water management pond construction, excavating and blasting,
embankment hauling and construction, storm drain installation,
Runway 9 localizer equipment installation, Runway 27 demolition.
Ductbank installation, and Utility Coordination for coordination
of a 34.5 kilovolt electrical line ductbank construction. Anticipated
notice to proceed would be the end of March, with anticipated
completion date of May 30, 2006. The contract is expected to
put about $5.6 million into payroll for as many as 200 to 300
workers, and about $2 million into subcontractor services. As
much as 7 million of the first of 4 "packages" could
be spent on fuel and equipment maintenance in the community.
In addition, by utilizing fill dirt on hand at the County landfill,
the project saves about $7 million in fill dirt and hauling costs.
Total cost for the runway improvement project will be about $60
million, with the Federal and State Aviation Administrations
paying for 95% of the costs. Federal portions of the costs are
paid from Airport user fees nationwide, may be used only for
improvements at airports and are not taxpayer dollars. The measure
was approved
by a 3-2 vote with Commissioners Wivell and Munson voting "no".
CONTRACT RENEWAL: SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Luther
and Washington County Sheriff Charles Mades brought this request,
to renew contracts with Red the Uniform Tailor of Tom's River
New Jersey with no price increase for Detention and Patrol
uniforms, at $14,130.00. Jimmie Muscatello's Washington Uniform
Center contract on the Correctional Officer uniforms wad suggested
for renewal, with a 3% price increase, at a total of $11,972.00.
Mades told the Board that a manufacturer's price increase resulted
in the higher costs for Detention Center uniforms. The
measures were approved by unanimous vote
SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT; GRINDER PUMPS
County Purchasing Agent Karen Luther and Department of Water
Quality (DWQ) Maintenance Superintendent Rocky Bishop brought
this request before the Board. The grinder pumps in use in the
Sharpsburg/Keedysville area by DWQ have a sole source supplier.
The vendor has an agreement with the manufacturer for sole rights
to distribution in Maryland. When the purchase is sole source,
under state law the contract must he approved by 4 of the 5 Commissioners.
The contract would be for 20 residential simplex Environment
One 2000 Series pumps and one duplex Environment One-2000 pump,
for a total of $63,161.00, to Freemire and Associates of Harmans,
Maryland. Equipment compatibility is the issue, as the systems
in that portion of the County already use the Environment One
machines. The measure was approved by unanimous vote.
CASA BUDGET
Vicki Sadhevandi, Director of CASA, Citizens Assisting and Sheltering
the Abused, and Commissioners representative to the CASA Board
Carl Galligan, brought this review of the agency's proposed FY
2005 budget before the Board. CASA receives funding from a number
of sources including the County Commissioners. Sadhevandi cited
a 20% increase in requests for services in the last fiscal year,
and a $49,000 cut in funding from state and federal sources.
6 employees have been lost to other counties recently, due to
salary differentials. 10 new clients daily are served by the
agency, and there are 62 adults and 17 children on a waiting
list for services. CASA is asking for an increase from all funding
sources, and requested 5% over last year's funding level from
the Commissioners. That figure would be $140,298 for thc coming
fiscal year. Sadhevandi told the Board that the agency is looking
at alternate means for funding so that service levels can be
continued. The Board will review all budgets on its list of agencies
prior to the Public Hearing in May.
GRANT AWARD; HAZARDOUS MATERIALS EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FUNDING
Department of Emergency Services (DES) Director Joe Kroboth
brought this grant memorandum of agreement (MOU) to the Board
for approval. The MOU with the Maryland Emergency Management
Agency would provide the County with $9,553 for planning and
$6,500 for training. Both grants require a 20% match totaling
$4,013.00 available in the current operating budget. The measure
was approved by unanimous vote
GRANT AWARD; COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TRAINING AND CITIZENS'
CORP COUNCIL
Kroboth requested approval of acceptance of a $24,500 grant
to provide Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) and create
the Washington County Citizens' Corps Council. CERT develops
basic awareness training to the general public for disaster preparedness
and readiness. Courses consist of 20 hours of instruction and
include terrorism activities, first aid, and CPR, fire suppression,
light search and Rescue, and handling of animals in a disaster.
The Citizens' Corps Council is a sub-committee of the Local Emergency
Planning Committee. All costs are funded through federal government
grants. The measure was approved by unanimous vote.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE GRANT
Kroboth requested approval of this grant, for $32,712 from the
Maryland Emergency Management Agency. This is an annual grant
from MEMA to support activities statewide, and is used to supplement
salary expenses, supplies and materials. 50% matching funds are
required, and are included in the current DES budget. The measure
was approved by unanimous vote.
EARLY ACTION COMPACT TO ATTAIN 8 HOUR OZONE STANDARD
Interim Planning Director Steve Goodrich brought this matter
before the Boards, requesting approval of the Early Action Compact
in order to meet then March 31 Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) deadline. The EAC is a document to show EPA that compliance
activities are taking place in Washington County to meet the
8-Hour Ozone Standard. A public hearing on the matter wax held
on February 25 th and received no negative response. Primary
emphasis of the finalized plan is to demonstrate control measures
already implemented, or which will be implemented by the County
by 2007. If the effort is not continued, the County could have
higher costs associated with transportation planning and stricter
air quality standards. The measure was approved by unanimous
vote.
CONSTRUCTION
BID AWARD - HARPER'S FERRY ROAD CULVERT
County Chief Engineer Terry McGee requested approval of a low Construction
Bid Award for $158, 820, with budget transfer of $20,000 for the
project, which involves removal and replacement of a drainage culvert
on Harper's Ferry Road approximately 5 miles south of Sharpsburg.
The award would go to the low bidder, Building Systems Inc., of
Hagerstown. A 60-day calendar day contract, notice to proceed could
be June 1, 2004, with expected completion date of July 30, 2004.
Harper's Ferry Road would be closed during that period, and appropriate
detour notices posted. A budgeted CIP project in the current fiscal
year, the budget balance is $146,580 and not adequate to cover
then bid amount. The transfer would come from a miscellaneous drainage
account. The measure was approved by unanimous vote, with Commissioner
Kercheval abstaining for personal reasons.
County Commissioner's President Greg Snook presents
a Certificate of Merit to County Purchasing Agent Karen Luther
in honor of National Purchasing Day.
