The Board of Carroll County Commissioners convened on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in Room 311 of the County Office Building. The meeting included a proclamation, several public hearings, grant approvals, and discussions on land-use and planning items. Key decisions included approval of multiple grants, a delay on a Mount Airy annexation comment letter, and authorization to proceed to public hearing on the Water Resources Element.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Thursday, June 18th, 2026 open session for the Board of Carroll County Commissioners, as we always do. We'll begin with the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silent reflection. Hope everybody is doing well today. And our first item, as always, is Priority Carroll and Commissioner Krebs, I do believe you are up first this week. Thank you. And since I forgot my glasses, I really can't revisit here, but I'm gonna just go for memory. They're kinda nerdy. I think I remember since I was just there. So um last evening we had a um meeting with State Highway at Liberty High School, and it was it's about the bridges that are gonna be going over Liberty Reservoir project. And they were trying to get feedback from the public and it was an excellent, excellent meeting. They described the situation that replacing the bridge decks, and it's a it's a key route for us into Baltimore County. A lot of people work there. So they were asking people in the public like that travel that way whether they'd rather have a longer delay and have one lane going each way, or they have a short shorter period of time that it would be closed. But it would be it'd have to go around. They had all the different scenarios um out there. It's all on their website and uh there were a lot it was very well attended, but they're looking for feedback. It's not happening until 2028. Um but it's gonna be a disruption. Um but they really have analyzed the different scenarios and asked people, you know, which was best to them. And most of them said have it done close it for one once and for all, get it done shorter period of time and be done with it. But they're looking for feedback and they're trying to they're um our own transportation sector uh um Brian Bokeh was there because they're worried about the the roads in the neighborhoods being used as cut throughs, which that's what people will probably do, and how we can make sure we maintain the traffic and the safety in those neighborhoods. So I was very impressed with the the level of detail that they were um looking at and had already looked at and then the the issues that people brought up. So anyone that's listening if they use the route uh the over the reservoirs, it's two bridges, they're gonna do them both at the same time. Not until 2028, but they're really trying to plan this. Um and the safe routes getting around to down into Baltimore County to Owing's Mills and whatever. So uh on the website the whole presentation is there on the uh state highway website. And um forget which section it is. I'm gonna send it out on the email blast, but um look under Liberty Reservoir Bridges over l over Liberty Reservoir should be a lot of information there and looking for feedback. All right, thank you. Good morning, Carroll County. Uh just so uh the brief comment coming off of the emergency services advisory council meeting last night. It was uh the chairman Rick Baker's last meeting. Um he uh is termed out as chairman of ESAC and uh just in the on behalf of the Board of Carroll County Commissioners and all Carroll County residents just to thank Rick for all his service. He has been with ESAC since the beginning uh since the enabling legislation started in Annapolis, probably back in 2018. That's how long he's been involved with it. And everybody who is involved with uh CC Visa and DFEMs um is very familiar with Rick. He's an amazing man. Yeah, his service to the county goes back decades first as a volunteer with Mount Ari volunteer fire company. He he served as country um and then he uh in various roles and then he uh has been with ESAC again for for over for over six years really. And our thanks to Rick Baker and everything that he's done. He has really and truly been um so effective and so much uh credit needs to be given to him for all his work and everything that he is uh he's done for the county. And on that note, uh they did elect uh new chairman, uh the new chairman of ESAC will be Tim Legore. He's a former chief of Winfield Community Volunteer Fire Company, a longtime chief. And um and then they elected uh Blaine Wright, who's a citizen rep to ESAC as the vice chairman. So we're very excited for both those individuals. Thank you for for Tim and Blaine to step up and try to fill that role. Everybody agrees that it's gonna be tough shoes to fill because Rick has done such an amazing job. But uh my congratulations and and thanks to Rick Baker and my thanks and congratulations to the two new electees to guide ESAC through the next couple of years. It is going to be a pivotal few years.