Mar 07, 2023 County Council

UH, THEN WITH NO ONE FROM THE PUBLIC TO SPEAK THIS.

WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CONCLUDE THIS PUBLIC HEARING THIS EVENING.

UH, MR. I'VE BEEN SENDING MR. CAMPBELL WILL HAND OUT A FULL SIZE OF THE PLAN SINCE IT'S KIND OF SMALL.

THAT'S FINE.

YES.

AND THEN THIS WILL BE TAKEN UP AT A FUTURE MEETING.

SO THIS WILL CONCLUDE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON RESOLUTION ZERO TWO DASH 23.

I'VE GOT EXTRA COPIES.

BILL 22 DASH, OR EXCUSE ME, COUNSEL, IF YOU DON'T MIND, BECAUSE THESE ARE BOTH OF THE SAME NATURE.

I'D LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE THEM BOTH AT THE SAME TIME IN THIS PUBLIC HEARING.

IF I COULD, THAT WOULD BE BILL 23 DASH ZERO ONE AND 23 DASH 0 0 2.

SAME PRESENTERS.

UM, MR. PETITE, HOW ARE YOU THIS EVENING? GOOD, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR COMING.

UM, MR. BERKELEY.

HELLO, MS. LITTLE.

WHENEVER YOU'RE READY.

BE HERE MY FIRST TIME.

I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.

MARYLAND AMERICAN WATER CHARGES AN ANNUAL FIRE HYDRANT FEE FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF THE HYDRANT.

SO, GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL PRESIDENT, HASTE, AND GOOD EVENING COUNCIL MEMBERS.

SO MY NAME IS PORSCHE LITTLE.

I AM THE PERMITS REVIEW SUPERVISOR FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS DIVISION OF WATERLAND SEWER ADMINISTRATION SECTION.

I WILL BE PRESENTING A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF TWO FIRE HYDRANT PETITION PROJECTS.

THE FIRST PETITION IS FOR A PROPOSED RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION NAMED FOREST HILL ESTATES.

AND THE SECOND PETITION IS FOR THE PROPOSED BACK IN STORE ANNEX IN BEL AIR.

FOREST.

HILL ESTATES IS LOCATED AT THE INTERSECTIONS OF GROUP 24 AND 20, GROUP 23 IN FOREST HILL, AND WILL BE SERVED BY MARYLAND AMERICAN WATER AND HOFF COUNTY PUBLIC SEWER.

THE PROPOSED STN STORE ANNEX IS LOCATED AT 7 26 BELLER ROAD AND WILL ALSO BE SERVED BY MARYLAND AMERICAN WATER AND HARTFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SEWER.

THE STN STORE IS LOCATED ACROSS FROM THE GOODWILL STORE ON BUSINESS ROUTE ONE IN BEL AIR.

SO PROPERTIES OUTSIDE OF THE TOWN OF BEL AIR SERVED BY MARYLAND AMERICAN WATER MAY PETITION THE COUNTY FOR FIRE HYDRANT SERVICE.

FIRE HYDRANT PETITIONS ARE COVERED BY COUNTY CODE 2 56 DASH 15 AND THE WATER AND SEWER RULES AND REGULATIONS.

PART FIVE,

[00:10:02]

THE FIRE HYDRANT FEE IS PAID TO MARYLAND AMERICAN WATER BY AN ANNUAL ASSESSMENT ADMINISTERED BY HARTFORD COUNTY COUNTY.

SO THE STACK AND STORE ANNEX FIRE HYDRANT PETITION IS INCLUDED IN PROPOSED BILL NUMBER 23 1.

OUR OFFICE RECEIVED A PETITION REQUEST FROM THE PROPERTY OWNER WHO IS THE DEVELOPER OF STACK AND STORE IN JUNE OF 2022.

THE BALLOT PACKAGE WAS EMAILED ON SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2022, WHICH INCLUDED ONE FIRE HYDRANT AND THE ANNUAL ASSESSMENT COST.

THE BALLOT WAS RETURNED ON SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2022, AND THE PROPERTY OWNER VOTED YES IN FAVOR OF THE PETITION ON FEBRUARY THE SEVENTH, 2023.

BILL NUMBER 23, 1 WAS INTRODUCED.

SO THE STACK SEWER PETITION INCLUDES ONE FIRE HYDRANT LOCATED IN THE FRONT OF THE PROPERTY AT 7 26 BELLER ROAD SPACE AT THE MAXIMUM OF 300 FEET FOR COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES AS REQUIRED BY THE COUNTY RULES AND REGULATIONS.

THE ANNUAL FIRE HYDRANT ASSESSMENT FOR THE ONE FIRE HYDRANT IS $205 AND 94 CENTS PER PROPERTY.

IN THIS CASE, THERE IS ONLY ONE PROPERTY.

THE ASSESSMENT IS CALCULATED BY MULTIPLYING THE NUMBER OF FIRE HYDRANTS TIMES THE ANNUAL FIRE HYDRANT FEE OF $164 AND 75 CENTS CHARGED BY MARYLAND AMERICAN WATER, PLUS A HORFORD COUNTY ADMINISTRATION FEE OF 25% PROVIDED BY THE NUMBER OF PROPERTIES FOREST HILL ESTATES FIRE HY PETITIONERS INCLUDED.

IN PROPOSED BILL NUMBER 23 6, OUR OFFICE RECEIVED A PETITION REQUEST FROM THE PROPERTY OWNER WHO IS THE DEVELOPER OF FOREST HILL ESTATES IN FEBRUARY OF 2022.

THE BALLOT PACKAGE WAS EMAILED ON MARCH 9TH, 2022, WHICH INCLUDED SEVEN FIRE HYDRANTS AND THE ANNUAL ASSESSMENT COST.

THE BALLOT WAS RETURNED ON APRIL 5TH, 2022.

THE PROPERTY OWNER VOTED YES IN FAVOR OF THE PETITION, AND ON FEBRUARY 7TH, 2023, BILL NUMBER 23 2 WAS INTRODUCED.

THE FOREST HILL ESTATES PETITION INCLUDES SEVEN FIRE HYDRANTS EQUALLY SPACED WITHIN THE DEVELOPMENT AT A MAXIMUM SPACING OF 600 FEET FOR SINGLE FAMILY HOMES AS REQUIRED BY THE COUNTY RULES AND REGULATIONS.

THE ANNUAL FIRE HYDRANT ASSESSMENT FOR THE SEVEN FIRE HYDRANTS IS $20 AND 59 CENTS PER PROPERTY.

IN THIS CASE, THERE ARE 70 RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES.

THE ASSESSMENT IS CALCULATED BY MULTIPLYING THE NUMBER OF FIRE HYDRANTS TIMES THE ANNUAL FIRE HYDRANT FEE OF $164 AND 75 CENTS CHARGED BY MARYLAND AMERICAN WATER, PLUS A HARTFORD COUNTY ADMINISTRATION FEE OF 25% DIVIDED BY THE NUMBER OF PROPERTIES.

AND THE FIRE HYDRANT FEE CAN INCREASE IF APPROVED BY THE MARYLAND PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION.

AND THIS CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION SUBJECT TO ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

THANK YOU COUNSEL AT YOUR TIME FOR QUESTIONS.

ANYONE? UM, I WOULD THINK THAT MR. JERDEN, YOU WOULD HAVE SOME QUESTIONS.

I DO HAVE A QUESTION.

SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

SO THERE'S SEVEN FIRE HYDRANTS FOR THIS DEVELOPMENT.

HOW MANY HOMES? IT WOULD BE SEVEN.

SEVEN FIRE HYDRANTS AND JUST HAPPENS TO BE 70 PROPERTIES.

10 PER 10 PER HYDRANT? YES.

AND THAT'S STANDARD? CORRECT.

AND THAT'S STANDARD, IS THAT THE TOTAL DEVELOPMENT OR IS THAT JUST A FIRST PHASE? THAT'S THE TOTAL DEVELOPMENT.

IS THAT ANY PROBLEM? OKAY.

IT'S YOUR ONLY QUESTION I HAVE.

I FIGURED IT WOULD BE.

UM, COUNSEL, ANYONE ELSE? MS. DIXON? DO WE HAVE ONE SIGNED UP? THERE ARE NO SPEAKERS, MR. PRESIDENT.

I CAN'T IMAGINE THEY WOULDN'T BE SUPPORTING THIS.

SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

THIS WILL CONCLUDE THIS PUBLIC HEARING ON BOTH, UH, OH TWO AND OH ONE.

AND, UH, WE'LL TAKE IT UP AT A FUTURE MEETING.

GOOD EVENING CHAIR CALLS THE ORDER LEGISLATIVE SESSION DAY 23 DASH 0 0 7.

WE'RE GONNA TAKE A 15 MINUTE RECESS AND START AT SEVEN 30.

ALL

[1. CALL TO ORDER]

[00:15:04]

UH, WOULD ASK YOU ALL TO PLEASE RISE FOR THE PLEDGE AND JOIN US FOR THE PRAYER FOLLOWING, I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG, UNITED STATES OF REPUBLIC, WHICH STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER JUSTICE.

DEAR HEAVEN, FATHER, WE HUMBLY COME BEFORE YOU IN PRAYER AND ASK FOR YOUR STRENGTH, WISDOM, AND GUIDANCE AS WE NAVIGATE OUR DAILY DECISIONS.

WE PRAY THAT WE ARE PATIENT, KIND AND CONSIDERATE.

WE PRAY THAT YOUR CHARACTER WOULD FLOW FROM US AS WE PUT OTHERS.

FIRST.

LORD, PLEASE BLESS OUR NATION'S LEADER.

I PRAY FOR THEIR STRENGTH, FAITHFULNESS, INTEGRITY, AND PURPOSE.

THANK YOU LORD FOR YOUR LOVE, MERCY AND GRACE THAT ENABLES US AND EMPOWERS US.

IN JESUS NAME WE PRAY.

AMEN.

THANK YOU, MR. PENMAN.

UM,

[4. PRESENTATION OF PROCLAMATIONS]

AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FOUR, PRESENTATION OF PROCLAMATIONS.

UM, MR. RILEY, IF YOU'D LIKE TO MOVE DOWNSTAIRS, WE'RE GONNA, OR DOWN FRONT, WE'RE GONNA REMEMBER AND HONOR DOUG HOWARD.

MS. HOWARD, IF YOU AND YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS WOULD LIKE TO COME FORWARD, PLEASE, WE'RE GONNA STAND, GO AHEAD.

WE'RE GONNA STAND JOHN.

WHEREAS DOUGLAS, WESLEY HOWARD IS BEING RECOGNIZED FOR HIS 23 YEARS OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE TO HARTFORD COUNTY.

AND WHEREAS DOUG WAS BORN IN BALTIMORE, MARYLAND IN 1948.

HE GRADUATED FROM NORTH HARTFORD HIGH SCHOOL AND SERVED IN THE US NAVY FOR NINE YEARS.

DOUG OPERATED HIS BUSINESS, AERO MEDICAL METAL FABRICATORS, INCORPORATED FOR 41 YEARS.

HE MARRIED HIS HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEART, VIRGINIA H. HOWARD, AND RAISED TWO DAUGHTERS AND A SON IN NORTHERN HARVARD COUNTY.

AND WHEREAS DOUG WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE WHITEFORD CARD OF PK STREET COMMUNITY, AVI ADVISORY BOARD FOR THE PAST 23 YEARS.

THROUGHOUT HIS TENURE, HE WORKED WITH THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT DURING THE CLEANUP OF THE 26 ACRE MILLER CHEMICAL AND FERTILIZER CORPORATION SITE IN WAFFORD.

HE WORKED WITH NUMEROUS COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO IMPROVE THIS SITE DISTANCE ALONG 24 AND ST.

MARY'S ROAD, AND COORDINATED A TREE PLANTING OF 22 PINE OAKS ALONG MARYLAND 1 65.

DOUG ALSO WORKED ON THE RELIABILITY OF DELMARVA'S POWER SERVICE TO THE NOR HARTFORD AREA.

AS A RESULT, TWO ALTERNA ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO ROUTE ELECTRICITY WERE PROVIDED.

AND WHEREAS DOUG INFORMED THE HARTFORD COUNTY LOCAL EMERGENCY PLANNING COMMITTEE OF CHEMICAL TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE AT THE CINE DELTA ENERGY CENTER, LOCATED JUST OVER THE MARYLAND PA BORDER AND DELTA PA.

AS A RESULT, A TOUR OF THE CALPINE PLANT WAS PROVIDED, AND A DISCUSSION TOOK PLACE IN ORDER TO PROTECT HARTFORD COUNTY EMERGENCY WORKERS AND LOCAL FIREFIGHTERS AND A POSSIBLE MUTUAL AID RESPONSE.

IN ADDITION, DOUG CONTINUED TO PURSUE THE WHITEFORD CARDIFF WALKING AND BIKING TRAIL ALONG MARYLAND 1 65.

HE ALSO WORKED ON THE OVERUSE OF KILGAR KILGAR FALLS, WHICH PROMPTED A PERMANENT RESERVATION PROGRAM TO REDUCE TRAFFIC AND TRESPASS ISSUES.

NOW THEREFORE, WE, THE COUNTY COUNCIL OF HARTFORD COUNTY, MARYLAND ON THE SEVENTH DAY OF MARCH, 2023, DO HEREBY SALUTE DOUGLAS WESLEY HOWARD, 23 YEARS OF SERVICE AND EXTEND OUR APPRECIATION FOR HIS DEDICATION TO THE CITIZENS OF HARTFORD COUNTY.

BEFORE I GIVE THE, UH, PROCLAMATIONS, I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF KNOWING, UH, DOUG.

I SERVED ON THE WHITEFORD CARDIFF, UH, COUNCIL WITH HIM.

IT WAS OVER 20, 23 YEARS AGO.

UH, I WAS CHAIRMAN THEN AND HE TOOK OVER AFTER ME.

I WENT ON TO BECOME THE CLERK OF THE COURT.

WHAT I KNOW ABOUT DOUG IS THAT, UH, WHENEVER I SPOKE TO HIM, HE HAD A LOT OF LOVES THAT HAD A LOVE FIRST COUNTRY.

HE HAD A LOVE FOR COOKING.

HE, HE LOVED TO COOK THE BARBECUE AND THE PIT.

UM, IN FACT, UH, STEEPLECHASE, YOU REMEMBER, I USED TO STOP BY AT THE STEEPLECHASE AND GET HIS, UH, HIS ROAST BEEF SANDWICHES.

AND HE ALSO LOVED HIS FAMILY.

HE TALKED VERY, VERY OFTEN ABOUT HIS FAMILY.

UM, AND SO WE ALSO WANT TO THANK PATTY HANKINS.

SHE'S THE ONE THAT BROUGHT THIS TO US.

SO PATTY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

WE ALSO HAVE COUNCILMAN SHREDS IN THE AUDIENCE SOMEWHERE, AND COUNCILMAN SHRED WAS A COUNCILMAN, IF YOU'LL COME UP.

HE WAS, UH, VERY DEAR TO, UH, DOUG.

AND THEY, THEY HAD SOME, UH, MOMENTS TOGETHER AND HE LIKED TO SAY A FEW WORDS.

THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN RILEY.

UM, YES.

UM, AND I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT, UM, YOUR FATHER AND, AND YOUR HUSBAND, AND HE WAS JUST AN AMAZING GUY.

AND,

[00:20:01]

UM, HE, HE'S INCREDIBLY PROUD OF YOU, BUT I, I KNEW HIM, UM, MOST OF COURSE, BEING ON THE COUNCIL 16 YEARS, I FEEL LIKE I WAS, UM, ON HIS SPEED DIAL ALL THE TIME.

, MOST OF THOSE, UH, THINGS MENTIONED INTO PROCLAMATION, THOSE WERE, WERE THINGS THAT WE TACKLED TOGETHER.

AND HE WAS A BIG PART OF THAT.

HE LOVED NORTHERN HARTFORD COUNTY.

HE ESPECIALLY LOVED WHITEFORD AND CARDIFF AND PSK AND THOSE AREAS.

AND PATTY, THANKS FOR BRINGING US FORWARD AND, AND THE COUNCIL FOR, UM, FOR, UH, REMEMBERING HIM THIS WAY.

I KNOW IT MEANS A GREAT DEAL TO THE FAMILY IN OUR COMMUNITY, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, BUT MOST OF ALL, HE WAS A GREAT FRIEND.

UM, YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED THE TREE PLANTINGS.

I, I DID THAT WITH HIM.

I WAS ALSO INVOLVED WITH THE ISAAC WALTON LEAGUE WITH HIM.

WE, WE HAD MANY, UH, SORTS OF CONNECTIONS OVER THE YEARS, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, HE, HE, HE WAS GONE TOO SOON, AS WE KNOW.

AND, AND IT, I KNOW IT SURPRISED ME AND IT'S, IT'S JUST BEEN A GREAT LOSS.

BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THANKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO COMMENT ON HIM AND, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'LL, WE'LL JUST ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM AND, AND HOPEFULLY, UM, THIS COMMEMORATES THAT.

SO THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR DAD AND HUSBAND AND, AND GRANDFATHER WITH US BECAUSE HE'S DONE SOME GREAT THINGS.

SO, NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE A HARFORD COUNTY PROCLAMATION, WE ALSO, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY THAT THEY GOT TOGETHER AND THEY WANTED TO, UH, MEMORIALIZE ALSO, UH, DOUG.

AND SO YOU HAVE ONE FROM THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

ALRIGHTY.

SO IF YOU'LL HOLD THAT AND WE'LL GET THIS YOUNG LADY TO HOLD THAT.

CAN I HAVE THE WHOLE BACK ROW SHIFTED THIS WAY, PLEASE? SECOND.

AND LET'S SCOOT A LITTLE BIT IN ON THIS SIDE, PLEASE.

ALRIGHTY.

UM, MR, COULD YOU STEP ON THE OTHER SIDE OF MR. SRDS AND MR. PENMAN USE IT THAT WAY.

PERFECT.

RIGHT THERE.

HE HAS A BIG HEAD.

I CAN'T HELP YOU, .

HE ALWAYS HAD THAT BRUISE ON THE CAMERA.

THAT LOOKS GOOD.

AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FIVE, CONSIDERATION OF PETITIONS, APPLICATIONS, APPOINTMENTS, AND NOMINATIONS.

I THOUGHT OF ONE OTHER THING, AND I, I, I USED TO DO THIS, BUT THE MILLER CHEMICAL THAT HE FALLS SO HARD ON, IT'S BEING CLEANED UP ABSOLUTELY FEET AND IT'S LOOKING LIKE A BRAND NEW PROPERTY.

AND IT'S HAD CONTAMINATED WITH CHEMICALS AND ARSENIC AND ALL KINDS OF BAD THINGS, BUT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ARE BEING SPENT IN THAT TO TAKE THAT SUPER FUN SITE TO MAKE IT A USABLE SPACE AGAIN.

AND THAT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH YOUR DAD.

I WAS JUST THINKING OF THAT BECAUSE YEAH.

TAKE A CHANCE WHEN YOU HIT.

VERY NICELY DONE.

[5. CONSIDERATION OF PETITIONS, APPLICATIONS, APPOINTMENTS AND NOMINATIONS]

EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS, DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

UM, MAY I HAVE A MOTION, PLEASE? COUNCIL PRESIDENT, I'M MOVED TO, UH, APPROVE.

KAREN HOLT, DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

SECOND.

THANK YOU, MR. GUTHRIE.

IT'S BEEN MOVED.

AND SECOND TO APPROVE KAREN HOLT, UH, AS THE DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION MR. XANDRA? YEAH, I KNOW KAREN'S NOT HERE TODAY.

I KNOW GREG, UH, IS HERE.

UM, I THINK FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, I SAW HIM A COUPLE MINUTES AGO.

UM, IT'S NICE TO, TO HAVE KAREN BACK AS THE DIRECTOR.

SHE WAS A DIRECTOR BEFORE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, SO SHE'S BEEN IN THE, IN THE SYSTEM, UM, WORKING WITH THE COUNTY BEFORE.

I'VE WORKED WITH HER LAST FOUR YEARS, SO I, I APPRECIATE HER EXPERIENCE AND, AND, UH, WORKING AND TAKING ON THIS POSITION.

SO, AND I WISH HER THE BEST.

ANYONE ELSE? I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT AS WELL AS SHE'S NOT WITH US THIS EVENING BECAUSE SHE'S IN ARLINGTON AT THE ASSOCIATED ASSOCIATION OF DEFENSE COMMUNITIES NATIONAL SUMMIT, AND SHE'S, UH, BEING INDUCTED AS PRESIDENT OF, UH, THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION.

SO, UH, KUDOS TO HER AND, UM, I TOO LOOK FORWARD TO SUPPORTING HER.

THERE BEING SIX VOTES IN THE AFFIRMATIVE ZERO AND A NEGATIVE.

THE APPOINTMENT IS HEREBY

[00:25:01]

APPROVED.

WE HAVE A LOT OF APPOINTMENTS COMING UP, SO IF YOU'RE IN THE AUDIENCE AND YOU HEAR YOUR NAME CALLED, PLEASE STAND AND BE RECOGNIZED AND STAND TO THE END, UH, OF THAT PARTICULAR GROUP.

UM, BOARD OF ETHICS, MAY I HAVE A MOTION PLEASE? COUNCIL PRESIDENT, I MOVE TO APPOINT DAVID WOODS TO THE BOARD OF ETHICS.

TRACY GAY, HENRY HOLLOWAY.

MAY I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND.

THANK YOU MR. PENMAN.

LET'S MOVE IN SECOND TO APPROVE THE, A NEW APPOINTMENT OF DAVID WOODS.

MR. WOODS, ARE YOU IN THE AUDIT? I DON'T SEE YOU.

UM, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION MS. DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT? AYE.

THERE'RE BEING SIX VOTES IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.

ZERO AND NEGATIVE.

THE APPOINTMENT IS HERE BY APPROVED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGRICULTURE ADVISORY BOARD.

MAY HAVE A MOTION.

THIS PRESIDENT, I MAKE A MOTION.

MR. RILEY, NEW APPOINTMENTS OF NICK BAILEY.

KATE DAUM.

CANDACE, LA PIERCE, DONALD LYONS.

MICHELLE MAGNUS HILL, VICTORIA STONE.

ARE THEY IN THE AUDIENCE? I DON'T SEE ANY MODERNIZING YET.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY BOARD.

REAPPOINTMENTS OF WEA MAMO.

DEREK HOPKINS, REESE JONES, ANDREW NIECE, GREGORY MERLE.

AND ROBERT TIBBS.

I KNOW MR. TIBBS IS IN THE AUDIO.

HE'S GOT A BAD KNEE.

HE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO STAND UP.

THERE HE IS.

THANK YOU MR. TIBBS.

SO IT MAY HAVE A SECOND OR DID IT WE GET A SECOND ONE OR WE DID.

WE DONE MAY.

HAVE A SECOND, PLEASE.

SECOND.

THANK YOU MR. DANDRA.

IT'S BEEN MOVED IN A SECOND TO APPROVE THE NEW APPOINTMENTS AS MENTIONED.

UH, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION MR. DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT? AYE.

THERE BEING SIX VOTES IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.

ZERO AND A NEGATIVE.

THE APPOINTMENTS ARE HEREBY APPROVED.

