Calvert County Board of County Commissioners Regular Meeting: July 7, 2026

The Calvert County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) held its regular meeting on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at 150 Main Street, Prince Frederick, Maryland, beginning at approximately 10:00 a.m. The agenda was amended at the start of the meeting to add an environmental concern (a sunken vessel in Back Creek, Solomons) under new business. The meeting included a citation for the Northern High School softball state champions, a proclamation for National Parks and Recreation Month, approval of a consent calendar, approval of the first-ever Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) collective bargaining agreement for the Sheriff's Office, a work session on updated Agricultural Preservation Rules and Regulations, extensive public comment on data centers, and a board consensus to place a data center discussion on the July 21 agenda. The board then moved into closed executive session.

Opening & Public Service Announcements

• The meeting opened with an invocation by Pastor Ron Curry of New Creation Bible Church in St. Leonard, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
• The agenda was approved as amended (with the addition of the Back Creek sunken vessel item under new business) by voice vote.
• Commissioners thanked county DPW crews, Parks and Recreation staff, and SMECO for storm cleanup and restoration following the prior Saturday's extreme weather; tree cleanup costs from the county side were estimated at roughly $500,000, not including state efforts.
• Kat Poff of Technology Services was congratulated on receiving the CISO Orby Award for leadership in cybersecurity.
• The Grab and Go Summer Meals program was announced: meal kits distributed weekly on Wednesdays through August 5, each kit containing five breakfasts, five lunches, and milk, at Huntingtown High School and Southern Middle School (9:30–10:30 a.m.) and Calvert High School (12:30–1:30 p.m.), open to eligible children ages 2–18 (contact the Child Nutrition Office at 443-550-8680).
• A 12-minute Parks and Recreation reaccreditation video was shown, highlighting the county's 213-square-mile footprint, population of nearly 95,000, and the department's $14.6 million annual operating budget, 189–190 full-time equivalents, 19 parks, six community centers, nine special-use facilities, and 22 school recreation locations totaling 2,293.53 acres.
• Animal of the Week: "Coconut," a roughly 10-week-old kitten (spayed, vaccinated, microchipped); adoption fees are waived if adopted before the next meeting.

Citation & Proclamation

• A citation was presented to the Northern High School girls' softball team for winning the 2026 MPSSAA Class A state championship; head coach Vince Gregory, Coach Cliff Donaldson, and Athletic Activities Director Stacey Karseski introduced the team. Special recognition was extended to Shauna Dupins, Matty Jewett, and Natalie White.
• Commissioner Hance read a proclamation declaring July as National Parks and Recreation Month in Calvert County, with the 2026 theme "The Power of Parks and Recreation." Parks and Recreation Director Bob Brandon and department staff accepted; the director noted the department had grown to 190 FTEs and roughly 542 employees at peak season.

Consent Calendar

• Item 3 (added by amendment on 7/6/2026): Department of Public Works resolution for tree debris disposal from the extreme weather event; approved by voice vote.
• Items 1 and 2: Transferable Development Rights (TDR) Reserve conveyances to Mr. and Mrs. Halley and to Ms. Rothera, Ms. McCanless, and Ms. Yeats. Planning and Zoning Director Jason Brinkley explained that the first involves a single lot being split into two, where the second dwelling requires five TDRs, and the second is a two-lot subdivision with one existing dwelling and one planned single-family residence (so only one new residence total across both items). Commissioner Grasso's prior questions were resolved. Both items were approved unanimously by voice vote.

New Business

• Fiscal Year 2027 Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Collective Bargaining Agreement: County Administrator Linda Turner presented the first FOP agreement, made possible by Maryland Senate Bill 767 (effective October 1), which granted full-time deputy sheriffs and correctional deputies through the rank of major the right to collective bargaining. The negotiated agreement sets the starting deputy salary at $70,000, using Maryland State Police, Charles County, and St. Mary's County as comparables, bringing Calvert in line with surrounding jurisdictions. Sheriff Cox highlighted fixes for line-of-duty death benefits (families kept on COBRA insurance) and allowing injured deputies to remain in the retirement system; four items (retirement, one-call pay, Section 115 trust, and a property tax credit) will continue to be negotiated in FY27 for FY28. Current Sheriff's Office staffing is 171 deputies, with four vacancies and five recruits in the eight-month academy. One commissioner and the county attorney recused themselves from this item. The board approved the agreement and authorized the board president to execute all necessary documents; a ceremonial signing followed.
• Back Creek Sunken Vessel Removal (added by amendment during the meeting): The board discussed a roughly 40-foot cruiser-style boat sunk in Back Creek in Solomons, adjacent to the Lower Oyster House, which remains full of fuel and oil, is still leaking, and has not been mitigated. A motion carried to work with the state and, if needed, locally to remove and dispose of the vessel, using up to $2,500 from the contingency fund and waiving landfill fees.

