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Record of Proceedings

Baltimore County Council Legislative Day 3: Trust Act Passes, Data Center Moratorium Approved – February 3, 2026

County Council — Tuesday, February 3, 2026
BodyBaltimore County, Maryland
SessionCounty Council
DateTuesday, February 3, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:21

There's a few people here.

0:31

We ready?

0:32

Good evening, everyone.

0:34

Legislative day three will now come to order.

0:38

I would ask everyone to please pause for a moment of silent meditation.

0:52

Thank you.

0:53

Um Councilman Jones, would you lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance tonight?

0:58

Sir.

0:59

Thank you, sir.

1:00

A pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which stands.

1:14

Thank you, Councilman Jones.

1:16

You're welcome, sir.

1:18

Sorry.

1:23

Okay.

1:24

Um wanted to welcome everybody here tonight.

1:27

We had a request from the crowd.

1:29

I apparently we have some people that don't normally come to council meetings, and they had asked um, and and often I would wonder this as a when I was a community person, sometimes who was sitting at the table up here.

1:47

And um I thought we'd allow everyone at the table to introduce themselves and say whatever you want to say to the crowd to maybe tell them what you do.

1:58

And Mr.

1:58

Chair, we we talked it over and we prefer to remain anonymous.

2:06

Having said that, we will certainly wishes of the council.

2:10

Absolutely.

2:19

Hi, my name is Adam Phillips.

2:21

I'm the deputy legislative counsel for the county council.

2:26

My name is Tom Bostwick, and I am the secretary to the county council.

2:32

Hi, I'm Elizabeth Irwin, acting county auditor.

2:38

I'm Chris Belcastro, I'm the council administrator.

2:43

I'm Janks Benjamin, I'm the county attorney.

2:47

I'm D'Andrew Walker, I'm the county administrative officer.

2:51

Good evening, Kevin Reed, Director of Budget and Finance.

2:55

So now you know this is the table of VIPs.

3:03

So with that, we'll move on.

3:05

Uh is there a motion to approve the journal for the meeting of January 20th, 2026?

3:11

No move.

3:12

Second.

3:13

All in favor?

3:14

Aye.

3:15

Okay, the journal is approved.

3:17

Um next up we have enrollment of bills.

3:20

Bills 9125, 9225, and 9325 were passed by the council, signed by the county executive, and are hereby enrolled.

3:31

Mr.

3:32

Secretary, will you now read all bills for introduction?

3:35

Certainly, Mr.

3:36

Chair.

3:37

First is Bill 10-26, current expense budget continuum of care 38 slot.

3:45

Next is Bill 11-26, current expense budget smart policing initiative.

3:51

Bill 12-26, sponsored by Councilman Marks, zoning regulations, uses permitted in the RC5 zone, riding stable, and Bill 13-26, also sponsored by Councilman Marks, zoning regulations signs, placemaking signs.

4:10

Okay.

4:10

Thank you, Mr.

4:11

Secretary.

4:13

Um we will now consider appointment confirmations.

4:19

And I know that we have we just have one, Mr.

4:23

Shepherd.

4:24

Mr.

4:24

Shepard, did you want to come up?

4:27

How are you, sir?

4:31

I know we've all I know we've all had a most of us have had a chance to talk to you and talk to you about your uh vision for wrecking parks.

4:41

Did you want to say any more before we have questions?

4:47

Uh for the work session uh last week.

