[0:10] Cold
[0:10] Order. Alright, we're gonna bring this
[0:11] Meeting to order.
[0:13] Alright, good evening everybody.
[0:15] Welcome to the Queen Annes County Commissioners meeting.
[0:17] This is a public meeting that is being
[0:19] aired live on our local, local cable television station,
[0:22] QA CTV seven.
[0:24] These media broadcasts provide county citizens an
[0:26] opportunity to watch and participate in scheduled public
[0:29] meetings for the county commissioners.
[0:31] In addition to the live audience this evening,
[0:32] we are providing remote options for citizens
[0:34] to watch county commissioner meetings.
[0:36] Citizens may watch our meeting live on our website at
[0:39] qac.org/live
[0:41] or on our television channel Breeze Line channel seven
[0:44] and high definition Channel 5 0 7.
[0:46] We acknowledge everyone's participation
[0:48] and by attending you acknowledge
[0:49] that this session is both recorded and aired.
[0:51] Press in public comment will be taken
[0:53] and is limited to three minutes per person.
[0:55] If you do care to speak,
[0:57] please sign up at the information table in the lobby.
[1:00] Comments longer than three minutes can be submitted in
[1:02] writing for the commissioner's review as well.
[1:05] We will now stand and be led in the
[1:06] Pledge of Allegiance by commission.
[1:07] President Jim Moran,
[1:10] I pledge allegiance to flag on the
[1:13] United States of America
[1:14] and to the republic for which it stands,
[1:17] one nation under God invis with liberty and justice for all.
[1:26] Alright, again, welcome everybody.
[1:28] So the purpose of our meeting this evening is
[1:30] to present the county commissioners proposed FY 27 capital
[1:35] and operating budgets
[1:36] and then receive public comment from folks
[1:38] that have signed up and don't fret if you haven't signed up,
[1:42] we will call anybody that wants to sign up
[1:44] or speak at the end of the meeting
[1:46] after the presentation if you choose to do so.
[1:49] So with that I want
[1:51] to introduce our accounting
[1:52] commissioners, your county commissioners.
[1:53] So starting here with
[1:56] commission at large President Jim Moran.
[2:00] Seated next to him is our Vice President
[2:03] from District one, Jack Wilson.
[2:04] Sitting next to Jack is District two representative
[2:07] Patrick McLaughlin.
[2:10] Next to him is Phil Elle from District three
[2:13] and all the way down at the end
[2:15] of the table is Chris Corino from District four.
[2:19] Okay, so I have a short presentation
[2:21] that provides a high level overview
[2:23] of the F fo I 27 proposed budget
[2:25] and again, following the presentation,
[2:27] we'll we'll be receiving public comments from the audience.
[2:31] And again, we have the signup sheets out there
[2:33] but we, we'll also take a raise of hand
[2:35] for public testimony at the conclusion of the presentation.
[2:39] So I see the commissioners are in the front
[2:40] row so they can see as well.
[2:42] Alright, so here we go
[2:47] Again, I am Todd Mon, the county administrator
[2:50] and again, this is the county commissioners FY 27 proposed
[2:54] operations and capital budget.
[2:57] So leading off our FY 27 budget is comes in at
[3:01] $231 million.
[3:04] That's primarily derived of income tax revenue,
[3:06] which is projected to grow by about 14%
[3:10] property tax revenue, which is projected to grow about 10%.
[3:13] Those are over the FY 25 actuals.
[3:16] We do have some new tax revenue from short term rental
[3:19] permitting and tax collection for that program
[3:23] that increases of over a hundred thousand dollars
[3:25] in revenue next year.
[3:27] As far as the tax rates,
[3:29] the county commissioners have two tax rates that they set.
[3:31] The first one is income tax, then as proposed
[3:34] to remain the same at 3.2% for FY 27.
[3:38] And the good news is the property tax rate.
[3:40] The commissioners have proposed a decrease in your property
[3:43] tax rate of 3 cents per hundred dollars of assessed value
[3:47] and the chart on your left shows that the lion's share
[3:50] of our revenue stream comes from income
[3:52] and property tax at 86%.
[3:58] Some highlights of the operational budget expenditures
[4:01] leading off we have the Board of education
[4:03] that was funded $8.7 million above the FY 26 allocation.
[4:07] That is $8.90, 8.9 million
[4:10] above the maintenance of effort requirements.
[4:13] We've also added an additional emergency
[4:15] medical systems crew.
[4:17] A seventh EMS unit has been added to the, to the budget
[4:20] to continue to increase
[4:22] or decrease our response time
[4:24] for emergency services at $1.2 million per year.
[4:28] We've also included 16 new positions,
[4:31] including a new bus driver for the county ride group,
[4:34] a new jury commissioner for our circuit courthouse,
[4:38] a communications captain
[4:39] for the Department of Emergency Services.
[4:41] And as I mentioned earlier, the eight positions
[4:43] for the seventh EMS unit.
[4:46] For our staffing, we've included funding
[4:49] for employee recruitment
[4:50] and retention actions, which includes a 3% cost
[4:53] of living allowance and pay for performance.
[4:56] And our capital plan, we have pego money
[4:58] that's gonna be transferred to the capital projects account
[5:01] of $4.4 million.
[5:06] I wanna talk a little bit about the Board of Education
[5:09] appropriations history and the forecast going forward.
[5:12] As many of you know, we get funding from both the state
[5:15] and the county commissioners for our public school systems.
[5:18] So the first I wanted to talk about the state funds.
[5:21] The state funding for fiscal year 2027 is
[5:23] $45 million and change.
[5:26] Unfortunately that's about three
[5:28] and a half million dollars less than the original state
[5:31] Kerwin funding plan for FY 27 projection.
[5:34] So that adds to the deficit,
[5:35] which is now at $12 million less than the original state
[5:40] Kerwin funding plan allocation was projected for FY 22
[5:43] through FY 27 from our state of Maryland.
[5:49] The county funds for fiscal year 27 come in at
[5:52] $91.4 million.
[5:55] Again, that is $8.8 million
[5:58] above the maintenance of effort requirement.
[6:00] And this does not include teacher pension liabilities
[6:03] or private daycare costs that were shifted
[6:06] from the state passed down to the county.
[6:09] So on average, the county has been funding above maintenance
[6:12] of effort of of about $7 million per year
[6:15] for the last several years.
[6:19] Now this next slide shows a little graphic representation
[6:22] of some of those figures.
[6:24] You can see the blue line on the left hand side, that is the
[6:29] the actual state funding that we are receiving from the
[6:32] for the Board of Education.
[6:34] The red line just above that shows where they should be,
[6:37] where they projected they would be.
[6:39] So you see they're falling a bit short
[6:40] for their funding allocations.
[6:43] The green line is the county commissioner's allocation.
[6:45] You can see they are above the red dash line,
[6:49] which shows they are above what the requirement is
[6:52] for the maintenance of effort calculations
[6:54] for public school funding.
[6:57] The the other chart, the K through 12 student population,
[7:00] you can see we are experiencing continued
[7:05] enrollment deficits for declines.
[7:07] We started back in 2017 at 7,397 students.
[7:12] We peaked just before COVID at 7,500, over 7,500 students
[7:17] and we've been declining ever since.
[7:19] In FY 26 we have 7,115
[7:23] students in our school system just
[7:24] to give you perspective on funding versus our
[7:27] student enrollment.
[7:31] All right, this next slide shows the revenue streams
[7:35] that we receive as a county government.
[7:37] All of them over the past few years we've been very
[7:41] conservative out of concern for tariffs
[7:43] and potential federal layoffs and impacts
[7:47] and other uncertainties with the federal government.
[7:50] So we have been conservative with our revenue estimates.
[7:53] However, we do continue to see income tax growth in excess
[7:57] of state estimates.
[7:58] And for next year we are estimating 105.5 million in total
[8:02] revenue from income tax.
[8:04] And to highlight a few other allocations on this chart just
[8:09] below that, our public utility tax is expected to decline
[8:12] as utility assets are continuing to decrease due
[8:16] to asset depreciation.
[8:18] Our recordation and transfer taxes are both increasing
[8:22] primarily due to continued strong newham new home sales
[8:26] and increased home values.
[8:29] Our inter intergovernmental revenue are increasing due
[8:33] to increased and higher 9 1 1 fee collections
[8:36] and grants for police aid.
[8:39] Our interest income is expected to continue to decline
[8:43] as the federal government continues
[8:45] to slowly lower our interest rates.
[8:47] So our total revenue stream for FY 27 at the bottom
[8:51] and the FY 27 commissioner budget column is
[8:54] $230,000,950 880.
[9:03] This graphic depiction just shows where your tax dollars go.
[9:07] So 66 cents of every general fund dollar is allocated
[9:10] to education and public safety.
[9:14] So what does that mean? 43 cents of every dollar goes
[9:18] to the public school system Board of Education.
[9:21] 23 cents goes to our public safety group,
[9:24] which is Emergency Services Police, fire Volunteer Services
[9:28] and Detention Center.
[9:30] That's followed by general government at 9 cents Public
[9:33] Works 7 cents Parks recreation, natural resources 3 cents
[9:38] and everything else that's left outside agencies
[9:40] and other departments at 15 cents just to give you
[9:44] a representation of where those tax dollars are allocated.
[9:46] But the takeaway here is two thirds of our operations budget
[9:50] goes for education and public safety.
[9:56] This is our chart we show every year.
[9:57] It's the real property tax rate by county.
[10:00] This is all the counties in Maryland and Baltimore City.
