[0:10] We are gonna bring this meeting back to order.

[0:13] Alright, good evening folks.

[0:15] Welcome to the Queen Anne County Commissioner's meeting.

[0:17] This is a public meeting.

[0:18] This is being aired on aired live on our local cable

[0:21] television station, QA CTV seven.

[0:23] These media broadcasts provide county citizens an

[0:26] opportunity to watch

[0:28] and participate in our scheduled public meetings.

[0:30] In addition to our live audience this evening,

[0:32] we are providing remote options for citizens to watch

[0:34] and participate in county commissioner meetings.

[0:37] Citizens may watch our meeting live on our website at

[0:39] qac.org/live or on our public access television channel

[0:45] provided by Breeze Line Cable Services.

[0:48] Citizens may also participate

[0:49] by joining the live Zoom meeting by going

[0:51] to qac.org/public comment

[0:53] and citizens may also email comments

[0:55] to public comment@qac.org

[0:58] and all comments received will be summarized

[1:00] during the present public comment period.

[1:02] On tonight's agenda, we acknowledge everyone's participation

[1:05] and by attending you acknowledge

[1:06] that this session is both recorded and aired pressing.

[1:08] Public comment will be taken

[1:09] and is limited to three minutes per person.

[1:11] If you do care to speak, please sign up at the information

[1:14] table in the lobby

[1:15] and comments longer than three minutes can be submitted in

[1:18] writing for the commissioner's review.

[1:20] We will now stand and be led in the Pledge

[1:21] of Allegiance by commission.

[1:22] President Jim Moran,

[1:26] I pledge allegiance to the flag

[1:28] of the United States of America

[1:30] and to the republic for which it stands,

[1:33] one nation under God, indivisible

[1:37] with Liberty Justice Strong

[1:49] All commissioners.

[1:50] That brings us to the approval

[1:51] of our agenda for this evening.

[1:53] So the agenda for today's meeting, June 30th, together

[1:57] with the regular session minutes, the Rhodes Board minutes

[2:01] and the closed session minutes from the June 9th meeting

[2:03] have been circulated for review.

[2:05] Any additions or corrections?

[2:07] Nope. Motion to approve the agenda as submitted

[2:10] and all three sets of meetings as submitted.

[2:12] Second. All those in favor? Aye. Aye.

[2:17] Opposed for one?

[2:19] Commissioner IL's on assignment. So. Alright.

[2:22] Thank you. Commissioner Maria,

[2:23] Have Commissioner McLaughlin on the, on the TV screen

[2:26] and the rest of us are right up front.

[2:28] Okay. Okay.

[2:30] Commissioners, we just held a closed session under the

[2:33] general provisions articles Section 3, 3 0 5 B one

[2:37] for boards and commissions and personnel.

[2:38] Section 3 3 0 5 B seven to consult with council

[2:42] and section 3 3 0 5 B three for land acquisition.

[2:45] So I do think we have some board appointments and one on

[2:49] Motion.

[2:50] I move to a appoint Douglas Jenkins

[2:51] to fill the vacancy on the board of electrical examiners.

[2:53] This term will expire on June 30th, 2030. One second.

[2:58] We have a motion to second Any discussion? See none.

[3:02] All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed?

[3:05] So moved four zero

[3:11] The housing authority.

[3:12] We're gonna hold that. Yeah,

[3:13] Hold that.

[3:14] And you at 26 13.

[3:15] And then I move to withdraw county ordinance 26 dash 13

[3:19] and to develop a policy regulating all signs on county

[3:23] property without permission.

[3:28] Does that mean second?

[3:30] Yeah, we have a motion to second on this item.

[3:33] Any discussion? Seeing none.

[3:35] All those in favor signify as aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed? Aye.

[3:39] So moved.

[3:41] Okay. Alright. Thank you commissioners.

[3:42] That brings us to press and public comment.

[3:47] So we appreciate all citizens taking time to express views

[3:49] to the county commissioners Comments are limited

[3:51] to three minutes per person comments longer than three

[3:54] minutes can be submitted in writing

[3:55] this commission in respects your desire

[3:57] and right to convey your message freely.

[3:59] When you come forward, please speak clearly at

[4:01] the standing microphone.

[4:03] State your name, your address, and your topic of interest.

[4:06] And in keeping with the dignity of our office, we ask

[4:08] that all views be expressed in a

[4:10] respectful and civil manner.

[4:12] First up is Eric. True?

[4:19] Eric Truitt. Zero. Southville Cemetery Road. Millington.

[4:24] So I have a farm in Queen Anns County here

[4:26] and I'm trying to get a permit to put a shipping container.

[4:32] I've been a month and a half trying to get this permit.

[4:34] I have a irrigation machine that I'm trying to set up

[4:38] and the electronics are gonna go in the ear in the

[4:41] shipping container and I'm outta stu.

[4:44] There's no accountability at the permit

[4:46] office you call up there.

[4:48] Nobody has no idea what they're doing.

[4:51] I can't even have a refrigerator to get a drink there.

[4:53] There's no house there. It's just a farm.

[4:56] Wanna keep some tools in there.

[4:58] Stuff that I use every day

[5:00] and I'm not sure what my next step will be.

[5:03] Any advice?

[5:06] You took the right step coming here. Yeah,

[5:08] Well I called you last week

[5:09] but I never got a call back. Oh,

[5:11] Okay.

[5:12] Left you a voicemail.

[5:14] Very good. Okay. Yep, you got it.

[5:19] Front row, you got it right.

[5:21] She'll be happy to talk to you. Okay,

[5:23] Thank you.

[5:24] Thank you.

[5:29] Is it Michelle? Is it Beaver Aver? I'm sorry.

[5:39] Hi, my name is Michelle Ver

[5:42] and I am the Democratic candidate for Maryland

[5:46] District 36 here.

[5:48] And I am here today to introduce myself

[5:53] and to let you know why I am running and why I'm here today.

[5:56] So I'm running because I believe that the people

[5:59] and the government have become too far removed from each

[6:02] other and it's about time that the people we elect

[6:06] for our government represent the people

[6:09] that they're there to represent.

[6:11] The reason I'm here today is

[6:13] because we have a lot of legislation that's coming out

[6:17] of Maryland that is one size fits all,

[6:21] that really just doesn't work here in our district.

[6:24] And I want to make sure that I am talking with county

[6:28] commissioners as well as the local town mayors

[6:32] and such to make sure that any legislation

[6:35] that is being considered is appropriate here

[6:39] in District 36.

[6:40] And if it's not then I can go and fight to have it changed

[6:45] or have our district removed from

[6:47] the legislation altogether.

[6:49] Thank you. Thank

[6:51] You Marty McKenzie,

[6:55] I am going to defer to the second round

[6:58] of comments. Okay, thank

[6:59] You.

[7:00] Alright, thank you. That's all signed up.

[7:02] Would anybody else like to speak? See none.

[7:05] We'll close press on public comment. All.

[7:13] All right commissioners, we can move into the

[7:16] legislation portion of tonight's agenda.

[7:18] So we have two public hearings.

[7:20] The first one is a public hearing on county ordinance 26

[7:23] dash five supplemental standards for gas stations

[7:27] and this is a citizen sponsored text amendment.

[7:31] So Mr. Thompson here we will offic officiate the hearing

[7:34] and we have Stephanie Jones from

[7:36] the planning office as well.

[7:37] If there's any questions

[7:41] You ready?

[7:43] Ready At the regular meeting on

[7:48] May 26th, 2026,

[7:50] commissioner Moran introduced county ordinance 26 0 5

[7:55] a bill entitled an act concerning supplemental standards

[7:59] for gas stations to include fuel pumps,

[8:03] underground fuel storage tanks and islands

[8:06] and canopies in Queen Anne County for the purpose

[8:10] of reducing the required distance between an entrance

[8:14] exit to a gas station to any intersection from a hundred

[8:19] to 75 feet, providing how such distances be measured

[8:24] and generally addressing and dealing with gas stations

[8:27] and exits by amending section 18 1 58 B

[8:32] the code of public local laws of Queen S County.

[8:36] This hearing is being held Tuesday,

[8:39] June 30th, 2026 at 5:40 PM in the county Commissioner

[8:43] reading Room, Liberty Building 1 0 7 North Liberty

[8:47] Street, Centerville, Maryland.

[8:49] The proposed amendment received an unfavorable

[8:52] recommendation from the Planning Commission

[8:55] at the May 14th, 2026 Meeting.

[8:58] Copies of the proposed ordinance have been available

[9:01] to the county commissioner's office

[9:04] during normal business hours

[9:06] and online in the county website speakers,

[9:09] speakers will be limited

[9:11] to the three minutes each written t on the event length

[9:14] could be submitted on

[9:16] before the hearing date to the county commission.

[9:19] Hearing sites are accessible to individual with visibility,

[9:23] sideline and interpreters

[9:25] and assistance listing assistance are available.

[9:28] Part of the record the proceeding will be a certificate

[9:31] of publication indicating that notice

[9:34] of the hearing was published for two consecutive weeks

[9:39] in bay on record observer newspapers of general circulation

[9:44] in Queen Edge County as well as the recommendation

[9:48] of the Queen Edge County Planning Commission.

[9:54] First person I have signed up is Joe Ano

[10:01] we're gonna bring in, bring that around there.

[10:04] Would the applicant Sit at

[10:07] The front or would you rather that the applicant

[10:08] Speaks?

[10:09] You could speak right there and to three minutes.

[10:12] So I'm Brendan Mullany, I'm applicant for the I call

[10:15] Judge Ano.

[10:16] I represent Mr. Cus Now,

[10:18] Well you're also listed here.

[10:20] Would you prefer that Mr. Cus goes first?

[10:22] No, he, but if he wants to speak,

[10:23] now's the time. Understood.

[10:25] Okay, so I'm I'm Brendan Mullany.

[10:27] I am counsel for three Cs LLC, which is the owner of a,

[10:32] of a property at 1104 Price Station Road.

[10:36] Like all citizen sponsored text amendment.

[10:39] This text amendment is proposed

[10:41] to solve a problem in the county.

[10:43] This applicant

[10:44] that brought forward this text amendment owns a 6.8 acre

[10:48] property that is zoned VC and there is a, a local

[10:52] and minor road intersection that is essentially a sand road

[10:56] that intersects a, a minor collector

[10:59] that is 81 feet curb to curb away from the entrance

[11:03] to this property.

[11:05] The property owner brought a conditional use application,

[11:08] which in, in the VC district, the convenience store

[11:12] with fuel pump use, which is proposed for this property,

[11:15] is permitted by conditional use approval.

[11:18] The applicant submitted the conditional use application

[11:21] and was told that the 100 foot dimension from entrance

[11:25] to intersection applied to the application.

[11:28] So we quickly supplemented the conditional use application

[11:32] with a variance to allow the reduction from 100

[11:35] feet to 81 feet.

[11:37] Staff has concluded

[11:41] that supplemental standards in the zoning ordinance cannot

[11:45] be subject to a variance application

[11:49] and approval by the Board of Appeals.

[11:52] So that decision was appealed.

[11:55] It went to the Board of Appeals, I think last month

[11:58] and the board of appeals found two to one that they agreed

[12:02] with staff we're waiting on the written decision from that.

[12:05] But in the meantime, because frankly we have no interest in

[12:09] litigation related to

[12:10] what we believe is an erroneous legal conclusion related

[12:13] to whether or not the applicant here can seek a variance,

[12:16] we applied for the citizen sponsored text amendment to allow

[12:22] reduction and frankly to change what was the black

[12:25] and white letter of what was submitted for was

[12:26] to reduce the 100 feet to 75 feet.

[12:29] I believe that your packages for tonight include a variety

[12:32] of materials and memos that were submitted by

[12:36] the applicant here and by my office.

[12:38] One of those is I think 13 examples of convenience stores

[12:42] with fuel pumps that have entrances less than 100

[12:46] feet from intersections.

[12:48] Another is a memo that we submitted

[12:51] to the planning commission, responding to some of staff's

[12:55] concerns about the proposed text amendment.

[12:58] And this applicant has no intention

[13:01] or desire to propose anything that

[13:04] opens the flood floodgates to something

[13:06] that isn't good for the county.

[13:07] They, they have a property that is unique in

[13:11] that it has an intersection 81 feet from its entrance

[13:15] and there is no viable path based on staff's position

[13:19] that we can't seek a variance to get a convenience store

[13:23] and fuel pump on this property even going through the Board

[13:27] of Appeals variance process.

[13:29] So we went to the, let's

[13:32] Finish got the three minutes now go ahead

[13:34] And finish it.

[13:35] I'll be as brief as I can.

[13:36] We, we went to the planning commission and staff

[13:39] and the planning commission's counsel told them you are not

[13:42] to consider anything outside of the strict text

[13:46] that was applied for when this goes to the commissioners,

[13:49] the commissioners can do with it what they want.

[13:51] So our intention tonight is to come to you all and say

[13:55] and ask, we proposed in the materials that were submitted

[13:58] to the Planning Commission, a number of different approaches

[14:02] to accomplish what we would like to one of them.

[14:05] And and the one that I'm the biggest proponent of is

[14:09] not have this be a reduction countywide from 100 feet

[14:12] to 75 feet because I think staff's concern is

[14:16] any property in the county would then be available for

[14:20] an entrance within, within a hundred feet,

[14:25] no, no closer than 75 feet from local nearby intersections.

[14:31] What we would ask the commissioners to consider is

[14:35] applying this reduction only in the VC district.

[14:38] And the reason why I think that would be prudent is

[14:42] fuel pumps and convenience stores are only permitted in the

[14:45] VC district with conditional use approval.

[14:48] So an applicant, a property owner has to go in front

[14:51] of the board of appeals for the county

[14:52] and demonstrate that there are not any unique

[14:55] and adverse impacts at the location

[14:57] where the convenience store and fuel pumps are proposed.

[15:00] So if the text were changed

[15:02] to say in the VC district only in all other districts

[15:06] where fuel pumps are permitted,

[15:07] the 100 feet would still apply.

[15:10] The, the dimension to intersections from the entrance

[15:14] to properties can be no closer than 75 feet.

[15:19] An applicant still has to go through the process

[15:22] of conditional use approval with the Board of Appeals

[15:24] where they consider any unique

[15:26] and undue adverse impacts on local properties

[15:29] or local roadways.

[15:30] And one of the things that the, that the Board

[15:32] of Appeals is tasked with considering is any undue threats

[15:35] to the health and safety of citizens in the area.

[15:40] So that was, that was one of the approaches.

[15:42] The another was Mr.

[15:45] You your Tom so

[15:47] Understood.

[15:48] We ask that you consider something reasonable

[15:52] and, you know, discuss this amongst yourselves to try

[15:55] to recognize the problem that we're trying to resolve

[15:58] with this citizen LED T amendment. Thank you

[16:01] Mr.

[16:02] Co honor, did you want to honor

[16:10] Joe Ano one of the owners of three Cs.

[16:13] I, I bought the property with my dad, my brother.

[16:18] We bought this four years ago.

[16:20] We're trying to make something of it.

[16:21] It's an existing commercial property, it's sitting vacant.

[16:24] We have a lot of citizen support.

[16:27] We submitted a bunch of letters from all the

[16:29] neighbors, they all want this.

[16:31] We're hung up on being too close to dirt road.

[16:34] We're four years in, it's costing us a lot of money

[16:38] and you know, all we gotta do is get past this code section

[16:41] and we still have to fight the Board of Appeals

[16:43] and get through a whole nother process just to get close

[16:46] to getting approved to open a gas station.

[16:48] So, you know, we're willing to work with anybody we can

[16:51] to make this happen.

[16:53] Thank you. Thank Jay Stead.

[17:05] Good evening Commissioners.

[17:06] Jay Alstead, queen and Conservation Association.

[17:09] We oppose this ordinance

[17:11] and ask that you accept your planning commission's guide.

[17:15] Unfavorable recommendation on this really for a couple

[17:18] of reasons, both safety and environmental in our view

[17:24] and on the safety.

[17:27] I know the applicant mentioned

[17:28] that there are other gas pumps within the community

[17:31] that are less than 75 feet and that is true,

[17:34] but those are typically within the municipalities.

[17:36] So Southville, Millington, Churchill, Centerville,

[17:41] they all have pumps that are right near the roadway.

[17:45] The difference is between what they want to do

[17:48] and those, the pumps that are in those areas are one,

[17:52] they're in a municipality, the speeds are much, much slower.

[17:56] This section near 3 0 1 is totally different.

[18:00] And so at the very least, I hope

[18:03] what you'll consider doing is

[18:06] asking guidance from the fire

[18:08] marshal public works.

[18:12] Just try and get a better handle on the safety dimension of

[18:17] how this particular application

[18:19] could affect all of the county.

[18:22] I have to say, in some ways this feels like a little bit

[18:25] of a backdoor way of spots zoning

[18:27] because if the 100

[18:32] foot limit is right now countywide, basically

[18:37] what we're doing is we're trying

[18:39] to accommodate a single landowner,

[18:42] but it opens the door to every,

[18:44] every other area around the county.

[18:46] And so it's a little bit odd for those reasons.

[18:50] I hope you'll reject it very.

[18:53] Finally, the applicant mentioned the Board of Appeals.

[18:55] I have to tell you, anything that comes

[18:57] before the Board of Appeals under the standard

[19:00] of Schultz v PRTs, they would have to show that somehow

[19:04] or the, the anybody

[19:05] that opposes this particular project would somehow have

[19:08] to show that this is totally different than everything else.

[19:11] Having testified before the board or

[19:14] before the, the Appeals Board, on numerous occasions,

[19:17] nearly every single application has passed.

[19:20] And so I would not put a whole lot of faith that the,

[19:24] that the Board of Appeals would somehow

[19:26] be able to reject this.

[19:28] So for those reasons I just ask

[19:29] that you support the planning commission's guidance

[19:31] and give this an unfavorable recommendation.

[19:33] Thank you.

[19:36] Oh zero close

[19:43] Evening commissioners.

[19:45] I have a couple farms towards Ingleside in that area

[19:49] and like many people over there have always wanted something

[19:53] to get, you know, closer than Churchill for fuel and or food

[19:58] or just small, you know, necessities.

[19:59] So it's always been a, a wish of many of ours in that area

[20:03] to have something good on that corner.

[20:05] It's a great little spot.

[20:06] I mean I come through there all the time.

[20:07] There's a railroad track, people are always

[20:09] driving slow through there.

[20:11] I mean 3 0 1 is what it is right there,

[20:13] but there's nothing from Queenstown to Middletown

[20:16] and this is the only good place for it.

[20:18] And it's a, you know,

[20:20] it's just a shame that it's sitting there. So thank you.

[20:25] Thank you. That's everyone signed up.

[20:27] Is there any other public comment on county ordinance

[20:31] 26 0 5? Yeah,

[20:33] But I might have signed, I didn't sign it.

