Dec 09, 2025 County Council

[1. CALL TO ORDER ]

[00:00:18]

PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. HOLD ON. LET US PRAY. DEAR LORD, THANK YOU FOR THIS. A DAY THAT WE HAVE. EVERY BREATH WE TAKE IS A GIFT FROM YOU. THANK YOU LORD, FOR NO MATTER WHAT WE FACE. WITH YOUR HELP, WE'LL BE ABLE TO ENDURE, OVERCOME AND PREVAIL. I THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR STRENGTH AND THE ENERGY THAT WILL SUSTAIN OUR DAYS, YOUR WISDOM THAT WILL GUIDE US, AND YOUR PEACE THAT WILL FILL US.

WE ASK ALL THESE THINGS IN YOUR NAME. AMEN. AMEN. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN RILEY. FIVE

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

SECOND. THANK YOU, MR. GIORDANO. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED TO APPROVE THE APPOINTMENT. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? MISS EMHOFF? I JUST WANT TO THANK THE HARFORD COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY AND THE COUNCIL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. WHEN IT WAS PRESENTED DURING OUR LAST BUDGET HEARING, THAT THERE WAS A DESIRE FROM THE COMMUNITY TO HAVE MORE TRANSPARENCY AND REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE COUNCIL. I HAPPILY SUBMITTED MY APPLICATION. NOT ONLY IS THE HARFORD COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY IN MY HOME DISTRICT, BUT MY FAMILY HAS A LONG HISTORY OF ADOPTING ANIMALS FROM THE HUMANE SOCIETY AND SUPPORTING THEM, SO I'M HAPPY TO DO SO ON BEHALF OF THE COUNTY COUNCIL. THANK YOU, MISS EMHOFF. ANYONE ELSE? MR. BENNETT? YEAH. I JUST WANTED TO ECHO THOSE REMARKS OF HOW HAPPY I AM TO SEE THIS HAPPENING. IT'S SOMETHING THAT, AS AN ENTIRE COUNCIL, WE FELT STRONGLY THAT OUR VOICE BELONGED IN THAT ROOM. BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THERE IS A VOICE FOR THE GOVERNMENT, BUT NOT NECESSARILY FOR THE COUNCIL.

AND IT'S REALLY HELPFUL FOR US TO HAVE SUCH A GREAT REPRESENTATIVE IN MISS EMHOFF IN THOSE SPACES AND IN THOSE MEETINGS, SO THAT WE KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE HUMANE SOCIETY. SO THANK YOU FOR DOING IT. ANYONE ELSE, MISS DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT. HI, MRS. ROBERT.

HI, MRS. EMHOFF. HI, MR. GIORDANO. HI, MR. RILEY. HI, MRS. HI, MR. BENNETT. I BEING SEVEN VOTES IN AFFIRMATIVE, ZERO IN THE NEGATIVE. THE APPOINTMENT IS HEREBY APPROVED.

EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT. MAY I HAVE A MOTION, PLEASE? COUNCIL PRESIDENT, I MOVE TO APPROVE THE APPOINTMENT OF SPENCER. EBON MAY HAVE A SECOND. SECOND.

THANK YOU, MR. RILEY. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED TO APPROVE THE APPOINTMENT OF FOR MR. EBON.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? IF I MAY, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET SPENCER AND HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH HE AND MR. OVERBAY, AND I THOUGHT HE PRESENTED EXTREMELY WELL. HAS A VERY. LONG RESUME, AND I. I BELIEVE HE WILL DO A VERY GOOD JOB FOR HARFORD COUNTY. SO I WILL ABSOLUTELY BE SUPPORTING HIM. ANYONE ELSE, MISS ROBERT? I TOO WANT TO ECHO COUNCIL PRESIDENT VICENTE'S STATEMENTS, BECAUSE IT WAS A NICE MEETING THAT WE HAD GOT TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOU, AND I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO BE PERFECT. SO THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE? MR. GIORDANO, I DIDN'T GET TO MEET HIM, BUT I DID CHAT WITH HIM FOR ABOUT 15 OR 20 MINUTES, ASKED HIM A COUPLE QUESTIONS THAT I THOUGHT W GAVET ANSWERS. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, HIS TENURE DOWN AT JOHNS HOPKINS. AND ONE OF THE REASONS I WANTED TO KNOW WAS WHY UP HERE AND HE'S LIVED IN HARFORD COUNTY, WHICH TO US IS IS PRETTY IMPORTANT CLOSE TO WORK. AND I THINK HE ACTUALLY SAID LESS BUREAUCRATIC HERE THAN IT IS DOWN THERE. SO BUT, YOU KNOW, SO I WISH HIM THE BEST. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MISS DIXON. MR. PRESIDENT, MRS. ROBERT, MRS. EMHOFF, MR. GIORDANO, MR. RILEY. MRS. HI. MR. BENNETT, I THERE BEING

[00:05:04]

MR. ABRAHAM, PLEASE STAND TO BE RECOGNIZED. THANK YOU. CITIZENS NURSING HOME BOARD OF DIRECTORS, MAY I HAVE A MOTION, PLEASE? COUNCIL PRESIDENT, I MOVE TO APPROVE THE APPOINTMENT OF MARY R JONES TO THE CITIZENS CARE NURSING HOME BOARD OF DIRECTORS. THANK YOU. MAY HAVE A SECOND.

SECOND. THANK YOU. MR. RILEY MOVED AND SECONDED TO APPROVE MISS JONES TO THE NURSING HOME BOARD OF DIRECTORS. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? MR. BENNETT, I JUST WANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT MISS JONES HAS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF RELEVANT EXPERIENCE, BOTH PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY, THAT, I THINK, MAKES HER A REALLY VALUABLE ASSET TO CITIZENS CARE, WHICH IS AN AMAZING FACILITY WHICH, IF ANYONE DIDN'T SEE, JUST GOT TREMENDOUS NEWS AND BEING RECOGNIZED FOR THEIRAND SUPPORT. THANK YOU, MR. BENNETT. ANYONE ELSE? MISS DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT? HI, MRS. ROBERT. HI, MRS. EMHOFF. HI, MR. GIORDANO. HI, MR. RILEY. HI, MRS. HI, MR. BENNETT. I THERE BEING SEVEN VOTES IN AFFIRMATIVE, ZERO NEGATIVE. THE APPOINTMENT IS HEREBY APPROVED. IS MISS JONES WITH US THIS EVENING? MISS JONES, WOULD YOU PLEASE STAND AND BE RECOGNIZED? THANK YOU. DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD MAY HAVE A MOTION. PLEASE. COUNCIL PRESIDENT, I MOVE TO APPROVE THENT OF PAMELA SMITH AND THE NEW APPOINTMENT OF MICHELLE PARNIA AND PAUL BEAULIEU TO THE HARFORD COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD. THANK YOU. MAY HAVE A SECOND, PLEASE. SECOND.

THANK YOU, MR. GINGER. IT'S BEEN MOVED IN SECOND TO APPROVE THE REAPPOINTMENT AND NEW APPOINTMENTS. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION, MISS ROBERT, I AM ONCIAL SERVICES ADV BOARD. SO I JUSTANT TO SAY WELCOME TO MICHELLE CAMPAGNA AND PAUL BAGLIO. AND AGAIN, WELCOME BACK PAMELA SMITH. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE? MISS DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT HI, MRS. ROBERT. HI, MRS. EMHOFF. HI, MR. GIORDANO. HI, MR. RILEY. MRS. HI, MR. BENNETT, I SEVEN VOTES IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, ZERO NEGATIVE. THE APPOINTMENTS ARE HEREBY APPROVED. ARE ANY OF THESE FOLKS IN THE AUDIENCE WITH US? THANK YOU SIR. SIX SPECIAL

[ 6. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS ]

[00:10:03]

AND I'M, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY STILL UNCOVERING THINGS FROM FROM THIS LAST ONE. AND SO ACTUALLY FOR US, THE INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING. A LOT'S COME OUT, BUT IT FEELS EVERY TIME WE TURN A CORNER THERE'S MORE TO LEARN. AND SO BY THE END OF THIS, WHAT I THINK YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE PUBLICLY IS WE WILL PUBLISH PROCEDURES PARTICULARLY, YOU KNOW, MANY OF THE PRACTICES WE FOLLOW AREN'T NECESSARILY PUBLISHED. BUT, YOU KNOW, ONE THING I DO APPRECIATE USING IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IS OUR ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES THAT PROVIDE TRANSPARENCY TO PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND HOW, YOU KNOW, HOW WE FOLLOW THINGS. THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY POLICY, BUT IT DOES EXPLAIN, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE PUBLIC CAN EXPECT FROM US IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, BEHAVIOR AROUND THESE ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITIES. SO. YOU KNOW, THAT'S THAT'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON NOW. AND LIKE I SAID, I HOPE TO SEE FAIRLY QUICKLY MODIFIED PROCEDURES THAT, YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE COMMUNITY CAN SEE, YOU KNOW, AND AS THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES, I MEAN, THERE WILL BE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR WHAT HAPPENED HERE. BUT AS THAT HAPPENS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALWAYS A CALL FOR, YOU KNOW, WHO GOT PUNISHED, WHO GOT THAT.

THAT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WILL EVER BE REVEALED, BECAUSE THAT'S NOT WHAT WE DO IN PERSONNEL MATTERS. BUT, YOU KNOW, I GENERALLY SHARE WITH THE BOARD. SO THEY HAVE A SENSE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE WORK'S BEEN DONE AND THERE'S ACCOUNTABILITY THERE, BUT THAT'S NOT SOMETHING PUBLIC. AND I KNOW OFTEN YOU GET PEOPLE ASKING FOR, YOU KNOW, TELL US WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.

[00:15:02]

IT'S A DIFFICULT THING TO SAY. THEY'RE WORKING ON MAKING CHANGES, BUT IT WILL TAKE PROBABLY ANOTHER 3 OR 4 YEARS BEFORE WE ACTUALLY SEE A TEST THAT WE CAN RELY ON. SO IT'S WHAT WE'RE STUCK WITH FOR A BIT. BUT EVEN IN THERE, WHEN THE ASSESSMENT ISN'T GREAT, WHAT YOU LOOK TO IS HOW YOU'RE COMPARING AGAINST OTHERS WHO ARE TAKING IT. AND SO WE GENERALLY LOOK AT EVERYTHING AS SORT OF A NORM REFERENCE. AND AGAIN, IN JUST ABOUT EVERY MEASURE, IN EVERY MEASURE, WE'RE OUTPERFORMING THE STATE. AND IN SOME OF THEM WERE LEADING THE STATE. SO THERE'S GROWTH THERE. AND THEN THE BIGGEST THING AND YOU'VE HEARD YOU'VE HEARD ME TALK ABOUT THIS SO MANY TIMES, THE CAREER DRIVEN TRANSFORMATION, ONE OF THE CHANGES WHEN I CAME, WE STARTED THIS IN 2019 WITH DOCTOR FELDER'S PREDECESSOR, AND THEN DOCTOR FELDER SORT OF PICKED UP THE BATON AND HAS BEEN AN AMAZING PARTNER EVER SINCE. BUT THE WORK WE'VE DONE TO ENSURE OUR STUDENTS ARE CAREER READY, OUR COLLEGE READY, AND BOTH WHAT WE LEARNED THIS YEAR AND WE TALK ABOUT OUR APPRENTICESHIPS A LOT, BUT I THINK IT ALWAYS DESERVES REPEATING. THE STUDENT APPRENTICES IN HARFORD COUNTY LAST YEAR WE ENDED WITH 340 APPRENTICES. WE HAVE 4% OF THE POPULATION OF STUDENTS IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND. THOSE 340 APPRENTICESHIPS REPRESENT 25% OF THE APPRENTICESHIPS IN THE ENTIRE STATE. SO WE'RE NOT JUST LEADING. THERE'S THERE'S NO ONE EVEN CLOSE TO US IN TERMS OF THAT WORK. AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING IT'S A TESTAMENT TO THE WORK OF OUR TEAM, BUT IT'S AN EVEN GREATER TESTAMENT TO SORT OF THE THE APPETITE OF THE BUSINESSES AND THE MANY

[00:20:01]

[00:25:03]

CHIEF OF STAFF KATIE RIDGEWAY WILL BE PRESENTING. I'M IN THE AUDIENCE FOR THIS ONE, WHICH I'M QUITE HAPPY WITH. ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES, SUPERINTENDENT OF DORCHESTER, IS PRESENTING AS THE SUPERINTENDENT, AND THEN THE OTHER TWO PEOPLE AT THE TABLE ARE FROM COUNTY GOVERNMENT TALKING ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF THE BLUEPRINT. SO IF THAT'S SOMETHING YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, THEY'LL BE ON ON AT 830 ON FRIDAY. AND I THINK ROBBIE IS HE'S PRESENTING ON THURSDAY. YES, YES. I CAME BEFORE THE DELEGATION HERE RECENTLY AND I HAD SORT OF A SIMPLE MESSAGE, MANY OF THE FINER POINTS OF THE BLUEPRINT THAT WE'VE HAD ADVOCACY ON. I REALLY DON'T FEEL THE NEED TO GO INTO THOSE DETAILS. THERE'S BEEN A DECENT COLLABORATION, BETTER COLLABORATION THIS YEAR THAN I'VE EXPERIENCED SINCE THE BLUEPRINT BEGAN BETWEEN MSD, THE AIB, THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION BOARD AND THE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS. SO SOME OF THE LITTLE THINGS ARE BEING WORKED OUT, BUT I STILL DON'T FEEL THERE'S AN APPETITE FOR LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE. ESSENTIALLY, THE AFFORDABILITY OF THE BLUEPRINT. AND. I DON'T HAVE GREAT CONFIDENCE. IS IT GOING TO BE A LOT OF ATTENTION PAID TO THAT IN THIS ELECTION YEAR? AND SO I'M JUST TRYING TO KEEP IT OUT THERE SO THAT PEOPLE AND THE ONE PHRASE I WANT EVERYONE TO KEEP FOCUSED ON IS THE PHRASE FOUNDATION FORMULA, BECAUSE THAT IS THE PHRASE THAT BASICALLY DESCRIBES WHAT YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO RUN A BASIC SCHOOL PROGRAM ON WHEN YOU'RE NOT LOOKING AT THE SPECIALIZED SUPPORTS FOR ALL THE VARIOUS POPULATIONS WHO REQUIRE MORE RESOURCES. AND WHAT WE'D ARGUE IS THE FOUNDATION HAS NEVER BEEN CALCULATED ACCURATELY. AND AND THAT MAKES EVERYTHING ELSE, YOU KNOW, ULTIMATELY UNSUSTAINABLE. AND SO AND THEN THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF WORK HAPPENING IN HARFORD COUNTY, BUT ALSO AT THE STATE LEVEL AROUND SPECIAL EDUCATION. THAT'S ACTUALLY BEEN MY PRIMARY FOCUS. WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT ACADEMICS FOR THE LAST ALMOST YEAR OR SO. AND THAT'S ANOTHER AREA. YOU'VE HEARD ME, ACTUALLY. I'LL SHOW YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THAT IN THE SLIDES HERE LATER THAT THE SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING IN THE STATE, THE STATE CALCULATES WHAT WE SHOULD BE SPENDING AT LESS THAN HALF OF WHAT WE ACTUALLY SPEND. AND BASICALLY THEIR CALCULATIONS ARE NOT EVEN CLOSE. AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT POLITICS HAVE DRIVEN TO THAT OVER TIME AND HOW IT'S EVOLVED. THEY ARE DOING AN ADEQUACY STUDY. AND, YOU KNOW, FORTUNATELY, WE'VE HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE PARTICIPATING IN THAT BECAUSE WE HOPE IT'S DONE WELL, SO THAT WHEN IT COMES TIME TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THE NEEDS ARE.

AND THE REASON THIS IS SIGNIFICANT IS WE KNOW THERE'S ONLY LIMITED MONEY OUT THERE.