[10:04] We are very pleased to report that we are projected
[10:06] to be the absolute lowest property tax rate in the state
[10:10] after the FY 27 decrease of 3 cents per hundred dollars
[10:14] of assessed value and
[10:15] that's Queen Anne County down there in the yellow bar
[10:17] where the star is and everything goes up from there.
[10:21] Well over a dollar for most of the counties
[10:24] and then Baltimore City all the way to the left hand side
[10:28] of the chart over $2 per hundred dollars of assessed value.
[10:34] Alright, this next series
[10:35] of slides shows the budget expenditures by department
[10:40] and the other agencies that we fund outside agencies
[10:43] and other debt service and other expenses.
[10:47] I will highlight a few things on these,
[10:49] but generally our departmental increases are expected
[10:53] to increase by about five to 7%, mainly due
[10:56] to staff salaries, health insurance and benefit increases.
[11:01] So we are expecting additional
[11:03] needs in the legal services group due to increasing
[11:07] anticipated litigation on some high profile cases.
[11:10] Budget and finance is up due
[11:13] to additional accounting support
[11:14] for the town of Sellersville.
[11:16] We just recently acquired their water
[11:18] and sewer division as part of the county system along
[11:22] with increases for postage expenses for tax bills
[11:25] and tax delinquency bills.
[11:27] Our human resources group
[11:30] expenses do include now a new peer-to-peer counseling
[11:32] program for our public safety employees
[11:34] and volunteer firefighters.
[11:36] So a little bigger increase there.
[11:38] Our public housing shows a higher increase as well
[11:41] to cover the hiring of an additional employee
[11:43] for ongoing maintenance services in our housing group.
[11:49] This next slide includes public works
[11:51] and parks and recreation.
[11:53] So under the public works,
[11:55] our animal services division is a bit higher
[11:57] for additional kennel equipment, necessary
[12:00] emergency lighting and other safety features at our animal
[12:04] services shelter under the parks and recreation groups.
[12:07] Some good news here, both the airport
[12:09] and the golf course are lower due
[12:11] to reduced general fund support needed
[12:13] to balance their budgets respectively.
[12:16] We recently closed on an airport loan
[12:18] and we are receiving greater revenue streams from the
[12:21] golfing fees at the Blue Herring Golf course.
[12:23] So good news there. Okay,
[12:27] these are our outside agencies leading off again the board
[12:31] of Education with a 10.6% increase as mentioned.
[12:34] And that's to cover the cost of mandated cost
[12:37] by the Blueprint for Mails education future for primarily
[12:40] for salaries for teachers.
[12:43] The other agencies that we have listed here,
[12:46] the state's attorney's office shows a larger incre larger
[12:49] increase to cover new case management software
[12:51] for their agency to increase for their increasing caseload.
[12:56] Also, the Circuit court is getting an additional jury
[12:59] commissioner next year with the help to help them
[13:01] with their increased caseload.
[13:04] The Board of Elections increases, covers the leasing
[13:07] of additional polling book equipment
[13:09] and our soil conservation service is lower next year due
[13:13] to the reduction in their workforce by one
[13:15] and a half full-time equivalents.
[13:21] These are the other categories, including debt, other
[13:24] and transfers and the operations budget.
[13:27] The Board of Education debt is higher next year due
[13:30] to the debt service for the new administration building
[13:33] and roof projects at both matte elementary
[13:36] and matte middle schools.
[13:39] Our intergovernmental expenses are increasing due
[13:41] to continued increases from for from the State
[13:44] S Stat Assessment Office,
[13:45] which is a state agency which we pay for now increases
[13:49] to town rebates via the tax offset program
[13:53] and an increase in the state pension administration fees
[13:55] that we must pay.
[13:57] Our general insurance is also increasing due to premiums
[14:01] and the addition of the public housing authority
[14:04] facilities under the county's umbrella.
[14:07] And under the transfer section, the capital fund is up due
[14:11] to an increase of PEGO funding support,
[14:13] which is transferred over
[14:14] to the FY 27 capital projects account for capital projects.
[14:18] And lastly on this, I'll say that the ag transfer
[14:22] is projected to decrease next year due
[14:25] to a reduction in the anticipated funding support needed
[14:28] for that program.
[14:32] So what's changed between this fiscal year
[14:34] and next fiscal year And this chart basically just shows the
[14:37] revenue increase of 21.5 million
[14:40] and the corresponding expenditure increase,
[14:43] also a 21.5 million.
[14:45] Again, the lion's share
[14:47] of the revenue increase is from property taxes
[14:50] and income taxes, 16000003.4 million respectively,
[14:55] followed by the intergovernmental transfers at 900,000.
[14:59] On the expense side,
[15:01] we're allocating an additional 8.9 million to the Board
[15:04] of Education and our public safety group gets $2.3 million
[15:08] in addition next year
[15:10] and then the transfer to capital at 3.8 million
[15:12] for our capital projects account.
[15:19] Okay, now we can move into the capital budget.
[15:21] Some highlights here, again, leading off with the Board
[15:24] of Education, we've included funding for design
[15:27] of the new Centerville Middle School, HVAC,
[15:31] replacements at Canard
[15:33] and Centerville Elementary, a roof replacement at canard,
[15:37] a repaving of all the parking
[15:40] surfaces at the Cant Island High School,
[15:42] additional bus replacements, furniture replacements,
[15:45] and some other small projects.
[15:48] Chesapeake College, we've included funding
[15:50] for the Queen Edge Technical Center.
[15:52] It's a multi-year project funded
[15:53] by the five Midshore counties.
[15:55] That project is just out now for design
[15:58] and we hope to have a groundbreaking ceremony maybe about
[16:01] this time next year for that project.
[16:04] For our CTE programs, for our emergency services,
[16:08] we've included funding for a Motorola console upgrade,
[16:12] new ambulances, radio subscriber replacements,
[16:15] our public safety network
[16:17] and replacement of personal protective gear
[16:20] and other projects for the regional hospital.
[16:25] We've allocated an overall $5 million note over four years,
[16:29] FY 25 through FY 28
[16:32] and this year's allocation is 1.25 million towards the new
[16:36] University of Maryland Medical Systems Regional Hospital.
[16:43] Continuing with capital we have
[16:44] for the housing authority major repairs of our units
[16:48] and maintenance for Fisher Manor, Riverside Estates,
[16:51] Grasonville Terrace, Terrapin Grove FoxTown,
[16:53] and our scattered site housing stock.
[16:56] We've included additional funding of 835,000
[17:00] for the volunteer fire companies for purchase of apparatus
[17:04] and facility construction.
[17:06] For animal services. We've got funding for design
[17:09] of a new animal services shelter
[17:11] and adoption center planning
[17:13] and design money at 300,000 for our Roads division.
[17:16] We have funding for a new pedestrian bridge over US
[17:19] 53 0 1 on Kent Island.
[17:21] That is a large grant funded project, 85% grant
[17:25] and that's $3 million we anticipate hopefully receiving
[17:28] good award on that here.
[17:30] This in the next few months
[17:34] for our parks department, we have funding
[17:36] for the continuation of the South Island trail expansion,
[17:40] capital equipment, athletic field work, major maintenance,
[17:44] new field lighting for white marsh and bass neck parks.
[17:48] For our recreation group, we have funding
[17:50] for land acquisition and design
[17:53] and contract development for a new recreation center.
[17:56] Also on Kent Island at 10.5 million.
[17:59] For general services and engineering, we've included funding
[18:02] for renovations of the historic courthouse
[18:03] and other county facilities.
[18:05] And for our information technology team, we have funding
[18:09] for new IT infrastructure
[18:11] and other technology associated projects for cybersecurity.
[18:17] Again with roads we have 5 million allocated
[18:19] for systems preservations,
[18:21] for asphalt overlays and capital equipment.
[18:24] We have $5 million roughly
[18:26] for the Southern Kent Island sewer phases three and four.
[18:29] The final two phases for that Route eight sewer expansion
[18:32] to include Queen Anne Colony, Kent Moore, Chesapeake State,
[18:35] so all Kent Batson, neck Normans and Maneka State.
[18:39] And that'll wrap that project up.
[18:42] We've got a grant for $3 million to
[18:45] improve the Sellersville wastewater treatment plant
[18:47] to the new ENR technology.
[18:51] And we have $500,000
[18:52] for our next sewer extension project planned
[18:55] for Marlin Farms and Dominion.
[18:57] And that has another sewer extension project
[18:59] to existing communities that have public health concern,
[19:03] septic system failures.
[19:07] This last slide shows the capital budget by funding source.
[19:11] We do have a variety of different funds that we use
[19:14] for our capital plan
[19:16] and I'll run through those real quickly.
[19:17] We've got $4.4 million in pego funding,
[19:22] nearly $8 million in grant funding.
[19:25] 30.1 million, 30.8 million, excuse me, in bonds.
[19:30] 13.2 million capital fund balance.
[19:33] We have 5.2 million in loans
[19:35] and those are for the sewer projects that get paid back
[19:37] with special benefit assessments
[19:40] and other funding sources include developer actions
[19:43] and special benefit assessment collections
[19:46] for road projects.
[19:48] Rounding out our $63.5 million capital plan
[19:51] for FY 27.
[19:56] Okay, so if you want to dig deeper into our
[20:00] proposed FY 27 budget, everything's on our website.
[20:04] I encourage you to go there.
[20:05] Here's the link and you can go there
[20:07] and peruse every, every number, all the agencies,
[20:11] all the departments, all the detail you need
[20:13] and we'd be happy to answer any questions that your leisure.
[20:16] You can let us know if you have questions about anything you
[20:18] see or on the budget mailers that you've received.
[20:21] We've also have a handout here that has a lot
[20:24] of additional information, including
[20:26] what I've presented here tonight.