[20:36] That's okay. Good evening.

[20:39] This is kind of strange to me

[20:41] 'cause I'm usually up here asking for something for myself,

[20:43] but I'm not, this time, I'm just here as a citizen.

[20:46] I, I know the applicants.

[20:47] I know the property I drive by him. Name, name, name, name.

[20:49] Oh, Jim Dedo, Queenstown, sorry,

[20:53] I'm not a hundred percent up to speed on all the, the issues

[20:57] with the property, but I do know that we drive, you know,

[21:00] 3 0 1 a lot to Delaware up to Pennsylvania

[21:02] and it's an awful long road from,

[21:05] from Queenstown all the way to Middletown if you do need

[21:07] to stop for gas or something like that.

[21:09] And I, I think just from a, a perspective of a citizen,

[21:12] it would be nice to be able to, to have someplace that,

[21:14] you know, you could stop, get gas if

[21:16] you have to pull over something like that.

[21:17] 'cause it's a, it's a long stretch of road.

[21:20] So again, if there's something, I mean if the county sees it

[21:23] as, as an opportunity to,

[21:25] to revitalize an existing commercial property,

[21:28] I think it would be well received by, you know,

[21:31] citizens plus anybody that's driving through,

[21:34] if they spend any money there at all,

[21:35] it stays in the county versus going to Delaware,

[21:37] which I think that's probably where it's going right now.

[21:39] So from a tax perspective, I think that's probably a bonus.

[21:41] Like I said, I I have no interest, I have no

[21:44] interest in the property whatsoever.

[21:45] I just, but I would support seeing it developed if,

[21:50] if there's a way, if it's not this way,

[21:51] maybe there's another way you guys can recommend

[21:53] that it, that it goes through.

[21:54] So thank you very much.

[21:56] Thank you. Anybody else wanted pass testify?

[22:01] All right, we'll keep the record open for two weeks.

[22:05] Alright, Thank you.

[22:08] All right, commissioners also on your legislative tab.

[22:12] Item two, page two. This is public hearing county ordinance

[22:14] 26 0 6.

[22:16] This is another citizen sponsor text amendment.

[22:18] This is for maximum impervious surface ratio for commercial

[22:22] and industrial uses in the suburban commercial district

[22:26] that were operating prior to December 31st, 2025.

[22:30] Mr. Thompson,

[22:32] This is the public hearing being held on county ordinance

[22:35] number 26 0 6 A bill

[22:38] and Plato an act concerning an increase

[22:42] to the max maximum impervious surface ratio for commercial

[22:47] and industrial uses in the suburban commercial

[22:52] SC district, which were an operation prior

[22:55] to December 31st, 2025 in Queen Edge County,

[23:00] Maryland for the purpose

[23:01] of increasing the maximum impervious surface ratio

[23:05] for commercial industrial use

[23:08] uses in the suburban commercial zoning district,

[23:12] which were in operation prior

[23:14] to December 31st, 2025 from

[23:19] 0.45 45% to 0.80

[23:23] 80% by amending section 18 1 21 E

[23:28] two A, one of the code of public local laws

[23:31] of Queen AIDS county.

[23:34] This hearing's being held Tuesday,

[23:36] June 30th, 2026 at 5:45 PM

[23:40] County Commission meeting room,

[23:42] Liberty Building 1 0 7 North Liberty Street Centerville.

[23:45] Opposed ordinance received an unfavorable recommendation

[23:50] from the planning commission that the May 14th, 2026 meeting

[23:56] copies of opposed ordinance

[23:58] have been available at the county commissioner's office

[24:01] during normal business hours.

[24:04] And online on the county website speakers will be limited

[24:08] to three minutes each written testimony of any, any length

[24:12] could be submitted on

[24:13] before the hearing date to the county Commissioners.

[24:16] All hearing sites are accessible, individual

[24:18] with disabilities, sign language interpreters

[24:22] and assistive listening systems are available.

[24:25] Part of the record of this proceeding will be a certificate

[24:28] of publication indicating the notice of the air, the publish

[24:32] for two successive weeks and the Bay Times

[24:35] and record observer of newspapers are general circulation in

[24:39] Queen Edge County as well as a recommendation

[24:43] of the Queen Edge County Planning Commission.

[24:47] Jay Fett

[24:54] Ninth's Daily Double Commissioners, Jay Fett,

[24:57] queen Ann Conservation Association.

[25:02] Once again, this is one of those issues where

[25:06] I hope you'll accept your planning

[25:07] commission's recommendation.

[25:10] But it also raises the question

[25:11] of just stormwater generally in Queen Anne's County.

[25:14] And right now we're making progress in

[25:20] waters that reach the bay.

[25:21] Agriculture is making progress.

[25:23] The one area where we're sliding backwards

[25:25] has to do with storm water.

[25:27] And so I hope we can find ways to accommodate some

[25:31] of these projects that are coming up while at the same time

[25:35] addressing some of the storm water issues

[25:38] in doing an AI review tonight.

[25:40] I just wanna put this on the record

[25:42] because it does give everybody a little bit of hope.

[25:45] I think I ask AI

[25:48] whether there was substantial construction costs

[25:51] increase in going

[25:53] with impervious surfaces over traditional parking lots.

[25:56] And here's what it said, opting

[25:58] for a pervious layout can ultimately make a project 12

[26:02] to 38% cheaper overall

[26:05] because it completely eliminates the need

[26:07] for expensive underground

[26:09] and storm water sewers, catch basins

[26:11] and retention bonds and then going further.

[26:14] Traditional parking lots must route water

[26:17] to dedicated land consuming stormwater retention basins,

[26:21] previous or pervious pavement is the basin

[26:25] saving valuable land for parking spaces

[26:27] or for building footprints.

[26:29] And so I mentioned that just

[26:31] because Atkins Arboretum has a a great parking lot

[26:34] where it's pervious water drains through,

[26:39] it does not sheet off into the local creek

[26:42] and it is a good environmental aspect to have.

[26:45] And so if you're looking towards approving these types

[26:48] of projects, I hope we can find ways to

[26:52] find better mitigation standards that go beyond our code

[26:57] in preventing some of these toxic waters from reaching the

[27:00] Bay and the tributaries.

[27:02] With that, thank you. Thank you.

[27:05] Be honor person signed up.

[27:08] I did know I had signed twice. Could you forgive me?

[27:11] I represent the applicant here as well. Sure.

[27:13] Brendan Malaney, 100 Northwest Street East in Maryland here

[27:16] on behalf of three parties.

[27:18] Chesapeake Boat Lift service, Chesapeake Family

[27:20] Flooring in the middle of Kingstown.

[27:22] This again is a a text amendment that was brought forward

[27:25] by three businesses that are operating in the county today

[27:28] to address a very real problem

[27:31] that businesses are facing in the SC zoning district.

[27:34] Currently the lot coverage,

[27:36] the total maximum impervious surface in the SC zoning

[27:40] district is 45%.

[27:42] That doesn't just include asphalt and buildings

[27:46] and gravel, it also includes all parking areas,

[27:49] whether they're on grass impervious pavers.

[27:52] It also includes all lay down

[27:54] and storage areas, even if they are on vegetated land cover.

[27:58] And that comes out of the county code.

[28:00] Unfortunately, staff has interpreted that to, to include all

[28:05] of those areas even if they're vegetated the,

[28:08] the proposal was aligned with a couple

[28:11] of other zoning districts in the county

[28:14] that allow 80% maximum coverage to give the most flexibility

[28:19] to my clients, the property owners.

[28:23] And one of them is a tenant in the county

[28:26] who operate businesses and are looking to expand

[28:29] and invest in the properties in order to do so.

[28:31] Oftentimes that means enlarging buildings,

[28:34] it means enlarging parking areas growing their business.

[28:37] So this would be a vote if this should be modified

[28:40] to support businesses in the county.

[28:43] Recognizing that the planning commission was told only

[28:46] consider the 80% we had submitted a modified proposal.

[28:50] If it is more palatable to the county

[28:52] to propose an increase from 45% to 65%,

[28:58] that would be consistent with

[29:00] what is permitted in the suburban industrial district.

[29:03] This again is the suburban commercial district.

[29:05] So you'd go from 45% to 65%

[29:08] and would give much needed flexibility to

[29:12] businesses like the ones I represent

[29:14] and throughout the county that are in

[29:15] the SC zoning district.

[29:17] I also think it's important to note that only 202

[29:21] of the 27,375 properties in the county

[29:26] are zoned sc.

[29:28] So this is not something that I believe is going

[29:30] to open the floodgates countywide.

[29:32] It is a moderate increase in proposed lot coverage.

[29:36] The 80% that was proposed eliminated all

[29:40] of the non-conforming situations on SC zoned properties

[29:44] that my office could find.

[29:46] There are only three properties that we could find

[29:48] that are significantly over that 80%.

[29:51] And again that that does not include my aerial

[29:56] review, does not include the landscape lay down

[29:59] or parking areas that businesses

[30:01] use to support their business.

[30:02] That was only gravel, asphalt, and structures.

[30:08] If the 65% were to be found acceptable to the commissioners,

[30:12] that would eliminate all

[30:15] but 12 of the non-conforming situations that we found.

[30:19] The total non-conforming situations that we found were 39

[30:22] of the 202 SC zoned properties.

[30:27] We believe that this is a reasonable increase.

[30:29] It's consistent with other zoning districts

[30:31] that are similar, similarly situated in the county

[30:33] and solves a problem

[30:35] that real businesses in the county are facing right now

[30:39] that's preventing them from operating their companies.

[30:42] So ask that you discuss this

[30:44] and look at it favorably, modify it within reason

[30:47] and move it forward. Thank you. Thank you.

[30:51] Any other testimony on county ordinance 25 0 6? Yes ma'am.

[30:59] Good evening commissioners.

[31:00] My name's Annie Richards, I'm your Chester River keeper.

[31:02] I look forward to speaking with you in just a few minutes,

[31:05] but I just wanted to share Sho River's concerns with this

[31:08] particular county ordinance.

[31:11] As Mr. Fall said, mentioned in from QACA impervious surface

[31:15] is a major contributor to stormwater

[31:17] runoff to our waterways.

[31:20] I participate in a lot of work groups for state legislation

[31:22] and something that NGOs

[31:24] and environmental partners talk a lot about is how

[31:26] to help counties meet their MS four permit goals.

[31:29] And so when we consider a major impervious surface increase

[31:32] in zoning close to double in this situation, one

[31:36] of the concerns that is flagged for me is

[31:39] how will the county quantify what that increase will mean

[31:43] for the increased water loads for in terms

[31:45] of meeting your MS four goals.

[31:48] Also, DNR has long supplied information

[31:51] and research that shows that when a county

[31:54] or when a sub watershed goes 5% impervious surface,

[31:59] five to 10% in impervious surface, you start

[32:02] to create conditions in the local streams

[32:05] and sub watersheds that plummet dissolved oxygen levels

[32:09] and impact fishery habitat.

[32:11] So essentially you start

[32:12] to massively eliminate the biodiversity of fish

[32:14] that can exist in that waterway.

[32:17] And so if a text ordinance like this were to proceed,

[32:21] I would recommend having some sort of tally

[32:23] and accounting process as

[32:25] to what's happening in each sub watershed to see

[32:28] how much we're increasing impervious surface in those areas.

[32:31] And in particular, I would be thinking about tier two

[32:34] streams which require,

[32:35] which are currently in much better standing in terms

[32:38] of water quality in the county.

[32:40] And of course the state

[32:41] of Maryland has heightened expectations

[32:43] for protecting that increased.

[32:44] So if you have any questions, happy

[32:46] to supply greater information

[32:48] from Shore Rivers and our staff.

[32:50] Thank you for receiving our comment.

[32:53] We have a testimony on county Ordinance 26 0 6.

[32:59] Well thank you very much. We'll keep

[33:01] the record open for two weeks.

[33:15] Alright commissioners, we can move into the

[33:16] presentations this evening.

[33:18] So next up we have Annie Richards, Chester River Keeper,

[33:22] shore Rivers, and she's gonna give us

[33:24] the Shore Rivers update.

[33:25] We have a presentation in your books tab number six,

[33:28] item one, pages one through 17.

[33:30] And it's up on the big screen here as well.

[33:33] We should have just stayed up here.

[33:34] Yeah, that's right Annie.

[33:35] How you doing? Okay.

[33:36] Hi. Hey, now once again, I'm Annie Richards.

[33:39] I'm your Chester River keeper with Shore Rivers.

[33:40] It's a pleasure to be here. I'm not often able

[33:42] to give you all a presentation about our programs.

[33:44] I'm proud to do so. Tonight I'm gonna be speaking

[33:47] to you about our Swimmable Shore Rivers program.

[33:50] So in case you're unfamiliar,

[33:52] shore Rivers is a local water quality nonprofit.

[33:55] Our mission is to protect

[33:56] and restore Eastern shore waterways

[33:58] through science-based education, restoration, advocacy,

[34:01] and community engagement.

[34:02] Those are the four pillars we think really work

[34:04] for a rural area like the Eastern shore.

[34:07] And it's not just river keepers though we have four.

[34:10] I'm happy to work with more than 30 full-time staff members

[34:14] across the sassafras Chester miles y Eastern Bay

[34:17] and Chop Tank watersheds.

[34:19] We have many different departments to uphold the four spokes

[34:22] of our mission that I mentioned earlier.

[34:24] We're trying to achieve a vision

[34:25] of thriving rivers cherished

[34:27] by all Eastern shore communities.

[34:28] And you can't cherish our rivers without getting in them.

[34:32] We've been busy since becoming a merged organization

[34:35] of legacy grassroots organizations in 2018.

[34:37] We've been able to accomplish a lot.

[34:39] I'm not gonna go through all of those things,

[34:41] but this is one of our annual reports

[34:42] that summarizes the many achievements each

[34:44] of our departments have made in terms

[34:46] of stewarding students, restoring underwater bay grasses,

[34:50] planting trees, and many, many more things.

[34:54] But what I think really makes us stand out compared

[34:56] to other organizations is our commitment to science.

[34:59] So this graph here shows you

[35:04] shore rivers testing sites

[35:05] and those have been community supported as far back

[35:08] as the 1980s when our grassroots organizations

[35:11] or legacy organizations began.

[35:13] Today we operate 67 tidal water quality stations across the

[35:17] four watersheds we serve.

[35:19] We have 54 bacteria monitoring sites.

[35:21] Let's compare that to what the state does in

[35:23] that same geographic region.

[35:25] Maryland Department of the Environment operates seven tidal

[35:27] water quality stations

[35:29] and 19 healthy beaches sites, which again are comparable

[35:32] to our bacteria programs.

[35:33] This isn't to throw shade at our state of Maryland,

[35:37] but it is to show what the power

[35:39] of community investment does.

[35:40] We have a lot of community support, a lot

[35:42] of community requests for this data

[35:44] 'cause they want to know what's happening

[35:45] in their local rivers.

[35:48] And I would say the thing that gets the most public

[35:50] engagement that we do is sharing the results

[35:52] of our bacteria monitoring program

[35:54] through Swimmable Shore Rivers.

[35:55] As I mentioned, we have 54 bacteria sites.

[35:58] We test those sites with a suite of volunteers.

[36:00] We have more than 50 volunteers that go out

[36:02] to public access locations.

[36:04] Not all of them are swimming sites,

[36:06] but we also know that when you're launching a kayak

[36:08] with your children, the chances for recreation

[36:11] and those shallow waters are very high.

[36:12] So we wanna make sure that we have reliable bacteria data,

[36:15] even if it's not a designated swimming beach.

[36:18] And those volunteers go out between Memorial Day

[36:20] and Labor Day every Thursday they collect a water sample,

[36:23] bring it to our in-office labs.

[36:25] We process those for fecal and enterococci.

[36:27] So we're talking about waste.

[36:29] So bacteria that comes from waste.

[36:30] We're not talking about Vibrio

[36:32] or any kind of flesh eating bacteria.

[36:34] This is something that is in the gut

[36:37] of every warm blooded species

[36:39] that lives in our environment, including us.

[36:41] And so that's what we're testing for using the IDEXX system.

[36:44] We share those results with the public every week on Friday

[36:48] so that they're ready to recreate for the weekend.

[36:50] We also share with local agencies

[36:52] and we follow the Maryland State Clean Water Standards in

[36:55] terms of our thresholds for passing and failing.

[36:59] And this is incredibly tiny for you guys to see.

[37:01] Plus shameless advertising from my cute children.

[37:04] So you can see all

[37:05] of the different dots along our watersheds.

[37:08] You'll see green dots, yellow dots, and red dots.

[37:10] Red dots are testing locations that pass less than 60%

[37:15] of the time that they're tested yellow between 60

[37:18] and 79% of the time.

[37:20] And green pass 80 to 100% of the time.

[37:23] Happy to report that we have a Corsica River site

[37:25] that passes 80 to 100% of the time.

[37:28] That's a Corsica River Yacht Club.

[37:30] And then Conquest Preserve also does very well.

[37:33] It can toggle back and forth between yellow

[37:35] and green year in year out.

[37:36] I think that goes to show that we have a lot

[37:38] of natural lands out on Spaniard's neck

[37:40] and that contributes to healthy water quality.

[37:44] I also wanna flag that we are in the final stages

[37:46] of becoming tier three certified, which is the highest level

[37:49] of certification A NGO lab can become in terms

[37:53] of having our data recognized by the state of Maryland

[37:56] by the EPA and having our data integrated

[37:58] into the state integrated report for water quality.

[38:03] So there are many different stations that we have

[38:08] that we test that are actually public landings

[38:11] and publicly operated by Queen Anne's County across two

[38:13] of our watersheds miles y Eastern Bay.

[38:16] We have Matte Beach Kent Narrows and Drum Point Y Island.

[38:21] All of those were in the red you could see.

[38:23] And then in the Chester we have some others,

[38:28] Southeast Creek Crumpton Landing, Jackson Creek Landing.

[38:33] So those are the publicly operated landings as I mentioned,

[38:37] that are part of Queen Ance County that we test for.

[38:40] And unfortunately most of them are in the red except

[38:43] for Jackson Creek, which is yellow.

[38:46] So while we wish all of our sites are green, they are not.

[38:49] What environments do bacteria thrive

[38:51] and grow in darkness, heat and nutrients.

[38:54] We have turbid rivers here on the Eastern shore.

[38:57] We have nutrient and sediment pollution problems that kind

[38:59] of creates a perfect environment for bacteria to grow

[39:02] and to thrive, even if it's a normal amount of bacteria.

[39:06] And what I mean is bacteria introduced by wildlife, deer

[39:09] creatures living in the marsh, that type of thing.

[39:12] But we also have common sources

[39:13] of bacterial runoff from agriculture,

[39:15] from failing septic systems,

[39:17] wastewater treatment plants elicit discharge from boats

[39:20] and then storm water gen runoff generally across the land.

