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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Calvert County Board of County Commissioners Regular Meeting - March 17, 2026

County Commissioners & Boards — Tuesday, March 17, 2026

BodyCalvert County, Maryland

SessionCounty Commissioners & Boards

DateTuesday, March 17, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:21:45

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:01

Good morning and welcome to the Tuesday, March 17th meeting of the Board of County Commissioners.

0:07

Happy St.

0:08

Paddy's Day, everybody.

0:09

If we could have Reverend Glenn Swanson with Bayside Baptist Church in Chesapeake Baith, please step forward for invitation.

0:17

Good morning.

0:17

And bring your greetings from Bayside Baptist and Chesapeake Beach.

0:21

Let us pray.

0:22

Our gracious Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for this day that you've given to us.

0:27

We are reminded the psalmist's words that this is a day that the Lord has made.

0:33

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

0:35

Lord, we have so much to be thankful for.

0:37

Thank you for your mercy and your grace and your salvation.

0:40

And Lord, we're thankful for this county, uh, the state, this nation that we can serve you.

0:46

We ask God that you will be with our troops as they're overseas and of course here in the United States serving faithfully.

0:53

We pray for their uh divine protection, be with their families.

0:57

Lord, I'm also mindful and thankful for our first responders.

1:00

We see in this very room today these wonderful men and women who serve us faithfully day in and day out.

1:05

So I pray that you will just be with them and their families and guide them and watch over them and protect them as well.

1:11

So Lord, we're thankful for the opportunity to serve you.

1:14

Uh, you call us to be your hands and feet.

1:16

Uh thank you for this board of commissioners, and we pray for their families.

1:20

Uh pray for them as they govern, pray for wise decisions, Lord, that you will give them discernment and knowledge and wisdom as they lead.

1:29

Thank you for all those who serve this wonderful county that we know is Calvert County, and uh all those uh who are faithful servants.

1:36

So thank you for them.

1:37

And Lord, uh again, thank you for this day that you've given to us.

1:40

We ask your blessings on all things, bless this meeting.

1:43

May all things be done to honor and glorify your name.

1:46

And on this uh St.

1:48

Patrick's Day, uh, we ask uh this blessing from uh an Irish blessing.

1:53

Uh Lord, may your troubles be less, and may your blessings be more, and may nothing but happiness come through the door.

2:04

That Irish blessing.

2:05

So thank you, God, for all you given to us, and we love you and ask these things in the strong name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

2:11

Amen and amen.

2:22

My nation, I'm God.

2:28

Pastor, thank you for that blessing and Irish blessing.

2:31

Uh do you have any events coming up at your church you would like to talk about, sir?

2:34

Yes, sir.

2:34

Always preacher, give or preacher, an event to give a give an opportunity to give events.

2:38

Obviously, we're in uh in the midst of almost holy week coming up in a couple weeks.

2:42

We have Palm Sunday uh coming up, uh which is the start of holy week, and we have a good Friday service at our church, and then obviously Resurrection Sunday, which we uh call the greatest day in history.

2:53

Uh, we celebrate uh at 7 o'clock down at Veterans Park.

2:56

We have a sunrise service and then our regular service at our campus at 9 30.

3:01

So love to have anybody that's able to come join us.

3:03

God bless you.

3:04

Thank you for your service coming up.

3:06

Appreciate you.

3:06

And Reverend Swanson, before you leave, we do want to take this opportunity to thank you for what you did for the fire victims last year at the beach.

3:13

Uh your church alone has uh really really saved those families.

3:17

We really appreciate what you've done.

3:19

Praise God.

3:19

We're just blessed to be able to jump in and just help them out.

3:22

And uh we have a weekly food pantry that uh every Saturday, 9 30 to 11.

3:27

That's feeding 70 to 80 folks, families uh every week.

3:31

So thank you for your prayers and support for that.

3:33

And these fire victims, a lot of them are coming up, and we're uh we're thankful, got word this week uh that they have all been placed in homes now, so that's certainly a blessing.

3:42

So thank you.

3:43

It's our pleasure to help.

3:44

Thank you for your involvement.

3:46

Thank you.

3:51

Mr.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Safety████████████████████20%

Parks and Recreation████████████████16%

Procedural███████████████15%

Public Engagement███████████11%

Data Center Regulation███████████11%

Animal Welfare██████████10%

Education Policy██████6%

Economic Development█████5%

Budget Equity Analysis███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Calvert County Board of County Commissioners Regular Meeting - March 17, 2026

The Board of County Commissioners met on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in Prince Frederick, Maryland. The meeting included a swearing-in ceremony for new sheriff's deputies, adoption of revised animal control ordinance, a public hearing on funding for driving range safety netting, public comments, and commissioners' reports. The board also announced several upcoming events and budget hearings.

Opening & Ceremonies

Invocation by Rev. Glenn Swanson of Bayside Baptist Church, who also highlighted the church's ongoing food pantry and assistance to fire victims.
The agenda was approved unanimously.
The Calvert County Sheriff's Office held a swearing-in ceremony for three new deputies: Trent Conley, Morgan Snyder, and Destiny O'Donnell. Sheriff Ricky Cox noted the academy has been extended to 31 weeks. Deputy O'Donnell is also an Army Reservist and volunteer EMS. The sheriff also announced plans to expand the School Resource Officer program to cover every school.
Congratulations were extended to retiring Clerk Kathy Smith for her service.

