Carroll County Board of Commissioners’ January 10, 2008 Carroll County State of the County Speech
January 10, 2008
The 58th Board of County Commissioners
Dean L. Minnich, Vice President; Julia W. Gouge, President; Michael D. Zimmer, Secretary
Editor’s note: Ever since the Board of Commissioners gave the State of the County address on January 10, 2008, a number of folks have asked for analysis and feedback – and that I post on the blog the prepared text for each of the commissioner’s presentations.
Unfortunately – I ended-up not being able to attend. Instead, my plans changed at the last minute. I went down to Baltimore and appeared on a segment of the Marc Steiner Show on WYPR.
This year, the commissioners did not give individual remarks. Instead they combined all the material into one presentation. I rather like this better. It reads well.
In an era when many political observers have noted that the Carroll County Commissioners unfortunately have to respond to so much misinformation – this is the prepared text of their positions. Not what folks have suggested that they said or have spun it to promote a particular agenda. So, how about we do it this way - you read it and give me your feedback.
The attached text below was kindly provided by Vivian Laxton, W.A.B., the public information officer for the county, who is always accommodating and in the public service business. Thanks.
Pasted below are the commissioners’ remarks. I will not italicize the text as so many folks complain that posted text in italics is hard to read…
Note: The audio file of the actual speech can be found online at http://carroll.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=472.
The PDF of the booklet is available at http://ccgovernment.carr.org/ccg/pubinfo/st-county.pdf.
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The year 2008 is going to be a time of major decisions here in Carroll County. Over the next several pages, we will outline for you the issues on our plate today, as well as many of the challenges we face to address these issues. We’ll leave you with some accomplishments that we have made so far in our quest to make Carroll County an even greater place to live, work and play.
Let’s start by talking trash. Literally. In the first quarter of the year, we will be deciding how to handle the next several decades’ worth of garbage. Recycling needs to be a driving force in whatever we do. Everyone – residents and businesses alike – needs to reduce the amount of waste we generate. We need to reuse what we can. At least two Carroll businesses are based on this very concept. Cartridge World in Westminster and Ink Again in Eldersburg both refill ink cartridges for printers throughout our business community. We need innovative approaches like this to cut back on the use of non-renewable resources. And, of course, we need to recycle. A member of our Environmental Advisory Council was able to cut back the amount she threw away each day to less than 2 pounds. She did this by recycling what she could and composting her food scraps. It’s something we can all do.
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. We in county government want to make this approach easier for everyone. In 2007, we introduced single-stream recycling for residents. You no longer need to sort your plastic bottles from your paper. Everything that can be recycled goes into a single container for your hauler to bring to the landfill.
But households only generate a little more than half of the county’s trash. That means restaurants, offices, stores, industries and other commercial uses account for 48 percent. We call on business leaders to think about what their firms or agencies can do to cut back on waste. Our goal is to boost our recycling rate countywide from the current 30 percent to at least 40 percent.
What we do with the remaining waste, however, is a major concern. Most of that is currently trucked to Virginia to be landfilled. With rising fuel costs and increased competition for space, we expect significant increases when our contract with Waste Management is renegotiated at the end of 2008. We as a Board must decide whether to continue operating the way we have, at an undoubtedly higher price; to invest in a county or regional waste-to-energy facility; or to wait several years to see how technology changes before investing in a new disposal method.
Another major issue we are dealing with right now is the transition to a county police force. In October 2007, this Board voted to move away from the Maryland State Police Resident Trooper Program and create a county police department. It’s because of the strong professionalism that Sheriff Ken Tregoning has brought to his department that we are able to make this transition. In fact, deputies will be given the opportunity to be part of the core of our new force. The Sheriff’s Office will continue to perform the duties outlined in the state constitution, with voters electing the sheriff. Law enforcement will be unified under an appointed police chief.
We know the cost to provide law enforcement to a growing community will continue to rise in the coming years. In fact, since 2003, we have funded 22 additional deputies in the Sheriff’s Office. But we strongly believe we will be better able to control these costs by having direct oversight over spending. An appointed police chief is held accountable each and every day. Voters have to wait until the end of an elected official’s term before replacing him if they don’t like the job he or she is doing. More importantly, a unified approach to law enforcement will be better for residents. When you call 911 today, there is no guarantee that the closest officer will respond. Patrols aren’t shared between the troopers and deputies. A county police force will allow for the best service to Carroll’s residents and businesses.