[39:25] All of this can con contribute to situations

[39:28] where folks really want to know what the bacteria

[39:32] count is in their waterway before they use it.

[39:34] And we have the web traffic to prove that.

[39:37] So as I mentioned, this is something that we get a lot

[39:39] of feedback from the public on.

[39:41] This is a tally of the web traffic that we get

[39:44] through the swim guide for each

[39:46] of the Queen Anne's County sites.

[39:48] You can see we have over 54,000 views

[39:51] of people checking this website

[39:52] to see if their favorite landing is ready

[39:55] and appropriate to be recreating in.

[39:58] We get a, we've also been surveying our members

[40:02] and general community members about the utility

[40:05] of the program and we've gotten a huge

[40:07] response from the public.

[40:08] 88% of respondents said

[40:10] that the bacteria results from Shore Rivers influence their

[40:12] decision about where and when to swim.

[40:14] And that's important to us because this program is not

[40:17] telling people not to get into our river.

[40:19] It's teaching people how and when and where.

[40:23] We also use this data publicly, a program I'd love

[40:27] to highlight is we actually share this data

[40:28] with the Smithson Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

[40:32] and they use that data to train satellites

[40:34] to pick up different pigments in the water

[40:37] and then attribute those pigments from satellites

[40:40] to certain bacteria counts, certain per turbidity accounts,

[40:43] and then certain algae content.

[40:45] So it's training satellites from space

[40:47] to detect our water quality.

[40:49] And then as I mentioned, we also share our data

[40:51] with the state of Maryland

[40:52] and with the EPA

[40:54] to influence integrated reports and other things.

[40:58] And so today I'm here

[40:59] before you to humbly ask for your support for this program.

[41:03] So we are approaching our counties this year

[41:05] to help support this program as it is a public resource

[41:08] and a tool for all county citizens.

[41:11] We are asking for the funds that it would cost

[41:14] to cover the sites that are operated by,

[41:17] or that are yeah, operated and owned by Queen Anne County.

[41:21] That's seven public sites.

[41:23] Our price to operate

[41:24] and serve these sites is $50 per site per week.

[41:26] We run this program for 16 weeks, which is a total of $5,600

[41:30] for the entire season for all of these sites.

[41:33] And that covers testing, supplies, staff time

[41:36] and lab equipment depreciation.

[41:40] And with that I would welcome

[41:41] any questions that you might have.

[41:43] Can you go back to the last slide?

[41:44] Absolutely. Is there any way

[41:46] to get more testing sites from Matte Beach South?

[41:50] The reason I say that is because you know we have gone

[41:53] through our Southern Ken Island sewer

[41:56] and I wanna see, has it cleaned it up?

[41:58] How much it's, it's cleaned it up

[42:00] or if it's trending towards cleaning it up?

[42:04] Absolutely. I can speak for Ben Ford,

[42:05] our miles wide Eastern Bay Riverkeeper

[42:07] to say he would absolutely love some more sites in

[42:09] his watershed.

[42:10] And so if that's something

[42:11] that Queen Ance County was interested in exploring adding

[42:13] to the docket, then we

[42:14] could absolutely talk about that. What

[42:16] Do you need to get the site selections?

[42:18] So typically the way

[42:19] that Shore Rivers chooses sites is it's gotta be a publicly

[42:23] accessible location in some way.

[42:24] Like for example, Corsica River Yacht Club is not a public

[42:27] access point, but it serves the public

[42:29] because it offers summer camps

[42:30] and swimming activities and things like that.

[42:32] So you have to have a willing site public access.

[42:34] We have to have a volunteer,

[42:36] which we're very proud at Shore Rivers

[42:37] that we do not have a lack of volunteers.

[42:39] It's quite easy for us to identify Swimmable,

[42:42] shore Rivers volunteer and then we need the funding

[42:44] and that's how we bring that new site online.

[42:47] We do camp. Right.

[42:48] And Roman Co here right would be two,

[42:52] what's the, the beach down there? Yeah,

[42:54] We go to, we could reach out to the Beach

[42:55] and Recreation Association Can Island,

[42:57] the States Beach and Recreation

[42:59] Association. Those they've got what

[43:00] Beach?

[43:01] We could probably get at least three or four long there.

[43:02] Yeah. And then all way on the other side we donate 6,000

[43:06] be enough to get a couple more spots.

[43:09] You can't do math that quickly,

[43:10] but if it's $50 per site per week for those extra sites,

[43:13] then yes, we could do that. It's

[43:15] $800 a site.

[43:16] Yeah, $800 per year per site. Yeah.

[43:19] You need to go To Annie. Are you? I couldn't tell

[43:23] Right From the on the screen are you testing

[43:26] by the white mouth of the Y River?

[43:29] The commissioners just invested quite a bit

[43:31] of money in an oyster restoration project there.

[43:34] It'd be interesting to see the water quality.

[43:38] 88.

[43:43] I'm doing the math right.

[43:47] So we want to do, Did you hear me

[43:52] Say what you said again about the oyster restoration?

[43:55] Real quick.

[43:57] I was just saying Annie are, are you testing

[44:00] by the mouth of the Y River?

[44:03] The commissioners invested quite a bit into oyster

[44:06] restoration there last year and then this year.

[44:10] And it'd be nice to know what the water quality is

[44:14] by the oyster reefs.

[44:16] I see. Thank you for repeating that question.

[44:19] So the closest testing site we have

[44:21] to the restoration site you've mentioned is drum point on Y

[44:25] Island, which is pretty close.

[44:26] It's not right over it but it's certainly it should.

[44:30] The neighborhood education where it's at. Yeah, I

[44:32] Agree.

[44:33] I can speak because I've done it, my wife

[44:36] and I many a times drum point

[44:39] and just south of where everybody ties up the minute they

[44:42] leave, first thing they do is pump out.

[44:44] Hmm. And we've taken samples plenty of times doing that

[44:50] but Well then I'll make a motion for $8,000

[44:54] that'll cover the US for three more sites.

[44:56] Three more sites

[44:59] I would come back to.

[45:01] Well can I come back and accept?

[45:02] I would absolutely love to accept,

[45:03] but I'd love to just confirm with my colleague Ben Ford

[45:07] and that it's incredibly generous of you

[45:08] and we love to add sites so

[45:10] that communities have more information.

[45:11] So that's wonderful. I'll

[45:12] Make a second on the 8,000.

[45:13] So we'll just go ahead and Right do that

[45:16] and then come back if you need more.

[45:17] Okay. Make It easier. All

[45:19] Go. Great. Thank you.

[45:20] You still up there? Yeah.

[45:23] Okay, so we have a motion and a second for $8,000.

[45:26] All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye.

[45:29] Aye. Aye. Aye. Four zero. So

[45:32] Annie, can you Pull out his checkbook?

[45:35] Can you let us know if there are other areas that oyster

[45:40] reefs, restoration barges, so to speak would be helpful?

[45:47] Absolutely. You don't, You don't have to tell us now,

[45:49] just, you know, let us know.

[45:51] Sure. I can come back with a whole oyster

[45:53] presentation in another time.

[45:56] Okay. Thank you. You thank your oyster

[45:57] Barge handy Dan.

[45:59] Yes, I know I gotta, I gotta keep 'em in organized boxes.

[46:01] But thank you all so much for generosity.

[46:03] Thank this is a wonderful program. Appreciate it. Thank you.

[46:11] Alright commissioners.

[46:12] Moving on to our second presentation for this evening.

[46:15] This is also tab six, item two, pages 18 through 34.

[46:20] We have Janet Nelson,

[46:22] commission on Aging member subcommittee chair,

[46:25] Ms. Janet Salazar, commission on Aging.

[46:28] Member Queen and county library Director. Ms.

[46:30] Annie Sparks our Department of Aging

[46:33] and Transportation director.

[46:35] The presentation is entitled Longevity

[46:37] Ready Queen Anns County. So Annie, hello.

[46:41] Thank you for having us. Alright,

[46:42] Thank You'all. Good to see you.

[46:44] Are we ready? So a few people I do wanna introduce

[46:48] before we get started.

[46:50] So to my right we have Ms. Janet Nelson,

[46:53] she is a commission on aging member

[46:55] and chairperson for the subcommittee

[46:57] of the Commission on Aging

[46:59] for the Longevity Ready Queen and County.

[47:02] She's joining me up here today. Thank you for for that.

[47:05] And Janet Salazar, queen County director

[47:08] as you know, sends her regrets.

[47:10] She was under the weather today

[47:12] so she won't be able to join us.

[47:14] And then we have Bonnie Walter here with us.

[47:18] She is attending

[47:20] as the Queen Anne County Commission on Aging Long

[47:23] serving chairperson.

[47:24] So thank you for being here and all that you do.

[47:27] And Becky Barbie is another member

[47:29] of the subcommittee group we've had

[47:32] and another member of the Commission on Aging.

[47:34] And then if other members

[47:35] of the Commission on Aging can raise your

[47:37] hand, thank you for coming.

[47:40] And then we have some staff here as well.

[47:43] Aging administrators, they're like, no, no, we're done.

[47:50] So thank you and I will turn it over

[47:51] to Janet to get us started.

[47:54] Well our program started when the state

[47:56] of Maryland did a presentation

[47:58] on their Longevity Ready Maryland program.

[48:02] And it was to recognize Maryland's growing over 50

[48:06] population and what the state could do.

[48:10] Well we started thinking why should we wait for the state?

[48:13] Let's look at Queen Anne County.

[48:15] Well as a result,

[48:17] queen Anne County's commission on Aging believes

[48:20] let's bring the awareness to our county.

[48:24] Okay? Because of the increase in our population,

[48:29] our slides are going to show statistically

[48:31] how it's really increasing for those over 50.

[48:35] So to accomplish this mission, we would like to

[48:40] and or have planned presentations to bring awareness

[48:45] to our increasing aging population.

[48:47] Everybody's aging right?

[48:50] And we would like to give it

[48:52] to county government departments, civic organizations

[48:56] and businesses about the aging population in this county

[49:00] and what their needs are.

[49:03] And now shall we go on with our slides? Okay,

[49:05] Sure thing.

[49:08] So again, who we are for people watching at home too,

[49:10] the Department of Aging

[49:11] and Transportation, which houses the community care

[49:15] division, senior Centers division,

[49:17] and the Transportation County ride division

[49:20] and of course the Commission on Aging,

[49:22] which put the subcommittee together for this presentation.

[49:26] They do a lot of large events for the aging population

[49:30] and coming up in September they will be hosting a

[49:34] resources spotlight event.

[49:36] So be on the lookout for that.

[49:38] And then in 2027 there will be the

[49:41] usual senior center tour for the commissioners

[49:44] as well as the town hall.

[49:45] So a couple of big events that they have coming up.

[49:49] And so how all this got started,

[49:52] governor Moore signed the Longevity Ready Maryland Executive

[49:55] order through the leadership of Secretary Rooke

[49:59] for Maryland Department of Aging

[50:02] for moving aging services from a category reserve

[50:05] for a specific group of people at a specific time of life

[50:09] to a unified whole of government process

[50:11] that better prepares Maryland

[50:13] for longer lives across the lifespan.

[50:16] So this QR code for people watching at home too,

[50:19] if anyone wants to check out the full Longevity Ready

[50:22] Maryland plan, they can click that QR code

[50:24] and have access to that

[50:25] and a lot of great resources through the data dashboard.

[50:32] So with the Longevity Ready Maryland plan,

[50:35] it is a 10 year multi-sector plan,

[50:37] which put together four epic goals of building longevity,

[50:41] ecosystem, promoting economic opportunity,

[50:46] pre preparing Marylanders to afford longevity

[50:49] and optimizing health and wellness.

[50:54] Some stats for the state of Maryland

[50:57] are included in the slide.

[50:59] By the year 2031 in every four Marylanders will be over the

[51:03] age of 60 by 20 35, 1 in three American households

[51:08] will be headed by someone 65 or older.

[51:12] Maryland's 85 and overpopulation is the fastest

[51:15] growing segments.

[51:17] And then we have some Queen Anne County

[51:18] numbers here as well.

[51:20] So looking back in 1980,

[51:23] the 50 in overpopulation was at 29%,

[51:29] then going up to 2000, the year 2000 was 31.

[51:35] And then in 2020 was 43.6

[51:38] with a continued growing population for Maryland,

[51:43] for Marylanders for the 60 plus in 2020 it was 22%

[51:48] and then estimated by the time of 2030 it will be 26%.

[51:53] 44% of Marylanders jobs are supported

[51:56] by Marylanders over age 50 by 2030,

[52:01] Marylanders age 50 and over will support 1.7 million jobs

[52:04] and occupy 36% of the workforce by 2050.

[52:09] The 50 and over population will account for 60%

[52:13] of all money spent in Maryland.

[52:15] And yes, there will be a pop quiz at the end

[52:21] For the Alice threshold.

[52:23] The asset limited income constrained employed group

[52:27] looks at a group that falls above the federal poverty level,

[52:33] but they don't make enough to afford the cost of living.

[52:37] So this is a, a big group that is underserved

[52:42] and really all groups are.

[52:44] So we are going to be sharing this in our presentation

[52:47] with the businesses that we go

[52:49] and see, as well as sharing some information on ageism

[52:54] because that is an important part of it

[52:58] with stereotypes

[52:59] and prejudice being included in people's

[53:04] abilities to live longer, work longer.

[53:07] And you know, important of thinking

[53:11] that if someone is capable of doing something

[53:14] based on abilities and not on age, and it goes both ways.

[53:19] So assuming younger people are incompetent

[53:22] or unreliable is a stereotype as well.

[53:27] So what we're going to be doing in the community,

[53:31] you all are our first presentation, so we're

[53:35] metaphorically cutting the ribbon with you all.

[53:37] Thank you for doing that with us.

[53:39] So we're gonna be talking with businesses on

[53:41] how they can prepare for people living longer.

[53:47] A big part of the Maryland Department

[53:49] of Aging multi-sector plan is

[53:53] bringing businesses together to talk about it.

[53:56] I think Commissioner Wilson said it well in one

[53:59] of the budget presentations with the public where he said,

[54:02] we are an aging county

[54:04] and you mentioned the emergency services getting another

[54:07] ambulance because of that aging population.

[54:10] And that's really what this multi-sector plan is about.

[54:14] It's talking about the aging population.

[54:17] So every department and every business is ready for it.

[54:22] So we will be brainstorming with the businesses on

[54:25] what they can do to be longevity, ready

[54:28] and be ready for every age and every stage.

[54:33] And with that we have a video I will ask

[54:35] for qac TV's help with

[54:45] I am aging, we are aging, we're aging,

[54:51] we're aging, we're aging, we are

[54:56] Aging, we're all aging through every stage of life.

[54:59] The Queen Anne County Area Agency on Aging invites you

[55:02] to explore all of the fun activities

[55:04] and supportive programs they offer to older adults,

[55:07] individuals with disabilities and caregivers from crafting

[55:11] and lunches to events and dancing.

[55:14] This department encourages residents

[55:16] to learn about services offered, preparing

[55:18] for longevity at every age and every stage.

[55:21] For more information, please visit the Department of Aging

[55:24] and Transportation's website.

[55:28] Thank you for watching QAC tv.

[55:33] Thank you Bruce.

[55:38] And so with that we will conclude our presentation

[55:43] because we are all aging

[55:45] and we wanna be prepared for every age and every stage.

[55:48] We look forward to going out into the community

[55:50] to offer this presentation,

[55:52] which will be a lot more interactive and and things.

[55:55] So if you know of businesses

[55:57] or things that may be interested, please let us know.

[56:00] And we would like to do a group photo

[56:02] with y'all since this is our inaugural presentation,

[56:06] if you're willing to do that with us And everyone here

[56:08] that came for this presentation,

[56:09] if you can get in it as well.

[56:11] Alright, Thank you.

[56:31] Have to jump. I'm

[57:10] Thank you.

[57:11] Thank you.

[57:26] It's

[57:32] white.

[57:32] Need that yet? Yeah, keep it handy.

[57:39] Everybody get one of these masks. I

[57:44] Dunno. Centerville

[57:45] Gotta be.

[57:46] Yeah, yeah. Gotta be.

[57:49] All right. Commissioners, you ready to proceed on

[57:50] with our Absolutely business?

[57:52] Okay, next up we have the Department of Public Works,

[57:56] they've got several action items.

[57:57] So if you wanna turn to tab number two for DPW.

[58:03] So we have Lee Edgar, our chief engineer,

[58:05] and Alan Quimby, our director of public works.

[58:08] So tab two, item one on pages one

[58:10] through three is the Department

[58:11] of Emergency Services Station 400, which is out at near DPW,

[58:16] the old helicopter hangar.

[58:17] This is a renovations contract award for DES station 400

[58:22] to remove and replace existing exterior metal wall panels,

[58:27] install metal over metal retrofit roof system,

[58:31] interior wall panel systems and exhaust fans

[58:34] and other components and additional all site work.

[58:36] So the bids came in, there were four bids,

[58:39] the lowest responsible bidder was 338,100

[58:44] $108 with Bayside Roofing

[58:46] and Exteriors of Rockville, Maryland.

[58:51] None of them from our county.

[58:56] I'm sorry, commissioner couldn't

[58:57] quite understand that. None of them

[58:58] From our county Are they from Mayor County.

[59:02] We had bidders from Rockville, Harrington, Delaware,

[59:05] Salisbury and Gaithersburg were the four bidders.

[59:11] Were you in a motion I move

[59:13] to award the DES station 400 renovations contract

[59:16] to Bayside Roofing and Exteriors LLC of Rockville, Maryland

[59:20] and the amount of $338,108.

[59:24] And authorize the director of public works

[59:26] to issue the notice of award

[59:28] and execute the contract on behalf

[59:30] of the county commissioners.

[59:32] Second, do you have a motion to second any discussion?

[59:37] Seeing none. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye.

[59:40] Aye. Aye. Gonna have it completed. Do you know?

[59:43] I think they're allowed 90 days,

[59:45] That's correct.

[59:46] And we're ready to hit the ground running.

[59:48] Good. Thank you commissioners.

[59:52] Alright commissioners, the next items are for the

[59:56] sanitary commission, so

[59:58] Convenience, sanitary.

[59:59] Second. All those in favor?

[1:00:01] Aye. Aye. Alright, thank you Commissioners.

[1:00:05] Item two on pages three through six.

[1:00:07] This is a consent to assign a Maryland Department

[1:00:12] of Transportation easement to license agreement

[1:00:16] from the town of Sellersville to the county.

[1:00:20] The town had to secure a license agreement from MDOT in

[1:00:22] order to place one of their water mains

[1:00:24] and Main Street under their railroad right away there.

[1:00:27] And as we all know, the county is now the owner

[1:00:29] of the water main and the utility systems in Sellersville.

[1:00:32] So this is a transfer document from the town of Sellersville

[1:00:34] to county.

