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
October 31, 2006
Due to elevator Repair at 100 W. Washington Street, this meeting was held at the Department of Water Quality Public meeting room, located at 16232 Elliott Parkway, in Williamsport, Maryland
the commissioners ATTENDED a JOINT MEETING with the board of EDUCATION to hear a report on developer-funded school CONSTRUCTION projects and proposed mitigation plans
public hearing: AGRICULTURAL land preservation PRIORITIES
Eric Seifarth
and Holly Thibault, Land Preservation Planners, brought this request, that the
County Commissioners approve the Priority Ranking spreadsheet of 26 applicants
who applied to sell easements through the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation
Program (MALPP). Each year the Agricultural Advisory Board ranks properties
for MALPP based on soil type, productivity, property size, and proximity to
other easements. Landowners are paid by the order of ranking until the funds
run out. Land Preservation Funding for 2006/2007 totals $12.17 million available. The
County committed $1.34 million of Agricultural Transfer Tax money for the 60/40
match earlier this year. The measure was subject to Public Hearing. Sam
Hunterof Hagerstown testified in favor of the program. Beverly Shriver
of Lappans Crossroads, and Myron Martin of Knoxville requested information on
the status of properties pending preservation. The Board approved the priority
ranking list by unanimous vote.
BID AWARD: WILLIAMSPORT LIBRARY ROOF REPLACEMENT
County Purchasing
Agent Karen Luther and Public Works Director Gary Rohrer brought this request,
to award the bid to the responsible, responsive bidder with the lowest bid,
Heidler Roofing Services, Inc. of Hagerstown, MD for the Total Sum Bid of $67,870.00
including Alternate numbers 1, 2 and 3, before the Board. The project
is to be completed in a 60 consecutive calendar day period and consists of demolition
and removal of existing roofing materials to existing deck substrate, installation
of new rigid insulation including tapered, protection board and installation
of SBS modified roof system; replacement of asphalt shingles; replacement of
deteriorated tectum deck per unit cost over a 300 square foot area and replacement
of all counter flashings. 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.
Marie Byers,
of Discovery Station museum gave the Commissioners an update on finances of
the operation, and requested a donation of $20,000 for project development and
operations costs.
Lisa Stewart
of Hagerstown Community College’s Alumni Office and Joyce Ott, Alumni
Society member told the Board that a loan made by the Commissioners to the Alumni
has been paid off. The original $200,000 loan was partially paid back, and the
remaining $180,000 was forgiven, provided the group made payments to HCC for
special projects. That amount has now been paid to the College, with funds primarily
raised through the annual flower and garden show, which the organization sponsors.
OTHER BUSINESS
County Attorney
Issues: Assistant County Attorney Andrew Wilkinson requested Final Adoption
of the Multi-Family to Single-Family Conversion Tax Credit Ordinance and the
Residential Rehabilitation Tax Credit Ordinance. In August the Board considered
adoption of two tax credit programs to provide a credit against the County real
property tax, mirroring a tax credit program adopted by the City of Hagerstown
last July. The credit would apply only to property within the City’s
Community Legacy Area and provide a credit to owners who rehabilitate residential
property or who convert multi-family dwellings to single-family dwellings. The
Commissioners unanimously approved the adoption of the tax credit programs pending
drafting of the Ordinances. The Ordinances specify that if the assessment
on a property increases after a qualifying rehabilitation improvement project,
the City and County will grant a tax credit on the increase in the assessment
up to the maximum amount of the cost of the qualifying improvements. Regarding
the allocation of County staff resources to manage the program, all application,
inspection and approval work will be handled by the City Department of Planning;
there should be minimal or no expenditure of time or money by County staff.
The measure was approved by unanimous vote.
County Administrator’s
Comments: County Administrator Rod Shoop reminded the Board that there will
not be a meeting next week, November 7th, due to Election Day activities. A
half-day session is being set for the week of November 21st, Thanksgiving week.
