Tuesday’s weekly legislative session for the Charles County Commissioners centered on making Charles County’s services more responsible for the resources they spend and more cost-effective in the way they use those resources. 

 

The motto of this Board of Commissioners may well turn out to be ‘Accountable, Efficient, Admirable’. Commissioners Wayne Cooper (President), Dr. Edith J. Patterson (Vice-President), Gary V. Hodge, Reuben B. Collins II, and Samuel N. Graves, Jr. want to see Charles County take her place at the forefront of communities competing for the resources of the State and Nation.  Generating solutions to the tricky growth issues facing not only Charles County but also many other counties in the area and running local government in a more efficient manner are two ways to improve the quality of life in our county and gain access to greater resources.  Tuesday’s business items reflected the commissioners’ desire to begin working on those goals. 

The Charles County Board of Realtors presented alternate funding ideas for education so high excise taxes don’t inhibit development in the area and cut a currently valuable source of funding. 

The Port Tobacco River Conservancy requested that the county match Environmental Protection Agency funding of water testing and thereby discover solutions for increasing/preserving the water quality of that river.

The addition of a reserve member of the Grants Advisory Counsel was approved to increase the efficiency of the counsel.

Emergency Medical Services reported their budget standing and requested over $230,000 to eliminate their overtime pay shortfall.  The presentation led to a lengthy discussion of EMS’ strengths and needs.

The board voted to authorize the county to raise bonds totaling $111,250,000 over the next three years to pay for public works projects including road construction/ improvements, school construction/ improvements, parks, and a sports/entertainment stadium.  Local resident, Paul Adler, objected to the use of public funds in the construction of the stadium; he is one of perhaps several citizens who would rather not pay increased taxes to support such projects.

The commissioners designated the first and third monthly Wednesdays as legislative sessions for public hearings.  These sessions will be held later in the day so more of the general public may be able attend and contribute.

The Board of Commissioners finished this session by passing a resolution containing numerous actions proposed by board members (see left).  The commissioners designed these actions to foster a county government more accountable to its residents for the quality and efficiency of its service and the cost-effective use of its resources than it has been in the past. 

Board President Wayne Cooper stated that Charles County, with a budget of more than three million dollars, fits his idea of ‘big business’ and ought to be run as such.  His fellow commissioners seem to agree that a Charles County’s resources should be used with a corporate type attitude of careful attention to the quality and cost-efficiency of the results our resources generate.