News Flash

Todd Mohn’s Wrap up of the April 11^th County Commissioner Meeting

The Commissioners April 11^th meeting started at 5:00 pm with a closed session for Boards & Commissions and Land Acquisition.

The regular meeting was called to order at 5:30 pm.                                                                                                                                                 

Ethics Commission Appointments  

The Board made a motion to appoint Mark Cascia for a term that will expire on December 31, 2026.  APPROVED 5-0

South Island Trail Extension / Property Acquisition       

Dixon Family, LLLP (Parcel 179 – adjacent to Mowbray Park) This will be an Administrative Subdivision / Lot Line Adjustment and the acquired land will be added to Mowbray Park.  Property to be acquired is 0.659 tenths of an acre and is being purchased in fee simple for $33,000. Staff recommends this purchase for the South County Trail extension project.  APPROVED 5-0

PRESENTATIONS

Item #                                                                                                                                      

& Ms. Laura Plosila, Pets on Wheels – Character Counts Pillar of the Month “Trustworthiness” COMMISSIONER DUMENIL READ THE PROCLAMATION                   

3. Tax Set-Off Hearing with Incorporated Towns-4

Pursuant to County Ordinance 13-28, and further, Section 6-306 of the Tax-Property Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, the Commissioners are required to provide for tax setoffs for the municipal corporations in the County.  Two options are available for the determination of the tax setoff: (1) a tax differential rate, or (2) a direct aid payment to the municipality.

After preliminary discussions with the municipalities, the below plan was presented and agreed upon at the regularly scheduled COG meeting on March 8.  Representatives from the municipalities have all been invited to attend this hearing and provide any supporting statements for their respective tax setoff.  

For FY24, we propose the following tax differential rates or aid payments as follows:

APPROVED 5-0

IV.  Ms. Kristy Mirando, Rape Crisis Center Director, Four All Seasons- Proclamation Sexual Assault Awareness Month       COMMISSIONER MCLAUGHLIN READ THE PROCLAMATION                                                                  

V.  Proclamation National Public Safety Dispatcher Week COMMISSIONER WILSON READ THE PROCLAMATION           

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS

Item #                                                                                                                                      

1. Proclamation 23 – 16 Maryland Flood Awareness Month - COMMISSIONER DUMENIL READ THE PROCLAMATION
2. BOE Administrative Building Window Replacement Contract Award

Sealed bids were received for the BOE Administration Building Window Replacement project. The work involves the removal and replacement of 150 premium fitted aluminum clad exterior window assemblies in the Board of Education Administrative Office building.  The project is funded in part by a state grant, which provides $250,000 in reimbursement from the Maryland Capital Improvement Program.

   Vendor                                    Location                                                  Fee        

Bloomes Contracting, Inc.     Lanham, Maryland                              $   907,386.00

Oak Contracting, LLC           Towson, Maryland                               $    932,955.00

BRS Consulting, Inc.          Harrington, Delaware                              $ 1,045,575.00

Patuxent Renovations, Inc.    Prince Frederick, Maryland                 $ 1,640,182.00   

Bloomes Contracting, Inc. submitted the lowest responsive and responsible bid.  Adequate funding is available in the approved Capital Project no. 43004 Central Office Building Envelope.  Staff recommends award of the contract, to Bloomes Contracting, in the amount of $907,386.00, contingent upon favorable confirmation of qualifications and references. THIS ITEM WAS TABLED UNTIL THE BOARD HEARS BACK FROM STAFF REGARDING BIDDERS QUALIFICATIONS AND OTHER OPTIONS TO POTENTIALLY REDUCE THE PROJECT BUDGET.