To help attract top-quality police recruits and to recognize the service of those already working for Carroll, we are developing a separate pension plan for certified officers. Based on feedback we’ve gotten on the plan, we are looking at ways to enhance the disability insurance. It’s all part of reaffirming our commitment to law enforcement in Carroll County.
A third issue we are tackling this year is our comprehensive plan, known as the Pathways Plan. This is the document that guides the county’s growth for years to come. We’ve held meetings and workshops and conducted lectures and surveys. Pathways even has its own web site – www.carrollpathways.org. After more than a year and a half of collecting feedback from residents, businesses and town leaders, we hope to release the first draft in February.
County staff has been meeting with several key state agencies so that we know our strategies to plan for and control growth are workable. We are especially concerned about the programs we want to use to address local water shortages and to better understand the financial implications of land use scenarios being considered.
We have already put into action some of the ideas that emerged from the extensive public participation. They include efforts to improve workforce housing opportunities, such as allowing apartments overtop certain shopping centers. By limiting the size of these units, we hope to keep costs down for couples and young families. We are also considering whether to exempt what we call “accessory dwellings” – mother-in-law houses, garage apartments and the like – from the tests we require under the adequate public facilities law. The hope is to make it less expensive for people to create new housing opportunities below the market rate. And at the end of 2007, we changed our code so we could waive impact fees for targeted projects, like Habitat for Humanity.
Other Pathways initiatives already under way include efforts to improve commercial development design and public water availability within our planned growth areas. The National Association of Counties, or NACo, recognized our “Design Expectations” manual and CD. NACo called the project a model for jurisdictions that want to improve the way commercial development looks without adding burdensome regulations.
On the water issue, we’ve entered into agreements with Mount Airy, Westminster and Taneytown so we can find solutions to ongoing problems with water in these communities. Securing enough water is, without a doubt, one of the most difficult challenges we face. Without water, we cannot expand our commercial and industrial base. In some of our towns, construction stopped because the State says there is not enough water to get us through a 100-year drought. We are actively working with the Maryland Department of the Environment to ensure that Carroll can grow according to our plans – not sprawling out into rural areas on large lots served by wells and septic systems.
We need to continue to create opportunities for managed growth. But that growth should be in designated areas on public water and sewer systems. That makes for more efficient use of the land. It’s better for the environment. And it allows for collaboration between us and our municipal partners. In 2007, we formed a water resource coordination committee to look at how the County and our towns can work together to address this issue. We support the construction of new reservoirs as a long-term solution to our water supply needs. In the meantime, our committee seeks creative short-term solutions.
But it’s more than just a supply issue. We are also working to secure water recharge areas on farmland under permanent preservation so our communities can prosper, but in a manner that recognizes the sensitive balance between growth and environmental protection.
Our goal with the Pathways Plan is to have a draft presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission in February. After that we will hold joint public workshops and public hearings before final adoption in Spring 2008.
While water is one of the most pressing concerns, there are certainly other challenges on the horizon. The future of our emergency medical services is a prime example. The Volunteer Emergency Services Association has said its current staffing system is not working. The group has asked county government to step in. We have 13 different companies that provide EMS care, and they voted unanimously in December 2007 to centralize management of their paid staff. It is the best way to guarantee a trained person will get to your house quickly, any time of the day, if the need arises. We are working closely with the association to see what we can do.
Solutions to EMS, water, and a multitude of problems, of course, require money. And money seems to be harder to find. With the housing market slump, we have seen a drop in revenue from the recordation tax. As a result of the General Assembly’s special session, we won’t be seeing as much from income tax revenues, either. Last November’s session to address the State’s structural deficit left Carroll with about $8.5 million in cuts. It could have been worse. And it may still get worse. The governor has to cut another $220 million statewide during the regular session. What that fully means for Carroll County remains to be seen.
We do know that education was hardest hit by the first round of reductions. The Board of Education accounts for nearly $5 million of the $8.5 million impact. We commissioners have made a strong commitment to our children through both our operating and capital budgets. For the past 11 years, we have funded schools at levels higher than state law requires. Ebb Valley Elementary School will soon be opening its doors. Manchester Valley High School will be next, with a South Carroll middle school possibly on the horizon.
But with all the uncertainty with State funding and our revenue sources, we know we will have some tough choices to make this year. Which worthy projects get delayed because we simply don’t have the money?