BUT AT A MINIMUM, IF YOU CAN CALCULATE WHAT IT REALLY COSTS TO EDUCATE THESE STUDENTS, BECAUSE PARTICULARLY IN THE ERA NOW, WHERE WHAT THE BLUEPRINT DOES IS IT TRIES TO TELL SCHOOL SYSTEMS HOW TO SPEND THEIR LOCAL MONEY. ALSO. AND SINCE WE NO LONGER HAVE ANY FLEXIBILITY, BEING ABLE TO EXPLAIN THE REAL COST OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, BECAUSE THAT USES UP PRETTY MUCH, YOU KNOW, ANY MONEY WE WOULD HAVE FOR LOCAL PRIORITIES OR THAT KIND OF DISCRETION. AND SO THE SPECIAL EDUCATION IS IN MANY WAYS THE BIGGEST DRIVER OF OUR BUDGET GROWTH. SO BUT YOU'LL SEE A LITTLE MORE OF THAT IN THE SLIDES. JUST TWO QUICK THINGS. COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION SHARING I MEAN THERE WERE MANY STORIES. THERE WAS A REALLY SIGNIFICANT STORY HERE IN HARFORD COUNTY LAST YEAR, WORKED CLOSELY WITH DELEGATE GRIFFITH AND WITH STATE'S ATTORNEY HEALEY TO WORK ON LEGISLATION. I TESTIFIED ON BEHALF OF THE LEGISLATION HE BROUGHT FORWARD BECAUSE I THINK IT WAS A GOOD COMMON SENSE FIX TO HELP ENSURE THAT THE INFORMATION DOES FLOW AMONG VARYING AGENCIES, AND I'M HOPING TO SEE MORE OF THAT.

OTHER SUPERINTENDENTS, THIS IS ACTUALLY A SUPERINTENDENT ASSOCIATION PRIORITY BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE HAD CHALLENGES AS WELL. THERE WAS A NOTABLE PIECE IN THE NEWS OF INFORMATION THAT DIDN'T GET SHARED BETWEEN ANNE ARUNDEL AND HOWARD COUNTY, AND A STUDENT ENDED UP THERE. AND AGAIN, VERY CONCERNING. AND I DON'T THINK THE LAW IS REALLY SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, GOOD PRACTICES THERE. SO THAT IS A PRIORITY FOR ALL SUPERINTENDENTS, NOT JUST HARFORD, BUT I EXPECT TO BE ADVOCATING FOR THAT. AND THEN FINALLY, AGAIN, WE KNOW THE BUDGET CHALLENGES, BUT WE HAVE TO KEEP CONSTRUCTION AND THE SUSTAINABILITY OF OUR BUILDINGS AS ONE OF OUR TOP PRIORITIES. I MEAN, IT'S HERE, IT'S IT'S THREE OF ONLY THREE PRIORITIES LEGISLATIVELY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST A SIMPLE STORY. 55 SCHOOLS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE DOING A SCHOOL EVERY 2 OR 3 YEARS NOW. WE DON'T HAVE 110 YEAR SCHOOLS THAT CAN LAST 110 YEARS. SO AT

[00:30:05]

THE NEXT FEW SLIDES ARE THE SLIDES WE'VE SHARED AT OUR COMMUNITY BUDGET MEETINGS. SO I WANT TO, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO SHARE THOSE WITH YOU. AND THEY'RE ALL VERY BIG PICTURE.

BUT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANT TO GET INTO MORE DETAIL, JUST ASK THE QUESTIONS. THE BOARD'S BROAD PRIORITIES ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT WITH FOCUS ON MATH, READING, LANGUAGE ARTS. THAT IS A FULL TIME JOB FOR US. AGAIN, AS I'VE SAID, MY FOCUS HAS BEEN TO WORK THROUGH SPECIAL EDUCATION, BUT MY BELIEF IS IF I CAN RAISE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE STUDENTS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION, EVERY OTHER STUDENT WILL BENEFIT ALSO. AND I THINK SO THAT'S THE STRATEGY WE'RE TAKING THERE IMPROVED SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS WITH AN EMPHASIS ON ATTENDANCE AND SAFETY. IF I COULD SPEAK TO THE MANY SAFETY INVESTMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE ALWAYS ANECDOTES AND, YOU KNOW, SHARED THIS. IT'S HARD TO ARGUE WITH AN ANECDOTE, BUT LAST YEAR, IF YOU LOOK AT FIGHTS, DISRUPTIONS, THOSE SORTS OF THINGS, THEY WERE ALL DOWN BY OVER 30% IN OUR SCHOOLS. AND THAT'S THE FIRST TIME WE'VE SEEN A DIP LIKE THAT IN A VERY, VERY LONG TIME. ONE OF THE THINGS I WOULD ATTRIBUTE THAT TO IS THE CELL PHONE POLICY, WHICH AGAIN, I WAS A LITTLE SKEPTICAL AT FIRST OF THE CELL PHONE POLICY, BUT I'M A FIRM BELIEVER NOW, HAVING SEEN THE RESULTS AND EVEN THE OCCASIONAL STUDENT WILL SAY THEY APPRECIATE IT. STILL RARE, BUT BUT THEY'LL ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THEY'RE MORE TUNED IN AND THEIR COLLEAGUES ARE MORE TUNED IN IN SCHOOL. AND I THINK SOME OF THE DISRUPTIONS THAT CELL PHONES, PARTICULARLY SOCIAL MEDIA, BRINGS IN THE SCHOOL SETTING, THE REASONS WE'VE SEEN FEWER FIGHTS, THAT THOSE CONFLICTS AREN'T OCCURRING ALL THROUGH THE DAY. AND, YOU KNOW, BUBBLING OVER INTO INCIDENTS IN THE HALLWAY BETWEEN SCHOOL OR BETWEEN CLASSES AND THAT KIND OF THING. SO AND THEN ON ATTENDANCE, IN FACT, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE WORK THAT HAPPENED AT HALLS CROSSROADS, THAT WAS HER FIRST PRIORITY. AND THIS IDEA OF OF IMPROVING CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM IS SOMETHING THAT ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS HAVE WORKED ON. AGAIN, OUR GROWTH, OUR IMPROVEMENT IN THAT AREA FAR EXCEEDS THE AVERAGE IN THE STATE. AND THIS IS A NATIONWIDE PHENOMENON, ESSENTIALLY A NATIONWIDE CRISIS. I'VE BEEN TO MANY PRESENTATIONS ABOUT THIS. AND THERE'S A THERE'S A NATIONWIDE INITIATIVE TO REDUCE CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM BY 50% IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. I WOULD SAY WE ARE ALREADY AHEAD OF THAT SCHEDULE. BUT THAT BEING SAID, ATTENDANCE IS STILL A HUGE DRIVER OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, AND WE STILL HAVE STUDENTS WHO WE ARE STRUGGLING WITH THERE, AND THAT'S A PLACE WHERE WE NEED A LOT MORE SUPPORT AND CONNECTION WITH THE PARENTS, AND THAT'S PART OF WHAT WE WE SPEND OUR TIME DOING. AND THEN FINALLY INCREASING COMMUNITY PARENT AND GUARDIAN TRUST THROUGH PARTNERSHIP AND TRANSPARENCY, WE'RE CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT DIFFERENT WAYS TO MAKE INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE. AND I THINK WHENEVER REALLY GOOD SUGGESTIONS COME ALONG, WE DO THAT. WE DO HAVE WE ARE WORKING ON CURRICULUM TRANSPARENCY PROJECT. WE CURRENTLY EVERY STUDENT, EVERY EVERY FAMILY IN HARFORD COUNTY HAS ACCESS TO THE ENTIRE COURSEWORK THAT THEIR CHILDREN ARE TAKING. SO THEY CAN LOOK IN, THEY CAN SEE EVERYTHING THAT'S IN THE CURRICULUM THROUGH THE CANVAS PLATFORM. BUT WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE ACTUALLY WANTED TO DESIGN A WEBSITE THAT'S FAR MORE USER FRIENDLY THAN WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE, SO THAT PEOPLE CAN NOT ONLY LOOK AT WHAT THEIR STUDENTS ARE IN NOW, BUT THEY CAN LOOK FORWARD TO COURSES THEY MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN TAKING AND BE ABLE TO SEE A LOT MORE. BUT THAT'S NOT SOMETHING WE'RE ABLE TO DO GENERALLY THROUGH OUR CANVAS PLATFORM. SO WE'RE BUILDING THAT SEPARATELY AS A WEBSITE. BUT I THINK THAT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT AGAIN, THE GOAL IS TRANSPARENCY. I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF ACCUSATIONS ABOUT WHAT'S IN OUR CURRICULUM AND WHAT ISN'T AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO THERE. BUT, YOU KNOW, ANYTIME SOMEONE CAN COME IN AND SEE AND ASK QUESTIONS, IT'S JUST WE DON'T HAVE A TOOL THAT MAKES IT EASY TO TO DIG INTO IT. AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW. WE HOPE TO HAVE THAT BY THE SPRING. SO BUDGET YOU'VE SEEN THESE SORTS OF NUMBERS MANY TIMES. OUR STATE REVENUE FOR THIS CURRENT YEAR $320 MILLION, $320 MILLION. WE BROKE THE LOCAL REVENUE INTO TWO PIECES. THE LOCAL REVENUE, WHICH IS THE BLUEPRINT SHARE, WAS $261 MILLION. AND WITH THAT SAID, MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT IN HARFORD COUNTY IS STILL ACTUALLY ABOVE THE BLUEPRINT

[00:35:03]

AND THEN RESTRICTED AND OTHER REVENUE SOURCES, THERE'S ABOUT $50 MILLION THERE. THAT'S A WIDE RANGE OF THINGS WE CAN KEEP ROLLING. THE. ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'VE WE'VE STRUGGLED WITH WITH REGARD TO THE BLUEPRINT IS THAT WHILE THE LOCAL REVENUE HAS CONTINUED TO GROW, I DON'T AGAIN, BACK TO THE TO THE THE CALCULATIONS OF THE BLUEPRINT. WHAT I'M SEEING, THE BLUEPRINT DO IS SQUEEZE OUT OUR ABILITY TO INNOVATE, OUR ABILITY TO DO LOCAL PRIORITIES.

AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF THIS PREMISE OF THE LOCAL SHARE. AND AND I THINK THE MAJOR FALLACY IN THE DESIGN OF THE BLUEPRINT OR OF THE ASSUMPTIONS IN THE DESIGN OF THE BLUEPRINT WAS THIS IDEA THAT ALL THE MONEY THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, GIVEN TO SCHOOLS LOCALLY COULD BE SHIFTED TO SPEND A BLUEPRINT, PRIORITIES, AND NOT USE FOR THE THINGS WE WERE ALREADY USING IT FOR. AND IN MOST CASES, WE WERE USING IT FOR THE STAFF WE HAD AND THINGS THAT ARE NOT NICE TO HAVES BUT REQUIRED. AND SO THIS IDEA THAT. THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS, IS GIVING ENOUGH BASED ON THE BLUEPRINT AND, AND I'M NOT SUGGESTING THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE GIVING HUGE PERCENTAGES MORE BECAUSE I DON'T I DON'T THINK THIS IS DESIGNED WELL. I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT LOCAL JURISDICTIONS CAN AFFORD AND HOW THAT SHOULD GROW. AND A A BETTER RECOGNITION OF WHAT WE WERE SPENDING THE MONEY ON ALREADY. AND SO A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES HERE. WHY DON'T WE GO TO THE NEXT ONE? OKAY. SO SIMILAR DATA. YOU HAVE THE STATE SHARE THE LOCAL SHARE. WE SHOW THE GAP ON THE BAR THERE.

SO THE TOTAL LOCAL MONEY WE RECEIVED FROM THE COUNTY WAS $347 MILLION LAST YEAR. THAT LEAVES US $86 MILLION THAT ARE NOT CONSIDERED PART OF THER THE. BUT WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE FACT THAT THERE'S I THINK IT WAS 60, ABOUT $65 MILLION OF OUR SPECIAL ED COSTS WEREN'T CALCULATED BY THE STATE. SO OUT OF THAT 86, 65 RIGHT AWAY WERE SPENDING A SPECIAL EDUCATION.

WE HAVE VERY LITTLE FLEXIBILITY. YOU KNOW, THE BLUEPRINT DOESN'T CONSIDER CLASS SIZES. THAT IS NOT ONE OF THE THINGS. WELL, I HAVE A DISAGREEMENT WITH WHAT'S BEEN SHARED ABOUT THE BLUEPRINT.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS I ASK ABOUT FREQUENTLY WITH REGARD TO THE BLUEPRINT, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS FOUNDATION FORMULA THAT I MENTIONED BEFORE, IS WHAT POINT DO THEY BELIEVE CLASS SIZES ARE TOO LARGE? BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, AS THE BLUEPRINT MARCHES FORWARD, EVERY TIME WE GET ANOTHER DOLLAR FROM THE STATE, WE'RE SUPPOSED TO FIND ANOTHER DOLLAR TO MATCH FOR THAT LOCALLY. AND EVERY TIME WE HAVE TO MATCH OUT OF LOCAL MONEY BECAUSE THE OTHER THINGS, WE DON'T HAVE EXTRA MONEY. AND SO WHAT THAT'S DOING IS CAUSING US TO CUT AND PLACES TO AFFORD BLUEPRINT PRIORITIES, WHICH MAY NOT BE OUR PRIORITIES. AND AND THE PRESSURE THAT'S CAUSING IS YOU SAW WE CUT POSITIONS LAST YEAR AND MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES AROUND THE STATE, IF THEY DIDN'T CUT THEM LAST YEAR, THEY'RE CUTTING THEM THIS YEAR OR THEY CUT THEM THE YEAR BEFORE. AND SO I SAY THIS FREQUENTLY, THE BLUEPRINT AS IT'S CURRENTLY DESIGNED IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE UP CLASS SIZES, BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY THE ONLY VARIABLE IN OUR BUDGET WE HAVE THAT WE CAN CHANGE IN ORDER TO BALANCE THE BUDGET, BECAUSE PRETTY MUCH EVERY OTHER CATEGORY DOESN'T HAVE THE SPACE IN IT TO MAKE THE SIZE CHANGES. AND SO JUST VERY QUICKLY, THERE'S A COUPLE OF BIG THINGS MISSING. WHEN I TALKED ABOUT THE ADEQUACY STUDY OF THE BLUEPRINT, WHEN THEY TALKED ABOUT FUNDING SCHOOLS, THEY NEVER CALCULATED CLASS SIZE, THEY NEVER CALCULATED TRANSPORTATION CORRECTLY. AND THEY ALSO DIDN'T CALCULATE THINGS LIKE SAFETY AND SECURITY. AND WE'VE SEEN IN PARTICULAR IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, OUR INVESTMENT IN SAFETY AND SECURITY HAS GONE FROM A FEW HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS TO, YOU KNOW, MANY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS JUST TO RESPOND TO, YOU KNOW, THE CHANGING BEHAVIORS OF STUDENTS, THE NEEDS AND THE COMMUNITY EXPECTATIONS AROUND SAFETY. AND SO THE FACT THAT THAT'S NOWHERE IN THEIR CALCULATIONS AND THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO FIGURE THAT OUT IS CONCERNING, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE WE'RE ALWAYS STRETCHING TO TRY TO DO THOSE THINGS. WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT REVENUE OVER TIME. MY HOPE WOULD BE WE DO GET TO A SORT OF A PREDICTABLE PLACE FOR REVENUE. THE GREEN LINE IS REALLY MORE OF A IF THERE WAS A SENSE THAT WE COULD GROW AT OR AROUND 5% EACH YEAR, WHICH I KNOW EVERY

[00:40:03]