[20:27] Some additional pie charts and the five year capital plan.
[20:30] So that's available here this evening.
[20:32] So if you haven't picked one of those up,
[20:33] please get one on your on your way out
[20:35] and we'd be happy to answer questions on that as well.
[20:40] So that concludes the very brief high level presentation
[20:43] of the FY 27 proposed budget.
[20:46] We can now take any public comment.
[20:48] So commissioners, if you wanna come on back up to the podium
[20:52] or excuse me to the front desk
[20:54] and we will run through the comments.
[20:56] So
[21:01] You wanna read the
[21:07] I gave, I gave the title I saw so,
[21:10] So when I call your name, just come on up to the
[21:13] standing microphone and please
[21:14] state your name and where you live.
[21:19] First name here is, I got one. Do not cross art.
[21:24] The not cross art. Did I say
[21:25] that right? Alright, thank you sir.
[21:27] Yes, close. My name is Benoit Cosar
[21:31] and I'm on Kent Island.
[21:34] And I'd like to start this evening by looking at the
[21:38] the revenue side of your budget.
[21:39] So you presented to us, basically, I think you mentioned it,
[21:43] the lion's share comes from property tax and income tax.
[21:47] And when I look at 2026,
[21:49] it's about $90 million revenue stream for each.
[21:52] So indeed they are, you call 'em lion's share,
[21:55] I call 'em elephants.
[21:57] Those are the big revenue streams.
[21:59] So I'll start with property tax.
[22:02] In your cover letter you highlight, you underline
[22:06] that you're decreasing property tax rate for 2027
[22:13] and you have showed us this chart over here with the,
[22:16] the yellow bar right next
[22:18] to Talbot County is queen on county.
[22:23] What the chart doesn't show is
[22:24] that you're comparing your 2027 proposed rate 80 cents
[22:30] compared to the 2026 rates for the other counties.
[22:34] And you're saying that that this will
[22:39] put the county, our county,
[22:41] and the lower lowest tax rate
[22:44] of all 24 jurisdiction in Maryland.
[22:47] But actually Talbot County is reducing their tax rate
[22:52] and not from 83 to 80, which is what you're proposing,
[22:56] which is a like a three and a half percent reduction.
[23:00] So putting things in perspective,
[23:02] when the median household price in Kent Island, I'm sorry,
[23:07] in Queenan County, is about $500,000.
[23:10] That represents a reduction of about $190 per household
[23:14] for the median household, $190 per year.
[23:18] What Talbot County did is a reduction from 80 cents
[23:23] to 67 cents, which is a meaningful
[23:28] reduction in median household property tax.
[23:30] It calculates to about $700 a year, 700 versus the 190
[23:35] that you're proposing.
[23:37] So that's what I call one elephant in the room.
[23:39] And there's another one and it's on the income tax.
[23:43] So $90 million from property tax,
[23:45] that's what I just talked about.
[23:46] Now there's another $90 million from income tax.
[23:51] When I compare that to our Talbot County,
[23:54] you're saying in your letter
[23:59] That income tax rate
[24:00] of 3.2% will remain the same for next year?
[24:05] Well 3.2% versus Talbot County who's at
[24:09] 2.4%.
[24:12] I think that is a meaningful difference.
[24:16] And our neighbors to the north in Cecil County,
[24:19] I checked also there are 2.7%.
[24:22] So at 3.2% we stand in Queenland County at the highest
[24:27] of all 23 jurisdiction.
[24:31] So it sounds like I have to finish.
[24:33] So when voting for commissioners going forward, I want
[24:37] to see a plan that reduces spending.
[24:40] So we in Quinlan County can get off this list
[24:44] of having the highest income tax rate of the 23 counties.
[24:50] I mean, our income tax rate is just as high
[24:52] as Baltimore City and I don't think
[24:54] that's anything to brag about.
[24:56] I don't like to give out a problem without
[24:58] giving a solution.
[25:00] So here's the solution I have for you commissioners,
[25:03] go back to Mr.
[25:04] Mon over here and tell him
[25:07] to take another crack at this budget and cut spending.
[25:13] So, and cut it to a point that a $700 a year savings
[25:18] to the median household family can be obtained.
[25:22] Talbot County is doing it. So can we.
[25:25] That is what will get you reelected. Thank you. Thank you.
[25:29] Thank you.
[25:34] Next we have Matt Kler, department or Public Works.
[25:37] Which one?
[25:44] Good evening. Dr.
[25:45] Matt Kler, superintendent at
[25:46] Queen Anne County Public Schools.
[25:47] I wanna start by just thanking the commissioners
[25:49] for their continued support of our public schools
[25:53] at a time when districts across Maryland are cutting
[25:56] programs and eliminating positions.
[25:58] We recognize just how fortunate we are in
[26:01] to have commissioners supporting our public
[26:03] schools in Queen Anne's County.
[26:04] The proposed budget increase for our schools will allow us
[26:07] to meet our contractual obligations to employees
[26:09] and maintain our current programs and staffing levels.
[26:13] After two very difficult years of cuts
[26:15] and furloughs, that is a significant step
[26:18] forward for our school system.
[26:20] This also means that we are continuing
[26:22] to meet our obligations under the
[26:24] blueprint for Maryland's future.
[26:25] For example, starting teacher salaries next year
[26:27] will be $60,000.
[26:29] We've increased the number
[26:30] of full day pre-kindergarten seats
[26:32] for our youngest learners.
[26:34] We will continue to send hundreds of our students per year
[26:37] to dual enrollment classes at Chesapeake College,
[26:39] while also offering high quality CTE programs like our new
[26:44] electrical program and our longstanding nursing program.
[26:47] All of this is possible because of your generous support
[26:50] and for that we are sincerely grateful.
[26:53] My job as superintendent though, is
[26:55] to also advocate for the school system.
[26:57] I want Queen Anne County Public Schools to be more,
[26:59] to be in a position to do more than just maintain.
[27:02] We are currently the second highest performing school system
[27:05] on the eastern shore,
[27:07] and our goal is to become the highest performing in the
[27:09] state with 24 7 access to technology
[27:13] and cell phones at our fingertips.
[27:15] We also recognize that students face challenges
[27:17] and stressors in today's world
[27:18] that haven't always been present, even when compared
[27:21] to just a few years ago.
[27:23] Our county is home to outstanding educators,
[27:26] but supporting students requires more than
[27:28] just classroom teachers.
[27:29] In today's environment, people make the greatest impact
[27:33] in the lives of our students.
[27:34] Any additional funding provided
[27:36] by the commissioners would go directly towards supporting
[27:39] children in our schools by restoring some of the support
[27:42] that were in place in previous school years.
[27:44] This would include math and reading specialists
[27:46] and staff trained to support the behavioral
[27:49] and mental health needs of our students.
[27:51] Please know this, we are grateful for where we are.
[27:54] We will not make excuses, we won't stand still.
[27:57] We will continue pressing forward
[27:59] and giving the students of Queen Annes County the very best
[28:01] education possible.
[28:03] Again, I wanna thank you for your partnership
[28:05] and your support of the children
[28:06] and families of Queen Annes County.
[28:08] I also wanna say I plan to be able to be at all of these,
[28:11] but I can't tomorrow night.
[28:12] I, I'm gonna be cheering on the Ken Island High School boys
[28:16] lacrosse team at Stevenson University as they try
[28:19] to win back Toback State Championships for the third time
[28:22] and their fourth state
[28:23] championship outta the past five years.
[28:25] Nice go box and thank you for all your support. Thank you.
[28:28] Thank you.
[28:32] Okay, next we have Janet Salazar.
[28:41] Good evening commissioners.
[28:42] I'm Janet Salazar, the Director for the Public Libraries.
[28:45] And I am also here to thank you for our funding this year.
[28:48] Thank you for the continued support of the library
[28:50] for the investment that you make in our staff
[28:52] and our services every year.
[28:54] We truly appreciate the funding included in this year's
[28:57] budget, especially the additional outreach position
[29:00] that is much needed.
[29:02] That position will allow us
[29:03] to strengthen our connections throughout the county
[29:05] and expand access to library services for residents
[29:08] who may not otherwise be able to get to our branches.
[29:11] We are grateful that you are build
[29:13] that when you are building the county budget.
[29:15] You always remember our staff
[29:18] and the value that they bring to the library.
[29:21] So thank you very much for that.
[29:24] I also wanna thank you for including the North
[29:25] County branch funding.
[29:29] This project represents a really important step forward
[29:32] for the expanding of library access
[29:34] and services to residents in
[29:35] the northern part of our county.
[29:37] We're currently developing a community survey
[29:39] to better understand what services and resources
[29:42] and programs the residents would most
[29:44] value in their new space.
[29:45] And we want to ensure that this branch reflects the unique
[29:48] needs of that community
[29:50] and becomes a welcoming, flexible resource for all ages.
[29:54] And finally, if additional funding should come available,
[29:58] we would ask you to consider the support
[30:00] of an additional full-time makerspace
[30:02] position at this branch.
[30:04] As you saw in a recent library update,
[30:07] our makerspace usage has grown tremendously
[30:09] with unique users and unique sessions increasing
[30:12] by 90% and less than one year.
[30:14] This growth demonstrates both the demand
[30:17] for in the impact of these services.
[30:20] The Makerspace provides opportunities for creativity,
[30:23] workforce development, technology, education,
[30:26] and hands-on learning for residents of all ages.
[30:29] An additional staff member would allow us
[30:31] to better support patrons, expand programming opportunities,
[30:34] and maintain equipment
[30:36] and continue growing this valuable community resource
[30:40] in a sustainable way.
[30:41] So I thank you for our budget and thank you for listening.