Appointments to Boards and Commissions: County Clerk Joni Bittner brought
a request from the Advisory Commission to the Board of Health to appoint Kimberly
Murdaugh, Executive Director of the Walnut Street Community Health Center,
to the Commission for a three-year term. The measure was approved by
unanimous vote.
Reports from
County Staff: Public Works Director Gary Rohrer reported that some progress
is being made on repairs to the elevator at 100 West Washington Street, with
a new tentative completion date of November 20th.
COMMISSIONERS' REPORTS AND COMMENTS
Commissioner
Jim Kercheval reported on attending a function for retiring
Health Officer Bill Christoffel last week. The Mummer's Parade last weekend
was a resounding success despite cold windy conditions, Kercheval said. Director
of Public Works Gary Rohrer, Transportation Department Director Kevin Cerrone
and the Commissioner attended a meeting of the Greater Hagerstown Committee
Transportation subcommittee last week, with downtown bus stops the topic
of discussion. Next Monday's Planning Commission meeting has been moved
up to 4:30 p.m., Kercheval reported.
Commissioner
John Munson told the Board that the meeting of the Solid Waste Advisory Commission
set for last week was cancelled. A report from the Sheriff’s Department
said that 2 warnings were given out for minor loose load violations on October
23rd in the vicinity of the Landfill. The operation, conducted by the Sheriff
and Maryland State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement resulted in 21 citations,
17 warnings, and 11 other violations for various equipment, safety and commercial
vehicle enforcement discrepancies. In addition, as a result of one of the
traffic stops, two subjects were arrested on outstanding warrants, Munson
reported.
Commissioner Dori Nipps reported on the retirement function for the outgoing
Health Officer Bill Christoffel and the Mummer’s parade last weekend.
Commissioners'
President Greg Snook said that a letter from the Animal Control Authority requests
addition of an alternate member, due to the number of cases heard and members’ inability
to attend all hearings. The measure will be taken under consideration. The earlier
meeting with the Board of education disclosed information showing cost per seat
in schools would vary from $27,000 to $108,000 per seat. A proposed renovation
to Winter Street School would add 166 seats at a cost of $18 million, Snook
reported. Last week’s meeting of the Emergency Services Council reviewed
a draft of the new Emergency Medical Services Plan for future operations
of EMS in the County. Fire and Rescue Association membership will be able
to provide input to that plan. The new EMS Medical Director will be in place
soon, and the LOSAP program goes into effect this year. About 107 Fire and
Rescue Association members are eligible for that retirement program, Snook
reported.
PRESENTATION: NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND AHEC
John Latimer,
Director of the Division of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) and David Manning,
Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Sterling
Virginia Office presented a certificate and plaque certifying Washington County
as a StormReady County, only the sixth jurisdiction in Maryland to qualify for
the status. StormReady is a nationwide community preparedness program that uses
a grassroots approach to help communities develop plans to handle local severe
weather and flooding threats. The program is voluntary and provides communities
with clear-cut advice from a partnership between local NWS forecast offices
and state and local emergency managers. The certification is based on a number
of criteria, including backup communication systems, emergency planning, the
presence of NOAA weather radios in all schools, and staffing requirements. StormReady
began in 1999 and now has more than 1,080 StormReady communities across the
country. (see attached press release)
Martha Bird,
Western Maryland Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Project Director for Project
Aware presented DFES employees Verna Brown and Carl French with Certificates
of Appreciation. Brown and French operated the County's Project Aware program
for two years. The project, which sought to train volunteers to assist in times
of emergency, conducted tabletop exercises and promoted the Citizens' Emergency
Response Team (CERT) efforts in public awareness of how citizens can cope in
times of emergency. Bird told the Board that Washington County's CERT program
serves as a model for the region. Project Aware officially ended on September
30th, but received an extension through the end of December. Additional training
opportunities will be available through that time period.
THE COMMISSIONERS TOURED THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT AT THE NOON HOUR.
