The Frederick City Council held a regular public meeting on September 17, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. The meeting featured proclamations for Deaf Awareness Month and Economic Development Week, approval of multiple contracts and ordinances, a public hearing on the CDBG annual report, and extended council comments addressing ethics complaints, leadership concerns, and calls for ranked-choice voting. All votes were unanimous (5–0) unless noted.
We'll bring this City Council meeting for September 17th order. We will start with the Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Hello. Good evening, Council. Thank you for taking this time to honor Deaf Awareness Month here in Frederick. It is incredibly significant that our city recognizes this observance because Frederick is home to a thriving deaf and hard of hearing community. An estimated fifty thousand deaf and hard of hearing residents live and work in Frederick County, and approximately three thousand within the City of Frederick itself. We are fortunate to have the Maryland School for the Deaf, a premier institution founded in eighteen sixty-eight, right here in Frederick. They serve students from birth through age twenty-one, and it provides a rich bilingual education in both American Sign Language and English. And we recently celebrated the grand opening of the Maryland Deaf Community Center. Maryland's first dedicated space. Yes. Thank you, Lori. I am Marcia Flowers, the MDCC outreach coordinator. Deaf Awareness Month shows us how important communication access is for daily life. When good communication works, Frederick becomes more strong, inclusive, and more connected in the city. Did you know that Maryland is home to over 1.2 million deaf and hard of hearing residents? With thousands right here in Frederick. Frederick is now home to the state's very first Maryland Deaf Community Center, a dream our community has carried for decades. Our center offers a one stop ASL accessible environment for social connection, educational workshops, culture, arts, and community referrals, all created by Maryland's Deaf Community. MDCC provides ASL classes taught by deaf teachers, workshops, and presentations done by deaf presenters. There's exposure to culture, art, and deaf events. It helps people feel belonging to feel accepted, not only for deaf people, but it's for hearing people too. We want our center to become a connection that builds a bridge between the hearing people and deaf people of Frederick. We want to collaborate with libraries, community organizations, schools, local leaders. This will expand awareness and make our city a place where deaf people become successful contributors and are recognized for their wonderful leadership. So today we celebrate deaf culture, champion accessibility, and reaffirm our commitment to progress that benefits everyone. When we invest in communication equity, we strengthen the entire foundation of our community. So thank you for joining us in honoring our history, our community, and our future. Happy Deaf Awareness Month, Frederick. Let's stay connected, communicate often, and continue to thrive well with one another. Thank you. Happy Deaf Awareness Month, Frederick. This month reminds us of something profoundly important. Communication is essential to navigating daily life. Through communication, we seek help, build community, access services, and participate in civic spaces. Yet the ability to communicate easily is something many of us take for granted. And Deaf Awareness Month calls on us to pause, reflect, and commit ourselves to more intentional inclusion. Frederick is proud to be home to thousands of Deaf and Hard of Hearing residents and proud to stand alongside the leaders who are advocating accessibility and belonging in our city. I want to offer a special thank you to Linda Stoltz, president of the Maryland Deaf Community Center for her tireless leadership in bringing Maryland's first Deaf Community Center to life right here in Frederick. The center's mission to provide ASL accessible education, communication, cultural arts, social support, and referral services represents a major milestone for our city and for deaf Marylanders across the state. Maryland has over 1.2 million deaf and hard of hearing residents, and this new center will serve as a hub for connection, empowerment, and community growth. I also want to thank all of the members of the Deaf community who continue to educate, advocate, and push for progress. Your work strengthens our public institutions, enriches our cultural life, and expands our understanding of what an inclusive community truly looks like. Frederick is committed to supporting this progress through accessibility efforts, expanded communication supports, partnerships with community organizations, and continued attention to the needs and experiences of our deaf neighbors. As we celebrate Deaf Awareness Month, let us remember that accessibility does not serve only one part of our community. It improves communication, connection, and understanding for everyone. It is imperative that we remain intentionally inclusive so that Frederick is a place where each person can be understood, valued, and welcomed. Happy Deaf Awareness Month, and thank you for being part of what makes Frederick stronger.