4:51

Uh but again, good evening, Mr.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████29%
Immigrant Rights██████████████████████22%
Zoning Regulations███████████11%
Technology and Innovation██████████10%
Community Engagement████4%
Immigrant Affairs████4%
Parks and Recreation███3%
Engineering And Infrastructure███3%
Public Safety███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Baltimore County Council Legislative Day 3: Trust Act Passes, Data Center Moratorium Approved – February 3, 2026

The Baltimore County Council convened on February 3, 2026, for Legislative Day 3. The meeting included the approval of the journal, enrollment of bills, introduction of four new bills, confirmation of a key appointment, and final votes on multiple legislative items. Notably, the council passed the two-bill "Trust Act" (Bills 97-25 and 98-25) establishing an Office of Immigrant Affairs and protections for non-U.S. citizens, albeit with a split vote. A one-year moratorium on data center approvals (Bill 3-26) was approved with amendments. Several other zoning and budget bills passed unanimously. The council also approved a resolution urging state action on squatter laws and deferred a small area plan. The meeting concluded with remarks about the impending renovation of the council chamber dais.

Consent Calendar (Routine Approvals & Unanimous Actions)

  • Journal Approval: Approved the journal for the January 20, 2026 meeting.
  • Enrollment of Bills: Bills 91-25, 92-25, and 93-25 were enrolled after being passed by the council and signed by the county executive.
  • Appointment Confirmation: Mr. Shepherd was unanimously confirmed as the new head of Recreation and Parks (7-0). Councilman Patoka expressed concerns about three park issues and requested future discussions.
  • Bill 94-25 (Professional Development Fund Grant): Passed as amended with a technical name change from "center" to "commission" (unanimous).
  • Bill 95-25 (Downtown Towson Tree Replacement): Passed as amended with a clarification exempting properties with state forest conservation law applicability (40,000+ sq ft) (unanimous). Councilman Urtell highlighted that trees would be replanted inside the beltway.
  • Bill 96-25 (Nonconforming Dwelling Units): Passed with two amendments: one requiring posting, rental license, affidavit, and neighbor challenge rights; another exempting a Towson preservation district (unanimous).
  • Bill 1-26 (MRC Strong with two T’s): Budget allocation passed unanimously.
  • Bill 2-26 (Perinatal Care Coordination Infrastructure): Budget allocation passed unanimously.
  • Bill 4-26 (Density Residential Use in Existing Developments): Clarified zoning for faith-based organizations; passed unanimously with an amendment to correct whereas clauses.
  • Fiscal Matters 1 & 2: Approved contracts for on-call landscaping services and lead reduction engineering services (unanimous).
  • Resolution 4-26 (Designation of Pikesville as Sustainable Community): Passed unanimously.
  • Resolution 5-26 (Strengthen Laws Against Squatters): Councilman Jones sponsored the resolution urging the General Assembly to address issues with property squatting, citing gaps in Maryland law. Passed unanimously with Councilman Young added as co-sponsor.

Discussion Items

  • Bill 97-25 (Office of Immigrant Affairs) and Bill 98-25 (Protections for Non-U.S. Citizens) – The Trust Act: Councilman Patoka and Jones sponsored these companion bills. Councilman Patoka described the office as a "leap forward" for Baltimore County, ensuring immigrant voices are heard and codifying the existing office. The office budget was stated to be net neutral at approximately $235,000. Councilman Marks questioned the need for codification, but others noted it would protect the office from future administration changes. Bill 98-25 places guardrails on ICE activities and limits county agency cooperation, intended to reduce fear in immigrant communities. Councilman Patoka referenced his Holocaust survivor parents and faith as motivation. Councilman Jones emphasized morality over legality. Councilman Young, a Marine veteran, argued that service requires transparency and accountability. He called these bills a first step and urged regional cooperation. Councilman Urtell offered an amendment to Bill 98-25 allowing inquiries about citizenship only for benefits eligibility, which passed unanimously. The final votes were split: Bill 97-25 passed 4-3 (Urtel, Jones, Patoka, Young in favor; Catch, Marks, Crandall against). Bill 98-25 as amended passed by the same 4-3 vote. Several audience members reacted, particularly to Councilman Catch’s "no" vote.

