Carroll County Board of Commissioners Open Session – August 20, 2026
Carroll County Board of Commissioners Open Session – August 20, 2026
The Carroll County Board of Commissioners held an open session on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in Room 311 of the County Office Building, Westminster, Maryland. The meeting included a retirement proclamation for County Administrator Roberta Wyndham, a post-primary election report, several departmental briefings, a presentation on a proposed Freedom Center for veterans, and a block of procurement approvals. The meeting concluded with agenda reviews for the following weeks.
Proclamation – Retirement of Roberta J. Wyndham
- The Board adopted a proclamation honoring Roberta J. Wyndham, who retired after 11 years as county administrator and 15 years of service overall. Commissioners, staff, and colleagues praised her leadership, professionalism, and role in achieving and maintaining the county’s Triple-A bond rating since 2018. The proclamation was presented during the Priority Carroll portion of the agenda.
Post-Primary Election Report
- Elections Director Erin Perrone presented a summary of the 2026 primary election. Voter turnout in Carroll County was 25.98% (rounded to 26%). Of those, 48.91% voted on election day, 28.34% by mail-in ballot, and approximately 20% during early voting. There were 98 different ballot styles for the primary. Perrone publicly thanked numerous county departments for their support, including Production Services, Facilities, Human Resources, the Sheriff’s Office, and Public Schools. Commissioners commended the professionalism and integrity of the election process.
Discussion Items
LED Lighting Upgrades to Baseball Field at Sandymount Park
- Bob Hicks, Director of Recreation and Parks, requested authorization to upgrade existing metal halide lighting to LED fixtures. The project is fully funded ($72,849.40) by Baltimore Gas and Electric’s (BGE) Smart Energy Savers Program through the EmPOWER Maryland initiative. Similar upgrades were completed at Freedom Park, Mayeski Park, and Deer Park. Hicks noted that the new LEDs reduce energy use, maintenance, and light pollution. Motion carried unanimously to authorize coordination with BGE and subcontractors.
Approval to Sign a New Lease for the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office
- Bryan Bokey, Director of Public Works, and Vicky McDonald from the Sheriff’s Office requested approval to sign a lease for a new, more prominent location in Eldersburg Commons. The current leased space in Eldersburg has been used for over 12 years. Build-out is expected to take 6–8 months, with occupancy anticipated in early summer 2027. Motion carried unanimously to execute the lease.
Grant – FY26 Buses and Bus Facilities Program
- Stacey Graham, Transportation Grants Manager, requested approval to apply for and accept a federal grant from the FTA for two replacement buses for Carroll Transit System. The total project cost is $230,612 (85% federal, 15% local match of $34,592). Funds were already budgeted in FY27. Historically the county received three buses per year from MTA, but only one was awarded this cycle; this grant helps maintain replacement schedules. Motion carried unanimously to submit the application and accept the award.
Presentation/Discussion for a Future Facility for the Veterans Independence Project (VIP) and The Arc of Carroll County
- Jason (VIP) and Don (The Arc) presented a conceptual plan for a “Freedom Center” on county-owned surplus property (the former Cranberry Station school site). The facility would house veteran service organizations, provide office space, community meeting rooms, a chapel, a wood shop, and a walking path with monuments. The Arc proposed building quad-unit apartments (up to 32 units) for people with disabilities and low-income seniors. VIP has received $1 million in federal earmarks and pledges of $5 million from local/national organizations; they plan to apply for an additional $4 million.
- Public Comments: Three veterans spoke in strong support. Aaron Barna (DAV, American Legion) highlighted the need for office space and a sense of community. Michael Butts credited VIP with transforming his life. Vincent Perdicken (VIP chaplain) emphasized the urgency of preventing veteran homelessness and suicide.
- Commissioner Discussion: Commissioner Kiler raised concerns about the property’s challenges: steep slopes (90–150 ft drop), rock, forest conservation easements covering the proposed Arc area, stormwater management costs, and the need for a geotechnical study. He cautioned against “falling in love with a piece of property” before due diligence. Other commissioners expressed strong conceptual support, noting the property’s central location and the potential for creative solutions (e.g., off-site reforestation, pervious parking).
- Key Outcome: The Board passed a motion (unanimous) to conceptually approve the Freedom Center concept and direct staff to coordinate with VIP and The Arc on all related issues and questions, and to return with a briefing paper. A subsequent motion to immediately order an appraisal was withdrawn, with the understanding that an appropriate appraisal scope would be determined after initial staff coordination.
