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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Charles County Board of Commissioners Quarterly Town Hall - December 9, 2025

County Commissioners & Boards — Tuesday, December 9, 2025

BodyCharles County, Maryland

SessionCounty Commissioners & Boards

DateTuesday, December 9, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:12:06

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

0:08

Charles County Government presents

Unassigned speaker

0:10

the

Speaker 1

0:10

Board of Commissioners.

Speaker 2

0:16

Good evening and welcome to the fourth and last quarterly Board of County Commissioners Joint Talk Town Hall Meeting for 2025.

Unassigned speaker

0:25

My

Speaker 2

0:25

name is Ruben Collins.

0:26

I'm president of the Board of Commissioners.

0:28

Thank you all for being here this evening.

0:31

These town halls are an opportunity for us to connect with you, hear your concerns, and discuss the issues that matter most to our community.

0:42

Each town hall is led by one of the district commissioners.

0:46

Tonight, District Four Commissioner and Vice President Ralph Patterson will start by sharing brief remarks and outlining the format for the meeting.

0:57

This will be followed by the question and answer period.

1:02

Again, we appreciate your participation and look forward to a productive conversation.

1:09

It is now your floor, Commissioner Patterson.

Speaker 1

1:13

Thank you very much, President Collins.

1:14

Good evening, everybody.

1:27

You'll have three minutes to speak at the microphone.

1:29

Department directors are available to respond to questions related to county functions.

1:33

Departmental responses needed.

1:35

The director will come to the podium after you speak.

1:37

Commissioners will be actively listening and taking notes as you share your comments and questions.

1:41

After every five minutes to 10 speakers, the clerk will announce a brief period for commissioners to respond.

1:47

Once all registered speakers have spoken, if time permits, we will read and reply to pre-submitted online questions.

1:53

Please remember our critical civility applies to all public meetings.

1:56

Respectful language is required and personal attacks will not be permitted.

1:59

Copies of the code civility are available at the sign-in table.

2:02

And now I would just like to say a special thank you to uh Dr.

2:06

Maria Navarro and the Chow County Board of Education for allowing uh the commissioners to have this meeting at uh one of the facilities.

2:12

It does um a great honor to be able to uh show up one of our uh gems of our uh public school system, and so I'm very encouraged by the uh amount of participation we've had at all three meetings leading up to this one, and I hope to continue the civility and uh productive discourse that we've had in the past continuing forward at this meeting.

2:32

So, without that, I would like to uh open up the floor to my fellow colleagues to share any opening remarks going down the line.

Unassigned speaker

2:41

Oh,

Speaker 1

2:41

I'm sorry, Commissioner Bowling.

Speaker 3

2:43

Oh, thank you everybody for coming out.

2:45

I appreciate staff taking the time to be here tonight.

2:47

It's been a long day, but I do appreciate the fact you're here to answer questions from the public.

2:51

It's important that we get uh answers from the best we can tonight.

2:54

To the members of the public that are here tonight.

2:56

I appreciate the fact that you showed up.

2:57

Look forward to uh listening to your comments and providing up the opportunity to uh present uh comments back.

3:04

So thank

Unassigned speaker

3:05

you.

Speaker 4

3:06

Good evening, everyone.

3:08

Um, just like um Commissioner Patterson already stated, it is wonderful to be able to host this evening's events in one of our newest high schools.

3:18

Um being able to come out into the public and to have meaningful discourse with our residents to listen to you directly to figure out what are your greatest concerns and to come up with a way that we can address them.

3:39

So I'm looking forward to the opportunity to have conversations about how we can continue to improve Charles County for the for not just us for the people who are sitting here today, but for generations to come.

3:53

So thank

Unassigned speaker

3:54

you.

Speaker 1

3:56

Thank you very much.

Unassigned speaker

4:00

All

Speaker 1

4:00

right, we'd like to call the uh first speaker to the podium, please.

Speaker 5

4:04

All right, commissioners.

4:05

I'm gonna call the speakers, the first four speakers, and if you can come to the right

Speaker 6

4:11

of the

Speaker 5

4:12

of the microphone, and you can wait your turn, and then you'll have three minutes to present your comments or questions.