[30:47] Rebecca Donovan.
[30:53] Good Evening. Rebecca Donovan from Chester.
[30:56] I may look a little familiar to most of you.
[30:57] I know we just came from the ribbon cutting
[31:00] earlier this evening and I do wanna take a moment
[31:02] to thank you guys for including that budget so
[31:04] that we could get that renovation of Millbury Park
[31:06] and allowing us to be a part of it.
[31:08] That is not why I am here tonight.
[31:10] However, tonight I am here to ask you all
[31:12] to prioritize funding
[31:14] for mental health support within our board of education.
[31:17] Specifically programs focused on mental health awareness,
[31:20] suicide prevention, peer support, crisis identification,
[31:23] and accessible counseling resources
[31:25] for students in our county.
[31:28] Tonight, I'm speaking not just as a fellow grieving parent,
[31:30] but also as a co-leader
[31:31] of a bereaving bereaved parent support group here on the
[31:35] island through grief share ministry at the Ken Island
[31:37] Methodist Church is through that group that I've come
[31:40] to understand how serious the youth mental health
[31:42] crisis is in our county.
[31:44] Recently, parents joined our group
[31:45] after losing their son to suicide.
[31:47] Through conversations in our share group, I learned
[31:50] that four children in our county have died
[31:51] by suicide this year, this school year four.
[31:57] They are not statistics, they're children, classmates,
[32:00] friends, sons, daughters futures.
[32:05] And for every child that we do lose,
[32:06] there are countless more who are silently struggling.
[32:09] We cannot wait until more families are sitting in our grief
[32:11] support group to recognize that intervention is needed.
[32:14] Now, our schools that are in are in a unique position
[32:18] to help identify warning signs
[32:20] and create environments
[32:21] where students feel safe asking for help.
[32:23] But educators cannot do it alone without proper funding,
[32:26] staffing and resources.
[32:29] We need increased investment in school counselors,
[32:31] mental health professionals, peer mentoring,
[32:34] peer support groups, suicide awareness training
[32:37] and programs that teach students how
[32:38] to recognize when a friend might be struggling.
[32:41] Mental health support is not an extra, it is not optional.
[32:45] It's prevention, intervention and lifesaving.
[32:49] I understand that budgets are difficult
[32:51] and that there are a lot of things competing
[32:53] for that, for that funding.
[32:54] But I'm asking you tonight to view this
[32:56] as an urgent investment and the lives
[32:58] of the children in our county
[33:00] because no parent should ever have
[33:01] to plan a funeral for their child.
[33:03] And no family should have
[33:05] to find their way into a bereaved parent support group
[33:07] because help did not come soon enough.
[33:09] If there's anything we can do together
[33:10] to prevent even one more family from experiencing this kind
[33:13] of loss, then it's worth the investment.
[33:15] And I hope that you believe that as well.
[33:18] Thank you for your time, for your
[33:19] leadership and your consideration.
[33:21] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[33:26] Bridget Heen. Say that right, Bridget? Yes.
[33:35] Hello, I'm Bridget. I'm from Stevensville.
[33:39] When I got the budget, the first thing
[33:41] that jumped off the page to me was the very first item
[33:45] under county commissioners, 870,000.
[33:48] I've been communicating with Phil.
[33:51] I think you've also
[33:53] provided some of the budget information to drill down
[33:56] to understand what that number meant.
[34:00] And what I learned was a little more distressing than the
[34:03] $870,000.
[34:06] We have five commissioners,
[34:09] their salaries mandated at $25,000 a year.
[34:14] There's $125,000 based on a
[34:19] $250,000.
[34:21] So the other's expenses.
[34:23] My question is, what are those expenses?
[34:25] Because as this gentleman had said, we have
[34:27] to look at expenses for those who want additional funding
[34:32] for very important programs, the only way we can do it is
[34:36] to reduce our expenses.
[34:38] The second item was for the support staff.
[34:42] And it came to me saying that Stephanie, Sherry,
[34:44] and Brie make a total
[34:47] of $415,000 a year.
[34:53] They are the executive assistant,
[34:55] the administrative assistant,
[34:57] and the office manager
[34:59] that averages $138,000 a year.
[35:02] I'd like that job if they were to get the same
[35:07] benefits, which again, I don't understand what they are
[35:10] because, and forgive me if I offend anyone, I assume all
[35:15] of you are on Medicare.
[35:17] So it's not medical benefits, is it?
[35:21] So it's $26,000 in benefits
[35:25] for our commissioners.
[35:28] I'm looking to try
[35:31] and find a way to reduce our expenses so
[35:34] that we can direct the money that we do collect
[35:38] to the important things.
[35:40] And that's going to take some cutting of budgets,
[35:45] not increasing of budgets, like the 3%
[35:49] increase on that first line item.
[35:58] Next we have Carl, you Savage.
[36:02] Sitz. Sitz. Thank you. Yeah.
[36:05] My name's Carl Sitz. I live in Grayville, Maryland.
[36:09] And I want to take this opportunity to thank you the board
[36:13] for allowing me to address some social issues that are
[36:18] ever so present in Queen Anne County.
[36:22] And I'm here to advocate for more funds for the school board
[36:27] to try and get in front of these social issues.
[36:32] I'm s my son was Kevin
[36:37] who died on the 22nd of December.
[36:41] My wife and I will never be the same from this.
[36:45] And since in that in the last five months there's been,
[36:48] there's been three other children that are gone.
[36:51] And I'd venture to say
[36:52] that those parents are never gonna be the same either.
[36:56] I don't, I don't wanna make this about my family,
[36:58] but I wanna make this about this community.
[37:01] There's a problem here. And it's not gonna go away.
[37:06] You know, you know, we may be close in age and,
[37:09] and we know how we were raised
[37:12] and these issues weren't, weren't as as
[37:16] prevalent as they are now.
[37:18] And, and we need to do something about this.
[37:21] This is serious business.
[37:25] I, I can't, there, there's, I I can't even describe to you
[37:29] what it's like to be a dad one day
[37:34] and then the next day you're not.
[37:38] It's indescribable.
[37:41] So I, I feel the need to be proactive.
[37:46] So I sat in on a few school board meetings. I was welcomed.
[37:52] I was heard
[37:57] the school doesn't have what they need.
[38:05] They don't have what they need
[38:06] to get in front of this problem.
[38:09] This, this is a social crisis amongst
[38:14] the future of this, of, of our county,
[38:18] our state, our country.
[38:24] You know, I asked the school board
[38:26] what programs are are being implemented
[38:28] to get in front of this problem.
[38:30] When the grief counselors show up, you're,
[38:32] we're still behind the problem.
[38:35] We're we're not in front of it.
[38:38] And it's gonna take a lot of work and a lot of effort.
[38:40] And that takes money.
[38:46] You know, are the students being addressed?
[38:48] I asked are are they talking about this
[38:51] or is it just being, you know,
[38:55] that's a shame we miss them.
[38:58] That's not gonna help this.
[39:01] They need to understand what mental health,
[39:05] positive mental health is all about
[39:10] and how to identify it with their friends.
[39:15] I'm sorry, I'm gonna run over, but this, this, keep going,
[39:17] Keep going.
[39:19] You know, so, you know,
[39:21] the other big issue is this bullying issue.
[39:25] You know, are, are we, are we monitoring
[39:27] how kids are treating kids?
[39:31] You know, I'm not, I'm not gonna,
[39:32] I'm not gonna blame this whole thing on, you know,
[39:34] my son's death over that.
[39:36] But that was part of it. He just didn't feel
[39:40] like he could fit in.
[39:44] And, and that's gotta stop. You know?
[39:48] And other kids wanna speak up.
[39:51] They, they do, they wanna speak up,
[39:55] but they're afraid of the judgment
[39:57] and the alienation if they do and where that puts them.
[40:02] And so everybody turns and walks. Not everybody.
[40:11] I don't know. I, I mean I wrote all this down and,
[40:14] and I, I'm not gonna read this to you.
[40:17] I'm gonna speak from the heart as I've been doing.
[40:19] But you know, the kids need to have some tools.
[40:24] They need to have some education, they need
[40:25] to have some understanding.
[40:29] And the parents need it too.
[40:32] You know, how can, how can the kids come home
[40:35] and talk to their parents?
[40:37] My son didn't talk to us about this.
[40:39] I, I, I asked him every how everything okay?
[40:42] And everything's fine, dad, everything's fine.
[40:54] All these were all these suggestions that I'm making.
[40:58] I mean, I don't have any skin in the game anymore, okay?
[41:00] It's about our only child, but I care about my friends
[41:05] and I care about my neighbors
[41:07] and I care about their children and I care about the future.
[41:15] It's gonna require trained professionals.
[41:17] Teachers can't do this. It's not their job.
[41:20] Their job is to stick to the curriculum
[41:23] and prepare the students for challenges in the workplace.
[41:30] Social issues, social settings.
[41:34] That's what it's all about.
[41:37] You know, guidance counselors need to do this
[41:39] and train professionals.
[41:44] You know, it's my understanding
[41:46] that average class is like 25 plus students.
[41:49] How does a teacher deal with 25 15 year olds?
[41:55] They don't. The ones that wanna learn are the ones
[41:59] and the ones that don't, they play a part,
[42:05] but you have to engage 'em.
[42:09] So
[42:11] I, I, I don't know.
[42:14] The general consensus is not enough guidance counselors
[42:19] to deal with these social issues and,
[42:23] and their job is to direct children in for their future.
[42:27] But now they have a new job
[42:28] because there's these new issues that they're dealing with
[42:33] and they really don't know how.
[42:34] So what are we gonna do?
