Calvert County Board of County Commissioners Regular Meeting — June 2, 2026

The Calvert County Board of County Commissioners held a full-day regular meeting on June 2, 2026, beginning with an invocation by Rev. Virginia Tyler Smith of All Saints Parish in Sunderland, the Pledge of Allegiance, and approval of the agenda. Major focus areas included data center development and the proposed data center text amendment, Environmental Commission recommendations, a presentation on bonding and credit ratings, the Category 1 site plan review process, and extensive public comment. The meeting ended with commissioner reports and a closed executive session.

Consent Calendar

• The board approved consent agenda items 1–3 and 5–9 by unanimous voice vote. These included the Maryland Rural Water Association Apprentice Program, two Sheriff’s Office grant awards, Community Resources grants and agreements, the Adult Protective Services Memorandum of Understanding, the Tri-County Mutual Aid Agreement, and the Healthy Families Home Visiting Program grant application.
• Item 4, the Chesapeake Hills Golf Course 2026 liquor license renewal, was approved separately after one commissioner recused from the vote.
• Items 10 and 11, involving Transferable Development Rights reserve conveyances to the Halley family and to Ms. Rothera, Ms. McCanless, and Ms. Yeats, were removed from the consent agenda at a commissioner’s request to allow additional investigation into the minor subdivisions involved. They were deferred to the next meeting. County counsel noted that, although three commissioners had potential TDR-related conflicts, the board still had a quorum to act.

Old Business

• The board approved a resolution and budget amendment BA2026-000815 to allocate an additional $176,541 in Rural Maryland Economic Development Grant funding for the Armory Site Development Project, accept a no-cost extension through June 30, 2026, and authorize the board president to sign an updated Memorandum of Understanding with the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland. John Hartline, Executive Director of the Tri-County Council, presented the grant check to the board.

Presentations and Discussion Items

Bond Options and Credit Rating

• Davenport & Company financial advisors, along with CFO Malena Brookshire, presented an informational update on bond options and credit ratings. They noted that Calvert County’s available fund balance ratio was approximately 37.8% in FY2025, placing it near the lower end of Moody’s AAA reserve range of 35–50%, and that Calvert remained one notch below AAA on Moody’s overall scorecard.
• The presentation highlighted that reserve levels are the most important rating factor and that the county’s rating agencies have repeatedly cited revenue concentration risk. It also compared 15-year and 20-year bond amortizations, showing roughly $300,000 in annual savings in the first 15 years with a 20-year amortization but about $3 million more in total debt service, with a smaller net-present-value difference of approximately $1.4 million.
• Davenport recommended considering an increase in the county’s debt-to-assessed-value policy from 1.8% toward 2.5% and keeping the debt-service-to-revenues policy at 9.5%. County finance staff said they would return with a bond sale calendar and further policy parameters before the upcoming rating process.

Category 1 Site Plan Development Review Process

• Planning and Zoning staff presented a detailed overview of the three-stage Category 1 site plan process: concept review, detailed site development plan review, and final cleanup/approval before the Planning Commission. They explained the 30-day review cycles, stormwater management requirements, environmental and agency reviews, adequate public facilities considerations, and the separate permitting and inspection process that follows site plan approval.
• Staff noted that Maryland is a late-vesting state, so a project must complete the full review process and begin construction to achieve vested rights. The current AWS data center project is at the concept stage and is expected to take many more months; Planning and Zoning Director Jason Brinkley said the project would not reach the Planning Commission before November and likely later.
• In response to commissioner questions, Department of Public Works Director Jarrett Cosgrove explained that the county can require third-party reviews paid by the applicant, with an initial $5,000 fee plus hourly charges, and that such review is already being used for the large pending site plan.

Environmental Commission Data Center Recommendations

• The Environmental Commission presented its written recommendations, emphasizing that it believes neither the commission nor the board has adequate scientific information to make informed decisions about data centers in Calvert County. The commission requested a pause pending independent studies, not a moratorium.
• Commission members raised concerns about noise and infrasound, heat island effects, water use and discharge, threatened species, forest loss, cumulative impacts, risks to the Chesapeake Bay, and the unique geography and sensitive environment of the proposed Lusby sites. They also noted discrepancies between species identified on the property in 2011 and those in the current applicant-supported studies.
• Commissioner Hart moved to enter a public hearing for a two-year moratorium, with Commissioner Grasso seconding. After discussion, the motion failed by a 2–3 vote, with Commissioners Hart and Grasso in support and the remaining commissioners opposed.

