Note: This is a SUMMARY of the Commissioners Meeting for the purposes of a Press Release. These are not the official minutes of the meeting.
Review of Actions Taken in the Washington County
Board of County Commissioners Meeting
March 21, 2006
COMMISSIONERS' REPORTS AND COMMENTS
Commissioner Jim Kercheval reported on meeting with members of the Board of Education regarding small subdivision impact on school capacity, regional high school mitigation ideas and tracking of pupil generation rates from the sharing of data from various agencies. A better database is needed detailing types of housing constructed on each parcel in the County. The City of Hagerstown will be asked to have a system in place that can also integrate with the County's system for consistency of record keeping, Kercheval said. The Mental Health Advisory Committee met last week and members will travel to Annapolis this week to meet with Department of Mental Health staff and local Delegates to the General Assembly to discuss needs of persons with mental illness. The Local Management Board meeting last week discussed bills before the legislature that will codify LMB's across the state. 26 Family Center clients are pursuing high school certificates at this time, Kercheval said. In April, the LMB will hold its monthly meeting in Boonsboro, at the Community Center at Shaffer Park. The date is April 21 and time is 9-11 a.m. The recent Black Rock Golf Course Board meeting heard that revenues are slightly ahead of this time last year. A conference call held between the County, the Chamber of Commerce and the State Highway Administration discussed the Edgewood Drive/ U.S. 40 intersection funding and future timelines. Additional meetings are being held by the 2+2 committee to get commitment of funds for the local portion of the project. The lobbyist hired by the County, CHIEF, Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Hagerstown Committee will continue to push forward in seeking increased State funding for the project. It's important that the Commissioners, Delegation, and other community organizations continue to lobby for this funding over the coming weeks, Kercheval said.
Commissioner John Munson told the Board that travel to Annapolis to testify before the legislature on the property tax cap last week did not work out as the hearing was called off.
Commissioner Dori Nipps reported on last week's meeting of the Airport Commission. Package #1 of the Runway Improvement Project is near completion, and is under budget. Package three, dealing with tunneling and bridges is underway, with utility work being done along route 11. $75,000 was saved on the tunneling under U.S. 11, and that portion of the project is ahead of schedule and on budget. Businesses are expanding on the airfield, especially one offering sales and repair of a Canadian-made aircraft.
Commissioners' President Greg Snook commented on a meeting with Hagerstown Mayor Bruchey to discuss issues of mutual concern. Snook said that Senior Night at North High honored all Coaches and former Coaches that have won state titles in high school sports. The annual Health and Wellness Expo will be held on April 20th at the Hagerstown Community College athletic and recreation complex from 10 am until 3 pm. The City of Hagerstown will play host to the local chapter of the Maryland Municipal League at the Museum of Fine Art next Monday, Snook reported. The County has entered into a contract with the state for Gypsy Moth spraying, to take place later this spring in the Chestnut Grove area. Frederick County will be spraying on the Eastern slope of South Mountain as well. A survey of employers by Manpower, Inc. for the 1st quarter of 2006 indicates that 59% of County employers look to hire additional employees, versus the state average of 40%. The Metropolitan Planning Organization, made up of Washington County and Berkeley and Jefferson Counties of West Virginia reviewed the WV roads plan last week. The two Panhandle counties will receive $93 million in federal funds for road upgrades, Snook reported. An interagency agreement will have to be developed for the funding of a Planner to handle the MPO administrative tasks. That position will be funded through 90% federal funds. There will be one early voting polling place in Washington County. The Board of Elections is providing cost figures for that voting site to the County, Snook said.
COMMENTS FROM COUNTY STAFF
Fire and Emergency Services Director John Latimer reported that 9 Fire companies from Washington County assisted on the mountain fire in Frederick County near Thurmont on Monday. No injuries or equipment damage was reported, he said.
Human Resources Director Dave Hankinson requested advertisement of two Motor Equipment Operator positions at the Highways Department and one Part-Time Bus Operator position at County Commuter. The measure was approved by unanimous vote.
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.
Bob Darby of Hagerstown commented on the Home Rule Task Force as a waste of taxpayer money.
Ron Meiners of Hagerstown's Carpenters Union local volunteered the use of the union hall as a free location for County employees to take the Joint County/City public safety course on gang-related crimes.
OTHER BUSINESS
County Attorney Issues: County Attorney Richard Douglas told the Board that the latest drafts of House and Senate bills on the property tax cap have been received and are available for review.
County Administrator's Comments: County Administrator Rod Shoop told the Board that the Maryland Theater will hold open house on Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. and that there will be an extra Commissioners' meeting on April 11th to discuss budgets. That week was scheduled as a Holiday week. The Board does not normally meet the week of a Holiday.