[42:37] We need to bring outside help in to train this,
[42:41] these guidance counselors,
[42:42] specialties, whatever you want to call it.
[42:54] I don't know. I'm, I'm here to, I'm here
[42:55] to support my school board.
[42:58] They need a little bit more money to deal with this.
[43:02] This is, this is, this isn't been going on
[43:05] consistently for years.
[43:06] This is like you, you can't tell me that.
[43:10] I mean, name another place that
[43:12] four children are gone in five months.
[43:18] This isn't normal. They need more help.
[43:22] I give up an over class for more guidance counselors.
[43:26] So that's all I have.
[43:28] And I appreciate you letting me speak and going over
[43:32] and I love this county.
[43:36] I love my community. I love my
[43:37] neighbors and my neighbor's children.
[43:40] These kids are the commodity of the future.
[43:44] That's what this is about.
[43:45] So, you know, and,
[43:48] and they, if we can start this,
[43:49] they can carry it into the future and,
[43:53] and just maybe there'll be a little bit more understanding.
[43:58] Thank you. Thank
[43:59] You.
[44:05] Next we have Jesse Knight.
[44:16] My name's Jesse. I'm from Ken Island Little League.
[44:19] I just came here today to say thank you guys so much
[44:23] for the Bats Neck project.
[44:25] I brought a couple gentlemen with me.
[44:28] I know the baseball and softball community has been waiting
[44:31] for a long time for lights down in this area.
[44:34] We need it. Some real life issues we have is,
[44:38] I know your chart showed that, you know, the,
[44:41] the enrollments for you know,
[44:43] Kibbler school district is going down.
[44:44] But I get all of them. I get the homeschool kids,
[44:46] I get the private school kids and I am at the max.
[44:50] So this year I had no open fields.
[44:52] So those full fields were full all the time.
[44:55] So I kind of wanna plant the seed.
[44:57] You guys are gonna get to know me more.
[44:59] I'm gonna get on your nerves.
[45:00] Like I've been getting on Phil's nerves quite a bit.
[45:04] Commute five hours a day.
[45:06] So I watch a lot of post meetings, new meetings.
[45:10] Just to comment on one of your comments a while back,
[45:13] Patrick, when you made the extension cord
[45:15] and light comment about the lights, some of us did do that.
[45:20] I coached football in Grasonville
[45:22] and some of those kids couldn't get to
[45:24] the piranhas organization.
[45:26] So another gentleman made Grayville community
[45:29] and I used to go pick quite a few kids up
[45:31] and bring them to practice.
[45:32] And I had to bring Milwaukee lights
[45:34] 'cause we didn't have lights for those kids
[45:36] to participate in a youth sport.
[45:39] So like to see the property
[45:41] by Mallard run get developed some more baseball fields down
[45:44] in this area, we need 'em.
[45:46] I know budgets are tough, you know, nobody wants
[45:50] to spend money, but you know, as many data centers
[45:54] and big tech and everything else going,
[45:56] the more kids we can keep active at parks and
[45:58] and playing sports and is a good thing.
[46:01] And attending some meetings with Parks and Rec.
[46:05] There were quite a few kids coming down
[46:07] to our county from New York, Pennsylvania
[46:10] and surrounding areas to come enjoy,
[46:12] you know, where we live.
[46:13] And I wanna keep it that way.
[46:14] So gentlemen, again, thank you very much. Thank you.
[46:17] Thank you.
[46:22] So Barbara Dawson.
[46:28] Hi, I'm Barb Dawson.
[46:30] I'm on the Parks and Rec advisory board.
[46:33] I just wanted to speak on, I guess behalf of the board
[46:36] or of our committee that thank you so much for support Parks
[46:40] and rec and everything that they do today at Berry Park,
[46:43] at the dedication ceremony.
[46:46] I know it was amazing to see what parks
[46:49] and Rec here can accomplish
[46:51] and I just wanted to thank you for supporting them
[46:53] and their budget and their needs and help them carry on.
[46:58] Thank you, thank you, thank you.
[47:03] And Mary Sloan.
[47:10] My name's Mary Sloan in Stevensville, Maryland.
[47:14] I'm also the co-founder of the Jacob Sloan Foundation.
[47:19] But tonight I'm here speaking as the facilitator,
[47:22] the lead facilitator
[47:23] of the Parents Bereaved group here on Ken Island.
[47:27] It's a group that nobody, no parents
[47:28] should ever have to join.
[47:31] And I'm very proud of you two for speaking.
[47:38] And I'm asking that the board of Education,
[47:42] that there be made more funding
[47:44] for the mental health programs in services in Queen S County
[47:48] schools as an urgent priority.
[47:52] This year alone, the community's experienced the
[47:54] heartbreaking loss of fourteens to suicide.
[47:58] But behind every loss is a family forever change.
[48:01] Classmates struggling to understand
[48:03] and a community asking if something
[48:07] more could have been done.
[48:09] Through our bereaved parents group,
[48:11] I have seen firsthand the growing number
[48:13] of families affected
[48:15] by mental health struggles among our youth.
[48:18] Far too many parents have needed our support
[48:21] after unimaginable loss.
[48:24] The need for stronger mental health resources in
[48:26] our schools is critical.
[48:28] Our students need greater access to counselors,
[48:32] prevention programs, peer support, crisis intervention
[48:35] and education that addresses the depression, anxiety,
[48:39] bullying, trauma and suicide prevention.
[48:44] Often schools can be the first place
[48:45] where warning signs are seen.
[48:48] We must ensure that they have all the tools necessary
[48:52] and all the resources necessary to respond to a crisis
[48:56] before it becomes another tragedy.
[48:59] Investing in mental health support is not optional.
[49:03] It's an es. It's is essential to protecting the wellbeing
[49:08] and lives of our childrens
[49:09] and families in our county alone.
[49:15] Not only is it, see now I'm going off script, but that's
[49:20] because this is such a heartfelt journey.
[49:22] Even though my story with the loss of our son is different,
[49:25] it's not from suicide.
[49:27] I remember parents calling me saying,
[49:30] my child's struggling in school.
[49:33] Who can I get to help them?
[49:35] I was in the depths of my darkest days,
[49:38] yet I felt an obligation to try to find those parents
[49:41] or those students' help.
[49:44] We need more resources in this county to address
[49:48] mental health issues for families,
[49:50] for children, and for the schools.
[49:53] It has to be a priority.
[49:56] And our foundation, you know, we have helped
[50:00] with other mental health initiatives in the county
[50:03] and we continue to stand by to help where we can help too.
[50:07] But I felt as a grief support counselor in our
[50:10] county that it was crucial.
[50:12] Keep going. That I was able to come up here not only as
[50:18] a parent, I mean not only as a, you know,
[50:22] running our foundation, but as a parent of child loss.
[50:27] And it's something that we want no other
[50:30] parents to go through.
[50:31] It's something that unless you've walked that walk,
[50:34] you don't understand the need that we have,
[50:38] especially in this county, for more support
[50:40] for these families, these children, these communities.
[50:45] Thank you for your time and I appreciate all
[50:47] that you all do currently.
[50:49] Thank you. Thank you. Thank
[50:50] You.
[50:55] Okay folks, that's all we had signed up.
[50:57] Is there anybody else that would like to
[51:00] make any public comments this evening?
[51:03] Yes ma'am.
[51:07] Hi, My name is re I'm a resident of Queen and County.
[51:11] I live in Grayville. I work in Annapolis. I'm a doctor.
[51:16] I heard the parents
[51:18] and I think, yes, we need
[51:19] to support our mental health services in the school.
[51:23] I'm just gonna make a small short story.
[51:26] When I first initially bought my house in the Queen
[51:29] and county, I looked at our Grayville Elementary school,
[51:32] compared it with other counties, elementary school,
[51:34] how they're performing.
[51:36] Coming from the Indian background,
[51:38] I wanted the best school for my kid.
[51:41] And I know our schools are doing very good,
[51:43] but we are still, we need a lot
[51:45] of support from the school system.
[51:47] I want our board to be supported for education programs so
[51:51] that look at Harvard County, why they are doing best,
[51:54] why other counties are doing much more better.
[51:56] Of course mental health also plays a role into this.
[51:59] So definitely lot of support into the public school system.
[52:03] That's what I would request from all of you.
[52:06] I didn't want it to put my kid into the private school.
[52:09] I have two kids, although I, yes, I can afford
[52:12] with my husband, but I think public schools should be given
[52:16] a fair chance to accelerate in the education.
[52:19] And if parents like me
[52:20] and other educated parents would not put our kids into
[52:23] public school, will not give them fair chance.
[52:26] And kids need to learn from the system.
[52:28] And another thing is the bullying.
[52:30] I have been hearing a lot of bullying going
[52:32] around the school, so I would appreciate if you guys can
[52:34] come up with some kind of program and prevention for that.
[52:38] And lastly, is there any chance we can get a playground at
[52:43] Long Point Park, please?
[52:45] I'm a mother. I drive my kids
[52:47] around looking for playgrounds.
[52:48] Thank you for Berry Park.
[52:50] But I don't wanna add to the island traffic
[52:52] or congestion in the summer months.
[52:54] If you can give us our playground back at the Long Point
[52:57] Park, that'll be great.
[53:00] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[53:07] Okay. Anybody else wish to
[53:09] make some public comments this evening?
[53:13] No, go on once, twice.
[53:14] Alright, I'll turn it back over to the commissioners
[53:18] for any closing remarks. Commissioners.
[53:20] Chris, you want to? Let's,
[53:23] Patrick, do you wanna go first?
[53:24] First because I think there's a hot topic
[53:26] that you should be, you've been
[53:27] working really hard on as well.
[53:29] So let's talk about it.