AND YOU CAN SEE THE CHANGES IN REVENUE WE'VE EXPERIENCED. WE'VE COME CLOSE. I MEAN, WE'VE GROWN EVERY YEAR. BUT LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. I DON'T WANT TO. AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE HERE ACTUALLY DO WE HAVE THE HANDOUTS WITH THE THEY HAVE IT. OKAY. SO YOU THE REVENUE SLIDE. WE WANTED TO GIVE YOU THIS. WE DIDN'T WANT TO PUT IT ON A SCREEN BECAUSE THERE'S TOO MANY LITTLE NUMBERS TO LOOK AT ON THE SCREEN ANYWAY. SO YOU HAVE THIS IN HAND. THIS IS JUST A PICTURE OF THE REVENUE SINCE 2010. SO AGAIN YOU YOU CAN SEE THE CHANGES THERE. THAT'S THAT'S JUST FOR YOU TO PONDER. I WON'T SPEND MUCH TIME TALKING ABOUT THAT, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING YOU CAN YOU CAN THINK THROUGH. YOU SEE THE CHANGES AT THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL AND FEDERAL, WHICH REPRESENTS A PRETTY SMALL PORTION OF OUR BUDGET. BUT WE HAVE SEEN CHANGES THERE AS WELL. THIS PICTURE IS JUST GRAPHICALLY ANOTHER WAY TO UNDERSTAND WHEN I SAID THE BLUEPRINT PUTS PRESSURE ON US. I MEAN, YOU LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THE AMOUNT THAT STAFFING AND DIRECT SERVICES TO STUDENTS TAKES ON. SO THIS INCLUDES ESSENTIALLY INSTRUCTION AND TRANSPORTATION, BUT IT'S THE OVERWHELMING PORTION OF OUR BUDGET. SO WHEN WE HAVE TO MAKE BIG CHANGES BECAUSE THINGS ARE COMING UP SHORT, THIS ENDS UP BEING WHERE IT COMES FROM. OUR CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION. YOU HEARD ME TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT EARLIER. WE WERE A LITTLE OVER 3% A FEW YEARS AGO. WE'RE DOWN TO 2.7% OF OUR BUDGET. AND, YOU KNOW, WE OUR CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION COSTS ABOUT $19 MILLION OF A NEARLY OVER $700 MILLION BUDGET AND THEN OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE, AGAIN, THAT'S A VERY SMALL NUMBER, CONSIDERING THAT OUR TEAM IS MANAGING SOME VERY OLD BUILDINGS. AND SO THAT COST CONTINUES TO BE A CHALLENGE. BUT THIS IS ONE OF OUR BIGGER DRIVERS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE AND UNDERSTANDABLY, I THINK THIS IS A VERY REASONABLE QUESTION TO COME FROM THE COMMUNITY. LIKE HOW CAN THIS HOW IS IT APPROPRIATE FOR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IF THE COUNTY REVENUE IS ONLY GROWING AT THIS PACE, HOW IS IT APPROPRIATE TO BE ASKING FOR MORE T THE PACE OF THE COUNTY GROWTH? AND THE THE CHALLENGE IS DRIVING THAT IS REALLY REPRESENTED ON THIS SLIDE. OUR ENROLLMENT HAS BEEN RELATIVELY FLAT, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THAT DEMOGRAPHICS BEING THE LARGEST ONE. I MEAN, THIS IS PRETTY TYPICAL AROUND THE COUNTRY. PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY ARE NOT HAVING ENOUGH BABIES. AND SO WE'RE SEEING SCHOOL AGE POPULATIONS SORT OF SHRINK IN RELATIVE TERMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE'RE EXPERIENCING THAT A LITTLE BIT HERE. BUT OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION POPULATION AND AND THE COST OF SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS IS DRAMATICALLY GREATER THAN THE COST OF EDUCATING A STUDENT WITHOUT SPECIAL NEEDS. SO IN JUST THE LAST, AGAIN, THIS IS A 15 YEAR LOOKBACK. OUR COSTS AND SPECIAL EDUCATION HAS GONE UP BY 17%. OUR STUDENTS EXPERIENCING POVERTY, OUR FREE AND REDUCED MEALS, STUDENTS REPRESENTED THERE BY THE FARM'S ACRONYM AND THE SAME 15 YEAR TIME HAS GONE UP 48%. AND WHILE IT'S STILL A VERY SMALL POPULATION, OUR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS,HAT GROUP HAS GROWN BY 139%. SO WHILE OUR OVERALL ENROLLMENT IS REMAINING FAIRLY FLAT, THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WERE EDUCATING IN HARFORD COUNTY WHO HAVE FAR GREATER NEEDS AND ULTIMATELY REQUIRE FAR GREATER RESOURCES, HAS BEEN GROWING. AND ESSENTIALLY OUTPACING THE GROWTH WE'RE SEEING IN OTHER PLACES. AND SO THAT REALLY DRIVES THE CHALLENGE WE HAVE WITH SUSTAINING COSTS, AS THE COST OF THE STUDENTS WE'RE SERVING IS GETTING GREATER. I WON'T TALK TOO MUCH ABOUT THIS. BASICALLY, WE USE THIS THIS SLIDE JUST TO SAY WHENEVER WE'RE IF WE HAVE TO CUT, WE HAVE TO MAKE CUTS. IT'S ALMOST ALWAYS IN TERMS OF PEOPLE. AND THEN WHILE WE DON'T ALWAYS CUT TEACHERS, WHEN WE CUT LAST YEAR IT WASN'T EXCLUSIVELY TEACHERS, BUT IT IS OUR BIGGEST GROUP. AND SO IT'S JUST AN EASY THING FOR PEOPLE TO REMEMBER. IF WE NEED TO CUT $1 MILLION, IT'S 9 TO 10 TEACHERS AS USUALLY WHAT CUTTING MILLION DOLLARS EQUALS IN A SCHOOL SYSTEM. AGAIN, TRYING TO REPRESENT JUST HOW THE MONEY IS SPENT ON OUR STUDENTS INSTRUCTIONAL INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT. BUT THEN YOU LOOK AT TRANSPORTATION, THE AMOUNT WE DEVOTE TO OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE, THE AMOUNT PER PUPIL WE DEVOTE TO ADMINISTRATION, AND THEN THE PUPIL PERSONNEL AND HEALTH SERVICES. THAT'S AN AREA THAT'S GROWN DRAMATICALLY IN HARFORD COUNTY, PARTICULARLY SINCE THE PANDEMIC. WE HAVE SOME AMAZING RESOURCES THERE. OUR TEAM I THINK, WAY OVER PERFORMS, BUT THEY DO IT AT A FAIRLY SMALL PER PUPIL COST. SO BUT THIS IS ESSENTIALLY WHAT IT COSTS TO

[00:45:04]

ONE OF THE THINGS I LOOK AT SLIDE 12, AND I KNOW I'VE SAID THIS IN THE PAST, BUT I LOOK AT IT AND THINK, WELL, HOW DO WE ACCELERATE THE RATE AT WHICH CHILDREN GRADUATE OUT OF ESOL SERVICES? HOW DO WE MINIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES A CHILD REQUIRES TO HELP RELEASE WORKLOAD ON OUR STAFF? BECAUSE THOSE ARE VERY EXPENSIVE SERVICES, IS EXPENSIVE TO TEACH A KID ENGLISH, IT'S EXPENSIVE TO TO HONOR AN IEP. IT'S EXPENSIVE TO MAKE SURE EVERY KID IN YOUR SCHOOL HAS A WINTER COAT AND FOOD TO TAKE HOME ON THE WEEKEND. AND SO HOW DO YOU SHRINK THOSE NEEDS OVER TIME? BUT I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT, AND I APPRECIATE THE BREAKDOWN ON THAT. HOW IS THE I THINK YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, BUT THE LOCAL BLUEPRINT MANDATE, THAT'S MORE SO A LIKE A CALCULATION BASED ON ALL THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO DO BY THE BLUEPRINT. IT'S NOT LIKE A HARD NUMBER IN THE BLUEPRINT THAT SAYS THIS. MUCH OF YOUR LOCAL MONEY IS GOING TO GO. IS THAT MOSTLY THE $60,000 SALARY INCREASE OR WHAT MAKES UP MOST OF THAT LOCAL BLUEPRINT MANDATE? I'LL DO IT GENERALLY, AND IF YOU GUYS WANT TO ADD DETAILS, IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S BEEN VERY HARD TO TEASE OUT, OBVIOUSLY, BECAUSE. OFTENWE ASKE WE SUPPOSED TO PAY FOR THAT? THEY SAY IT'S IN THE FOUNDATION FORMULA. AND WE'VE ASKED MANY TIMES, LIKE, SHOW ME A BREAKDOWN OF THIS FOUNDATION FORMULA, BECAUSE IT CAN'T SEEM IT'S LIKE THE MAGIC BOX THAT YOU PUT EVERYTHING IN. RIGHT. AND I THINK THE. SO IT'S THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE VERY EASY TO POINT TO. AND I THINK ERIC CAN PROBABLY TALK THROUGH SPECIFICALLY SOME OF THE LINES

[00:50:01]

THANK YOU, MR. BENNETT. MISS IMHOFF, GOOD EVENING. SO I'VE SPENT A LARGE CHUNK OF MY CAREER WORKING IN LEVEL FIVE SCHOOLS. SO THE MAJORITY, I WOULD SAY 100% OF THE STUDENTS THAT I TYPICALLY WORK WITH ALL HAVE SEVERE NEEDS IN IEPS. AND WITH THAT BEING SAID, BY THE TIME THEY GET TO A LEVEL FIVE SCHOOL. HARFORD COUNTY HAS DONE THEIR BEST TO SERVICE THEM AND TO HOLD THEM DOWN. AND I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THAT THERE'S NOT A SINGLE ONE OF THOSE 6151 STUDENTS THAT HAS EVER COME TO SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES, AND PEOPLE DIDN'T THINK THEY NEEDED IT. IF ANYTHING, THERE WAS A DELAY OR AN UNMET NEED THAT THE SCHOOL, THE HOME SCHOOL TRIED THEIR BEST TO TRY TO GET THOSE SERVICES MET. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW, LEVEL FIVE STUDENTS ARE STUDENTS WHO, DUE TO BEHAVIORAL OR EMOTIONAL NEEDS OR IEP NEEDS, ARE NOT ABLE TO BE SCHOOLED IN REGULAR PUBLIC SCHOOL SETTINGS. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF. A LOT OF FAMILIES THAT ARE IN CHAOS. AND HARFORD COUNTY DOES A REALLY GOOD JOB AT TRYING TO KEEP IT TOGETHER AND KEEP THOSE KIDS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. BUT THERE'S NOT A SINGLE ONE OF THE SCHOOLS THAT I'M IN THAT DOESN'T HAVE A WAIT LIST. I KNOW THAT'S THAT'S BEEN A CHALLENGE BECAUSE THE NEEDS FOR THE STUDENTS WITH THE GREATEST NEEDS, I MEAN THAT. THE DEMAND IS NOT MET RIGHT NOW.

NOW, I MEAN, SORT OF CONNECTING BACK TO WHAT MR. BENNETT SAID, AS I'M THINKING ABOUT THE SPECIAL EDUCATION WORK AND HAD A LOT TO DO WITH WHAT HE I THOUGHT HE WAS ACTUALLY GOING HERE WITH THIS, BUT DETOURED ON ME. THE MORE WE LOOK INTO THIS, ACTUALLY THE GREATER PRIORITY IN IMPROVING SPECIAL EDUCATION OUTCOMES IS GOING TO BE WHAT WE'RE DOING IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION SETTING. AND SO IT'S THE KINDERGARTEN, FIRST GRADE, SECOND GRADE, AND WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE A FOCUS THERE. I DO BELIEVE WE HAVE SOME STUDENTS, BECAUSE ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WE'RE HAVING IS WE'VE HAD SO MANY STUDENTS WHO COME TO US, HAVING EXPERIENCED DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRAUMA. MANY OF THOSE STUDENTS PRESENT LIKE SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE SAME SORT OF TRADITIONAL DISABILITY THAT SPECIAL EDUCATION IS DESIGNED TO MEET. AND IN FACT, WITH THE RIGHT SUPPORTS, THEY, YOU KNOW, COULD BE SUCCESSFUL, POSSIBLY WITHOUT AN IEP. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS I KEEP SAYING IS THE WAY THE SPECIAL ED BUDGET IS GROWING, THE WAY THE PRESSURE, THE BLUEPRINTS PUTTING ON LIKE SORT OF. IT'S KIND OF SQUEEZING OUT THE RESOURCES WE HAVE TO DO THE EXTRA HELP TO BE MORE PROACTIVE. AND SO WHAT I'M LOOKING AT WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION, AND THIS IS. SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT MORE THINKING TO DO TO GET THE PLAN RIGHT, BUT WE NEED TO BREAK THE CYCLE. AND AND THE WAY TO DO THAT WILL ACTUALLY START BY SHIFTING GREATER RESOURCES INTO K TO TWO, TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE LEARNING TO READ, BECAUSE THAT'S THAT'S THE PLACE WHERE I THINK SPECIAL ED IS, IS STRUGGLING THE MOST, IS GETTING THOSE RESULTS. AND THERE'S I MEAN, AGAIN, THIS HAS BEEN A FULL TIME PROJECT FOR ME, AND WE ARE IN THE LATE STAGES OF DATA COLLECTION AND WORKING TOWARD RELEASING A PLAN, BUT MORE TO FOLLOW ON THAT. WELL, AS A SIBLING OF SOMEONE WHO ATTENDED HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES, AND THIS WAS A WHILE AGO, BUT WE'VE SEEN THE PROGRESS. AND SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THE ATTENTION TO THAT. I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS IN REGARDS TO THE FIRST TOPIC THAT YOU GUYS DID TALK ABOUT. IN A WEIRD COINCIDENCE, I DID A BRIEF SUPPORT TIME DOING HR FOR A SCHOOL SYSTEM. SO OF YOUR 6000 EMPLOYEES, HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU HAVE SCREENING THIS EGIS NOTIFICATIONS? ESSENTIALLY, WE HAVE ONE PERSON. THEY ALL COME THROUGH AND THEN AGAIN, IT'S A VERY SMALL TEAM THAT'S DOWN THERE THAT MIGHT LOOK AT THIS.

SO BUT WE HAVE ONE ENTRY POINT, ONE PERSON WHO WHO DOES ALL OF THE INTAKES AND THEN SENDS OFF THE MATERIALS. AND THEN THAT PERSON REVIEWS THEM INITIALLY IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS IT

[00:55:04]

YEAH, THAT'S I DO I DO LOCK MYSELF OUT. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MISS EMHOFF. MISS ROBERT. YES. THANK YOU. AND I'M GLAD YOU, MY COLLEAGUES, HAVE ASKED ABOUT THE SPECIAL EDUCATION, BECAUSE THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS WANTING TO KNOW ABOUT, TOO.

AND I THINK STARTING IT EARLIER WITH KIDS K TO TWO, LIKE SECOND GRADE, KIND OF LOOKING MORE DEEPLY AT THOSE CHILDREN BECAUSE I REALLY I ACCEPT KIDS AS YOUNG AS FOUR AS A THERAPIST.

AND I TELL PARENTS, FIRST OFF THE BAT, YOU NEED A SPEECH THERAPIST, YOU NEED THIS, THAT.

AND THAT'S A FIVE MINUTE ASSESSMENT AS THEY WALK IN MY DOOR. SO I THINK THE EARLIER THE BETTER FOR SURE. BUT I DID WANT TO ASK YOU A QUESTION ABOUT THE CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.

AND DO YOU HAVE A PERCENTAGE OF WHAT YOU'RE SEEING WITH THAT WAS ONE OF MY QUESTIONS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT OFFHAND. I'D HAVE TO GIVE YOU THAT. MR. HENNIGAN TRACKS THAT AND HE ACTUALLY LEADS THE TEAM THAT'S HAS A PLAN FOR CONTINUING TO REDUCE IT. BUT I DON'T REMEMBER THE NUMBERS. OKAY. AND BECAUSE I'M CURIOUS, BECAUSE I HAVE HAD QUITE A FEW THROUGH MY CAREER, A LOT OF THE KIDS THAT I KNOW THAT REFUSE TO GO TO SCHOOL HAVE SIGNIFICANT ANXIETY ISSUES WHERE PARENTS ARE LIKE, I CAN'T GET THEM OUT THE DOOR. AND SO I'M WONDERING IF THERE'S BEEN CONVERSATION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, INCREASING SOME OF THAT MENTAL HEALTH COMPONENT AGAIN, IN THE SCHOOLS TO KIND OF I KNOW SOME OF MY PARENTS, OF MY CLIENTS HAVE GOT THE KID TO THE SCHOOL, AND I GOT A SOCIAL WORKER AT THE SCHOOL TALKING THE CHILD INTO THE SCHOOL. AND SO I'M WONDERING IF YOU GUYS CAN LOOK AT THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE, BECAUSE ESPECIALLY SINCE COVID, I'VE SEEN IT UPTICK A LOT. SO A COUPLE WE HAVE MORE THAN MOST. AND IN FACT, MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES ARE SHOCKED TO HEAR THAT WE ALSO HAVE PRIVATE PROVIDERS AND IN MANY CASES,

[01:00:02]

[01:05:07]

IT WAS MORE AN INVITATION TO TALK, TO START A LITTLE EARLIER ON THE BUDGET THIS YEAR, I THINK WHEN MR. VICENTE AND I TALKED, WE TALKED ABOUT TAKING SOME TIME TO CLEAR THE AIR OF SOME OF THE OTHER ELEPHANTS THAT ARE IN THE ROOM. BUT REALLY, THE INITIAL IMPETUS WAS MORE ABOUT JUST TO KICK OFF THE BUDGET PROCESS. SPORTS OBVIOUSLY PRETTY PRETTY BIG FOR ME. I KNOW A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, YOU GUYS ROLLED OUT MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS AND NOW THEY'RE GONE. BUT WHEN YOU ROLLED OUT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL INTRAMURAL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, DID YOU GUYS FIGURE OUT THE COST? AND THEN NOW THEY'RE THEY'RE GONE. WHAT WAS THE. AREN'T THEY DOING SOMETHING? WE STILL WE STILL HAVE THEM. WE HAVEN'T GROWN THEM BUT WE STILL HAVE THEM. SO WE HAVEN'T. DID THEY DO AWAY WITH SOMETHING IN THE SPORTS IN THE FOR THE MIDDLE SCHOOL? NO.

