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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Charles County Board of Commissioners Meeting - June 9, 2026

County Commissioners & Boards — Tuesday, June 9, 2026

BodyCharles County, Maryland

SessionCounty Commissioners & Boards

DateTuesday, June 9, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:39:02

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Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

2:57

Charles County Government presents a Board of Commissioners meeting.

Speaker 2

3:06

Good morning, everyone.

3:08

We're going to beg begin today with presentations.

3:12

And the first item, Commissioners, is to do the Charles County Proclamations for June twenty twenty six.

3:19

And the first proclamation is for men's health month.

3:24

So will all the representatives here for men's men's health month?

3:28

Do we have them here yet?

3:31

Okay, we'll we'll move

Unassigned speaker

3:32

on

Speaker 3

3:35

to

Speaker 2

3:36

proclamation for Pride Month.

3:39

Well, anyone here for Pride Month, please come join the commissioner.

Speaker 4

4:33

Now, therefore, we, the County Commissioners of Charles County, Maryland, do hereby proclaim June twenty twenty-six as Pride Month in Charles County and encourage our residents to open their minds to unique views, ideas respecting humanity and choices of all people, while working together to build a stronger community for all.

Unassigned speaker

5:00

And this proclamation is signed by the entire Board of County Commissioners.

Speaker 4

5:04

Yours truly, President Ralph Patterson, Vice President, Gilbert Bowling, representing District One, Thomas Cena Coates, representing District 2, and Amanda Stewart, representing District 3.

5:17

Thank you.

5:19

And would anyone like to speak at this time?

5:22

I've got some comments.

Speaker 5

5:24

Good morning.

5:25

Thank you all so much.

5:26

Thank you so much, Commissioners, for having us here today.

5:30

My name is Caitlin.

5:32

I am the Vice President of PFLAG Southern Maryland.

5:34

We are a local organization, a local branch of a national organization, P Flag, and our mission is to educate, advocate, and support the LGBTQ community in Southern Maryland.

5:47

I just wanted to take a moment to thank the various groups that have helped us out in Charles County specifically.

5:55

That includes the Health Department and their amazing prep for Pride that was just held the other week over at the Health Department.

6:04

It was a really great event.

6:05

We met so many new people and had such an amazing time.

6:09

The weather was absolutely beautiful.

6:11

It really showed out for us, and we had some really great support.

6:15

Also, a big thanks to the libraries and schools, and as well as the businesses in Charles County who have always been very welcoming and supportive.

6:23

We really appreciate it.

6:24

Our community is one that is pretty vulnerable, and we have a lot of uh love in our hearts for the businesses and organizations that support us.

6:37

Um and lastly, I would just like to invite the commissioners and everybody watching or in the audience.

6:43

Um, Gilbert Run State Park uh on June 21st, uh, which is a Sunday, we're going to be having our Pride Family picnic.

6:52

It is free, there's going to be free food, games, we're just going to hang out and have a good time and kind of celebrate just existing.

7:01

So please come out, have some fun with us, and we look forward to hopefully seeing many of you there.

7:08

Thanks so much.

Unassigned speaker

7:10

Brandon, do you want to?

Unassigned speaker

7:11

Sure.

Speaker 6

7:12

Good morning, everybody.

7:13

Uh my name is Brandon Russell.

7:15

I am the Vice Chair of Pride Southern Maryland.

7:18

Very appreciative to have this time uh to tell you a little bit about our organization.

7:23

Um, and I also want to say thanks to the commissioners uh for this recognition and um uh having us today.

7:31

But our organization, Pride Southern Maryland, um, is going to host its ninth annual event this year in St.

7:38

Mary's County.

7:39

Um, our theme this year is pride is power, strength in every color.

7:44

Um, our event is going to be held on October 11th, which is also a Sunday from 11 a.m.

7:50

to 4 p.m.

7:52

And uh again, this is our ninth annual event.

7:55

Um we have about 1,500 people come every year, and it's a really great time uh at Manor Passive Park in Mary's County.

8:04

Uh so anyone who's watching to come on out and certainly join us again October 11th from 11 to 4.

8:13

Thank

Unassigned speaker

8:13

you.

Speaker 7

8:15

Anyone else?

Speaker 2

9:07

Thank you, everyone.

9:09

We're now gonna ask the group for the women's veterans day.

9:13

Please join the commissioners.