[1:00:38] I move to execute the consent

[1:00:40] to assign a license agreement

[1:00:42] with the Maryland Transit Authority in order

[1:00:44] to transfer the license, allowing a water main

[1:00:46] with Main Street to cross under the existing railroad right

[1:00:50] of way from the town of Sellersville to the county.

[1:00:53] Second, we got a motion to second.

[1:00:55] Any discussion on this item? Seen none.

[1:00:58] All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed?

[1:01:01] And moved.

[1:01:03] Okay, thank you commissioners.

[1:01:05] Item three on pages seven through nine.

[1:01:08] This is the A memorandum from Director Quimbee

[1:01:11] for the Barclays Sewer Subdistrict rate hearing.

[1:01:16] As I mentioned, the county owns

[1:01:17] and operates the public wastewater collection system serving

[1:01:20] the town of Barclay through the Barclay sewer Subdistrict.

[1:01:24] Following an exhaustive review

[1:01:26] of the system's first full year of operation,

[1:01:29] we've completed a financial review

[1:01:30] and determined its current user rates are unfortunately

[1:01:34] insufficient to cover the actual cost

[1:01:35] of the operating maintaining of that system.

[1:01:39] And the staff is recommending

[1:01:40] that the Sanctuary Commission authorize the public hearing

[1:01:42] to consider revisions to the Barclay sewer rate schedule.

[1:01:46] We propose to have that on July the 28th

[1:01:49] and I think we would wanna hold that up in the northern part

[1:01:52] of the county if we can find an an appropriate venue.

[1:01:56] The idea here is we would be ready to have this,

[1:01:59] the new rate schedule be effective

[1:02:02] for the October billing cycle

[1:02:04] and there are a number of components to that rate schedule.

[1:02:09] Would you like me to read through those real quickly?

[1:02:13] The motion? Well, yes in the motion as well.

[1:02:14] Yeah. Yeah, I'll do the motion.

[1:02:16] Okay. Alright, commissioner, I move

[1:02:18] to hold a public hearing on July 28th, 2026

[1:02:20] to adopt a Barclay sewer service area rate schedule

[1:02:23] and consider the following rate adjustments.

[1:02:25] Institute a customer charge of $6 per quarter per account

[1:02:29] institute a ready to serve exemption program

[1:02:31] to assist homeowners with limited incomes currently defined

[1:02:34] as a gross income of 38,484

[1:02:37] or less to modify the ready

[1:02:39] to serve charge billing from a per account basis

[1:02:41] to a per EDU basis to increase the current operations

[1:02:45] and maintenance charges by 25% per EDU

[1:02:48] to institute an annual rate escalator to be applied

[1:02:52] to the operations and maintenance charge

[1:02:53] and the pump maintenance charge.

[1:02:54] Effective July 1st, 2027 in each subsequent,

[1:02:58] subsequent July 1st thereafter.

[1:03:03] Second, we have a motion and a second.

[1:03:05] Any discussion on this item? Seeing none.

[1:03:09] All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed?

[1:03:13] Four zero

[1:03:16] Thank you commissioners.

[1:03:17] Item four on pages 10, 11, and 12.

[1:03:20] This is for the sellersville water

[1:03:22] and sewer subdistrict rates.

[1:03:25] Again, the county owns and operates the public water

[1:03:27] and sewer system serving the town of Sellersville

[1:03:29] through Sellersville water and sewer subdistrict.

[1:03:32] Again, a comprehensive financial review found

[1:03:35] that existing rates no longer generate sufficient revenue

[1:03:37] to cover the actual cost of operating, maintaining,

[1:03:40] and servicing debt associated with these systems.

[1:03:43] And again, staff recommends San Commission authorized public

[1:03:46] hearing to consider revisions to the sellersville water

[1:03:48] and sewer rate schedule.

[1:03:50] And the, these proposed changes do include a phased three

[1:03:53] year adjustment to those water and sewer rates.

[1:03:56] And again, we would like to hold

[1:03:58] that on July the 28th in order to be prepared for

[1:04:01] implementation by the October billing cycle.

[1:04:04] Okay, I moved to hold a public hearing on July 28th, 2026

[1:04:08] to adopt a southville water

[1:04:10] and sewer service area rate schedule

[1:04:12] and consider the following rate adjustments.

[1:04:15] Number one, to institute a customer charge

[1:04:17] of $12 per quarter per account.

[1:04:19] Number two, to institute a minimum quarterly flow

[1:04:22] of 4,550 gallons per quarter

[1:04:26] to all improved properties.

[1:04:28] Number three, to institute a ready

[1:04:30] to serve exemption program to assist homeowners with limited

[1:04:35] incomes currently defined as a gross income

[1:04:38] of $38,484 or less.

[1:04:41] Number four, to increase the current water

[1:04:43] and sewer ready to serve, charge and usage.

[1:04:46] Charge by 30 oops, 35% for both water

[1:04:51] and sewer to the, to be effective October 1st, 2026

[1:04:55] To increase the rates established on October 1st, 2026

[1:04:59] by 15% for sewer

[1:05:01] and 5% for water

[1:05:03] to be effective July 1st, 2027.

[1:05:07] And to increase the rates established July 1st, 2027 by 15%

[1:05:12] for sewer and 5% for water effective July 1st, 2028.

[1:05:17] Number five, to institute an annual rate escalator

[1:05:21] to be applied to the water and sewer ready to serve

[1:05:24] and usage charge of 5% to be applied July 1st, 2029.

[1:05:29] And each subsequent, subsequent July 1st thereafter.

[1:05:32] And number six, to institute an annual allocation for,

[1:05:37] excuse me, to institute an annual allocation fee escalator

[1:05:40] for new development to be applied to the water

[1:05:42] and sewer allocation charges of 2.5%

[1:05:46] to be applied July 1st, 2027 in each subsequent

[1:05:49] July one thereafter.

[1:05:52] So second, we have a motion and a second discussion.

[1:05:55] Alan, I thought Yeah,

[1:05:56] I was gonna say we should probably explain a lot of this.

[1:05:58] Yes. And I'll start off and then Alan,

[1:06:00] you can fill in all the blanks with your expertise,

[1:06:01] but, so for those not aware,

[1:06:04] the Sellersville plant was upgraded in 2000 6, 7, 8

[1:06:08] timeframe with the anticipation

[1:06:10] that two large communities were gonna come online

[1:06:12] and support the project.

[1:06:13] Yep. Fortunately, with the housing bust, neither one

[1:06:16] of those communities became established and

[1:06:19] therefore the plant moved forward.

[1:06:22] It's created a lot of debt on the back end with USDA

[1:06:25] and other sources of in of money to upgrade to plant.

[1:06:29] And it's been pretty much in that situation

[1:06:32] for the last 15 years under the town's,

[1:06:37] the town commissioners are the ones that have run it up

[1:06:40] until, I guess last year, two years ago now, I guess,

[1:06:43] in toll, MES Well, MES ran it,

[1:06:45] but the town commissioners had control

[1:06:46] of the purse strings and everything else.

[1:06:49] Two years ago the county stepped in

[1:06:51] because it was basically going bankrupt

[1:06:54] and services weren't gonna be able to be provided.

[1:06:56] So it's been a painstaking thing for the commissioners

[1:06:59] to have to step in first and even go down this road.

[1:07:04] But unfortunately with sewer

[1:07:06] and water, it is enterprise zones,

[1:07:08] which means it's user funded.

[1:07:10] I, we met with the commissioners who went

[1:07:12] and met with their townspeople, came back with this is a,

[1:07:15] a really good compromise based on the severity of

[1:07:18] where the plant lies today.

[1:07:20] So hopefully the hearing will, will be able

[1:07:23] to share more information out to the public in that area.

[1:07:26] But I think this,

[1:07:27] in three years we will actually get

[1:07:29] the plant in a good shape.

[1:07:30] In good shape financially,

[1:07:32] and the users will, it'll kind of settle out.

[1:07:36] The good news is too, they have two housing projects

[1:07:40] that are due to come online in Su Louisville over the

[1:07:43] next two to five years.

[1:07:45] Just say that will put an additional 300 plus homes there,

[1:07:49] which will greatly reduce a lot of this

[1:07:52] long-term effect of the sewer plant.

[1:07:54] So there is a silver lining to where we're going with this.

[1:07:57] And it is painful to have to do this,

[1:07:59] honestly, as far as I'm concerned.

[1:08:00] But it, unfortunately it is necessary at this point.

[1:08:03] So, anything else you got, Alan,

[1:08:06] One of the things you asked us to look at is the impact

[1:08:08] of growth and it would make a huge difference if

[1:08:11] and when it comes, right?

[1:08:12] That's the, that's the issue.

[1:08:13] And also these rates, as drastic as they may seem,

[1:08:17] that only get, brings us to a breakeven.

[1:08:19] There's no reserves being built up.

[1:08:20] There's no capital program being set aside

[1:08:22] for this is simply to keep the, the operation moving

[1:08:26] and having the customers pay the cost of the operation.

[1:08:28] There's, it's just, we're looking for breakeven.

[1:08:32] One other thing, if in order for us to be able

[1:08:36] to implement the Ready to Serve exemption program

[1:08:39] by October, which would help out the low income people, I,

[1:08:42] I really have to start that process now

[1:08:45] to get the applications in.

[1:08:46] Because what I have to do is send 'em to the comptroller

[1:08:48] to verify their income,

[1:08:49] which takes a long time, four to six weeks.

[1:08:52] So if you decide not to go that route,

[1:08:55] which I can't imagine you would,

[1:08:57] but we just throw the applications away.

[1:08:59] But I really need to start canvassing the public now

[1:09:02] to get those applications in.

[1:09:03] Something you need from us to start your canvas?

[1:09:05] Nope. Just say Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.

[1:09:10] Okay. Very good. Alright, any,

[1:09:14] any additional on this item or you got anything else

[1:09:16] Now?

[1:09:17] No, I really need to know by Monday the location and time

[1:09:22] For the, For the advertisements.

[1:09:24] Middle school? Well, we'll, we'll have to wait.

[1:09:26] We do the budget, get a location.

[1:09:28] We were thinking six 30 or seven. Yeah.

[1:09:30] Seven. Yeah. Seven. Seven.

[1:09:31] Seven o'clock at the middle school,

[1:09:33] right where we do the budget here.

[1:09:34] Maybe we can try for the middle school. What about

[1:09:35] since it's summer weather or not?

[1:09:36] It's open to, yeah. Oh, gotcha, gotcha. Maybe

[1:09:39] The Firehouse Middle School.

[1:09:40] We can, we can check those couple

[1:09:41] venues, but those would be the two

[1:09:42] Firehouse has rooms.

[1:09:43] Firehouse. Yeah, the firehouse. Okay. Yeah.

[1:09:46] So he needs that by the firehouse,

[1:09:50] right? As long as they're, yep.

[1:09:51] Yeah, we'll check with them. Okay.

[1:09:55] That's about it for me. Very good. Thank you.

[1:10:00] Moving on. Yep. Alright. Thank you gentlemen.

[1:10:03] Alright, Moving on. Commissioners. Tab three. We have

[1:10:06] Vote.

[1:10:07] We did. Yeah, we voted. We did. Did we not vote?

[1:10:09] Not on the second when we haven't voted yet.

[1:10:10] Did you get the vote on that or did not vote?

[1:10:12] No, we did not vote. Oh, I'm sorry. Excuse me.

[1:10:14] Okay, well we have a motion in a second.

[1:10:17] All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed?

[1:10:21] There you go. Alright. Todd gets so excited.

[1:10:25] We talked about sewer, he just, that's he just, he just kind

[1:10:30] brings him back to the days.

[1:10:33] Alright, commissioners, moving into

[1:10:35] the action items this evening.

[1:10:36] Tab number three, item one.

[1:10:38] On pages one through five we have the Mako

[1:10:41] annual accomplishments list

[1:10:43] and the FFY 2027 dues and assessments.

[1:10:47] They've submitted their membership dues invoice

[1:10:49] and once again dues remain frozen.

[1:10:52] This is 17 consecutive years

[1:10:55] where they have not increased their dues

[1:10:56] for county governments and one penny.

[1:11:00] It's been a great year this past year,

[1:11:02] as I'm sure our past president, Mr. Jack Wilson, here,

[1:11:05] commissioner Jack Wilson can attest to.

[1:11:06] So this would be recommended for approval.

[1:11:10] I move to pay the invoice to Maryland Association

[1:11:13] of Counties for the FY 27 dues

[1:11:14] and assessments in the amount of $15,113.

[1:11:17] Second, you got motion? Motion to second. Any discussion?

[1:11:22] Chiefess lobbyists. Annapolis, right there.

[1:11:24] Yep, that's true. That's very true.

[1:11:27] All those in favor signify saying aye. Aye. Opposed?

[1:11:31] So moved.

[1:11:32] Alright, thank you commissioners. Item two on page six.

[1:11:35] This is from Marque Ians County Health Officer.

[1:11:37] This is requesting approval for the FY 2027

[1:11:42] contract along with the option to extend

[1:11:44] for additional five years

[1:11:45] for non-emergency ambulance transportation medical

[1:11:48] assistance services.

[1:11:50] The amount of this particular service contract caps out at

[1:11:53] $96,000

[1:11:54] and this is state funded dollars

[1:11:57] that the county health Department operates the program for.

[1:12:03] I move to approve the Queen s County Department of Health.

[1:12:07] Enter into the FY 27 contract along with the option

[1:12:10] to extend up to five additional fiscal year terms

[1:12:12] for non-emergency ambulance, transportation,

[1:12:14] medical assistance, transportation services

[1:12:17] with AM van LLC transacting as AAA transport.

[1:12:21] This service contract is not to exceed the amount

[1:12:23] of $96,000.

[1:12:24] Second we have a motion. Second. Any discussion?

[1:12:28] Seeing none, all those in favors. Second favor say aye. Aye.

[1:12:32] Aye. Here you go

[1:12:34] It.

[1:12:35] Thank you Commissioners. And item three is a similar item.

[1:12:37] This is also from our health officer

[1:12:40] and this is requesting approval

[1:12:42] for their FY 27 contract along with the option

[1:12:44] for an additional five years for the ambulatory

[1:12:47] and non-ambulatory wheelchair medical assistance

[1:12:50] transportation services.

[1:12:52] And the amount of that service contract is not

[1:12:54] to exceed $800,000.

[1:12:55] And again, it's with AAA transport.

[1:12:58] And that I will mention too that this,

[1:13:00] both these contracts were competitively bid on e Maryland

[1:13:04] marketplace and we only had one bidder for these contracts.

[1:13:07] The only service provider really in the region.

[1:13:09] So just wanted to make sure you were aware of that.

[1:13:11] And again, this is a, a state funded,

[1:13:15] I move to approve that the Queen Annes County Department

[1:13:17] of Health enter into the FY 27 contract with the option

[1:13:20] to extend up to five additional fiscal year terms

[1:13:23] for ambulatory and non-ambulatory medical assistance

[1:13:25] transportation services with AM V-A-L-L-C transacting

[1:13:29] as AAA transport.

[1:13:31] This service contract is not to exceed the amount

[1:13:33] of $800,000.

[1:13:34] Second. And these are fee for services.

[1:13:37] So it's just a, basically a knock to exceed. Yeah. Yep.

[1:13:41] And we have a motion in a second. Any discussion? See you.

[1:13:44] None. All those in favor signify Aye. Of us saying aye. Aye.

[1:13:47] Aye. Aye. Opposed? So moved.

[1:13:51] Thank you commissioners. Item four on page eight is a

[1:13:56] letter of support addressed

[1:13:58] to Governor Moore endorsing the town

[1:14:00] of Centerville's wastewater treatment plan expansion project

[1:14:04] and the town's request for state funding

[1:14:06] and assistance to advance this critical infrastructure

[1:14:09] investment for the town of Centerville.

[1:14:12] And they also sent letters, similar letters,

[1:14:15] requesting support from our delegation members as

[1:14:17] Well.

[1:14:18] I move to execute the town

[1:14:19] of Centerville wastewater treatment plant

[1:14:22] expansion project support letter

[1:14:24] to the governor of Maryland.

[1:14:26] Second, we have a motion and a second.

[1:14:30] Any further discussion? Seeing you? None.

[1:14:33] All those in favor signify by saying Aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed?

[1:14:36] So moved.

[1:14:38] Alright, thank you commissioners.

[1:14:40] Item five is a letter in support

[1:14:43] of Chesapeake College's grant application

[1:14:46] to the rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund

[1:14:48] for the development of the Queen Edge technical building.

[1:14:52] This will be a letter that we'll be getting later

[1:14:54] for signature by all

[1:14:56] of the Chesapeake College counties via DocuSign.

[1:14:59] Just need your approval to have Commissioner Moran sign

[1:15:03] that when it comes in and the application is

[1:15:05] for $112,875,

[1:15:08] which will help offset design expenses incurred by the

[1:15:13] five counties for the Queen and Tech center.

[1:15:17] I move to agree to execute the letter of support

[1:15:19] for Chesapeake College's application

[1:15:20] to the rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund

[1:15:22] for the development of the Queen End's technical building

[1:15:24] via DocuSign when the document is ready for signature.

[1:15:27] Second, we have a motion

[1:15:29] to second any discussion on this item.

[1:15:31] And I also believe I read that they're gonna also

[1:15:34] next year will apply for construction.

[1:15:37] Yes. Grant as well. So yeah, the, yeah,

[1:15:43] all those in favor signify to say aye.

[1:15:44] Aye. Aye. Opposed? So moved.

[1:15:49] All right. Commissioners. Item number six.

[1:15:54] Do we wanna do seven first?

[1:15:55] Yeah, we can. Sure. That's a good idea Commissioner. Yeah.

[1:15:57] Item number seven, this is engineering services

[1:16:01] for Kent Narrows, Thompson Creek Landing Bulkhead

[1:16:04] and Matta Peak boat ramp replacement.

[1:16:06] So our department parks

[1:16:07] and recreation held a bid open bids on June 22nd

[1:16:12] for engineering services.

[1:16:13] For the three projects I mentioned, four bids were received

[1:16:16] and they're recommending award of the lowest

[1:16:18] to the lowest bidder jewels, miles,

[1:16:20] and Bureau from Salisbury $97,810.

[1:16:24] And we do have some grant dollars from the Waterway

[1:16:26] Improvement Fund to help out with those three projects.

[1:16:30] You owe Jack Big time. What's that?

[1:16:32] You owe Jack Big time do for moving you up the list.

[1:16:36] I do appreciate it. A little earlier.

[1:16:39] It would've been great, but this is good.

[1:16:43] What took you so long?

[1:16:48] So you want the motion first? Go ahead Chris.

[1:16:50] I moved to authorize the Department of Parks

[1:16:52] and Recreations to contract

[1:16:53] with engineering services George Miles

[1:16:55] and Burr, LLC from Salisbury, Maryland

[1:16:58] for the Kent Narrows landing Thompson Creek Landing

[1:17:02] and Manatee Boat ramp projects for a total amount

[1:17:05] of $97,810.

