The Carroll County Board of Commissioners held their open session on April 21, 2026, at the County Office Building in Westminster. The meeting included a proclamation for Fair Housing Month, a public hearing on proposed amendments to billboard regulations, a legislative update from the 2026 Maryland General Assembly session, and approvals for several contracts and grants. Key actions included closing the public hearing on billboard amendments with a 10-day comment period, approving a grant for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program, authorizing spending for catastrophic medical expenses at the detention center, awarding a contract for a fire suppression water storage tank, and purchasing a transit bus.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Thursday, April sixteenth, two thousand twenty six 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 pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic says one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. So it'll be interesting. I hope not, but I think we need to prepare. Um I I left Annapolis and went to Finksburg. The Veterans Book Club met at Finksburg Library. They celebrated their 10th year of that Veterans Book Club being in existence and meeting. They even met during COVID outside regardless of the weather. So they've been 10 years. And uh supporting them. It's interesting. Um let's say there's 25 of them. Uh they meet monthly, they read a book, they discuss the book, and I wondered uh, I'm naive. I wondered how they get the books. Do they keep the books? Do they have a stack of books? Whatever. They actually borrow the books from libraries throughout the state to get enough, read them, return them, and borrow new books for the next month. So I I just think that's awesome. Like I say, I'm probably naive, probably the librarian people knew that, but uh, but again, thank you, Heather Erlings, thank you, library, Kerr County Public Library, all of them, not just Finksburg, and uh and and um congratulations to the Veterans Book Club. I I know a lot of book clubs, but uh at 10 years consistent, that's pretty good. We've been working on budget enclosed on Tuesday. Uh Ted will be part of our meeting and release the proposed budget, and then we have a month, maybe to uh meet in open to discuss it. Uh Ted will do his road shows at libraries and uh put out info about it, and then we'll do a public hearing at the Carroll Arts Center, and then hopefully we will uh approve a final budget. Uh by law we have to, but so hopefully we will. Um Carroll County 4 H, they did their achievement program at the YAG Center the other night, and uh I I don't know if everybody knows it. I don't know if everybody up here knows it. Um they gave away, I don't know, a hundred awards probably, but one of them is the Carroll County Commissioners Award and the uh 4-H uh the male 4-H guy of the year won that award, and uh so that was kind of nice. But again, it's uh anything with 4H or FFA or the Ag Center, it's it's such great families, great volunteers. They gave uh I think Andy Cashman, they they gave uh awards to volunteers 20 years, 25 and up. I think he was 45 years, and and he got an award. So great people out there, great um great families, great volunteers, great kids. And uh the 4H obviously knows this, but they do so much more than animals. Um they they do speaking, they do judging. Uh two of the award winners at least were at a national convention in DC and couldn't be there that night. They they are very, very active and learn a myriad of skills. Um been meeting some taxpayers, um, and I want to mention that for a reason. Um if you have an issue and you email, text, call, um, all of my emails and numbers are public. I get criticized for that, but uh um I even answer scam calls just in case it's uh somebody real and uh Rhonda yells at me. Sometimes I'm not real polite with the scam people, but uh but I answer it just in case. So if if you want to meet, you have an issue right now. There's still a lot of things going on on the uh transmission line, um, and there's solar popping up every place, and uh um staff, me, um I'm trying to divide some uh invite some delegation people because the state has really tied our hands on what we're allowed to do. I understand um, for instance, the last winter's right between us at Albert Rue and uh Route 27, and I don't think we can stop it, and I don't think we can make them do anything more than the state allows. And uh I think that's sad. I like local control, we we deserve local control, but but we will still meet, we'll meet with groups uh um and and if you have you have a complaint, contact any of us. Uh we we all answer and uh and we'll meet. Um yesterday I went to drug court, they had eight eight graduates.