Howard County Council Legislative Public Hearing – June 15, 2026

The Howard County Council held a hybrid legislative public hearing on Monday, June 15, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. (meeting started at 7:00 p.m. ET) in the George Howard Building, Ellicott City, and via WebEx. The hearing was broadcast on channels 44 and 1071 and live-streamed. Councilmembers present: Opel Jones (Chair), Christiana Rigby (Vice Chair), Liz Walsh, Deb Jung, and David Yungmann. The agenda included appointments, financial items, general legislation, and one tabled appointment. No votes were taken; written comments remain open, and final consideration is scheduled for July 6, 2026.

Appointments

• CR100‑2026 – Eileen Yao Wu (AAPI Commission): Wu, a rising junior high school student from Clarksville, testified in support of her appointment, citing her co‑founding of the AAPI Angle and work with the Villager of River Hill. Position: Support.
• CR56‑2026 – J. Jason Zhao (AAPI Commission) (Tabled): Zhao, a 13‑year county resident, testified in support, expressing a desire to serve as a bridge between the 20% Asian population and government agencies. Position: Support.
• CR101‑2026 – Elizabeth A. Leiba (Commission for Women): Leiba, an author and professor, testified in support, focusing on workplace equity, pay inequity, and AI’s impact on women. She holds 20 AI certifications. Position: Support.
• CR102‑2026 – Lucia Reyna (La Alianza Latina Commission): Reyna, an immigration paralegal and lifelong county resident, testified in support, emphasizing her work with Hispanic families and desire to improve language access, education, and economic stability. Position: Support.
• CR103‑2026 – Wanda I. Colon Canales (La Alianza Latina Commission): Canales, associate director for Ambiciones at Howard Community College, testified in support, sharing her background in education and community service, including LULAC and YMCA roles. Position: Support.

Financial Items

• CB40‑2026 – Lease Agreement – 38,285 sq. ft. at 7138 Columbia Gateway Drive: Emily Ayaki (Bureau of Real Estate Management) testified in support for a 12‑year lease (with two 5‑year options) and a 365‑day rent abatement. The space consolidates two existing Board of Elections leases (21,688 sq. ft.) into one larger footprint. Position: Administration support.
• CB41‑2026 – Fourth Amendment to Lease – 12,477 sq. ft. at 6095 Marshalee Drive: Ayaki also testified in support of a 5‑year extension (through June 30, 2032) for the police automated enforcement program. Position: Administration support.
• CB42‑2026 – $18,169,588 Bonds – Maryland Water Infrastructure Financing Administration: Rafiu Igile (Director of Finance) testified in support of a 20‑year, 2‑3% interest loan for the Ellicott City Improvement and Enhancement Project (C0737). The bonds were already approved by the State Board of Public Works and the FY26 capital budget. Position: Administration support.
• CR104‑2026 – Endorsing State Financing – First Source Electronics: Jennifer Jones (Economic Development) testified in support of the expansion along Route 1, which creates and retains jobs. The county provides a 10% workforce training grant match. Position: Administration support.
• CR105‑2026 – Adopting HUD Annual Action Plan: Kelly Simoneau (DHCD) testified in support. The FFY26 plan allocates approximately $1.3 million in CDBG and $500,000 in HOME funds. Since 2018, the county has administered $10M CDBG and $4M HOME, funding rental assistance for 6,000 households, housing repairs for 1,200 homeowners/renters, and emergency shelter for 4,000 homeless clients. New affordable housing includes a potential 55‑unit townhome development by Fellow (pre‑development) and accessible units by iHomes (acquisition). Councilmember Walsh asked about new units; Simoneau clarified Fellow’s 55‑unit proposal is for affordable three‑bedroom townhomes (site not yet selected). Position: Administration support; no public opposition.