Budget cuts. Education. EMS. Water. Pathways. Despite all of these challenges, we have made great strides in the past year.
You may have heard that we have been restructuring at Carroll County Regional Airport. In January, we begin interviewing for an airport manager. With that person’s help, we hope to realize the airport’s full economic potential, which was the original reason for creating that facility.
Our agricultural land preservation program hit a major milestone in November 2007. With the purchase of the 192-acre Shirley farm north of Westminster, Carroll County has now preserved more than 50,000 acres of ag land. As of January 1, 2008, we have 51,595 acres under permanent preservation. We are well on our way to reaching our goal of 100,000 acres. When farms stay green, we not only preserve Carroll’s heritage, we also prevent the need for more roads, schools, and other costly infrastructure.
And our green efforts reach far beyond the farm. Carroll County was named one of 20 finalists for the national Sustainable Communities Award in 2007. The recognition came for our overall approach. Both Ebb Valley Elementary and the Finksburg Library will boast geothermal systems to heat and cool the buildings. Most of the “green” features of the library will be difficult to see, so when it opens later this year, we’ll have a plaque explaining them. Along that same line, we are retrofitting our older buildings with new lighting, HVAC systems and other smaller projects to make them more energy efficient. Johnson Controls has guaranteed we will save $5 million in energy costs over 15 years by making these changes.
While we’ve changed lighting fixtures in our offices, our employees have also pledged to change to energy-efficient lighting at their homes. During the 2007 national Change A Light campaign, Carroll County Government employees pledged to exchange 797 regular light bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs. That will save a total of $20,902 in energy costs and prevent nearly 326,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. We are proud to announce that, at 38 percent, we had a higher percentage of employees taking the pledge than any other county in the United States.
Also on the national level, Carroll joined jurisdictions across the country by making a commitment to limit our impact on the environment, by signing the Cool Counties declaration. But for Carroll to be a cool county, we will need everyone’s help. Businesses must be willing to do their share to protect our environment. Black Oak Associates is a prime example. When the firm’s new shopping center in Eldersburg is complete, it will be the first “green” commercial district in the Mid-Atlantic. We applaud Black Oak’s management for its stewardship.
Since we are talking about businesses, let’s take a quick run through the numbers for Carroll’s economic health. Economic development remains bright. Our unemployment rate, 2.8 percent, is among the lowest in the state. Our labor force growth rate of approximately 3 percent outpaces the region’s and state’s growth rate of 1 percent. In 2007, more than 1,600 jobs were created, and commercial and industrial tax dollars increased $1.5 million. Approximately 840,000 square feet of commercial and industrial space was built or renovated. Expansions such as Flowserve Corp., Evapco, and SES Americom demonstrate that the manufacturing and technology sectors remain strong.
Another sure sign of a healthy economy – speculative commercial building – continues. Of the 60,000 feet of spec space constructed last year at the Air Business Center, nearly two-thirds has been absorbed, while the Commerce Center’s third building, completed last year, is fully leased. Currently, 70,000 square feet of space is under construction at the West Branch Trade Center and a new 30,000-square-foot flex building is approved for construction at the Carroll County Commerce Center.
Additionally, progress is being made on the development of new business parks to make room for companies seeking a Carroll County address. New retail developments such as the Hampstead Marketplace, Piney Ridge Village, The Shoppes at Meadow Creek, Illianos Plaza II and Eldersburg Main Street will also add to the business base. Tourism is growing and Carroll’s signature event, The Maryland Wine Festival, set attendance records this past fall.
A little over a year ago, the Department of Economic Development unveiled a new marketing logo, “making business feel right at home.” The department carried out this pledge in many ways. One was instituting the first “Business Appreciation Week” in partnership with the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce by visiting more than 40 businesses to listen to their concerns and thank them for choosing Carroll County as a business destination. The department and Chamber also hosted a Business Awards dinner with over 180 people to celebrate the successes of our local companies. As we move forward, partnerships and events like these will continue to help improve our business climate and continue to “make business feel right at home.”
We hope this information helps you to have a better understanding of issues and challenges facing Carroll in 2008. We feel confident that we are on the right track, nurturing and growing our economy to make sure Carroll County remains a great place to live, work and play.
The 58th Board of County Commissioners
Julia W. Gouge, President
Dean L. Minnich, Vice President
Michael D. Zimmer, Secretary
20080110 Carroll County Commissioners’ January 10 2008 State of the county address