[53:31] No, because I, I think I, sir, thank you
[53:35] For sharing your, Your story.
[53:36] And I just, commissioner McLaughlin has been working on
[53:39] trying to get more funding for youth crisis,
[53:43] a youth crisis center since before your son took his life.
[53:48] I remember we were at the Maryland Association
[53:51] of Counties just a few weeks
[53:53] Before your father, I mean, sorry,
[53:56] before your son took his life.
[53:58] And Commissioner McLaughlin going up to Governor Moore
[54:01] and explaining the money that we needed from the state
[54:03] because he secured a $5 million
[54:05] grant from the fellow government.
[54:06] But we need the matching money from the state.
[54:09] And he has been relentless in pursuing the state.
[54:14] And they're not doing it right.
[54:15] They're not giving us our funding.
[54:18] And if you remember the chart up here that you saw
[54:20] for school funding, Queens County is way above
[54:24] where we're supposed to be.
[54:25] And the state is way below.
[54:27] And that's not an excuse that Queens County can't do more.
[54:29] 'cause we will always do more. And if you ask Dr.
[54:32] Kibbler, he'll tell you, we, we've called him directly
[54:34] and said whatever you need for, for mental health, we're,
[54:37] we are your partner in this
[54:40] and working with our Department of Health for that.
[54:44] It's not fast enough. It's not enough. And I get that.
[54:47] So I'm not making excuses for anything.
[54:49] You're a hundred percent correct.
[54:51] But I do want Patrick to share what he's been working on
[54:54] because this is something
[54:55] that has been at the forefront for him.
[54:58] And we need help from the citizens to get the state,
[55:01] because we are of rural county.
[55:03] I mean, the budget might look like a lot, you know,
[55:06] it does not go that far as you've seen
[55:08] where everything goes,
[55:09] particularly when it comes to those things. So Patrick,
[55:11] Why don't you talk a little about what you,
[55:16] I didn't really know Christopher.
[55:17] And we were sitting at Mako and it was my first Mako
[55:22] and long story short, we were just lollygagging
[55:25] and his daughter
[55:30] and my daughter, Bethany knew a
[55:34] girl who took her life.
[55:37] And that kind of cemented our friendship and our bond.
[55:42] And we've been working, he's very nice to say it,
[55:45] but it's been a team effort.
[55:47] Jim, Jack, Phil, and Christopher and myself.
[55:52] I, I could talk for two hours about this.
[55:56] I was just on a zoom
[56:00] with M-D-H-N-B-H-A
[56:03] and it's the same crap every time.
[56:07] We don't have the money. So
[56:12] as he was saying,
[56:13] we got a $5 million grant from Congressman Harris.
[56:17] All we need, all we need is a 25% matching
[56:20] grant from the state.
[56:23] It doesn't have to be from BHA or, or MDH.
[56:26] We tried to, I talked to the Speaker of the House,
[56:30] Pena Melnick before she was a speaker.
[56:34] And they just don't commit. They don't commit.
[56:36] They wouldn't let us submit a
[56:38] but they wouldn't let us submit it as a line item.
[56:41] They wouldn't let, I'm talking about the legislature.
[56:43] They wouldn't let us submit it
[56:44] as a miscellaneous to the budget.
[56:48] So here we are and this $5 million grant expires in
[56:53] about October or November.
[56:55] If we can't get the, the matching fund now
[56:57] what, what is it for?
[56:59] It's a, it's for capital improvements. We got a four.
[57:02] The, the guys in front of you got a $4 million grant.
[57:06] You, you know, we don't talk about this stuff
[57:08] because we want it to get to the point where it,
[57:11] the doors are gonna open so we don't talk about it.
[57:14] 'cause you know, we're, we're not politicians.
[57:19] We're, we're, we're servant leaders for you.
[57:22] So we got this $4 million grant for the Witt Center,
[57:26] which is a, a, a really great program in Kent County.
[57:29] We convinced the Kent County commissioners to go along
[57:31] with us and three other counties.
[57:33] We were gonna turn this vacant building into a PHP
[57:37] partial hospitalization program.
[57:41] And we get this $5 million from the congressmen
[57:44] and we can't get the state to help us.
[57:47] And that's where we are. Then even if they did,
[57:51] we still have to ask for 1.5 million for staffing per year.
[57:55] So what this would do, what would this do?
[57:58] So when the, the sheriff shows up and the,
[58:00] and our great EMS show up at a place, someone's house
[58:04] that's having a a, a mental health issue.
[58:07] They do an evaluation and then they call the emergency room.
[58:11] And the emergency room doctor says bring
[58:14] them in for an evaluation.
[58:15] Our goal is to take them directly to the,
[58:19] either the Witt Center
[58:20] or the PHP where they can get evaluated immediately
[58:24] and get mental health care expeditiously.
[58:28] Not sitting in an emergency room for days and days
[58:33] and days waiting for a bed to open up in Western Maryland so
[58:37] that their child can get inpatient care.
[58:40] So that is what these guys and we're fighting for and, and,
[58:44] and Todd Mon and, and our EMS people.
[58:48] So I know it doesn't seem like we're doing a lot
[58:54] Carl and, and and Rebecca,
[58:56] but we are getting back to the, the call with MDH
[59:01] We, it was about the 9, 8, 8 issues we're having.
[59:04] And I'm not gonna say anything 'cause we're on television,
[59:06] but I'll certainly talk to you afterwards if you'd
[59:09] like to talk about it.
[59:11] So I will also say
[59:15] that we need a plan.
[59:19] So I I we need a plan from the Board of Education
[59:24] and, and the edu the Department of Education come
[59:29] to us if,
[59:31] and say, here, this is what we think
[59:33] we can do to help our kids.
[59:36] I know that Talbot County has a really exceptional program
[59:40] called the yellow ribbon or Yellow slip.
[59:43] And here's how it works.
[59:45] It starts in third grade and it goes all the way through.
[59:50] So each child gets a, a yellow card
[59:53] and if they're struggling with anything
[59:56] or they know somebody who's struggling
[59:59] and they don't have the words, they literally walk up
[1:00:02] to an adult in the school.
[1:00:04] And all the schools are, to your point, are trained on
[1:00:08] how to help this child.
[1:00:09] So the child doesn't feel bullied,
[1:00:11] the child doesn't feel like they're gonna get in trouble,
[1:00:15] the child, et cetera, et cetera.
[1:00:17] They give the card to the teacher.
[1:00:19] The teacher immediately takes the child to
[1:00:23] the principal's office in a, in a safe space,
[1:00:26] I guess you could call it where they call the parents in.
[1:00:32] That's a really good program.
[1:00:34] We do this in, I believe I could be mistaken,
[1:00:38] we do this in sixth and eighth grade in Queen Annes County.
[1:00:42] We're here. These five guys are sitting in front of you
[1:00:46] asking to tell us what we need to do.
[1:00:52] I don't have the answers. I've been working on this
[1:00:54] with these guys for three, four years.
[1:00:57] I started working on this before I got elected.
[1:01:00] I, I don't have the answers.
[1:01:02] I, I don't know, you know, one of the gentlemen
[1:01:06] or that, Liam,
[1:01:08] it happened at one o'clock in the morning on his phone.
[1:01:12] So it, it, it, it happened. It's not the school's fault.
[1:01:17] It is not the school's fault,
[1:01:20] but it is our responsibility, the schools, the board of ed,
[1:01:24] and the commissioners to get proper training.
[1:01:28] We need a plan. And I don't know what that plan is,
[1:01:32] but our doors are open and we'll listen
[1:01:35] and you tell us what you need.
[1:01:39] I have two questions to what you said.
[1:01:42] One is how we can help you in,
[1:01:45] can you step up to the microphone? So
[1:01:49] You said you are having difficulty getting the
[1:01:51] funding Right.
[1:01:52] How we can help as parents
[1:01:55] Right.
[1:01:56] To the governor. Okay.
[1:01:57] To to Christopher's point, we're, we're in the,
[1:02:01] we're in a thousand people in a banquet.
[1:02:03] He's up on the plateau.
[1:02:04] I literally walked up onto the plateau in front of him
[1:02:08] to talk to him to say, I got a $5 million grant
[1:02:12] and from Congressman Harrison and can you help me?
[1:02:17] Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Four times I've talked
[1:02:19] to him face to face.
[1:02:21] He puts me in touch with his, you know,
[1:02:25] His Aide.
[1:02:26] His aide, and it just falls by the wayside.
[1:02:29] I, I don't see Todd, but Todd emailed this guy.
[1:02:33] Todd emailed the governor's office multiple times,
[1:02:37] following up for McLaughlin talking to, and nothing.
[1:02:41] It's just really bizarre. They need
[1:02:42] To hear From the people.
[1:02:43] They, yeah. So, so thank you Chris. And
[1:02:46] No matter what level of life
[1:02:47] Officer you are, I mean, for us too, right?
[1:02:48] Hearing from people matters a lot
[1:02:50] more than hearing from each other.
[1:02:52] But it does take the people reaching out.
[1:02:55] And I will vouch Patrick's story
[1:02:57] because I think he made the state police uncomfortable when
[1:02:59] he got so close to the governor about that.
[1:03:03] The, but it is reaching out and it's all the people and,
[1:03:06] and we're happy to meet with you after and,
[1:03:07] and coordinate with that because that makes a difference.
[1:03:11] You know, when the governor's office is hearing from
[1:03:12] parents, particularly parents who have lost a child,
[1:03:16] it's harder for them to ignore
[1:03:17] that correspondence they hear from us.
[1:03:19] And unfortunately, you know,
[1:03:21] we're just a small rural county.