Procurements (Items 7–18)
- The Board voted as a block on 12 procurement items, all within the adopted FY27 budget. Commissioner Kiler noted the lack of individual discussion but confirmed he had no objections. The total value of these approvals exceeded $4 million. Items included:
- Purchase of Pathful Connect/Explore Plus platform ($69,010) for college and career readiness.
- Medical supplies for Fire & EMS ($400,000).
- Contract award for Piney Run Park paving ($288,190.68).
- Traffic paint ($214,828).
- Bulk road salt ($1,565,004.72).
- Vehicles for Sheriff’s Office ($896,521) and upfitting ($437,448).
- Engineering for Miriam Drive water main ($73,516).
- Laboratory testing services ($208,230.50).
- Replacement of 92 water service laterals in Freedom District ($459,200).
- Trash removal ($124,697).
- Elevator inspection/repair ($66,240). Motion carried unanimously to approve all procurements.
Key Outcomes
- Unanimous votes on: LED lighting upgrade, Sheriff’s Office lease, bus grant application, and conceptual approval for VIP/Arc project.
- Block approval of 12 procurement items totaling over $4 million.
- Directive: Staff to work with VIP and The Arc on feasibility, forest conservation, stormwater management, and other site issues; report back with a briefing paper.
- No action taken on immediate appraisal; further discussion deferred until staff coordination.
Meeting Transcript
And two the Republic for which it stands. Liberty justice for all. Two it's nice to see everybody again. I hope everybody is doing well. And I think Commissioner Kyler, we start with you today. Oh my gosh. Last week uh was Mako, and uh that's uh when I was on the other side of the fence, I'm not sure I thought um that that was a a good time for commissioners, but it's very meaningful. And uh the first year I probably did more sessions and less other outside talk. Now it's like um you need to schedule meetings and see people outside of the sessions you want to go to. So it's it's a it's a great time. Um talk to Shock Trauma, BGE. Um I'm on the legislative committee, and we s we spent an hour and a half, two hours working on paring down the initiatives. Uh we meet again in late October to get them down to four, which is their rule is it has to be four. We probably started with 35. Um plenty of events. Uh um I was probably seven to till uh ten p.m. was about my work day. Um Secretary Rosteen, Secretary Coker, who's working on a task force for Royal Um issues, which is pretty good. MDOT, Secretary Thompson, and um District 7 was there represented. So uh um some years um maybe they didn't include the individual district, but I think they are in all their meetings now, and uh we're we're lucky District Seven in my my humble opinion is the best district in the state, but uh uh it's it was a good meeting, good discussions. Uh we ended up with the crab feed, which is always a good evening, and you see so many people there. I left uh a half hour early. I don't know if anybody was there later. I was told the governor was actually gonna sing with the band, but I don't know whether that happened or not. Um on Saturday there was a ribbon cutting of Westminster Liquors, um, right next to uh Chick-fil-A, where the old right aid place was. Um that is a great business for Westminster. Um when right aid left, they uh they were kind of squirrely with their liquor license, which made it hard to uh for somebody to come in there, but they worked it all out and they were in. I'm sorry I missed the ribbon cutting uh between Mako and getting back, but um I understand it was a good crowd and it's a good business. They did compliment how well both the liquor board and permits worked with them to uh they said neither one were easy, but they were prompt and on time and saved them some time. On uh Monday I got to walk the turf field at community college. The uh the turf was down, but the the sand and rubber wasn't placed yet. Um that's a a picture they sent. The PM sent us this morning that the logo is painted that wasn't there on Monday. And uh I think September 17th, they're doing a uh uh a grand opening of dedication, and there will be um after the dedication there will be a women's and a men's soccer game. I d I didn't realize it. Um and it's probably a good cost savings measure. The men and women are normally both home the same date. Um so and and the way games they travel together when possible. Um but uh the turf field looks good. Um and and Roberta, do you it's uh five or six million dollar project, probably. Yeah. 5.4. Yeah, yeah. And uh so a great project, something good for Westminster. The track will be rubber. Um, and some of the field events uh will be up the hill from it, and they have two what I consider pretty small bleachers, but um it's a natural banks there, so it it'll be interesting and uh more power to them, and uh we need turf fields in Carroll County, and um I'm glad we we got one that's quasi public. Hopefully, it'll be used by the community a fair amount. I did my chamber breakfast at Finksburg Library on Monday. Um good interesting crowd, and uh only one question during the meeting, but got to talk to a lot of people afterwards. Um we had veterans advisory this week.
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