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Record of Proceedings

Charles County Board of Commissioners Recognition Meeting, October 28, 2026

County Commissioners & Boards — Wednesday, October 28, 2026
BodyCharles County, Maryland
SessionCounty Commissioners & Boards
DateWednesday, October 28, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
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Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:07

Charles County Government presents

Unassigned speaker

0:09

a

Speaker 1

0:09

board of commissioners.

Unassigned speaker

0:18

Good

Speaker 2

0:18

morning, everyone.

0:19

We're going to begin today with our recognition items.

0:23

Commissioner Collins.

Speaker 3

0:26

Good morning, everyone.

0:28

Thank you for being here.

0:30

We're doing things a little different this morning.

0:33

Generally, as you know, our meetings are on Tuesdays.

0:37

We do set aside Wednesdays for our meeting time.

0:42

Unfortunately, because of conflicts, you're not seeing our entire board.

0:47

But we understood the importance of doing the recognition because our next meeting is not until November the 17th.

0:56

And so we wanted to recognize the organizations and groups here today.

1:01

So we're going to try to go through this.

Speaker 2

1:21

We're going to begin with proclamations for tw November 2026.

1:27

And the first proclamations will be for Lose F Joe Mario Gresus Day.

Speaker 3

1:33

This is proclamation 2026 87.

1:39

And as many of you know, um Joe Gracious Day has been something that we've recognized the last several weeks.

Speaker 2

1:47

Please join the commissioners.

Speaker 4

2:38

But I personally support the community as much as I can.

2:45

And I will continue his legacy.

2:49

And the community will have something from Joseph always that I can guarantee.

3:00

But unfortunately, he left us very early.

Speaker 2

3:49

The next groups that we're recognizing, if you can join the commissioners, will be for Veterans Day and Military Family Appreciation Month.

Speaker 3

4:11

We have proclamations 2026 86 and proclamation 2026 85.

4:20

And they're both in recognition of Veterans Day and Military Family Appreciation Month.

4:26

And so thank you for being here.

4:28

And could you please introduce yourselves?

4:30

And

Speaker 5

4:34

my name is Joan Sabree.

4:44

We so appreciate your support.

Speaker 6

4:49

My name is James Wade.

4:50

I'm the vice chair of the Charles County Veteran Affairs.

Unassigned speaker

4:53

And also I'd like to thank the commissioners for supporting our veterans and hopefully we can do great things moving forward.

Speaker 6

5:00

Thank you.

Speaker 2

5:34

Thank you.

Speaker 7

5:40

Okay.

Speaker 2

5:41

The next recognition will be for National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week.

Speaker 8

5:47

Will you join the commissioners for the recognition?

Speaker 3

6:42

National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week.

6:45

This is proclamation 2026 94.

6:48

The County Commissioners designate and proclaim November 1st through the 7th, 2026 as National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week.

6:58

And we wanted

Unassigned speaker

6:59

to

Speaker 7

6:59

first off give you an

Speaker 3

7:00

opportunity to introduce yourself and to say a few words

Unassigned speaker

7:04

if you'd like.

Speaker 9

9:32

So if I can share a few words about what we were doing.

9:34

Absolutely.

9:34

Perfect.

9:36

All right.

9:36

So at CSM, um, we have um a few hawk feeders that are on all of our campuses.

9:43

Um students are able to receive toiletry items.

9:46

Um

Speaker 10

9:46

they're

Speaker 9

9:47

they're able to receive toiletry items,

Unassigned speaker

9:50

uh,

Speaker 9

9:50

perishable items that they can take uh whenever they need to, just for a little extra support.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Youth Programs██████████████████18%
Procedural█████████████████17%
Employee Benefits████████████████16%
Food Security████████8%
Adoption Awareness████████8%
Sports And Recreation████████8%
Veterans Affairs███████7%
Animal Welfare██████6%
Environmental Protection████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Charles County Board of Commissioners Recognition Meeting – October 28, 2026

The Charles County Board of Commissioners held a recognition-focused meeting on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. Commissioner Collins noted that the meeting was held on a Wednesday because of scheduling conflicts, that the full board was not present, and that the next meeting is scheduled for November 17. No agenda or minutes were available; the transcript consists entirely of proclamations, awards, and recognition items.

