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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Charles County Board of Commissioners Public Hearing on MS4 Plan and Rental Licensing - October 20, 2026

County Commissioners & Boards — Tuesday, October 20, 2026

BodyCharles County, Maryland

SessionCounty Commissioners & Boards

DateTuesday, October 20, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 53:08

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

Speaker 2

0:09

the

Speaker 1

0:10

Board of Commissioners meeting.

Unassigned speaker

0:17

Good

Speaker 3

0:18

evening, Commissioners.

0:19

We're going to begin this evening's with session with a roll call.

0:22

Commissioner Bowling.

Speaker 4

0:23

Present.

Speaker 3

0:23

Commissioner Coates.

0:24

Commissioner Stewart.

0:25

Here.

0:26

Commissioner Patterson.

0:27

Present.

0:27

And Commissioner Collins.

0:29

Here.

0:29

Commissioners, the first item is a public hearing on the MS4 Financial Assurance Plan.

Speaker 5

0:36

And good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

0:39

The purpose of this evening's session is to hold a public hearing in person and virtually on proposed FY 2027 Municipal Stormwater MS4 Financial Assurance Plan.

0:52

If it pleases the commissioners, I will dispense with the reading of the public notice.

Unassigned speaker

0:59

For

Speaker 5

0:59

the public, when it's your turn to speak, please state your name and address clearly and for the record.

1:05

Statement should relate to the subject matter of this identified hearing.

1:11

Statement should be brief to the point and limited to three minutes or less.

1:16

Proper language is required at all times.

1:20

Additionally, please understand that this is a public hearing, which means that this is the commissioner's opportunity to hear from the public.

1:28

This is the public's opportunity to speak.

1:32

Consequently, the commissioners would not be entertaining questions or debating the issue.

1:38

The commissioners do reserve the right to extend the time frame or to continue the hearing until another date.

1:46

We will now begin the public hearing.

Speaker 6

1:51

Good evening, Commissioners.

1:52

My name is Karen Wigan, and I am a planner in the Department of Planning and Growth Management.

1:58

And if the public hearing tonight is on, as you mentioned, the municipal separate storm sewer system permit, MS4 for short.

2:08

It's the financial assurance plan, and we gave a full briefing on the plan September 22nd.

2:14

So tonight we just wanted to give a recap, just a short version of the briefing, just to refresh everybody's memories.

2:23

And so far we have not received any written comments on the public record.

2:29

So the financial assurance plan.

2:32

Oh, excuse me, I wanted to introduce my co-worker here, Connor.

Speaker 7

2:36

Good evening, Commissioners.

2:38

Connor Keach, Planner One in the Planning Division.

Speaker 6

2:42

Thank you, Connor.

2:43

All right.

2:43

Um to give some background on the financial assurance plan.

2:46

The purpose is to demonstrate that the county has sufficient funding to meet its permit obligations.

2:52

And this includes funding for the current fiscal year and subsequent fiscal years.

2:57

So the plan is going to describe how the county will meet the estimated cost for the two-year period immediately following the file the filing date to implement the permit.

3:07

And we are using actual costs and projections.

3:12

So we're only using adopted budgets.

3:20

But it is required under the Maryland Code, and it is required to be approved following a public hearing.

3:28

So that is why we're here tonight.

3:34

So now I'd like to go ahead and turn it over to Connor.

Unassigned speaker

3:39

So

Speaker 7

3:39

tonight I'd just like to recap a couple of the details from the briefing.

3:44

So this slide illustrates the types of restoration work that are represented in the financial assurance plan.

3:51

This includes the operational programs like annual storm drain vacuuming and septic pumping, as well as capital projects that are the construction of stormwater facilities, stream restorations, and shoreline stabilizations.

4:06

It includes oyster planting, septic denitrification, full delivery contracts, and forest conservation.

4:14

Next slide.

4:24

And this is all of the planned capital projects through 2029.

Unassigned speaker

4:31

As

Speaker 7

4:31

you can see in the highlighted box at the bottom.