Speaker 8

9:17

Yeah, yeah.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Community Engagement██████████████████18%

Economic Development██████████10%

Public Engagement█████████9%

Education███████7%

Procedural███████7%

Electrical Code Enforcement██████6%

Library Services█████5%

Veterans Affairs████4%

Interfaith Commission████4%

Summary of Proceedings

Charles County Board of Commissioners Meeting - June 9, 2026

The Charles County Board of Commissioners met on June 9, 2026, for a hybrid session beginning with proclamations, recognitions, and a series of approval items. The Board issued proclamations for Men's Health Month, Pride Month, Women's Veterans Day, PTSD Awareness Month, and Juneteenth. The meeting featured recognitions for a student athlete and the 2025 Top Performer award winners from the Department of Emergency Services. Key approvals included a budget amendment for school safety, reallocation of farmer equipment funds, a resolution for a plumbing poverty grant, and a letter of support for a suicide prevention grant. The Board also received briefings on the Opportunity Zone 2.0 program, an Open Meetings Compliance Board opinion, and annual reports from several county boards and commissions.

Approval Items

FY 2027 Budget Amendment for School Safety: The Board approved a $430,000 budget amendment (BA #5) for the Board of Education to support school safety initiatives. Dr. Maher explained the funds will help develop innovative programming, safety equipment, and community education. Commissioner Bowling requested detailed metrics and accountability for the expenditures. Dr. Maher agreed to share program details and metrics with the Board. The motion passed unanimously.
Beginner Farmer Equipment Program: The Board approved a request from the Charles Soil Conservation District to reallocate $18,741 in remaining FY 2026 funds. Tim Wells stated the funds will be used to purchase a no-till planter for warm season plantings and a utility vehicle for the district. The motion passed unanimously.
Greenwell Foundation Letter of Support: The Board approved a letter of support for the Greenwell Foundation's application for the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program. Maria McDonald stated the grant is for $500,000 and would fund five full-time staff and a year-long program for veterans and first responders suffering from trauma. The motion passed unanimously.
Plumbing Poverty Grant Resolution: The Board approved a resolution to apply for up to $300,000 from the Maryland Affordable Housing Trust’s Safe and Secure Water Access Homes Grant Program. Barbara Farmer stated the previous two-year grant cycle has served seven households, with funding remaining for three more. The motion passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

Pride Month Proclamation: Caitlin (Vice President, PFLAG Southern Maryland) thanked the Health Department and county businesses for their support and invited the community to a Pride Family Picnic on June 21 at Gilbert Run State Park. Brandon Russell (Vice Chair, Pride Southern Maryland) announced the ninth annual Pride event will be held on October 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Manor Passive Park.
Women’s Veterans Day / PTSD Awareness Proclamations: Joan Sabrie (Maryland Veterans Commission) and Susan Fritz (Warfighter Advance) spoke about invisible disabilities faced by veterans and the need for awareness and resources.
Juneteenth Proclamation: Speakers representing the African American Heritage Society and the Juneteenth Foundation of Charles County thanked the Board and announced community events, including a Juneteenth celebration on June 20 and a Heritage House event on June 13.
Recognition of Christian Wilbon: The Board recognized Christian Wilbon, a Westlake High School graduate, who earned over 300 medals, 16 AAU All-American honors, and a perfect 5.0 GPA. He is the first student athlete from Westlake to attend an Ivy League school (Columbia University) and recently made the dean’s list.
Recognition of Emergency Services Team: The Board recognized the 2025 Top Performers of the Year, the Department of Emergency Services team, for rescuing 170 animals during a 13-hour operation last October.