Old Business: Adoption of Updates to Chapter 7 (Animals)

April Coleman, Deputy Director of Animal Services, presented the proposed revisions to the animal control ordinance. The ordinance was modernized to align with state law, clarify accountability, and set specific parameters (e.g., temperature thresholds for pet care).
Three public comments were received during the comment period; two were responded to, one was anonymous.
A three-year license option and a fancier license for multiple animals were added.
The board voted unanimously to close the record and adopt the ordinance.

Public Hearing: Budget Adjustment for Driving Range Safety Netting

Director Bob Branham and staff requested $390,000 for safety netting at Chesapeake Hills Golf Course to prevent errant golf balls from striking people or property. Funding would come from closing a CIP project ($150,000) and $240,000 from the general fund.
Public speakers: Barbara Warner (supportive, citing personal near-misses) and Joseph Cormier (opposed, arguing it should be part of regular budget cycle).
The board discussed incidents of balls hitting patrons, liability concerns, and the course's increased usage and revenue. Commissioner Hart emphasized that the golf course is a public amenity, not a profit center.
The board voted to leave the record open for ten days per Local Government Article §9-105, with a final decision expected at the next meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

Joe Cormir (Owings, MD): Criticized the board for delaying the BOE efficiency study presentation, questioned NDAs related to a data center project, and demanded transparency. He referenced a $300,000 efficiency study and asked for whistleblower protections.
Kenneth Lee (Huntingtown, MD): Questioned why the netting was not included in original golf course costs, expressed frustration over budget cuts, and criticized the use of NDAs. He noted he testified in Annapolis against NDAs.

Commissioners Reports

Commissioner Hart reported on attending the Liberty and Legacy event at Mount Harmony Elementary and the ribbon cutting for Mathasium. He addressed his moratorium motion on data centers, explaining he wants to ensure proper planning and avoid past mistakes. He stated that the county can balance its budget without a data center.
Commissioner Grasso highlighted the same event, commended public safety for weather notifications, announced the Maryland Asphalt Association award for road resurfacing, and thanked Pastor Swanson and Kathy Smith. She urged citizens to contact commissioners directly rather than relying on social media rumors.
Commissioner Cox noted that the Board of Education efficiency study is 500 pages and a meeting with Dr. Newsom is scheduled soon. He announced an open house on data centers on March 26, and that text amendments are going to the planning commission. He also read to first graders for Ag Literacy Week.
Commissioner Hance reported on the Optimist Club dinner, public safety during storms, and the upcoming budget hearing. He emphasized the county's fiscal challenges, including rising costs for EMS and school funding, and the need for new revenue sources.

Key Outcomes

Approved: Agenda, revised Chapter 7 animal ordinance (unanimous).
Vote to leave record open: Public hearing on driving range netting (unanimous, decision pending after 10 days).
Upcoming: Staff recommended budget public hearing on March 24 at 7 p.m.; Data center open house on March 26; Planning commission meeting on text amendments on March 18.
The board recessed into executive session at approximately 11:00 a.m. to discuss personnel, business location, and legal advice.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning and welcome to the Tuesday, March 17th meeting of the Board of County Commissioners. Happy St. Paddy's Day, everybody. If we could have Reverend Glenn Swanson with Bayside Baptist Church in Chesapeake Baith, please step forward for invitation. Good morning. And bring your greetings from Bayside Baptist and Chesapeake Beach. Let us pray. Our gracious Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for this day that you've given to us. We are reminded the psalmist's words that this is a day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Lord, we have so much to be thankful for. Thank you for your mercy and your grace and your salvation. And Lord, we're thankful for this county, uh, the state, this nation that we can serve you. We ask God that you will be with our troops as they're overseas and of course here in the United States serving faithfully. We pray for their uh divine protection, be with their families. Lord, I'm also mindful and thankful for our first responders. We see in this very room today these wonderful men and women who serve us faithfully day in and day out. So I pray that you will just be with them and their families and guide them and watch over them and protect them as well. So Lord, we're thankful for the opportunity to serve you. Uh, you call us to be your hands and feet. Uh thank you for this board of commissioners, and we pray for their families. Uh pray for them as they govern, pray for wise decisions, Lord, that you will give them discernment and knowledge and wisdom as they lead. Thank you for all those who serve this wonderful county that we know is Calvert County, and uh all those uh who are faithful servants. So thank you for them. And Lord, uh again, thank you for this day that you've given to us. We ask your blessings on all things, bless this meeting. May all things be done to honor and glorify your name. And on this uh St. Patrick's Day, uh, we ask uh this blessing from uh an Irish blessing. Uh Lord, may your troubles be less, and may your blessings be more, and may nothing but happiness come through the door. That Irish blessing. So thank you, God, for all you given to us, and we love you and ask these things in the strong name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen and amen. My nation, I'm God. Pastor, thank you for that blessing and Irish blessing. Uh do you have any events coming up at your church you would like to talk about, sir? Yes, sir. Always preacher, give or preacher, an event to give a give an opportunity to give events. Obviously, we're in uh in the midst of almost holy week coming up in a couple weeks. We have Palm Sunday uh coming up, uh which is the start of holy week, and we have a good Friday service at our church, and then obviously Resurrection Sunday, which we uh call the greatest day in history. Uh, we celebrate uh at 7 o'clock down at Veterans Park. We have a sunrise service and then our regular service at our campus at 9 30. So love to have anybody that's able to come join us. God bless you. Thank you for your service coming up. Appreciate you. And Reverend Swanson, before you leave, we do want to take this opportunity to thank you for what you did for the fire victims last year at the beach. Uh your church alone has uh really really saved those families. We really appreciate what you've done. Praise God.

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