4:18

The first three speakers, a coma love, followed by Derek Carey, followed by Joseph Menck, followed by David Heidelbach.

Unassigned speaker

4:32

And

Speaker 5

4:32

when you get to the microphone, if you can please state your name and address for the record, you'll have three minutes to present your comments.

Speaker 7

4:41

Yes.

Unassigned speaker

4:43

I

Speaker 7

4:43

deliberately put my name second so that wouldn't be first.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Homelessness██████████████14%

Water And Wastewater Management██████████████14%

Affordable Housing██████████████14%

Inspector General Office Establishment███████████11%

Procedural█████████9%

Transportation Safety████████8%

Public Engagement██████6%

Government Accountability██████6%

Public Safety█████5%

Summary of Proceedings

Charles County Board of Commissioners Quarterly Joint Town Hall Meeting - December 9, 2025

The Charles County Board of Commissioners held their fourth and final quarterly joint town hall of 2025 on December 9, 2025, at a local high school. Board President Ruben Collins presided, and Vice President Ralph Patterson (District 4) led the format. Commissioners Stewart, Bowling, and Patterson provided opening remarks, with Stewart thanking Superintendent Dr. Maria Navarro for hosting the event. The evening was dedicated to public comments and commissioner responses on a wide range of critical issues including water infrastructure, homelessness, affordable housing, transportation, and government transparency.

Public Comments & Testimony

Acoma Love addressed homelessness in the county, urging the government to involve homeless individuals directly in budget and policy solutions. She also raised concerns regarding county names honoring slaveholding families.
Derek Carey, a military veteran, posed a series of direct questions demanding transparency on commissioner conduct, the independence of the volunteer fire department investigation, County Administrator Mark Belton's administrative leave, and the legality of the 2018 term limits bill.
Joseph Mank (District 4) thanked the board and staff for county services and asked each commissioner present to share their vision for their potential next terms in office. He also sought clarification on the approval of minutes from the morning's business meeting.
David Heidelbach (Charlotte Hall) demanded greater transparency on the county's water supply projects, specifically referencing the Hazen & Sawyer report indicating the Waldorf area will exceed water supply by 2030. He pressed for regular project status updates in open session and public hearings regarding the La Plata negotiations and the Upper Potomac water supply site.
Dante Carroll (White Plains) distinguished between affordable housing and low-income housing, emphasizing the need for an ecosystem of housing. He cited the median sales price of $440,000 in Charles County and argued for honest public-private partnerships to address the crisis without vilifying either side.
Greg Waring (Waldorf) advocated for an independent Inspector General (IG) with subpoena authority. He criticized a prior presentation suggesting an IG would only review 17.8% of the county's nearly $1 billion budget, contrasting this with IGs in Montgomery and Baltimore Counties. He requested a meeting with the Association of Inspectors General.
Wanda Morrison (Wexford Village) described dangerous traffic conditions on Hamilton Road, detailing multiple accidents including one where a car was stopped by a fence from entering a home. She pleaded for traffic calming measures before a fatality occurs.

Discussion Items

Water & Infrastructure: Commissioners acknowledged the 2030 water supply deadline for the Waldorf area. Commissioner Collins emphasized a data-driven approach to infrastructure. Commissioner Stewart committed to requesting a road study for the Hamilton Road/Western Parkway intersection once a new apartment complex reaches 80% occupancy in the spring. Commissioner Patterson highlighted that the Southern Maryland Rapid Transit (SMRT) now has dedicated federal and state funding written into state law.
Affordable Housing: Commissioner Stewart announced an upcoming project specifically targeting workforce housing for teachers and middle-income workers, distinct from low-income housing tax credit projects. She criticized past policies for focusing heavily on the lower 80% of AMI. Commissioner Collins urged the public to review slide 15 of the staff's recent housing affordability presentation, which he stated outlined a comprehensive strategy including the middle class. Commissioner Patterson supported public-private partnerships as essential to solving the housing crisis.
Inspector General (IG): Commissioner Patterson confirmed a public meeting on January 6, 2026, to further debate the IG proposal and committed to inviting the Association of Inspectors General for expert testimony. Commissioner Bowling argued the IG should have authority over the entire county budget, including the Board of Education and the Sheriff's office. Commissioner Stewart expressed frustration that the current proposal only covers 17.8% of the budget, excluding the school board which receives approximately 45% of the county's budget. Commissioner Collins clarified that the key distinction between an Internal Auditor and an IG is the IG's autonomy to self-initiate investigations.
Homelessness: Commissioners collectively recognized the challenge while citing limited government funds. Commissioner Stewart stressed a community-wide approach involving nonprofits and individual volunteerism. Commissioner Bowling mentioned working with organizations like Angel Watch.