Work Session: Proposed Text Amendment #26-23 — Data Center

• Planning and Zoning staff reviewed the existing data center provisions, which currently allow data centers in the I-2 heavy industrial district and also in I-1 light industrial and mixed-use districts with a special exception. The proposed text amendment would permit data centers only in I-2 and would add new conditions, including a water services plan, a prohibition on groundwater wells for cooling, US EPA Tier 4 generator standards, and third-party review costs paid by the applicant.
• The Planning Commission’s recommendations included limiting generator testing to weekdays 10 a.m.–4 p.m., requiring construction traffic management plans and decommissioning plans with surety bonds, increasing setbacks to 1,200 feet with a 400-foot tree buffer, adding acoustical walls or berms and third-party acoustical review, adopting a 45 dBA property-line noise limit, requiring ongoing noise monitoring, and applying the amendments to projects without vested rights.
• During discussion, several commissioners expressed concern that the county lacks independent data to set buffer distances, noise limits, and other standards. There was support for requiring an independent, applicant-funded study before large projects advance. Staff was directed to return within approximately 30 days — by the July 7 or July 21 meeting — with grouped text amendment options and information about third-party firms available to perform studies.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Dozens of residents and organization representatives spoke. The majority opposed the data centers and urged the board to pause, study, or halt the projects, often citing risks to children, schools, water quality, the Chesapeake Bay, rural character, emergency evacuation, and property values.
• Key speakers included: Patrick Flaherty, a commissioner candidate, who alleged the board engaged in closed-door data center negotiations and called the process “political theater”; Kathy Decker of Calvert Citizens for Student Safety and Responsible Development, who called the text amendments a “smoke screen” and demanded a moratorium; Sherry Verden of the Marley Run HOA, who urged a pause and greater transparency; and Pam Warner, who noted the anti-data-center petition had more than 5,400 signatures, comparable to commissioner election margins.
• Catherine Meaney, President and CEO of the Calvert County Chamber of Commerce, advocated for facts and transparency, said the public process began in October 2024, and argued that data centers offer a revenue option for the county with relatively minimal impacts on traffic and schools.
• Adam Dobetsky of Anne Arundel County, an environmental advocacy and renewable energy professional, criticized parts of the Environmental Commission report, calling some claims exaggerated or unsupported, including the 1,000-acre forest figure and an electromagnetic-field claim.
• Other speakers highlighted health concerns from diesel generators, particulates, noise and infrasound, heat island effects, water temperature and chemistry, potential aquifer damage, and the fragility of the local watermen economy. Multiple callers raised evacuation concerns related to the nuclear plant, the LNG facility, the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge, and the lack of evacuation drills.
• Some speakers defended county staff and criticized the level of personal attacks directed at employees and commissioners, while others, notably Dylan Johnson, called for more factual data and conversations with industry professionals rather than repeated calls for a moratorium.

Commissioner Reports

• Commissioner Grasso said she had not participated in any data center negotiations, expressed opposition to the data centers, and praised a county employee nominated for an Orby Award.
• Commissioner Hance said there had been no “bags of cash” in the process, that no building permit for data centers will be issued until text amendments are in place, and that Constellation Energy could potentially provide up to $200 million a year in county revenue, making it important to seek accurate information.
• Commissioner Hart said he would no longer participate in executive sessions unless they are videotaped, citing a desire for transparency and the inability to defend himself otherwise. He thanked the public for their participation.
• Commissioner Ireland asked for prayers for two local families, congratulated graduates, and thanked county staff for their work under intense public scrutiny.

Key Outcomes

• Agenda approved; National Safety Month proclaimed; public service announcements shared regarding the June 9 flag-raising ceremony, corrected primary mail-in ballots, the completed Kaboom playground, and the FY27 budget.
• Consent agenda approved, with the TDR conveyance items deferred to the next meeting.
• Armory Site Development Project additional grant funding and budget amendment approved.
• Bond and credit rating presentation received as informational; staff will return with bond calendar and policy recommendations.
• Environmental Commission recommendations received; the motion to pursue a two-year moratorium failed 2–3.
• Staff directed to return with consolidated data center text amendment options, possible independent study requirements, and third-party review firm information within approximately 30 days.
• The board voted to enter executive session pursuant to Maryland General Provisions Article §3-305(b)(1)(ii) (personnel) and §3-305(b)(8) (pending or potential litigation).