4:44

And projects with the status of under construction are actively progressing, and projects with a status of planning are at various stages of the design permitting and pre-construction processes.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Rental Licensing█████████████████████████████████████████████54%

Affordable Housing███████████████18%

Procedural█████████████16%

Stormwater Management████████10%

Zoning██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Charles County Board of Commissioners Meeting - October 20, 2026

The Charles County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing on October 20, 2026, to consider two items: the FY2027 Municipal Stormwater (MS4) Financial Assurance Plan and Proposed Bill 2026-08 for rental licensing. The MS4 plan was presented and adopted via Resolution 2026-14. The rental licensing bill drew extensive public comment, with many speakers opposing the proposal. No vote on passage was taken due to procedural restrictions; the record was kept open for 30 days.

Public Hearing: MS4 Financial Assurance Plan

Staff Presentation: Karen Wigan (Planner) and Connor Keach (Planner One) presented the FY2027 MS4 Financial Assurance Plan. The plan demonstrates sufficient funding for permit obligations, using actual costs and adopted budgets. It covers operational programs (storm drain vacuuming, septic pumping) and capital projects (stormwater facilities, stream restorations, shoreline stabilization) through 2029. The county has achieved 57% (621 acres) of its 1,083-acre impervious restoration goal and is on track to meet 100% by the end of the permit term in 2027. The plan meets 100% of required funding for FY27–FY28 through revenue.
Public Comment: No one signed up to speak.
Action: The board closed the hearing and adopted Resolution 2026-14 approving the Watershed Protection and Restoration Programs Plan. Commissioners voted unanimously in favor.

Public Hearing: Rental Licensing Bill (Bill 2026-08)

Staff Presentation: Lauren Osborne (Program Administrator) and Mark Potter (Associate County Attorney) presented the proposed rental licensing program. The program aims to proactively ensure safe rental housing through registration, licensing, and inspections. Two license types: standard rental (leases ≥121 days, $214 per 2-year term) and short-term rental ($107 per year), with a one-time $23 registration fee. The inspection process includes two inspections covered by the fee. The bill was introduced on September 1, 2026, with revisions presented on September 22.
Public Comments (all opposed to the bill as written, with some offering suggested amendments):
- Chris Hill (Realtor, past president of Southern Maryland Association of Realtors): Opposed, citing added costs, bureaucracy, and burdens on small landlords. Questioned the 50-mile proximity requirement, calling it arbitrary. Urged the county to target only problematic landlords.
- Teresa DeMine (Realtor, Hughesville): Opposed, noting existing state protections (Tenant Safety Act 2024, Rent Escrow Law, Warranty of Habitability) that should be given time to work. Cited a $1.8 million cost to taxpayers.
- Tommy Hainey (Business owner, Waldorf): Opposed, said profit margins are shrinking, taxes and insurance are rising, and added fees will hurt tenants.
- Annette Matthews (President, Southern Maryland Association of Realtors, representing ~1,700 members): Opposed in current form. Concerns: affordability, redundancy with state law, burden on small landlords. Suggested limiting licensing to landlords with 10+ rentals, removing the 50-mile rule, making licenses transferable, and allowing self-certification. Asked for more time to develop a better solution.
- Laura Forbes (Realtor, La Plata): Opposed, adding costs will be passed to tenants. Questioned why existing enforcement is insufficient. Noted the county's carryover of $31.4 million in recordation/transfer taxes and questioned priorities.
- Christina Klink (Resident, Waldorf): Opposed based on experience with rental licensing in Prince George's County—found it burdensome and drove small landlords out.
- John O'Connell (Landlord from Falls Church, VA): Opposed, questioning the county's capacity to administer 12,000 units. Cited a pending lawsuit and unresolved violations in District 1.
- James Todd (Cobb Island): Opposed, said his tenants are on tight budgets and increased costs would be passed on.
- Bob Rice (Cobb Island): Opposed, calling it a “bureaucratic boondoggle” that will cost the county and tenants.
- Chris Gadway (Property manager, Huntingtown, Calvert): Opposed, noting that additional laws and costs are causing landlords to sell, reducing rental inventory. Cited increased evictions and tenant legal representation costs.
- Jerry Wilhelm (La Plata): Opposed, called the bill a “money grab” and unnecessary.
- Amanda Scott (Realtor, survivor of labor trafficking): Opposed, said tenants often don't know their rights; suggested better education instead of new fees. Expressed concern about crushing small business dreams.
- Frank Swann (Lifelong resident): Opposed, said the new Tenant Bill of Rights is sufficient.
- Eileen Britt (Waldorf, online): Opposed, reinforced written testimony. Questioned the need for a $1.8 million program without evidence of an enforcement gap. Suggested using funds for stormwater/sinkhole repairs. Urged clear enforcement procedures and accountability.
Commissioner Remarks:
- Commissioner Collins stated his record is clear on the bill and that the board needs to hear more from residents. He clarified that the $1.8 million cost would come from an enterprise fund, not the general fund. He noted that incentives for good landlords were discussed in work sessions.
- Another commissioner thanked the Southern Maryland Association of Realtors (SMAR) for their proposed amendments and expressed willingness to find a middle ground, emphasizing not crushing small landlords while targeting slumlords.
Procedural Action: The board voted to keep the record open for 30 days (motion passed). The public hearing was ended. No vote on passage of the bill was taken because it was not a legislative day.