Rz-06-14 rezoning application: McCB, LLC
Assistant
County Attorney Kirk Downey and Associate Planner Sarah Henke brought this request,
for approval of an Ordinance amending the zoning map, before the Board. The
Planning Commission recommended approval of this rezoning request.
The applicant had requested that the IM (Industrial, Mineral) overlay
zone be removed from the subject property and that an underlying zoning classification
of IG (Industrial, General) be established since there was no previous underlying
zoning classification established for the subject property at any time. A joint
public hearing was held on this rezoning request on September 18th. The matter
was on the agenda for decision by the Board of County Commissioners in the
form of a proposed Ordinance amending the zoning map and the Opinion and Findings
of Fact as prepared by the County Attorney's Office for review, approval, and
adoption. The measure was approved by unanimous vote, citing a mistake
in the original zoning, agreeing with the findings of fact, requiring that
access be granted to water in the quarry in emergencies, and that the underlying
Zoning be Industrial General (IG).
SO-06-002: SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE TEXT AMENDMENT
Mike Thompson,
Planning Director brought this request for a Text Amendment to the Subdivision
Ordinance before the Board for approval. The Planning Department, requested
an amendment to the text of the Subdivision Ordinance for Washington County.
The purpose of this amendment is to update the current Ordinance in order to
bring it into compliance with other policies that have been adopted over the
years by the Washington County Planning Commission and the State of Maryland. The
proposed amendments include adding a definition of "Remaining Lands" in
Section 202 and various other amendments to Sections 308, 310 and 318. The Planning
Commission recommended adoption of the amendment. The measures were approved
by unanimous vote.
AMENDMENT: WATER/SEWER PLAN
Chief Planner
Timothy Lung, and Greg Murray, Department of Water Quality (DWQ) Director brought
this request before the Board. DWQ asked that text amendments be made to the
Water and Sewerage Plan for the purpose of revising and updating all of the
text, charts and tables of the current Plan associated with the Water Quality
Department. Over the last few years, the Maryland Department of the Environment
(MDE) has issued many new policies, strategies and procedures to be implemented
by the local water and wastewater providers, such as the Maryland Enhanced Nutrient
Removal (ENR) Strategy. ENR has placed loading limits on waste water treatment
plant discharges and is requiring upgrades, revised planning strategies, and
new policies be implemented. Each issue requires MDE approval and must
be consistent with the Water and Sewer Plan in order to be approved. Some
of the ENR initiatives contain a fast tracked and defined compliance schedule. Many
of the supporting issues, such as bubble permits, nutrient trading, and funding
plan are under development this fiscal year at the State level. In order for
the County to comply with these new policies, strategies and procedures and
to take advantage of the surrounding issues such as funding, permitting, and
maximization of nutrient load, the proposed amendments are required to the Water
and Sewer Plan. The Washington County Planning Commission recommended
approval of the amendment. The measures were approved by unanimous vote.
EXCISE TAX WAIVER: AC&T, 11532 HOPEWELL ROAD
Planning
Director Michael C. Thompson and Attorney Jason Divelbiss, brought this request
for waiver of the Excise Tax for a new building to be constructed at 11532 Hopewell
Road. Staff is recommending that the developer pay the excise tax of $30,000.00
for the new structure as provided for in the Excise Tax Ordinance.
The developer has submitted a request that the excise tax in the amount
of $30,000.00 be waived for the new 20,000 square foot structure to be constructed
on the AC&T Travel Center property on Hopewell Road. Staff reviewed the
plans for the project in order to determine the appropriate excise tax for
the project. The project was classified as an industrial use and as it is less
than 25,000 square feet, the appropriate fee would be $2.00 per square foot.
Also, the first 5,000 square feet of non-retail non-residential construction
would be exempt from the excise tax. Therefore, the tax for the proposed building
was reduced by $10,000.00. The applicant refers to a subsection of the Ordinance
relating to additions and a subsection relating to Enterprise Zones as applicable
portions of the Exemption section of the Ordinance. In both instances, he concludes
that they do not technically meet the Ordinance and staff agrees with this
conclusion. Discussion centered on a state definition of "Enterprise
Zone" versus the County wording in the Ordinance. Action was delayed until
documents pertaining to the measure can be reviewed by legal and Economic Development
Commission staff. The issue will come back before the Board on November 14th.
