(6/2018) We kicked off the unofficial start to summer by honoring America’s fallen heroes with the annual wreath-laying ceremony and Memorial Day Parade in Woodsboro. The event is reminiscent of small town America and is a touching tribute to the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and for our Nation.

Other annual traditions this time of year include the Mother Seton School Carnival and Vigilant Hose’s Spring Fling. The rain clouds cleared to allow folks to come out and enjoy these great community events. I enjoyed talking with local residents as well as some good food and entertainment.

Public Safety

Frederick County’s public safety system is truly one of the best. We enjoy a high quality of life in part because we live in a safe community. From 9-1-1 communications to law enforcement to our firefighters and paramedics, we have the best in the state. I am incredibly proud to share that Frederick County’s emergency medical services (EMS) agency earned the Outstanding EMS Agency of the Year award in Maryland. Congratulations to everyone in our EMS system, both career and volunteer, on earning this huge honor! We can be particularly proud that our paramedic training program is now nationally accredited and we are helping citizens improve their quality of life while saving taxpayer dollars with the new mobile integrated health unit. EMS staff has also trained with local law enforcement for active shooter scenarios. Frederick County continues to lead the way.

I also want to thank our emergency responders and our Public Works crews for the outstanding job they did during the torrential rain and flooding we experienced May 15th and the days that followed. We are very fortunate that no lives were lost during the storms particularly from the flash floods. I have surveyed the damage with representatives from FEMA and our federal delegation and we will be seeking federal funds to help our residents and businesses repair. If your home, business, car, or other property was damaged by the storms, please fill out our survey at www.FrederickCountyMd.gov/Recovery. We need your damage estimates to help us qualify for emergency aid. Help us to help you.

Residential Growth

A hot topic in Frederick County is residential growth. People rightly complain about overcrowded schools and congested roadways. The prior Board of County Commissioners (Young, Delauter, and Shreve) zoned land to permit the addition of more than 14,000 new houses and locked these developments down with legally binding Developer Rights and Responsibilities Agreements. While these agreements are without a doubt detrimental to existing county residents and taxpayers, they have been upheld in the courts. As County Executive, I have publicly shared the significant cost of these terrible deals on county residents and have identified the need for almost $500 million to upgrade roads and provide needed schools. We have all been dealt a terrible hand by the irresponsible actions of the prior Board of County Commissioners.

So, what are we doing? First, this administration has approved no new residential growth over the past four years with the exception of some senior housing in Urbana. Second, I have ended the use of developer agreements and taxpayer giveaways. I pledge these bad deals will never happen on my watch.

I proposed to the county council, and the majority agreed, to eliminate an option that allowed developers to "buy out" of school overcrowding requirements by paying an extra fee called a school construction or school mitigation fee. This "buy out" option was also the idea of the prior Board of Commissioners. Prior to that, if schools were overcrowded, residential developers either has to wait until schools were adequate or build the needed new school or school addition.

While no new developments will be able to use this school "buy out" option, a number of previously approved developments retain the right to "pay and go" even if schools are seriously overcrowded. Since this extra school mitigation fee falls short of covering the actual cost of a needed school seat, I proposed raising the fee to cover the current cost of school construction. This fee increase is significant because the fee has not been raised since 2014. The increase to the school construction fee is currently being debated by the county council. Developers have said the fee increase will increase the cost of new housing; while advocates for ending school overcrowding have taken the position that developers should pay for needed school seats to ensure that schools are adequate and to avoid shifting this cost to existing taxpayers as well as to the students who attend overcrowded schools. The fundamental question is who should pay? I believe that new development needs to pay its way. What do you think? Take a few minutes, and let your county elected officials know your views.

More Summer Fun

There are more fabulous summer events on tap this month, starting with the grand opening of Emmitsburg’s Community Pool. I’m looking forward to the celebration on June 2nd to check out the pool and splash pad! The town starts the month with a celebration and ends it the same way. June 30th is Community Heritage Day, a day packed with special events. There will be car, truck and motorcycle shows, a horseshoe contest, a parade, music, and vendors. .July will bring Guardian Hose Fireman’s carnival and parade on July 12.

There are many family friendly community events happening all across Frederick County this summer. Come out and enjoy good times with family, friends, and community. Hope to see you there!