On Tuesday, Dec. 10, Jacob Dyer, Acting Director of the Department of Fiscal and Administrative Services, presented a request to consider approving a higher Cost of Living Adjustment for county employees that would go into effect on Jan. 2025. The request was made due to inflation and to bring equity between county employees and partner agencies.
A request was also made to create a $5.5 million reserve fund to replace emergency radios for the Department of Emergency Services. Commissioners approved the replacement radios reserve and the proposed salary increases of 3.5% for eligible full-time county employees and 2.5% for eligible part-time employees.
Briefings
- Robert Forloney, Program Officer with MD Humanities; Yvonne Medley, Founder/Executive Director, Life Journeys Writers Guild, Inc.; and Lesley Quattlebaum, Executive Director, CSM Velocity Center, held a briefing on a potential partnership with Spark! Places of Innovation. The program combines funding from the Smithsonian Institution and Maryland Humanities to create museum spaces in small towns. The Spark! Maryland Tour is scheduled to begin in Charles County May 17 – June 29, 2025, as a partnership between the College of Southern Maryland Velocity Center & Life Journeys Writers Guild, Inc. Displays during the tour will take place at the Velocity Center and other locations in the county. Commissioners gave consensus for the partnership.
- Jacob Dyer, Acting Director, and TaTanya Bowman, Assistant Chief of Budget, Department of Fiscal and Administrative Services, held a briefing on the Fiscal year 2025 general fund review for the first quarter.
- Jenifer Ellin, Acting Deputy County Administrator, and Kelli Scherer, Budget Analyst, briefed commissioners on the use of American Rescue Plan Act funds. The presentation also requested a transfer of $658,097 from unobligated broadband programs to surface transportation-road overlay. The transfer would satisfy a requirement that all funds must be obligated by Dec. 31, 2024. Commissioners approved an amended request to allot $558,097 to surface transportation and $100,000 to food insecurity.
- Johnnie Coleman, Senior Internal Auditor; Michael Pheulpin, Junior Internal Auditor; and Jenifer Ellin, Acting Deputy County Administrator, held a briefing on the Internal Audit Office. Coleman and Pheulpin then conducted their annual review of County Commissioner expenses.
- Charles Rice, Planning Director, briefed the Commissioners to clarify residential density and minimum lot size requirements within the Watershed Conservation District Zone.
- Doria Fleisher, Community Engagement Coordinator, and Jennifer Harris, Chief of Media Services, discussed County commissioners’ Public Comment Sessions and Joint Town Hall Meetings. The conversation continued from the Dec. 3 meeting, which discussed the procedures for public comment sessions. Commissioners voted to eliminate public comment sessions in the months their quarterly joint town halls are scheduled and to allow each Commissioner six minutes to respond to citizen questions and concerns after each public comment session.
- Ray Shumaker, Chief of Codes, Permits and Inspection Services; Don Litten, Building Code Official; and Jarington Bazemore, Inspections Supervisor, held a briefing on blighted property enforcement. The presentation provided an update on a recent campaign to enforce signage regulations in the county. During the sign enforcement initiative, 202 inspections were performed, with 114 cases logged. Ninety-six of those cases came into compliance, while 14 are still outstanding. The presentation also discussed what constituted a blighted property and the associated enforceable codes. Since January 21, 50 cases related to blighted buildings have been logged, with 37 resolved and 13 working toward a resolution.
- The County Commissioners held a work session on Proposed Bill 2024-06: Zoning Text Amendment 22-174 Mixed Use Zone. The bill would incorporate “housing for specific populations” and allow for commercial development to be substituted with residential development within the Mixed-Use Zone. The Commissioners passed the Bill.
Boards and Commissions Annual Updates…