Key Outcomes

Upcoming Meeting: The Board committed to holding a public meeting on January 6, 2026 to further define the scope and powers of an Inspector General.
Road Study: Commissioner Stewart committed to a formal road study for the Hamilton Road and Western Parkway intersection in the spring of 2026.
Referrals: All questions requiring staff follow-up, including those involving homeless services and fire department governance, were formally referred to the Citizens' Response Office for written response.
Future Schedule: The 2026 quarterly joint town hall meeting dates will be announced early next year on the county's website and social media pages.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned unanimously following a motion and a second.

Meeting Transcript

Charles County Government presents the Board of Commissioners. Good evening and welcome to the fourth and last quarterly Board of County Commissioners Joint Talk Town Hall Meeting for 2025. My name is Ruben Collins. I'm president of the Board of Commissioners. Thank you all for being here this evening. These town halls are an opportunity for us to connect with you, hear your concerns, and discuss the issues that matter most to our community. Each town hall is led by one of the district commissioners. Tonight, District Four Commissioner and Vice President Ralph Patterson will start by sharing brief remarks and outlining the format for the meeting. This will be followed by the question and answer period. Again, we appreciate your participation and look forward to a productive conversation. It is now your floor, Commissioner Patterson. Thank you very much, President Collins. Good evening, everybody. You'll have three minutes to speak at the microphone. Department directors are available to respond to questions related to county functions. Departmental responses needed. The director will come to the podium after you speak. Commissioners will be actively listening and taking notes as you share your comments and questions. After every five minutes to 10 speakers, the clerk will announce a brief period for commissioners to respond. Once all registered speakers have spoken, if time permits, we will read and reply to pre-submitted online questions. Please remember our critical civility applies to all public meetings. Respectful language is required and personal attacks will not be permitted. Copies of the code civility are available at the sign-in table. And now I would just like to say a special thank you to uh Dr. Maria Navarro and the Chow County Board of Education for allowing uh the commissioners to have this meeting at uh one of the facilities. It does um a great honor to be able to uh show up one of our uh gems of our uh public school system, and so I'm very encouraged by the uh amount of participation we've had at all three meetings leading up to this one, and I hope to continue the civility and uh productive discourse that we've had in the past continuing forward at this meeting. So, without that, I would like to uh open up the floor to my fellow colleagues to share any opening remarks going down the line. Oh, I'm sorry, Commissioner Bowling. Oh, thank you everybody for coming out. I appreciate staff taking the time to be here tonight. It's been a long day, but I do appreciate the fact you're here to answer questions from the public. It's important that we get uh answers from the best we can tonight. To the members of the public that are here tonight. I appreciate the fact that you showed up. Look forward to uh listening to your comments and providing up the opportunity to uh present uh comments back. So thank you. Good evening, everyone. Um, just like um Commissioner Patterson already stated, it is wonderful to be able to host this evening's events in one of our newest high schools. Um being able to come out into the public and to have meaningful discourse with our residents to listen to you directly to figure out what are your greatest concerns and to come up with a way that we can address them. So I'm looking forward to the opportunity to have conversations about how we can continue to improve Charles County for the for not just us for the people who are sitting here today, but for generations to come. So thank you. Thank you very much. All right, we'd like to call the uh first speaker to the podium, please.

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