MAY I HAVE A MOTION? UH, COUNCIL PRESIDENT, I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE, UM, THE FOLLOWING FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY BOARD, DANIEL KONI TRI-STATE COM.

TRI-STATE COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE REALTY CORP.

RICK BODEL, FORMER FRANCHISE BRAND PRESIDENT MOHAM SAAL, SELF-EMPLOYED.

PATTY PARKER, DIRECTOR OF SALES MARKETING.

HILTON HOTELS.

BELAIRE, GILBERT KENNEDY.

PRESIDENT HARKO MONIKER.

WORL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR.

A P G F C U.

TONY STEELMAN.

ATLAS ENGINEERING.

ALTIS ENGINEERING.

MARY MORRIS, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.

Q E D SYSTEMS. L L C.

SOMAL PENIA.

I Q V I A INC.

KENNETH SHANNON.

IT PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT.

HENRY ALLEN.

SYSTEMS ENGINEER.

LAND USE.

OH, I GUESS I'LL STOP THERE.

SO I KEEP NOW LAND USE.

KRISTEN KIRKWOOD, HARTFORD LAND TRUST.

CHRISTOPHER STREET.

STREET HOPKINS REAL ESTATE.

NICK BAILEY, GRANDVIEW FARMS. WAYNE GODDARD, THE GODDARD COMPANIES.

HENRY HOLLOWAY, THE MILL PUBLIC SERVICE.

TERESA FELDER, HARTFORD COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

SEAN BOLSON.

HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

SUPERINTENDENT AMY ANDREWS.

MDOT, S H A.

MARY HASLER, HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY.

ELIZABETH WISE, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.

UPPER CHESAPEAKE HEALTH BUSINESS IN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT TOURISM.

ANGELA ROSE HARTFORD COUNTY CHAMBER.

MATTHEW SCALES VISIT HARTFORD.

KIMBERLY JUSTICE SUSQUEHANNA WORKFORCE NETWORK.

TOM KNAPP, RETIRED REAL ESTATE FINANCING.

AND JUDITH WEIK, RETIRED.

D O D.

WOULD JUST LIKE TO THANK EACH OF YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO SERVE HARFORD COUNTY.

MAY I HAVE A SECOND PLEASE? ONE SECOND.

THANK YOU MR. PENMAN.

SORRY.

BEEN MOVING AND SECONDED TO APPROVE, UH, THE APPOINTMENTS FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY BOARD.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION IF MAY? I

[00:30:01]

UH, ALL OF YOU HAVE A GREAT PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND.

UH, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY AND THE PLEASURE TO WORK WITH MANY OF YOU OVER THE YEARS.

SO LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU IN THE FUTURE.

MRS. BULLS AYE, BEING SIX VOTES IN THE AFFIRMATIVE? ZERO IN A NEGATIVE, THE APPOINTMENTS ARE HEREBY APPROVED.

BUILDING CODE BOARD OF APPEALS.

MAY I HAVE A MOTION? UH, COUNCIL PRESIDENT, I MOVE TO APPOINT BUILDING CODE BOARD OF APPEALS REAPPOINTMENT OF CARL HAUSER.

PAUL MILANO.

J VAN DUSEN NEW APPOINTMENTS? JEFF, ME, JEFFERY MCBRIDE.

IT'S ACTUALLY, WE'RE APPROVING THE APPOINTMENT.

WE'RE ACTUALLY NOT DOING THE APPOINTMENT.

ATTORNEY EXECUTIVE, CORRECT? SO WE'RE YEAH.

WE ARE APPROVING? YES.

MOTION TO, UM, APPOINT APPROVE, APPROVE, APPROVE THE APPOINTMENT REAPPOINTMENT OF CARL HAUSER.

PAUL MILANO, J VAN DUSEN, AND A NEW APPOINTMENT OF JEFFREY MCBRIDE.

AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SIX, SPECIAL PRESENTATION.

MAY I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND.

THANK YOU MR. RILEY.

I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT BOTH MR. VAN D AND MR. PROPRIETOR IN THE AUDIENCE, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION MR. DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT? AYE.

MR. BULLIT BULLS AYE, BEING SIX VOTES IN AFFIRMATIVE? ZERO NEGATIVE, THE APPOINTMENTS ARE HEREBY APPROVED.

THANK YOU GENTLEMEN.

COUNSEL WILL NOW ACT AS THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS IN RETURN BACK TO THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION THEREAFTER.

ZONING APPEAL CASE NUMBER 59 55 TABERNACLE OF FAITH CHURCH.

MR. GUTHRIE, UH, I MOVED TO APPROVE THE DECISION OF THE HEARING EXAMINER.

AND SECOND TO UPHOLD THE DECISION RECOMMENDED BY THE ZONING HEARING EXAMINER.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION MS. DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT? AYE.

MRS. WIL IDOLS AYE, FOR BEING SIX VOTES IN THE AFFIRMATIVE ZERO AND A NEGATIVE, THE DECISION TO UPHOLD THE ZONING HEARING EXAMINER IS HEREBY APPROVED.

[6. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS]

MR. SANDIS, UH, TREASURY WILL BE GIVING US A REVENUE OUTLOOK.

UM, MS. SPENCE, I DIDN'T REALIZE YOU WERE HERE TOO.

HE NEEDS YOU.

THAT'S VERY TRUE, YES.

GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL PRESIDENT, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL.

UM, AS MANY AS YOU KNOW, THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE RIGHT NOW IS GETTING BUSY, UM, PREPARING HIS FISCAL YEAR 24, UH, BUDGET, WHICH WE HOPE THEN TO PRESENT TO THE COUNCIL IN, IN MID-APRIL.

UM, AND WHILE THE COUNTY EXEC HAS CERTAINLY BEEN, UM, COMMUNICATING, UH, SOME OF THE ASPECTS OF THE FISCAL OUTLOOK AND OUR, THE COUNTY'S REVENUE, UM, THIS YEAR THROUGH THE STATE OF THE COUNTY ADDRESS AND A COUPLE OF OTHER, OTHER AVENUES, HE, HE WANTED TO KIND OF PROVIDE A LITTLE MORE DEEPER DIVE INTO, UM, INTO THAT FISCAL OUTLOOK, INTO THOSE ACTUAL REVENUE NUMBERS.

SO WHAT YOU'LL BE SEEING TONIGHT IS, IS IN LARGE PART KIND OF WHAT WE WERE SHARING, UH, WITH THE THREE CREDIT RATING AGENCIES, UM, UH, ABOUT A WEEK OR SO AGO, UM, UH, IN PREPARATION OF THE COUNTY'S, UH, BOND SALE.

TO THAT END, THE COUNTY HAS JUST RECENTLY RECEIVED WORD, UM, THAT WE ONCE AGAIN KEPT OUR TRIP AWAY FROM ALL THREE CREDIT RATING A AGENCIES, UM, S AND P, MOODY'S AND FITCH.

AND THAT REALLY PUTS THE COUNTY IN A VERY RARE SITUATION AMONG COUNTIES.

THERE'S ONLY 51 COUNTIES IN THIS, UM, IN THIS COUNTRY OUT OF THE 3000 PLUS COUNTIES THAT HAVE A TRIP AWAY FROM ALL THREE, UH, RATING, UM, RATING AGENCY.

SO IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING TO BE NOTEWORTHY.

AND OF COURSE, NOT ONLY DOES IT PROVIDE THE COUNTY WITH THE LOWEST POSSIBLE BORROWING RATES, BUT I THINK IT ALSO COMMUNICATES TO OUR CITIZENS, TO OUR BUSINESSES, UH, TO THE INVESTMENT COMMUNITY THAT AROR COUNTY HAS ITS FISCAL ACT IN ORDER THAT THIS IS A, A, A PLACE THAT YOU CAN, THAT YOU CAN, UM, UH, DO BUSINESS IN THAT THAT YOU KNOW, IS GOING TO, UM, UH, MAKE THE, MAKE THE HARD DECISIONS AND THE PROPERLY FISCALLY SOUND DECISIONS.

SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY DISCUSSED WITH US IS, UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT ALL THE STRENGTHS THAT WE HAVE, AND THERE ARE, THERE'S A LOT OF STRENGTHS THAT HARTFORD COUNTY HAS, UM, WITH OUR, WITH OUR, UH, FISCAL OUTLOOK, WE HAVE, UM, A STRONG ACCESSIBLE BASE.

WE HAVE MANAGEABLE DEBT LOADS.

UH, WE FULLY FUND

[00:35:01]

OUR PENSIONS AND OUR OPEB.

UM, WE HAVE A GROWING REVENUE.

WE HAVE THE STRONG, UM, ANCHOR INSTITUTION OF ABERDEEN IMPROVING GROUND.

SO A LOT OF REALLY GOOD ASPECTS ABOUT THIS, THIS, UM, UM, THIS LOCAL ECONOMY AND THIS COUNTY'S ABILITY TO GOVERN WITH ITS, UM, UH, IN ORDER TO GOVERN ACCORDING TO ITS, ITS, UH, FISCAL, FISCAL NEEDS.

HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME CONCERNS THAT WE DID HAVE WITH, UM, WITH THE RATING AGENCIES THAT THEY DID EXPRESS TO US.

AND IN LARGE PART, THAT DEALS WITH THIS IDEA OF A, OF A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT.

I SHOULD NOTE THAT A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE ARE RUNNING A, A, UH, A DEFICIT WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE BORROWING MONEY, MONEY TO PAY FOR OPERATING EXPENDITURES.

WHAT IT DOES MEAN IS THAT WE ARE, WE HAVE ONGOING REVENUES AT THIS LEVEL, BUT WE HAVE ONGOING EXPENDITURES AT A HIGHER LEVEL.

SO IF YOU WERE TO THINK ABOUT THIS ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, SO LET'S SAY IF YOU WERE A FAMILY AND YOU WERE BRINGING IN $9,000 OF, OF INCOME A YEAR, BUT YOU WERE SPENDING OUT $10,000 IN EXPENDITURES ON THINGS LIKE MORTGAGE AND, UM, ELECTRICITY BILLS, FOOD BILLS AND ALL, AND THE LIKE.

SO THAT'S KIND OF THE CONCERN.

AND WHILE WE CAN CERTAINLY FUND THAT IN THE SHORT TERM, UM, USING FUND BALANCES, AND WE HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED OUR FUND BALANCES OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, IT'S NOT THE TYPE OF SITUATION THAT IS SUSTAINABLE, UM, THAT IS SUSTAINABLE IN THE LONG TERM.

EVENTUALLY YOU WOULD RUN OUT OF THOSE DECISIONS AND EACH YEAR WHERE YOU, UH, CONTINUE TO FINANCE YOUR ONGOING OPERATIONS WITH ONE TIME REVENUE AND PRIOR A SURPLUSES, YOU MAKE IT THAT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO CORRECT IT IN IN THE FUTURE.

SO WITH THAT, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.

HERE WAS THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET ON THE REVENUE SIDE THAT WAS ADOPTED IN MAY.

WE HAD A TOTAL BUDGET OF A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN 752 MILLION.

SEE, THE PRIMARY COMPONENTS OF THAT REVENUE SOURCE ARE THE COUNTY'S PROPERTY TAXES AND OUR INCOME TAXES.

UM, BUT YOU WILL SEE THERE APPROPRIATED FUND BALANCE, AND THIS GETS TO SOME OF THAT ONE TIME REVENUE USE.

WE HAVE TWO APPROPRIATED FUND BALANCES HERE.

UM, THE ONE, THE FIRST ONE, THE 80, JUST SHY OF 86 MILLION, UM, THAT CAME OUT OF OUR UNASSIGNED.

AND THEN ALSO THIS YEAR WE KINDA HAD A, A UNIQUE SITUATION WITH THE WAY THAT THE CALENDAR FELL.

UH, SO WE HAD A 27TH PAY.

NORMALLY WE HAVE 26 PAY, WHEREAS WE DO SET ASIDE MONEY TO PAY FOR THAT 27TH PAY.

SO WE WERE ABLE TO, TO DEPLOY THAT.

BUT TOTAL OUT OF THIS 752 MILLION, WE HAD JUST SHY OF 90 MILLION OF ONE-TIME EXPENDITURES.

AND IT'S OKAY TO USE FUND BALANCE.

I MEAN, FUND BALANCE IS, UM, EITHER SAVINGS OR EXCESS REVENUES FROM, FROM PRIOR YEAR, AND THERE CERTAINLY IS NO, NO HARM IN IN USING IT TO, TO AUGMENT YOUR BUDGET TO TAKE CARE OF CERTAIN PRIORITIES.

THE ISSUE IS, IS THAT A LOT OF THAT FUN BALANCE WAS, WAS USED TO FUND ONGOING EXPENDITURES.

SO IF YOU LOOK ON, LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE HERE THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE BROAD CATEGORIES THAT WE HAVE, UH, THAT WE FUNDED IN THAT FISCAL YEAR 23 BUDGET.

YOU SEE EDUCATION, PUBLIC SAFETY, OF COURSE, TAKING UP, UH, THE LIONS SHARE OF THE BUDGET.

UM, ALMOST THREE FOURTHS, UH, DEBT SERVICE, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE SELL OUR BONDS, UM, AND THEN SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE SMALLER AREAS.

BUT THEN UNDER PAYGO, THAT'S OUR ONE TIME, A LOT OF OUR ONE-TIME EXPENDITURES, THAT'S MONEY THAT WE PUT INTO THE CAPITAL BUDGET, UH, TO PAY FOR, UM, EITHER THINGS THAT COULD HAVE OTHERWISE BEEN BONDED OR CERTAIN LONG TERM OR MEDIUM TERM ASSETS SUCH AS, YOU KNOW, NEW VEHICLES, UM, UH, TECHNOLOGY IN INFRASTRUCTURE.

SO THINGS ALONG THOSE LINES THAT ARE NOT NECESSARILY ONGOING ONGOING EXPENDITURES.

SO IDEALLY WHEN YOU APPROPRIATE FUND BALANCE, YOU WOULD HAVE A, A, WHATEVER YOU'RE APPROPRIATE IN FUND BALANCE SHOULD MORE OR LESS KIND OF, YOU KNOW, EQUAL WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN AN ONGOING WAY.

NOW, THERE ARE TIMES WHERE YOU NEED TO USE FUND BALANCE IN ORDER TO FUND ONGOING REVENUES.

PERHAPS IF YOU WERE IN A RECESSIONARY ENVIRONMENT, UM, OR IF THERE WERE CERTAIN EMERGENCIES OR THINGS LIKE THAT THAT YOU HAD TO TAKE CARE OF, YOU KNOW, THEN BY ALL MEANS, IT'S CERTAINLY IS IS AN APPROPRIATE THING TO DO.

KIND OF THE ISSUE THAT WE HAD WITH THIS BUDGET IS THAT THE REVENUES WERE ACTUALLY WERE ALREADY INCREASED BY 7%, BUT THE BUDGET WAS INCREASED BY 14%.

SO IT KIND OF GIVES A LITTLE BIT THAT WE WERE HAVING STRONG REVENUE GROWTH, BUT STILL ALSO AT THE SAME TIME STRONG EXPENDITURE GROWTH.

AND THIS NEXT SLIDE KIND OF JUST SHOWS A HISTORY OF THAT, UM, OF, OF THOSE BUDGETS OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS.

AND YOU'LL NOTICE THAT YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN GROWING THE BUDGET ABOUT ABOUT 6%, BUT YOU'LL SEE IN THAT FISCAL YEAR, 23 UP 14%, AGAIN, WITH MOST OF THE INCREASE THEY'RE GOING TO, UM, EDUCATION, PUBLIC SAFETY.

BUT YOU ALSO SEE INCREASES, UM, INCREASES A ACROSS THE BOARD.

AND I JUST WANNA SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS ISN'T SAYING ANYTHING ABOUT ANY OF THESE INCREASES.

THERE WERE CERTAINLY A LOT OF NEEDS, UM, AMONG ALL THE AGENCIES WHERE WE WERE ALL DEALING WITH NINE 10% INFLATION.

UM, THERE WAS RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION ISSUES.

WE KNOW THAT, UH, COSTS WERE GOING UP FOR EVERYTHING FROM FUEL TO FOOD, UM, UH, TO CLEANING PRODUCTS, YOU, YOU NAME IT, YOU KNOW, WE WERE DEALING WITH INFLATION, SO THERE WAS CERTAINLY GOING TO BE PRESSURE ON THE BUDGET, UM, ACCORDINGLY.

HOWEVER, AT THE SAME TIME, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE, AGAIN, WE HAD A VERY AGGRESSIVE BUDGET GOING UP BY 14%, UM, UH, FROM THE PRIOR YEAR.

[00:40:02]

SO WHAT DOES THAT THEN MEAN? SO THIS IS KIND, WE GET INTO THIS IDEA OF THE STRUCTURAL DEFICIT.

SO OUR, OUR ONGOING REVENUES IN FISCAL YEAR 23, THAT'S YOUR INCOME TAX, YOUR PROPERTY TAX, UM, ALL OF THAT WAS JUST SHY OF 663 MILLION, YOUR ONGOING EXPENDITURES, THIS IS YOUR OPERATING MONEY TO THE SCHOOLS MONEY, TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, MONEY TO MY TREASURY DEPARTMENT.

YOU KNOW, ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE ONGOING WAS 720, MORE THAN 720 MILLION LEAVING A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT OF JUST SHY OF $58 MILLION.

UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE DID NOT HAVE TO BORROW MONEY IN ORDER TO DO THIS.

THIS, THIS WAS CERTAINLY NOT THE CASE OF IF SOME JURISDICTIONS HAVE TRUE DEFICITS WHERE THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TO BORROW MONEY.

ACTUALLY, THERE'S AN ARTICLE IN TODAY'S WALL STREET JOURNAL ABOUT THESE SMALLER TOWNS AND SMALLER COUNTIES THAT, THAT NEED TO BORROW IN ORDER TO JUST MAKE THEIR, UM, THEIR PAYROLL AND THEIR ROUTINE OPERATING COSTS.

WE ARE CERTAINLY NOT IN THAT, IN THAT SITUATION.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT USING PRIOR YEAR SURPLUS KIND OF MONEY IN THE BANK, IF YOU WILL.

BUT AGAIN, THIS KIND OF CREATES A PROBLEM THAT ISN'T NECESSARILY, OR I'M SORRY, THAT IS NOT SUSTAINABLE IN THE LONG TERM.

AND THEN ON THAT, ON ONE TIME FUNDING, WE TALKED ABOUT THE JUST SHY OF 90 MILLION OF FUND BALANCE, AND WE HAD ONE TIME EXPENDITURES OF ABOUT 32 MILLION.

MOST OF THAT WAS AT PAYGO OF ABOUT 28 MILLION.

AND THEN THE OTHER 3 MILLION OR SO WAS THAT 27TH PAY.

UM, SO AGAIN, THIS IS WHAT'S CREATING A BIT OF THIS, OF THIS IMBALANCE THAT'S GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE, YOU KNOW, TO ADDRESS IN, IN BOTH KIND OF THIS UPCOMING BUDGET, BUT PROBABLY REALLY EVEN IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF BUDGETS.

SO GENERAL FUND REVENUE, YOU KNOW, WHERE DO WE START FROM? YOU KNOW, WHAT DO WE LOOK LIKE ABOUT MIDWAY THROUGH, UH, THE BUDGET AND WHAT'S OUR PRELIMINARY NUMBERS FOR, FOR NEXT YEAR? UM, AND I'LL ADMIT THAT FORECASTING REVENUES IS ALWAYS A CHALLENGE.

UM, YEARS AGO USED TO WORK WITH, UH, FORMER HOWARD COUNTY EXECUTIVE, UH, CHUCK ECKERT IN A, IN A FORMER LIFE.

AND HE WOULD ALWAYS SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THESE ESTIMATES ARE WRONG, I JUST DON'T KNOW BY HOW MUCH, AND THIS IS TRUE.

UM, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WE ALWAYS CERTAINLY TRY TO BUDGET ON THE REVENUE SIDE VERY CONSERVATIVELY SO THAT WE GIVE OURSELVES SOME, UM, SOME OF THAT WIGGLE ROOM SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO MAKE MID-YEAR CUTS IN THE LEG.

SO FISCAL YEAR 23, RIGHT NOW, WE ARE LOOKING GOOD ON, YOU KNOW, WE ARE GONNA COME IN OVER BUDGET.

UM, AND YOU MAY LOOK AT THAT AND SAY, OH, OKAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S MAYBE THE SITUATION ISN'T AS AS BAD AS, AS IT APPEARS.

THE PROBLEM IS, IS ALMOST ALL OF THIS, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THIS MORE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES, ALMOST ALL OF THIS VARIANCE, UM, IS DUE TO A ONE-TIME DISTRIBUTION WE'VE RECEIVED FROM INCOME TAX, UM, THAT THE CONSENSUS IS BOTH AMONG AT THE STATE, AT THE COMPTROLLER'S LEVEL, AT THE STATE, AND AMONG ALL MY PEERS IN, IN THE OTHER COUNTIES THAT SAW SIMILAR, A SIMILAR STRONG NUMBER THAT THAT IS A ONE-TIME REVENUE NUMBER.

AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN'T NECESSARILY EXPECT, BUT I'LL, I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT MORE IN DETAIL.

BUT THEN WE ARE EXPECTING, AGAIN, ADDITIONAL GROWTH, UM, INTO FISCAL YEAR 24 AS WELL.

SO ALL TOLD, I MEAN, WE'RE, OUR BUDGET AND OUR ONGOING REVENUES, UM, IF WE LOOK AT THE PRELIMINARY NUMBER FOR RIGHT NOW, FOR FISCAL YEAR 24 VERSUS WHAT WE BUDGETED IN, IN, IN 23 IS UP BY ABOUT 4%.

AND TO SOME EXTENT I DO EX I I WOULD EXPECT SOME OF THESE NUMBERS TO INCREASE, UH, AS WE GET, AS WE GET BETTER INFORMATION FROM A HOST OF AREAS.

ALSO TO THE COUNTY EXEC HAS TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, INCREASING PERHAPS SOME FEES.

NONE OF THAT IS BANKED.

IS, IS, IS IN THIS, THIS IS JUST KIND OF OUR ONGOING CURRENT REVENUE STRUCTURE, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE EXPECT THAT, THAT TO GO.

SO I SHOULD ALSO NOTE THAT WITH OUR GENERAL FUND REVENUE, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDING IN THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET, IT'S LARGELY A NON-FACTOR.

SO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, THE LIBRARY, THEY ALL RECEIVE A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THEIR OPERATING BUDGET FROM STATE FUNDS.

THE COUNTY DOES RECEIVE, UM, SOME STATE FUNDS, BUT IN OUR GENERAL FUND, IT'S ABOUT LESS THAN 1% OF THE TOTAL BUDGET.

IT'S REALLY ONLY POLICE AID.

WE HAVE ANOTHER HIGHWAYS FUND, WE HAVE SOME HIGHWAY USER REVENUE.

UM, AND THEN TO THE EXTENT THAT WE DO GET STATE AID, IT'S NORMALLY, UM, SPECIFICALLY ON CAPITAL PROJECTS, UM, FOR ONE TIME EXPENDITURES, THINGS THAT ARE IN OUR CAPITAL BUDGET OR IN OUR, OUR GRANTS BUDGET.

AND THE SAME IS TRUE WITH FEDERAL.