AGAIN WE JUST DIDN'T ADD IT. YEAH. WE JUST WE JUST DIDN'T ADD. THERE WERE ORIGINALLY PLANS TO ADD OTHER SPORTS. ONE OF THEM I KNOW THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT ADDING WAS VOLLEYBALL. AND IN THE END THERE WAS KIND OF A LOT OF CAPITAL CHANGES THAT NEEDED TO DO THAT. AND WE'VE DISCUSSED EVERY YEAR WHETHER WE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF LIKE LAST IN, LAST IN FIRST OUT APPROACH, BECAUSE THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE ADDED, YOU KNOW, RIGHT BEFORE WE STARTED EXPERIENCING AND CHANGE AND, YOU KNOW, MORE CHALLENGES WITH THE REVENUE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY LIKE THE PROGRAM, BUT WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GROW IT.

BUT AT THIS POINT WE HAVEN'T MADE CUTS. NOW IT SORT OF COMES UP AS A DISCUSSION POINT EVERY YEAR. BUT I THINK I THINK OUR SCHOOLS HAVE HAD A GREAT EXPERIENCE WITH IT. YOU KNOW, I WISH THERE WERE A WAY TO INVOLVE MORE STUDENTS BECAUSE IT ISN'T AN INTRAMURAL SO MUCH.

IT'S MORE INTRAMURAL. SO THEY'RE COMPETING WITH OTHER SCHOOLS, WHICH MEANS, YOU KNOW, WE'LL GET 80 KIDS COMING OUT FOR BASKETBALL TEAM. SO WE DON'T HAVE A WAY TO SORT OF INCLUDE ALL STUDENTS YET. AND I'D LOVE TO SEE SOMETHING THAT DID MORE OF THAT. BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO GO BACK AND CHARGE KIDS FOR SPORTS. MR. GIORDANO. I DO EVERYTHING EVERY YEAR TO KEEP THAT CONVERSATION OFF THE TABLE, AND I HAVE YOUR FACE IN MY MIND AS THAT CONVERSATION COMES UP. I PROMISE YOU THAT, GOD, THAT'S A TERRIBLE VISION. HEY, IT'S WHAT WE COULD. IT'S WHAT WE DEAL WITH. BUT BUT I APPRECIATE THAT. YEAH. AND WE DON'T WANT TO DO THAT. WE WE DO NOT NEED TO START CHARGING. I MEAN, IT'S IN ADDITION TO THE FACT THAT IT JUST DOESN'T FIT WITH THE OVERALL VALUES OF PUBLIC SCHOOL. IT'S A HUGE LOGISTICAL CHALLENGE THAT JUST ISN'T REALLY THAT PRODUCTIVE FOR US. AND SO WE'D LIKE TO NOT GO THERE. AND AND FRANKLY, YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS EARLY ON HELPED US COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE. SO AND AND STAY IN THAT RIGHT PLACE I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, MR. AND MRS. SALAS. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE THIS EVENING. JUST A QUICK QUESTION WITH REGARDS TO THE BUDGET, WITH THE LOWER FUEL COSTS THAT WE'RE SEEING, IS THERE ANY PLAN FOR ALLOCATING THAT ADDITIONAL MONEY? I'LL BET I CAN LET MISS JUDD ANSWER THAT ONE HERE. WE DON'T FIND THAT WE HAVE ADDITIONAL FUNDS. YOU KNOW, WE MAY HAVE EXCESS ON ANY PARTICULAR LINE ITEM, BUT OTHER LINE ITEMS IN OUR OPERATION, OPERATIONAL BUDGETS ARE EATING AWAY OF THAT. SO WE HAVE NOT INCREASED OUR BUDGETS FOR ANY GENERAL INFLATIONARY COSTS IN THE OPERATIONS AREA. SO ANY SURPLUS WE TEND TO HAVE IN AN AREA, WE HAVE TO OFFSET SOME OTHER WAY. MR. CLARK CAN PROBABLY TALK TO SOME OF THE SPECIFICS WITH UTILITIES AND FUEL, BECAUSE HE TRACKS ALL THAT AND PROPOSES OUR INCREASES. OR, YOU KNOW, I HATE TO SAY THERE'S BEEN NO DECREASES, RIGHT? OKAY. THEY JUST HAVEN'T GROWN TO BALANCE THE BUDGET THE LAST FEW YEARS. WE'VE HAD TO KEEP IT VERY TIGHT AND NOT GROWN SOME OF THOSE AREAS. SO ALL THE PLACES WE'VE SEEN OPERATIONAL COSTS GO UP, WE'VE HELD A LINE. AND SO WE'VE BEEN A LITTLE SHORT IN MOST OF THEM.

SO A LITTLE REPRIEVE ON GAS PRICES IS WONDERFUL FOR EVERYBODY I THINK. BUT IT'S

[01:10:01]

MR. BENNETT, I JUST MEANT I WAS LOOKING AT MY NOTES AND REALIZED I FORGOT TO ASK. I THINK IT WAS A YEAR AGO. MAYBE TWO YEARS AGO, WHEN YOU WERE SPEAKING BEFORE THE COUNCIL, YOU BROUGHT UP TECHNOLOGY AND YOU BROUGHT UP CONSIDERING PHASING OUT EARLY ELEMENTARY LAPTOPS AND RETHINKING THE WAY WE'RE USING 1 TO 1 DEVICES. CAN YOU JUST UPDATE ON WHERE THAT CONVERSATIONS AT? BECAUSE I, I KNOW, AGAIN, JUST PERSONALLY, THE AMOUNT OF LAPTOP SCREENS THAT HAVE TO GET REPLACED AND KEYBOARDS THAT NEED KEYS AND THE GUNK THAT NEEDS TO BE GUNKED AND. YEAH, WELL, ONE OF THE REASONS WE DIDN'T MOVE FORWARD MORE AGGRESSIVELY WITH THAT WAS BECAUSE WE WERE IN A CONTRACT, AND IT WOULDN'T HAVE SAVED US ANYTHING AT ALL TO PULL THEM OUT, BECAUSE WE STILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THEM. I THINK WE HAVE ANOTHER YEAR YEAR ON THOSE. SO THAT WOULD BE KIND OF WHERE THE DECISION POINT CAME IN. IF WE DID WANT TO REDUCE THAT. INTERESTINGLY, WITH SOME OF THE SPECIAL EDUCATION. THERE'S SOME REALLY INTERESTING TOOLS THAT WE ARE EXPLORING, AND I'D BE A LITTLE HESITANT EARLY ON TO TO REMOVE THAT, BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S SOME RESOURCES THAT CAN PROVIDE BETTER DATA FOR TEACHERS, WHICH IS AND SO THAT'S MORE OF A NEW CONVERSATION, BECAUSE WHAT YOU'RE REFERENCING IS WE DID SAY I COULD SEE REMOVING THE DEVICES FROM KINDERGARTEN. BUT SINCE WE WERE IN THE CONTRACT, THAT JUST STALLED. AND SO AS WE CONTINUE LOOKING, WE'VE LOOKED AT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PRODUCTS THIS YEAR THAT AT SOME LEVEL, I'D ACTUALLY BE INTERESTED IN YOUR INPUT, BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS IN THE SPECIAL ED, WE'RE LOOKING AT WAYS TO SORT OF BOLSTER TEACHERS WORK AROUND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTION BECAUSE.

BASICALLY, I MEAN, THOSE ARE JUST A LOT OF WORDS TO DESCRIBE OUR STUDENTS BEHAVIORALLY READY TO LEARN. AND SO EVEN THOUGH I TALK A LOT ABOUT EARLY GRADES, LITERACY, THE FIRST STEP NEEDS TO BE THIS STUFF. AND I'M I WANT TO MAKE SURE OUR TEACHERS HAVE THE TOOLS TO BE ABLE TO GATHER THE DATA THEY NEED TO MAKE BETTER, SORT OF MORE SPECIFIC DECISIONS FOR STUDENTS.

AND THAT'S SOMETHING I WANT TO BE TESTING OUT TO SEE IF THERE'S AND SO IF THERE'S IF THERE ARE GOOD TOOLS TO USE THERE, I WOULDN'T WANT TO HAMSTRING US BY PULLING THOSE DEVICES OUT. BUT THAT'LL BE A DECISION AS WE CONTINUE ANALYZING THOSE THINGS. THANK YOU, MR. BENNETT. AND THEN FOR ME, YOU'VE ANSWERED A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I HAD THROUGHOUT YOUR PROCESS, THROUGHOUT YOUR PRESENTATION HERE TONIGHT. BUT ARE YOU ANYWHERE ALONG IN YOUR BUDGET PROCESS OR DEVELOPING A NUMBER OF WHERE YOU THINK YOU HAVE TO BE THIS YEAR? HAVE YOU ARE YOU THAT FAR ALONG OR. NO, NOT EXACTLY. NOT QUITE READY TO TO TO PUT THE FULL NUMBER OUT THERE. I MEAN, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF DRIVERS IN THE BUDGET, ONE OF THEM BEING THE $60,000 MARK AND WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO GET THERE. SO WE'RE IN NEGOTIATION WITH OUR ASSOCIATIONS. AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT IF WE'RE NOT FUNDED, WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO FUND EVERYTHING, BUT WE KNOW HOW MUCH WE NEED TO REACH $60,000. SO THAT'S A BIG DRIVER OF THE BUDGET. AND THEN AND THEN THE OTHER THINGS ARE VERY PREDICTABLE. I MEAN, WE USED ABOUT $12.5 MILLION OF FUND BALANCE. ARE WE BUDGETED $12.5 MILLION OF FUND BALANCE IN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET. SO THAT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT COMES RIGHT BACK INTO THE ASK. WE'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO REDUCE OUR FUND BALANCE EXPENDITURE BECAUSE THAT'S DIMINISHING VERY QUICKLY. I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU, WHERE ARE YOU AT WITH YOUR OH, GEEZ, 22 MILLION, 22 MILLION WHEN WE USE 12.5 LAST YEAR. SO WE DON'T HAVE MANY YEARS LEFT AT THIS RATE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT ALWAYS ADDS TO THE ASK. AND THEN JUST THE VERY, YOU KNOW, THE VARYING SUPPORTS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE GROWTH WE'RE SEEING IN SOME PLACES, SOME OF THE ADDITIONS THAT WILL NEED TO COME THROUGH THE BLUEPRINT, SOME ADDITIONS AND SPECIAL ED. SO, YOU KNOW, WE HOPE TO BRING YOU A BUDGET THAT REFLECTS WHAT WE NEED, BUT NOTHING TERRIBLY EXTRAVAGANT, JUST REALLY WHAT IT WHAT IT WOULD COST TO CONTINUE SERVICES MORE OR LESS AS WE'RE DOING THEM NOW. AND STATE'S COMMITMENT, I MEAN, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE THAT'S GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT THAT IT'S IT'S STILL GROWING? I MEAN, BECAUSE BASICALLY THE STATE IS STILL USING WHAT THEY CALL THE MONEY FROM THE BLUEPRINT TRUST FUND. AND SO THEY'RE STILL SORT OF JUST FUNDING. THEY HAVEN'T MADE MAJOR CHANGES TO THAT. SO WE CAN YOU KNOW, ERIC HAS ALREADY

[01:15:01]

AND THAT WILL CHANGE AS THE STATE SORT OF LOOKS AT THINGS AND AS THEY GO THROUGH THEIR BUDGET PROCESS. BUT WE'RE EXPECTING SOME INCREASE THERE. I JUST DON'T EXPECT IT TO BE QUITE AS GENEROUS AS WE'VE SEEN IN SOME OTHER YEARS. EVERY TIME YOU MENTION THE WORD BLUEPRINT, I CONTINUE TO GO BACK TO COUNCILMAN BENNETT DOWN AT MAKO, CHALLENGING DOCTOR KERWIN ON THE SUCCESS OF BLUEPRINT. AND HE WAS FOLLOWED BY MANY COUNTY EXECUTIVES FROM DIFFERENT JURISDICTIONS AROUND THE COUNTY, COMPLAINING ABOUT THE COST AND THE IMPACT IT WAS GOING TO HAVE ON LOCAL BUDGETS AND FUNDING. WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT BETTER AT UNDERSTANDING WHAT'S OFF THERE, AND I THINK WE'RE FAR BETTER ABLE TO ARTICULATE IT THAN WE WERE BEFORE. AND NOW WE'RE LIKE I SAID, WE'RE KIND OF WAITING FOR PEOPLE TO CATCH UP AND REALLY BE WILLING TO HAVE THE HARD CONVERSATIONS. I'VE HAD MORE SENSE THAT THEY'RE MOVING THERE, BUT WE HAVEN'T SEEN SEEN THAT REALLY HAPPEN YET. AND SO AND SO, AS I TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, WHEN WE MET FOR APFO MEETING THE OTHER NIGHT, BOTH KATHY AND MISSY WERE VERY HELPFUL, GIVING US SOME INFORMATION AND ROBBIE SANDALS AS WELL, AND MATT, KROPP AND ALEX FROM PLANNING AND ZONING ON THE PROCESS OF HARTFORD ACADEMY, THE FUTURE OF HARTFORD ACADEMY, FUNDING FOR HARTFORD ACADEMY. I THINK, MISSY, YOU SAID YOU HAD AN IDEA OF WHERE THE STATE FUNDING WAS GOING TO BE AND THE POSSIBLE COST OF THE SCHOOLS THAT MOVES FORWARD. SO ALL OF THAT'S IN A PACKET OF INFORMATION THAT SAMANTHA IS GOING TO BE SHARING WITH THE FULL COUNCIL HERE, PROBABLY TOMORROW OR THE FIRST OF THE WEEK, SO THAT THEY HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THAT MEETING AS WELL. SO IF THERE ARE NO OTHER QUESTIONS, I APPRECIATE YOU COMING BEFORE US TONIGHT AND I, I, I HOPE THAT. WE ALL CAN NAVIGATE THROUGH THE ISSUES THAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY. SO I APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT AND THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. NEXT WE HAVE OUR FINANCIAL STATEMENT AUDIT REPORT FROM OUR OUTSIDE AGENCY, CLIFTON LARSON. ALLEN.

BILL EARLY. THANK YOU. WE'LL SEE. AS I SAID EARLIER, BILL, YOU'RE PROBABLY WISHING I'D HAVE MOVED YOU UP FRONT. YOU DIDN'T HEAR ME. I HOPE TO BE A LITTLE BRIEFER. I SAY YOU'RE PROBABLY WISHING I MOVED YOU UP FRONT. RIGHT. WELL, WHEN I PRESENTED THE SCHOOLS, THEY DO.

