The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County hosted a joint meeting with the St. Mary’s Metropolitan Commission Tuesday, Nov.2, 2021, in the Chesapeake Building. The joint meeting agenda included briefs from the Department of Public Works & Transportation, the MetCom Chief Engineer, the County Financial Officer, the County Administrator and the MetCom Executive Director.
Following the joint meeting, the regular business meeting began with a proclamation recognizing Family Court Awareness Month.
The Commissioners then approved a grant award for the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office for the FFY2021 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. The $17,075 award and related budget amendments will fund Corrections Division needs.
The Department of Recreation and Parks was approved to accept the “Childcare Stabilization Fund Grant” Award, from the Maryland State Department of Education, in the amount of $152,500. The grant will fund training and operating costs for School Age Child care programs through the Department of Recreation and Parks.
The Department of Finance was authorized to make budget amendments to fund various Capital Improvement Projects by realigning FIN22 Capital Reserve monies.
John Deatrick, Director of the Department of Public Works & Transportation, and Rick Tarr, County Highway Manager, briefed the Commissioners on the 2021 Snow Emergency Plan. Details of the brief included information on sidewalk snow clearing, road treatments and the online service map that provides information for residents who wish to track county road snow removal during storms. The service map is located at http://www.stmarysmd.com/dpw/RoadAlertMap.
The Commissioners extended the State of Emergency Declaration for recovery efforts following the flooding and high wind damages of coastal storms over the past weekend. The Declaration will extend the original seven-day period to 30 days.
The Commissioners approved an allocation of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act for $2,371,000 to begin renovation and construction of a behavioral health hub at a facility in Lexington Park to be operated by the St. Mary’s County Health Department.
The Commissioners will reconvene at 1:30 p.m. for an FY2023 Budget Work Session to hear Capital Improvement Project changes and operating budget parameters.
There will be no Commissioner Meeting Tuesday, Nov.9; the next regular Commissioner Business Meeting will be Tuesday, Nov.16, 2021, at 9 a.m.
Commissioner decisions and related public documents are available on the county government website in BoardDocs. Commissioner Meetings may be viewed live Tuesday mornings on SMCG Channel 95 or as a replay Friday nights at 6:30 p.m. Meetings are also available for on-demand viewing on the St. Mary’s County Government YouTube Channel.