UM, THERE'S NO FEDERAL FUNDING, UH, IN THIS, IN THIS GENERAL FUND, IN THIS GENERAL FUND REVENUE NUMBER.

EITHER WE DO RECEIVE, UM, ONGOING GRANTS SUCH AS, YOU KNOW, HOUSING VOUCHERS OR DEPARTMENT OF AGING, UH, TYPE ASSISTANCE FOR SENIOR CENTERS.

THOSE ARE ALWAYS GENERALLY IN OUR GRANT FUND OR IN SPECIFIC CAPITAL PROJECTS.

AND THEN ALL OF THE COVID MONEY THAT WE'VE BEEN RECEIVING OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS HAS ALSO NOT BEEN PLACED INTO THE GENERAL FUND TO NOT SUPPLANT NORMAL, UH, OPERATING EXPENDITURES, BUT TO TAKE ON, YOU KNOW, SPECIFIC, UH, SPECIFIC EXPENDITURES SUCH AS BROADBAND OR BUSINESS GRANTS, UH, TO, TO, UM, TO THE LOCAL BUSINESSES.

ALL THINGS THAT, AGAIN, ARE IN GRANT FUND OR IN THE, UM, OR IN THE CAPITAL FUND.

ALL RIGHT, SO INCOME TAX, AND I MIGHT GET A LITTLE BIT IN THE WEEDS HERE, SO I WILL TRY MY BEST TO NOT MAKE THIS, UH, TOO, TOO COMPLICATED AND WE CAN ALWAYS TALK TOMORROW OR WHATEVER OFF OFFLINE.

UM, IF, IF ANY OF THIS, UH, IS, IS CONFUSING, BUT YOU CAN JUST SEE BY LOOKING AT THIS, THIS IS OUR

[00:45:01]

INCOME TAX OVER THE PAST, PAST 10 YEARS, AND YOU SEE A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE.

YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WERE BACK IN 2015, THE TI AT THAT TIME, THE TALK WAS ALL ABOUT THIS IS THE NEW NORMAL.

WE'RE ONLY GONNA HAVE LIMITED ECONOMIC GROWTH, KIND OF GET USED TO ONE OR 2%.

UM, BUT THEN THAT STARTED TO, TO RATCHET UP, THE ECONOMY STARTED TO IMPROVE, CAPITAL GAINS STARTED TO IMPROVE THE COUNTY'S INCOME TAX NUMBER, UM, STARTED TO GROW.

AND IN 2019, YOU'LL SEE, UH, YOU'LL SEE A, THE FIRST BIG BUMP UP THERE.

SOME OF THIS AGAIN, WAS DUE TO THE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND CAPITAL GAINS, BUT IT WAS ALSO DUE TO SOME ASPECTS OF THE TAX AND CUTS JOB ACT.

AND ONE OF THE PARTS OF THAT LEGISLATION AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL IS THAT IT CAPPED STATE AND LOCAL TAXES AT $10,000.

UM, AND THAT IT ALSO INCREASED THE, UH, STANDARD DEDUCTION.

SO A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS WHO USED TO BE ITEMIZES IN THEIR TAXES STARTED TAKING THE STANDARD DEDUCTION BECAUSE IT MEANT THAT THEY WOULD HAVE A LOWER, UM, FEDERAL TAX, UM, TAX DEBT, UH, LOWER FEDERAL TAX TAX OBLIGATION.

AND I WAS ONE OF 'EM, I USED TO ITEMIZE.

NOW I TAKE THE STANDARD DEDUCTION.

UM, AND WE HAVE A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS WHO KIND OF FALL INTO THAT CATEGORY NOW BECAUSE THE STATE OF MARYLAND, WHICH ALSO THEN LEADS INTO THE LOCAL INCOME TAX, DOESN'T HAVE AS GENEROUS A, UH, STANDARD DEDUCTION.

IS THAT THE FEDERAL LEVEL? WHAT ACTUALLY MEANT THAT, UM, THE LOCAL TAX REVENUE INCREASED, YOU KNOW, THE LOCAL TAX BURDEN IF YOU WOULD INCREASED FAST FORWARD NOW TO FISCAL YEAR 21, FISCAL YEAR 21.

THIS IS RIGHT IN THE HEART OF THE PANDEMIC.

UM, THIS IS, UH, THE SECOND HALF OF CALENDAR YEAR, 2020, THE FIRST HALF OF, UH, FISCAL OF, UM, OF CALENDAR YEAR 21.

AND OUR INCOME TAX WENT UP ALMOST 20%.

I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE.

THIS IS UNCHARTERED TERRITORY.

HERE WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PANDEMIC, UM, AND INCOME TAX IS UP, IS UP THE HIGHEST LEVEL IT'S EVER BEEN.

NORMALLY, IF WE HAD A GOOD YEAR FOR INCOME TAX, MAYBE IT WAS UP SEVEN OR 8%, THIS WAS UP ALMOST ALMOST 20%.

SO A COUPLE THINGS HAPPENING HERE.

ONE, THIS LOCAL ECONOMY WAS VERY RESILIENT TO COVID.

WE HAD A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE ABLE TO WORK REMOTELY, WORK FROM HOME.

WE, I THOUGHT WE DID A REALLY GREAT JOB OF KEEPING OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES OPEN AS BEST WE COULD.

UM, WE HAD PRI BIG EMPLOYERS LIKE APG THAT OF THAT OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, SAW, YOU KNOW, INCREASES IN THEIR, IN THEIR, IN THEIR FUNDING, UM, KIND OF DURING ALL OF THE, THESE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

SO WE, THE, THE, SO THE COUNTY WAS IN A, WAS IN A STRONG SITUATION TO WITHSTAND THE COVID, UM, BRUNT.

BUT STILL THIS WAS EVEN ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT WE WOULD'VE EXPECTED.

AND SO WHAT HAPPENED? SO THE STATE OF OF MARYLAND MADE A CHANGE, UM, IN ORDER TO HELP SOME OF THE HIGHER INCOME EARNERS, UM, GET AROUND THE $10,000 STATE AND LOCAL INCOME TAX CAP, THE SALT CAP.

UM, AND THIS WAS PRIMARILY FOR THESE PASTURE ENTITIES AND LLCS.

UM, AND WITHOUT GETTING TOO MUCH INTO THE WEEDS, IT ALLOWED THEM TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A CREDIT BY PAYING THEIR TAXES IN THE QUARTERLY ESTIMATED PAYMENTS INSTEAD OF KIND OF THAT YEAR END.

AND THEN, SO BY DOING IT THIS WAY, THEN THEY WERE THEN ABLE TO DEDUCT IT FROM THEIR, FROM THEIR FEDERAL RETURNS.

SO THIS HAD THE EFFECT OF PUSHING REVENUE THAT WE WOULD'VE MAYBE RECEIVED IN, IN FUTURE YEARS.

IT DIDN'T INCREASE ANYBODY'S TAXES OR TAX OBLIGATION, BUT IT PUSHED SOME REVENUE FORWARD.

UM, AND SO THAT'S WHY WE SAW SOME OF THAT BIG INCREASE.

AND THEN IF YOU LOOK IN FISCAL YEAR 22, OKAY, THAT KIND OF, UM, HELD TRUE, WE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE HAD A STRONG, A STRONG LABOR MARKET, STRONG WITHHOLDING, BUT OUR OVERALL, UM, INCOME TAX ONLY INCREASED BY BY LESS THAN 3%.

SO, OKAY, SO ALL OF THAT WAS, WAS PLAYING OUT THE WAY WE EXPECTED IT TO BE PLAYING OUT.

NOW, WE GET TO THIS YEAR, UM, AND SOME OF THAT TAX CREDIT, AND SOME OF THIS HAS TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT IT'S A VERY MANUAL TAX CREDIT, UM, FOR THESE PASTOR ENTITIES.

AND THERE'S SOME STAFFING ISSUES, UH, AND THE LIKE AT, AT THE CONTOUR'S OFFICE.

SO THERE'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF A LAG.

SO WHAT WE ENDED UP SEEING WAS, IF YOU SCROLL TO THE NEXT SLIDE, SOME, SOME VERY TOPSY-TURVY DISTRIBUTIONS THIS YEAR, AND YOU SEE THAT NUMBER THAT'S HIGHLIGHTED, THAT'S OUR JANUARY NUMBER, AND THAT NORMALLY IS ABOUT 2 MILLION.

UM, IN MOST YEARS IT WAS 20 MILLION THIS YEAR.

UM, SO ANY TYPE OF OF NORMAL TYPE OF PROJECTION, THAT WAS NOT A PART OF OUR THINKING.

AND WHEN WE TALKED TO, WHEN I TALKED TO MY COUNTERPARTS ACROSS THE STATE, UM, I WAS ACTUALLY WITH THE COMPTROLLER, UM, YESTERDAY, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT PENSIONS, BUT WE PROBABLY SPENT MORE TIME TALKING ABOUT THIS INCOME TAX DISTRIBUTION.

UM, THERE'S JUST, AGAIN, A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY AND A LOT OF QUESTION OF, OKAY, IS THAT, IS, IS THAT NUMBER GONNA RECEDE BACK TO, TO THE PRIOR LEVEL? AND IF SO, HOW ARE THE REST OF THE DISTRIBUTIONS GOING TO GOING TO SHAKE OUT? BECAUSE YOU CAN ALSO JUST SEE, LOOK AT SOME OF THESE OTHER STRANGE NUMBERS.

YOU KNOW, IN SEPTEMBER, A FEW YEARS AGO, WE RECEIVED 15 MILLION IN SEPTEMBER, THE PAST THREE YEARS, AND I EXPECT THIS TO GO INTO 24, WE RECEIVED NOTHING.

NOVEMBER, WHICH HAS BEEN A REALLY STRONG DISTRIBUTION, WAS DOWN.

AND THE FEBRUARY DISTRIBUTION, WHICH WE JUST RECEIVED, UM, A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO WAS ONLY UP BY 2%.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE WERE SEEING IN THAT IS WITHHOLDING

[00:50:01]

WAS STILL STRONG.

SO THE INDIVIDUALS LIKE MYSELF THAT, YOU KNOW, GET PAID EVERY, EVERY TWO WEEKS, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT PORTION WAS HOLDING UP PRETTY FIRM AT ABOUT 5%, BUT THE ESTIMATED PAYMENTS THAT BUSINESSES AND HIGHER INCOME INDIVIDUALS, UH, PAY INTO THE SYSTEM, THAT WAS ACTUALLY THAT REVERSED.

SO THERE, AND WHAT WE FOUND IS, IS A LOT OF BUSINESSES WERE OVER OVERPAID, IF YOU WILL, WITH THEIR, UM, UH, WITH THEIR, THEIR STATE TAXES.

SO THEY DID NOT EVEN HAVE TO PAY IN FOR THEIR, FOR THEIR FOURTH QUARTER.

SO WHERE ALL THIS KIND OF GOES INTO IS THAT WHEN IT COMES TO OUR INCOME TAX, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE ECONOMY AND THERE ARE CERTAINLY CONCERNS NOW ABOUT THE ECONOMY.

THERE ARE, THERE IS, UM, THERE WAS A CONSENSUS.

IT SEEMS THAT A CHANGE ALL THE TIME, BUT THAT WE ARE GONNA HAVE A MILD RECESSION IN, IN, UH, IN, IN 23, POSSIBLY INTO INTO 24.

WE'RE HEARING LOTS OF TALK THAT THIS RECESSION MIGHT BE VERY UNEVEN, THAT IT MIGHT BE WHAT THEY CALL A RICH RECESS.

UM, BECAUSE THE LABOR MARKET IS STILL VERY TIGHT, THOSE INDIVIDUALS, UM, UH, AT THE, AT THE LOWER INCOME LEVEL MIGHT STILL SEE THEIR WAGES RISE BECAUSE OF A TIGHT LABOR MARKET.

BUT THOSE INDIVIDUALS AT A HIGHER, AT THE HIGHER INCOME LEVEL BECAUSE OF DIFFICULTIES WITH THE STOCK MARKET, BECAUSE OF SOME OTHER, UM, UH, PULLBACKS, YOU MIGHT, MIGHT SEE A HIT IN THEIR, IN THEIR, UM, UH, IN THEIR PERSONAL INCOME.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE NOW SEE WITH OUR INCOME TAX IS THAT IT'S REALLY IS DRIVEN PARTICULARLY BY A LOT OF THE HIGHER INCOME EARNERS.

THAT'S REALLY WHERE A LOT OF THE GROWTH THAT'S BEEN COMING FROM RECENTLY.

BUT PUTTING ASIDE THE ECONOMY, WE STILL JUST HAVE THIS IDEA OF THE, THE, OF HOW THE DISTRIBUTIONS ARE MADE, HOW CHANGES IN TAX LAWS WORK AND TIMING.

UM, AND ALSO TOO, WHEN YOU GET TO A LOT OF THESE WEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, SOMETIMES THE, THE DECISIONS THAT THEY ARE MAKING AS TO WHEN THEY ARE CHOOSING TO PAY, UM, YOU KNOW, TO PAY CERTAIN TAX LIABILITIES MIGHT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ECONOMY.

IT CAN COME DOWN TO INDIVIDUAL FAMILY SITUATIONS WHEN IT'S TIME TO MOVE MONEY INTO A TRUST OR WHATEVER.

AND AGAIN, THIS IS JUST KIND OF UNDERLIES JUST HOW DIFFICULT THIS, UM, THIS FORECASTING IS OF, OF OUR, OF OUR INCOME TAX.

BUT EVEN WITH THAT, WE ARE STILL, YOU KNOW, PROJECTING, UM, TO HAVE, UH, GROWTH THIS YEAR AND CONTINUED GROWTH INTO, INTO NEXT YEAR.

SO ONTO PROPERTY TAX, WHICH IS, UM, OUR OTHER, UH, PRIMARY REVENUE, KIND OF SIMILAR TO WHAT WE SAW WITH THE, UH, WITH INCOME TAX ABOUT 10, 10, 15 YEARS AGO, WE WERE COMING OUT OF THE, THE HOUSING BOOM AND BUST.

UM, WE HAD VERY LIMITED GROWTH IN ASSESSMENTS FOR, FOR FOR MANY YEARS.

UM, BUT AROUND, YOU KNOW, 20 17, 20 18 THAT STARTS TO PICK UP.

UM, AND THEN PARTICULARLY IN 20 20, 21, THOSE ASSESSMENT INCREASES AGAIN, CONTINUE, CONTINUE TO PICK UP.

UM, YOU KNOW, HARPER COUNTY HAS A STRONG REAL ESTATE MARKET, UM, UH, PARTICULARLY ON THE RESIDENTIAL SIDE.

AND WE SAW THIS DURING, AGAIN, DURING THE PANDEMIC, LOTS OF HOME SALES, LOTS OF RISING PROPERTY VALUES, UM, AGAIN, A DESIRABLE PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WANTED TO, UH, WANTED TO LIVE OR, OR MOVE OR EXPAND AND, YOU KNOW, MOVE INTO BIGGER HOMES.

UM, BUT AS YOU CAN KIND OF SEE FROM THIS GRAPH AS WELL IN 23, THAT THAT TRAJECTORY, UM, TAKES A DIP.

AND THAT WAS BECAUSE WE DID, UH, UH, AS A COUNTY DECIDE TO, UH, LOWER THE, THE TAX RATE 5 CENTS FROM, UH, THE GENERAL FUND PORTION OF IT, 89 CENTS TO 84 CENTS.

NOW EVENTUALLY WITH ASSESSMENT GROWTH, WE'LL RECAPTURE SOME OF THAT, OF THAT, UM, THAT LOSS REVENUE.

BUT WE WILL BE ON A KIND OF A NEW TRAJECTORY KIND OF GOING, GOING FORWARD.

AND AS WE LOOK INTO 24, YOU KNOW, WE DID JUST, JUST HAVE A REALLY STRONG REASSESSMENT IN THE BELL AIR AREA.

WE WERE UP 16% THAT WILL BE REASSESSED OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS.

UM, YOU KNOW, NEXT YEAR, UM, WE'LL, WE'LL BE, UH, REASSESSING THE, UH, THE ROUTE 40 CORRIDOR AND THEN, AND THEN THE, THE NORTHERN CORRIDOR AFTER THAT.

AND THE WAY ASSESSMENTS WORK IS, UM, EACH, EACH YEAR, ONE THIRD OF THE COUNTY IS REASSESSED AND IT'S PHASED IN OVER THOSE THREE YEARS.

AND SO THIS NEXT TIDE SITE JUST SHOWS OUR ACCESSIBLE BASE AND SAME, SAME STORY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE.

YOU SEE THAT CONTINUED, UM, ASSESSMENT GROWTH INDICATIVE OF, OF, OF A, UH, OF A JURISDICTION WITH, WITH A HEALTHY, ACCESSIBLE BASE, ONE THAT'S GROWING.

UH, BUT ONE THAT I THINK IS NOT NECESSARILY GROWING TOO FAST, THAT IT WOULD CAUSE SOME TYPE OF A HOUSING CRASH.

IF WE WOULD'VE WENT BACK 15 YEARS AGO, YOU WOULD'VE SAW A MUCH MORE, UM, PRECARIOUS RIDE UP.

AND THEN OF COURSE A, A DROPDOWN.

YOU KNOW, I'M STILL MAINTAINING THAT.

I DON'T THINK THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE THAT TYPE OF A, OF A CORRECTION THAT OUR, THEIR HOME VALUES HERE, UM, EVENTUALLY MIGHT SLOW DOWN A LITTLE BIT, BUT WE STILL HAVE SOME CATCHING UP TO DO.

UM, AND I DO SEE FORESEE THE ACCESSIBLE BASE KIND OF CONTINUING TO GROW FOR THE NEXT, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS.

SOMETHING THAT IS WORTH NOTING IS OUR COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL BASE.

UM, AND THIS IS ALSO HOLDING ITS OWN, THERE'S A LOT OF CONCERN NATIONWIDE ABOUT, UM, ABOUT THIS.

IF YOU LOOK AT, UM, AREAS WHERE THEY HAVE LARGE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICTS, AND NOW THERE'S THESE OFFICE BUILDINGS THAT ARE, UM, LARGELY VACANT BECAUSE INDIVIDUALS ARE MORE WORKING FROM HOME

[00:55:01]

OR THEY'RE DOING HYBRID, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE THAT, WE DON'T HAVE LIKE A DOWNTOWN CORRIDOR, LIKE A BALTIMORE, EVEN A TOWSON OR, OR COLUMBIA.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, SMALLER OFFICE PARKS AND WHEN IT COMES TO RETAIL AS WELL, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE SOME OF THESE LARGE SHOPPING MALLS, UM, THAT ARE NOW SUFFERING KIND OF THE FATE OF MALLS.

UM, WE PRIMARILY HAVE A LOT MORE, UM, SMALLER SCALE RETAIL, UM, OFTENTIMES ANCHORED BY GROCERY STORES OR BIG BOXES.

UM, SO WE'RE IN MUCH BETTER SHAPE, UM, I THINK WITH OUR COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL BASE AND AGAIN, SOME OTHER, SOME OTHER JURISDICTIONS.

BUT AGAIN, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING TO, UH, TO KEEP AN EYE ON THIS OTHER SLIDE THEN DEALS WITH OUR TRANSFER TAX RECORDATION AND IMPACT FEES.

UM, AND FOR THE MOST PART, THESE REVENUES, UM, OFFSET A LOT OF OUR DEBT SERVICE COSTS, PARTICULARLY SCHOOL DEBT SERVICE, BUT THEY ALSO FUND OUR AGRICULTURAL PRESERVATION, OUR STORM WATER REMEDIATION.

UM, THIS IS, UH, WHAT USED TO BE A RAIN TAX, UM, AND AS WELL AS SOME OF OUR PARK, UM, PARK UPGRADES.

BUT ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT THESE REVENUE SOURCES DO IS THAT THEY PROVIDE US SOME REAL-TIME INFORMATION INTO THE REAL ESTATE MARKET, WHEREAS THE PROPERTY TAX IS ASSESSMENTS LOOKING BACKWARDS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS HAPPENING AGAIN IN, IN REAL TIME.

AND YOU'LL SEE THAT IN 20 AND 21 AND 22, OUR, OUR REVENUE SPIKED SIGNIFICANTLY.

UM, AGAIN, THERE WAS A LOT OF TRANSACTIONS, LOW INTEREST RATES, UM, YOU KNOW, INDIVIDUALS LOOKING TO, YOU KNOW, HOMES WOULD, WOULD ONLY LAST A COUPLE OF DAYS ON THE MARKET.

UM, THERE WAS, THERE WAS ALMOST NO INVENTORY.

UM, BUT WHAT ARE WE SEEING NOW? NOW WE ARE SEEING, UM, A DROPDOWN.

NOW THE VALUES ARE STILL HOLDING, WHICH IS, WHICH IS GOOD, YOU KNOW, THE VALUES ARE CONTINUING TO HOLD, BUT THE TRANSACTIONS, THE NUMBER OF TRANSACTIONS ARE JUST NOT THERE.

AND A LOT OF THIS HAS TO DO WITH, WITH RISING INTEREST RATES.

UM, YOU KNOW, AND AT SOME POINT I THINK WE GOT SO USED TO REALLY LOW INTEREST RATES FOR, FOR MANY YEARS.

UM, AND WHEN YOU CAN REMEMBER JUST A YEAR AGO GETTING 2%, UM, OR 3%, THE IDEA OF PAYING 6% AS AS I THINK LEFT A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS WITH A LITTLE BIT OF A MENTAL BLOCKER, LIKE, OH, YOU KNOW, THAT SEEMS, THAT SEEMS CRAZY.

I WANNA SEE, I WANNA WAIT THIS OUT, OUT.

THEY'RE PROBABLY NOT GONNA GO BACK DOWN TO THE TWO OR 3%.

IF YOU LOOK AT KIND OF WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE FEDERAL RESERVE, UM, YOU KNOW, I DON'T FORESEE THOSE INTEREST RATES DROPPING ANYTIME SOON.

BUT EVENTUALLY INDIVIDUALS WILL KIND OF ADJUST TO THE NEW NORMAL AND THEY'LL SAY, LOOK, I NEED A BIGGER HOUSE CUZ I'M HAVING A FAMILY, OR I WANT TO DOWNSIZE CUZ UH, CUZ THE KIDS MOVED OUT AND, AND A NORMAL REAL ESTATE MARKET WILL EMERGE.

BUT RIGHT NOW WE ARE CERTAINLY SEEING A DROP OFF.

NOW THE GOOD THING IS IF YOU LOOK AT THAT DROP OFF IN 23 AND 24, UM, IT'S STILL KIND OF AT THE LEVELS THAT WE WERE BACK IN 20 19, 20 18, 20 17.

SO AGAIN, WE'RE NOT SEEING THAT PRECIPITOUS, YOU KNOW, UH, CRASH THAT WE MIGHT HAVE SEEN IN, IN PRIOR YEARS.

SO WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN THEN WHEN IT COMES TO THE FUND BALANCE THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE, UM, AT THE END OF THIS YEAR? SO WHEN WE CLOSE THE BOOKS ON, ON JUNE 30TH, SO WE STARTED THE YEAR WITH A RECORD FUND BALANCE, 211.3 MILLION.