ADOPTION OF AIRPORT GUIDING DOCUMENTS
Carolyn Motz,
Hagerstown Regional Airport (HGR) Manager and Phil Ridenour, Airport Fire Chief
brought this request, for adoption of the Airport Primary Guiding Documents,
before the Board for approval. Primary Guiding Documents are a handbook used
by airports to inform users about adopted airport operations. The document
currently in place is the 1995 “Minimum Operating Standards and Rules
and Regulations.” The documents were rewritten with input from the
Airport Advisory Commission, county staff, consultants, legal counsel, users,
airport businesses and the Federal Aviation Administration. The proposed
Primary Guiding Documents consist of six sections: (1) General Provisions, (2)
Definitions, (3) Developmental Guidelines, (4) Minimum Operating Standards,
(5) Rules and Regulations and (6) Leases, Rates and Charges. It should be noted
that these are “living documents” that may change from time to time
with aviation, safety and security events and the evolution of Hagerstown Regional
Airport. The documents are meant to give a clear picture of how the airport
is operated in accordance with local, state and federal laws, regulations and
grant assurances. They will continue to be reviewed and revised through changes
in local, state and federal policy and the interpretation thereof. The request
was approved by a 4-0-1 vote with Commissioner Bill Wivell abstaining.
ANTIETAM WORK CAMP
David Jordan,
Executive Director of the Washington County Community Action Council, Inc.,
Reverend Anne Weatherholt of St. Mark's Episcopal Church, and Kevin Collins
of REACH brought this request for support of the activities of
the Antietam WorkCamp, by waiving any building permit fees and tipping fees
for the project, before the Board. Rev. Weatherholt told the Board that
Antietam WorkCamp will bring 300 to 400 youth and adult leaders to Washington
County for a week to perform home repairs such as painting, repairing porches,
building wheelchair ramps, and the like at the homes of elderly and disabled
homeowners. Youth will be working in teams of 5 or 6 with adult supervisors
to make these improvements. The targeted area is Hagerstown, Williamsport
and South County, working on approximately 70 homes. A group of students from
St. James School will be doing finish-up work the week following WorkCamp, if
needed. The participants will be staying and eating at Williamsport High
School. Most of the activities would not require building permits, Weatherholt
said, and when a permit is required the group asked that fees be waived. In
addition the Commissioners were asked to cover tipping fees at the County
landfill for all trash generated during the project. By Consensus the Commissioners
approved the concept, allowing up to $3,000 in permit and tipping fees to be
paid from the Commissioners' Contingency Fund. Contractors pulling permits would
have to pay the fees up front, then be reimbursed, Commissioners' President
Greg Snook said.
2-1-1 INITIATIVE
Tom Kline,
Program Coordinator for the Washington County Community Partnership (WCCP)
for Children & Families, and Suzi Borg, of the Frederick County Hotline
brought this report to the Board. WCCP entered into
a contract with the Mental Health Association of Frederick County during
the early part of the current fiscal year. The goal of this project has been
to build the Mental Health Association of Frederick County’s infrastructure
for successful participation by Washington County in the 2-1-1 pilot project.
Borg told the Board that 2-1-1 is an easily remembered telephone number that
connects people with an information and referral source for important community
resources and volunteer opportunities. Such a number can ease citizen frustration
in attempting to locate appropriate services without calling many numbers, and
will reduce the number of inappropriate calls to 9-1-1 emergency dispatch. During
a natural or man-made disaster, 2-1-1 will assist in keeping 9-1-1 phone lines
open for emergencies only. The 2-1-1 pilot began in August
of this year. WCCP and the Mental Health Association of Frederick County held
a community meeting on October 10th, and formally announced the service on October
11th.