[1:17:07] Utilizing the MD DNR Waterway Improvement Fund grants.

[1:17:12] Second. We got a motion in second discussion.

[1:17:17] We're all good, right? We're all good.

[1:17:19] So actually yeah, let's do the motion

[1:17:21] 'cause I actually have a question for James

[1:17:22] after this in relation to the RIVERKEEPERS presentation.

[1:17:25] Oh, different Yeah, different just outta So these,

[1:17:29] this is just the engineering to to design

[1:17:32] new ramps? Correct.

[1:17:33] Oh wow. And bulkhead two

[1:17:35] Bulkhead repairs one ramp

[1:17:37] and it's just repairing

[1:17:38] and replacing them. It's not a new site.

[1:17:40] Okay, Great. For Saint Grant funded. Alright,

[1:17:43] Well we have a motion.

[1:17:44] We have a second. All those in favor signify to saying aye.

[1:17:47] Aye. Aye. Opposed? So moved for that.

[1:17:50] And you want to, yeah, so, so,

[1:17:52] and the river keepers, they, she was showing

[1:17:54] where they took a lot of their

[1:17:57] metrics were at boat landings.

[1:17:59] I just, how, I don't know how that's a good place

[1:18:02] to be taken at water quality metric when you have boats in

[1:18:04] and out there with fuel and a lot of things going on there.

[1:18:07] I, I don't know, I was just questioning

[1:18:09] 'cause you looked at some of the other ones that weren't

[1:18:10] related to boat landings.

[1:18:11] They were in much better shape.

[1:18:13] Do do you see that

[1:18:14] where the water quality right there at the boat landing,

[1:18:16] if you go out 50 feet,

[1:18:17] it's probably much better 50 feet out than it

[1:18:19] is actually at the boat landing.

[1:18:20] I mean to my, in my common sense mine, I would think

[1:18:23] so, but I don't know.

[1:18:25] I wasn't part of that presentation, so I'm, I'm not,

[1:18:28] I'm catching up a little bit here.

[1:18:30] Okay. I'm glad they're study.

[1:18:33] You know, people are getting out on the water, which is

[1:18:38] what we're want and yeah, the boat ramps are a place

[1:18:42] where, you know, it's the interface with land and water

[1:18:45] and a lot of times the runoff is coming off there so.

[1:18:50] Right. Yeah. Okay.

[1:18:51] I know they help us out

[1:18:52] with the swimming beaches at matte.

[1:18:55] I think they're studying that one.

[1:18:56] So does MDE and

[1:18:57] that's really our only public swimming beach.

[1:18:59] But, and that was the other question

[1:19:01] and we didn't really haven't that much time with them,

[1:19:03] but that was what I was gonna say is most of

[1:19:04] that they're testing aren't swimmable anyway.

[1:19:06] People aren't supposed to be swimming

[1:19:07] or should we be telling them go swim in there

[1:19:10] because the conditions are right.

[1:19:11] 'cause there none of 'em are certified swimming

[1:19:13] places in Queen Annes County.

[1:19:16] Right. As far as I know, it's only matter

[1:19:18] Matte beaches.

[1:19:19] That's the only one I'm saying matte is our only beach

[1:19:21] that's certified for swimming county Beach County.

[1:19:23] Yeah, there's some rules. I'm not the expert on that.

[1:19:25] It's other folks are handling that,

[1:19:27] but they're swim anywhere as far as swimming beaches,

[1:19:29] you need a shower, a bathroom close by and things like that.

[1:19:35] Yeah, that's my question. I was just wondering why they

[1:19:37] would be testing there if they're not really swimming

[1:19:39] areas or swimming. So,

[1:19:41] Well, I think it was part of it where she alluded

[1:19:42] to the fact that, you know, if it's a kayak launch

[1:19:45] or a canoe launch, you're still stepping into that water

[1:19:48] so you're still being exposed.

[1:19:50] I gotcha. They're trying to bring information that way. But

[1:19:53] Yeah, I think you can make the argument people are tubing

[1:19:56] and getting, you know, the, our boaters are interfacing

[1:19:59] with the water, so Yeah,

[1:20:01] I'm just saying at the landing though.

[1:20:02] Yeah, right. It just seems to me it should be

[1:20:03] somewhere away from the landing.

[1:20:05] And I think there's a, a certain standard of

[1:20:07] how far out into the water they're supposed to go.

[1:20:10] And again, that's, that goes

[1:20:12] with consistency and consistency

[1:20:13] Of the test taker too.

[1:20:15] They also, they're, they have to get

[1:20:16] locations where there's public access.

[1:20:17] That's probably why sometimes it's at the landings

[1:20:19] is the only place they get the access.

[1:20:21] But if we get a couple more of these locations for them,

[1:20:24] we'll get a better feel for how it is

[1:20:26] as you're sort of going down the

[1:20:28] Line.

[1:20:29] Right. Which are non landing locations.

[1:20:29] That's what I'm thinking is

[1:20:31] Might be better. Hopefully.

[1:20:32] Yeah. Yeah. You would hope you're gonna see

[1:20:34] more yellow or green at least.

[1:20:36] Yep. So

[1:20:38] We are trying to look into ways to intercept

[1:20:43] material before it gets into the water as

[1:20:45] that interface point. So

[1:20:47] At the landing itself. Yeah. Gotcha.

[1:20:49] I, I have some preliminary work

[1:20:51] behind the scenes we're working on, on that.

[1:20:54] Excellent. Very good. Thank you. Thank you.

[1:20:58] Thank you for the bump up. Yep. Appreciate

[1:21:00] It.

[1:21:06] All right, thanks gentlemen. Okay,

[1:21:09] Now the next item. Yep.

[1:21:10] Our final item is item number six.

[1:21:12] This is a follow up to the presentation we had a couple

[1:21:17] of months ago on the building moratorium.

[1:21:19] We have some findings recommendations

[1:21:21] and we would like

[1:21:22] to seek out some policy direction

[1:21:23] from the board of commissioners.

[1:21:25] So I think we have a number of the committee members here.

[1:21:27] I think come on up, Steve Cahoon and

[1:21:31] and Director Quimbee are gonna lead, lead us

[1:21:34] through a couple of these policy questions.

[1:21:37] But we, we still have a lot of work to do, yet we have

[1:21:42] to update and adopt the comprehensive water and sewer plan

[1:21:45] and the associated sewer allocation policy

[1:21:49] and related to that the county's adequate public facilities

[1:21:52] ordinance and the memo in the book outlines

[1:21:55] and some of the findings, the appendix in that

[1:21:59] item in the book on page 20, no, I'm sorry, the last page

[1:22:03] of the memo does show the, the

[1:22:07] appendix A on page 17, the remaining

[1:22:11] capacity at the sewer plant

[1:22:13] where we had the allocations set aside for residential,

[1:22:16] commercial and climate resiliency.

[1:22:18] And then the re-rating capacity in the buckets

[1:22:21] for public health concern,

[1:22:23] unidentified public health concern areas, non-residential

[1:22:25] and residential infill uses.

[1:22:27] So all, all, all in,

[1:22:28] we have about 450,000 gallons remaining.

[1:22:32] So we want get some direction from the commissioners

[1:22:35] how we are going to allocate that

[1:22:38] and if we're gonna have annual caps, winter to be allocated.

[1:22:41] And then Steve will be going over several additions

[1:22:45] and modifications to the adequate public facilities policy

[1:22:48] and ordinance for school capacities.

[1:22:51] So with that commissioner, have any

[1:22:54] initial questions before we get started?

[1:22:57] And I'll let, I don't know who wants to start first

[1:23:00] Actually, have we, I mean we had an initial presentation

[1:23:03] on this a while back and there was some social media

[1:23:07] outreach for citizens.

[1:23:08] Have we gotten any input from any

[1:23:10] citizens by email or anything?

[1:23:13] Not to my knowledge. Yeah, we have,

[1:23:14] we've received very limited feedback from the presentation

[1:23:19] on, on the proposal that we had laid out before.

[1:23:26] Well, just so folks know who are watching, there tends

[1:23:31] to be a lot of people who voice concerns about

[1:23:34] whenever there's a development or something that's approved.

[1:23:37] That's what this is about.

[1:23:38] This is about what resources are available

[1:23:42] for future development from Can island up to Queenstown.

[1:23:46] And so if you have strong feelings one way

[1:23:49] or the other about what should be loud,

[1:23:52] what shouldn't be loud, how it should be mitigated,

[1:23:54] how it should be sequenced, this is like a big deal,

[1:23:58] important thing to be active as a citizen.

[1:24:03] 'cause if you're not, and then a year from now there's

[1:24:06] something that you don't like, you know,

[1:24:08] there's gonna be a new policy that's in place

[1:24:10] and this is the opportunity.

[1:24:11] So just so people know that the words been put out there,

[1:24:14] but there's been shockingly little feedback on it.

[1:24:25] Go

[1:24:25] Ahead Steve.

[1:24:26] You wanna kick it off? No, I'll take it. Okay.

[1:24:30] The final component of the water and sewer plan

[1:24:32] before we can put put publish it for adoption is the water

[1:24:35] and sewer allocation policy.

[1:24:37] If you recall, we were here a couple months ago.

[1:24:40] One of the things we proposed was quarterly

[1:24:42] restricting application applicants for allocation quarterly,

[1:24:46] which wasn't well received.

[1:24:47] So that's off the table.

[1:24:48] There's only really two components left that we need answers

[1:24:51] to to finalize the draft sewer allocation policy

[1:24:55] as one for residential.

[1:24:57] Do you wish to meter out the allocation,

[1:24:59] remaining allocation 70 gallons per year?

[1:25:01] And if so, how many gallons per year?

[1:25:03] Or just leave it as it is now on demand?

[1:25:07] And the second one is,

[1:25:08] where in the development review process would a project be

[1:25:13] eligible for asking for allocation?

[1:25:15] Currently they have to go through concept plan review

[1:25:18] and approval and then they can ask for the allocation.

[1:25:20] One proposal put forth was to hold it to the very end

[1:25:23] of the process, which I guess that's on the table as well.

[1:25:27] I'm not sure how you feel about either of those things.

[1:25:29] But again, to frame 'em up, we need

[1:25:31] to know if you wanna meter out the

[1:25:33] residential allocation or not.

[1:25:35] And we need to know where in the process you want the A

[1:25:38] project to be eligible to request the allocation.

[1:25:41] That's the direction we need at, at the moment.

[1:25:44] As far as allocation policy,

[1:25:49] Well I think just from my perspective,

[1:25:52] metering out the allocation makes sense to me

[1:25:55] because you have a big project that come in

[1:25:58] and it gobbles it all up and then it's gone or a large,

[1:26:02] and then you don't have a lot left.

[1:26:04] We don't know what the county might need six years from now.

[1:26:09] And so metering it out gives that flexibility to

[1:26:13] future citizens, future commissioners to use

[1:26:16] that allocation without having it all used up quickly.

[1:26:19] So I, I think there's some, some logic to it.

[1:26:22] Then the other side I guess would be, if, if it's too rigid,

[1:26:26] then you may prevent certain projects that do make sense

[1:26:30] that need a larger allocation.

[1:26:36] But I wouldn't wanna see it all gobbled up quickly

[1:26:39] and then there's nothing and then, you know, there's some

[1:26:43] who knows what it is that we need that now we we're,

[1:26:46] we're in a, a bind

[1:26:47] because when this is gone absent new technology, like

[1:26:51] that's it for the county new we,

[1:26:52] there are some change in laws at the federal

[1:26:55] level or new technology.

[1:26:56] This is it.

[1:26:58] Yeah, no, I'm definitely in favor

[1:26:59] of metering what that number is.

[1:27:01] I I still have to think about that before, I mean,

[1:27:04] and take a look at our net, you're saying four 50,

[1:27:09] but is that taking the institutional

[1:27:11] and everything outta of that or that's the total

[1:27:12] 450,000 gallons.

[1:27:15] Yeah, the 150,000 remaining in the current plant

[1:27:18] and then the 300,000

[1:27:20] Rerating.

[1:27:21] Yeah, but only a hundred thousand goes to residential.

[1:27:23] We're only talking about residential.

[1:27:25] Right. So you got a hundred thousand basically.

[1:27:27] Yeah. Yeah. To be clear, we weren't talking about,

[1:27:29] at least we weren't initially talking about metering

[1:27:31] commercial allocation.

[1:27:33] Right. Or public health needs or institutional uses.

[1:27:36] Just the residential 150,000.

[1:27:38] And historically those have not been ones that have sort

[1:27:41] of used large volumes at once.

[1:27:43] Correct. So they almost sort of like

[1:27:45] historically have been self metering themselves.

[1:27:47] Correct. Yeah. Residential users consume

[1:27:50] the bulk of the allocation.

[1:27:51] So we had suggested

[1:27:52] before a 10,000 gallon per year cap

[1:27:56] for residential allocations out of the re-rating

[1:27:59] that was, that was 40

[1:28:00] Single Family homes.

[1:28:01] About 40. Yep.

[1:28:04] And just to, this is not a, a one and done situation.

[1:28:07] This is something that as projects come in

[1:28:10] as sewer allocation is allocated, we would keep, have,

[1:28:14] you know, keep the commission informed right.

[1:28:16] On where we are. And if policy changes

[1:28:19] or changes are needed to the allocation policy,

[1:28:21] you could change, it could get tighter or looser.

[1:28:24] So if at, if at a certain point there were no caps,

[1:28:29] then a, a year later we came back to revisit it,

[1:28:33] those caps could be put in place.

[1:28:35] So this is a, a starting point as we move forward

[1:28:39] and we could, and we're going to,

[1:28:41] it's gonna be an ongoing annual process.

[1:28:43] But I think the caps also keep the county from getting into

[1:28:46] a bind legally with a development that comes in

[1:28:49] that just say wants 500 homes

[1:28:51] and that's gonna gobble it all up for say,

[1:28:54] a two year foreseeable future.

[1:28:57] And we say no because we have another project

[1:29:00] or whatever the case may be.

[1:29:01] And that, and that begs me

[1:29:03] to my next question was I brought up the concern about this

[1:29:07] group of commissioners can't sit up here and pick

[1:29:09] and choose who gets housing and who doesn't.

[1:29:12] And I feel like that's a situation that's gonna be a very

[1:29:16] hard unintended consequence that's gonna be out of this,

[1:29:19] the way this is drafted now.

[1:29:21] And I know you're shaking

[1:29:22] your head, Alex, 'cause you knew that.

[1:29:23] I mean, and, and it, I get it,

[1:29:25] but it's, it's like we have to come up with a system of how

[1:29:28] that is me if we're gonna meter it, there's gotta be

[1:29:30] the rule's gotta be very clear as to how it's metered

[1:29:33] and you know, whether it's first come first served the end

[1:29:35] of the day due to commissioners get the final

[1:29:37] beat oath, that kind of thing.

[1:29:38] I think all that's gotta be thought about

[1:29:39] before we just jump into this.

[1:29:41] 'cause this is it. I I said it

[1:29:42] during all these forums and stuff.

[1:29:44] We had this is it, this is gonna be something

[1:29:46] that's gonna stick with Queen Annes County till

[1:29:48] the end of Queen Annes County.

[1:29:49] Now, like to your point, unless technology changes

[1:29:51] and there's something drastically happens

[1:29:53] and it all just disappears in the air

[1:29:55] after you flush a toilet.

[1:29:56] But I don't think that's coming anytime soon.

[1:29:58] So, and then the other one is the clawback.

[1:30:02] We already have a clawback feature for

[1:30:06] developments now.

[1:30:07] Right. For if they don't break ground, blah, blah,

[1:30:09] blah clawback For the allocation,

[1:30:12] clawback allocation, we already have that in place.

[1:30:13] Right. I noticed that was one of the things that was on here

[1:30:16] to decide on, but I think we already

[1:30:18] have something in place for that.

[1:30:19] Correct? We do. Okay. So I mean I'm good with that.

[1:30:23] And then the A PFO side, obviously that'll work itself out.

[1:30:27] And you, Steve, you did all those numbers

[1:30:29] and I understand that there is some maybe shift on Yeah,

[1:30:34] so we'll get into AP F.

[1:30:35] Okay. You wanna just do the sewer part for if you wanna go

[1:30:37] through sewer, then we'll shift to AP FO.

[1:30:39] Okay.

[1:30:40] And, and so, so people understand too,

[1:30:42] what we're talking about at, at 10,000, this is for

[1:30:46] new development proposals.

[1:30:47] There are, there are developments

[1:30:49] that already have allocations

[1:30:50] but have not yet put a shovel in the ground order in the

[1:30:53] process of putting shovel in the ground.

[1:30:54] They've already got allocation that's outside

[1:30:56] of what we're talking about.

[1:30:58] Correct. Here. So Southern Ken Island, a house that,

[1:31:02] there's a lot that hasn't been built yet,

[1:31:04] but it's buildable that's already sort of accounted for.

[1:31:06] Correct. In a separate allocation.

[1:31:08] So we're not talking about that doesn't stop

[1:31:09] those from going forward.

[1:31:11] These would be new developments. Right.

[1:31:14] I think some people don't understand that distinction.

[1:31:18] And if you do do a metering, you have to, we'll have

[1:31:20] to set a date when it takes effect.

[1:31:22] As you know, there are three

[1:31:25] or at least two, there's three projects in the wings

[1:31:28] that were held up by the moratorium.

[1:31:29] Right. So you need to keep those in consideration.

[1:31:31] One of 'em actually fits under the 10,000,

[1:31:34] so I'm sure about that one.

[1:31:35] But the other two would exceed

[1:31:36] to 10,000 if the 10,000 is the number you pick.

[1:31:46] Well also, I mean I think we need to keep in mind that

[1:31:50] these appendix A at any given time,

[1:31:55] the sitting commissioners could vote to move some

[1:31:58] of the allocations from one category to another.

[1:32:00] All they have to do is amend the word sew plan. That's it.

[1:32:03] Right? Yeah. Right. So I mean I, I think that's something

[1:32:06] that's, I think that's a good thing.

[1:32:11] I mean, I think the Queen Annes County has,

[1:32:13] and shoot me now if you want,

[1:32:16] but it's always been a bedroom community

[1:32:19] and that's why there's so many commuters.

[1:32:21] But I don't know, I look at,

[1:32:24] I look at this from another standpoint, the Clean Water Act,

[1:32:30] the T MDLs, that's why we're here.

[1:32:32] We have 3.3 million gallons of discharge

[1:32:35] into the Chesapeake Bay where

[1:32:38] what we're discharging is a hell

[1:32:39] of a lot cleaner than what's out in, in that bay.

[1:32:42] And we have 3.3 million gallons for a county

[1:32:46] that has 53,000 people in it.

[1:32:49] And I look around all around us in the capacity that a lot

[1:32:53] of these other counties have.

