Calvert County Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting - March 11, 2025
Calvert County Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting - March 11, 2025
The Calvert County Board of Commissioners held a regular meeting on March 11, 2025, beginning at 10:00 a.m. The meeting included approvals of consent items, a presentation on FEMA grant holds, a public hearing on a budget amendment for the Armory Site Development project, a presentation from the Tri-County Council, a work session on personnel code amendments, and commissioner reports. The meeting recessed into executive session at approximately 12:00 p.m. and was scheduled to resume for a public hearing on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget at 7:00 p.m.
Consent Calendar
- Department of Public Safety: Memorandum of Agreement for cost recovery for Prince Frederick Volunteer Rescue Squad.
- Department of Public Works: Application for Maryland Water Infrastructure Financing Administration for drinking water projects.
- Circuit Court: Fiscal Year 2026 grant application for Adult Treatment Court.
- Department of Public Safety: Grant application for local flood-risk reduction at 6851 12th St., North Beach. All four items were approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were made during the 11:45 a.m. public comment period.
Discussion Items
- FEMA Grant Hold (Old Business): Emergency Management Division Chief Mike Rears and Hazard Mitigation Specialist Stacy O'Donnell presented on multiple FEMA grants placed on hold for further review. The county has unexpended funds of $654,660.94 and outstanding reimbursements of $916,021.69 in hazard mitigation assistance. Other grants affected include Emergency Management Planning Grant ($164,777.64 outstanding), State Homeland Security Program ($38,797 outstanding plus $93,000 in progress), and Port Security Grant ($600,000 unexpended). The division recommended continuing with the demolition of a cliff-side property, pausing new elevation and acquisition projects, and completing four in-progress SHSP projects. Commissioners voted to direct the county administrator to review all federal grants (motion carried) and accepted the division's recommendations (motion carried).
- Armory Site Development Budget Amendment (Public Hearing): Director Julie Oberg presented a budget amendment to allocate an additional $454,270.67 from the Rural Maryland Economic Development Grant for the Armory site project, including an ice rink and commercial kitchen. The total grant contribution from the Tri-County Council now exceeds $2 million. The board closed the public hearing and approved the resolution and budget amendment BA 2025-000310 unanimously.
- Tri-County Council Presentation: Executive Director John Hartline presented a check for $454,270.77 in forward funding for the Armory project, noting the funds were reallocated from other counties that could not complete their projects.
- Personnel Code Amendments (Work Session): Human Resources Director Melanie Woodson, Deputy Director Dina Davis, and Finance Director Bruce Miller led a discussion on proposed amendments to Part 3 of Chapter 86 (Pay Plan and Adjustments). Key topics included:
- Transitioning from daily overtime to weekly overtime (following FLSA guidelines).
- Compensatory leave (comp time) management: many employees carry large balances, creating a $1.4 million liability. Options discussed included annual payout, capping balances, or eliminating comp time. Sheriff's Office Lt. Col. Payne stated eliminating comp time would cost an additional $800,000 annually in overtime. Commissioner Hart suggested capping at 100 hours and paying out annually.
- Proposed standby pay of $22.50 per day ($106,000 annual cost).
- Expanding shift differential to all non-exempt employees for hours between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. (expected savings of $52,000).
- Increasing Field Training Officer pay from $1 to $2 per hour ($23,000 additional cost).
- New critical incident response pay for exempt employees (estimated $137,000).
- Other adjustments: promotion step increases, holiday premium pay, and call-in pay changes.
- Commissioners requested fiscal notes on all proposals before further action. The board indicated support for a one-time annual payout of comp time with a 100-hour cap, and payment upon promotion. Staff will refine the amendments and return for a public hearing.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously.
- FEMA Grant Hold: Two motions carried: (1) county administrator to evaluate all federal grants, (2) acceptance of Emergency Management's recommendations to continue demolition, pause new elevation/acquisition, and finish in-progress SHSP projects.
- Armory Budget Amendment: Approved and adopted (resolution and budget amendment BA 2025-000310).
- Personnel Code Amendments: No formal vote; staff directed to incorporate commissioner feedback, include fiscal notes, and schedule a public hearing.
- Executive Session: Motion to recess into closed session under §3-305(b)(1), (4), (5), (7), and (8) carried unanimously.
- Public Hearing (Evening): The FY2026 Staff Recommended Operating and Capital Budget public hearing was scheduled for 7:00 p.m. that evening.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome you to the March 11th, 2025 meeting of the Coward County Board of Commissioners. At this time, I'd like to ask Rev Reverend Hum if he would come forward and give us an invitation, please. Good morning. Thank you for this opportunity. Appreciate it. Thank you. Let us pray. Most gracious God. We thank you for this new day. The signs of hope and spring. We thank you for this beautiful place in which we live. We pray that you would give to your people grace, the understanding of our responsibility to one another. We pray for our leaders that you would give them wisdom and conscience. We pray that you would also bless them with a tough utter skin, but never a hardened heart. We pray that you would lead us with patience and mercy in all that we do. And we pray this in your name. Amen. Amen. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. So Reverend Hunt comes to us from St. Paul's Church right here in Prince Triderick. Thank you for coming in and uh congratulations. His son achieved the rank of Eagle Scout a couple weeks ago and uh has enlisted to go in the army, correct? Yes, good. Congratulations. Sorry. The next item on the agenda is to approve the agenda as submitted. Are there any additions or corrections to the agenda? I make a motion. We approve the agenda submitted. Second. I have a motion and a second to approve the agenda as submitted. Is there any discussion on that motion hearing none? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed. Motion carries. Thank you. Service announcements. I do have a couple. We didn't meet last week, but just prior to that, we we have to send our uh condolences to Greg Bowen's family. We lost Greg uh about a week and a half ago. Uh most of you knew or at least heard of Greg County Native was very active in preservation right out of school. He got active and was part of planning and zoning. He actually set up the TDR program that we have in Calvert County as a preservation tool. It was nationally recognized as the best preservation tool in this country at that time. People move here, they talk about why they moved here is because of the way it looks and the feel, and a lot of that you can tribute to Greg and his hard work. Headed up ACLT, uh American Chestnut Land Trust, who has preserved almost 5,000 acres without, I don't think there's one penny of county money in that preservation. Preserve Parker's Creek watershed through that project. Just uh really sad to lose Greg.
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