The Baltimore County Council convened an emergency session on February 18, 2026, to introduce and vote on Bill 14-26, which prohibits private detention facilities in the county. The council also conducted its regular legislative session, including bill readings, appointments, resolutions, and public testimony. The emergency session was called by the county executive under Section 208e of the Baltimore County Charter.
Councilman Cash. Yes, you can hear us. Okay, thank you. Yes. It's not a microphone. It's just a recording device. So you're gonna have to speak. Good evening, everyone. Good evening, Mr. Chair. Um, my name's Mike Urtell. I'm the um council chair. Um, excuse us a little bit because this is the first night that we are in these um in the planning board um office. This is not a if you've never been to a council meeting, this is not normally where we meet. We're building a new dais because we're moving to uh nine council people and we were kicked out last week um because they're doing construction, so this is our first night in the new um in the new meeting place. So um I couldn't figure out how to work my recording device for a second there. Um, so we're gonna start with um a moment of silence and the pledge. So if we want to all stand for um and I would like um I'd like to ask everyone um uh to take a moment of silence. Um one of our um civil rights giants died today, uh Jesse Jackson for yesterday, and um so a little moment of silence for for Jesse Jackson and also a very special person, uh Margaret Jones died about a week ago, and she is the mother of Councilman Jones, so um like to have a little little moment of silence for councilman Jones's mom. Thank you. Okay, thank you, everyone. Um councilman Marks, would you lead us in the pledge? Okay, nine under individual with liberty and justice for all just can't be okay. So um once again, good evening, everyone. Um, under the authority granted by section 208e of bottom of the Baltimore County Charter, the county executive has hauled the county council into emergency session for the purpose of enacting legislation. Legislative day four will now come to order. Um Mr. Secretary, did you want to just cover some housekeeping on uh what we're gonna be doing in the emergency session and and speakers and that kind of thing? Yes, uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. So uh because of the county executives uh convening of this emergency session, uh we will be introducing and voting on tonight uh legislation. Uh following that the meeting will be adjourned, as there will be no further business before the council, in which time at which time the council will then immediately go into its normal regularly scheduled legislative session. Uh the the county council will conduct that business and then following that legislative session, the council will, as we normally do, and as we said we would do on February 2nd, we will resume the normal February 17th speakers after the legislative session that have signed up. Okay, each speaker will be allotted two minutes, and um if the timer will let you know when the when your uh time is is up, and uh we will also let you know uh we will give you a very hopefully polite nudge. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Um, can you uh proceed to introduce and for the introduction and final reading of the vote on on the bill? Yes. Uh so tonight's uh bill being introduced uh at this emergency legislative session is bill 14-26. This bill is sponsored by council members Jones, Patoka, Urtel, and Young detention center prohibition. Okay, thank you, Mr. Secretary. Ms. Councilman Jones, did you want to kick this off? Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Before I start, if the if the chairman don't mind, I would like to read a letter from Senators uh Van Holland and Senator Also Brooks, so we can enter it into the record. United States Senate, February 17th. Chair Urtel, Councilman Jones, Councilman Patoker, and other members of the Baltimore County Council.