ALL RIGHT. SO THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME TONIGHT, BILL. EARLY WITH CLA. WE ARE THE OUTSIDE AUDIT FIRM CONTRACTED TO DO THE ANNUAL AUDIT OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. WE ARE SELECTED THROUGH AN RFP PROCESS EVERY FIVE YEARS. WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT CONTRACT NOW. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN TO THE RESULTS OF THE AUDIT. I THINK YOU'LL BE RELATIVELY PLEASED WITH THE RESULTS. THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MANAGEMENT. ROBBIE, RICK, WHO WE WORK WITH OVER AT MANAGEMENT, THEY DO, YOU KNOW, THE 100 AND SOME PAGE DOCUMENT IS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. WE HAVE THREE PAGES. WE CONTRIBUTE TO IT. I LIKE TO SAY I THINK THE THE MOST IMPORTANT THREE PAGES IN IT AS THEY GIVE OUR OPINION. BUT AGAIN, THEY PUT THE NUMBERS TOGETHER. SO I'M NOT GOING TO WALK THROUGH NUMBERS TONIGHT. I'M MORE HERE TO GO OVER THE ACTUAL RESULTS OF THE PROCEDURES WE PERFORMED. WE ARE YOU ARE SERVICED BY OUR GOVERNMENT SERVICES TEAM OUT OF OUR TIMONIUM OFFICE. WE ARE A FULL SERVICE GOVERNMENT TEAM. ALL I SPEND MY TIME DOING IS AUDITING GOVERNMENTS AS WELL AS MY TEAM. SO WE'RE NOT TAX PROFESSIONALS THAT IN THE OFF TIME COME AND DO SOME GOVERNMENT WORK TO KEEP BUSY OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. WE FULLY 100% OF OUR TIME IS SPENT AUDITING GOVERNMENT. SO WE DO BRING THAT INDUSTRY EXPERTISE TO YOU ALL. I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH THE AUDIT SCOPE, THE PROCESS, SOME UPDATE ON SOME ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES AND THEN FINISH UP AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. WE WERE CONTRACTED TO DO THE AUDIT OF THE JUNE 30TH, 2025 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. THAT INCLUDES THE COUNTY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, AS WELL AS THE NINE ONE TRUST FUND THAT'S REQUIRED BY THE STATE.

THE SINGLE AUDIT, WHICH IS THE AUDIT OF THE FEDERAL AWARDS, WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT, WE ISSUE

[01:20:02]

THIS YEAR, WE ARE LOOKING AT THE FEDERAL TRANSIT AND THE HIGHWAY PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION AUDITS, THE SINGLE AUDIT. TYPICALLY, WHEN I SIT HERE AND PRESENT TO YOU THIS TIME OF YEAR HAS BEEN ISSUED. IT HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED THIS YEAR BECAUSE THE DRAFT CAME OUT IN IN THE SPRING BY OMB, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THEY ISSUE IT EVERY YEAR. HOWEVER, IT CAME OUT IN DRAFT FORM. THEN DUE TO THE CHANGE OF ADMINISTRATION, THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO WANT TO CHANGE SOME PARTS OF IT. LO AND BEHOLD, IT DIDN'T COME OUT BY SEPTEMBER. AND THEN WE HAD A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN. SO IT WAS ISSUED JUST LAST WEEK BEFORE THANKSGIVING WITH NO CHANGES FROM THE ORIGINAL DRAFT. SO WE HAD PUT THAT WORK ON PAUSE. SO WE WILL NOW RESUME IT AND WE'LL ISSUE THAT IT'S DUE MARCH 31ST. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WE WILL ISSUE SOMETIME IN JANUARY AND HAVE THAT FINISHED UP. I'M HAPPY TO REPORT FOR THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT AUDIT THAT OUR OPINION IS UNMODIFIED, WHICH IS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF ASSURANCE WE CAN GIVE AS AUDITORS ON A SET OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. THERE WAS NO MATERIAL WEAKNESSES AND NO SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCIES IN FINANCIAL REPORTING, NOTED THE FEDERAL AWARDS. AUDIT, AS I MENTIONED, IS IN PROCESS. I WILL SAY THAT TENTATIVELY. AS OF NOW, I HAVE NOTHING MAJOR TO REPORT FROM THAT AUDIT AS WELL EITHER. I REQUIRE COMMUNICATION TO YOU ALL AS COUNCIL. THE PURPOSE OF OUR AUDIT WAS TO OBTAIN REASONABLE, NOT ABSOLUTE ASSURANCE THAT THE INSTRUMENTS ARE FREE FROM ANY MATERIAL MISSTATEMENT. WE ASSESSED THE ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES USED BY MANAGEMENT AND ANY ESTIMATES THAT THEY USE. PREPARING THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. WE EVALUATE THE OVERALL FINANCIAL PRESENTATION OF THE REPORT TO MAKE SURE IT'S IN COMPLIANCE WITH ACCOUNTING STANDARDS AND PRINCIPLES ISSUED BY WHAT'S CALLED THE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD. AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE AN UNMODIFIED OPINION. THE SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES ARE IN NOTE ONE OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. THERE WAS A CHANGE THIS YEAR FOR TWO GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTING STANDARDS THAT WERE ISSUED. I'LL GO OVER THOSE IN A SECOND. SIGNIFICANT ESTIMATES. WE DO LOOK AT THESE AS WE GO THROUGH. WE CONSIDER THEM A RISK AREA. SO INCUR BUT NOT REPORTING CLAIMS IS AN ESTIMATE THAT'S DONE BY THE RISK MANAGEMENT OFFICE. WE LOOKED AT THAT ALONG WITH FINANCE. YOU HAVE FOR YOUR PENSIONS YOU HAVE ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS. SO WE SPENT SOME TIME LOOKING AT THOSE. THEY'RE NOT JUST SIMPLE THINGS. YOU CAN GO ON AND PRICE CHECK ON YAHOO.

SO WE HAVE TO DO SOME ADDITIONAL PROCEDURES THERE. YOUR PENSION YOUR LIABILITIES ARE CALCULATED BY AN OUTSIDE ACTUARIAL FIRM. SO WE DO REVIEW THOSE REPORTS AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE WITHIN INDUSTRY STANDARDS. AND THEN YOUR LANDFILL COSTS ARE ESTIMATED THAT YOU HAVE TO RECORD BY THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT. AND WE LOOK AT THOSE WE HAD NO UNCORRECTED MISSTATEMENTS, NO CORRECTED MISSTATEMENTS. THERE WAS NO DISAGREEMENTS WITH MANAGEMENT. THERE WERE VERY COOPERATIVE, VERY PROFESSIONAL. DURING THE AUDIT PROCESS. THEY DID NOT CONSULT WITH ANY OTHER ACCOUNTANTS, AND THERE WAS NO ISSUES PRIOR TO US BEING RETAINED AS THE AUDITORS, AS WE ARE UNDER PROCUREMENT CONTRACT. AS I MENTIONED, THERE WAS TWO NEW ACCOUNTING POLICIES THIS YEAR THAT YOU HAD THE THE COUNTY HAD TO IMPLEMENT. ONE WAS GADSBY 101 ON COMPENSATED ABSENCES. YOU WERE DOING SOME OF THIS. WHAT IT TWEAKED WAS IN THE PAST. YOU ONLY REALLY HAD TO RECORD THE LIABILITY FOR ANY PAYOUT YOU WERE GOING TO GIVE.

SO AS SOMEBODY RETIRED, IF THEY HAD SICK LEAVE OR VACATION LEAVE THAT YOU WERE GOING TO BE PAYING OUT, THAT ESTIMATE HAD TO BE DONE AND BOOKED. NOW. NOW WHAT THE GADSBY SAYS IS YOU ALSO HAVE TO LOOK AT ARE THEY MORE LIKELY THAN YOU TO USE IT BEFORE THEY RETIRE? SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU HAVE 100 HOURS ACCRUED NOW AND YOU DON'T, YOU ONLY GET PAID OUT FOR, LET'S SAY, 40. NOW WE HAVE TO LOOK AND SAY OF THAT 60 REMAINING, ARE THEY LIKELY TO USE THAT BEFORE THEY RETIRE? AND THEN YOU HAVE TO BOOK A LIABILITY FOR THAT. REALLY A PAPER ENTRY DOESN'T AFFECT YOUR BUDGET PROCESS AT ALL. YOU'RE STILL FROM THAT STANDPOINT, YOU'RE GOING TO PAY THAT PERSON WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO PAY THEM NEXT YEAR'S SALARY. SO IT'S AN ACCOUNTING ENTRY FOR THE BOOK. AND THEN THERE WAS A FINANCIAL STATEMENT DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT. IF YOU HAD ANY CONSTRAINTS OR CONCENTRATIONS OF REVENUE THAT YOU THOUGHT MIGHT CHANGE IN THE FUTURE, A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR YOU ALL WOULD BE, LET'S SAY, IF ABERDEEN PROVING GROUNDS WAS GOING TO CLOSE, THAT WOULD HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT ON YOUR REVENUE BASE AND YOUR YOU WOULD HAVE TO DISCLOSE THAT INFORMATION IN YOUR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, ALERTING READERS AND OPERATING COMPANIES TO THAT ASPECT. YOU DID NOT HAVE ANYTHING THAT WE THOUGHT OR MANAGEMENT THOUGHT NEEDED TO BE REPORTED THIS YEAR IN THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, WE WILL WORK ON SOME NEW ONES NEXT YEAR. I'LL BE UP HERE GOING THROUGH

[01:25:05]

THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE? WELL, BILL, WE DO APPRECIATE YOU COMING AND GIVING US AN UPDATE, GIVING US A REPORT. APPRECIATE THE RESULTS. THE END RESULTS OF THE OF THE OUTSIDE AUDIT. SO AND WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN HERE SOON WITH CRYSTAL. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT DID KIND OF SHOW UP TO ME DURING YOUR PRESENTATION EARLIER WAS WHAT TONY JUST SPOKE ABOUT, AND CRYSTAL DID GO AND GET THE NUMBERS FOR US. SO WE HAVE THOSE. I'LL SHARE THEM WITH HIM. YEAH. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. YEAH. GOOD NIGHT.

NEXT OFFICE OF COMMUNITY SERVICE UPDATE ON FREEZING WEATHER PLAN. SHELTERED UNSHELTERED INDIVIDUALS. YEAH. GOOD EVENING, MISS RICHARDSON. I HAVE COPIES OF THE FREEZING WEATHER PLAN FOR EACH OF YOU, IF YOU WOULD LIKE. SURE, PLEASE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. LIVING DOCUMENT. THANK YOU. GOOD. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING, BARBARA RICHARDSON, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES. I ALSO HAVE WITH ME GRANT SPECIALIST BASHA AND SOUTHERN COUNTY TASK FORCE ADMINISTRATOR ADMINISTRATOR ROB WAGNER. BOTH OF THESE GENTLEMEN WORK CLOSELY WITH OUR FREEZING WEATHER PARTNERS. SO THEY'RE HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT I MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO ANSWER. SO THE FREEZING WEATHER PLAN IS A DOCUMENT DEVELOPED EACH YEAR BY THE LOCAL HOMELESS COALITION LEAD AGENCY, HARFORD COUNTY'S DESIGNATED LOCAL HOMELESS COALITION. LEAD AGENCY IS THE HARFORD COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY, A LOCAL NONPROFIT APPOINTED BY THE MARYLAND BALANCE OF STATE CONTINUUM OF CARE. THE HARFORD COUNTY COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY PRESENTED THE FREEZING WEATHER PLAN THAT YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU TO THE LOCAL HOMELESS COALITION AT LAST WEEK'S BIMONTHLY MEETING. THE PLAN IDENTIFIES WHEN AND HOW WEATHER FREEZING WEATHER IS ENACTED, AND IDENTIFIES KEY AGENCIES AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO AT RISK TO ASSIST AT RISK INDIVIDUALS DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER. MY ROLE, AND THAT OF MY DEPARTMENT IS TO DETERMINE WHEN TO ENACT THE PLAN. THIS DECISION IS MADE IN CONSULTATION WITH THE HARFORD COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY SERVICES, BASED ON WEATHER FORECASTS, WHICH ALLOW FOR ABOUT A 48 HOUR LEEWAY PRIOR TO ACTIVATION. ONCE ACTIVATED, THE HARFORD COUNTY COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY CONDUCTS STREET OUTREACH TO KNOWN INDIVIDUALS BY TELEPHONE AND IN-PERSON VISITS TO NOTIFY VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS THAT

[01:30:03]

SECOND, PLACEMENT INTO THE EMERGENCY ROTATING SHELTER OPERATED BY THE HOPE FOR THE HOMELESS ALLIANCE, AND THIRD, REFERRAL TO A TEMPORARY WARMING CENTER. ADDITIONALLY, THOSE STAFF WHO WORK WITH PLACEMENTS HAVE A VERY GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.

THEY WORK TOGETHER TO GET PEOPLE IN NEED TO A SAFE PLACE. EACH SHELTER AND WARMING CENTER HAS THEIR OWN SET OF PROCEDURES AND RULES THAT CLIENTS MUST AGREE TO BEFORE ENTERING.

SHELTERS AND WARMING CENTERS ARE GENERALLY OPEN FROM ABOUT AFTER DINNER UNTIL EARLY MORNING, AT WHICH TIME CLIENTS MUST VACATE THE LOCATION. UPON DEACTIVATION OF THE FREEZING WEATHER PLAN, CLIENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONTINUE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ACTION AGENCY AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AVAILABLE SERVICES. HARFORD COUNTY IS FORTUNATE TO PARTNER WITH A VERY ROBUST GROUP OF NONPROFIT PARTNERS AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES THAT PROVIDE A WIDE ARRAY OF HOMELESS PREVENTION SERVICES. SO THAT IS, IN A NUTSHELL, IS HOW THE PLAN OPERATES. YOU HAVE ALL THE KEY AGENCIES, PHONE NUMBERS, NAMES, ADDRESSES, EMAIL OF THE PARTNERS WHO TAKE PLACE AND PARTICIPATE IN CREATING THIS PLAN. WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. AND I REMEMBER A FEW YEARS AGO I PARTICIPATED IN THE THE COUNT THE HOMELESS IN TOWN. YES, YES, IT REQUIRES THE MANDATES THAT WE DO THAT EVERY YEAR. IT'S USUALLY ON A. SO WE'RE STILL DOING THAT TAKES PLACE ONE NIGHT IN JANUARY. THAT HAS TO BE OCCUR BETWEEN SOMETHING LIKE JANUARY 20TH AND JANUARY 30TH. I REMEMBER A LOT OF THOSE FOLKS MUST HAVE KNEW WHEN THE COUNT WAS COMING BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT TO BE COUNTED. WELL, THEY ALWAYS PICK THE COLDEST, SNOWIEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR, AND IT TURNS OUT THOSE PEOPLE CAN FIND SHELTER. SO ABSOLUTELY THEY SHOULD DO THE COUNT. IN JULY. OUR NUMBERS WOULD GO UP.

SO SO I KNOW OUR MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SEVERAL QUESTIONS. I'M GOING TO START WITH MISS MODELS.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE SO LATE THIS EVENING. IN THE PAST THERE WERE MOTEL VOUCHERS. HAVE THEY BEEN ELIMINATED? SO IN THE PAST, LIKE THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, YES. WE WERE PUTTING NIGHTTIME PLACEMENTS INTO MOTELS. WE HAVE DECIDED THAT THAT WAS NOT A GOOD USE OF TAXPAYER MONEY. LAST YEAR, WE SPENT MORE THAN $60,000 PLACING INDIVIDUALS IN MOTELS. AND WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED WAS INDIVIDUALS WAITED UNTIL AFTER THE ACTION AGENCY CLOSED AFTER 5 P.M. AND THEY WOULD NOTIFY A LAW ENFORCEMENT. THEY KNEW THAT THEY WOULD GET A MOTEL ROOM. SO WE WERE PLACING INDIVIDUALS IN MOTEL ROOMS WHEN WE HAD SHELTER BEDS AVAILABLE.

WE WERE THE ONLY COUNTY IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND THAT WAS USING MOTEL BEDS. EVERYBODY ELSE USES CONGREGATE SHELTER. AGAIN, YOU CAN'T BLAME THESE INDIVIDUALS FOR DOING THAT. IF YOU HAD A FREE NIGHT IN A MOTEL VERSUS A CONGREGATE SHELTER STAY AND JUST THE WORD SPREAD, AND WE KNOW THAT WE WERE HOUSING INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE NOT HARFORD COUNTY RESIDENTS.