BID AWARD RUNWAY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM PACKAGE 2
County Purchasing Agent Karen Luther, Hagerstown Regional Airport Manager Carolyn Motz and Keith Fritz of the consulting firm URS brought this request to the Board. The request was to award the bid for Package 2 of the Runway 9-27 Improvement Program to Ahern & Associates, Inc. of South Charleston, WV with the lowest bid amount of Base Bid at $2,380,413.00 and Alternate No. 1 at $68,087.00 for a total of $2,448,500.00, contingent upon FAA approval. This project is part of the Airport CIP program at a cost of approximately $61,000,000. Prior appropriations are $49,536,990.00 with the remaining funds coming in FY’07. The grant funds from the FAA will be reimbursed to the County over the remaining eight (8) year period. Funding for this project will be primarily from Federal Aviation Administration and Maryland Aviation Administration grants. The bid is consistent with the anticipated cost of $2.4 million for Package 2. The scope of work includes 24,000 Cubic Yards of Unclassified Excavation, 650 Linear Feet of Concrete Storm drain Pipe Installation, 7,200 Tons of Hot Mix Asphalt Paving, 9,800 Square Yards of PCC Paving plus various Lighting, Cabling, Ductbank, Erosion and Sediment control measures. The contract is for 120 calendar days with notice to proceed projected for April, 2006. The measure was approved by a 3-2 vote with Commissioners Wivell and Munson voting "no".
CONTRACT AWARD: ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE SCHOOL READINESS OF CHILDREN AGE BIRTH THROUGH FIVE
County Purchasing Agent Karen Luther and Stephanie Stone, Director of the Washington County Community Partnership brought this request, to award a contract for Activities Enhancing School Readiness of Children Birth Through Age Five in Washington County, Maryland to Head Start of Washington County (HSWC) in the amount of $46,440.00 Purpose of the service is to fulfill the requirements contained in the WCCP’s Summary of Concept Ideas for the use of carry forward funds (dated April 15, 2005), and to be entered into, by and between the Board of County Commissioners of Washington County, Maryland, and the State of Maryland acting through the Governor’s Office for Children (GOC) which, in turn, are acting through the Washington County Community Partnership for Children & Families (WCCP). The contract is for a period tentatively to begin April 1, 2006 and end June 30, 2006 (Year 1) and July 1, 2006 through March 31, 2007 (Year 2). HSWC will fully implement the Children’s Literacy Initiative (CLI) curriculum, a proven tool for improving child outcomes for school readiness, in all Head Start center-based classrooms. CLI, a curriculum strongly supported by Washington County Public Schools, provides a nationally recognized evidence-based curriculum, which works to increase the literacy skills of children from low-income families and to foster a love of reading. HSWC is implementing a shared model of the CLI curriculum this spring in six Head Start classrooms. This funding will make it possible to provide the CLI curriculum in 13 Head Start classrooms at five centers. With this expansion, a total of 372 children will receive the CLI curriculum. The measure was approved by unanimous vote.
OAK RIDGE DRIVE RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT
Public Works Director Gary Rohrer brought this request to approve funding for reconstruction of East Oak Ridge Drive from Antietam Creek to MD Route 65. Rohrer told the Board that East Oak Ridge Drive is a heavily traveled urban road with an average daily traffic (ADT) count of 8,857 vehicles. The segment between MD Route 65 and Funkstown is particularly heavy for both the a.m. and p.m. peak hour traffic and is in need of major pavement repairs and reconstruction, especially for the stretch between the stone arch bridge and Oak Ridge Place. The section under recommendation for attention has been an on-going maintenance problem. Rohrer told the Board that due to a number of constraints, both fiscal and physical, the Colyunty has been forced to postpone major work in this area until the road can be closed and project turned over to a qualified pavement contractor to correct deficiencies. The pavement conditions became so bad by fall of 2004, that the Highway Department placed a temporary 2” asphalt cap on the hill above the bridge, Rohrer said. There are significant subsurface drainage problems that require attention before the cycle of deterioration resumes. Due to heavy truck traffic in the area, the remaining segment requires milling, full depth patching, and overlay to address rutting and structural deficiencies. In view of the unit prices under the current pavement maintenance contract and the capabilities of the contractor, Rohrer recommended issuance of a Change Order to complete this work prior to July 1. The measure was approved by unanimous vote.
THE BOARD HEARD THE ANNUAL BUDGET PRESENTATION FROM HAGERSTOWN COMMUNITY COLLEGE AT THE NOON HOUR
Hagerstown Community College receives funding for its $23.4 million budget from the State and County. This year's request from the County is for $6,906,594 an increase of $900,860 or 15% over last year's request. The funding increase would go to supporting costs associated with upgrading the facility and expanding programs and services due to increasing enrollment. The funds would help promote existing and new programs of study and instructional design at the College. Development of enrollment management and related marketing strategies, employee support, technology improvements and employee training would also be benefited by the increase. All budgets will be further reviewed prior to the April 18th Public Hearing at the College's Kepler Theater.
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS: BUILDING EXCISE TAX ORDINANCE
County Attorney Richard Douglas brought this request, to approve amendments to the Building Excise Tax Ordinance before the Board. The definition of “construction” was simplified and references to replacements of units were eliminated. Definitions were added for “Director of Planning” and “Nonresidential Construction.” Nonresidential construction was amended to exclude apartments, which had been included under the definition.