UM, NOW WE DID APPROPRIATE, AGAIN, A GOOD PORTION OF THAT TO THE FISCAL YEAR 23 BUDGET, BUT REVENUES ARE COMING, UM, AS WE SAID BEFORE, UM, AHEAD OF AHEAD OF BUDGET, UM, IN LARGE PART DUE TO THAT ONE, UH, INCOME TAX DISTRIBUTION.

UM, AND SO THAT WILL LESSEN HOW MUCH FUND BALANCE WE NEED TO USE.

AND ALSO WE ALWAYS HAVE EXPENDITURE SAVINGS.

AND THIS IS ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT WE ALWAYS MAKE A POINT OF, UM, UH, WITH THE CREDIT RATING AGENCIES, AND THIS REALLY KIND OF TRANSCENDS ADMINISTRATION.

HAR, HARFORD COUNTY DOES NOT HAVE A USE IT OR LOSE IT APPROACH TO THE BUDGET.

THERE ARE JURISDICTIONS, THERE ARE STATES, THERE ARE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT WHEN IT'S THE END OF THEIR FISCAL YEAR, IT'S LIKE, WELL, YOU BETTER SPEND ALL YOUR MONEY BECAUSE OTHERWISE YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET IT.

WE, WE DON'T TAKE THAT ATTITUDE, YOU KNOW, KIM IS IS MONITORING THE BUDGET 12 MONTHS A YEAR.

IT'S NOT JUST SOMETHING THAT YOU LOOK AT, UM, LOOK AT DURING THE BUDGET BUDGET SEASON AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT ANYTHING THAT WE DON'T SPEND FALSE TO FUND BALANCE AND WE CAN USE IN A FUTURE BUDGET, IT'S NOT, MONEY'S NOT GONNA DISAPPEAR FROM THE COUNTY.

UM, SO WITH ALL OF THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE GONNA DROP FUND BALANCE NOT AS MUCH AS WE OTHERWISE, UM, AS WE APPROPRIATE IT, BUT WE ARE GONNA DROP DOWN TO 169, UH, MILLION.

SO A DROP OF ABOUT $40 MILLION OF FUND BALANCE.

NOW, I'LL PUT YOUR, UM, ATTENTION HERE TO THESE TWO LINES, THE ASSIGNED AND THE UNASSIGNED.

SO THE UNASSIGNED IS OFTENTIMES WHAT WE SPEAK OF AS OUR KIND OF AVAILABLE SURPLUS.

UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, THESE ARE THE FUNDS THAT ARE AVAILABLE.

IF, UH, UH, A REVENUES HAS A, HAS A SMALL DOWNTURN.

IF WE HAVE, UM, MAYBE SOME SIGNIFICANT WEATHER, UH, WEATHER EXPENDITURES OR WE HAVE SOME, UM, UNPLANNED FOR, UM, EXPENDITURES THAT JUST DUE TO CHANGING, CHANGING DYNAMICS.

A GOOD CASE IN POINT IS GOING TO BE WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW WITH OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS, WITH OUR, WITH OUR PARAMEDICS AND OUR, UM, AND OUR AMBULANCE PROVIDERS.

YOU KNOW, WE ARE GOING TO NEED TO, UH, COME TO THE COUNCIL AT SOME POINT AND USE SOME OF THIS, THESE FUNDS IN ORDER TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE ONE-TIME COSTS, YOU KNOW, BUYING AMBULANCES, UM, EQUIPPING THINGS.

AND THESE ARE THE, AND THIS IS WHY YOU HAVE A FUN BALANCE THAT YOU CAN EASILY KIND OF TAP INTO FOR WHEN YOU HAVE THESE UNFORESEEN, UM, UH, THESE UNFORESEEN EXPENDITURES.

[01:00:01]

NOW, IN THE ASSIGNED PORTION, WHAT THAT INCLUDES IS SOME PLACES WHERE WE HAVE SOME KNOWN LIABILITIES THAT WE, THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF.

UM, AND WE HAVE A 5% RAINY DAY FUND, OUR FISCAL STABILIZATION FUND THAT MAKES UP THAT, YOU KNOW, HARTFORD COUNTY HAS NOT HAD TO, UM, TAP INTO THAT.

AND THAT'S ANOTHER THING THAT THE CREDIT RATING AGENCIES NOTE BECAUSE THAT FUNDING IS THERE.

THAT IF WE HAD A SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC DOWNTURN OR, UM, A MAJOR RECESSION OR, UM, A MAJOR NATURAL DISASTER THAT WE WOULD HAVE FUNDS AVAILABLE.

UM, AND IT'S ONLY 5% OF THE, OF, OF THE BUDGET, BUT THAT WE WOULD HAVE FUNDS AVAILABLE TO KIND OF GET BACK, GET BACK ON OUR FEET.

UM, CUZ ONE OF THE THINGS WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS THIS, IS THIS IS IT FOR US.

NO ONE'S GONNA BAIL US OUT.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE TO HAVE, UM, ENOUGH SAVINGS ON OUR OWN.

SO YOU CAN ALMOST KIND OF THINK OF LIKE THE UNASSIGNED AS LIKE YOUR, YOUR, YOUR AVAILABLE SAVINGS ACCOUNT AND YOUR, AND YOUR RAINY DAY FUND IS ALMOST MORE LIKE YOUR RETIREMENT ACCOUNT.

YOU, YOU CAN TAP INTO IT IF YOU, YOU NEED TO, BUT YOU REALLY, UM, SHOULD BE JUDICIOUS IN, IN THAT DECISION.

WE ALSO HAVE MONEY SET ASIDE IN THE ASSIGNED, UH, TO TAKE CARE OF, UM, UH, FUTURE STORMWATER NEEDS.

UM, REMEMBER A FEW YEARS AGO, THE COUNTY TOOK A PORTION OF THE RECORDATION AND THEY PUT IT TOWARDS OUR, UH, STORMWATER MITIGATION NEEDS.

AND THIS WAS IN LIEU OF A RAIN TAX.

YOU KNOW, WE NEEDED TO HAVE A DEDICATED REVENUE SOURCE IN ORDER TO DO THAT.

WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO A LOT OF GOOD WORK.

IN FACT, ACTUALLY I THINK LATER THIS E THIS, THIS EVENING, THE, UM, THAT, UM, UM, AND THIS STORMWATER PERMIT IS, UM, UH, FISCAL ASSURANCE PLAN IS GONNA BE PRESENTED.

UM, AND THAT'S REALLY IN ALL PARTS DONE WITH OUR RECREATION TAX, BUT WE KNOW LONG TERM THAT'S NOT GONNA BE SUFFICIENT.

UM, SO WE HAVE SET ASIDE SOME FUNDING IN FUND BALANCE SO THAT WE CAN, UM, WHEN THE TIME IS NECESSARY, IF WE DON'T IDENTIFY ANOTHER REVENUE SOURCE, WE CAN TRANSFER IT INTO THAT FUND.

SO WE CONTINUE TO MEET THOSE OBLIGATIONS BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T ONLY MEET THOSE OBLIGATIONS, YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE PUT UNDER A CONSENT DEGREE AND WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE TO MEET 'EM ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

SO AGAIN, ALL TOLD ENDING THE YEAR, UM, AT AROUND 169 MILLION.

UM, AGAIN, ALL SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND ALL SUBJECT TO EITHER REVENUE FLUCTUATIONS, ANY, ANY ADDITIONAL, UM, TRANSFERS, UM, TRANSFERS A FUND BALANCE.

SO THIS NEXT SLIDE KIND OF JUST SHOWS, UH, HISTORICALLY WHERE WE'VE BEEN WITH THAT.

UM, WITH THAT GENERAL FUND, YOU SEE THE 1 69, UH, WHICH IS DOWN FROM THE TWO 11, UH, FUND BALANCE, BUT IT'S ALSO DOWN FROM THE 180 4.

UM, NOW IT IS HIGHER THAN THE, THAN FISCAL YEAR 20 AND, AND 19 AT, AT 1 47, 1 35.

AND IF WE WOULD'VE WENT BACK, UM, AN ADDITIONAL THREE OR FOUR MORE YEARS, THE COUNTY ONLY HAD, UM, TOTAL FUND BALANCES IN THE 70, 80 MILLION RANGE.

THAT WAS DEFINITELY TOO LOW.

THE CREDIT RATING AGENCIES INFORMED US THAT THAT WAS TOO LOW.

WE KNEW WE NEEDED TO IMPROVE THAT.

AND, AND WE HAVE, UM, AND I DON'T FORESEE US EVER NECESSARILY GOING, GOING BACK TO, UM, AS HIGH OF A FUND BALANCE AS, AS TWO 11.

BUT WE ALSO CAN'T ALLOW THE FUND BALANCE TO GET DRAWN DOWN TOO, TOO SIGNIFICANTLY LOW.

UM, EITHER OR.

THEY WOULD TAKE NOTE AND, AND THEN POTENTIALLY PUT THE COUNTY ON A WATCH.

UM, AND THEN WOULD ALSO JUST CREATE MORE UNCERTAINTY HERE IN THE COUNTY AS WELL.

SO, AND LOOKING AT WHAT THIS IDEA OF THE STRUCTURAL DEFICIT, UM, MIGHT LOOK LIKE FOR THIS UPCOMING UPCOMING BUDGET FEE.

SO THAT'S 6 88 0.6 MILLION.

THAT'S, THAT'S THE NEW THAT, THAT'S THE PRELIMINARY REVENUE PROJECTIONS, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT TOOK INTO ACCOUNT THE, UM, THE ASSESSMENT GROWTH OF THE BELL AREA.

I TOOK INTO ACCOUNT THE INCOME TAX GROWTH.

UM, AS I SAID BEFORE, IT HAS NOT TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT ANY CHANGES IN FEES OR, UM, ANY OTHER DECISIONS THERE.

UM, UH, SO IT'S KIND OF OUR BASELINE PROJECTION, BUT IF WE WERE TO TAKE JUST THE ONGOING EXPENDITURES OF THIS CURRENT YEAR'S BUDGET OF 720 MILLION NEXT YEAR, EVEN WITH THE REVENUE GROWTH, WE STILL WOULD HAVE A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT OF 31, 31 0.7 MILLION.

AND THEN, AS WE ALL KNOW, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR COSTS TO STAY THE SAME.

YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE PLACES THAT BUDGETS ARE GOING TO INCREASE.

WE KNOW THAT, UM, CERTAINLY IN EMERGENCY OPERATIONS, WHETHER IT'S ON THE 9 1 1 DISPATCH SIDE OR IF IT'S ON THE PARAMEDIC SIDE, WE KNOW THAT THERE'S, UM, YOU KNOW, COST PRESSURES IN IN EVERY AREA, WHETHER IT'S DEALING WITH BODY-WORN CAMERAS, WHETHER IT'S DEALING WITH SALARY, UM, SALARY CONCERNS AND SALARY PLANS, UH, WHETHER IT'S DEALING WITH OTHER STATE MANDATES, YOU KNOW, INCREASED FUEL COSTS.

ANY MORE ADDITIONAL, UM, YOU KNOW, COVID MONEY, BUT ALL TOLD, YOU KNOW, WE WERE AWARDED ABOUT 132 MILLION AND WE HAVE RECEIVED KIND OF CASH IN HAND ALMOST ALL OF THAT 117 MILLION, AND WE'VE SPENT JUST SHY OF A OF, OF A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.

UM, SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL COSTS, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW COSTS ARE GOING UP.

SO EVEN IF WE TAKE A, JUST A VERY MODEST DEAL OF SAYING, WELL JUST GROW THAT, THAT, THAT AMOUNT BY 3%, UM, YOU KNOW, THEN THAT WOULD LEAD THEN TO A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT OF 53 POINT, UM, 0.3 MILLION.

SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF HAVE A, UM, A SITUATION THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT WILL REQUIRE SOME, SOME TOUGH, TOUGH DECISIONS.

AND I KNOW THAT THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE IS, IS, IS WORKING TOWARDS THAT AND WE'LL BE WORKING WITH THE COUNCIL, UM, TO, UM, TO ADDRESS THOSE AS WELL.

BUT JUST KINDA KIND OF WANT TO EXPLAIN, YOU KNOW, JUST EXACTLY WHAT THIS SITUATION IS AND, AND, AND, UM, WHAT IS CAUSING MAYBE SOME OF THE, THE CHALLENGES OF THIS UPCOMING BUDGET SEASON.

AND WE'LL JUST HIT ON THE, UH, CORONAVIRUS DIRECT DAY THAT WE'RE HOPEFULLY ON THE BACK END OF, OF THIS PANDEMIC.

I DO NOT THINK WE'RE GONNA BE RECEIVING

[01:05:01]

WE STILL HAVE SOME OTHER PLANNED EXPENDITURES THAT WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING OUR WAY THROUGH.

UM, AND IN LARGE PART, THAT'S A LOT OF BROADBAND AND THINGS LIKE THAT, UM, AS WELL AS SOME, UM, ASSISTANCE WITH, UM, UH, CERTAIN THINGS WITH HOUSING AND, AND SOME TRANSIT EXPENDITURES AS WELL.

UM, BUT WE'VE PRETTY MUCH ALREADY MAPPED OUT ALL OF THE, ALL OF THE EXPENDITURES OF THIS, OF, OF THOSE FUNDS.

I MEAN, THEY'RE ALSO VERY SPECIFIC ON WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN'T USE THEM FOR.

UM, SO THERE IS NOT, UM, UH, LOTS OF POTS OF JUST EXTRA, YOU KNOW, COVID MONEY SITTING AROUND.

AS I SAID BEFORE, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO, UM, THEY'RE NOT GONNA RETURN.

JUST REAL QUICKLY TO KIND OF, UM, GO THROUGH 'EM JUST FOR, UM, UH, JUST FOR YOUR KNOWLEDGE, THAT FEDERAL CORONAVIRUS RELIEF AID, THAT WAS THE FIRST ROUND OF CARES ACT.

THAT WAS WHEN IN THE, AGAIN, IN THE, THE HEART OF THE PANDEMIC, UM, YOU KNOW, WE RECEIVED ABOUT 45 MILLION ORIGINALLY WENT TO THE STATE, THEN IT, THEN IT FLOWED TO THE COUNTIES.

WE SPLIT THAT HALF OF IT TO BE USED FOR DIRECTLY DEALING WITH THE PANDEMIC, BUYING THINGS LIKE P P UH, TECHNOLOGY UPGRADES.

UM, AND THEN THE OTHER HALF WE PROVIDED THOSE BUSINESS ASSISTANCE GRANTS DIRECTLY TO, UM, UH, LOCAL HARPER COUNTY BUSINESSES.

WE WERE ABLE TO SPEND ALL OF THAT MONEY WELL BEFORE THE DEADLINE WAS, WAS ENACTED.

UM, IT'S ACTUALLY BEEN SPENT NOW FOR PROBABLY ABOUT ABOUT TWO YEARS.

SO THERE ISN'T ANYTHING REMAINING THERE.

UM, THEN, UH, EARLY ON INTO THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION TO THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, THE COUNTY RECEIVED, UM, JUST SHY OF $50 MILLION IN ARPA ARPA AID.

UM, NOW THE DEAL WITH THE ARPA AID IS THAT IT WAS VERY RESTRICTIVE IN WHAT EXACTLY YOU COULD AND COULDN'T U UM, USE IT FOR.

AND THAT'S ONE OF THE LESSONS WE WERE KIND OF LEARNING AS WE AS DIRECTION CAME OUT FROM TREASURY.

UM, AND THEN THE COUNTY HAD TRIED TO ADDRESS, YOU KNOW, THE USE OF ARPA FUNDINGS INTO THOSE ELIGIBLE USES.

SO A LOT OF THAT IS GOING INTO BROADBAND.

THAT'S WHERE WE'VE BEEN PUTTING A LOT OF THOSE ARPA FUNDS.

ALSO TRYING TO PUT ARPA FUNDS INTO, UM, UPGRADING, UH, H V A C UNITS, PARTICULARLY AIR HANDLING UNITS.

UH, THAT'S ONE OF THE OTHER, UM, ALLOWABLE EXPENSES, PROVIDED SOME, UH, HAZARD PAY, UM, TO COUNTY EMPLOYEES AND TO BUS DRIVERS AND FOOD SERVICE WORKERS AT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.

UM, THERE'S SOME PARKS PROJECTS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO WORK WITH, BUT AGAIN, ALL VERY, VERY SPECIFIC ON WHAT WE CAN USE, UM, UH, USE THAT ARPA ARPA FUNDING FOR.

UM, AND AGAIN, WITH ALL OF THOSE FUNDINGS, WE DID NOT PUT IT INTO THE GENERAL FUND EITHER IN THE GRANT FUND OR SPECIFICALLY ON CAPITAL, CAPITAL PROJECTS.

THOSE OTHER FEDERAL FUNDING, UM, THOSE ARE SOME TARGETED CARES MONEY, UM, SPECIFICALLY FOR, UH, TRANSIT, FOR BUSES, UM, THINGS LIKE THAT.

AND THEN ALSO FOR SOME EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE.

UM, SO THOSE ARE, ARE ALSO FUNDS THAT CAN ONLY BE USED FOR CERTAIN SPECIFIC, UH, PURPOSES.

AND THEN OTHER STATE FUNDING THE STATE, UM, PROVIDED SOME OF THEIR REVENUE, UH, TO THE COUNTY TO, UM, UH, FOR THE COUNTY TO, TO ISSUE IN THE FORM OF BUSINESS GRANTS SINCE WE DID, UM, SUCH A GOOD JOB OF IT WITH THE, UH, UM, WITH THE FEDERAL DOLLARS, THEY MORE OR LESS JUST KIND OF PIGGYBACK ONTO TO THAT, ONTO THAT MODEL.

AND THOSE, THOSE FUNDS ARE ALSO LONG GONE.

UM, SO AGAIN, THERE WON'T BE ANY NEW COVID MONEY AND WE HAVE TO HAVE ALL OF IT MORE OR LESS SPENT, UM, IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS.

SO ONTO KIND OF THE QUESTION OF BOND AUTHORIZATION, UM, AND THE CAPITAL BUDGET.

AND IT'S JUST SOMETHING, SOMETHING THAT THE COUNTY EXEC HAS, UM, HAS SPOKEN, UM, A LOT ABOUT.

SO EACH YEAR WITH OUR CAPITAL BUDGET, UM, YOU, WE NEED TO COME UP WITH FUNDING SOURCES TO SUPPORT ALL OF THOSE, UM, THOSE LONG TERM, UM, CAPITAL ASSETS.

AND WE PRIMARILY DO THAT EITHER WITH, UM, EITHER OUTSIDE MONEY, GRANT MONEY, STATE MONEY, OR BY ISSUING DEBT.

UM, AND AGAIN, WE ONLY ISSUE DEBT FOR LONG-TERM ASSETS IN THIS COUNTY.

YOU KNOW, WE DON'T ISSUE DEBT FOR OPERATING, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE DOING IT FOR, UH, SCHOOLS OR BRIDGES OR, UM, UH, PARKS THINGS, THINGS ALL ALONG THOSE LINES.

AND YOU CAN SEE THAT IN EACH YEAR IN THE, HOW MUCH WE AUTHORIZE AS FAR AS BONDS CORRESPOND TO WHAT WE BUDGETED FOR THOSE VARIOUS PROJECTS.

AND AS WITH THE GENERAL FUND OPERATING BUDGET, THE CAPITAL BUDGET ALSO SPIKED, UM, LAST YEAR AS WELL.

SO WE WERE UP TO 131 MILLION KIND OF BEFORE THAT IT WOULD BOUNCE AROUND.

UM, BUT GENERALLY IN THAT 50, 60 MILLION MILLION DOLLAR RANGE NOW, THOSE BONDS AT THIS POINT, UM, IT'S MORE OR LESS JUST LIKE A, UM, AN INVITATION TO TAKE OUT A LOAN.

UM, WE DON'T ACTUALLY INCUR THE COST UNTIL WE SELL THE BONDS.

SO NEXT WEEK WHEN WE SELL OUR BONDS, WE'RE SELLING $50 MILLION OF BONDS, THEN WE'LL HAVE THAT DEBT SERVICE FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS, UM, INTO THE FUTURE.

BUT AT THIS POINT, SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT BOND AUTHORIZATION OR CAPITAL PROJECTS, YOU KNOW, BEING FUNDED, UM, OFTENTIMES REALLY WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WE'RE JUST, WE JUST HAVE THE, UH, THE MECHANISM IN PLACE THAT WE CAN TAKE OUT FUTURE DEBT TO PAY FOR THOSE PROJECTS.

SO THIS NEXT SLIDE, WHICH IS ALSO OUR LAST SLIDE, UM, KIND OF JUST SHOWS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW THAT THAT DEBT SERVICE, WHAT IT, WHAT IT REALLY ENTAILS.

UM, YOU KNOW, EACH YEAR WE'RE, WE'RE,

[01:10:01]

WE'RE BUYING, UM, I'M SORRY, WE'RE SELLING, WE'RE SELLING BONDS AND, BUT WE'RE ALSO PAYING OFF BONDS FROM, UM, FROM THE PRIOR YEAR.

UM, AND THEN WE'LL BE TAKING ON THOSE BONDS FOR THE NEXT, FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS.

YOU CAN KIND OF SEE ON THAT FIRST CHART THERE, THE EXISTING DEBT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST WHAT WE'VE ALREADY SOLD, UM, WHAT WE HAVE TO PAY BECAUSE WE HAVE ALREADY TAKEN ON THOSE OBLIGATIONS.

AND YOU SEE THAT IT KIND OF DOES GO DOWN LITTLE BY LITTLE, UM, EACH YEAR JUST AS, AS A MORTGAGE OR ANYTHING ELSE WOULD.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE ARE TAKING ON NEW DEBT, UM, THAT, THAT HAS NOT BEEN, UH, BONDS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN SOLD.

SO WE WERE IN A SITUATION NOW WHERE CAPITAL PROJECTS ARE GETTING MORE EXPENSIVE, UM, BECAUSE CONSTRUCTION COSTS ARE UP, AND THEN ALSO OUR BORROWING COSTS ARE GOING UP BECAUSE THE INTEREST RATES ARE GOING UP.

UM, SO, SO WHEN WE SELL NEXT WEEK, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GONNA SEE THOSE SAME, YOU KNOW, ONE AND TWO 2% RATES.

WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA SEE SOMETHING MORE ALONG THE LINES OF THREE AND A HALF, FOUR, 4% RATES.

UM, SO IT'S BECOMING MORE EXPENSIVE TO SERVICE THOSE DEBT.

BUT THE REAL KEY OF ALL OF THIS IS THAT AS YOU TAKE ON ADDITIONAL DEBT, IT DOES CROWD OUT OTHER SPENDING.

UM, THAT DEBT SERVICE SHOWS UP IN FUTURE BUDGETS.

AND OFTENTIMES IT, IT TAKES YEARS FOR IT TO IT, UM, YEARS FOR THOSE BONDS TO ACTUALLY BE SOLD IN FOR IT TO SHOW UP.

BUT IT DOES SHOW UP EVENTUALLY.

AND YOU CAN KIND OF JUST SEE, IF WE WERE TO INCREASE OUR BONDS, UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE WERE TO SELL AN ADDITIONAL 50 MILLION OF BONDS, YOU KNOW, EACH AND EVERY YEAR OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD BE ADDING, UM, ABOUT 23 MILLION BY THE, BY THE FINAL YEAR ONTO OUR, ONTO OUR DEBT SERVICE.