Work Session: Agricultural Preservation Rules & Regulations

• Planning and Zoning staff (Director Jason Brinkley and Planner Jennifer David) presented the 2026 draft update to the Agricultural Preservation Rules and Regulations, the first comprehensive update since the program began in 1978, in anticipation of lifting the moratorium on new Agricultural Preservation District (APD) creation. Three board members disclosed family interests in TDRs; they stated they would sit and vote because recusal of all three would eliminate the quorum.
• Key proposed changes: removal of the sealed boundary survey requirement at application time (a boundary survey, recorded plat, or deed plot is now acceptable); a 10% reduction in certified TDRs for APDs initially recorded by deed plot without the benefit of a recorded plat or sealed boundary survey; an increased incentive of up to an additional $500 per TDR (up from $200) for first-time sellers who incurred the cost of a boundary survey at APD recording; clarification that TDRs cannot be certified on acreage encumbered by state or other restrictive easements; and revisions aligning tenant houses with state law (HB 1466) and proposed text amendment 26-03, treating tenant houses as accessory dwellings (maximum 1,500 square feet) that do not count against permitted APD density.
• Staff proposed removing detailed agritourism criteria from the regulations in favor of a more flexible departmental policy for public and private events, developed with input from agritourism businesses.
• On family conveyance, staff stated the current draft does not change treatment of family conveyance lots versus the prior draft; a separate zoning text amendment with a public hearing in about three weeks recommends increasing the limit from one to two family conveyance lots.
• A motion to schedule a public hearing was made, but the county attorney advised that motions are not proper in a work session; the board instead gave consensus direction to schedule a public hearing (following legal review) on the revised rules and regulations.

Public Comments & Testimony

Roughly 20 speakers addressed the board, the overwhelming majority focused on data center development and calling for a moratorium. Speakers and positions included:

• Joe Marie Coster (individual): cited other Maryland jurisdictions' actions against data centers (Charles County Planning Commission unanimously recommending denial of revised data center zoning; Baltimore County suspending permits; Carroll and Queen Anne's counties approving one-year moratoriums; Howard County adopting a temporary ban; measures in Prince George's, Montgomery, and Frederick counties) and warned of $70-per-month electric bill increases and rolling blackouts; demanded a complete stop to data center discussions and called the board's handling "unethical."
• Andrew Furman (representing Calvert Citizens for Student Safety and Responsible Development): raised evacuation and public safety concerns regarding the Governor Johnson Bridge (rated "fair," 26-foot-wide, shoulderless, load-restricted, with scour and rust issues), which is mapped as the southern evacuation route in Maryland Emergency Operations Plan Annex Q; alleged defective evacuation time estimates and federal compliance violations, and urged the board not to issue permits in Lusby.
• Roxanne Furman (Lusby resident): argued the board committed ultra vires (exceeding legal authority) in rezoning, referenced Maryland Public Safety Code Section 14-107 and land use code Section 4-201, and urged no building permits before a certified evacuation route exists.
• Patrick Flaherty (Lusby citizen): cited the Declaration of Independence and said the June 23 primary's removal of three commissioners was the voters' message; asked the board to adopt a draft resolution pausing data centers for six months.
• Jeanette Wisaki (individual): raised conflict-of-interest questions (Commissioner Cox's wife works for Constellation Energy) and read an internal Constellation email from Plant Manager Jeremy Searer postponing a presentation to the BOCC from July 7 to July 21.
• Kathy Decker (representing Garden Way community residents in Lusby): called the halt of text amendment work "a calculated gift to industrial developers"; raised health concerns about diesel generator emissions (PM 2.5 and nitrogen oxides); and challenged a sole-source contract signed May 25, 2026, before its June 12, 2026 justification, asserting procurement integrity violations.
• Pam Werner (representing Indivisible Calvert County): said the anti-data-center petition has about 10,000 signatures; noted that at the June 16 meeting the planning director said draft text amendments would be ready July 7; criticized the absence of data center items on the agenda and called it a "dereliction of your oath of office"; demanded a moratorium.
• Patty Stuckler (individual, candidate for commissioner at large): appealed for a six-month moratorium so the new board can decide.
• Nancy Elwine (representing Citizens for Calvert): cited the county Environmental Commission's recommendation for a moratorium and requested a two-year moratorium; quoted Commissioner Hance's June 9 statements that he would "never allow" a data center if it would do what the Environmental Commission described.
• Carl Elwine (representing residents of Camp Kanoy Road): said Constellation has lost public trust by lobbying planning and zoning staff behind closed doors; asked Constellation to meet with neighbors and present zoning changes at public meetings.
• Jeff Dixon (representing the Chess Peak Ranch Club neighborhood, Lusby): thanked SMECO and the Sheriff's Office; criticized bare-bones zoning maps that show no neighborhoods; noted Lusby's population is approximately 2,595 over 3.5 square miles; called for a moratorium or total ban, saying "our lives and future matter."
• Leonard Zouza (Solomons, representing Concerned Citizens of Calvert): said the June 23 primary sent three messages (transparency, public forums, and slowing the process); cited a $3 billion, 450-megawatt data center example in Spartanburg, South Carolina; warned of lawsuits and legal costs.
• Andrea Smith (Chesapeake Beach, individual): asked the Sheriff's Office to ensure de-escalation training for First Friday officers; noted Chesapeake Beach Town Council is reviewing O-26-14, an ordinance enacting a total ban on data centers (vote July 16, adoption late August); requested an immediate two-year moratorium as the "bare minimum."
• Teresa Wheeler (Long Beach, St. Leonard, individual): cited the petition at over 9,700 signatures and expressed fear about what would be left for grandchildren if data centers are built.
• Lily Sheeline (individual): questioned the public hearing process and the pause on data center text amendment work; the county administrator offered to follow up.
• Alison Sigler (individual): said she came expecting proposed moratorium language that was not on the agenda and asked why.
• Sherry Burden (representing the Marley Run HOA board of directors): described 7 hours 50 minutes of calls with Commissioner Grasso; raised water/sewer enterprise fund and tiered-rate concerns affecting roughly 4,600 residential consumers, including reported $2.5 million hospital and $800,000 car wash water EDU bills; asked the board to explain what is paused and what continues.
• James McQueen (citizen, Lusby): said Lusby has about 23,000 people and noted Text Amendment 26-23 was discussed but never presented to Lusby residents; argued the board is not following policy.
• Kenneth Lee (Huntingtown, individual, incoming board member): said he will be on the next board and asked for a six-month moratorium so the new board can take up the issue.