[1:03:22] It's easy not to pay attention to us if you're in Annapolis.
[1:03:25] But it's much harder for them to ignore the parents.
[1:03:26] And that's the voices that matter.
[1:03:28] Yeah. We can definitely reach out.
[1:03:30] And the second question is, you set an example
[1:03:33] for Talbot County where they have this yellow
[1:03:35] ribbon kind of system.
[1:03:37] In that example, you said kids are taken
[1:03:39] to the principal office or
[1:03:40] certainly their parents are called in.
[1:03:42] Where is the mental health specialist?
[1:03:43] Do they have the mental health specialist there? Yes. And,
[1:03:45] And, and so do we And and we have and
[1:03:47] and Megan Pinder is one of our mental health specialists.
[1:03:53] And Ms. Hurlock, these are wonderful people.
[1:03:57] We have only two in whole county. Well,
[1:03:59] I, I can't speak to that.
[1:04:02] No, I was just gonna say that.
[1:04:03] I appreciate your points, but we have resources
[1:04:06] in, in all of their schools.
[1:04:07] But this specific program you're talking about is not
[1:04:10] currently going on from third grade to 12th grade.
[1:04:13] We are learning that. Best practice is saying maybe we bring
[1:04:16] that next year, but we have similar ways when a student's in
[1:04:20] mental health crisis in our schools that we bring resources
[1:04:24] around around the child, whether
[1:04:27] just the general education classroom teacher,
[1:04:29] a guidance counselor, a social worker, assistant principal,
[1:04:33] principal, sending resources from the central office down
[1:04:37] mobile crisis that is in our community, a collection
[1:04:41] of our mental health providers.
[1:04:42] We have a lot of resources in this county to help.
[1:04:46] And we're just gonna keep refining with the,
[1:04:48] the health department, those mental health professionals,
[1:04:51] our school system staff, our commission staff, to
[1:04:54] what we can do even more moving forward.
[1:04:57] And one of those suggestions is like,
[1:04:59] we've been focusing middle school and,
[1:05:01] and the health class of high school.
[1:05:03] Maybe we do need to do better at like third grade on having
[1:05:08] a specific program around this starting next year.
[1:05:11] And we're gonna do that. I mean, we were able to stand up a,
[1:05:14] a program just at, in the last, last three months
[1:05:17] of the year for sixth grade through 12th grade.
[1:05:20] We, we stopped everything to make sure
[1:05:21] that we could get in front of every child like that.
[1:05:25] Yeah. In response to what's going on?
[1:05:27] And then we're gonna continue that moving forward,
[1:05:29] bringing it to the elementary level and,
[1:05:31] and all grades moving out.
[1:05:33] And we, as parents, we,
[1:05:35] the most important thing is we make sure
[1:05:37] that our voices are heard.
[1:05:38] We can definitely support you guys
[1:05:40] and write the emails. Yeah,
[1:05:42] Thank you.
[1:05:43] That would, that would be, thank you.
[1:05:45] Vitally important if everybody here could write, not just
[1:05:49] as an individual, but as an organization, you know,
[1:05:53] Noah's organization or whatever the organization
[1:05:57] you're affiliated with.
[1:05:58] And I don't know how we can get you these email
[1:06:03] 'cause it would be the governor, the director of MDH,
[1:06:07] director of BHA, et cetera, et cetera. I, I can
[1:06:10] Tell I'll reach out to Mary.
[1:06:11] Well, but I mean for everybody.
[1:06:13] Do did, when you signed in,
[1:06:15] did everybody give their email? Yeah. No,
[1:06:18] But I'll be happy to, to add mine.
[1:06:20] Yeah. I mean, does it, I mean, does it, is it as simple
[1:06:25] and, and I'm not trying to, to make this, simplify this,
[1:06:28] that it's that easy 'cause I have no idea what you guys do.
[1:06:32] I'm learning what you're doing, what you do.
[1:06:34] And, and I've come to have a new appreciation
[1:06:37] for the school board and, and now my county commissioners.
[1:06:42] But is, is it as simple as signatures?
[1:06:45] Hey, we're trying, our, our commissioner has this grant
[1:06:50] and we're gonna lose it
[1:06:52] and we have a problem here in our county
[1:06:56] and we just need you to pay attention to this and,
[1:06:59] and get us over the finish line with it. Is it that simple?
[1:07:02] It's more than just, it's not for you in particular.
[1:07:05] I mean, signatures. That's, that's what I mean.
[1:07:07] It's your story, right.
[1:07:10] They need to hear the story
[1:07:12] because that's what's compelling for them.
[1:07:14] That's what's harder for them.
[1:07:16] If you get just a petition that has a whole bunch
[1:07:18] of signatures and we get all the times, you know,
[1:07:21] a form letter and you know, people sign it
[1:07:23] or it says it's some sort of form email
[1:07:26] and send it right from name it still says insert name here
[1:07:28] and email it to us and like that sure about very persuasive,
[1:07:31] Right? Right.
[1:07:33] But when you hear the actual stories of
[1:07:35] what somebody's been through
[1:07:36] and how it's affected them, it's really hard to be a human.
[1:07:39] Ignore that. Right.
[1:07:40] That's why I came to, So we are
[1:07:42] still somewhat human up here.
[1:07:43] So, and, and the same I think in Annapolis.
[1:07:46] So those stories are, are what matters.
[1:07:49] So we can coordinate with you.
[1:07:50] So I think you could be a,
[1:07:51] a very important voice for what we're trying to
[1:07:53] Do.
[1:07:54] Whatever I can't guarantee is
[1:07:56] that's gonna push up the edge, but it's gonna help.
[1:07:58] So if, so, if I could make a suggestion,
[1:08:00] 'cause I spend a lot of time in Annapolis.
[1:08:03] The governor's not where you want to go.
[1:08:05] The, the people that hold the purse strings in Annapolis is
[1:08:07] the legislature and it's not gonna do any good.
[1:08:10] I I would, we have three delegates and a senator here.
[1:08:13] They're in the minority party in Annapolis.
[1:08:16] Where those the, for we
[1:08:20] delegate errands, delegate gr
[1:08:21] and Delegate Jacobs and Senator Hershey.
[1:08:24] But I want, my point is you need to get it to the people
[1:08:28] who do hold the purse strings, which is the majority party.
[1:08:30] And I tell people this all the time.
[1:08:31] If you want something done in Annapolis, it's great to talk
[1:08:35] to your local delegates and senators, but you gotta go
[1:08:37] after the people who actually have the
[1:08:39] vote to make a difference.
[1:08:40] So I recommend you send it to all of the
[1:08:44] committee member leaders,
[1:08:45] which we, I can get you all of those.
[1:08:47] And I will have Beth, who is our public information,
[1:08:50] I will have it share out to a group
[1:08:52] and then we share it, whether it's through Facebook,
[1:08:54] however you wanna do it, and share the story
[1:08:57] right to all those people.
[1:08:59] Because to Chris's point, they've got hearts.
[1:09:02] And that's what they've gotta hear is, you know,
[1:09:04] we've done what we can do.
[1:09:05] We've, we've got almost to the finish line,
[1:09:08] but we gotta get across the finish line.
[1:09:09] And that's gonna take help from there in terms of funding.
[1:09:12] And like I said, you know, our, our, our delegates here
[1:09:15] and our senators, they're,
[1:09:17] they're the greatest group in in the world in Annapolis.
[1:09:19] They, they stop a lot of bad things from happening down
[1:09:21] there, quite frankly for the rural counties.
[1:09:23] But again, you've gotta make your point to the people
[1:09:25] who can make those deci make those decisions
[1:09:30] and get us across that finish line.
[1:09:31] And, and I I, I'm kinda like Patrick, I hear about this,
[1:09:34] it's the most disheartening thing in the world when you got
[1:09:37] three, you know, two kids and three young grandkids
[1:09:39] and you look around at what the world's becoming.
[1:09:41] It's very sad. And, and to see the heartbreak
[1:09:44] and everything that goes into it.
[1:09:45] And you know, we, we want to do something.
[1:09:49] And I'm gonna say it right now.
[1:09:51] I'm, I'm asking everybody in this room, everybody
[1:09:53] that's watching at home, get a group together.
[1:09:56] Let's all talk about it.
[1:09:57] Let's make a plan together
[1:09:59] because we're gonna be much stronger.
[1:10:01] I've learned this about being a rural county.
[1:10:02] You are much stronger with numbers than you are by yourself.
[1:10:05] When we go to Annapolis, we go with Kent, Talbot, Caroline,
[1:10:09] as many as we can get on the shore to go to Annapolis.
[1:10:11] And typically we sometimes we have success.
[1:10:14] So there's strength in numbers,
[1:10:15] there's strength in the stories.
[1:10:16] And, and that would be my suggestion to get
[1:10:18] to Annapolis and get that home.
[1:10:20] Carl, I would just, and Rebecca,
[1:10:22] I would just say thank you.
[1:10:25] When you do get to the, when all of you get to the point
[1:10:28] where you're, we'll send an email to all of the folks
[1:10:31] that we'll supply you with.
[1:10:33] Don't focus just on Queen Annes county.
[1:10:37] 'cause they, you know, it, it's, it's the state.
[1:10:40] This is a, this is a state issue, it's a country,
[1:10:44] which is why we're going to MDH, right?
[1:10:46] 'cause that's their job.
[1:10:48] So make it as a, as a
[1:10:51] and virtually, here's the strange thing.
[1:10:54] Virtually every delegate
[1:10:55] and senator agree with you, especially on the Eastern shore.
[1:10:58] They've been helping us. We've been working with
[1:11:02] Tom Hutchinson and, and I forget the other guy there.