Discussion Items & Briefings

Greater Waldorf JCs Update: Frank Holloway, the founding member and Executive Director of the Greater Waldorf JCs, presented an update on 57 years of community service. He noted the organization has contributed $1.5 million in scholarships to the College of Southern Maryland over 25 years, awarding $26,000 in scholarships last week, which was matched to $52,000. Commissioners Bowling, Coates, and Stewart lauded the organization’s impact. State’s Attorney Tony Covington and the Board presented citations to Mr. Holloway.
Opportunity Zone 2.0 Program: Paul Rupert (Senior Commercial Development Manager) and Tony Feltz (Assistant Chief of Planning) briefed the Board on the new federal Opportunity Zone program. Five census tracts are eligible for designation. Commissioner Coates noted that the Indian Head tract no longer qualifies under the stricter income requirements and expressed interest in focusing on the Newburgh and Indian Head areas to spur growth. Staff will return in two weeks with a final recommendation for the state.
Open Meetings Compliance Board Opinion: County Attorney West Adams reported that the Open Meetings Compliance Board found “no violation of the act” in a complaint regarding a closed session discussion about business relocation. The Board discussed adopting a standard operating procedure to publicly read all compliance board opinions to increase transparency.
Boards and Commissions Annual Updates:
- Board of Electrical Examiners: Don Lytton reported $22,560 in revenue for 2025, ongoing adoption of the 2023 National Electric Code, and new meter base standards.
- Library Board of Trustees: Jessica Jennings reported 86,000 cardholders and noted the Imagination Library has delivered over 100,000 books since 2021.
- Interfaith Commission: Chair Richard Gilpin reported on community events, including a Seder and Iftar, and plans for a Diwali celebration in November.

Key Outcomes

Five proclamations for awareness months and Juneteenth were adopted.
The Board recognized Christian Wilbon and the Emergency Services team for their achievements.
FY 2027 budget amendment for school safety ($430,000) approved.
Reallocation of $18,741 for Beginner Farmer Program approved.
Letter of support for Greenwell Foundation suicide prevention grant ($500,000 target) approved.
Resolution to apply for $300,000 in Plumbing Poverty grant funds approved.
Greater Waldorf JCs founding member Frank Holloway was honored by the Board and State’s Attorney.
Motion to enter closed session passed to discuss legal advice, a draft renewal agreement, and a land transfer.

Meeting Transcript

Charles County Government presents a Board of Commissioners meeting. Good morning, everyone. We're going to beg begin today with presentations. And the first item, Commissioners, is to do the Charles County Proclamations for June twenty twenty six. And the first proclamation is for men's health month. So will all the representatives here for men's men's health month? Do we have them here yet? Okay, we'll we'll move on to proclamation for Pride Month. Well, anyone here for Pride Month, please come join the commissioner. Now, therefore, we, the County Commissioners of Charles County, Maryland, do hereby proclaim June twenty twenty-six as Pride Month in Charles County and encourage our residents to open their minds to unique views, ideas respecting humanity and choices of all people, while working together to build a stronger community for all. And this proclamation is signed by the entire Board of County Commissioners. Yours truly, President Ralph Patterson, Vice President, Gilbert Bowling, representing District One, Thomas Cena Coates, representing District 2, and Amanda Stewart, representing District 3. Thank you. And would anyone like to speak at this time? I've got some comments. Good morning. Thank you all so much. Thank you so much, Commissioners, for having us here today. My name is Caitlin. I am the Vice President of PFLAG Southern Maryland. We are a local organization, a local branch of a national organization, P Flag, and our mission is to educate, advocate, and support the LGBTQ community in Southern Maryland. I just wanted to take a moment to thank the various groups that have helped us out in Charles County specifically. That includes the Health Department and their amazing prep for Pride that was just held the other week over at the Health Department. It was a really great event. We met so many new people and had such an amazing time. The weather was absolutely beautiful. It really showed out for us, and we had some really great support. Also, a big thanks to the libraries and schools, and as well as the businesses in Charles County who have always been very welcoming and supportive. We really appreciate it. Our community is one that is pretty vulnerable, and we have a lot of uh love in our hearts for the businesses and organizations that support us. Um and lastly, I would just like to invite the commissioners and everybody watching or in the audience. Um, Gilbert Run State Park uh on June 21st, uh, which is a Sunday, we're going to be having our Pride Family picnic. It is free, there's going to be free food, games, we're just going to hang out and have a good time and kind of celebrate just existing. So please come out, have some fun with us, and we look forward to hopefully seeing many of you there. Thanks so much. Brandon, do you want to? Sure. Good morning, everybody. Uh my name is Brandon Russell. I am the Vice Chair of Pride Southern Maryland. Very appreciative to have this time uh to tell you a little bit about our organization. Um, and I also want to say thanks to the commissioners uh for this recognition and um uh having us today. But our organization, Pride Southern Maryland, um, is going to host its ninth annual event this year in St. Mary's County. Um, our theme this year is pride is power, strength in every color. Um, our event is going to be held on October 11th, which is also a Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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