Commissioner Reports & Moratorium Discussion

• Commissioner Grasso congratulated Kat Poff on the 2026 Capital CISO Corporate Orby Award (nominated by Maryland CISO James Saunders), mentioned attendance at Solomons events, and said she hoped Commissioner Hart would make a moratorium motion.
• Commissioner Hance said the election outcome is clear and that the data center projects are "dead"; he expressed skepticism about the Environmental Commission's claims of environmental harm, cited farms remaining viable in Loudoun County, Virginia, despite data centers, and criticized anonymous social media attacks on county staff, urging the incoming board to evaluate staff carefully.
• Commissioner Hart said the situation was "self-inflicted," emphasized that safety comes first, and made a motion for a six-month moratorium on all data center applications to the fullest extent permitted by law, to preserve the status quo while the county drafts and considers adequate permanent regulations. Commissioner Grasso seconded.
• Commissioner Ireland (per the transcript) noted Open Meetings Act concerns about a motion on an item not on the agenda, recalled that the moratorium and text amendments were voted down at the June 16, 2026 meeting, and said the item must be properly placed on the agenda. The consensus was to place a data center discussion (moratorium, ban, or text amendments) on the July 21, 2026 agenda, with a formal two-week advertising period required before any public hearing and vote.
• Commissioner Cox discussed the comprehensive plan's "walkable, sustainable communities" framework that moved density from farms to town centers, offered condolences to families who lost loved ones, thanked storm and fireworks responders, and noted an estimated $1 million in combined fireworks and storm costs for the weekend.

Key Outcomes

• Agenda approved as amended (sunken vessel item added).
• Consent calendar approved: two TDR Reserve conveyances and the tree debris disposal resolution.
• FY2027 FOP collective bargaining agreement approved; board president authorized to execute; ceremonial signing held.
• Removal and disposal of the Back Creek sunken vessel approved, using up to $2,500 from the contingency fund with landfill fees waived.
• Consensus to schedule a public hearing (after legal review) on the updated Agricultural Preservation Rules and Regulations.
• Consensus to place a data center discussion on the July 21, 2026 agenda, followed by the legally required two-week advertising period before a public hearing on a moratorium or related action.
• The board voted to move into executive session (closed to the public) to discuss employment matters and acquisition of real property for a public purpose; the meeting adjourned directly from executive session with no return to open session.