BUT IF WE START LOOKING AT MAYBE DOING A HUNDRED YEAR BOND SERVICE, AND WHEN WE LOOK BO BOND SALE, AND WHEN WE LOOK AT HOW EXPENSIVE SOME OF THESE PROJECTS ARE BECOMING, UM, I WAS JUST LOOKING AT SOME OF THE NEW SCHOOL PROJECTS, AND IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY SCHOOL NOW IS, IS, IS A, IS A HUNDRED MILLION SCHOOL OR A 90 MILLION SCHOOL, AND EVERY PROJECT HAS, HAS BEEN ESCALATED.

UM, THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE IS TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE, YOU KNOW, LESSEN SOME OF THE COST OF SOME OF THESE PROJECTS? HOW CAN WE DEFER SOME OF THEM? UM, BECAUSE IF NOT, YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE HAVE TO TAKE ON THESE ADDITIONAL DEBT, UM, DEBT LOADS, YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY DOES IT, DOES IT OVER-LEVERAGE THE COUNTY, BUT IT ALSO MEANS THAT A GREATER PORTION OF OUR OPERATING BUDGET IS SPENT SERVICING THE DEBT AND THAT CROWDS OUT MONEY FOR SCHOOL OPERATING, SHERIFF OPERATING, YOU KNOW, ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE NEED, WE NEED TO DO.

AND THE OTHER THING WHICH ISN'T INCLUDED WITH THIS IS OPERATING IMPACTS.

BECAUSE WHEN YOU OPEN UP A NEW BUILDING AND YOU TAKE ON SOMETHING YOU DON'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, NOW YOU HAVE TO STAFF IT, YOU HAVE TO HEAT IT, YOU HAVE TO COOL IT, YOU HAVE TO CLEAN IT.

YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE JUST REPLACING AN EXISTING BUILDING, YOU KNOW, IT'S SOMEWHAT OF A, SOMEWHAT OF A SWAP.

BUT WHEN YOU'RE ADDING, IF, IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE THIS LIBRARY IN THIS AREA BEFORE YOU, NOW YOU DO, OR YOU DIDN'T HAVE THIS PARK IN THIS AREA, OR THIS THIS SENIOR CENTER IN THIS AREA, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ALSO ADDING THOSE ADDITIONAL COSTS TOO, WHICH, WHICH AGAIN, FURTHER HITS YOUR, YOUR OPERATING BUDGET.

UM, SO WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, I COVERED A LOT OF STUFF, UM, AND IT'S, IT'S PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, DRINKING FROM A FIRE HOSE.

UM, BUT JUST TO TRY TO GIVE A, A LITTLE BIT OF PERSPECTIVE, AGAIN OF SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH SO THAT WHEN WE DO GO INTO THE BUDGET PROCESS, UM, ABOUT A MONTH FROM NOW, UM, YOU'LL HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE, MORE INSIGHT INTO.

SO APPRECIATE THE, UH, PRESENTATION TONIGHT.

APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION THAT WE HAD EARLIER TODAY.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR AAA BOND RATING.

AND I'M SURE THAT NOT ONLY TONIGHT, BUT OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS, YOU'RE GONNA BE GETTING A LOT OF QUESTIONS FROM US AS WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ABSORB A LOT OF THIS.

UH, AND I SEE THAT THERE'S SOME QUESTIONS HERE THIS EVENING, MR. CHANGE.

SO, UH, YEAH, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE AAA BOND RATING.

YOU OBVIOUSLY DID COVER A LOT OF, UH, TECHNICAL INFORMATION THERE.

SO THE BIGGEST THING I SEE IS THAT THE, UH, STRUCTURAL DEFICIT, DEPENDING ON IF WE HAVE A 3% INCREASE OR NOT, UM, WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THAT SURPLUS PRETTY FAST.

WITH TAX EXEMPT, UH, DEBT, NOW YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO 'EM WITH TAXABLE BONDS AHEAD OF TIME, BUT THEN YOU'RE, YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT GONNA GET THE SAME INTEREST RATE.

AND IF, IF YOU CHOSE TO DO THAT, AND THAT'S WHY, AGAIN, YOU, YOU DON'T NECESSARILY WANNA DO THAT BECAUSE, AND EACH, IF, IF EACH YEAR, IF YOU PUT OFF THOSE, THOSE HARD DECISIONS, IT BECOMES HARDER AND HARDER.

IT'S, IT'S, IT'S ALMOST AS IF, YOU KNOW, THE, THE COUNTY HAD SEVERAL YEARS OF, OF, OF, UH, YOU KNOW, BUILDING UP ITS RESERVES, KIND OF, IT KIND OF GOT INTO FISCAL SHAPE AND THEN LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE HOLIDAYS CAME AROUND AND WE, YOU KNOW, WE WENT OFF OUR DIET.

BUT LIKE IF YOU, IF YOU DON'T, IF YOU CONTINUE TO KIND OF GO OFF THAT, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT'S GONNA GET THAT MUCH HARDER AND HARDER AS SOMEONE WHO'S GONE OFF MANY A DIET.

AND I, AND I KNOW WE BOUGHT BONDS BACK AT HIGHER RATES FROM BEFORE, BUT THAT MEANT WE KEPT OUR LOWER RATED BONDS.

SO ARE WE STILL, ARE WE STILL LOOKING TO DO THAT? LIKE IF WE TAKE ON NEW DEBT AND IT'S HIGHER, WOULD WE HANG OFF THE NEW DEBTS? SO REMEMBER, YOU GUYS HAVE REFINANCED SOME WE HAVE, AND I THINK WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO REFINANCE ALMOST EVERYTHING THAT MADE, THAT MADE SENSE.

SUE, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT CAME OUT OF THAT TAX AND CUTS JOB ACT IN ADDITION TO THAT SALT CAP WAS THAT YOU CAN NO LONGER DO A FORWARD FUNDING, UM, OF A, OF A REFUNDING.

SO NOW YOU HAVE TO WAIT TILL THE BONDS ARE CALLABLE UNTIL, SO THAT IS, UNTIL THEY'RE 10 YEARS OWED.

IF YOU WANT TO DO THEM

[01:15:01]

UM, SO WHAT A LOT OF TIMES THESE, UH, THE INVESTMENT HOUSES NOW DO IS THEY KIND OF FRONT LOAD THE DEBT SERVICE, UM, THE, THE DEBT SERVICE COUPONS ON THE, ON THE FIRST 10 YEARS AND NOT SO MUCH ON THE REMAINING 10 YEARS.

SO YOU'LL SEE 5% INTEREST ON THE FIRST 10 YEARS, AND THEN MAYBE 2% INTEREST ON THE LAST 10 YEARS.

SO I, I CERTAINLY DID HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS RATING 'EM NOW, BUT AS YOU WENT THROUGH THIS, YOU, YOU DID ANSWER, UM, QUITE A FEW OF THEM.

UM, AND I GUESS PROBABLY I'LL HAVE SOME MORE QUESTIONS FOR YOU AFTERWARDS, YOU KNOW, BOND SALES AND SOME OF THE OTHER STUFF.

SO THANK YOU MR. PENMAN.

UM, THANK YOU GUYS.

I KNOW IT WAS, IT WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION, UM, THAT YOU WENT TO, UH, THROUGH RELATIVELY QUICKLY.

UM, AND MR. SANDIS, MS. SPENCE, YOU GUYS DO A GREAT JOB.

UM, I'VE WORKED WITH YOU, UH, O OVER THE YEARS, NUMBER OF TIMES.

UM, GREAT JOB FOR THE PAST ADMINISTRATION.

I'M, I'M SURE THAT'S WHY THE NEW ADMINISTRATION, UH, KEPT YOU ON AND THAT'S WHY, AND I'M JUST ASKING THESE QUESTIONS SO I CAN FULLY UNDERSTAND, UM, BECAUSE I WASN'T SURE WHEN THEY, WHEN YOU, WHEN THEY FIRST DISCUSSED A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT ON KIND OF HOW, IF WE WERE IN SUCH GOOD SHAPE, HOW DO WE, WE WE COME UPON A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT.

SO, UM, AND I JUST, IF I CAN GO BACK THROUGH THE PRESENTATION JUST QUICKLY JUST TO ANSWER A FEW QUESTIONS, UM, ON PAGE TWO AND PAGE THREE, WELL, ACTUALLY JUST PAGE TWO, THE INCOME TAXES AND THE PROPERTY TAXES, THEY'RE JUST ESTIMATIONS FOR THAT 299 MILLION AND A 285 MILLION FOR TAXES, UH, INCOME TAXES AND PROPERTY TAXES.

THAT CORRECT? THAT WAS THE, NO, SO ON TWO AND THREE, THAT WAS, THAT WAS, THAT WAS WHAT WE BUDGETED, BUT YES, I MEAN, SO WITH, AND, AND THAT'S ALWAYS THE CHALLENGE OF, OF FUDGING ON OUR END IS THAT WE HAVE TO TRY TO SAY, WHAT DO WE THINK INCOME TAX IS GOING TO BE DOING A YEAR AND A HALF FROM NOW? SO WE DID BUDGET, UM, INCOME TAX THAT IT JUST SHY OF, OF 300 MILLION, AND IT IS GONNA COME IN A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN, THAN THAN 300 MILLION.

AND, AND THAT, AND THAT'S KIND OF WHERE, WHERE MY POINT IS COMING.

SO IF YOU GO TO THE GENERAL FUND STRUCTURAL DEFICIT, THEY'RE PREDICATED ON THE ESTIMATIONS THAT YOU, THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT.

SO, UH, AND KIND OF UNDERSTANDING AND THEY'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS GOING ON.

I DID DO AN AUDIT OF, UH, INCOME TAX BUDGET AND ACTUAL BASE ON THE FY 21 AND THE FI 22 FOR THE ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT.

AND THE NUMBERS THAT WERE GIVEN TO ME, UH, WERE CONSISTENTLY, UM, UNDER WHAT THE ACTUAL NUMBERS CAME IN.

SO, UH, WHAT I WAS GIVEN IN FY 21, IT WAS BUDGETED THAT WE WERE, INCOME TAX WAS GONNA BE 257 MILLION, 200,000.

THE NUMBERS CAME IN AT 310 MILLION.

UM, AND FY 22, IT WAS 268, UM, MILLION.

IT CAME IN, UH, 330 MILLION.

SO IT'S 53 MILLION, 62 MILLION THE FOLLOWING YEAR.

NOW THIS YEAR IT'S OBVIOUSLY PROJECTED AT 299 MILLION, AND THAT'S, WE WE'RE YET TO SEE WHAT THAT NUMBER ACTUALLY COMES WITH.

SO IF YOU LOOK ON SLIDE SEVEN, THOSE NUMBERS, UM, I THINK IT'S SEVEN.

BEAR WITH ME A MOMENT.

YES, SEVEN, UH, SEVEN.

THE, THE NUMBERS I DON'T THINK ARE REFLECTIVE OF WHAT THE PROJECTIONS WERE.

SO IF YOU GO INCOME TAX ON FY 22, THE ACTUAL WAS 330 MILLION, BUT YOU HAVE 298 MILLION JUST BASED OFF THE AUDIT THAT I HAVE.

MY QUESTION IS, THESE AREN'T PROJECTIONS.

AND THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT IS CORRECT THAT OUR, THAT PARTICULARLY IN 21, UM, THINK BACK.

SO WHEN IN, IN 21, THE, THE, THE PANDEMIC WAS JUST MORE OR LESS UNDERWAY.

UM, AND WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, WELL, WHAT DO WE THINK INCOME TAX IS GOING TO DO IN THE NEXT 18 MONTHS? AND AT THAT POINT IN, UH, LATE MARCH OF 2020, UH, WE, I THINK WE WERE VERY HESITANT TO SAY THAT IT WAS GOING TO GROW.

WHAT, WHAT IT DID INSTEAD, IT GREW ALMOST 20%.

AND THAT'S, THAT KIND OF LEADS INTO THIS, TO THIS UNCERTAINTY, UH, THAT WE HAVE WITH, WITH INCOME TAX AND WHY IT'S GOTTEN SO DIFFICULT TO FORECAST IT BECAUSE OF HOW VOLATILE IT IS.

UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE GENERALLY GOING TO TRY TO FORECAST, I WOULD SAY, IN A CONSERVATIVE MANNER.

IT'S IF YOU'RE DEALING WITH, OH, UH, BEING 1%, UM, OVER BUDGETED CAN OFTENTIMES BE A FAR MORE DIFFICULT SITUATION ON YOUR REVENUE BECAUSE YOU'RE HAVING TO MAKE MID-YEAR CUTS AND YOU HAVE A LOT OF PARTS OF YOUR BUDGET THAT YOU CAN'T EASILY MAKE MID-YEAR CUTS ON.

UM, SO IF YOU DO HAVE A TRUE REVENUE SHORTFALL AND ONE THAT YOU, THAT YOU DON'T THINK YOUR RESERVES CAN HANDLE, AND I'VE BEEN IN COUNTIES WHERE WE'VE HAD TO DO THAT.

UM, YOU KNOW, BACK IN 2010 WHEN THE, WHEN THE, UM, UH, WHEN THE RECESSION STARTED TO HIT THE HIGHWAY, USER REVENUE WAS GUTTED BY, BY THE STATE, AND, AND YOU HAD TO TRY TO MAKE THESE MID-YEAR CUTS.

REMEMBER THE STATE WAS ALSO MAKING MID-YEAR CUTS.

UM, AND, AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE ALWAYS GONNA PROBABLY TRY TO BUDGET ON THE CONSERVATIVE SIDE.

I'LL GO BACK TO THAT'S THESE, WHAT I'M,

[01:20:01]

WHAT I HAVE IS ACTUAL NUMBERS.

SO FY 2022, THE ACTUAL NUMBER WAS 330,271,264.

THE ACTUAL NUMBER YOU HAVE IS 290, UH, 8000000.8 MILLION.

SO I JUST DON'T KNOW.

WELL, THAT'S, THAT'S THE, THE OH, THE ACTUAL, YOU KNOW, OH.

UM, SO, UH, LOOKS LIKE WE'RE 32 MILLION UNDER ON ACTUAL ON WHAT, WHAT WAS PRE PRESENTED TO ME WHEN I DID THE AUDIT FROM, UM, THE AUDITING OFFICE FOR YEAH, I MEAN, I MEAN, I'LL, I'LL, I'LL HAVE TO GET WITH YOU.

YOU KNOW, THERE, I WILL SAY SOMETIMES WITH INCOME TAX, THERE IS THIS DEFERRED REVENUE THAT, THAT WE DON'T ACTUALLY RECEIVE, UM, THAT THE STATE HOLDS THAT WE WILL SHOW IN SOME PAGES OF THE FINANCIALS, UM, BECAUSE IT'S CONSIDERED THAT WE EARN THAT REVENUE, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THAT REVENUE.

UM, BUT WE CAN WORK, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH, WITH THE, UM, THE ACTUAL, AND I, AND I, I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT BECAUSE THE QUESTION THEN, IF IT IS 330 MILLION WITH SOME CHANGE, AND WE'RE ONLY PROJECTING AN ESTIMATION OF 316 MILLION FOR 2023, WE'RE ACTUALLY PROJECTING LOWER THAN WE ACTUALLY GOT THE, THE YEAR BEFORE.

YEAH, I MEAN, AND, AND I CAN, YEAH, LET ME, CAUSE I HAVE THE FINANCIALS HERE AND THE CONCERN I HAVE WAS, UH, I MEAN ALL THE ESTIMATIONS IS WE'RE DOING, WE'RE DOING GREAT IN ACCOUNTING.

THINGS ARE GREAT.

UH, OBVIOUSLY YOU WANT TO BE CONSERVATIVE WITH IT JUST IN CASE THERE'S A TOWN TURN INTO FUTURE.

BUT IF WE'RE DOING GREAT, I JUST, I JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE, UH, THE DIFFERENCE IS HERE.

WELL, AND AGAIN, UM, AGAIN, WE HAVE HAD SOME VERY, VERY STRONG REVENUE YEARS, PARTICULARLY IN THAT FISCAL YEAR 21.

NOW, THE FOLLOWING YEAR, YOU KNOW, THE INCOME TAX WAS ONLY UP, UM, IT WAS ONLY UP LESS THAN 3%.

WE ARE, WE ARE CONTINUING TO BUILD ON THAT, ON THAT POSITIVE GROWTH RATE, BUT I DON'T THINK WE'RE EVER GONNA SEE AN INCREASE.

I, I WOULDN'T, YOU KNOW, I WOULDN'T ASSUME THAT WE WOULD HAVE A 10%, UM, GROWTH RATE FOR, FOR NEXT YEAR OFF OF INCOME TAX.

AND AGAIN, WHEN I TALK WITH PEOPLE AT THE COMP CONTROL'S OFFICE, WHEN I TALK WITH, WITH PEOPLE AT THE, UM, UH, THE VARIOUS COUNTIES, I THINK WHAT WE'RE ALL EXPECTING IS THAT, AGAIN, WITH SOME OF THESE, UH, ISSUES WITH THE DISTRIBUTION FORMULA AND, AND ALSO THE POSSIBILITY OF RECESSION, THAT MORE PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT BECOMING MORE CONSERVATIVE WITH THEIR, THEIR INCOME TAX NUMBER.

BUT AGAIN, IF IT DOES COME IN HIGHER THAN THAT, AND I UNDERSTAND THIS MAKES IT DIFFICULT DURING THE BUDGET PROCESS, I MEAN, WE WANT TO TRY TO, UH, BUDGET, UM, OUR FORECAST OUR REVENUES AS REALISTICALLY AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE IF WE DON'T, THEN WE, WE UNDERFUND, IF YOU WILL, UM, ONGOING EXPENDITURES.

UM, SO WE ARE AWARE OF THAT.

UM, BUT TRYING TO BALANCE THAT AGAINST THESE REAL CONCERNS THAT THAT INCOME TAX IS PROBABLY HAS BEEN GROWING AT AN UNSUSTAINABLE LEVEL, RIGHT? BUT IF WE'RE SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERESTIMATING WHAT WE HAVE, BUT THEN TOUTING A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT, THAT'S THE QUESTION THAT I HAVE.

WELL, SO THE STRUCTURAL DEFICIT IS, SO FOR THE FIRST PART, THE, THE FIRST SLIDE WHERE WE TALKED ABOUT IT, IT WAS JUST BASED UPON YOU JUST WHAT WE BUDGETED.

BUT EVEN ONCE, ONCE WE HAVE, HAVE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, UM, WHAT WE'VE FUNDED THIS YEAR, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL SPENDING DOWN THAT FUND BALANCE.

WE'RE STILL REDUCING THAT OVERALL FUND BALANCE, FIVE 40 MILLION.

AND A LOT OF THAT FUND BALANCE IS BEING USED FOR ONGOING EXPENDITURES.

AND SO WE STILL CONTINUE TO HAVE THAT EVEN AFTER WE'VE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, UM, THESE HIGHER REVENUE ESTIMATES.

SO I, I HAVE A BUNCH MORE QUESTIONS, BUT I'LL JUST SUMMARIZE IT IN JUST TWO MORE IF I COULD.

CAUSE I KNOW THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, HAVE, UH, QUESTIONS.

IF WE CAN GO TO PAGE NINE, UM, AS A MAKO REP, UM, THE, THE MAKO WAS PROJECTING A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE, UH, BASED OFF THE REASSESSMENTS, UH, FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS.

UH, YOU KNOW, THANKFULLY I THINK WE GOT THAT THE 5 CENT TAX BREAK, AND NOW WE'RE SEEING THAT PROJECTION GO UP.

SO REALLY WHILE WE DID HAVE A, A CUTBACK ON 23 WITH THE REASSESSMENT, UM, WE'RE STILL STILL IN BETTER SHAPE THAN WE WERE.

UM, AND, AND BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, BECAUSE OF THE, HOW HOUSING HOUSINGI MARKET, YOU KNOW, ASSESSMENTS ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO GROW YOU, WE GOT THAT 16% IN LL AIR, WHICH WAS OUR HIGHEST REASSESS IN, UM, PROBABLY IN ABOUT 10 OR 15 YEARS.

UM, IT WAS ACTUALLY THE LOWER THAN THAN MANY OF THE OTHER ONES WE SAW AROUND THE STATE.

SOME OF 'EM, I MEAN, IT MUST HAVE BEEN GARRETT COUNTY WAS UP LIKE 50%.

IT MUST HAVE BEEN DEEP CREEK LAKE OR SOMETHING.

UM, SO THERE ARE, THERE IS A LOT OF VARIANCE AND ALL, BUT YEAH, I, I AGREE.

OUR PROPERTY TAX ACCESSIBLE BASE, UM, UM, SHOULD CONTINUE TO, TO, TO BE HEALTHY, UH, BECAUSE OF THE H HOT HOT HOUSING MARKET.

UM, AND WE ARE FORECASTING HAVE TO CONTINUE TO GROW.

UM, ONE THING IF, UH, WE COULD FOLLOW UP ON THE GENERAL FUND, COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL, DO WE HAVE PROJECTIONS ON 23? I, I KNOW YOU DON'T HAVE 'EM HERE, BUT IF, IF, IS, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE DO? UM, WE CAN, WE CAN PROVIDE SOMETHING.

IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE IN THAT SAME, UM, IN THAT SAME AREA.

BUT YEAH, THERE'S PROBABLY A NUMBER THAT WE CAN COME UP, UM, COME UP WITH FACEBOOK BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY BILLED ALL OF THAT INFORMATION.

AT THIS POINT, ALL TAXES FOR THIS FIRM HAVE BEEN, HAVE BEEN BILLED.

PAGE 17, UH, OBVIOUSLY, UH, FY 23, AND YOU TALKED ABOUT IT, IT'S MUCH LARGER THAN, THAN THE REST OF THE YEARS.

SO THE, AND THE LAST TOPIC THAT, UH, IS THE BUN AUTHORIZATION ON

[01:25:01]

UH, DO WE KNOW WHAT OR WHAT, WHAT IS PACKAGED IN THAT, THAT 120 PLUS MILLION? YEAH, SO WHAT WAS, UM, WELL, I MEAN THERE WAS THE, THE, THE, THE CENTRAL PRECINCT IS A PART OF THAT, UH, OF THAT.

UH, THERE WAS ALSO, UH, UH, THE ABERDEEN ACTIVITY CENTER, THERE WAS THE, UM, COLLEGE, THE VOTE, THE, UH, THE, UH, THE VO-TECH, UM, BUILDING WITH THE, UM, WITH THE SCHOOLS.

THERE'S ALSO SOME HOMES IN WAKEFIELD WAKEFIELD, UM, IN THERE.

THOSE ARE SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE LARGER ONES.

UM, SOME OF THE LARGER, UM, SOME OF THE LARGER BUDGET ITEMS. I'M TRYING TO THINK ABOUT WHAT ELSE I, I CAN REMEMBER.

I DON'T HAVE THE CAPITAL BUDGET IN, IN FRONT OF ME, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE CAN EASILY PROVIDE THAT.

SO THE QUESTION IS, AND I I THINK I'VE HEARD YOU ON, UH, PREVIOUS PRESENTATIONS WHERE YOU APPROVE IT, YOU PAY FOR IT, AND THEN YOU, YOU PAY YOURSELF BACK LATER ON WITH THE BONDS, RIGHT? SO, UM, THE AUTHORIZATION GAVE THE AUTHORIZATION FOR ALL THOSE CAPITAL PROJECTS LAST YEAR, RIGHT? IN THE 73 BUDGET.

