What Decisions are Your Elected Officials Making?

Patch reports on many of the decisions made by the Board of Carroll County Commissioners, but for those issues that didn't make it into a Patch article, here is a list of the votes that were taken by the commissioners in May.

May 3
Recordation Tax. Decided 5-0 to send to public hearing the discussion of a proposal to change the Code of Public Local Laws & Ordinances of Carroll County, Maryland--Chapter 209 to exempt the Carroll County Industrial Development Authority from recordation tax.

Bid approval. Voted 5-0 to award the bid to purchase a new one-ton truck with dump body to Lindsay Ford in the amount of $58,200 for the Bureau of Fleet Management.

May 12
Housing Grant. Decided 5-0 to approve the Home Initiatives Grant from the MD Dept of Housing & Community Development. The Department of Citizen Services was awarded $150,000 in housing subsidy and administrative funds for up to two years for up to 18 households. County and Human Services Program funded in-kind services of $117,414 for program oversight.

Child Advocacy. Agreed 5-0 to approve an application for a grant to the Governors Office of Crime Control and Prevention (GOCCP) to fund training for the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) of the Carroll County Advocacy and Investigation Center in the amount of $7545 with no county funds required.

May 17
Lehigh. Agreed to 5-0 to Proceed to Public Hearing regarding a petition package submitted by Lehigh Cement Company to the Bureau of Planning to expand by 251.68 acres the existing Mineral Resource designation on properties comprising its New Windsor quarry.

Bid Approval. Voted 5-0 to award the bid for inlet replacement at 10 locations to Easy-Dig Excavating, Inc. of Millers, MD in the amount of $39,845. This amount is within the allotted budget and no additional funds will be necessary.

May 26
Economic Relief Plan. Voted 5-0 to amend manuals to implement code changes adopted in the Economic Relief Plan.

Grant Award. Agreed 5-0 to approve submitting an application for a grant in the amount of $54,078 from Housing and Urban Development for the FY11 Housing Choice Voucher Family Self-Sufficiency Program. No county match is required.

Bid Award. Decided 5-0 to award a bid to West Recreation Inc. to supply and install a 40’ x 60’ Laminated Wood Gable Pavilion at Piney Run Park in the amount of $54,744. This will be replacing the existing rental pavilion and is within budget with no additional funds necessary.

May 31
Drug Court. Decided 5-0 to approve the application for the Carroll County Adult Drug Court Bryne Justice Assistance Grant (BJAG) for FFY 2011 in the amount of $34,488 to fill gaps in program funding for drug testing material and supportive services to Carroll County Adult Drug Court (CCADC) participants. No county funds are needed to match the grant.

Liberty Reservoir. Voted 5-0 to approve submitting an application to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to request funding through The Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grant Program to cover the costs associated with hiring a contractor to plant and maintain stream buffers throughout the Liberty Reservoir Watershed for a three year period. The Grant request of $190,000 requires a 25 percent non-federal match. The County will provide $63,333 in-kind match in the way of outreach, meetings with landowners to discuss planting options, coordination between contractor and landowner, and establishing easements on the planting sites.

Hampstead Annexation. Agreed 5-0 to sign a letter of comment to the Town of Hampstead regarding a petition for Hampstead Annexation No. 36--Harrell Property into the Town of Hampstead. The area is 4.266 acres of land, located roughly 300 feet east of Main Street (MD 30) and 300 feet north of Fairmount Road. A public hearing was scheduled for June 14.

This information was taken from the June issue of the "County Connections Newsletter" which is available on the Carroll County Government website.