General Items

• CR106‑2026 – Adopting the School Capacity Chart: Tim Rogers (HCPSS School Planning) testified that the board approved the chart on May 19, 2026. For the test year 2029‑2030, seven elementary schools and four middle schools are constrained (Dunloggin, Hammond, Patuxent Valley, Thomas Viaduct). No high schools are constrained. Councilmember Jung asked why four middle schools were removed from the 2025 chart and now relisted; Rogers cited enrollment fluctuations post‑pandemic. Brent Loveless (public) testified that the chart’s format understates overcrowding and warned of pending upzoning impacts. Positions: Administration support; Loveless critical of adequacy.
• CR107‑2026 – Adopting the Housing Unit Allocation Chart: Jeff Bronow (DPZ) testified in support, noting the chart is based on the HOCO by Design general plan with rolling average adjustments. Brent Loveless testified that the unit count is derived without relation to infrastructure capacity and has grown excessively due to carryovers and exemptions. Positions: Administration support; Loveless critical.
• CB43‑2026 – Howard County Designated Days of Commemoration: Council Chair Opel Jones introduced the bill to codify days honoring religious, ethnic, and cultural traditions. Joe Hurwitz (public) testified with concerns about the process (adding days by CAO, removing by County Executive) and the list being shorter than Montgomery County’s. Jones noted the CAO works in tandem with the County Executive. Positions: Sponsor support; public with questions.
• CB44‑2026 – Board of Appeals – Administrative Agency Required to Appear: Councilmember Walsh introduced the bill to require the administrative agency (e.g., DPZ) to appear as a party before the Board of Appeals. She noted that DPZ rarely appears, leading the Board to interpret non‑appearance as the agency’s admission that its decision is indefensible. Testimony in support: Stu Cohn (HCCA president) strongly supported, citing the WR Grace, Manor Hill, and go‑kart cases and recommending the bill also apply to hearing examiners. Lisa Krauss (Stop Grace Coalition) supported, urging an amendment to include hearing examiner hearings; she reported four recent odor complaints near the WR Grace plastic pyrolysis facility. She criticized DPZ for not appearing in previous zoning complaints. Testimony in opposition: Ashley Asbury (public) vehemently opposed, attacking Walsh personally and calling the bill “political theater.” Joel Hurwitz (public) expressed support for the sentiment but raised questions about definitions (violation appeals vs. conditional use) and fiscal analysis hours. Walsh responded that she had never seen the county appear before the Board of Appeals until the WR Grace case, where Office of Law attorney David Moore sat with WR Grace counsel. Positions: Most speakers support with clarifications; one strongly opposed.
• CB45‑2026 – PILOT Agreements – Reporting Student Yields: Councilmember Walsh introduced the bill to require DHCD to include annual reporting of student yields from PILOT‑facilitated housing in the existing Annual Analysis of Moderate Income Housing programs. Testimony in opposition: Jackie Ng (Housing Affordability Coalition) questioned why only PILOT projects are targeted, recommended that HCPSS collect the data instead of DHCD, and noted privacy concerns. Jennifer Leonard (Enterprise Community Development) opposed, stating that affordable housing does not generate more students than single‑family homes and that HCPSS is best positioned to provide enrollment data. She reported Enterprise is preserving almost 450 affordable homes through PILOTs, including redevelopment of Ranley Court and Waverly Winds (opening summer 2026). Testimony in support: Brent Loveless (public) supported the bill as a “critical first step” for data-driven decisions, citing a recent forum where a housing authority official could not answer whether large PILOT projects receive APFO exemptions. Councilmember Rigby referenced the pupil yield analysis of 2024 (partnership between DPZ and HCPSS) as a potential alternative. Positions: Coalition and developer oppose; public supports; councilmembers seek better data mechanism.

Tabled Appointment

• CR56‑2026 – J. Jason Zhao (AAPI Commission): Heard earlier under Appointments (see above).

Key Outcomes

• No votes were taken; the public hearing is for testimony only. Written testimony remains under consideration.
• The Council will hold a work session on Monday, June 22, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in the Seaburn Gray Room to discuss agenda items.
• A legislative session for final consideration of these bills and resolutions is scheduled for Monday, July 6, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in the Banneker Room (hybrid participation).