RIGHT? SO THERE, IT WAS ALREADY FUNDED.

IT WAS ALREADY AUTHORIZED FOR EACH OF THOSE PROJECTS, RIGHT? YEAH, IT AGAIN, SO WE, SO THE COUNCIL GAVE APPROVAL FOR THE COUNTY TO, TO TAKE ON DEBT, UH, SO TO NOT HAVE THE REVENUES IN HAND, IF YOU WILL, TO TAKE ONE FUTURE DEBT TO, UH, TO GO FORWARD WITH THOSE.

BUT FROM, FROM A, UM, MECHANICAL STANDPOINT, BECAUSE WE HAVE SUCH STRONG, UH, RESERVES, UH, AND WE DON'T HAVE A, A CASH FLOW SHORTAGE, WE, WE DO NOT HAVE TO SELL THE BONDS UNTIL WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE ALREADY, UM, UM, EXPENDED THE FUNDS.

THERE'S A LOT OF RULES SURROUNDING THE IRS WITH, WITH THE IRS THAT, THAT IF, THAT, IF YOU SELL YOUR BONDS MORE THAN 18 MONTHS BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY HAVE THE EXPENDITURE THAT THEY WOULDN'T BE ELIGIBLE.

WHEN YOU RUN INTO AN AUDIT, THERE'S ARBITRAGE ISSUES.

SO BECAUSE OF THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE IN A POSITION THAT WE GENERALLY DO NOT SELL, UM, OUR, OUR, OUR BONDS UNTIL, UNTIL WE NEED TO.

SO THAT $50 MILLION THAT WE'RE SELLING NEXT WEEK, MOSTLY THAT'S, THAT'S, UH, THERE MAY BE A LITTLE BIT OF THAT FROM FISCAL YEAR 20, UH, 23, BUT IT'S MOSTLY FISCAL YEAR 20.

FISCAL YEAR 21.

THAT'S, THAT'S, YEAH, I MEAN, THERE'S SOME THINGS IN THERE WITH, UH, WITH CAVITY GRACE, UH, JPA TOWN, I ACTUALLY, I, I REMEMBER NOW MANY JPA TOWN MODERNIZATION IS THE BIGGEST, BIGGEST PROJECT IN THAT, UM, IN THAT SALE.

UM, THERE'S SOME LIBRARY PROJECTS AS WELL, AND LIKE, SO WE'LL HAVE THOSE, THOSE LIST AS WELL.

SO ALL THE MONEY IN THAT BOND AUTHORIZATION IS ALREADY ALLOCATED.

IT JUST, YOU'LL SELL, SELL THE BONDS LATER.

SO WITH THE MONEY THAT'S ALREADY ALLOCATED, WHAT DO WE DO IF THOSE CAPITAL PROJECTS OR STOP? SO WHEN WE SAY ALLOCATED, IT'S SAYING THAT MAYBE LIKE THE EASIEST WAY IS IT'S, IT'S ALMOST AS IF WE, WE APPLIED FOR A CREDIT CARD.

WE HAVEN'T SPENT ANYTHING ON THE CREDIT CARD.

AND, AND WE NOW, UM, WE GOT A CREDIT CARD THAT HAS $136 MILLION LIMIT.

NOW UNTIL WE START PUTTING EXPENDITURES ON THAT, THAT'S WHEN WE'LL HAVE THE, THE, UM, THE DEBT SERVICE OR THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ANNUAL, THE ANNUAL PAYMENT, THE MONTHLY PAYMENT.

UM, BUT AT THIS POINT WE, WE MORE OR LESS JUST KIND OF HAVE AN, UM, A DECISION THAT WE ARE WILLING TO TAKE OUT DEBT FOR THIS IF WE DO NOT.

UM, SO IF YOU HAVE A PROJECT, YOU KNOW, UM, WE'LL, UM, WE'LL JUST SAY THAT THERE'S A, UH, UH, A, A PARK PROJECT THAT THE COUNTY IS NOT GONNA GO FORWARD AND HAVE $10 MILLION ON IT.

EVENTUALLY THAT 10 MILLION MILLION DOLLARS WON'T BE, JUST WON'T BE SPENT.

WE WILL COME TO YOU IN A FUTURE BUDGET AND PROBABLY SAY, HEY, THE, THERE'S $10 MILLION ON THIS PARK PROJECT, WE'RE NOT GONNA DO THIS PARK PROJECT.

WE WOULD LIKE TO MOVE IT TO ANOTHER PROJECT.

AND THEN THAT WILL GO THROUGH THE COUNCIL APPROVAL PROCESS, AND THAT'LL BE PART OF THE, THE BUDGET PROCESS.

SO YOU CAN'T REALLOCATE UNLESS THE COUNCIL APPROVED.

CORRECT.

UM, SO HOW LONG DOES THAT, THAT MONEY THAT'S BEEN APPROVED SIT IN THAT POT TO WHERE IT COULD BE REALLOCATED? YOU GENERAL, YOU NEED TO SPEND ON A CAPITAL PROJECT, UH, WITHIN THREE YEARS.

SO IF YOU DON'T SPEND WITHIN THREE YEARS, THEN THEN THE, THEN THE PROJECT ENDS UP BEING CLOSED DOWN.

UM, AND THEN WE WOULD THEN WORK TO, TO, TO WORK TO REALLOCATE IT.

DON'T PAY, YOU PAY THE DEBT SERVICE IN THE GENERAL FUND.

OR WE COULD DO IT BEFORE THERE.

EARLIER YOU SAID A 14% INCREASE, UH, IN EXPEND EXPENDITURES FOR THE COUNTY LAST YEAR.

DID IS THAT INCLUDE IT'S THE CAPITAL PROJECTS INCLUDED IN THAT 14%? UH, ONLY THE PAYGO PORTION.

UM, AND LIKE, SO, SO THE GENERAL FUND, THAT'S WHAT WENT UP 14%.

THAT'S YOUR SCHOOL FUNDING, TREASURY, SHERIFF COUNCIL, ALL OF THAT, UM, THAT, THAT ALL, ALL OF THAT, THAT, THAT BIG PIE WENT UP 14, 14%.

NOW, A PORTION OF THAT WAS PEGO MONEY GOING TO THE CAPITAL PROJECT, AND A PORTION OF THAT WAS ALSO OUR DEBT SERVICE INCREASE PRIOR CAPITAL BUDGETS.

SO THE, IT'S KIND, THE, THE CAPITAL BUDGET AND THE, AND THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET ARE SEPARATE, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF CROSS BACK AND FORTH, IF YOU WILL.

THERE'S PAYGO MONEY COMING FROM THE GENERAL FUND TO PAY FOR CASH RELATED EXPENSES LIKE TECHNOLOGY OR FLEET OR THINGS LIKE THAT IN THE, UH, IN THE CAPITAL BUDGET.

AND THEN WHEN WE SELL THE BONDS, YOU

[01:30:01]

SO THE, THE DEBT SERVICE SHOWS UP IN YOUR, IN YOUR GENERAL FUND.

THAT'S THAT $60 BILLION, UM, COST WE HELD THE FIRST SLIDE.

SECOND SLIDE WOULD, YEAH.

DEBT SERVICE 61.6.

I KNOW I SAID TWO AND I ASKED LIKE FOUR, SO I'LL SORRY, QUESTIONS ARE FREE.

THANK YOU, MR. PENMAN.

ANYONE ELSE? MR. GUTHRIE? UM, THANK YOU.

UH, HE ASKED, HE ASKED SEVERAL OF MY QUESTIONS, SO I GOT, UH, NARROWED MINE DOWN A LITTLE BIT.

UH, I, I'M WANNA TALK ABOUT SOME, SOME OF THE COMMENTS MADE ABOUT REFINANCING.

UM, WHAT, WHAT CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO US WHAT YOU TALK ABOUT REFINANCING? WHAT DID YOU REFINANCE? WHAT WERE THE NUMBERS BEFORE? WHAT THE NUMBERS, UH, THAT YOU, UH, UH, HAVE COME UP WITH AFTER YOU DID THIS SO-CALLED REFINANCING THAT YOU MENTIONED? YEAH, SO WE DID SAVE, I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS IN FRONT OF ME AS TO WHAT WE, UM, HOW MUCH WE SAVED.

WE ACTUALLY, WE PROBABLY DID ABOUT, IN PREVIOUS TERM, I WANNA, I WANNA SAY AROUND MAYBE FIVE REFINANCING, UM, FOUR MAYBE GENERAL FUND ONES, AND THEN ALSO DID, UM, THE BREE TIFF.

UM, AND SO, SO YEAH, BUT, BUT WHAT WE KNOW, LIKE HOW MUCH WE SAVED, BECAUSE WHAT, WHAT YOU END UP DOING IS IT'S KIND OF ALMOST LIKE REFINANCING.

IF YOU HAD A, A, A CREDIT CARD THAT HAD A 10% AND THEN YOU BALANCE TRANSFER IT TO ONE THAT'S GOT A 3%, YOU KNOW, YOU NOW HAVE THAT, THAT SAVINGS.

UM, AND THEN YOU, YOU, YOU FACTOR IT IN, BE LIKE, OKAY, I GOT 10 MORE YEARS LEFT TO PAY, SO I'M PAYING 10 YEARS AT 3% INSTEAD OF 10 YEARS AT 10%.

WELL, WHAT TIME OF THE YEAR DID YOU, DID, DID YOU DO? WE COULD ALWAYS DO IT GENERALLY AT THE SAME TIME AS THE BOND SALE.

SO WE, WE TRADITIONALLY DO THE BOND SALE IN, IN THE WINTER.

UM, YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR OUR BOND SALE'S A LITTLE BIT LATER BECAUSE WE HAVE A NEW ADMINISTRATION AND WE NEEDED TO, TO GET EVERYTHING IN IN LINE.

BUT, UM, TYPICALLY WE, WE, WE SELL OUR BONDS IN LATE JANUARY OR EARLY FEBRUARY.

SO YOU, YOU, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS PAST WINTER, WE DID A REFI LAST WE DID, WE DID A REFI LAST YEAR.

WE, WE DID, WE DID ONE LAST WINTER AS AS WELL.

UM, WE ARE NOT DOING A REFI THIS WINTER, BUT AGAIN, WHEN THE FEDS CHANGE THE RULES THAT WHEN YOU SAY LAST ONE, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE LAST, THE LAST ONE, OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DEC DECEMBER THERE? YES.

UM, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT NO, THIS A YEAR AGO, JANUARY.

BEFORE THAT JANUARY OF 22.

YES, YES.

YES.

JANUARY, JANUARY OF 22 WAS THE LAST TIME WE DID A REFUNDING.

AND WE ALWAYS DO LOOK TO SEE IF OUR, OUR OPTIONS.

WE WORKED WITH OUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR, UM, AS WAS SAID BEFORE, THE, NOW THEY, THEY DON'T ALLOW YOU, YOU HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE BONDS ARE HOED UNTIL THEY'RE, IN THIS CASE, 10 YEARS, UM, BEFORE YOU CAN REFI, BEFORE YOU COULD, YOU KNOW, EVEN YOU COULD SELL 'EM.

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT YEAR YOU COULD, YOU COULD DO AN ADVANCED REFUNDING.

THEY WOULD ALLOW YOU TO DO THAT.

THEY TOOK AWAY THAT, I'M SURE ON THE, AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, UH, ALL THIS STUFF HAS LIKE A SCORECARD.

SO WHEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS DOING THEIR BUDGET, YOU KNOW, NEGOTIATIONS, THEY'RE LIKE, OKAY, THIS ADDS, THIS ADDS 2 MILLION, YOU KNOW, 2 BILLION, THIS TAKES AWAY 1 BILLION.

AND THEY, THEY TOOK AWAY THAT ADVANCED REFUNDING.

THE COUNTIES HAVE BEEN TRYING, YOU KNOW, NACO AT THE, AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL HAS BEEN TRYING TO GET THAT, UH, REINSTATED.

UM, BUT IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT IT COMES WITH A FISCAL TAG.

AND THEN ANY TIME CONGRESS DOES ANYTHING, YOU KNOW, THEY NEED TO HAVE AN OFFSETTING EXPENDITURE.

UM, WHICH SEEMS ODD BECAUSE THE DEFICIT CONTINUES TO GROW, BUT THEY, THEY, THEY, WELL STILL HAVE TO HAVE THIS OFFSETTING EXPENDITURE.

AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY IT'S NOT GETTING DONE.

OH, YOU DID IT UH, EARLY LAST YEAR.

THAT WAS A GOOD TIME TO DO IT.

CAUSE I DID MY, I REFINANCED MY HOUSE AND BE, AND I GOT 1.99.

SO IT JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENED SINCE LAST FEBRUARY TO TODAY BECAUSE I, I HAD BOUGHT ANOTHER HOME AND REFINED PART OF THAT AND THAT, THAT'S 7.2 AND THAT'S, THAT'S WITHIN A YEAR.

YEAH, ONE FROM 1.99 YEARS.

IT WAS, IT WAS, THE REFUNDING I THINK WAS ACTUALLY LESS THAN 1%.

UM, THE NEW MONEY, THE 20 YEAR NEW MONEY WAS A LITTLE BIT OVER 1%.

UM, SO AGAIN, WE'RE STILL GONNA GET A GOOD RATE THIS YEAR.

UM, BUT JUST, JUST LIKE WITH PEOPLE LIKE YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU CAN STILL GET A, IF YOU REMEMBER HOW BAD THE RATES WERE, UM, AND, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE EARLY EIGHTIES AND THEY WERE DOUBLE DIGITS AND YOU 20% RATES, YOU KNOW, OUR RATES COMPARISON TO THEM ARE STILL REALLY GOOD, BUT THEY'RE NOT AS GOOD AS THEY WERE A COUPLE YEARS AGO.

SO THE SAME IS TRUE WITH OUR, WITH OUR BONDS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL GONNA GET A REALLY GOOD RATE.

I MEAN, BEING ABLE TO BORROW 50 MILLION FOR 20 YEARS AT, AT, LET'S JUST SAY THREE AND A HALF PERCENT, STILL A REALLY GOOD HISTORICAL RATE.

UM, BUT IT DOESN'T COMPARE TO THE 1%.

WE GOT TWO, THREE YEARS.

THEN IT JUMPED TO 28,000,003.

THE, THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IN REGARDS TO, UH, THE PEGO MONEY, UM, UH, MAYBE YOU CAN EXPLAIN THIS TO ME OR LOOKING AT THEM ON PAGE FOUR.

YOU KNOW, IN FISCAL 19 IT WAS 11,000,007 AND 20 WENT DOWN TO 9.7, THEN IT JUMPED BACK UP 11.4, THEN WENT DOWN TO 22 TO 8.1, AND

[01:35:01]

WHAT IS THAT? WELL, AGAIN, THERE WAS, UM, SO WE, SO IF WE HAD THE, I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE THE CAPITAL BUDGET IN FRONT OF ME.

I KNOW THERE, THERE WAS A LOT OF, UM, SPENT ON TECHNOLOGY.

UM, SO THINGS THAT ARE PEGO THAT I, OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD FLEET, UM, FLEET, UH, SCHOOL BUSES, UM, UM, THOSE SCHOOL BUSES THAT THE COUNTY FUNDS, WHICH ARE GENERALLY SPECIAL EDUCATION SCHOOL BUSES, UM, THERE WERE TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS AT THE SCHOOLS, THE LIBRARIES, UM, THERE WAS, UM, UH, THE, THE AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE GRANT WAS IN THE CAPITAL BUDGET THAT THAT WAS IN THERE.

UM, SO YEAH, THERE WAS A, A LOT OF DIFFERENT EXPENDITURES.

SO THERE, THERE WAS, THERE WAS A, THERE WAS A, UM, A BIG JUMP IN, IN THE PEGO PORTION OF THE BUDGET AS WELL AS THE GENERAL.

THANK YOU MR. GUTHRIE.

ANYONE ELSE? THANK YOU BOTH FOR COMING TONIGHT.

I'M SURE WE'LL BE IN TOUCH.

JEN, ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, APPROVAL OF MINUTES ZONING A PO.

I DO .

LITERALLY FIGURED IT.

I DO.

[7. APPROVAL OF MINUTES]

CASE NUMBER 59 55 TABERNACLE OF FAITH CHURCH, LEGISLATIVE DAY 23 DASH ZERO SIX.

FEBRUARY 21ST, 2023.

ARE THERE ANY CORRECTIONS TO THE MINUTES? THERE BEING NO CORRECTIONS MINUTES STAND APPROVED

[8. INTRODUCTION AND CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTIONS]

EIGHT.

INTRODUCTION AND CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTIONS RESOLUTION 0 16 23.

HISTORIC LANDMARK MACOMBS VILLAGE.

UH, THIS WAS INTRODUCED LAST MEETING, AND IF WE WOULD LIKE TO INVITE MR. GRIM, MR. BENSON, FORWARD.

GOOD EVENING, GENTLEMEN.

UH, THAT WAS RECENTLY COMPLETED, AND THEY PLAN TO RESTORE THE FORMER MOUNT ZION UNITED METHODIST CHURCH AS WELL.

COUNCIL PRESIDENT AND CINDY COUNCIL MEMBERS, WHAT WE HAVE IS A LOT EASIER THAN THE BUDGET .

THAT'S A GOOD THING THAT, UH, ROBBIE AND, AND, UH, KIM ARE DOING THAT BECAUSE IT'D BE A MESS IF I DID IT.

SO .

BUT, UH, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US THIS EVENING.

WE JUST WANT TO TAKE SOME BRIEF TIME TO GO OVER THIS WITH YOU.

THIS RESOLUTION 16 DASH 23.

UH, I'M SHANE GRIMM, DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND ZONING.

THIS IS JACOB BETSON, OUR HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLANNER.

AND WE'RE PLEASED AGAIN TO BE HERE BEFORE YOU TONIGHT WITH RESOLUTION 16 DASH 23 FOR THE HISTORIC DISTRICT DESIGNATION FOR THE MAS VILLAGE HISTORIC DISTRICT.

AND THESE PROPERTIES, PROPERTIES NOMINATED FOR DESIGNATION ARE LOCATED AT 1911 AND 1915 SINGER ROAD IN JOPPA.

AND THEY'RE IDENTIFIED BY MARYLAND INVENTORY OF HISTORIC PLACE, NUMBERS HA DASH 3 0 7 AND 3 0 8.

AND THIS, THIS NOMINATION WAS SUBMITTED BY THE HOSANNA COMMUNITY HOUSE, WHICH OWNS BOTH PROPERTIES AND GIVES ITS CONSENT FOR THE CREATION OF THE DISTRICT.

AND WE HAVE SOME OF THE FOLKS FROM THE HOSANNA HOUSE HERE TONIGHT AS WELL.

ON THAT SIDE OF THE ROOM.

THE PROPOSED HISTORIC DISTRICT WILL CONSIST OF THREE MAJOR CONTRIBUTING RESOURCES.

THE MOKO INSTITUTE ITSELF BUILT IN 1867, THE MACOMBS I INSTITUTE AND MOUNT ZION CHURCH CEMETERY, WHOSE EARLIEST RECORDED BURIAL IS 1895.

AND THE FORMER MOUNT ZION UNITED METHODIST CHURCH BUILT IN 1865.

AND THEIR ASSOCIATED OUTBUILDINGS, MACOMBS INSTITUTE AND CEMETERY WERE DESIGNATED AS AN INDIVIDUAL COUNTY HISTORIC LANDMARK IN 1982.

I BELIEVE THAT WAS ONE OF OUR FIRST, AM I CORRECT? VERY EARLY, VERY EARLY.

UH, THE SHARED DRIVEWAY THAT'S SHOWN ON THE PROPERTY IS NOT CONSIDERED A CONTRIBUTING RESOURCE TO THE BOUNDARIES OF THE DISTRICT.

AND THE ENTIRE DISTRICT ENCOMPASSES APPROXIMATELY 1.02 ACRES.

THIS DISTRICT IS SIGNIFICANT FOR ITS ASSOCIATION WITH EVENTS THAT HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COUNTY'S HISTORY, PARTICULARLY THE RECONSTRUCTION PERIOD FOLLOWING THE CIVIL WAR.

THE DISTRICT PROVIDES A WINDOW INTO THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF HARPER COUNTY DURING RECONSTRUCTION THROUGH THE LENS OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE AS A CENTER FOR WORSHIP COMMUNITY AND EDUCATION.

THE PROPERTIES HAVE SERVED A VITAL ROLE IN THE LIVES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HARPER COUNTY AND AND SO EMBODIES CHARACTER, INTEREST, OR VALUE AS PART OF THE HERITAGE OR CULTURE OF HARPER COUNTY.

THE PROPERTIES WITHIN A PROPOSED DISTRICT ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO YIELD SIGNIFICANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE LIVES AND INDIVIDUALS OF THOSE WHO LIVED, WORSHIPED, AND WERE EDUCATED AND ARE BURIED THERE INCREASING OUR COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE HISTORY OF HARPER COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

AT THEIR FEBRUARY 1ST, 2023 PUBLIC MEETING, THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDED THE PROPERTY BE DESIGNATED AS A HARPER COUNTY HISTORIC LANDMARK.

THE HORIZON COMMUNITY HOUSE RECENTLY COMPLETED EXTERIOR RESTORATION OF THE MACOMBS INSTITUTE.

AND IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN PASSED, AS YOU CAN SEE IN THOSE PICTURES, THEY'VE DONE A WONDERFUL JOB WITH THAT.

I'VE BEEN PAST A NUMBER OF TIMES AND ALWAYS MARVEL AT WHAT THEY'VE DONE WITH THE BUILDING, NOT NOW.

THE, UM, MACOMB I TWO BUILDING, LIKE I SAID,

[01:40:01]

THAT BUILDING TO FURTHER ITS MISSION OF PRESERVING AND INTERPRETING THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTY.

AND MR. BETSON AND I WOULD BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE ON THIS PROJECT.

UM, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

UM, DID YOU SAY IT WAS 1.1 0.023 ACRES? OKAY.

DISTRICT.

UH, COUNSEL, IT'S YOUR TIME FOR QUESTIONS, ANYONE, AND IF I MAY, I'D LIKE TO OPEN THE FLOOR FOR MR. THORNTON.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD, SIR? I'M BARNES IF YOU'D LIKE TO MAKE ANY COMMENTS.

DR.

BARNES? GOOD EVENING.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME FORWARD PLEASE? GOOD EVENING.

GOOD EVENING, MA'AM.

UH, YES.

THANK YOU FOR, UH, PRESENTATION, JACOB.

UM, THIS IS, UH, THIS PLACE IS PARTICULARLY SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE OF, UH, THE STORIES THAT IT TELLS ABOUT HARTFORD COUNTY DURING A TIME PERIOD THAT IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED RECONSTRUCTION PERIOD, THE TIME AFTER THE CIVIL WAR.

AND IT'S REALLY A TIME OF GROWTH FOR THE COMMUNITY AND FOR THE NATION.

AND SO IT'S VERY SIGNIFICANT THAT THESE THREE POLICE, UH, SITES WORK TOGETHER, PARTICULARLY THE CHURCH BECAUSE THE COMMUNITY, THE CHURCH COMMUNITY WAS SIGNIFICANT IN DEVELOPING THE SCHOOL.