The definition of “gross square footage” eliminated any reference to the building code and was simplified. The definition of “Residential Addition Construction” was clarified. Section 3A(a)(3) was revised to make it clear that the exemption for residential construction applies “per dwelling unit.” Section 3A(b) was revised to send appeals from decisions on the Ordinance to the County Administrator rather than the County Commissioners, for efficiency and consistency with Section 9. Section 3B(a) was revised to clarify that the Director of Planning shall determine the applicability of the percentages for nonresidential construction and that changes shall be shown on a site plan. Section 3B(c) was added to provide for the computation of tax on “nonresidential addition construction.” Section 3B(e) was added to prevent piecemeal applications with regard to nonresidential construction. The existing 5(c) was eliminated and a new Section 5(c) was added to set forth the rules for application of the tax to replacement construction. Section 5(h) was amended to exempt only the schools portion of the building excise tax (70%) on housing for the elderly. Section 5(j) was amended to add “and additions” to the exemption for “Small developments.” Piecemeal submissions would not be allowed. Sections 8(b)(2)(a) and 8(c)(4)(b) were revised to set time limits on the deposit of taxes with the Department of Budget and Finance. Several sections of the Ordinance were amended to clarify that decisions as to the applicability and interpretation of the Ordinance be the responsibility of the “Planning Director or designee” for consistency with sections of the Ordinance governing appeals. Section 13(b)(2) was clarified as to definition of workforce housing. Some sections were renumbered and other minor changes were made for consistency. Reference to federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines for criteria used to determine median income was included. The measures were approved to be taken to public hearing, possibly by April 10th.
AIRPORT BUDGET PRESENTATION
Hagerstown Regional Airport (HGR) Manager Carolyn Motz and HGR Fire Chief Phil Ridenour brought this review of the operating budget for fiscal year 2007 before the Board. Reinstatement of Essential Air Service is the key to the increase in revenues seen for Fiscal Year 2007, Motz said. Total revenue for this self-supporting enterprise fund would be $1.53 million, with expenses equal to those revenues. The proposed revenues would see a $179,417.00 increase due to increases in passenger facility charges, landing fees and corporate rents, concession fees, terminal rents, T-Hangar rents, Fuel Farm revenues and FAA rental property revenue. Expenses would equal revenues, with modest increases expected for General Operations and Airport Operations, Business Parks, Terminals, T-Hangars, Motz said. Except for funding for airfield firefighting operations and some advertising funds, the Airport is near self-sufficiency, Motz said. All budgets are subject to line-item review prior to the Public Hearing set for April 18th.
MARYLAND AGRICULTURAL LAND PRESERVATION FOUNDATION
Ag Land Preservation Planners Eric Seifarth and Holly Thibault brought this meeting with the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) to the Board. MALPF staff is visiting individual counties to meet with appropriate groups to discuss the funding situation, changes in ranking systems, trends in easement and acquisition values, and answer any questions potential participants may have about the requirements of and recent changes in the Program. Jim Conrad, Exec Director of MALPF said that of particular concern to Washington County was H.B. 1254, which would not allow easements to be purchased on any properties contiguous to parcels on which the county allows bonus density. That bill, along with another detrimental to the program was scrapped by the Legislature, as of today, Conrad said. One county TDR option would allow rural to rural transfers. MALPF’s primary purpose is to preserve productive agricultural land and woodland in Maryland to provide for the continuing production of food and fiber for the citizens of Maryland. The organization also strives to Help control the extent of urban expansion in the State, help curb the spread of urban blight and deterioration help protect agricultural land and woodland as open space, and help improve the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay, By the end of its 25th year of purchasing easements MALPF will have preserved over 250,000 acres on 1,800 properties. In Carroll County MALPF has 320 easements on 38,638 acres, about 16% of all MALPF acreage. County initiative in approving district and easement applications, ranking properties for easement purchase, and on-going program operation. Each county has a local appointed Agricultural Land Preservation Advisory Board. Landowner participation is voluntary, and eligibility is based on three criteria. The property must be located outside of a ten-year water and sewer service area. The property must be 50 acres or larger or, if smaller than 50 acres, be located contiguous to already preserved property. The property must have 50% or more USA soils classification Class I, II, and/or III and/or Woodland Group 1 and/or 2. MALPF receives 17.05% of Real Estate Transfer Taxes, about $15-25 million annually. MALPF gets 66% of the Agricultural Transfer Taxes and the county receives 33% of this tax unless the county is certified, in which case MALPF gets 25% and the county keeps 75% of this tax, about $4-8 million annually. $2-5 million annually comes from the Federal Farm and Ranch Land Preservation grant program and several other funding sources. MALPF is projecting funding of up to $100 million over the next several years, and the County could be in line for a substantial share of this funding, Conrad said.WILLIAMSPORT TAX SETOFF FOR 2006.
The Board held its annual joint meeting with the Mayor and Council of Williamsport at 7:00 p.m. in Williamsport Town Hall, to discuss the tax set-off for the current fiscal year. The nine municipalities will receive $1.38 million in tax setoff from the County, $112,627 more than 2005. Williamsport will receive $56,457, an 8.87% increase over last year. The Tax Setoff reimburses the towns for services such as roads, parks and police, and is based on assessable tax base, taxable income and population.