[1:32:54] We are the first one to run into this

[1:32:57] in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to reach our, our limits.

[1:33:01] And our limits are, were very, very low.

[1:33:03] And, and I, I would like to see some sort of report on

[1:33:06] all the other counties and municipalities that discharge

[1:33:09] and what kind of ratings they had to begin with.

[1:33:12] Because, you know, I approached Senator Sarbanes

[1:33:17] three or four years ago about this when we saw this coming.

[1:33:20] And I said, you know, what are we gonna do?

[1:33:22] I mean, you you, you're gonna shut down a,

[1:33:23] a county's ability to grow

[1:33:25] and without growth, we all know what that means with taxes.

[1:33:28] So he goes, that's very interesting.

[1:33:31] You know, let me look into it. And crickets.

[1:33:34] So I just think that, you know, while we do the metering

[1:33:38] and I don't have a problem with that,

[1:33:39] I think it's gonna be difficult to, to get that up

[1:33:44] and running because like you said, you know, if,

[1:33:46] if the property's gonna need a lot of improvements to it

[1:33:49] before one house is built

[1:33:51] and you can only build so many houses,

[1:33:53] I think we're gonna see a lot of things not

[1:33:55] being cost effective.

[1:33:57] So, and and again, that's just the Well, the housing,

[1:33:59] housing cost goes Yeah.

[1:34:00] Way up. Right. So, you know, those that have, you know,

[1:34:05] are looking for workforce housing,

[1:34:07] this is gonna push hard against it.

[1:34:08] I think. I, it's, there's no doubt, right?

[1:34:11] It it's, and that's where the municipalities, I think that,

[1:34:14] you know, they have to step up.

[1:34:15] Right. You know, and that's so, I mean I'm just giving

[1:34:18] that information out there.

[1:34:19] So I, you know, I don't know how we wanna proceed from here

[1:34:23] to get that daily or or annual allocation out there,

[1:34:27] but were you thinking 10,000 gallons?

[1:34:30] I haven't honestly really haven't.

[1:34:31] That's just a number we

[1:34:32] pulled out here that's they threw out.

[1:34:33] Right. So, yeah.

[1:34:35] Well, and again, it's how many gallons

[1:34:37] for a single family we allocated two 50.

[1:34:40] Two 50 per home. Okay. And Amy's already left.

[1:34:44] I wanted how many homes got built last year?

[1:34:48] I, I think, well,

[1:34:49] and I said this too, I think we're looking at a bad com.

[1:34:52] We're at a bad stage to compare

[1:34:54] because we've had 20 years of homes

[1:34:58] that are now getting built that have been

[1:34:59] through legal challenges

[1:35:00] and things like that, that are actually getting,

[1:35:02] so it looks a lot worse now,

[1:35:03] but it's really just catching up to

[1:35:05] what is already allocated, was already in the pipeline,

[1:35:08] was already permitted in a lot of instances.

[1:35:10] And so as that tails off, I think we talked about this.

[1:35:14] Now as that tails off, you go back and look traditionally

[1:35:16] before that with in,

[1:35:18] in normal growth times it was less than 40.

[1:35:21] You know what I mean? So I that's, I think that's 10,000.

[1:35:25] Right? We figure 40 is 10,000. So, but it was less than 40.

[1:35:29] So again, looking at what we're doing today,

[1:35:31] I don't know, it was a good comparison.

[1:35:32] But 40 seems like a reasonable number in my mind just

[1:35:35] because of the old growth rates that what,

[1:35:38] what you were seeing was less than that.

[1:35:39] I think I looked at some numbers a little while back

[1:35:43] that over the last eight years,

[1:35:45] commissioner voted on new residential units

[1:35:48] is about 88 a year.

[1:35:51] Okay. That's It.

[1:35:53] You talking about single family homes,

[1:35:55] No re residential units.

[1:35:56] So that includes like the senior complexes

[1:35:59] and all those things, but apartments and

[1:36:01] Two including Yep.

[1:36:02] It averages out to about, well,

[1:36:03] Apartments can be residential now too.

[1:36:04] You gotta remember, so I

[1:36:06] Think it average out to about 80 80 a year based on some

[1:36:09] of the spreadsheet I was looking at.

[1:36:11] Obviously you see a lot more being built

[1:36:13] because Four Seasons was not right.

[1:36:15] Voted on by us. Southern Can Island was not voted on us,

[1:36:18] may, Hove, Ellendale, all of those were,

[1:36:20] as you're talking about retreat, the ones

[1:36:22] that have been in Yeah.

[1:36:23] Sort of like this rubber band that had been pulled back

[1:36:25] and then it got finally let go.

[1:36:27] And now we're seeing that. Yeah.

[1:36:29] But actual ones, the commissioners have voted on far,

[1:36:31] far less than what people think.

[1:36:33] But that's sort of gives you a numbered look at like, so if

[1:36:36] that's 88 and if we had 40 at 10,000, that's 40.

[1:36:39] So it's like half now, all those 88, you know,

[1:36:42] that they approved but not yet all built. Right.

[1:36:45] But some are, but some apartments too, right?

[1:36:46] I'm, I'm thinking you got apartments in there, town homes,

[1:36:48] you got Slippery Hill, there's town homes.

[1:36:50] I mean, so there's size and, and, and quantity.

[1:36:54] We gotta look at that too, in my mind. Right.

[1:36:55] That's what you're getting.

[1:37:01] How about, let's do the easy one. Hopefully it's easy.

[1:37:05] When in the process do you wanna keep as it is now as

[1:37:08] to when they can ask for the allocation?

[1:37:10] Or do you wanna push it further down

[1:37:12] the development review cycle?

[1:37:14] That's a good question. I,

[1:37:15] and that's one that gets asked a lot too,

[1:37:18] is when should they have to be,

[1:37:20] when should they have to ask for it?

[1:37:21] It's like when they're $500,000 into design or before

[1:37:24] They 5,000, you pull the rug out, out under,

[1:37:27] they've spent hundreds of thousands

[1:37:29] of dollars on design fees.

[1:37:33] I mean, I feel like that's,

[1:37:35] to me that's the first look, right?

[1:37:36] If you don't have sewer on water in an area

[1:37:38] that requires it, you're not gonna build anything.

[1:37:43] Well what's the pro and the con

[1:37:44] to the two? I mean, but, but,

[1:37:46] But I would think they have to do like a con concept plan.

[1:37:48] Like a concept plan first, right.

[1:37:50] And then in between that

[1:37:52] and go into that next level

[1:37:54] of planning, I would think would be the point.

[1:37:55] But before they're hundreds, hundreds of thousands of

[1:37:57] Dollars, right?

[1:37:58] Yeah. 'cause the next level of planning

[1:37:59] after concept plan is now they're all in at that point.

[1:38:01] Yeah. So now they're into a PO

[1:38:03] studies and all that kind of stuff.

[1:38:04] So, and then we can adjust where that is.

[1:38:07] 'cause right now isn't the A PFO post that a PFOS

[1:38:11] between concept and preliminary.

[1:38:15] Okay. But so you need, you need a allocation.

[1:38:18] Same time actually same time, same time. Okay. You also

[1:38:21] Have to think if, if you're,

[1:38:22] if you move it too far into the process

[1:38:24] before they get approval, then the smaller, maybe more

[1:38:28] of your local developers, there's like,

[1:38:29] they're not gonna be able to shoulder

[1:38:30] that kind of cost and that risk.

[1:38:32] Not that risk. They're just not gonna build.

[1:38:34] And so you're gonna have, you know, the larger builders from

[1:38:37] outside the state that come in to do it.

[1:38:39] So, you know what sort of, if, if you're, if you're trying

[1:38:41] to help promote the locals who build, you know, I'm gonna go

[1:38:45] and do 16 homes here, you can't make it so expensive that

[1:38:49] they find out after $400,000 that it's a no go.

[1:38:52] It's just something not fair.

[1:38:53] If, if it's not gonna, if a location's not gonna work

[1:38:55] or get approved, I think the commissioner should know sooner

[1:38:59] rather rather than that late

[1:39:00] To Well I think it's fair to the developer,

[1:39:02] to everybody involved really.

[1:39:04] I mean, and, and I guess the one thing about

[1:39:05] that too is the A PFO itself, I just feel like,

[1:39:08] and it's just my opinion,

[1:39:09] the A PFO gets rubber stamped once you get to that stage.

[1:39:12] A lot of times I don't know that they look at traffic.

[1:39:15] I mean, let's face it, they, if they use the A PFO

[1:39:17] for four seasons or any

[1:39:18] of those from when they originally conceptualized them,

[1:39:22] a lot's changed in terms of traffic.

[1:39:23] So there's no way in a lot of those,

[1:39:24] the traffic in my mind would pass muster to

[1:39:27] where you could build, or, and the schools have changed.

[1:39:29] There's a lot has changed over that time

[1:39:31] and you're supposed to take all that into account.

[1:39:32] But I don't know that that always gets looked at as hard

[1:39:35] as it should down the road.

[1:39:37] And unfortunately a lot of

[1:39:38] that was because of the legal stuff.

[1:39:40] But to your point, I think if you do that, at

[1:39:43] that same point now they know everything.

[1:39:44] They're up against like, right.

[1:39:45] Like you're, you're not gonna get

[1:39:48] this traffic study is gonna come back a flat f

[1:39:50] and you're gonna have to do a lot of mitigation

[1:39:51] for the roadways

[1:39:53] and that kind of thing to get your,

[1:39:54] to do what you want to do.

[1:39:56] That's a, that's a big ticket item.

[1:39:57] That, that may be the one

[1:39:58] where they go, yeah, okay, I'm out.

[1:40:00] And I just think that's fair to anybody that's coming

[1:40:02] to the county looking to do something too.

[1:40:06] Whether it's a business

[1:40:07] or residential, whatever the case may be.

[1:40:15] So I'm in favor of earlier in the process if keep it as is.

[1:40:19] Yeah, I'd keep that

[1:40:22] as is everything earlier in the process if we can

[1:40:25] Yeah, we'll keep, we'll keep it at as, as is in the,

[1:40:29] in the documents with the,

[1:40:31] the recapture provisions, you know, via pwa.

[1:40:34] Like we've, like we have now, right.

[1:40:36] In case they don't advance. 'cause we

[1:40:37] Have had project projects.

[1:40:38] Right. Then we pull Yeah.

[1:40:39] Pull back. Okay. Alright.

[1:40:47] Now we're back to the metering question.

[1:40:49] So you're saying that that 150,000 gallons is 600

[1:40:52] Homes.

[1:40:53] Yes. So you're saying that 600 homes,

[1:40:57] the way the allocation sits right now is, is all

[1:40:59] that can be done in residential until we either decide

[1:41:02] to take from one of the other categories

[1:41:05] or the federal government eases the T MDLs

[1:41:09] and allows us to discharge more. Yeah.

[1:41:11] As far as allegation goes, allocation goes,

[1:41:14] the reality is homes typically don't flow two 50.

[1:41:17] So how this works is as they connect,

[1:41:19] you look at the actual flows through the plant

[1:41:21] and capacity kind of creeps up a little bit, right.

[1:41:24] Not much. Right. But Yeah.

[1:41:26] But other than that, yes you're right.

[1:41:29] And keep in mind too, commissioners, we have 150,000

[1:41:33] gallons for public health area concern zones, which will

[1:41:39] have some new infill development too if

[1:41:40] public sewer goes there.

[1:41:41] Marlin Farms de meaning

[1:41:42] there's some vacant properties there.

[1:41:44] So there will be some new home construction in those

[1:41:45] communities when they get served.

[1:41:47] Right? Not a lot,

[1:41:49] but there will be some infill like, like Route eight. Yeah.

[1:41:52] Lot like route eight. So

[1:41:54] that stretches your capacity out 15 years.

[1:41:56] That takes you to not the next comp plan,

[1:41:58] but the next comp plan.

[1:41:59] I'm sorry, what was that? If you go with the 600

[1:42:02] that you just said, that's takes you out 15

[1:42:04] years at 48 year.

[1:42:06] So that takes you a year. I just, I I I just, I don't know.

[1:42:11] Think it makes it too difficult for Yeah.

[1:42:13] Some of the developers. Yeah.

[1:42:15] Yeah. And then They're gonna want

[1:42:16] to be more expensive where you're gonna have

[1:42:17] Right. Outstate, right.

[1:42:19] Yeah. Again, there's nothing magic about the 10,000.

[1:42:22] We just had to have a number. Yeah, no talk about, right.

[1:42:25] Yeah. I think

[1:42:30] we also looked at a scenario where we

[1:42:34] did not meter the remaining 50,000 gallons

[1:42:38] for residential from the 150,000 gallon

[1:42:42] allocation pool from the existing plant, the 3M GD plant.

[1:42:45] And then we started the metering process

[1:42:47] with the new re-rating allocation at

[1:42:50] a hundred thousand gallons.

[1:42:51] So you could, you could let it be market driven for up

[1:42:55] to 50,000 gallons.

[1:42:57] And then once that's exhausted, then go to metering at some,

[1:43:02] at some threshold, 10,000 or 15,000. Steve, what was

[1:43:05] The, in Ken Island, the sewage street,

[1:43:08] the sewer, SKI, what was it?

[1:43:11] You have a best guess Vacant lots. Yeah.

[1:43:13] On, on 500 vacant lots that had been built on,

[1:43:17] Been Had the possibility to be built on,

[1:43:19] but it was 500 total lots 500,

[1:43:22] Which a little more than half I think maybe even two

[1:43:25] thirds have already been built.

[1:43:27] Yep.

[1:43:32] Yeah, when we presented

[1:43:34] before the commissioner's last time, we, we

[1:43:38] considered an idea, as Todd said, where we wouldn't have,

[1:43:41] where we would allow for a short period of time,

[1:43:45] those projects in the pipeline to come in,

[1:43:48] secure their allocation, the, the projects that were,

[1:43:51] were caught up in the moratorium

[1:43:53] and then January one start the metering out of,

[1:43:57] of the amount of, of new allocations.

[1:44:01] You know, so there, there was a, a

[1:44:06] kind of a hybrid of, of finish out the year,

[1:44:11] let the market do what, what it's gonna do,

[1:44:12] or let people request what they need

[1:44:14] and then begin a metering process

[1:44:16] at a certain point in time.

[1:44:19] And that, you know, was a 10,000 what suggested,

[1:44:23] but, well, you know, I think that part of this is trying

[1:44:27] to slow growth residential growth.

[1:44:30] So that means you need to count the municipalities.

[1:44:34] And the question is the only one that's really close

[1:44:37] to Ken Island

[1:44:39] and that's where we're trying to control all

[1:44:40] this is Queenstown.

[1:44:43] So, you know, maybe we go to a combined

[1:44:47] 75 to a hundred per year,

[1:44:50] but you're counting Queenstown in there also so that,

[1:44:53] you know, I don't know, just like,

[1:44:54] because if you say 40 here in, in Queenstown says, okay,

[1:44:58] I'll do 200, 300

[1:45:00] or whatever, I mean, then that's gonna really skew it

[1:45:03] and make it look like that didn't work at all.

[1:45:06] I don't, I don't know, I just, I think that somebody

[1:45:08] but Queenstown still be using the schools and on the roads,

[1:45:11] Everything else, Right?

[1:45:12] That's tends to go to the next Queenstown as a municipality

[1:45:15] that goes to the next conversation.

[1:45:17] Honestly, that's a whole

[1:45:18] different conversation at that point.

[1:45:19] Well, but I'm saying it's, it's possible

[1:45:20] for the ones when can I, if their development goes through

[1:45:23] and, and they're gonna build a hundred homes there, maybe

[1:45:26] that's, you know, do you, do you want that a hundred plus 40

[1:45:29] or do you wanna just cap it at a hundred?

[1:45:32] I I'm just throwing out different

[1:45:33] options. Way different ways.

[1:45:35] Throttle back the Right, the can island ones,

[1:45:37] if Queenstown is growing at a faster pace so

[1:45:39] that you still have a, a set amount of homes

[1:45:41] that you're allowing Right. In a region.

[1:45:44] But the net tax effect is much worse when Queenstown does

[1:45:48] it versus Ken Island.

[1:45:49] And we control it because Queenstown can go unvetted put a

[1:45:52] hundred homes in with no,

[1:45:54] but they're gonna do that regardless.

[1:45:55] But no kickback to the county.

[1:45:57] That means the people on Ken Island are gonna pay

[1:45:58] for those homes in Queen Queenstown.

[1:46:00] Right. But it, it doesn't work the other way.

[1:46:03] So I I feel like that's well that's

[1:46:05] because we don't have, like I said, I,

[1:46:06] I'm number, but that's number.

[1:46:08] But that's addressing number that's addressing the EPFO.

[1:46:10] I have nothing in my head right now.

[1:46:11] I'd have to really sit down and Yeah.

[1:46:13] And take what you're saying.

[1:46:14] Look at the countywide ville iss getting ready

[1:46:16] to do 300 over the next five years.

[1:46:18] Right. So what if Centerville what, what Centerville's got

[1:46:23] what two large annexes that they've been sitting on for

[1:46:29] three, four years that I know of now

[1:46:31] that if they got their sewer,

[1:46:32] they'd already be bailed them out.

[1:46:33] And that's close to 600 homes if I'm not mistaken.

[1:46:36] So the concentration would

[1:46:41] be moving north at that point.

[1:46:42] And then would you need 'em up there?

[1:46:43] Would these be more affordable?

[1:46:45] I mean, that's what I'm saying that's,

[1:46:46] this is more than just, I, I think 10,000 in my mind,

[1:46:49] 10,000 right now is a good target number.

[1:46:51] And that's just me For sake of this conversation,

[1:46:56] What are you looking for for us to tell you like today

[1:46:59] or next meeting?

[1:47:00] I mean I obviously we want it today.

[1:47:02] I just wanna say that I just wanted soon, soon we

[1:47:05] Just, Patrick, I just want to say

[1:47:08] that the number we've been throwing at,

[1:47:10] I've been throwing out is 30 to 40 based upon, you know,

[1:47:14] a year ago the numbers.

[1:47:16] And I don't think it'd be a good idea to give one developer

[1:47:22] 30 or 40 houses over, you know, a year

[1:47:26] for two or three years in a row.

[1:47:29] So, and I, I hadn't even considered the

[1:47:33] queenstown part about that.

[1:47:36] So I gotta think about that too.

[1:47:41] I mean, theory one developer could grab 60 to 80,

[1:47:45] they could do two phases.

[1:47:47] I was gonna say year one I get 10,000.

[1:47:49] Year two I need the other 10,000. Yeah.

[1:47:52] I haven't figured the mechanics out of the all that.

[1:47:54] Yeah, well that, that's just, that's where

[1:47:57] putting it on the five up here to have to decide.

[1:47:59] That is where it gets tricky.