Recognition Items & Proclamations

  • Proclamation 2026-87 – Joe Mario Gresus Day: Commissioner Collins presented the proclamation and said he will continue the honoree's legacy.
  • Proclamations 2026-86 and 2026-85 – Veterans Day and Military Family Appreciation Month: Joan Sabree and James Wade, vice chair of the Charles County Veteran Affairs, thanked the commissioners for supporting veterans.
  • Proclamation 2026-94 – National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week (November 1–7, 2026): A CSM representative described the college's campus food and toiletry support efforts, including about 30 pounds of food per week per student, nearly 600 students served in the 2025–2026 academic year, about 16,890 pounds of food distributed, and Thanksgiving meals sponsored for about 52 families over the past two years.
  • Proclamation 2026-88 – Adoption Awareness Month (November 2026): Dr. Tanisha Sanders, director of the Charles County Department of Social Services, and Dahlia Freeman accepted the proclamation. Dr. Sanders expressed gratitude and emphasized that adoption provides permanency for youth, especially as a Kin First State.
  • 2026 Charles County Foster Parents of the Year: Citations were presented to Kemiata Hooks and Trinece Moore, who began fostering in July 2025 and were recognized for accepting an emergency placement and supporting children's emotional, developmental, and social needs. Dahlia Freeman accepted on their behalf.
  • Charles County Elite Track and Field Club: Recognized for being named the 2026 AAU East Coast Club of the Year. The club reported 58 junior Olympians, 85 all-Americans this year, 77 all-Americans last year, and a 2025 National Coach of the Year award.
  • Light the Way Foundation Summer Youth Film Camp: Recognized on the foundation's 10th anniversary. Speakers noted the camp is free, has provided over $80,000 in scholarship funds, served 20 campers (15 from Charles County), and produced the film Union Destination, which premiered at the AFI Theater in Silver Spring. Parents and leaders thanked the county.
  • Employee Length of Service – Third Quarter 2026: The board recognized employees reaching 20, 25, 30, and 40 years of service, including a 40-year honoree present at the meeting.
  • Third Quarter 2026 Top Performer: Linny Ball, senior project manager for the White Oak Stormwater Pond Retrofit Project, received the award for proactively relocating fish discovered in a pond during construction, even though it was not part of the project scope or permit requirements.
  • Proclamation 2026-95 – National Native American Heritage Month: Pam Lowles accepted the proclamation on behalf of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe. Commissioner Collins referenced a recent visit to Piscataway Park.
  • Kappa Youth Development Inc. Community Service Award: Presented to Commissioner Ruben B. Collins by the organization, signed by President Kenneth D. Phillips. Commissioner Collins thanked Kappa and said the work is about achievement.

Key Outcomes

  • No formal motions, votes, or legislative actions appear in the transcript.
  • The board presented all proclamations and awards as listed above.
  • The next regular meeting was noted as November 17, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Charles County Government presents a board of commissioners. Good morning, everyone. We're going to begin today with our recognition items. Commissioner Collins. Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here. We're doing things a little different this morning. Generally, as you know, our meetings are on Tuesdays. We do set aside Wednesdays for our meeting time. Unfortunately, because of conflicts, you're not seeing our entire board. But we understood the importance of doing the recognition because our next meeting is not until November the 17th. And so we wanted to recognize the organizations and groups here today. So we're going to try to go through this. We're going to begin with proclamations for tw November 2026. And the first proclamations will be for Lose F Joe Mario Gresus Day. This is proclamation 2026 87. And as many of you know, um Joe Gracious Day has been something that we've recognized the last several weeks. Please join the commissioners. But I personally support the community as much as I can. And I will continue his legacy. And the community will have something from Joseph always that I can guarantee. But unfortunately, he left us very early. The next groups that we're recognizing, if you can join the commissioners, will be for Veterans Day and Military Family Appreciation Month. We have proclamations 2026 86 and proclamation 2026 85. And they're both in recognition of Veterans Day and Military Family Appreciation Month. And so thank you for being here. And could you please introduce yourselves? And my name is Joan Sabree. We so appreciate your support. My name is James Wade. I'm the vice chair of the Charles County Veteran Affairs. And also I'd like to thank the commissioners for supporting our veterans and hopefully we can do great things moving forward. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. The next recognition will be for National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week. Will you join the commissioners for the recognition? National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week. This is proclamation 2026 94. The County Commissioners designate and proclaim November 1st through the 7th, 2026 as National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week. And we wanted to first off give you an opportunity to introduce yourself and to say a few words if you'd like. So if I can share a few words about what we were doing.

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