3.  Little Kidwell Avenue Extension Road Project  

Sealed bids were received for the Little Kidwell Road Extension Project. This project includes the construction of 525 ft of new closed section roadway, storm-drain infrastructure, landscaping, and sidewalks extending Little Kidwell Avenue to Vincit Street, located in Centreville.  Three bids were received ranging from $605,953.00 to $720,827.00.  The Roads Division is recommending award of this contract to the low bidder, Middleton’s Construction Co. LLC, of Centreville, MD, in the amount of $605,953. Upon completion, the new portion of roadway will be dedicated to the Town of Centreville. This project was programmed in FY2023 and adequate funding is available in the FY2023 Little Kidwell Extension Capital Project.  APPROVED 5-0

4.  Purchase – Six Wheel Dump Truck 

The Roads Division is requesting the purchase of one (1) Six-Wheel Dump Truck from Freightliner of Delmarva, of Delmar, MD, in the amount of $208,985.89, via the State of Delaware existing contract GSS22617. This purchase was programmed in FY2023 and adequate funding is available in the FY2023 Capital Equipment Budget.  At this time, we are not immediately planning to decommission any existing vehicles in the six-wheel dump truck fleet due to the availability of new trucks.  APPROVED 5-0

5.  Chesapeake Heritage and Visitors Center Site Improvements  

The Roads Division is requesting to award the Chesapeake Heritage and Visitor Center Site Improvements Project to David A. Bramble Inc, of Chestertown, MD, in the amount of $966,227, via the April 4^th competitive bid.  Two bids were received, and the second base bid was $1,616,000 and $2,183,000 including the three alternatives.

Low Base Bid   $    966,227     David A. Bramble Inc.

Alternative 1      $     25,200      Bollard lighting along the entirety of the concrete walkway 

Alternative 2      $    110,500     135’ of 10’ wooden boardwalk & compass rose stamp on concrete walk                      

Alternative 3      $      16,200     Additional site landscaping above permit requirements 

                           $ 1,118,127      Sum of Base Bid and all Alternates

The base bid for this project includes the removal and reconstruction of the facility parking lot, site grading, stormwater management infrastructure, landscaping and new concrete walking paths. The Commissioners may choose to award the base bid as is or include any or all alternatives.  THE BOARD APPROVED THE SUM OF BASE BID AND ALL ALTERNATES IN THE AMOUNT $1,118,127 APPROVED 3-2 ABSENT

ACTION ITEMS

Item #                                                                                                                                      

The Department of Corrections is requesting to hire a Registered Nurse to monitors and

provide nursing care for inmates participating in the Medical Assistant Treatment (MAT) program with the Detention Center, County Health Department, and the University Medical Program, per House Bill 116.  The Department of Corrections has obtained a Grant through the Opioid Operational Command Center FY22 Examination and Treatment Act Grant Program.  This grant provides $40,000.00 to cover RN salary from present to June 30, 2023 and $80,000.00 to cover salary from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.   We are requesting to be able to move forward immediately with the process of hiring.  APPROVED 5-0

2.  Semiannual Property Tax Payment Service Fee                                                 

Annually, the County Tax Collector is authorized to bill a service fee for the lost interest and administrative costs associated with the semiannual property tax billing if the amount of the service charge is approved by the State Department of Assessments and Taxation. The annual calculation of the service fee is related to the interest we receive from our cash investments, as the semiannual payment results in lost interest to the County. It is estimated that if a service fee based on actual lost interest revenue was implemented, the charge for a typical household would be $13.55 per household. Queen Anne’s County did not charge a service fee for the 2022-2023 tax year. We recommend that a service fee not be charged in the 2023-2024 tax year as well.  APPROVED 5-0

3.  Human Resources Revised Policies                                                             

The Employee Communication & Moral Committee is continuing its work on reviewing and
revising Human Resources Policies. As a result, the policies to be revised are: Contract Employees; Criminal Charge Notification; Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Shift Differential Pay. Please note we are recommending an enhancement to the shift differential policy to increase the shift differential in FY 24 up to $1.00 for evening shift differential (now $0.30), night shift differential (now $0.60), and sanitary district shift differential (now 5%). This will provide consistent shift differential payment to all county employees and continue to provide competitive wages for our employees working 24-hour shifts. APPROVED 5-0

4.  Budget Amendment #CC-41 – Parks – POS Land Acquisition        

This amendment will establish budget authority in project 44003 parks POS land acquisition from the DNR POS acquisition grant for a total amount of $551,055.00.    APPROVED 5-0 

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS

Item #                                                                                                                                                 

Plumbing/HVAC Board February 23, 2023 Minutes   

Thank you Letter – Katie Anderson                              

Lane Engineering Letter Permit Application                

Hole In the Wall Gang Camp Invitation       

Or watch the entire meeting here https://www.youtube.com/live/9PizgVzVg4g?feature=share