  • Bill 3-26 (Data Center Moratorium): Sponsored by all council members, the bill imposes a moratorium on data center approvals until the planning board completes a study. Councilman Young introduced an amendment allowing the moratorium to expire 90 days after the planning board submits its report (if earlier than January 1, 2027), requiring a public hearing, comparing employment/economic impact, and recommending project labor agreements – passed unanimously. Councilman Urtell offered an amendment to prohibit approval (not acceptance) of data center petitions, allowing property owners to prepare applications – passed unanimously. Councilman Crandall added language for the study to consider appropriate zoning classifications – passed unanimously. Councilman Patoka proposed accelerating the timeline to August 30, 2026, arguing for quicker job creation, but this amendment failed 3-4 (Yes: Urtell, Patoka, Marks; No: Catch, Jones, Crandall, Young). The final bill as amended passed with six affirmative votes; one council member (Catch) was recorded as not voting.

  • Resolution 3-26 (Small Area Plan 11 – Master Plan 2030): Councilman Marks moved to defer the resolution for two weeks. The motion passed unanimously, and it will be scheduled for the February 10 work session and February 17 legislative session.

Key Outcomes

  • Trust Act passed (Bills 97-25 & 98-25): Both bills passed by a 4-3 vote after extensive debate. The Office of Immigrant Affairs is codified, and protections for non-U.S. citizens limit local cooperation with ICE.
  • Data Center Moratorium approved (Bill 3-26): Passed with amendments, imposing a moratorium until the planning board reports and 90 days after, with provisions for public hearing and labor requirements.
  • Squatter Resolution passed (Resolution 5-26): Unanimously approved, urging the General Assembly to strengthen laws.
  • Appointment confirmed: Mr. Shepherd unanimously approved as head of Recreation and Parks.
  • Deferral: Resolution 3-26 deferred for two weeks.
  • Future meeting locations: The council will move to the planning board hearing room for legislative sessions starting February 10, and work sessions will be hybrid with first in-person in the council conference room, second virtual.

Meeting Transcript

There's a few people here. We ready? Good evening, everyone. Legislative day three will now come to order. I would ask everyone to please pause for a moment of silent meditation. Thank you. Um Councilman Jones, would you lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance tonight? Sir. Thank you, sir. A pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which stands. Thank you, Councilman Jones. You're welcome, sir. Sorry. Okay. Um wanted to welcome everybody here tonight. We had a request from the crowd. I apparently we have some people that don't normally come to council meetings, and they had asked um, and and often I would wonder this as a when I was a community person, sometimes who was sitting at the table up here. And um I thought we'd allow everyone at the table to introduce themselves and say whatever you want to say to the crowd to maybe tell them what you do. And Mr. Chair, we we talked it over and we prefer to remain anonymous. Having said that, we will certainly wishes of the council. Absolutely. Hi, my name is Adam Phillips. I'm the deputy legislative counsel for the county council. My name is Tom Bostwick, and I am the secretary to the county council. Hi, I'm Elizabeth Irwin, acting county auditor. I'm Chris Belcastro, I'm the council administrator. I'm Janks Benjamin, I'm the county attorney. I'm D'Andrew Walker, I'm the county administrative officer. Good evening, Kevin Reed, Director of Budget and Finance. So now you know this is the table of VIPs. So with that, we'll move on. Uh is there a motion to approve the journal for the meeting of January 20th, 2026? No move. Second. All in favor? Aye. Okay, the journal is approved. Um next up we have enrollment of bills. Bills 9125, 9225, and 9325 were passed by the council, signed by the county executive, and are hereby enrolled. Mr. Secretary, will you now read all bills for introduction? Certainly, Mr. Chair. First is Bill 10-26, current expense budget continuum of care 38 slot. Next is Bill 11-26, current expense budget smart policing initiative. Bill 12-26, sponsored by Councilman Marks, zoning regulations, uses permitted in the RC5 zone, riding stable, and Bill 13-26, also sponsored by Councilman Marks, zoning regulations signs, placemaking signs. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

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