Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

Welcome to the Thursday, March 12th, 2026 open session for the Carroll County Board of Commissioners.

As we always do, we'll begin with the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silent reflection.

I hope everybody is doing well today, and we'll begin with Priority Carol with Commissioner Kyler.

Thank you.

And I I tend to mention Ronda and uh right now she's uh not quite two weeks from knee surgery, and I think uh she's doing her post op meeting this morning, so uh she's doing well and I think it's because of her excellent caregiver.

Um wrestling, I like to love to mention states were last weekend, South Carol had state champions and Manville had a uh one of the girls as a state champ.

And uh um very successful, Carroll County is well known.

I don't know what Maryland will do, and I think I've mentioned this before, they always argue why why is Pennsylvania better?

Well, one it's ten times bigger, but two, um they organize things better.

Um the West region, I mentioned that before states, um they had almost half of the place winners, so uh it's it's when there's four regions, it's not fair when uh one region is so stacked there's there's kids in that region don't qualify because of that.

Um next week um I'll be virtual on this meeting because I'm going to N CAA's in Cleveland, which is always a lot of fun.

Um the last two weeks uh we've had a couple billboard public meetings.

Uh one in Fink's Burg, one in Hampstead Lines and listen to a lot of people talk and uh and and we need more input from anybody that's really interested.

And uh it's interesting, uh during the public meeting there were people uh dead set against them that after the meeting were more like well, if you could change fifty foot to forty foot, if you could change this, I'm okay with it.

So it it's interesting to hear the input from people.

Um solar and uh I need to count the attorney, but I think he's straightened me out.

I got a few calls about solar and what they thought when they were scheduling a hearing based on signs on the property and and stuff, and uh and I will give my opinion on it, but it's a community meeting, not a hearing.

But it's at eight AM in Westminster.

So uh um I don't think the solar company's doing very good unless they do a different one that'll be at night.

Maybe they're doing both in and because they've got quite a quite a period of time before any of the hearings, but the hearings will be in the evening and we will be able to be uh set with a judge and uh give our objections.

Um a personal note, I I had lunch in Frederick this week with uh about a dozen of my classmates from college and fraternity brothers.

Some of 'em I haven't seen since college, which was a few years ago.

And uh it was just awesome talking to everybody, comparing notes and uh um we for I think we forget.

We we do the day to day stuff and we forget about family and friends and some of the things that we need to make time for, so that was great.

Um Ag Center had their annual uh dinner board meeting this week.

That was awesome.

And uh there that they're such a great group uh and uh and the Ag Center's been very, very successful and very busy, and then they said it that night.

If you're looking for a place for uh shower, uh a wedding, uh an event, consider them, but plan ahead because they're pretty booked.

So uh and we do half a dozen things there, three or four, maybe.

At least three.

Yeah.

Yeah, we do some events there too, but it's it's just a great facility.

And uh two years ago now, Harry County, now Harford County came and wanted to uh see how it was so so successful.

And the tough part for another county, it took years and stages and and uh not everything was planned from the beginning that's there now, and it didn't all happen in a certain order.

It's been it was a lot of growing pains and a lot of stuff, but but a great group.

Went to the opioid prevention coalition, uh to health department, and that's always good.

Um it probably half the people are virtual right now as opposed to being at uh at the health department.

They do encourage you to come, and I just think it's better discussion and better input if you're there, and plus you get to talk to people, but but um various police, um EMS, uh the health department, the hospital, they all give updates, and then there's uh individual nonprofits there that are involved in recovery and stuff, and uh a lot of them will have some input.

Um I went to FOP last night and uh talked with that group, and it's always good uh and I don't know what other people do that go, but I'll do uh a little bit of uh this is who I am, and then I'll say uh, you know, I want to talk about questions, and I have questions for you.

And we had some great discussions, and I really appreciate them telling me their opinions on a lot of things.

Tonight is uh MML at the flood zone, and that'll be a great evening.

It's so nice to see all the jurisdictions, and it's uh they're they're doing meeting, about like the Ag Center, they're doing a meeting, but it's it's as much social as it is meetings.

And then last thing I want to mention, and we talked about it at the Ag Center, uh prior commissioner Donald Dell turned to 101 this week, and uh family had a little party for him uh that that that day and in the afternoon, and uh it's just uh he's uh um he gets around more in a wheelchair than not.

Um there their company party had there's his photo.

The company party uh they actually had him in a desk chair pushing him around so he could talk to everybody, but he gets around well, and uh I don't know if any of the Dells are listening, but I picked on him Tuesday night.

I I said I'm I'm so glad you're so around because when anything goes negative in the county office building, somebody will say, Well, Donald Dell probably did that.

So we blame you, so I'm glad you're around to take the blame.

And he just laughed at me.

And uh he'll he'll give me advice once in a while, but most times uh he's known me too long to think that uh I'll I'll listen probably.

But just a a great man, a great family, and and I don't know, uh I can't wait till our 100th birthdays in the 101s, you know.

Thank you.

I hope I am that active and look that good at 100.

Oh, I tell you, he it's it's he gets around so well.

And and uh and he can straighten you out.

Thank you, Commissioner.

Good morning, Carroll County.

I'm gonna be brief with just a couple things.

Uh first and foremost, wanted to give a shout out to local restaurant collision course that earlier this week was on the Maryland Farm and Harvest uh show on MPT.

Uh that program will be rerunning over the weekend.