Charles County Board of Commissioners Meeting: Bond Award, School Capital Budget, and Legal Fees Update - November 18, 2025

The Charles County Board of Commissioners met on November 18, 2025, in afternoon and evening sessions. The agenda included approval of a bond award, reappointments to boards and commissions, annual updates on business loan funds, a preliminary review of school capital budget requests, and an update on legal fees related to Commissioner Coates' lawsuit. The evening session featured public comments on water supply, term limits, data centers, and other issues, followed by commissioner responses.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Bond Award 2025: Commissioners approved Resolution 2025-17 awarding a $75 million bond issue to Piper Sandler at an interest rate of 3.498%, resulting in an estimated $100,000 savings in fiscal year 2027. The county maintained its triple-A rating from all three rating agencies.
• Reappointments: Commissioners approved multiple reappointments, including Donald Poole to the Charles County Administrative Charging Committee, Joyce Schmidt as a retiree member to the Charles County Pension Plan, Cheryl Walker and others to the Homeowners Association Dispute Review Board, Wayne Klinger to the LOSAP Board, Teresa Jones and Annae Mitchell to the Nuisance Abatement Hearing Board, and Kevin Wittding as chair and Jeffrey Bozart as citizen member to the Planning Commission.

Public Comments & Testimony

• David Heidelbach (Charlotte Hall): Expressed concern about the timeline and cost changes for the Upper Potomac Water Supply project, urging regular open meetings between the Board of County Commissioners and Planning & Growth Management to review the project. He noted that water consultants projected Waldorf area demand exceeding supply by 2030.
• Derek Terry (Waldorf): Argued for term limits, criticizing commissioners for not supporting the 2018 term limit proposal. He stated that the county administrator (Mark Belton) should return to work, resign, or be dismissed after nearly three years on paid administrative leave. He also said that contrary to the county attorney's claims, implementing term limits is legal.
• Angela Parker (unrepresented in District 2): Criticized the legal fees update as inaccurate and asked about Commissioner Coates covering her $121,000 portion of the bill. She raised issues about the county administrator's paid leave, the acting administrator's salary, and the release of a second sergeant report. She opposed data centers, citing insufficient electricity, and called for affordable workforce housing instead of low-income housing.
• Joseph Mank (Waldorf, District 4): Supported term limits and agreed with Terry. He criticized the soft language in a zoning text amendment (ZTA) for data centers, calling for stronger requirements on setbacks (200 feet from residential areas is too short) and gray water usage (should be required, not prioritized). He urged the county to ensure data centers pay for infrastructure and not burden residents with rate increases.

Discussion Items

• Business Development Loan Fund Annual Update: Director Jim Chandler and staff presented on the Business Development Loan Fund and Targeted Industry Loan Fund, each capitalized at $500,000. As of September 30, the Business Loan Fund had five loans outstanding ($105,230) with two delinquent and one in collection. The Targeted Industry Loan Fund had three loans outstanding ($188,359) with two in default, both in collection. About $311,640 remains available to lend. Staff discussed high delinquency rates and plans to revise standard operating procedures to address the issue. Commissioners questioned the severity compared to other programs and noted the balance between supporting small businesses and recovering taxpayer funds.
• School Capital Budget Requests: Director Jake Dower presented the FY27 request for state funding from Charles County Public Schools, with five projects in priority order: La Plata High School modernization ($24.6 million for construction), full-day kindergarten additions at Dr. Higdon Elementary School (planning authority and $2.8 million for construction), Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School (planning authority), and a new elementary school and middle school #10 (planning authority). Total request $27.4 million. Commissioners approved a letter of support, noting typical state funding is $10-12 million per year and local CIP approval will be needed later.
• Legal Fees Update: Deputy County Attorney Elizabeth Theobalds presented a chart of legal fees incurred in Commissioner Coates' lawsuit. Fees were categorized: the declaratory judgment column was authorized by a board vote in December 2022; subsequent appeals (including to the Maryland Court of Appeals and U.S. Supreme Court) were statutorily required defense costs. Commissioners debated whether the board agreed not to appeal in 2022. Commissioner Bowling and Commissioner Stewart maintained they agreed not to appeal as part of the vote to file the lawsuit. Commissioner Collins also recalled that understanding. Commissioner Patterson did not recall a definitive vote. Attorney Theobalds noted that the matter is now concluded and all bills have been received. No vote was taken; the discussion served as an informational update.

Key Outcomes

• Approved Resolution 2025-17 for the bond award (motion, second, unanimous aye).
• Approved all reappointments as listed (motions, seconds, unanimous ayes).
• Approved letter of support for Charles County Public Schools FY27 capital budget requests (motion, second, unanimous aye).
• No votes on the loan fund update or legal fees update; these were informational briefings.
• Commissioner Patterson announced a future agenda request to discuss nuisance abatement board policies and procedures regarding inspections and property access.