ALSO, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE HIGHWAY TO ZION RECEIVED SOME GRANT MONEY FOR RENOVATIONS TO THE CHURCH TO PROVIDE SHELTER. IT SOUNDS LIKE THE CITY OF ABERDEEN WASN'T OKAY WITH THAT. AND THE MONEY WAS SPENT. THE RENOVATIONS WERE DONE. CAN YOU SPEAK TO ANY OF THAT? WELL, I KNOW OUR SOUTHERN COUNTY TASK FORCE, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIVISION, WAS WORKING WITH THE CITY OF GOD, IDENTIFIED AS A COMMUNITY PARTNER IN THE SOUTHERN COUNTY TASK FORCE. WE THAT CHURCH HAD RUN INTO SOME RENOVATION STALLS APPARENTLY SEVERAL YEARS AGO. THEY HAD UNDERTAKEN A A LARGE RENOVATION OF THE CHURCH PROPERTY. FOR WHATEVER REASON, HAD THAT DEVELOPER LEFT THEM, THE CHURCH WAS NEVER THE RENOVATIONS WERE NEVER COMPLETED. SO WE ARE WORKING WITH THEM TO COMPLETE THAT RENOVATION. THEY HAD STEPPED FORWARD AS OFFERED. ONCE COMPLETE, THAT THE THE LOCATION COULD BE USED AS A WARMING CENTER. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT THIS TIME THEY HAVEN'T QUITE SECURED ALL NECESSARY LICENSES TO OPERATE. BUT IN THE FUTURE, WE'RE HOPING THAT THEY WILL BE A GREAT COMMUNITY PARTNER, AND WE'RE GOING TO WORK WITH THEM NOT ONLY TO PROVIDE A WARMING CENTER, BUT PERHAPS BEFORE AND AFTER CHILD CARE SUMMER PROGRAMS. THEY'RE AN IDEAL LOCATION, RIGHT ON A BUS STOP. THEY'RE RIGHT NEXT TO INTER-COUNTY OUTREACH, AND THEY HAVE A VERY ROBUST AND ENERGETIC CONGREGATION THAT REALLY WANTS TO BE A PARTNER IN OUR SOUTHERN COUNTY. OKAY, SO THE MONEY THAT'S BEEN SPENT, I THINK IT'S AROUND 55,000. IS IS THAT CORRECT? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE I DON'T KNOW, IT LOOKS LIKE AT LEAST CLOSE TO 55,000 IN GRANT MONEY FROM THE COUNTY. IF THAT'S NOT AVAILABLE TO BE

[01:35:05]

SO THEY'RE ONE OF OUR IDENTIFIED COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.

AND OUR SOUTHERN COUNTY TASK FORCE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. OUR AWARD WINNING SOUTHERN COUNTY TASK FORCE. HAPPY TO REPORT THAT WE WILL BE GOING TO MAKO TOMORROW NIGHT TO GET OUR THIRD AWARD OF THE YEAR FOR THE TASK FORCE. AND THIS AGAIN, IS JUST ONE OF THOSE PROJECTS, COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS WITH A WITH A CONGREGATION THAT'S WILLING TO TO WORK WITH US TO, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE PROGRAMING IN THE SOUTHERN COUNTY, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS AND GETTING THOSE AWARDS FOR. SO, ROB, HOW MANY SHELTERS DO WE HAVE? IN THIS COUNTY? YES, YOU'VE GOT YOU'VE GOT THE WELCOME ONE SHELTER. AND THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE ABOUT THE COLD WEATHER. THE COLD WEATHER. WELL, THE COLD WEATHER. OH HOW'S IT GOING TO BE. AS OF RIGHT NOW WE HAVE ONE LOCATION. THE PLAN, YES, WAS TO USE HIGHWAY DESIGN ON. WHERE? IT SEEMS A COMMUNICATION FELL THROUGH WITH ABERDEEN WAS. THEY KEEP REFERRING TO THEIR PERMIT ISSUES THAT WERE TAKING OUT IN 2023 FOR THE SANCTUARY. WE DID NOT TOUCH THE SANCTUARY. THE SANCTUARY HAS NO REFLECTION ON THIS. WE DID THEIR COMMUNITY ROOM, WHICH TO OUR KNOWLEDGE WAS COMPLETED IN 2005 AND THEY HAD ALL THEIR INSPECTIONS AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT. AND WHEN WE STARTED TALKING TO THEM, THEY WERE ONE OF 25 CHURCHES I CONTACTED IN. 24 CHURCHES HUNG UP ON ME. SO WE WERE VERY HAPPY WHEN WE FOUND THIS LOCATION BEING AS WHERE IT WAS. WE WERE UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT CHURCHES DO THIS ALL THE TIME.

WE HAVE THE ROTATING SHELTER, THAT'S ALL CHURCHES. SO WE MEET. JUST ASSUME THAT IT WAS A PERMITTED USE. SO MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT TO ME, WE HAVE ONE LOCATION. HOW MANY BEDS ARE IN THAT LOCATION. THAT'S A WARMING CENTER WE HAVE FOR SHELTERS. WE HAVE THE WELCOME ONE EMERGENCY SHELTER. WE HAVE THE HARTFORD HOUSE SHELTER. WE HAVE THE ANNA'S HOUSE EMERGENCY SHELTER. WE HAVE THE EMERGENCY ROTATING WEATHER SHELTER, WHICH IS THE GROUP OF CHURCHES THAT ROTATES, THAT BEGINS AFTER THE FIRST OF THE YEAR. AND THEN WE HAVE THE WARMING CENTER, WHICH WILL BE THE OVERFLOW, WHICH WE WERE HOPING WOULD ALSO TAKE PLACE THIS YEAR AT THE CHURCH IN ABERDEEN. THAT PROBABLY WON'T BE THE CASE UNLESS THEY'RE ABLE TO SECURE THEIR PERMITS. OKAY. SO THAT LOCATION WILL BE. SO THAT MAKES ME FEEL A LOT BETTER.

OH, TRUST ME, EVERYONE WILL HAVE A SAFE AND WARM PLACE TO GO. SHELTERS. WE'VE ONLY GOT THE ONE IN TERMS OF WELCOME ONE SHELTER. RIGHT. AND I'M FAMILIAR WITH WELCOME ONE. I'M JUST SAYING FOR COLD WEATHER, FOR FOR FREEZING WEATHER, THE THE OVERFLOW WARMING CENTER WILL BE WE HAVE 1 TO 3 CELLS. AND IN THE PAST, HOW MANY VOUCHERS FOR HOTEL ROOMS DID WE USE? I COULDN'T GIVE YOU SPECIFIC NUMBERS OF VOUCHERS WE USED. I CAN TELL YOU FINANCIALLY IT WAS ABOUT $62,000 LAST YEAR, BUT WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY THAT WAS. IT WOULD VARY FROM NIGHT TO NIGHT. I THINK THE GREATEST NIGHT THAT WE EVER HAD. ONE NIGHT WE HAD, YOU SAID 40, 50, 50 ROOMS AND THAT WOULD BE PRIOR PLACEMENTS WITH THE COMMUNITY ACTIONS AND THEN THE OVERFLOW. SO. SO 50. AND THAT WAS AT A TIME FOR ONE NIGHT THOUGH, YOU'RE SAYING FOR ONE NIGHT. BUT THAT WAS INDIVIDUALS COMING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT APPROACHING LAW ENFORCEMENT SAYING, I NEED A PLACE TO GO, KNOWING FULL WELL THAT THEY'RE GOING TO GET A MOTEL ROOM. BUT DO WE HAVE DO WE HAVE DOCUMENTATION OF LIKE YEARS PAST OF OF HOW MANY PEOPLE WE HOUSED AND WHERE THEY WERE HOUSED AND HOW MUCH MONEY WE SPENT FOR THAT? WE DO. WE'VE ONLY DONE THE MOST FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. THAT WAS SOMETHING YOU STARTED. IS THAT SOMETHING YOU COULD PROVIDE TO US? OKAY, SO LET'S DO THAT. IF YOU DON'T MIND, I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT. CAN YOU TELL US WHERE THEY'RE COMING FROM TO? YOU SAID SOMEWHERE HERTFORD COUNTY AND SOME AREN'T HERTFORD COUNTY. YEAH, WELL THEY'RE HOMELESS, SO. AND SOMETIMES IT'S HARD TO DISCERN AN ADDRESS. BUT IF THEY'RE TRULY ACCESSING THE HOMELESS SHELTER SYSTEM, THEY'VE HAD SOME PRIOR CONNECTION WITH THE HERTFORD COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY. THE ONES WHO DEVELOPED THE PLAN DO THE SHELTER PLACEMENTS SO THEY KEEP ALL THEIR CLIENT INFORMATION AND SOMETHING CALLED THE HOMELESS HOMELESS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM.

SO IF IT'S A KNOWN INDIVIDUAL, THEY CAN GO BACK AND SAY, OH YES, THIS PERSON HAS ACCESS

[01:40:03]

CHANCES ARE THEY'RE NOT FROM HERTFORD COUNTY BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANY CROSS-REFERENCES TO THE OTHER JURISDICTIONS. WE ALSO KNOW THAT SOME OF OUR PROVIDERS CAN'T BLAME THEM FOR LETTING THEIR CLIENTS KNOW THAT IN ORDER TO GET A MOTEL ROOM, DON'T GO TO THE COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY. DON'T GO TO THE DON'T ASK FOR COORDINATED ENTRY. WAIT UNTIL 5:00, GO TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THEN GET A MOTEL ROOM. AND LET'S FACE IT, IF YOU'RE HOMELESS AND YOU'RE COLD, WOULD YOU RATHER BE IN YOUR OWN HOTEL ROOM? OR WOULD YOU RATHER BE IN A CONGREGATE SHELTER? PROBABLY RATHER BE IN MOTEL ROOM? AND I WOULD ALSO MATTER. I WOULD IMAGINE THAT IT DIDN'T MATTER WHERE THE PERSON WAS COMING FROM, THAT IF THEY WERE OUT IN THE ELEMENTS, WE WOULD WANT TO SHELTER THEM ONCE THEY GOT INTO HERTFORD COUNTY. YES, WE VIEWED IT AS HERTFORD COUNTY'S PROBLEMS. WHAT TIME DO THESE SHELTERS, WHAT TIME ARE THEY CLOSING? CAN CAN ANYONE GET IN AT ANY TIME OF NIGHT? THEY CAN GET IN. ALL PLACEMENTS WILL GO THROUGH DURING THE DAY.

THEY'LL BE REQUIRED TO GO TO THE HERTFORD COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY FOR SHELTER PLACEMENT.

AFTER HOURS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT. THEY'LL WORK WITH THIS WITH OUR STAFF FOR NIGHTTIME PLACEMENT INTO SHELTERS. SO IF IT'S 9:00 AT NIGHT AND IT'S 13 DEGREES, WHERE DO THEY GO? IF THE FREEZING WEATHER PLAN IS ACTIVATED, THEY WILL GO TO LAW ENFORCEMENT. LAW ENFORCEMENT WILL CONTACT ME AND WE WILL SEND THEM TO THE WARMING CENTER THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY GOING TO USE. THE SENIOR CENTER. WHERE IS IT? THE EDGEWOOD SENIOR CENTER. OKAY. AND I ASSUME EDGEWOOD AND ALL OF THE STAKEHOLDERS, THEY'RE ON BOARD WITH THIS. IT'S NOT GOING TO BE LIKE AN ABERDEEN SITUATION. I KNOW. AND WE'RE AND WE'RE STILL HOPING THAT ABERDEEN WILL COME TO THEIR SENSES AND RECOGNIZE THAT THESE GENTLEMEN, OUR STAFF ARE PRETTY CERTAIN THAT THEY'VE MET AND THE CHURCH THAT THEY'VE DONE EVERYTHING THEY WERE ASKED TO DO AND THAT THEY'RE WITHIN THEIR PARAMETERS TO HAVE A WARMING CENTER. THIS IS NOT A SHELTER. THIS IS AN OVERNIGHT WARMING SHELTER. CURRENTLY, THERE'S LOTS OF CHURCHES THAT OPERATE ROTATING SHELTERS. THEY MIGHT NOT BE ZONED PROPERTY. WHERE THERE'S AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, THINGS ARE DIFFERENT. IT'S FREEZING WEATHER. I THINK A CHURCH HAS THE RIGHT TO HOUSE HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS, KEEP THEM WARM IN AN EMERGENT SITUATION. SO. SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT IT WAS THE CHURCH'S RESPONSIBILITY TO ACQUIRE THE PERMITS AND TO UNDERSTAND WHETHER IT WAS OWN PROPERTY OR NOT? IT WAS THE CHURCHES. THEY WERE THE ONES WHO CAME AND ASKED IF THEY COULD HELP US BY BEING A WARMING CENTER. WE SAID, ABSOLUTELY, OKAY. AND THEN, JUST LIKE WE WOULD WELCOME ANY CONGREGATION TO THIS POINT, IF ANYBODY ELSE WANTS TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND OFFER THEIR CHURCH AS A WARMING CENTER, WE WOULD GLADLY ACCEPT THAT. SO IT'S DIFFICULT TO FIND ANYONE WHO'S WILLING TO TO ASSIST. ABERDEEN'S A LITTLE BIT UNIQUE.

UNFORTUNATELY, WITH THE MUNICIPALITY THE WAY IT IS, THEY SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY THAN WE DO WITH HARFORD COUNTY. HARFORD COUNTY, YOU KNOW AS WELL AS I DO. A CHURCH CAN GO PRETTY MUCH IN ANY ZONING CLASSIFICATION THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY AND PRETTY MUCH DO WHATEVER THEY WANT, BECAUSE IT'S THE CHURCH'S MISSION TO DO WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO.

TAKING THAT SAME THING TO ABERDEEN DOESN'T WORK, BECAUSE IN THE END OF THE DAY, ABERDEEN COMES BACK AND SAYS, OH NO, NO, IT'S A CHURCH THAT'S HERE, BUT IT'S NOT ZONED FOR THIS. WELL, NOW YOU'RE LETTING ZONING DICTATE A CHURCH'S MISSION IS WHAT YOU'RE DOING. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH THAT, THINKING THAT IN THE FUTURE WE CAN GET THAT CHURCH UP AND GOING. IT WAS AN IT'S AN ASSET TO THE COMMUNITY. NUMBER ONE, IT TAKES CARE OF THE COMMUNITY THAT'S THERE. NUMBER TWO, THEY'RE EAGER TO WORK WITH US. NUMBER THREE, BECAUSE, AS LYNN SAID, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO FIND ANY CHURCH THAT WAS WILLING TO STEP UP AND TAKE THIS OBLIGATION. IN YEARS PAST, YOU KNOW, BEFORE COVID, YOU HAD CHURCHES THAT WERE DOING ROTATING SHELTERS. AND UNFORTUNATELY, COVID CHANGED THAT. A LOT OF THEIR POPULATION.

THE CHURCH HAS AGED OUT. THE YOUNGER FOLKS AREN'T INTERESTED IN TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE THAT ARE IN NEED. AND IT JUST IT'S CHANGED. THE DYNAMICS HAVE CHANGED A LOT. SO I'M GLAD WE'VE GOT THIS FORUM TONIGHT TOO, BECAUSE IF ANY OTHER CHURCHES, AS YOU SAID, WOULD LIKE TO STEP UP AND HELP OUT WITH THIS INITIATIVE, FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US BECAUSE WE'RE SHORT ON. I'M GLAD. I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT UP BECAUSE I WAS JUST CONTACTED AGAIN BY OUR NEIGHBOR, PASTOR TILLMAN, WHO IS PUTTING TOGETHER A SHELTER IN EDGEWOOD WHO I UNDERSTAND WAS SUPPOSED TO MEET TODAY WITH THE ADMINISTRATION IN REFERENCE TO SOME HELP THERE WITH SOME ONGOING RENOVATIONS THERE. WE HAVE ASSISTED HIM WITH A GREAT AMOUNT OF MONEY IN THE PAST. HE IS IN THAT, IN THAT BUILDING AT THE ONE IN THE ONE IN EDGEWOOD. YES. YEAH. THEY RECEIVED A NEW BUILDING. WELL, THIS IS A BRAND NEW BUILDING. I WAS JUST THERE. WOULD THEY JUST IT'S A THEY

[01:45:05]

WE'VE BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH HIM AND HE KNOWS THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO SUPPORT HIM. HE KNOWS THAT UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE WE HELPED HIM IN THE PAST WITH CDBG FUNDING, IT MIGHT NOT BE, BUT YOU ARE GOING TO REACH OUT TO HIM AGAIN AND TRY TO SET SOMETHING UP. ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY. I THINK IT'S ALREADY SCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEDNESDAY. NOT IS IT? NOT WITH THE PHONE CALL I HAD FROM HIM TODAY. SO AND HE SAID THAT HE WAS HOPING SOMEBODY WOULD LET HIM KNOW. SO MAYBE THEY HAVEN'T. THEY REACHED OUT TO ME SEE IF I WAS AVAILABLE. I THINK IT'S NEXT WEDNESDAY. IT'S ON MY CALENDAR. SO THAT'S AWESOME.