Key Outcomes

Resolution 2026-14 (MS4 Financial Assurance Plan) was adopted unanimously.
The record for Bill 2026-08 (Rental Licensing) was kept open for 30 days for additional public input. No further action was taken; the bill will be considered at a future legislative session.

Meeting Transcript

Charles County Government presents the Board of Commissioners meeting. Good evening, Commissioners. We're going to begin this evening's with session with a roll call. Commissioner Bowling. Present. Commissioner Coates. Commissioner Stewart. Here. Commissioner Patterson. Present. And Commissioner Collins. Here. Commissioners, the first item is a public hearing on the MS4 Financial Assurance Plan. And good evening, ladies and gentlemen. The purpose of this evening's session is to hold a public hearing in person and virtually on proposed FY 2027 Municipal Stormwater MS4 Financial Assurance Plan. If it pleases the commissioners, I will dispense with the reading of the public notice. For the public, when it's your turn to speak, please state your name and address clearly and for the record. Statement should relate to the subject matter of this identified hearing. Statement should be brief to the point and limited to three minutes or less. Proper language is required at all times. Additionally, please understand that this is a public hearing, which means that this is the commissioner's opportunity to hear from the public. This is the public's opportunity to speak. Consequently, the commissioners would not be entertaining questions or debating the issue. The commissioners do reserve the right to extend the time frame or to continue the hearing until another date. We will now begin the public hearing. Good evening, Commissioners. My name is Karen Wigan, and I am a planner in the Department of Planning and Growth Management. And if the public hearing tonight is on, as you mentioned, the municipal separate storm sewer system permit, MS4 for short. It's the financial assurance plan, and we gave a full briefing on the plan September 22nd. So tonight we just wanted to give a recap, just a short version of the briefing, just to refresh everybody's memories. And so far we have not received any written comments on the public record. So the financial assurance plan. Oh, excuse me, I wanted to introduce my co-worker here, Connor. Good evening, Commissioners. Connor Keach, Planner One in the Planning Division. Thank you, Connor. All right. Um to give some background on the financial assurance plan. The purpose is to demonstrate that the county has sufficient funding to meet its permit obligations. And this includes funding for the current fiscal year and subsequent fiscal years. So the plan is going to describe how the county will meet the estimated cost for the two-year period immediately following the file the filing date to implement the permit. And we are using actual costs and projections. So we're only using adopted budgets. But it is required under the Maryland Code, and it is required to be approved following a public hearing. So that is why we're here tonight. So now I'd like to go ahead and turn it over to Connor.

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