[1:11:07] Johnny Mo, Johnny Mtz, et cetera, et cetera.
[1:11:10] So it's not just our county, it's really the state.
[1:11:15] So thank you
[1:11:19] Phil, you have anything?
[1:11:25] Yeah, I, I, I, first of all, I want to thank our staff.
[1:11:29] I want to thank our finance department.
[1:11:31] I want to thank our department heads.
[1:11:32] I want to thank our directors
[1:11:34] and the various departments that put together these budgets
[1:11:37] that they submit to our county administrator
[1:11:38] for his approval and then onto the commissioners.
[1:11:41] And a lot of times they ask that they get or told no,
[1:11:44] but they work hard and they work diligently to try to do
[1:11:47] the best they can for the dollars that we are,
[1:11:50] we collect in taxes and, and other storms of revenue.
[1:11:52] So to our, to again to our staff.
[1:11:55] Thank you very much for everything that you guys do
[1:11:57] and you are appreciated.
[1:12:03] Jack, you good? No, I'm gonna, yeah. Okay.
[1:12:07] So I'm gonna shift to like some
[1:12:11] of the financial stuff that we've talked
[1:12:12] about and heard about tonight.
[1:12:14] I'm not gonna speak to anybody else in the state's budget
[1:12:17] right now because just like us, they're going
[1:12:19] through the same process of hearings, finding out what's
[1:12:22] what No budget is finalized in the state of Maryland.
[1:12:25] But I specifically real quickly just wanna speak
[1:12:28] to the Talbot County comparison.
[1:12:30] One thing Talbot County and Anne Arundel County across the
[1:12:33] bridge have that we don't have the luxury
[1:12:34] of is they have a tax cap that is set by the citizens.
[1:12:38] The only thing that they can increase it for is education.
[1:12:41] And they basically, that's
[1:12:43] what they do is they will make sure they have all their
[1:12:46] services paid for.
[1:12:48] Everything is, that was budgeted that they, that they wanted
[1:12:51] to get into budget is budgeted.
[1:12:52] And then they all have a supplemental property tax
[1:12:55] that goes against education.
[1:12:58] So if they're 67 cents
[1:12:59] right now, that's probably where they're at.
[1:13:00] But I doubt 'cause they have a big
[1:13:02] huge Kerwin hit this year.
[1:13:05] I doubt they're gonna wind up at 67 at the end of the day.
[1:13:07] It'll probably be over 80 cents
[1:13:09] before it's all said and done.
[1:13:10] And I'm not gonna speculate on the numbers
[1:13:12] 'cause I don't know what they are right now, quite frankly.
[1:13:14] I know as of right now we are the lowest at
[1:13:16] 80 cents. I just looked it
[1:13:17] Up.
[1:13:18] Jackets 81.30 cents.
[1:13:19] Okay. So, and then Cecil County,
[1:13:21] they, they're, they're struggling.
[1:13:23] And I, I really wanted to talk about education funding
[1:13:26] because that is, and Dr.
[1:13:27] Kler knows that's one of my passions.
[1:13:29] 'cause I actually sat on the keland commission
[1:13:31] on the budgeting and finance side of the Kwin Commission
[1:13:34] and I voted against it.
[1:13:35] I was one of three dissenting votes for one reason.
[1:13:37] 'cause I knew we'd be sitting here today going through
[1:13:40] what we're going through because they weren't leaving
[1:13:44] local education local.
[1:13:46] They were going to do one size fits
[1:13:48] all for the entire state.
[1:13:49] And they were gonna create a budget that focused on that.
[1:13:52] Which leaves counties like us and and Somerset County
[1:13:55] and a lot of our shore counties in our,
[1:13:56] our western Maryland, our southern Maryland counties, trying
[1:14:00] to figure out how you close that gap on the money
[1:14:02] that they're telling you you need.
[1:14:05] Meanwhile, we have things slipping through the cracks.
[1:14:08] And I talked to Dr. Kler before tonight
[1:14:10] 'cause I wanted to ask, there's six categories that have
[1:14:12] what they call restricted funds
[1:14:13] under the current commission.
[1:14:15] Those restricted funds can be spent on those six items only.
[1:14:19] Now they may have a surplus of half a million dollars,
[1:14:22] you know, whatever, a million dollars.
[1:14:24] He doesn't have the ability to move that where it's needed,
[1:14:26] whether it's mental health
[1:14:27] or any other part of the school system
[1:14:30] that needs extra money.
[1:14:31] Their only recourse is to come back to us.
[1:14:34] And you heard the number that the state shorted Queen Annes
[1:14:37] County over the last four years
[1:14:38] and that is from 2018, that number.
[1:14:41] So just add inflation to
[1:14:42] that $12 million that we've been shorted.
[1:14:44] We'd have all those mental health service,
[1:14:46] we'd have a lot more here.
[1:14:48] And we're trying to make it up.
[1:14:49] We do every year for the last four years with seven,
[1:14:52] $8 million a year.
[1:14:54] But then you get to a point where
[1:14:56] you gotta still look at the rest of the county
[1:14:58] and the other tax paying people in the county and you,
[1:15:00] and you gotta try to draw a balance where you can.
[1:15:02] And, and I'm a firm believer in spending cuts.
[1:15:05] I, I get that. But there's also a lot of necessity.
[1:15:08] We're an aging community here in Queen Anne County.
[1:15:10] That's why we had an ad, a seventh EMS unit.
[1:15:13] And that's not a cheap proposition.
[1:15:14] When I first became commissioner an ambulance costs
[1:15:18] $325,000
[1:15:20] and it costs roughly 600,000 to put a crew on the road.
[1:15:23] Now an ambulance is well over seven to $800,000
[1:15:27] and a crew was $1.2 million to put on the road.
[1:15:30] Right? So again, and,
[1:15:33] and I'm telling you, we're gonna need another
[1:15:34] ambulance within the next five years.
[1:15:37] So all that's facing us.
[1:15:39] Not to mention the fact that we have capital projects.
[1:15:41] We've been very diligent about trying
[1:15:43] to pay it forward in terms
[1:15:44] of capital projects so we're not hitting the bond.
[1:15:46] That's how we have AAA bond rating
[1:15:48] because they look at our fiscal responsibility
[1:15:50] and how we spend money and how we pay our bills
[1:15:53] and how we look to the future.
[1:15:55] So Kerwin is the biggest thing out there in the state.
[1:15:59] Statewide. Every county in this state is struggling making
[1:16:02] that mandate.
[1:16:04] That's, that's coming down each year, next year.
[1:16:06] And I'm telling you all right now,
[1:16:08] 'cause be sitting back here next year
[1:16:09] and this conversation's gonna be a lot worse.
[1:16:11] 'cause next year the state is supposed to almost triple
[1:16:13] what we're supposed to get because they call it the
[1:16:16] fiscal cliff of education.
[1:16:17] Next year, that's when all the teachers are supposed
[1:16:19] to make their minimum salaries.
[1:16:21] That's when a lot of teachers are going to make more.
[1:16:24] Because how many in here started out at the same salary
[1:16:26] and worked for it for 10, 15 years at the same salary?
[1:16:29] Anybody? I don't think so.
[1:16:31] But that's what teachers are gonna be doing based on if I'm
[1:16:34] a first year teacher and I make 60,000,
[1:16:36] but there's a teacher in there that's been under the
[1:16:38] previous systems only making 65.
[1:16:40] Do you think that teacher making 65 that's been there six,
[1:16:43] eight years is gonna be okay
[1:16:45] with a first year teacher coming in at 60?
[1:16:47] No, they're gonna want more money.
[1:16:49] And that's understandable. We all would.
[1:16:50] That's human nature. And that's,
[1:16:52] that's what's gonna come due next year.
[1:16:54] And that's when we're gonna see the biggest hit of Kerwin.
[1:16:56] And it's convenient. It's
[1:16:58] after an election year, so nobody has
[1:17:00] to talk about it right now.
[1:17:02] All you have to do is read the papers.
[1:17:04] Look at the day after signing died.
[1:17:05] You had the Senate president
[1:17:07] and you had the speaker of the house come out
[1:17:08] and say, we've got three things we've gotta address
[1:17:10] between now and next session.
[1:17:12] Kerwin the highway user revenues, which is how we take care
[1:17:16] of all our roads in the state and the Medicare expansion
[1:17:19] or Medicaid expansion and total.
[1:17:22] Right now they're projected to be a $2.2 billion deficit
[1:17:25] before they drop the gravel next year.
[1:17:28] So there's a lot to process.
[1:17:30] This next year's gonna be a lot harder than
[1:17:32] what we faced before.
[1:17:33] I just just, we were just at a forum
[1:17:35] where everybody was talking about Queen Annes County
[1:17:37] and I told everybody there, the problem isn't
[1:17:39] in Queen Annes County right now.
[1:17:40] It's whatever's gonna happen
[1:17:41] across that bridge in Annapolis.
[1:17:43] So thank you.
[1:17:47] These guys make my job easy. They know everything.
[1:17:51] I make a motion. Can I mention one more? Oh sure, sure.
[1:17:56] Is Jess here? Is Jess still here? Jesse? Jesse, yes.
[1:18:01] I'll talk to you afterwards. We're,
[1:18:05] we're gonna look at a feasibility study
[1:18:07] for sports Fields up county, like up by Kent County.
[1:18:10] There's, there's no red lights on Route 3 0 1.
[1:18:15] So I'll talk to you after this. Thank you
[1:18:16] Sir.
[1:18:18] Now you want a motion? Absolutely. Motion
[1:18:19] To adjourn. Second.
[1:18:21] All those in favor? Aye.
[1:18:22] Thank you all for coming out tonight. Yep.