YEAH. NO WE WORK REALLY CLOSELY WITH HIM. OKAY. AND I'M SORRY, MISS IMHOFF. GOOD EVENING. SO HISTORICALLY, THE WELCOME ONE SHELTER WAS FOR SINGLE MALES ONLY. IS THAT SO ACCURATE? NO.

THEY'VE HAD WOMEN THERE FOR ABOUT TEN YEARS NOW. IS IT JUST SINGLE ADULTS THOUGH. SINGLE ADULTS. CORRECT. THEN WE ALSO HAVE THE EMERGENCY FAMILY SHELTER AND THE HARTFORD FAMILY HOUSE EMERGENCY SHELTER, WHICH ACCEPT WOMEN AND CHILDREN. SO THE ANNA'S HOUSE EMERGENCY SHELTER I KNOW IS TYPICALLY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, AND THEY TYPICALLY GET ASSIGNED THERE FOR SIX MONTHS. AT ONE POINT IT WAS TWO YEARS, AND THEY ONLY HAVE SIX BEDROOMS. THEY HAVE SOME EMERGENCY BEDS NOW, AND SO DOES HARTFORD FAMILY HOUSE.

EMERGENCY FAMILY HARTFORD FAMILY HOUSE HAVE I'M NOT SURE. I'M NOT 100% SURE, HONESTLY.

HOW ABOUT WELCOME ONE. HOW MANY BEDS ARE THERE FOR FEMALES? FOR FEMALES RIGHT NOW IT'S EIGHT EIGHT AND MALES 33 MINUS EIGHT. SO THEY HAVE TOTAL 33 BEDS. AND WHAT WE HAVE FOUND WE ARE UNDERGOING EXPANSION. AS YOU KNOW I WAS GOING TO SAY YES. AND SO THAT SHOULD BE DONE.

THAT'S I THINK OUT FOR BID NOW. BUT WE DO HAVE IT'S IT'S ALMOST LARGELY ADULT SINGLE MALES, PARTICULARLY IN THE FREEZING WEATHER. BUT THE ONLY FAMILY SHELTER IS ANNA'S HOUSE. AND HARTFORD FAMILY HOUSE HAS EMERGENCY FAMILY SHELTER AS WELL. AND IT'S IN A LARGE ROOM OR IN A SEPARATE FAMILY. I THINK THEY'RE IN A SORT OF APARTMENTS AT HARTFORD FAMILY HOUSE, BECAUSE THEY HAD PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR A LONG TIME. IS IT IS THAT WHAT THEY'RE USING FOR THEIR EMERGENCY SHELTER? THEY HAVE A LOT OF FACILITIES. THEY HAVE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. THEY HAVE EMERGENCY SHELTER, TRANSITIONAL HOUSING. SO THEY HAVE THE APARTMENT BUILDING. THEY HAVE MULTIPLE HOUSES THAT THEY RENT IN THE COMMUNITY. SO I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY HOW THE CONVENTION, BUT I DON'T THINK THEY HAVE ANYTHING THAT'S CONGREGATE. IT'S ALL INDIVIDUAL APARTMENTS. OKAY. BUT WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY UNITS THEY HAVE FOR FAMILIES. OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD A LOT. YEAH, IT'S I MEAN, THEY HAVE THAT WHOLE APARTMENT BUILDING THAT'S LOCATED DOWN RIGHT ACROSS IN ABERDEEN. THEY HAVE MULTIPLE HOMES THAT THEY RENT TOWNHOUSES FOR THEIR TRANSITIONAL HOUSING AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AND EMERGENCY FAMILY. BUT THE APARTMENTS AREN'T FOR EMERGENCY LIKE I'M THE EMERGENCY SHELTER, LIKE A FAMILY CALLS IN TONIGHT. I NEED SOMEWHERE TO GO. WHERE WOULD THEY GO? THEY WOULD GO TO HARTFORD FAMILY HOUSE OR ANNA'S HOUSE. THERE'S NO BEDS. WE DON'T HAVE A WAITLIST FOR FAMILY HOUSING FOR FAMILIES. I DON'T THINK AT THIS POINT. SO. SO WHATEVER BEDS THEY'RE PROVIDING, I THINK THEY'RE MEETING THE NEED. OKAY. I THINK THAT CALLS FOR SOME MORE DISCUSSION. OBVIOUSLY, I HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE AS SOCIAL WORKER IN THE COMMUNITY, AND I CAN ASSURE YOU, AT LEAST OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ENOUGH BEDS. SO I'D BE KIND OF CURIOUS TO SEE HOW WE COULD CAPTURE THAT DATA. I WOULD REACH OUT AGAIN.

HARTFORD COMMUNITY ACTION. SHE DOES ALL THE COORDINATED ENTRY. SO THEN THEY KEEP THE WAITLISTS.

SO I'M SURE THEY CAN PROVIDE THAT DETAIL. MISS ROBERT. YES. SO AND I GUESS I'M GOING TO TAG ON MISS IMHOFF. A I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WITH THE SHELTERS THAT YOU HAVE AND THE CHURCHES THAT YOU MAY BE USING, WHAT THE CAPACITY IS IN EACH OF THOSE FACILITIES SO THAT WE CAN SEE BECAUSE I, I'M FULLY AWARE THAT SOME OF THEM ARE FULL. I SPEAK TO THE HARTFORD COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY A LOT, AND SO. IN LOOKING AT THAT, WHAT WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? LIKE WHAT? I WANT TO SEE THE NUMBERS ON HOW MANY, AGAIN, THE HARTFORD COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY MIGHT BE A BETTER FIT HERE TO DISCUSS THIS. THEY'RE THE ONES WHO WHO HAVE THE SHELTER COUNTS. THEY'RE THE ONES WHO DO THE COORDINATED ENTRY. WE REALLY DON'T DO ANY OF THAT. BUT WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THEY HAVE THEY START OFF WITH THE, YOU KNOW, THEY KEEP A BY NAME WAITLIST FOR FOR INDIVIDUALS. I KNOW THEY HAVE WEEKLY OR BIWEEKLY CASE

[01:50:03]

THEY'RE ON THEIR OWN. AS LONG AS THE PLAN IS ACTIVATED. THEN WHEN THE PLAN IS DEACTIVATED, THEY HAVE TO LEAVE THE HOTELS. OKAY. BUT IF WE'RE NOT USING HOTELS. CORRECT ANYMORE. RIGHT.

SO IT WOULD OPERATE THE SAME AS THE EMERGENCY SHELTER. SO DURING THE DAY, THEY HAVE TO EXIT THE SHELTER. THEY GO TO, YOU KNOW, THE DAY PROGRAMS AT THE EPICENTER OF EDGEWOOD IS ONE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SEVERAL PLACES THEY GO. THEY COME BACK IN THE EVENING ASSUMING THE FREEZING WEATHER PLAN IS STILL ACTIVE, THEY CAN GO BACK TO THE SAME SHELTER. THAT'S WHERE MY QUESTION WAS. OR DO THEY HAVE TO REREGISTER AND ETC. THAT'S WHERE I WAS AT. OKAY. YEAH, I THINK I AGREE THAT NEEDS TO BE FURTHER DISCUSSION. SO MR. BENNETT, YEAH, I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT TO KNOW HOW MANY BEDS WE HAVE. YOU KNOW, SINGLE MALE, SINGLE FEMALE FAMILY JUST TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE CAPACITY. AND ALSO ONCE WE START HAVING SOME OF THESE INSTANCES WHERE WE'RE ACTIVATING THE PLAN, HOW MANY SINGLE MALE BEDS GET USED, HOW MANY SINGLE FEMALE BEDS GET USED, HOW MANY FAMILY BEDS GET USED ON THOSE INDIVIDUAL INSTANCES? THAT'S WHY IT WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE THE COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY HERE. AGAIN, THEY DO ALL THE COORDINATED ENTRY. THEY'VE DONE THAT FOR THE LAST 10 OR 15 YEARS. THEY'D BE ABLE TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS, PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION. WHAT I CAN ASSURE YOU IS NOBODY IS GOING TO BE LEFT OUT IN THE COLD. WE WILL ENSURE THAT EVERYBODY HAS A SAFE, WARM PLACE. SO I JUST SENT A MESSAGE TO THE HARTFORD COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY. THEY'RE GOING TO BE HERE AT OUR NEXT COUNCIL MEETING. AWESOME. AND I JUST BUT IN TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THAT SOUNDS LIKE AT 5:01 P.M. IF SOMEBODY COMES AND NEEDS SHELTER, IT'S NO LONGER THE ACTION AGENCY. IT'S YOU.

ALL CORRECT. SO YOU SHOULD HAVE SOME SEMBLANCE OF UNDERSTANDING OF HOW MANY BEDS ARE WHERE WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO COORDINATE CARE. IN THAT INSTANCE, AT 501, THE ONLY PLACE THEY'LL BE ABLE TO COME IS THE WARMING CENTER, BECAUSE THE SHELTERS WILL NOT ACCEPT AFTER HOURS. OKAY. WHICH IS WHY HISTORICALLY THEY GOT PLACED IN MOTELS BECAUSE THE WELCOME ONE, EVEN IF THEY HAD BEDS AVAILABLE, WHICH MOST NIGHTS OF LAST YEAR WHEN WE HAD FOLKS IN MOTELS, THERE WERE BEDS AVAILABLE. BUT BECAUSE THOSE INDIVIDUALS WAITED TILL 501, THEY KNEW THEY WOULD BE PLACED IN A MOTEL VERSUS BEING PLACED IN A CONGREGATE SHELTER. AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION IS LOOKING AT THE PLAN. YOU KNOW, IF IF IT'S BELOW 32 DEGREES FOR 24 CONSECUTIVE HOURS, THEN THE PLANS ACTIVATED. HOW DO YOU ALL LIKE IS THERE ANY SORT OF PROFESSIONAL DISCERNMENT IN WEEKS LIKE THIS WHERE IT'S PERPETUALLY 33 DEGREES IS THE HIGH, BUT THE LOW IS 13 DEGREES? OR IS CONVERSATIONS ALWAYS TAKE PLACE WITH THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY EOC? SO WE SEE THE FORECAST. WE WATCH IT THERE. WE GET DAILY FORECASTS FROM EOC

[01:55:02]

THEY TRY TO CONVINCE PEOPLE TO GO TO SHELTERS. THEY'LL MAKE THE TELEPHONE CALLS OF HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS TO START MAKING THE PLACEMENTS. I WILL SAY A LOT OF TIMES FOLKS WON'T TAKE LISTEN TO THEM. THEY DON'T, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL SAY, NO, NO, WE'RE FINE OUT HERE. BUT THEY DO IT. VERY ROBUST OUTREACH TRYING TO GET PEOPLE PLACED. JANUARY 26TH IS THE COUNT THIS YEAR, AND THE 28TH IS THE BACKUP. MR. SO IF IT'S IF IT'S 37 DEGREES IN JOPPATOWNE OR HAVRE DE GRACE, BUT IT'S 31 DEGREES IN STREET, DOES THE PLAN GET ACTIVATED? WE LOOK AT THE EDGEWOOD. WE USUALLY USE THE WEATHER AT EDGEWOOD BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE MAJORITY OF OUR FOLKS ARE.

AND AGAIN, IT'S IT'S IT'S NOT IT'S NOT A OH, IT'S 32. WE'RE GOING TO ACTIVATE. IF IT'S AGAIN IF IT COULD BE 35 AND SNOWING. THAT'S WHY THE CONVERSATION TAKES PLACE. WE RELY ON THE EXPERTS AT THE EMERGENCY OPERATION. I CERTAINLY AM NOT A WEATHER EXPERT. WHEN THEY TELL ME TO ACTIVATE IT, WE ACTIVATE IT. SO JUST BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S A BIG DISCREPANCY IN TEMPERATURES BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, THE SOUTH PART OF HARFORD COUNTY AND THE NORTHERN PART OF HARFORD COUNTY. YEAH. YEAH. JUST TELL ME HE DOESN'T THINK HE'S EVER HAD A PHONE CALL FROM THE NORTHERN PART OF THE. I HAVE ONE PHONE CALL FROM THE NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY. WE KNOW IT IS COLD. I JUST I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION ABOUT THIS GRANT MONEY. SO THE $26,000 THAT WAS GIVEN TO THE HIGHWAY TO ZION, AND THEN IT SEEMS LIKE FROM THE NUMBERS THAT I'VE SEEN, THERE WAS 55,000 SPENT. SO THERE'S 29,000 ADDITIONAL MONEY IN THERE THAT WAS GIVEN BY THE COUNTY. WHERE DID THAT MONEY COME FROM? FOR THE 55,000, IN RENOVATIONS? ARE YOU TALKING? I'M CONFUSED. BACK TO THE ABERDEEN CHURCH THAT WE WERE GOING TO USE AS A WARMING CENTER, THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS COUNTY FUNDING OR IT COULD BE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUNDING. AGAIN, THAT WAS A PARTNER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DECISION. SO IF THERE'S IF THEY NEVER PARTNER AND WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING THERE, WHAT HAPPENS TO ALL OF THAT MONEY THAT WAS SPENT? WELL, THEY WILL PARTNER BECAUSE THEY'RE ONE OF OUR PARTNERS. WE'RE THERE AGAIN, ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS.

IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT OUR ANNUAL ACTION PLAN, WE GIVE OUT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO LOCAL NONPROFITS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. THERE WERE JUST ONE THAT WAS IDENTIFIED THIS YEAR. WE HOPE TO YOU KNOW, WE GIVE LOTS OF MONEY TO LOTS OF FAITH BASED, RIGHT? HOW HOW LONG DO YOU GIVE THEM TO BECOME A PARTNER THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY START USING? THEY'RE STILL A PARTNER. THEY'RE GOING TO PROVIDE VOLUNTEERS THAT ARE GOING TO WORK AT THE WARMING CENTER. SO THEY'RE THEY'RE WORKING WITH US RIGHT NOW UNTIL THEY UNTIL THEY CAN ACTUALLY GET THEIR BUILDING USED. THEY'RE GOING TO PROVIDE VOLUNTEERS TO HELP STAFF THE WARMING CENTER. OKAY. SO FOR THE MONEY THAT WAS SPENT, WE'RE GOING TO GET VOLUNTEERS. WE'RE GOING TO GET A WHOLE LOT MORE. WE'RE GOING TO GET A COMMUNITY PARTNER THAT'S IN THE ABERDEEN COMMUNITY IN THE SOUTHERN COUNTY TASK FORCE, THE AWARD WINNING SOUTHERN COUNTY TASK FORCE AREA THAT'S GOING TO WORK WITH US TO PROVIDE BEFORE AND AFTER CHILD CARE. THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE COMMUNITY PROGRAMING. THEY HAVE SUCH GREAT PLANS. THEY'RE LOCATED, AS I SAID, RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO THE COUNTY OUTREACH. THERE MIGHT BE PARTNERSHIPS WITH THEIR SUMMER CAMP. SO YEAH, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS PARTNERSHIP. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE? ANYONE ELSE? THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK, LYNN. GREAT.

THANK YOU. AGENDA NUMBER SEVEN APPROVAL OF MINUTES PUBLIC HEARING DECEMBER 2ND, 2025.