SO IT REALLY TELLS AN IMPORTANT STORY OF HISTORIC SITES THAT ARE, SHALL WE SAY, UH, ENDANGERED, ENDANGERED SPECIES, UM, FRIEDMAN BUREAU OF SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES BUILT IN THAT TIME PERIOD.

SO WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AND FOR THE, A UNANIMOUS APPROVAL OF, UM, CONSIDERING THIS IS A HISTORIC DISTRICT.

THANK YOU, MS. BARNES OR DR.

BARNES.

UM, COUNSEL, UH, WE'VE GOT THIS ON THE AGENDA FOR AN ACTION ITEM THIS EVENING.

AND IF I MAY, CAN I HAVE A MOTION? PLEASE MAKE A MOTION.

MAY I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND.

IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED TO APPROVE, UM, THE HISTORIC LANDMARK FOR MACOMBS, THE VILLAGE.

UM, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION MS. DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT? AYE.

THERE'RE BEING SIX VOTES IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.

ZERO IN A NEGATIVE.

THE RESOLUTION 1623 IS HEREBY APPROVED DR.

BARNES GIFT.

DANIEL MY BEST.

HAVEN'T SEEN HIM IN A WHILE.

MR. JANO, PLEASE READ IN RESOLUTION 0 17 23.

AND SECTIONS 5 3 0 3 5 3 0 4 5 3 0 5 5 3 0 7 5 3 0 9 5 6 3 1 0 5 3 1 1 5 3 1 6 5 3 1 7 5 3 1 8 FORMULA AND DISCRETIONARY OPERATING AND CAPITAL GRANT PROGRAMS UNDER THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ACT DURING THE FISCAL YEAR.

RESOLUTION 17 DASH 23 AUTHORIZATION TRANSIT MTA GRANT APPLICATION INTRODUCED BY COUNTY COUNCIL PRESIDENT VINCENTIA AT THE REQUEST TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE TO FILE AN APPLICATION WITH THE MARYLAND TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION OF THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR S S T A P, STATEWIDE SPECIAL TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

AND FOR ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDS WHICH MAY BE AVAILABLE UNDER THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ACT DURING THE FISCAL YEAR, A PUBLIC HEARING IS NOT REQUIRED FOR THIS RESOLUTION.

THANK YOU MR. JANNO.

UH, COUNSEL THIS EVENING WE HAVE MR. SLIFKA WITH US.

MR. BUDZINSKI GENTLEMEN.

LOU, YOURS.

UM, COUNCIL PRESIDENT AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, I'M HERE TODAY TO ASK FOR, THIS IS AN ANNUAL, UM, REQUEST THAT WE MAKE FOR, UM, ANNUAL RESOLUTION THAT IF YOU GUYS ENDORSE IT WOULD ALLOW THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE TO GO TO THE STATE, UM, THE, UM, THE MARYLAND STATE, UM, TRANSPORTATION TO ALLOW US TO GET THE GRANTS WHICH WE NEED TO OPERATE WITH.

SO, JUST A LITTLE BACKGROUND.

THE MARYLAND TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION IS THE DESIGNATED RECIPIENT IN MARYLAND FOR THE GRANTS UNDER THE

[01:45:01]

FEDERAL TRANSIT ACT.

MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IS AUTHORIZED TO MAKE GRANTS TO COUNTIES AND TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT FOR MASS TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS.

THIS CONTRACT IS A FEDERAL GRANT.

FINANCIAL SYSTEMS WILL IMPOSE CERTAIN OBLIGATIONS UPON THE APPLICANT, INCLUDING THE PROVISIONS OF THE LOCAL SHARE, WHICH IS WHAT WE PAY IS USUALLY ANYWHERE FROM 10 TO 35% FOR THE LOCAL SHARE OFFER.

TRANSIT LINK IS A SUBRECIPIENT OF THE MPA AND THE RESOLUTION IS A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF THE GRANT GUIDELINES, GIVING HARFORD TRANSIT LINK, THE ABILITY TO APPLY FOR MULTIPLE OPERATING AND DISCRETIONARY FUNDING FOR OPERATION AND CAPITAL PROGRAMS UNDER THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ACT.

WE ARE REQUESTING THE ENDORSEMENT OF THE COUNTY COUNCIL AND THEN THE ENDORSEMENT OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE.

MR. SWIFT.

COULD MR. LINSKY YOU EVER ADD ANYTHING? NO, I'M GOOD.

UH, COUNSEL QUESTIONS? ANYONE? ALL RIGHT, GENTLEMEN.

THIS WILL BE TAKEN UP AT A FUTURE MEETING.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

YES, MR. JAN.

THANK YOU MR. PRESIDENT.

RESOLUTION 18 DASH 23 MASTER WATER AND SEWER PLAN UPDATE SPRING 2023 INTRODUCED BY COUNCILS PRESIDENT FENT AT THE REQUEST OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE, A RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR THE ADOPTION OF THE MASTER WATER AND SEWER PLAN.

SPRING 2023, UPDATE A COPY OF WHICH ATTACHED HERE TO AND FOR SUBMISSION OF THE PLAN TO THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT FOR ITS APPROVAL AND IMPLEMENTATION PURSUANT TO TITLE IX OF THE ENVIRONMENT.

A ARTICLE OF THE MARYLAND ANNOTATED CODE INTRODUCED READ FIRST TIME ORDER POSTED IN PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 4TH, 2023 AT 6:00 PM IN THESE COUNCIL CHAMBERS.

NEXT RESOLUTION, 19 DASH 23.

MS FOUR, FINANCIAL ASSURANCE PLAN 2023 INTRODUCED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT, BEEN SENT TO YOU THE REQUEST OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE, A RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR THE APPROVAL OF FINANCIAL ASSURANCE PLAN, A COPY OF WHICH ATTACHED HERE, TWO FOR THE HARFORD COUNTY NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM, PHASE ONE MUNICIPAL SEPARATE STORM SEWER SYSTEM PERMIT, AND FOR THE SUBMISSION OF THE PLAN TO THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT, ENVIRON AND ENVIRONMENT FOR ITS REVIEW INTRODUCED, READ FIRST TIME ORDER POSTED IN PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 4TH, 2023 AT 6:00 PM IN EAST COUNCIL CHAMBERS.

AGENDA NUMBER NINE, INTRODUCTION OF BILLS.

[9. INTRODUCTION OF BILLS]

UH, MR. VICE PRESIDENT, PLEASE READ BILLS 23 DASH ZERO SEVEN AND 23 DASH ZERO EIGHT.

THANK YOU MR. PRESIDENT.

BILL 23 DASH ZERO SEVEN APPROPRIATE SPECIAL PAYS INTRODUCED BY COUNSEL PRESIDENT VINCENTI AT THE REQUEST OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND ACT TO MAKE AN APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS FROM THE GENERAL FUND, THE HIGHWAYS FUND, AND THE WATER AND SEWER FUND FOR THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR TO PROVIDE THE NECESSARY FUNDS TO COVER ESTIMATED EXPENSES OCCURRING DURING FISCAL YEAR 2023 ATTRIBUTABLE TO ANTICIPATED RETIREMENTS INTRODUCED READ FIRST TIME ORDER POSTED IN PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 4TH, 2023 AT 6:00 PM IN EAST COUNCIL CHAMBERS.

BILL 23 DASH ZERO EIGHT RENAMING OF THE VETERANS COMMISSION INTRODUCED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT ENTI AT THE REQUEST OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE, AN ACT TO REPEAL AND REENACT WITH AMENDMENTS ARTICLE, UH, 12 JAMES V.

CAPTAIN JIM MCMAHON, COMMISSION ON VETERAN AFFAIRS OF PART TWO NON-BINDING ADVISORY BOARDS OF CHAPTER NINE, BOARDS, COMMISSIONS COUNSEL AND AGENCIES OF THE HARTFORD COUNTY CODE AS AMENDED TO RENAME THE COMMISSION AFTER SERGEANT ALFRED B HILTON AND GENERALLY RELATING TO THE COMMISSION OF ON VETERANS AFFAIRS.

INTRODUCED READ FIRST TIME ORDER POSTED AND PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 4TH, 2023 AT 6:00 PM IN EAST COUNCIL CHAMBERS.

THANK YOU SIR.

UH,

[10. INTRODUCTION AND CONSIDERATION OF AMENDMENTS]

AGENDA NUMBER 10, INTRODUCTION TO CONSIDERATION OF AMENDMENTS AMENDMENT.

GO AHEAD, MR. CADA AMENDMENT TO, UH, RESOLUTION DASH 0 0 2 DASH 23 HA.

GRACE, AN ANNEXATION ZONING WAIVER INTRODUCED BY COUNSEL PRESIDENT ENTI AMENDMENT NUMBER ONE ON THE TITLE PAGE AND THE INTRODUCTION STRIKE.

COUNCIL MEMBER BEN BENNETT AND QUOTATION MARKS THANK DUCTION LINES, SIR.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION MS. DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT? AYE.

MR. KEARNEY, MAY I HAVE A MOTION PLEASE? COUNCIL, PRESENT I MOVE TO APPROVE AMENDMENT ONE TO, TO RESOLUTION 0 0 2 DASH 23.

SECOND.

THANK YOU MR. GORIE.

IT'S BEEN MOVED A SECOND FOR THE AMENDMENT TO RESOLUTION 0 0 2 DASH 23.

[01:50:01]

MRS. BULLS AYE, BEING SIX VOTES IN THE AFFIRMATIVE ZERO AND NEGATIVE AMENDMENT, ONE TO RESOLUTION 0 0 2 DASH 23 IS HERE BY APPROVED

[11. CALL FOR FINAL READING OF BILLS]

AGENDA.

ITEM 11, CALL FOR FINAL READING OF BILLS.

WE HAVE NONE.

12 ENROLLMENT OF BILLS.

WE HAVE NONE.

13 UNFINISHED BUSINESS, WE HAVE NONE.

[14. NEW BUSINESS]

14 NEW BUSINESS.

UH, WE HAVE AN EXECUTIVE ORDER FROM COUNTY EXECUTIVE, UH, 23 DASH ZERO FIVE.

I HAVE MS. FOLEY HERE TO GIVE US SOME BACKGROUND ON THIS EXECUTIVE ORDER AND TO GO OVER HER, UH, ORG CHART AT THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE CENTER OVER.

SO THIS PARTICULAR EXECUTIVE BRING THAT MIC TO YOU.

THERE YOU GO.

THIS PARTICULAR EXECUTIVE ORDER IS TO REMOVE, UM, THE DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS UNDER THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE.

UM, SO IF YOU REMEMBER A WHILE BACK WE HAD A EXECUTIVE ORDER TO SEPARATE THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INTO, BACK INTO HOW IT WAS OFFICE OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

AND THEN BECAUSE OF THAT WE DECIDED TO, OR THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE DECIDED TO GET RID OF THE DEPARTMENT, UM, TO MAKE UP FOR THAT.

SO WE, HE MOVED THE DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS TO UNDER HIS STAFF, UM, CONSIDERING THEY WERE REPORTING TO HIM.

ANYWAY, SO THE ORG CHART I HAVE, UM, THE FIRST ONE IS FROM 2016 JUST TO SHOW HOW IT WAS BEFORE 2019, WHICH SHOWS THE COMBINING OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

AND THEN THE MOST RECENT ONE FROM THIS YEAR THAT SHOWS THE SEPARATION OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND GETTING RID OF THE GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS.

AND THEN THE LAST ONE IS JUST A FURTHER BREAKDOWN TO SHOW WHO IS NOW RECORDING.

THANK YOU, MS. FOLEY.

ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MS. FOLEY? UH, THIS EXECUTIVE ORDER REQUIRES NO ACTION FROM THE COUNCIL.

SO, UM, IF I MAY, MR. PRESIDENT, I JUST, I JUST WANNA THANK MS. FOLEY FOR, UH, THE PRESENTATION HERE.

UM, I KNOW THERE WAS A, A LOT OF DIFFERENT MOVING PARTS OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS WHEN THE NEW ADMINISTRATION TAKES AND, AND I SUPPORT THAT, UH, TO IMPROVE, UH, LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

AND, UH, THIS IS GONNA BE HELPFUL JUST TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND HOW IT ALL FLOWS.

SO THANK YOU.

UM, AGENDA NUMBER 17, WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO COMMENTS FROM ATTENDINGS.

AND THIS IS MS. DIXON, MR. PRESIDENT, WE HAVE FOUR THIS EVENING.

VERY GOOD.

GO AHEAD AND CALL YOUR FIRST SPEAKER, JOHN MALMO, FOLLOWED BY JANINE LACORE.

GOOD EVENING, SIR.

NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD, PLEASE, SIR.

LOWER BOUNDARY IS THE AMOUNT OF LAND AVAILABLE IN THE INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT, LESS LAND AREA AVAILABLE IN THE INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT, UPON WHICH THE COMMERCIAL OPERATION MAY BE CONDUCTED, THE LESS LAND AREA IN THE AG DISTRICT THAT MAY BE USED TO CONDUCT THEIR COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS.

JOHN PMO 24 0 2 EAGLEVIEW DRIVE.

ANY AIRPORT MUST BE PROPERLY LOCATED TO MEET ALL ZONING CODE REQUIREMENTS.

NOW, REVIEWING THE ART APPROACH AND LANDING PATHS, THE SINGLE LARGEST AND MOST CRITICAL ELEMENT OF THE COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS, WE NOTE THAT THERE ARE TWO REQUIREMENTS IN THE CODE.

NO MORE THAN 50% OF THE LAND UPON WHICH THE APPROACH AND LANDING PATHS ARE CONDUCTED MAY BE IN THE AG DISTRICT, THUS ESTABLISHING A ONE-TO-ONE RATIO BETWEEN AG AND INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS.

SECOND APPROACH AND LANDING PATHS MUST BE APPROVED BY THE MAA.

THE FIRST CRITICAL REQUIREMENT, THE FIXED FACTOR, IS A LAND AREA REQUIRED FOR M AA APPROVAL.

WE PREVIOUSLY CALCULATED THE AREA FROM THE APPROVED AIRPORT LAYOUT PLAN TO BE 1400 ACRES IN THE AG DISTRICT.

THAT MEANS THE AIRPORT MUST CONDUCT COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS ON 1400 ACRES IN THE INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT TO MAINTAIN THE ONE-TO-ONE RATIO.

REVIEWING THE AIRPORT, WE NOTE THAT THERE ARE 152 ACRES AT 35 38 AL DINO REVIEWING THE OPERATIONS EXHIBIT.

WE NOTE THE COMMERCIAL OPERATION IS CONDUCTED UPON 61 ACRES, 37 IN THE INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT, 23 IN THE AG.

THERE WOULD BE THEN 14 TOTAL ACRES TO MAINTAIN THE ONE-TO-ONE RATIO FOR APPROACH AND LANDING PATHS FOR MAA CONSIDERATION, CALCULATED OUT USING PREVIOUS FACTORS, THE APPROACH AND LANDING PATH WOULD HAVE A FINAL APPROACH LEG OF APPROXIMATELY 60 FEET AT EACH END OF THE RUNWAY.

SIMPLY STATED, THE LARGER THE LAND AREA UPON WHICH THE COMMERCIAL OPERATION IS CONDUCTED IN THE AAC DISTRICT, THE LARGER THE LAND AREA UPON WHICH THE COMMERCIAL OPERATION MUST BE CONDUCTED IN THE INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT.

THAT'S THE UPPER BOUNDARY.

THE

[01:55:01]

UPON.

IN BOTH CASES, THE AIRPORT OWNERS MUST HAVE EITHER AN OWNERSHIP INTEREST OR AN EASEMENT FOR THE USE OF THE PROPERTIES UNDER THE APPROACH AND LANDING PAS TO OBTAIN ZONING BOARD OF APPROVAL FOR ACCESS.

CONCLUDING IT IS MATHEMATICALLY AND PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE HARFORD COUNTY AIRPORT TO MEET ZONING CODE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE RELATIONSHIP OF COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS AND THE AG AND THE GI DISTRICTS, AND SIMULTANEOUSLY MEET REQUIREMENTS FOR MAA APPROVED APPROACH AND LANDING PATHS.

THE LAND AREA IS IN THE INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT UPON WHICH THE COMMERCIAL OPERATION IS CONDUCTED IS INSUFFICIENT.

ON A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NOTE.

THIS EXERCISE ALSO DEMONSTRATES THE CONTINUING NEED FOR ALGEBRA, TRIGONOMETRY, GEOMETRY, AND PERHAPS CALCULUS IN THE HIGH SCHOOL.

NOW, IF ANY OF YOU CONSIDER THIS DISCUSSION TO BE AN ERROR, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

GOOD NIGHT.

GOOD EVENING MA'AM.

NAME AND ADDRESS, PLEASE.

JANINE LACORE, 1820 PARK BEACH DRIVE IN PERRYMAN, UH, WAIT.

GREAT JOB TONIGHT, UH, PROVING THE MCCOMBS VILLAGE INSTITUTE HISTORIC DISTRICT.

SO THAT'S WONDERFUL, ESPECIALLY AS WE LOOK AT HARTFORD TWO 50 AND WE'RE, UM, LOTS OF BIG CELEBRATIONS ARE PLANNED ALL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, SO IT'S A REALLY EXCITING TIME FOR HARTFORD COUNTY.

AND BEFORE 1773, THE AREA THAT WE KNOW IS HARTFORD COUNTY WAS PART, UM, OR THE AREA THAT WE KNOW AS HARTFORD COUNTY TODAY WAS ORIGINALLY PART OF BALTIMORE COUNTY.

IN 1661, THE COUNTY SEAT WAS LOCATED AT OLD BALTIMORE, WHICH IS ON THE BUSH RIVER.

IN 1712, IT MOVED TO JOPPA IN 1768, THE COUNTY SEAT THEN MOVED TO BALTIMORE TOWN, WHICH WAS FIVE YEARS BEFORE HARFORD COUNTY BECAME RECOGNIZED AS A COUNTY.

SO HARFORD COUNTY HAS A NUMBER OF HISTORIC DESIGNATIONS, UM, DISTRICTS, AND AT THE STATE LEVEL, THERE'S ALSO A NUMBER OF PROPERTIES.

I PROVIDED A LOT OF INFORMATION FOR YOU AND, UM, HOPEFULLY YOU'LL HAVE A CHANCE TO REVIEW THAT AT SOME POINT.

I WANNA FOCUS ON TWO PROPERTIES.

UM, SPECIFICALLY ON THE HARFORD COUNTY LIST OF PROPERTIES, THERE ARE 70 PROPERTIES LISTED.

UM, 82.9% ARE LOCATED NORTH OF ROUTE 40 AND 17.1% ARE LOCATED SOUTH OF ROUTE 40.

ONE OF THEM IS ACTUALLY, UM, THEY IN PERRYMAN, WHICH IS THE SPIA CHURCH, VESTRY HOUSE AND CEMETERY.

AND ACCORDING TO, UM, THE HARTFORD COUNTY, UM, UM, HISTORICAL REPORT, HA 1 70 22, SINCE AT LEAST 1993, PERRYMAN HAS BEEN ELIGIBLE FOR HISTORICAL, UH, DESIGNATION, UM, AS A DISTRICT.

UM, AND THE COUNTY HASN'T DONE ANYTHING ABOUT THAT.

UM, A COUPLE OF THE OTHER THINGS I WANNA POINT OUT, UM, SPECIFICALLY ON MARYLAND'S NATIONAL REGISTER OF PROPERTIES, THERE'S 1500 PROPERTIES IN HARFORD COUNTY.

THERE'S 70, 76 PROPERTIES, 59 OR 77.6% ARE LOCATED NORTH OF ROUTE 40.

22.4% ARE LOCATED SOUTH OF ROUTE 40.

AND GIVEN THE HISTORICAL, UH, PROMINENCE OF THIS AREA, UM, SOUTH OF ROUTE 40, UM, IT JUST SEEMS DISPROPORTIONATE THAT WE DON'T HAVE MORE PROPERTIES IN THE, UM, SOUTH OF, UH, 40, PARTICULARLY IN THE PERIMAN, UM, PENINSULA.

UM, WE KNOW, UM, THERE WAS A LOT OF, THERE WERE 75,000 ACRES OF LAND TAKEN, UM, TO CREATE A PPG.

SO WE KNOW A LOT OF, UM, PROPERTIES ARE ON THAT, UM, ON APG AS WELL.

UM, BUT THERE'S A LOT OUTSIDE OF THE GATE THAT STILL IS IN EXISTENCE.

AND THERE'S TWO PROPERTIES TO LOOK AT, WHICH IS THE GRIFFITH HOUSE AND POPLAR HILL.

THE GRIFFITH HOUSE IS ON 1 11 20 OLD PHILADELPHIA ROAD.

UM, IT'S CURRENT STATUS IS EXTREM DISREPAIR AND NEG, UH, NEGLIGENT.

UM, IT'S ACTUALLY INHABITABLE.

UM, THE OTHER PROPERTY IS POPLAR HILL, WHICH IS, UM, UM, WAS A, UH, EXTREMELY IMPORTANT PROPERTY AND IT'S ACTUALLY NO LONGER IN EXISTENCE.

AND IT'S PLACE IS A FANATICS WAREHOUSE.

SO, UM, WE JUST HAVE THIS COMPLETE, UH, DEMOLITION OF HISTORIC PROPERTIES IN APPARENTLY.

THANK YOU, MA'AM.

TA TAMMY WAYNE WRIGHT, FOLLOWED BY JANINE KENDO.

[02:00:01]

CALL YOUR NEXT SPEAKER, JANINE CANNITO.

GOOD EVENING MA'AM.

NAME AND ADDRESS, PLEASE.

UM, JANINE CANNITO, 3 0 5 DUFFY COURT, FOREST HILL.

UM, I AM GOING TO TAKE AN EXTREME RIGHT TURN TO EVERYTHING THAT WE TALKED ABOUT TONIGHT.

I'M GONNA BE REFERENCING HARTFORD COUNTY CODE, PART TWO, GENERAL LEGISLATION CHAPTER 58.

UNDER ADULT ENTERTAINMENT.

IT PROVIDES VARIOUS DEFINITIONS AS TO WHAT CONSTITUTES ADULT ENTERTAINMENT AND ITS DIFFERENT FORMS. AND ADULT BOOKSTORE IS DEFINED AS A COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENT THAT SELLS OR RENTS, BOOKS, MAGAZINES, ET CETERA, AND OTHER VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS THAT DESCRIBE OR DEPICT A SEXUAL ACT OR DEPICT HUMAN GENITALIA AND A STATE OF SEXUAL AROUSAL.

POTENTIAL OWNERS OF THESE KINDS OF BOOKSTORES NEED TO BE OVER 18, AS DO THEIR EMPLOYEES BECAUSE, DUH, WE WANNA PROTECT CHILDREN FROM THIS KIND OF CONTENT.

UM, ALSO, ADULT BOOKSTORES CANNOT BE WITHIN A THOUSAND FEET OF A HOUSE OF THE WORSHIP PUBLIC OR PRIVATE ELEMENTARY, SECONDARY SCHOOL OR CHILDCARE FACILITY.