[1:48:00] Because to your point, you go phase, phase phase, it's like,

[1:48:04] well the commissioners just to approved 120 homes.

[1:48:06] It's like, well wait a minute, right?

[1:48:07] We did it through this system.

[1:48:08] What does that system look like? That's my thing.

[1:48:11] I don't feel comfortable. We have that system right now

[1:48:13] that I, I would feel good about doing.

[1:48:16] 'cause you think they say we take money from developers

[1:48:18] now and we know it's not true.

[1:48:20] Can you imagine that? Oh my god.

[1:48:29] Well that's a challenge with ra with with

[1:48:31] that creating a criteria and mechanism

[1:48:35] and we would have to put

[1:48:37] that in place if it's not first come first

[1:48:39] serve. What is it? Right?

[1:48:40] Yeah. And, and

[1:48:41] and what effect does that have on housing prices as well?

[1:48:43] Is it an important issue because, you know,

[1:48:46] housing affordability's difficult now it's gonna be,

[1:48:49] it's told people they don't understand like fine

[1:48:51] Demand.

[1:48:52] I agree Chris, you're gonna be thinking wistfully

[1:48:55] of the days of the $500,000 house on can island

[1:48:57] because it's gonna change a lot

[1:49:00] and like a very short period of time.

[1:49:02] And then everybody else's house is their costs is their,

[1:49:05] their assessments are gonna go up. 'cause

[1:49:07] The market, I I hear that Chris,

[1:49:09] but the comp plan has put the growth areas

[1:49:14] not on island.

[1:49:16] They put it up in Centerville and Barkley

[1:49:20] and Sutterville

[1:49:22] and that is where people should start looking.

[1:49:24] That's where developers should start looking.

[1:49:27] Well I think people need to look where they wanna live.

[1:49:29] I'm all in favor of that. Wherever you wanna live,

[1:49:31] you find a million dollar

[1:49:32] home you love and you can afford it.

[1:49:34] God bless you live in that million dollar home.

[1:49:36] But I think, you know, to, to your point Chris,

[1:49:39] to have any illusion

[1:49:41] that this is gonna drive down housing crisis in Queen Annes

[1:49:43] county is just that it's an illusion.

[1:49:45] It's when you get that supply

[1:49:48] and demand, once that supply is finite number one

[1:49:52] and continues to drop off, the demand's gonna get higher.

[1:49:56] It's, you know, it's no secret Queen Annes County

[1:49:59] people wanna live here.

[1:50:00] It's, I mean that is just what it is.

[1:50:02] It's closeness to Baltimore DC it makes it a good place

[1:50:06] to live other than the bridge traffic.

[1:50:08] But you know, only one hurdle at a time. Yeah.

[1:50:12] So promise that million dollar home is,

[1:50:14] that's gonna be the starter home eight years from now.

[1:50:15] I, I, I don't disagree. That's why I say don't have

[1:50:17] illusions that prices are going down at

[1:50:19] Queen Anne's County anytime soon.

[1:50:20] So

[1:50:26] Let's go to A PFO.

[1:50:27] We got, yeah, let's go. We got 'em all.

[1:50:28] We go to the next one. How allocations done.

[1:50:32] Okay with A PFO school capacity

[1:50:35] and how we calculate school capacity was one

[1:50:37] of the issues brought up during the moratorium.

[1:50:39] We looked at a couple different things.

[1:50:42] When somebody does an adequate public,

[1:50:45] a new development is proposed.

[1:50:47] If it's over seven units, they have to do a school study.

[1:50:50] When they do a school study,

[1:50:52] we have a formula which they used to project the number

[1:50:55] of school students at that project

[1:50:57] or development will generate.

[1:51:00] Historically we've used 0.5 students per household.

[1:51:05] So every two houses generate one school age student

[1:51:08] put in our school system.

[1:51:11] And then for multifamily it's 0.25.

[1:51:14] So we went back and looked at enrollment last year

[1:51:18] and compared that to new developments,

[1:51:20] new communities throughout the county

[1:51:22] and looked at how many kids were in each community

[1:51:25] to come up with ratios.

[1:51:27] And what we found was the actual ratios

[1:51:30] that we're seeing on the ground are more, are about 0.43

[1:51:35] for single family home.

[1:51:36] So a little bit lower than what we have been projecting

[1:51:39] and 0.27 for multifamily.

[1:51:42] So pretty much the same but just a little bit higher.

[1:51:45] And this is a practice that should be done every 10 years

[1:51:48] or so to look at market cha trends and changes.

[1:51:52] So we went through that and we think that changing

[1:51:57] or updating, it's updating these ratios to meet current

[1:52:02] meet what we're currently seeing makes sense

[1:52:04] to do with the A PFO.

[1:52:07] So we're recommending that

[1:52:10] we change the single family ratio from 0.5 to 0.43

[1:52:14] for single family homes

[1:52:16] and for multifamily homes go from 0.25 to 0.27.

[1:52:20] One of the other things with A PFO is calculating pre-K

[1:52:26] historically pre-K is not a required educational level.

[1:52:29] However, we do have six schools

[1:52:31] that include pre six elementary schools

[1:52:34] that include pre-K out of eight.

[1:52:36] It is turned into a regular standard practice as well

[1:52:40] as being re we're seeing more

[1:52:43] and more regulations from the state to,

[1:52:48] to make it a permanent opportunity.

[1:52:51] So we recommend that the historic practice

[1:52:55] of not including pre-K

[1:52:56] and A PFO studies be changed

[1:52:58] to include pre-K in all studies moving forward.

[1:53:01] You got here 'cause it's a

[1:53:03] affect schools, that's what happen, right?

[1:53:04] Yeah. Yeah. So that's a change that's we need to make.

[1:53:08] And then we went back

[1:53:10] and looked at high school capacity.

[1:53:14] Currently, if a, if a project comes in

[1:53:17] and they're proposing schools, school age children

[1:53:21] in a school that's at a hundred percent capacity,

[1:53:24] the a hundred percent capacity is the limit for A PFO.

[1:53:28] And that makes sense when you're putting kids in an

[1:53:30] elementary school in a middle school where they show up.

[1:53:32] Yeah, they're there all day and they go home.

[1:53:35] So, so when you look at the number of kids

[1:53:38] registered in an elementary school

[1:53:39] or middle school, that's the number of kids that are there.

[1:53:43] High school's a little bit different.

[1:53:45] High school has a lot more flexibility in their programs.

[1:53:48] And we see things like dual enrollment, like work

[1:53:53] work programs where they leave school finishing

[1:53:56] before four years and then also web-based learning

[1:54:01] and also CTE, there's a number of different programs

[1:54:06] that allow flexibility.

[1:54:08] So you might have kids

[1:54:10] registered at the high school totaling a hundred percent

[1:54:13] of capacity, but only about 90% of that building filled.

[1:54:17] So high school operates a little bit differently

[1:54:20] and we think we ought to recognize that.

[1:54:22] And one way to recognize that is by adjusting the,

[1:54:26] the maximum capacity for high school from a hundred percent

[1:54:30] to 110%.

[1:54:31] And we think that would be a way to recognize how

[1:54:36] the high schools actually work and how kids physically move

[1:54:41] and are when they're in

[1:54:42] the school and when they're not. And there's

[1:54:43] Other jurisdictions that that do the over,

[1:54:45] I mean we've been at a hundred, but a

[1:54:46] Lot of jurisdictions.

[1:54:47] Yes, many, many AFOs go to 110, 120% of

[1:54:52] of state rated capacity for schools.

[1:54:55] And some jurisdictions do have different

[1:54:59] for elementary, middle, and high.

[1:55:01] Different percentages for elementary and middle

[1:55:03] and high school trying to account for how they function.

[1:55:06] So what in the IAC, what's the IAC trigger

[1:55:08] for getting the matching funding and all?

[1:55:11] Is it, what is it? It's like 110, isn't it?

[1:55:13] Right, it's over a hundred.

[1:55:15] Right Before you have to hit that threshold

[1:55:16] before you can get the matching.

[1:55:18] I think it's, there's not a set percent,

[1:55:21] but you have to demonstrate the need for the new school

[1:55:23] or demonstrate that you can fill a new school.

[1:55:25] Right. You gotta be above and

[1:55:28] otherwise they're only gonna fund,

[1:55:29] they're gonna fund a much smaller school.

[1:55:31] Right, right, right. Or expansion. Yeah.

[1:55:35] So you have to demonstrate that you, if you're going

[1:55:37] to build a new school for new capacity, you have

[1:55:40] to demonstrate that you're gonna have enough kids in

[1:55:43] that school to make it worthwhile.

[1:55:45] And the A PFO, there's no real way to, the other thing

[1:55:47] that I think we ran into, not anymore,

[1:55:49] but we ran into the bubbles,

[1:55:50] the bubble years with the classes.

[1:55:53] You know, the the larger class,

[1:55:55] the nine 11 class when everybody was gonna die.

[1:55:57] And of course nine months later we had a ton more kids

[1:56:01] that was a bubble class where we had I think almost 580,

[1:56:05] almost 600 whatever it was between the two high schools,

[1:56:08] which is the most I can ever remember since I've been

[1:56:11] commissioner graduating between the two.

[1:56:13] But there's no way to factor that in, is it?

[1:56:15] I mean, to where, you know, because you know what I mean?

[1:56:18] If you got two back

[1:56:19] to back bubble classes hitting high school in two years

[1:56:22] and now you're gonna bump to, to your point

[1:56:24] that diversity's gonna take you to 120% of capacity,

[1:56:27] when in reality the next year you're gonna be back down

[1:56:30] under a hundred at your 90 that you're so, so A PFO tries

[1:56:34] to take that into account by looking at future projections.

[1:56:38] So if you have a project coming in that's a hundred units

[1:56:42] and they're going

[1:56:43] to be two years in the development review process

[1:56:46] and then they're gonna take seven years to build out,

[1:56:50] you would project those kids coming in,

[1:56:52] in those years of build out.

[1:56:55] So, and you would be projecting that with the board

[1:56:58] of Ed's 10 year projection.

[1:57:01] So if there is a bubble where the Board of Ed projects

[1:57:04] that number going up and coming down that would be,

[1:57:07] should smooth itself out over the, okay.

[1:57:10] Yeah, that makes sense. Okay.

[1:57:11] So they may be held up for a year because of that bubble,

[1:57:15] but if they adjust their plan

[1:57:19] or wait a year, that bubble will go by and go by.

[1:57:22] Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Gotcha. But with sewer,

[1:57:26] we we're only gonna see a limited number

[1:57:27] of these large projects.

[1:57:29] You know, A PFO applies to for schools, applies

[1:57:33] to projects over seven units

[1:57:36] and we're talking about rationing out sewer

[1:57:38] or you know, limiting it.

[1:57:40] So there's only gonna be a limited number

[1:57:42] of projects dealing with A PFO based on that.

[1:57:45] Right. So till we get into the towns, so,

[1:57:50] so the towns, as you mentioned, the towns do not have AFOs,

[1:57:54] they're not obligated to do the county A PFO,

[1:57:57] which has been an ongoing discussion with the,

[1:57:59] with the county and the towns, which for everybody

[1:58:03] to understand that basically the rest of the county pays

[1:58:06] for the kids that are gonna be born into the town.

[1:58:08] So, so A PFO does not apply to the towns,

[1:58:11] however impact fees do.

[1:58:13] Right. So when,

[1:58:15] when development occurs in the incorporated towns,

[1:58:18] they do have to provide a pay for a school impact fee,

[1:58:21] which would be a capital contribution towards the school.

[1:58:24] But that's a, well we know that's not even close

[1:58:27] to building a school nowadays with the cost

[1:58:28] of doing anything with schools.

[1:58:32] He's gonna do a, a middle school

[1:58:34] that's gonna be the same capacity for $80 million

[1:58:36] that doesn't maybe even 90 by the time it's built.

[1:58:40] So, so those are three policy changes we'd like,

[1:58:44] we believe are would imple would make sense

[1:58:47] to implement adjusting the student generation rates,

[1:58:49] including, including pre-K

[1:58:51] and making some adjustments, maybe going to 110% of

[1:58:56] high school capacity to deal with the flexibility in

[1:59:01] how high schools operate.

[1:59:04] So, and we don't have an automatic period within the A PFO

[1:59:08] ordinances as to when it gets

[1:59:10] reevaluated again the next time. Right.

[1:59:12] The A PFO. Yeah.

[1:59:13] Like so when, when we look at these numbers again to see

[1:59:18] No, no, It's been been quite a bit of time.

[1:59:21] It's been Do we could, we could factor that in.

[1:59:24] I'm wondering if we should, I think we should add

[1:59:26] that in there as part of it too.

[1:59:28] So revisit it.

[1:59:30] We, we can, one of these changes requires an amendment

[1:59:34] to the A PFO, which could also, we could add that

[1:59:38] language in there that a set schedule,

[1:59:41] we would revisit these issues

[1:59:42] No later than every 10 years or something like that.

[1:59:45] So if they wanna do it earlier, you can, but,

[1:59:47] but at least it's sort of triggering that

[1:59:49] that would be that review.

[1:59:51] 'cause you also don't know,

[1:59:53] But How much everything's gonna change in the

[1:59:55] next four or five years.

[1:59:56] Right. That a lot of these numbers,

[1:59:59] how schooling is done could change

[2:00:01] a lot in the next five years.

[2:00:02] Yeah. We could Drastically.

[2:00:03] It just depends on how,

[2:00:04] if things evolve over the next several

[2:00:07] years, it's, it's hard to say.

[2:00:09] Yeah. And school numbers, I mean we have,

[2:00:11] we track these numbers every year.

[2:00:13] We get new enrollment numbers from the school. Yeah.

[2:00:16] We plug in developments.

[2:00:17] We, this is a, this changes with every,

[2:00:20] every year when we get new enrollment numbers right.

[2:00:23] Or if the change state changes state rated

[2:00:26] capacity, it's constantly

[2:00:27] And enrollment is currently

[2:00:29] Down and we're trend down right now down

[2:00:31] Flat. Right.

[2:00:32] Yeah.

[2:00:39] I would've thought it wouldn't have been down.

[2:00:40] It's crazy, huh? What's that? The student population? Yeah.

[2:00:43] That it's down.

[2:00:45] That's the way it's going.

[2:00:49] Okay. So is that acceptable that we make those changes

[2:00:52] to the A-P-F-O-I

[2:00:55] On that?

[2:00:56] Okay. Yeah. We'll start the process

[2:00:57] to develop those documents.

[2:00:59] That'll all come back to the commissioners.

[2:01:00] We have to have a hearing for the A PFO ordinance change,

[2:01:02] but that'll all come back around.

[2:01:03] So we will proceed on that basis.

[2:01:05] Sense A PO to your point, Chris too, I would like

[2:01:08] to see mandatory triggers on some of this stuff.

[2:01:10] So yeah, the next set of commissioners, next set

[2:01:12] of commissioners don't have to keep doing

[2:01:15] what we've had to do with a lot of

[2:01:16] This stuff.

[2:01:17] Right. 'cause some people will just kick it down the

[2:01:18] curb when they should look at it.

[2:01:20] That's why we're sitting here today. Yeah.

[2:01:21] So that's how building in safeguards is important. Right.

[2:01:25] So I think we need some guardrails in there

[2:01:26] for making sure that it gets reviewed.

[2:01:32] Whatever makes sense in between comp plans at least once

[2:01:36] or whatever I think makes,

[2:01:38] Okay.

[2:01:39] And the schools, I mean my, I'm hoping the board

[2:01:43] of ed is on top of this a lot more,

[2:01:44] at least from the student

[2:01:45] population side and what they're seeing.

[2:01:47] Oh yeah. What they're Look, because you know,

[2:01:49] the target funding's gonna keep coming back

[2:01:51] and it's based on where Kerwin's gonna settle in.

[2:01:53] Well that doesn't, that Kerwin is looking at nothing in

[2:01:56] terms of county population, how we're growing,

[2:01:58] what we're doing, how much soil we got.

[2:02:00] They don't care. It's, this is what it is per student.

[2:02:03] So gotta be conscious of that to,

[2:02:05] and I think that's where Jim was going with,

[2:02:07] if you're not growing at all, you're not gonna keep up

[2:02:09] with Kerwin, this county.

[2:02:10] No county's gonna keep up with Kerwin

[2:02:11] if you're not growing in some pace.

[2:02:12] So yeah, we work with a board of on coming up with this.

[2:02:17] Yeah, I know. They were on the task force.

[2:02:18] We're, we're using their state projections. Good. Yes. Good.

[2:02:24] Thanks for all that work. I appreciate it.

[2:02:26] So back on the sewer side.

[2:02:27] So we're gonna keep the allocation request commensurate with

[2:02:32] what we're doing now after concept plan commissioners can

[2:02:34] review those requests as they come in.

[2:02:36] Where, where in the, in the

[2:02:38] It's at concept.

[2:02:39] They got a concept plan review

[2:02:40] and they can then, they can make a request

[2:02:41] for allocation in front

[2:02:43] of the sanitary commission commissioners.

[2:02:45] So as far as the metering,

[2:02:46] it sounds like we do wanna have some type

[2:02:47] of metering component

[2:02:49] or rationing of this,

[2:02:51] the residential component of the sewer.

[2:02:53] So if we're not sure where that number is yet,

[2:02:55] we can still proceed on getting those documents ready

[2:02:58] and come back, discuss that some more

[2:03:00] before we finalize everything.

[2:03:02] But that's, that's part of the sewer allocation policy,

[2:03:04] which important company. No,

[2:03:06] But again, again, you know that sewer allocation,

[2:03:08] we're not saying one development's gonna be 40 houses.

[2:03:12] We're not saying one

[2:03:12] development's gonna be a hundred houses.

[2:03:14] Right. Right. You're, you're, you're saying

[2:03:16] you don't want more than 40,

[2:03:17] a hundred, whatever the number is.

[2:03:19] And if it's five different developers in

[2:03:21] five different locations.

[2:03:22] Right. You know, I mean I think that, I think,

[2:03:25] I think everyone sometimes gets hung up on a number thinking

[2:03:28] they're gonna be a hundred homes there.

[2:03:30] Oh yeah. No, I don't think the 50 homes there, it's,

[2:03:33] that doesn't, I mean there could be,

[2:03:35] but that's not what we're, we're not,

[2:03:37] not what we're implying

[2:03:38] Or just how do you assimilate it.

[2:03:39] Right. On a yearly basis. Right.

[2:03:41] Yeah. Yeah.

[2:03:43] You're just saying that when you hit this cap, right.

[2:03:45] That's you gotta wait a year and then to, we discuss that.

[2:03:49] You're saying that they, they can come in any time for it.

[2:03:52] I know the last time we said once a year you can like a text

[2:03:55] amendment, you could come in once a year

[2:03:56] and apply for the allocation.

[2:03:58] But you said quarterly.

[2:03:59] But no, it's any sanitary commission meeting they could ask

[2:04:02] once they get concept plan approval.