[7. APPROVAL OF MINUTES ]

[8. INTRODUCTION AND CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTIONS ]

[02:00:01]

I SAW THAT THEY WERE ON THE SCHEDULE TODAY, AND I WANTED TO GO OUT TO TO TAKE PICTURES AND TO TALK ABOUT THAT. AND THEY'RE REALLY EXCITED. I'M REALLY EXCITED. I SAW THE BARN THAT THEY'VE ALREADY SPENT A BUNCH OF MONEY WORKING ON, AND THEY'RE GOING TO PUT OFFICES IN THERE AND EVERYTHING, BUT SOME OF THE TRUST AND YOU GUYS MIGHT FIND THIS INTERESTING WERE FROM 1950S AND 40S, WHERE THEY WERE CURVED WOOD LIKE, LAMINATED AND AND ARCHED. AND IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING. YOU SAID A LOT OF BARNS WEREN'T BUILT THAT WAY, SO THEY KEPT THE INTEGRITY OF THAT. THEY SHORTED UP. SO ANYWAY, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SAYING YES ON THIS AND JUST WANTED TO LET ALL MY OTHER COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, YOU KNOW, KNOW THAT AS PART OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS, AND I'M MOVING FORWARD TO APPROVE IT. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT. ANYONE ELSE, MISS DIXON, MR. PRESIDENT? HI, MRS. ROBERT. HI, MRS. EMHOFF. HI, MR. HI, MR. RILEY. HI, MR. MRS. HI, MR. BENNETT. I THERE BEING SEVEN VOTES IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, ZERO IN A NEGATIVE RESOLUTION. ZERO 4125 IS HEREBY APPROVED RESOLUTION ZERO 4225, NOTICE OF SALE REFUNDING BOND SERIES B RESOLUTION 2026. MAY I HAVE A MOTION, PLEASE? COUNCIL PRESIDENT, I MOVE TO APPROVE RESOLUTION ZERO 42 DASH 25. I HAVE A SECOND. SECOND. THANK YOU, MR. RILEY. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED TO APPROVE RESOLUTION ZERO 4225. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? MISS DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT. HI, MRS. ROBERT. HI, MRS. EMHOFF. HI, MR. GIORDANO. HI, MR. RILEY. HI, MRS. HI, MR. BENNETT. I THERE BEING SEVEN VOTES IN AFFIRMATIVE, ZERO IN NEGATIVE RESOLUTION ZERO 4225 IS HEREBY APPROVED RESOLUTION ZERO 4325 NOTICE OF SALE CPI SERIES A RESOLUTION 2026. MAY I HAVE A MOTION, PLEASE? COUNCIL PRESIDENT, I MOVE TO APPROVE RESOLUTION ZERO 43 DASH 25. MAY I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? THANK YOU, MR. ROWLEY. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED TO APPROVE RESOLUTION ZERO 4325. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION, MISS DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT, A MRS. ROBERT I, MRS. EMHOFF. HI, MR. GIORDANO.

HI, MR. RILEY. MRS. HI, MR. BENNETT, I BRING SEVEN VOTES IN AFFIRMATIVE, ZERO NEGATIVE RESOLUTION ZERO 4325 IS HEREBY APPROVED. NINE INTRODUCTION OF BILLS. WE HAVE NONE TEN.

INTRODUCTION AND CONSIDERATION OF AMENDMENTS. WE HAVE NONE 11. CALL FOR FINAL READING OF BILLS

[11. CALL FOR FINAL READING OF BILLS ]

[02:05:04]

[12. ENROLLMENT OF BILLS]

[13. UNFINISHED BUSINESS ]

THANK YOU, MR. BENNETT. ANYONE ELSE? MISS DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT, I MRS. ROBERT I, MRS. EMHOFF, MR. GIORDANO. AYE. MR. RILEY I MRS. I MR. BENNETT I BEING SEVEN VOTES IN AFFIRMATIVE ZERO IN A NEGATIVE. THE REVISED RULES OF PROCEDURE PRESENTED AT THE OCTOBER 21ST COUNCIL

[14. NEW BUSINESS ]

THANK YOU. YOU MAY HAVE A SECOND. SECOND. THANK YOU, MR. RILEY. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED TO CANCEL THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION FOR DECEMBER 16TH. IS THERE ANY MORE DISCUSSION? MISS DIXON? MR. PRESIDENT, I MRS. ROBERT I, MRS. EMHOFF, MR. GIORDANO, MR. RILEY, MRS. I MR. BENNETT I THERE BEING SEVEN VOTES IN THE AFFIRMATIVE ZERO IN A NEGATIVE.

THE CANCELLATION OF THE DECEMBER 16TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION DAY IS HEREBY APPROVED AND OUR NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION DAY WILL BE JANUARY THE 6TH. AGENDA NUMBER 17 COMMENTS

[ 17. COMMENTS AND INPUT FROM ATTENDING CITIZENS ]

NAME AND ADDRESS, PLEASE, SIR. GOOD EVENING TO YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES. JOHN MALLAMO, 2402 EAGLEVIEW DRIVE, BEL AIR, MARYLAND. TWO 1015. REVIEWING THE SECOND PART OF BILL 2512, IN PART AS PART OF THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS, EACH REPRESENTATIVE UNIT MAY PROPOSE IN WRITING ONE AMENDMENT TO CHAPTER 38 OF THE COUNTY CODE. CODE 30 8-8B1 PRESCRIBES A PROCEDURE FOR FACT FINDING IF THE TERMS OF THE CONTRACT BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND EXCLUSIVE REPRESENTATIVE UNITS HAVE NOT BEEN AGREED UPON BY DECEMBER 15TH. NEXT PROCEEDING THE ENSUING CONTRACT. YEAR 30 8-8B4. IF NO AGREEMENT IS REACHED BY FEBRUARY 5TH, THE PARTIES SHALL SUBMIT ISSUES TO THE AMERICAN ARBITRATION ASSOCIATION. BY LAW, THE

[02:10:04]

DASH TWO. GENERAL LEGISLATIVE POWERS OF COUNCIL, IN PART AT LEGISLATIVE ALL LEGISLATIVE POWERS WHICH MAY BE EXERCISED BY HARFORD COUNTY SHALL BE VESTED IN THE COUNCIL. THE COUNTY COUNCIL IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ESTABLISHING A SYSTEM OF PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION. WE ALSO SEE IN THE CHARTER AND IN THE CODE THAT ONLY AND EXCLUSIVELY THE COUNTY COUNCIL HAS LEGISLATIVE POWERS. AT CHARTER 604, WE SEE IN PART THE PERSONNEL OFFICER SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ADMINISTRATION OF THE PERSONNEL POLICIES ESTABLISHED BY THIS CHARTER OR BY LAW. CODE 38 NINE IMPLIES THAT THE PERSONNEL OFFICER INTERPRETS THOSE PERSONNEL POLICIES AT CODE 3831, THE PERSONNEL OFFICER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR INTERPRETING AND ADMINISTERING THE APPROVED PAY PLAN AND APPLICATION OF THE ARTICLE. THE PROCESS OF INTERPRETING AND ADMINISTERING LAWS AND POLICIES IS DIFFICULT ENOUGH WHEN THOSE LAWS AND POLICIES ARE CLEAR AND WELL WRITTEN. LAWS AND POLICIES THAT ARE POORLY WRITTEN, VAGUE, AMBIGUOUS, OR OTHERWISE INDECIPHERABLE LEAD TO ERRONEOUS AGENCY DECISIONS AND THEN JUDICIAL REVIEW, EXTENDING AND PROJECTING THE CONSEQUENCES OF BILL 2512, THE COUNTY CODE RELATED TO PERSONNEL COULD EASILY CHANGE EVERY YEAR. I WONDER WHY WOULD YOU INVITE CHAOS INTO THE PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM? SEEK TO CODIFY A PROVISION THAT WOULD STRIP AWAY YOUR POWERS AND AUTHORITY. DIRECT THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE TO CONSIDER CHANGES TO THE CODE DURING NEGOTIATIONS? WHY WOULDN'T YOU CONSIDER ON THEIR MERITS THOSE CHANGES AS A PART OF YOUR COUNCILMANIC DUTIES? I DO BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE OVERREACHED YOUR AUTHORITY BY DIRECTING THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE'S NEGOTIATION PROCESS. MORE IMPORTANTLY, YOU HAVE DESTABILIZED THE PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM AND RELINQUISH YOUR POWERS AND AUTHORITY IN THOSE MATTERS. AND FINALLY, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND ALL OF HARFORD COUNTY. OR A JOYOUS CELEBRATION OF WHATEVER RELIGIOUS OR SECULAR HOLIDAY YOU YOU CHOOSE TO TO CELEBRATE.

AND PLEASE, GOD BLESS US ALL, EVERYONE IN EACH. GOOD NIGHT JOHN. MERRY CHRISTMAS. WELL, SIR. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. BUT I STILL DIDN'T GET ANY MORE THAN THREE MINUTES IN MY STOCKING. INDEED. CALL YOUR NEXT SPEAKER, JIM WEBB. GOOD EVENING, SIR. NAME AND ADDRESS, PLEASE. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JIM WEBB. I LIVE AT 329 BONHAM RIDGE ROAD, FOREST HILL, MARYLAND. 21050. THE REASON WHY I'M HERE TONIGHT IS THE MA AND PA TRAIL EXTENSION. EVERY TREE IN OUR BACKYARD, MY BACKYARD, THREE, TWO, THREE, TWO SEVEN AND 325 WERE CUT DOWN AND IT HAS INCREASED THE ROAD NOISE TENFOLD SINCE ALL THOSE TREES WERE CUT DOWN. TRASH FROM THE ROADWAY COMES INTO OUR YARDS. BIKES AND WALKERS PERIODICALLY GO THROUGH OUR YARDS, WHICH WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT BEFORE. ALL THE TREES WERE CUT DOWN. THERE WERE THERE WAS A SERIES OF PONDS THAT WERE INSTALLED. OKAY, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE'S NO RAIN FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. IT'S ONLY GOING TO INVITE MOSQUITOES. OKAY. ON TOP OF THAT, THE TREES AND THE SHRUBS THAT THEY PLANTED ARE 6 TO 8 FOOT TALL AND VERY SLOW GROWING. SO NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 10 TO 15 YEARS BEFORE WE HAVE ANY TYPE OF COVERAGE WHATSOEVER. AN EIGHT FOOT PRIVACY FENCE WAS PUT UP ON CLOSER TO BONHAM ROAD FOR THOSE HOUSES COMING OFF THE OFF RAMP AT WATER TOWER WAY. I HAVE CONTACTED MR. MAGNUS NUMEROUS TIMES ABOUT THIS ISSUE. HIS SOLUTION WAS TO PLANT, YOU KNOW, THE SMALL AMOUNT OF TREES AND SHRUBS THAT THEY HAVE THERE. ON TOP OF THAT, HE SAID THEY WERE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, PLANT 11 MORE TREES, SHRUBS AND WHATNOT. AND I'M GOING TO SAY AGAIN, IT'S GOING TO TAKE 10 TO 15 YEARS BEFORE YOU HAVE ANY TYPE OF NOISE BARRIER WHATSOEVER. I'VE GIVEN HIM A COUPLE OF EASY SOLUTIONS. NUMBER ONE, THE GIANT ARBOVIRUS.

IF THEY PLANTED A ROW OF THOSE IN OUR BACKYARDS, OKAY, THEY GROW TWO FEET A YEAR, THAT WOULD, YOU KNOW, AFTER A COUPLE THREE YEARS, THAT WOULD GIVE YOU THE NOISE REDUCTION AND A

[02:15:03]

SO THANK YOU. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. HEY, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU, TOO. THANK YOU.

YOU STILL ONLY GOT THREE MINUTES TO. 16 BUSINESS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS. AND MR. RILEY,

[16. BUSINESS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS ]

THANK YOU, MISS ROBERT. GOOD EVENING. I THINK I'M GOING TO BE QUICK TONIGHT. BUT I ATTENDED A LOT OF DIFFERENT EVENTS OVER THE WEEKEND. I WILL NOTE THE SPECIAL ONE WAS THE HARTFORD LIVING TREASURE, PRESENTING THAT PROCLAMATION TO THE MAESTRO AT THE HIGH SCHOOL.

HE WAS VERY SURPRISED. HE WAS VERY GRATEFUL. AND SO IT WAS A PACKED HOUSE. PEOPLE TOLD ME HE KIND OF HAD AN INKLING, SO, BUT HE DIDN'T KNOW WHEN OR WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM. SO THAT WAS A GOOD EVENT. AND I DO HAVE TO SAY, FOR THE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5TH, WE DID A DEDICATION OF THREE HOMES AND HABITAT GRACE. THEY WERE NEXT DOOR TO EACH OTHER. IT WAS A GREAT CEREMONY TO TO WITNESS ALL THREE OF THESE FAMILIES, YOU KNOW, OBTAIN AND CUT THEIR DOOR RIBBONS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SNOW. BUT IT WAS IT WAS A GOOD EVENT, AND I LOVE GOING TO THOSE THINGS. AND I DID ATTEND THE DISCOVERY CENTER'S PHASE TWO KICKOFF. IT WAS VERY INTERESTING TO HEAR WHAT'S COMING DOWN THE PIKE FOR THE DISCOVERY CENTER. I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. THEY DID GET A CHECK PRESENTED BY THE CIB, AND I MET ALL OF THEM AND HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM AS WELL. AND THEN I WOULD LIKE TO WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY HOLIDAY. I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT WE ARE HAVING OUR EDGEWOOD TREE LIGHTING AT 6 P.M. ON SATURDAY AT THE HARTFORD COUNTY SOUTHERN PRECINCT SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, AND I NEED TO SAY A SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO COUSINS LANDSCAPING AND HARDSCAPING, WHO CAME THROUGH AT THE VERY END. WE NEEDED ALL OF THEIR ASSISTANCE. AND ON FRIDAY WE WENT TO THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UPPER CHESAPEAKE MEDICAL CENTER IN TO GIVE CELEBRATION AND THANKS FOR ALL THEIR SERVICES.

AND I'M GOING TO THANK THEM AGAIN, BECAUSE MY HUSBAND'S BEEN THERE SINCE SUNDAY AND THEY ARE DOING A WONDERFUL JOB TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM. SO I'D LIKE TO GIVE A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THEM RIGHT NOW. THANKS. THANK YOU, MISS ROBERT. MISS EMHOFF,

[02:20:05]

TO 2 P.M. AND EDGEWOOD ACTIVITY CENTER. AND ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14TH, THE HARFORD COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY WILL BE HOSTING ITS JAM THE VAN DONATION DRIVE FROM 12 TO 3 P.M. AT REDNER'S MARKET IN BEL AIR. THEIR FULL WISH LIST IS AVAILABLE ON THE HUMANE SOCIETY WEBSITE FOR ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO TAKE THIS MOMENT AS WE CONCLUDE OUR FINAL MEETING OF THE YEAR. I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO SINCERELY THANK THE MEMBERS OF DISTRICT B FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE YOUR INPUT. QUESTIONS AND CONVERSATIONS TRULY GUIDE THE WORK I DO EACH DAY, AND I'M GRATEFUL THAT THE TRUST AND ENGAGEMENT. I WISH EVERYONE A SAFE, HAPPY, HEALTHY HOLIDAY SEASON AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SERVING YOU IN THE COMING YEAR.

THANKS, MISS IMHOF. MR. JORDAN, THANK YOU, COUNCIL PRESIDENT. A COUPLE THINGS REAL QUICK.

HOMEWARD BOUND VETERINARY SERVICES, IT WAS, LIKE I SAID, SECOND LOCATION. SO IT WAS NICE TO SEE ALL THE DOG COUPLE DOGS THERE AND EVERYTHING. COUPLE OF MY COLLEAGUES WERE THERE. DID THE COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES FOR THE ENTRANCE LEVEL, FOR ENTRANCE LEVEL 40 FOR THE HARFORD COUNTY SHERIFF'S. DID THE UPPER CHESAPEAKE RIBBON CUTTING FOR 25 YEARS. THERE WAS ONE GENTLEMAN THAT WAS THERE FOR 50 YEARS, SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL GET TO DO SOMETHING FOR HIM TOO. KABOB CORNER, THE GRAND OPENING. THEY'VE BEEN THERE FOR A YEAR, SO THAT WAS THEIR ANNIVERSARY. WINNERS BEL AIR, FARMERS MARKET AND BEL AIR HOLIDAY MARKET ARE BOTH ON SATURDAY. THIS UP AT THE COURTHOUSE AND THEN WINTER WONDERLAND IS GOING ON IN BEL AIR. CARRIAGE RIDES AND ALSO THE TRAIN GARDEN AT THE MOUNT ARAFAT LODGE IS ONGOING AND I WISH EVERYBODY A MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKKAH AND ANY OTHER DENOMINATION OUT THERE. I HOPE YOU GUYS HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR.

[15. BUSINESS FROM THE PRESIDENT ]

WE TALK ABOUT NEW RENOVATIONS FOR ROOFS AND EVERYTHING ELSE. SO IT'S IT'S IT'S A PACKET OF INFORMATION THAT YOU ALL RECEIVE. AND YOU'LL FIND VERY, VERY INFORMATIVE AND INTERESTING. I HAD THE GREAT HONOR OF DELIVERING THE COMMENCEMENT SPEECH TO THE GRADUATING CLASS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, L 40, AND WHAT IS VERY SIGNIFICANT ABOUT THAT IS IT WAS JUST NOT HARFORD COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, FOLKS. IT WAS ALSO OUR MUNICIPAL POLICE OFFICERS AS WELL. BEL AIR, ABERDEEN, HAVRE DE GRACE AND NORTHEAST AND ELKTON. SO IT

[02:25:02]