AND VIOLATED ONE IS GUILTY OF MISDEMEANOR AND SUBJECTED TO FINE OR IMPRISONMENT.

WHAT I ASK IS, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CODES DETERMINING ADULT ENTERTAINMENT IN HARFORD COUNTY AND WHAT'S DEEMED ACCCE, YOU KNOW, ACCEPTABLE IN OUR SCHOOL CLASSROOMS AND LIBRARIES? WHAT WE ALLOW IN SCHOOLS IS IN A DIRECT CONTRADICTION, JUST COMMON SENSE, QUITE FRANKLY.

I HAVE COPIES OF, UM, SOME PAGES IN BOOKS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN OUR SCHOOL LIBRARIES AND CLASSROOMS, AND I WILL PROVIDE THOSE TO YOU AFTER THE MEETING.

AND I'M GONNA WARN YOU, FEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

I AM OPTIMISTIC BECAUSE I HAVE SEEN THE CURRENT COUNCIL DEMONSTRATING MORE PARENTAL SUPPORT AS EVIDENCED BY, UM, COUNCILMAN PENMAN AND GUTHRIE A ATTENDING MELISSA HANS, THE NEW BOARD NE MEMBERS, UM, TOWN HALL.

HOWEVER, WE NEED A LOT MORE FROM ALL OF YOU.

I LOOKED AT THE LIST OF BILLS INTRODUCED BY THE COUNTY COUNCIL OVER THE YEARS, AND UNFORTUNATELY FEW, IF NONE, GO BEYOND FIRE HYDRANTS, BUDGET AND ZONING ISSUES.

I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHICH OF YOU SITTING UP THERE HAVE THE KONES TO ESSENTIALLY STAND UP TO THE TEACHER'S UNION.

AND THUS THE STATE BOARD OF ED, WHO CLEARLY THINKS THEY ARE UNTOUCHABLE.

STATE SUPERINTENDENT MOHAMED CHA CHAUDRY IS DEMONSTRATING QUALITIES OF A DICTATOR.

HE'S ANGRY BECAUSE HIS SEXUAL EDUCATION FRAMEWORK IS STALLING IN COMMITTEES.

UH, AN AMENDED BILL WAS SUBMITTED, WHICH BASICALLY GIVES HIM COMPLETE AUTHORITY OVER WHAT IS BEING TAUGHT.

ALTHOUGH PARENTS LOCALLY CAN'T SEEM TO GET THAT INFORMATION FROM THE LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION.

MA'AM, PLEASE BRING YOUR COMMENTS TO A CLOSE.

UM, ALL OF OUR KIDS ARE PAYING THE PRICE FOR THIS, AND WE DO EXPECT YOU GUYS TO INTERVIEW.

THANK YOU, MA'AM, FOR YOUR COMMENTS.

THEY ARE, WE'RE SPEAKERS, MR. PRESIDENT, SO WE'LL GO TO 16 BUSINESS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS.

MR. GUTHRIE.

UH, THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT.

I'LL TRY TO BE BRIEF CAUSE WE HAVE A LATE NIGHT.

UH, AS YOU KNOW, THAT'S ALWAYS DIFFICULT.

ANYWAY, UH, I ATTENDED THE, THE, THE, THE PERRYMAN COMMUNITY TOWN HALL MEETING AT THE, UH, UM, UH, AT THE SOUTHERN PRECINCT POLICE STATION, UH, ALONG WITH, UM, UH, PRESIDENT VICENTE AND, AND, UH, UH, JIM RILEY.

AND ALSO OUR ATTORNEY WAS ALSO PRESENT.

AND, UH, I CERTAINLY PROVIDED A LOT OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE ISSUE AT, UH, AT PERRYMAN.

AND, UH, UH, I, I WAS SURPRISED THAT, UH, THE TURNOUT, CUZ I'VE BEEN, I'VE PROBABLY BEEN TO, TO MY DISTRICT.

AND, UM, ANOTHER REASON I CAME, AND I'VE PROBABLY BEEN TO A HUNDRED MEETINGS OR MORE IN THAT FACILITY, IN THAT BUILT IN THAT ROOM BECAUSE ALL THE EDGEWOOD AND THE JOB OF TOWN COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEETINGS ARE HELD IN THAT ROOM.

AND, UH, UH, I, I CAN TELL YOU THAT THAT'S THE LARGEST CROWD I'VE EVER SEEN IN THAT ROOM.

AND THEY

[02:05:01]

HAD TO TAKE OUT ALL THE TABLES IN THERE TO PUT IN CHAIRS BECAUSE THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE.

UM, SO I, I WAS GLAD FOR ALL THAT INFORMATION.

AND, UH, THEY, THEY, THEY HAD, UH, THAT WERE PRESENTING SOME OF THE INFORMATION TO ALL THE PEOPLE.

UH, KIM JOHNSON IS THE CHIEF TRAFFIC, UM, OPERATING ENGINEER FOR THE STATE.

WE HAD THE MARYLAND, UH, EXCUSE ME, FROM THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, ALSO SERGEANT JOE, UH, SCHULTZ FROM THE HAR COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, AND ALSO LIEUTENANT, UM, TIM MULLEN.

UH, HE'S A BARRACKS COMMANDER FOR MARYLAND STATE POLICE.

SO THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTION AND ANSWERS AND STARTED ABOUT 6 34 TO SEVEN.

AND IT WAS O IT DIDN'T, IT WENT TILL ABOUT NINE O'CLOCK.

SO THERE WAS A LOT DONE.

UM, ALSO, UH, UH, MYSELF AND JIM RILEY ATTENDED THE, THE, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE TOUR IN THE SOUTHERN PRECINCT.

WE, WE WENT THROUGH THE WHOLE OFFICE AND IT CERTAINLY CHANGED A LOT.

AND REMEMBER I WAS ON THE COUNCIL BEFORE, UH, WE VOTED ON AND, AND GOT, UH, THE, THE BUILDING PUT UP WHILE I WAS ON THE COUNCIL ON 20 FROM 2002, 2014.

SO IT WAS MY FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY GO THROUGH IT AND SEE THE CHANGES.

AND IT'S, UH, IT'S, UH, UM, IT'S OUTSTANDING BUILDING, OUTSTANDING MATERIAL.

THEY HAVE, UH, THE COUNTY'S DONE A GREAT JOB TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY FUND THE, UH, SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, UH, UM, BECAUSE I'LL TELL YOU, I WOULDN'T WANT TO GO, UH, UP AGAINST THOSE GUYS WITH A 22 OR ANYTHING AFTER I'VE SEEN SOME OF THE MATERIAL, SOME OF THE STUFF THAT, UH, THEY HAVE.

AND THEY, THEY, UH, THEY'LL LET ME USE THE GUN TO GO UP AND DO A, YOU KNOW, A VIDEO.

DID YOU? WHAT A BAD GUY.

YOU KNOW, I SHOT THE BAD GUY, BUT THEY SAID IT DIDN'T MATTER CAUSE I HIT HIM IN THE NECK.

BUT HIS, HIS FORCE OF RUNNING TOWARD ME WITH A KNIFE WOULD'VE KILLED ME ANYWAY, SO I DIED.

UM, UH, WE ALSO ATTENDED ATHENA, UM, AWARDS, UM, RECOGNIZING, UH, THE TOP WOMEN IN, IN THE COUNTY, UH, UM, UH, MR. PENMAN AND, AND, UH, UH, UH, ENTI WERE, WERE THERE.

AND I, I JUST WANTED TO BRING THAT UP BECAUSE THE, UH, LADY WHO GOT, UM, WHO, WHO WON IT, UH, I IS ACTUALLY FROM, FROM THE EDGEWOOD AREA, AND IT'S DR.

ANDRE MOUNTAIN CAMPBELL.

UH, SHE'S THE FOUNDER OF THE DIRECTOR OF, UH, MULLER MENTIONED WELLNESS.

HE ALSO, SHE HAS BEEN AWARDED THE, UH, UH, STATE OF MARYLAND GOVERNOR CITATION ACHIEVEMENT FOR MEDAL FOR, UH, UH, UH, CIVIL SERVICE AND THE DR.

LUTHER KING DRUM AWARD FOR RAY RONALD COUNTY.

SHE'S AN AFRICAN AMERICAN.

AND, UH, I THINK THE, UH, UH, AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE PROUD TO HAVE HER PICKED AS THE TOTHE AWARD.

UH, WINNER, UH, ATTENDED THE, UH, LEVEL FIRE HOME.

MY JOB WAS TO GO TO LEVEL FIRE.

ALL THE FIRE COMPANIES, YOU KNOW, ARE GIVING THEIR AWARDS AND ALL THAT.

SO, UH, UH, UH, I, I WENT TO THAT, THEIR ANNIVERSARY BA UH, BANQUET UP IN, UP IN LEVEL.

AND, AND, UH, THE REST OF 'EM WERE ON TO DIFFERENT, UH, LEVEL, UH, DIFFERENT FIRE HALLS FOR THE SAME THING.

UH, ALSO LAST NIGHT I ATTENDED THE, UH, PUBLIC HEARING, UH, FOR THE, FOR THE TOLL RATE AND THE PROCESS FOR THE NORTHBOUND EXTENSION.

THE I 95 WAS A A A BASICALLY A TOWN HALL AT CHABA TOWN HIGH SCHOOL.

I WAS, I WAS SO SURPRISED BECAUSE I REMEMBER WAY BACK WHEN THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT BUILDING AN EXTENDING 95, PARTICULARLY THERE AT 1 52 AND, UH, 95, WHERE REALLY THE BULK OF THE CONSTRUCTION IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW, THAT, UH, UH, TALKING 10 YEARS AGO OR SOMETHING, THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT IT AND EVERYBODY WAS ALL EXCITED ABOUT IT.

WE HAD ALL KIND OF MEETINGS, ALL KIND OF PEOPLE TURNED OUT, WELL, THEY HAD THIS, UH, THEY PUT ON THE, UH, THEIR DOG AND PONY SHOW, UH, AT CHAPPA TOWN HIGH SCHOOL.

THEY HAD ALL, MCC TIER HAD 20 SOME PEOPLE WHO PUT ON THIS, THEY HAD THE, UH, PEOPLE WHO ALL, WHO, UH, WORKED FOR THE MTA WHO WERE ON THAT BOARD.

THEY WERE ALL THERE.

THEY WERE SITTING UP FRONT.

THERE WAS ABOUT EIGHT OR 10 OF THEM.

AND PEOPLE SIGNED EVERYBODY IN, YOU KNOW, UH, THAT WERE GONNA TESTIFY.

WELL, LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING.

IT WAS EMBARRASSING, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY PEOPLE SHOWED UP AT THAT HEARING? THREE.

AND I WAS ONE OF THEM, .

SO MANY THREE PEOPLE SHOWED UP FOR THAT BIG HEARING AND ALL THAT STUFF THAT THEY BROUGHT FORWARD.

UH, I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT.

UM, UH, I GUESS THEY'RE HAPPY WITH WHAT'S GOING ON IN 95, I GUESS.

UM, AND, AND IN, UM, IN CLOSING, ONE OF THE LIGHTER ON THE LIGHTER, UH, AVENUE, UM, I JUST THOUGHT, I I, I MENTIONED SOMETHING TO ALL MY REPUBLICAN FRIENDS BECAUSE, UH, THERE'S A, THERE'S A SENATOR IN FLORIDA, OKAY? A REPUBLICAN SENATOR IN FLORIDA WHO'S FILED THE BILL TO OUTLAW THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN HARFORD, I MEAN IN HARFORD

[02:10:01]

COUNTY, IN, UH, IN FLORIDA.

AND THAT IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE.

IT'S NOT A JOKE.

IT'S SENATE BILL 1 2 48.

IT'S CALLED THE ULTIMATE CANCEL ACT.

AND THIS GUY'S NAME IS BLAZE ENZO, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

I THINK HE'S AN ITALIAN.

HE'S RELATED TO, UH, TONY OVER HERE.

I THINK, UH, THEY, THEY'VE BEEN REACH THAT BILL AND, UH, GOD KNOWS WHERE I WAS GOING TO GO, BUT I WOULD EXPECT THAT.

UH, AND THEN I HAD PAT ASK PAT A QUESTION.

HE DIDN'T KNOW THE ANSWER AFTER, UNTIL I TOLD HIM, WHO HERE KNOWS WHO THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES FROM THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WAS? ANYBODY WANNA HOLLER IT OUT? NO, WE DON'T WANNA HOLLER OUT IN THE CHAMBERS.

, YOU'RE KIDDING.

NOBODY HERE KNOWS WHO THE FIRST REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES WAS.

LINCOLN, WHAT'S THAT? LINCOLN.

LINCOLN, DID YOU SAY? I DID.

YOU'RE RIGHT.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN, BELIEVE IT OR NOT.

THANK YOU, MR. GUTHRIE.

WHAT'S THAT? HO, HO, HO, HO, HO.

MR. PENMAN, I GIVE YOU A BOTTLE OF WATER FOR WINNING , MR. PENMAN.

UM, I HAVE A FEW THINGS TO DISCUSS.

UH, I WAS READING AN ARTICLE, UH, TWO DAYS AGO REGARDING THE, THE CITY OF ATLANTA.

AND IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH DEMOCRAT AND REPUBLICAN PARTIES, THOUGH, UH, WHO INITIALLY DEFUNDED POLICE.

AND NOW THEY HAVE APPROVED SPENDING 90 MILLION ON A POLICE TRAINING CENTER.

ACCORDING TO REPORTS, ATLANTA APPROVED THE NEW TRAINING FACILITY TO BOOST MORALE AND APPROVED HIRING AND RETENTION ISSUES, AND TO IMPROVE THE TRAINING FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT.

UNFORTUNATELY, A DOMESTIC TERRORIST SET CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT ON FIRE THIS WEEK TO THAT TRAINING FACILITY, BUT IT'S STILL ON SCHEDULE.

UH, AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, I'VE ADVOCATED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS FOR THE COUNTY EXECUTIVES MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PREVIOUSLY APPROVED AND FUNDED HARFORD COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE TRAINING CENTER IN NEW PRECINCT IN THE CENTRAL, UM, WHICH WAS, UH, MUCH, MUCH CHEAPER THAN, UH, LAND'S, UH, TRAINING CENTER.

I'M ENCOURAGED BY RECENT CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE THAT THE PROJECT MAY BE MOVING FORWARD.

MY HOPE IS THE PROJECT IS, UH, REINITIATED AND THAT THE CONSTRUCTION, UH, OR MUCH NEEDER RENOVATIONS ARE EXPEDITED SO THAT THE COMMUNITY CAN BE BETTER SERVED BY IMPROVED POLICE RESPONSE FROM THE NEW PRECINCT AND ENHANCED TRAINING FOR OUR DEPUTIES IN REFERENCE TO TERM LIMITS.

MYSELF AND COUNCILWOMAN VOLES HAVE SUBMITTED THE PAPERWORK TO BEGIN THE PETITION FOR LOCAL REFERENDUM TO ESTABLISH TERM LIMITS FOR HARFORD COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBERS.

WE WILL BEGIN SOON ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT 10,000 SIGNATURES SO THAT VOTERS CAN DECIDE IF THEY WANT TERM LIMITS ON THE BALLOT, UH, DURING THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

SO STAY TUNED ON HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IF YOU'RE INTERESTED.

UH, I WANT TO THANK THE HARVARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL BUDGET TEAM FOR SITTING DOWN WITH MYSELF AND MY CITIZEN BUDGET ADVISOR, BROOKE SCHERZER.

UH, WE WERE ABLE TO ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL BUDGET PROCESS SO THAT I CAN BE BETTER PREPARED GOING FORWARD ON THE UPCOMING BUDGET PROCESS.

AND FINALLY, CONCERNING THE CHICKEN LEGISLATION, MYSELF AND JESSICA BLAKE, WHO'S HERE, ALSO MET WITH THE DIRECTORS OF PLANNING AND ZONING.

UH, MR. SHANE GRIMM WAS HERE EARLIER AND LICENSING PERMITTING TO FINALIZE THE CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE FUTURE CHICKEN LEGISLATION.

WE WILL BE WRAPPING UP SOME OF THE LANGUAGE AND LOGI LOGISTICAL ISSUES, BUT HOPE TO HAVE A BILL PRODUCED, UH, OR INTRODUCED, UH, WITHIN A MONTH.

AND WITH THAT, THAT'S ALL I HAVE, MR. PRESIDENT.

THANK YOU, MR. PENMAN.

MR. JAN, UH, COUNCIL PRESIDENT.

I PASSED.

I LOVE IT, MR. RILEY.

I JUST GOT A COUPLE THINGS.

UH, I DID ATTEND THE LAW ENFORCEMENT, UH, GRADUATION, AND, UH, I WISH THE 30 MEN AND WOMEN THERE, UH, SAFETY AND, AND DOING THEIR JOB.

ALSO, WE TOOK A TOUR OF THE SHERIFF'S FACILITY AS THE COUNCILMAN FROM UH, A SAID HE SHOT EVERYTHING THAT MOVED.

SO, UH, HOPEFULLY WE DON'T GIVE HIM A GUN.

I TOLD EARLIER, UH, CORA BROOK, YOU GOTTA WATCH OUT BECAUSE SHE WAS THE SHARP SHOOTER THERE.

UH, HEATHER DIDN'T DO TOO BAD EITHER.

UM, AND THEN I HAD A MEETING WITH BILL AMOS AND, AND JEN WILSON FROM PLANNING AND ZONING ABOUT THE AGRICULTURE PRESERVATION.

THAT'S ALL.

THANK YOU, MR. RILEY.

MS. SADDLES.

I JUST HAVE ONE UPDATE.

UM, I'LL BE BRIEF.

THE COMMUNITY INPUT MEETING FOR PROPOSED SECOND PHASE OF EVA MAR TOOK PLACE ON FEBRUARY 27TH.

I DID HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET DIRECTLY WITH SEVERAL RESIDENTS OF THE COMMUNITY PRIOR TO OUR MEETING.

UM, IT'S OF GREAT CONCERN TO THE COMMUNITY.

THE DEVELOPERS PROPOSED USE OF AN EXISTING PLAN FOR AN N R D BUMP UP THAT WOULD ALLOW THE DEVELOPER TO UTILIZE SMALLER LOT SIZES, WHICH WOULD ALLOW FOR MORE UNITS, AND THAT WOULD BE DIFFERENT THAN THE HOUSING PRODUCT THAT WAS IN THE FIRST PHASE.

UM, I SHARE THIS CONCERN AND, UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO THE PUBLIC HEARING ON BILL 23 DASH 0 0 6 THAT I'VE CO-SPONSORED WITH COUNCILMAN GUTHRIE.

UM, I BELIEVE IT WILL ADDRESS THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT OF THE SECOND PHASE OF EVA MAR.

AND THAT'S ALL.

UH, AGENDA ITEM 15, BUSINESS FROM THE PRESIDENT.

THANK YOU MS.

[15. BUSINESS FROM THE PRESIDENT]

SADDLES.

[02:15:01]

I MEAN, AS I I SAY ALL THE TIME, YOU CAN HEAR FROM THEIR COMMENTS.

UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE OUT AND ABOUT EVERY DAY.

UM, I TOO DID ATTEND THE THREE P TOWN HALL.

FOUND IT VERY INTERESTING.

UH, JEANIE AND I HAD THE PLEASURE TO READ, UH, TO THE FIFTH GRADE CLASS AT DARLINGTON ELEMENTARY THIS WEEK.

UH, WE DID ATTEND THE ATHENA AWARDS AS COUNCILMAN GUTHRIE TALKED ABOUT.

HE FORGOT TO MENTION MS. KUO, THE WINNER OF THE YOUNG PROFESSIONAL AWARD.

IT'S AN OUTSTANDING EVENT, HIGHLIGHTS AND JUST, UH, DOES AN OUTSTANDING JOB TO, UH, HIGHLIGHT THE WOMEN IN OUR COUNTY AND THEIR STRENGTH.

AND I THINK THE WORD THEY USED, UH, DR.

FELDER USED WAS FIERCE.

AND YES, THE LADIES ARE FIERCE.

UH, SO CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THEM.

UH, HAD THE PLEASURE TO ATTEND THE HARFORD COUNTY AFRICAN-AMERICANS CAUCUS, UH, MEETING SATURDAY.

UM, SAT IN A HOT SEAT FOR ABOUT 40 MINUTES, BUT IT WASN'T TOO AWFUL BAD.

I LOOK FORWARD TO GOING AGAIN.

ATTENDED THE HARFORD COUNTY FARM, OUR BUREAU, UH, BULL ROAST, UH, WITH COUNCILMAN PENMAN, UM, AND COUNCILMAN RILEY.

UM, AND THEN ALSO, UM, UH, MS. HARRIS WENT IN MY STAY FOR THE LEVEL VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY'S 70TH ANNIVERSARY, AND I APPRECIATE HER DOING THAT.

UM, FROM TIME TO TIME, WE GET CALLS FROM CITIZENS THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE, THE ANSWERS FOR.

SO WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING TO REACH OUT TO PARTNERS, UH, HERE WITH US.

AND ONE THAT RECENTLY I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REACH OUT TO WAS A VETERANS COMMISSION.

UH, HAD A FAMILY OR A CITIZEN CALL ME IN REFERENCE TO A CONCERN FOR A FAMILY.

UH, HER HUSBAND WAS MILITARY PASSED AWAY AND THEY WERE HAVING DIFFICULTY FINDING HIS DDT DD TWO 14 PAPERS, AND THEY COULD NOT GET HOOKED UP WITH THE FUNERAL HOME.

SO I RIGHT AWAY REACHED OUT TO COLONEL BROWN, UH, FROM THE VETERANS COMMISSION.

HE WAS ABLE TO TAKE THE CALL AND, UH, WORK WITH MRS. HUBBARD TO GET THE INFORMATION NEEDED.

AND THE, I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT MR. HUBBERT WAS LAID TO REST YESTERDAY AT THE MARYLAND STATE, UH, VETERANS CEMETERY IN CROWNSVILLE.

SO YOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOU'RE GONNA NEED TO GET THINGS DONE.

IT'S NOT JUST US.

WE HAVE LONG TENTACLES THAT REACH A LONG WAY TO GET THINGS DONE.

AND THEN LASTLY, UM, JEANIE AND I WANNA EXPRESS OUR DEEPEST CONDOLENCES TO THE COWDEN FAMILY AND FRIENDS ON THE PASSING OF HENRY COWDEN AT THE AGE OF 94, UH, PASSED AWAY AT HOME PEACEFULLY.

HANK SERVED AS AN AND MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL GUARD US AIR FORCE AND AS A RADAR OBSERVER, HE ALSO WAS A SCOUT MASTER FOR TROOP 9 66 AND HAVE ST.

PATRICK'S CHURCH FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

AND MOST NOTABLY, HE'S THE GRANDSON OF THE FAME CARVER, JOSEPH COWDEN FROM AIKEN, MARYLAND.

MANY OF YOU PROBABLY NEVER HEARD OF AIKEN, MARYLAND, UH, BUT, UH, JUST, UH, OUTSTANDING CARVER IN HIS TIME.

AND, UM, HANK WAS EXTREMELY PROUD OF HIS GRANDFATHER.

SO WE ASKED YOU TO ALL TO KEEP THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS IN YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS.

AND WITH THAT, WE'LL RETURN THE MEETING.