[2:04:03] Okay.

[2:04:06] I think that makes, I mean, yeah, there,

[2:04:08] because you don't know when they're

[2:04:10] gonna be doing their concept plan.

[2:04:11] They should have a concept plan

[2:04:12] and say, now I gotta sit on this for,

[2:04:14] Well, plus I was thinking about planning

[2:04:15] and zoning, having to go through

[2:04:17] 35 concept plans all at one time.

[2:04:20] Like they do text amendments. Yeah. All at one time. Yep.

[2:04:23] Stress.

[2:04:24] They like it. Stephanie's smiling.

[2:04:29] Maybe she, maybe they do like it. He does.

[2:04:34] All right. Alright. Alright. Yep.

[2:04:37] Well I got one answer so I'm gonna keep it up.

[2:04:40] It's not bad. 2%. It's not bad.

[2:04:42] Alright, thanks gentlemen.

[2:04:43] Thanks for the other members of the

[2:04:44] task force that are here tonight.

[2:04:46] I appreciate everyone being here tonight. So Alan,

[2:04:48] Great.

[2:04:49] We'll get all the commissioners out in the heat tomorrow

[2:04:51] and we'll let 'em leave the sunlight till

[2:04:53] they come up with a number for you.

[2:04:54] Alright. Alright.

[2:04:57] He gonna be out there, so, so now Alex smiling.

[2:05:04] All right, well commissioners, that is all

[2:05:06] of the items on the agenda for tonight

[2:05:11] other than round table and any closing

[2:05:13] Question? Public,

[2:05:14] I'm sorry.

[2:05:15] Press Public Health. Yep, that too.

[2:05:18] Do we have anybody signed up? Yep.

[2:05:19] Oh good. Okay. This young lady here wanted to go with.

[2:05:22] Alright, Thank you

[2:05:27] Again.

[2:05:28] My name is Marty McKenzie, I'm from Centerville.

[2:05:31] And I tell you tonight's been a real wake up call for me

[2:05:34] for a reason I didn't expect.

[2:05:36] I can't understand what you're saying

[2:05:39] and I'm so glad that the agency on aging,

[2:05:42] aging people are here because you hope the longevity study

[2:05:46] includes something to help us.

[2:05:48] I got spoiled, I watched CSPAN

[2:05:50] with the closed captions all the time.

[2:05:52] Right. But I think

[2:05:54] what I heard you say is there was a chance

[2:05:57] for public input on this moratorium report.

[2:06:00] Am I correct there?

[2:06:02] Yeah, Absolutely. Yeah. I saw the A PFO the part there

[2:06:04] still is Chance for public input.

[2:06:07] Absolutely. And, and it has been made

[2:06:08] that the findings had been made public.

[2:06:11] That's what this presentation is for.

[2:06:13] And there was another presentation two months ago,

[2:06:16] Two months ago now With the initial findings of it.

[2:06:19] And this was just a, a follow up on it,

[2:06:20] but no action being taken.

[2:06:22] We're not voting on it yet.

[2:06:23] So there is time for people to get more of the information

[2:06:26] and our meeting materials are also available.

[2:06:29] So the report tonight though is available to the public.

[2:06:33] Yeah, I think the Slides, it's in the

[2:06:35] Book, but it's in the book.

[2:06:36] Yeah, yeah. There was no slides but it's in the book. Yeah.

[2:06:38] Okay. So on our website we have an agenda

[2:06:42] with all the meeting materials

[2:06:43] for each meeting you can click on, you can also go back

[2:06:45] and watch the meetings. They'll be there also

[2:06:48] On video.

[2:06:49] Hear better. Yep. So can I assume the moratorium

[2:06:52] is still in effect?

[2:06:54] Yeah. Yeah. It, it is still in effect. Okay.

[2:06:56] It doesn't expire until August, August, August,

[2:06:58] August 2nd meeting in August,

[2:07:00] Second meeting August is when it expires.

[2:07:01] And I wanted to also give a big thank you

[2:07:04] to your county commissioner and your Board of Public Works.

[2:07:07] I was one of the organizers for the no Kings rallies

[2:07:10] that we've had in the past year.

[2:07:12] And you all have been wonderful to work with

[2:07:14] because I am so technically challenged

[2:07:16] and they help me so much get

[2:07:19] through all the permitting process.

[2:07:20] So thank you so much.

[2:07:22] Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else like to speak?

[2:07:27] There you go. You got any emails? Nothing, nothing to read.

[2:07:31] Round table Patrick, we'll let you go to first.

[2:07:38] Oh, you're muted. Mute.

[2:07:41] Any update on the big beautiful flagpole that's going up

[2:07:45] by, by the bridge tonight? Have we heard anything

[2:07:49] Tonight?

[2:07:50] Oh, we, we've been in here.

[2:07:51] Rumor, rumor mill says it's supposed

[2:07:53] to go up this evening sometime.

[2:07:54] Yeah. Oh wow. Yeah.

[2:07:57] It's a great on Unfurled tomorrow though.

[2:07:59] I think it's, oh, is that what it is?

[2:08:00] I think it go tell the people what's going on.

[2:08:02] They don't know. They're all excited.

[2:08:03] Well let 'em be excited

[2:08:04] when they come across the bridge tomorrow.

[2:08:05] Right? Or next time they're at the bridge. Yeah.

[2:08:07] We're worried about Well, I

[2:08:09] Just, I'll give a shout out to the commissioners

[2:08:11] and to the American Legion

[2:08:14] and to Mdot for putting this together our, our

[2:08:19] county administrator.

[2:08:21] And it's just gonna be a, a welcoming,

[2:08:27] Welcoming people to the eastern shore.

[2:08:29] The O Queen Annes County is the gateway to the,

[2:08:33] to Del Marva on the Eastern shore.

[2:08:35] And this is gonna be a big, huge, beautiful

[2:08:39] American flag, patriotic.

[2:08:41] And it's going up for the 250th anniversary.

[2:08:46] And I just want to thank my colleagues for getting it done.

[2:08:50] Second thing is a little bit of

[2:08:56] a challenge I had,

[2:09:01] I I, I went to Tyler Hendricks down down

[2:09:05] to the Rooke Fire Department

[2:09:07] and spent a lot of time our young kids

[2:09:12] and our first responders.

[2:09:14] These are 16, 17,

[2:09:17] and 18, 19, 20-year-old kids that are our

[2:09:22] up and coming first responders that are going to take care

[2:09:26] of, take care of us as we get older.

[2:09:30] Spot fires and car accidents and EMS.

[2:09:34] And it was just a tragic loss that we,

[2:09:37] that we had on Father's Day.

[2:09:40] And then I went to the, the candlelight service

[2:09:45] at the high school base football stadium.

[2:09:50] And it was packed.

[2:09:52] There were, there were so many people

[2:09:55] and so many young kids just asking questions and,

[2:10:01] and then on, on Thursday

[2:10:07] when they, they had a procession from Baltimore

[2:10:11] from the coroner's office

[2:10:14] and every bridge between Baltimore

[2:10:19] and Kent Island had firetrucks on it

[2:10:23] and just hundreds if not thousands of people on,

[2:10:28] on, on all the bridges saluting

[2:10:32] our first responder.

[2:10:34] So I just want to thank all

[2:10:38] of our volunteers and all of our paid EMS staff and,

[2:10:42] and our fire firefighters who just

[2:10:46] put everything on the line for us.

[2:10:48] And we're just a grateful county

[2:10:51] and we're just very thankful for them.

[2:10:56] And lastly, our very own William Pack

[2:11:01] who had a summer home here signed the Declaration

[2:11:04] of Independence 250 years ago.

[2:11:10] And we should celebrate that, that Queen Annes County

[2:11:14] had a, had one of one of our, one of our own on the

[2:11:21] D Parchment from July.

[2:11:23] It's actually July 2nd, 1776, put out July 4th

[2:11:30] and Marilyn signed actually on, I believe it was August 2nd.

[2:11:35] So just a little bit of history there. That's it.

[2:11:38] Thank you. Okay. Yeah.

[2:11:41] So first off, I wanna set the record straight price had a

[2:11:43] post office when we were talking about Verna's

[2:11:45] and where they wanna put the gas station.

[2:11:47] So it was a big city when I moved here

[2:11:49] 'cause it did have a post office.

[2:11:50] Matter of fact, my address when I moved here was price

[2:11:52] and is now Centerville 'cause it no longer exists.

[2:11:55] Real quick, I just wanted to talk about that

[2:11:57] with that gas station there.

[2:11:58] As somebody who crosses that intersection for the reasons

[2:12:01] that were brought up about going to get anything, literally,

[2:12:04] whether it's gas, snack, whatever we, we know

[2:12:09] how dangerous 4 0 5 is crossing there.

[2:12:11] In my mind, I think having

[2:12:13] that convenience store on the other side

[2:12:15] would eliminate a lot of crossovers of locals.

[2:12:18] And I think we're seeing more locals have been injured at

[2:12:21] that intersection than out of towners

[2:12:24] and have been critically injured.

[2:12:27] Dead in unfortunately in quite a few instances

[2:12:29] here in the last year.

[2:12:31] So, you know, this is one

[2:12:33] of them ones that I'm looking at hard.

[2:12:35] I I, I gotta look deeper into

[2:12:36] how it's gonna affect other parts

[2:12:37] of the county if we do this.

[2:12:39] But honestly right now,

[2:12:40] the way I'm leaning is I think it makes sense to be able to

[2:12:44] have that on that side of the road

[2:12:45] because points were made tonight that were very good.

[2:12:48] There's no gas between the split and Delaware

[2:12:52] unless you get off and go into town

[2:12:54] and there's no place to get a drink.

[2:12:55] There's really no place to do

[2:12:56] anything until you get to Delaware.

[2:12:59] So that's my opinion on that one.

[2:13:03] And like I said, it, I think it will eliminate a lot of

[2:13:05] that cross traffic with our local people

[2:13:08] and hopefully save some lives.

[2:13:10] Second thing, the, the river keeper she took, she,

[2:13:14] she took the ask for money, but I'm gonna ask anyway.

[2:13:17] So as you know,

[2:13:18] our clay target team is one of the best in the states.

[2:13:22] We went out and swept the Maryland State Finals

[2:13:26] and now we have the reigning national singles champion in

[2:13:30] Clay Coppi, who is going back to defend his title July 8th.

[2:13:34] They're heading out to Michigan.

[2:13:37] And we have a full team of five.

[2:13:41] We have 10 people that are going out to compete individually

[2:13:44] for the national title Clay Cole, I'm sorry,

[2:13:46] I say Clay Cole Coppi to compete.

[2:13:50] And then we have five individuals who are gonna compete

[2:13:53] who were the, the basically the creme de la creme

[2:13:55] of our Queen Annes County high school team

[2:13:56] that are gonna compete for the team title nationally.

[2:13:59] We also have one Kent Island student who was going out

[2:14:02] to compete from Kent Island.

[2:14:03] They didn't have enough to get a team together this year.

[2:14:05] But my ask is, so roughly with the,

[2:14:08] with the registration fees, ammo

[2:14:10] and everything else, basically put on there,

[2:14:12] this is no travel expenses for 'em.

[2:14:13] It's about $500 a kid.

[2:14:15] So I'd like to cover our team, which would be roughly $5,500

[2:14:18] to cover the kids and take

[2:14:19] that expense away from the money they've raised this year

[2:14:21] and let them enjoy themselves.

[2:14:23] It's fantastic Clean.

[2:14:24] Ance County has a national champion

[2:14:26] and really by all accounts,

[2:14:28] we have a good shot at winning 240 teams.

[2:14:31] We have a good shot at winning the, the team title this year

[2:14:33] and that would be awesome to have a

[2:14:36] national champion in our third year.

[2:14:37] How, how cool is that? Right.

[2:14:38] So I will make a motion to put

[2:14:41] $5,000 towards Queen Anne County high school team kids

[2:14:44] and 500 towards our one Kent Island High School

[2:14:47] for their registration, ammo and other expenses.

[2:14:51] And just with second. Okay, there you go.

[2:14:54] Got a motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Aye.

[2:14:59] There we go. Well that's all I got. That's all. Awesome man.

[2:15:02] Alright. Fireworks are tomorrow at the narrows.

[2:15:08] And some people have asked about why are the fireworks

[2:15:11] not on the 4th of July?

[2:15:13] And we do have fireworks on the 4th of July

[2:15:16] when the 4th of July is not on a weekend.

[2:15:19] And there's a lot of reasons for that.

[2:15:21] And I know it's preferable

[2:15:23] to see fireworks on the 4th of July,

[2:15:25] but there is a lot of logistics that goes into this.

[2:15:28] And as people may not know, there's beach traffic that comes

[2:15:32] through in the summertime on the weekends

[2:15:35] and that impacts a lot of things.

[2:15:37] And so it's not so much that you are going to have

[2:15:40] beach traffic when people are arriving for the fireworks

[2:15:43] or leaving for the fireworks,

[2:15:44] although quite possible when they're arriving on a Saturday,

[2:15:46] you, you could have those backups,

[2:15:48] but there's a lot of logistics that goes in beforehand.

[2:15:51] Parks and recs getting there

[2:15:52] and setting up law enforcement,

[2:15:54] getting there, the first responders.

[2:15:56] And we wanna make sure that we also have

[2:15:58] the first responders in place

[2:16:00] and on the weekends, a lot of times they're responding

[2:16:04] to calls and they're going to hospitals across the bridge

[2:16:06] and they gotta wait because the ERs are full.

[2:16:08] And so they have to stand there with the beds

[2:16:10] until the patient is accepted into the hospital

[2:16:13] and then they gotta battle traffic to get back.

[2:16:15] And that drastically also impacts their

[2:16:17] ability to be available.

[2:16:19] And for us to not only make sure

[2:16:20] that the 4th of July event is safe,

[2:16:22] but that we have personnel

[2:16:24] who can respond throughout the county as well.

[2:16:26] So all of those factors go into it.

[2:16:28] It's not a decision that we take lightly,

[2:16:30] but for the sake of the planning, logistics

[2:16:33] and the safety, including also

[2:16:34] for the county staff, that works really hard.

[2:16:37] We do it during the week

[2:16:39] and by doing it on the first, if there's rain,

[2:16:42] it gives us the opportunity to just roll it into July 2nd.

[2:16:45] So decreasing the chance that we're gonna have an issue

[2:16:50] with it being, being canceled.

[2:16:51] So that, that's why it happens that way.

[2:16:53] But for those of you who are really excited

[2:16:56] to celebrate America on July 4th as well,

[2:16:59] I've got great news for you.

[2:17:01] Every July 4th we get in front of the old courthouse

[2:17:04] and there is a reading of the Declaration of Independence.

[2:17:07] It's a whole bunch of people. Mary Margaret puts it together

[2:17:09] and everybody reads a portions

[2:17:11] of the Declaration of Independence.

[2:17:12] And I bet most people have never read the Declaration

[2:17:15] of Independence or haven't since high school.

[2:17:17] It's really cool to listen to it

[2:17:19] and it's really cool event to go there.

[2:17:21] And this is two 50. So I would like to see as many people

[2:17:25] as we can get possible to the old courthouse,

[2:17:28] eight o'clock in the morning on July 4th.

[2:17:32] Mary Margaret would be ecstatic if we just packed

[2:17:36] downtown Centerville with people to hear that.

[2:17:38] So please tell a friend

[2:17:39] and tell a friend to tell a friend and show up.

[2:17:41] It's a really cool thing.

[2:17:43] And fireworks are cool,

[2:17:45] but the Declaration of

[2:17:46] Independence is really what it's all about.

[2:17:48] Not, not the fireworks.

[2:17:49] So that's the more important thing to be there for.

[2:17:52] So I encourage everybody to come to that.

[2:17:54] I have enjoyed participating in that for eight years now.

[2:17:57] So that's my plug.

[2:18:00] You'll be there. I'll be there. I'll be there. Yep.

[2:18:03] You know, so yeah, I'll be there.

[2:18:05] And it's nice 'cause when you screw up them

[2:18:07] real big words, nobody knows.

[2:18:08] Nobody knows. So it's nice.

[2:18:11] You know, I guess I wanna talk a little bit about the bridge

[2:18:15] and, and a little bit about traffic and,

[2:18:17] and a whole lot about accidents.

[2:18:21] We need to slow down out there.

[2:18:23] I mean, I think that the traffic right now and,

[2:18:26] and the speed that residents people just traversing

[2:18:30] through the county, it's like NASCAR

[2:18:32] and it, it, two weekends ago

[2:18:37] we had five accidents on the Bay Bridges in one day.

[2:18:40] It's just crazy. And, and it is just

[2:18:43] because honestly, we're, we're, we're not doing enough

[2:18:47] to enforce some of the laws that we have on the books.

[2:18:51] Tomorrow night is the Bay Bridge Reconstruction Advisory

[2:18:53] Group meeting where I will be there to discuss that.

[2:18:58] We're, again, we're in the process of the,

[2:19:01] the red X cameras, hopefully it won't be this year,

[2:19:04] but next year, having that in place

[2:19:07] and possibly doing something with speed cameras

[2:19:09] to slow people down, if not hurt their wallets.

[2:19:13] But I just, and

[2:19:14] and that's one of the main concerns I have about the flag.

[2:19:17] We, we were talking about this brand new flag, 50

[2:19:19] by 30 to cover this room.

[2:19:22] And I'm more concerned about people coming on down the

[2:19:24] downhill slope, looking at that giant

[2:19:26] flag and not paying attention.

[2:19:28] I hope to God that doesn't happen tomorrow,

[2:19:30] but it'll slow down down.

[2:19:32] Yeah. I mean, so just, you know, I I I just want people

[2:19:36] to slow down en enjoy what you're doing

[2:19:39] and where you're going and you'll get there.

[2:19:41] You know, it might take a

[2:19:42] little longer, but you're gonna get there.

[2:19:44] And, and also, you know, the, the one thing with the,

[2:19:47] when I was on the Economic Development Commission,

[2:19:50] the reason the fireworks also aren't on the weekends is

[2:19:53] because the restaurants are full on the weekends.

[2:19:56] So during the week, they're not full. This fills 'em up.

[2:19:58] 'cause most people will sit there,

[2:19:59] especially as hot as it's gonna be.

[2:20:01] Yeah. I don't think the restaurants

[2:20:03] gonna, you know, be loving it.

[2:20:04] But that's just, you know, it happens.

[2:20:07] So, you know, stay hydrated, enjoy the show.

[2:20:10] I'm gonna try and see three of 'em.

[2:20:11] So, you know, and that's the way to go.

[2:20:13] So looking forward to it. I'll take a motion.

[2:20:17] Motion to adjourn. Second it. All in favor? Aye. Aye.

[2:20:20] Thank you. Thank you everybody. See you Patrick.

County Commissioners Meeting || 06/30/2026

Transcript