Prince Frederick, MD – With the start of the 2018 session of the Maryland General Assembly just a few weeks away, the Calvert County Commissioners, along with a representative from the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) met Tuesday, Dec. 12 with the five members of the Calvert County Delegation to Annapolis. While the county representatives had a long list, the session held at Calvert Pines Senior Center was over in less than an hour.
Proposed bills initiated by the county commissioners include a measure to exempt disabled law enforcement officers from a certain percentage of local property taxes, establishing a concussion testing protocol for police officers injured in the line of duty (no protocol currently exists in Maryland) and legislation that would require the compensation and benefits of the county’s superintendent of public schools to cease upon that individual’s retirement, dismissal, termination or removal. The latter proposal prompted a question from Delegate Mark Fisher [R – District 27C], who asked if the county was still paying former superintendent Dr. Jack Smith’s health benefits. Smith, who is currently superintendent of schools in Montgomery County, resigned from his Calvert post in June of 2013. It was later revealed that his last negotiated contract gave him and his wife life and health insurance—paid by Calvert County—for the rest of their lives. County Attorney John Norris told Fisher he was unaware of any possible changes to that status and the proposed measure is in no way retroactive.
Another proposed bill supported by a majority of the county commissioners would increase the annual salaries of the next board’s members and dramatically increase the county sheriff’s annual salary.
County government staff presented a video during the meeting, making its case for $92.8 million in bonding authority for several capital projects. Staff is hoping to receive $9.7 million in fiscal year (FY) 2019 to begin planning and constructing a county office building at Armory Square. With the familiar “Sabre Dance” playing faintly in the background, the video illustrated the frantic pace citizens and county government employees must embark upon to access various departments and divisions housed in facilities scattered throughout central Calvert County. The video’s narrator pointed out that approximately 900 county employees are headquartered in 11 facilities. Some of the government office space is being leased and rents are rising. The exodus from the Main Street section of Prince Frederick to Armory Square is being driven by a mandate from Circuit Court to have all county government offices out of the county courthouse and the hope that commercial development at Armory Square and surrounding area will prove to be a bonanza for local business. One other component is to convert the building the county purchased from Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative into the headquarters of Fleet Maintenance. That building, on East Dares Beach Road, is currently being used as a community center. The county recently purchased land on which to build a permanent community center for the Prince Frederick area.
Les Knapp Jr., MACo’s legal and policy counsel, gave the commissioners, state lawmakers and audience an overview of the association’s 2018 legislative initiatives. The list includes investments in infrastructure, including an effort to restore highway user revenues; “strong and smart” state funding for school construction, reframing Maryland’s Public Information Act so that it is aligned with modern technologies and a statewide effort to transition into the next generation of 9-1-1 systems.
Also included in the county’s package of legislative initiatives is a request from the owners of Island Bingo in Solomons to have statutory changes made in Maryland law that will allow the local business to have electronic bingo. The request was submitted by attorney V. Charles Donnelly on behalf of John and Kimberly Greenwell of Island Bingo. The request has unanimous support from the county commissioners.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com