“Carroll County saw an increase in confirmed lab reports for COVID over the summer, but we have seen a decrease in the last couple of weeks,” Maggie Kunz, health planner with the Carroll County Health Department said. “Carroll County stayed at a low hospital admissions level as well, but we have seen an increase in COVID-related deaths in the last several weeks.”

As of Sept. 4, the most recent numbers available from the state, there have been 536 deaths in Carroll County attributed to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic in 2020. That number is up from 526 recorded deaths as of July 16.

COVID cases continue to increase in all parts of the U.S., with KP.3.1.1 being the predominant variant, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We are promoting the updated COVID vaccines, which match more current strains of the virus,” Kunz said. “It’s important to get the updated vaccine because, like other vaccines, protection from the COVID-19 vaccine decreases with time and the new vaccines offer the best protection from current strains.”

But even those who are vaccinated have contracted the virus.

“The shots aren’t meant to prevent every COVID infection, but to protect against severe illness, hospitalization, and death,” she said. “People who recently had COVID may delay getting [another] vaccine for three months.”

The health department is expected to have a limited number of vaccines available this fall, which will be reserved for adults and children without health insurance.

More information will be available on the department’s website, https://health.maryland.gov/carroll/Pages/Flu-COVID-19-RSV-Vaccines.aspx.

Pharmacies in the county will also be administering vaccines for people 3 years of age and older, Kunz said.

People can search for nearby pharmacy information at https://www.vaccines.gov/en/.

In September 2022, Carroll County commissioners purchased 326 acres adjacent to the Northern Landfill in Westminster for about $13 million. During their weekly meeting Thursday, they were briefed on plans to improve operations at the now-526-acre Carroll County Resource Recovery Park & Northern Landfill on Baltimore Boulevard.

The county has expanded the landfill to develop more sustainable and environmentally safe options to dispose of the county’s trash for residents and businesses, Cliff Engle, chief of Carroll County’s Bureau of Solid Waste said.

Plans for future improvements include:

• Additional capacity.
• Transfer station for recyclables and trash.
• Consolidated area for residents to dump trash.
• Landfill upgrades, such as a new entrance, roads, maintenance shop and scale house.
• Resource recovery park for yard waste, organics recycling and construction and demolition materials.
• Possible solar field.

Environmental assessment studies on the property have been completed, which included locating wetlands, deep slopes, water resource conservation easements, forest conservation easements and an existing rubble area that could be an obstacle to future development.

The county is now engaged in engineering, design and permitting. State permits are expected to be complete in 2027. Federal permits will be also needed, along with a permit to construct a new entrance to the landfill.

“All of those studies brings us to where can we go as far as potential development areas,” Engle said.

Cost estimates are currently being developed, he added. Public hearings and special websites to communicate updates are also under consideration.

In fiscal 2023, the county disposed of 137,000 tons of trash at the Northern Landfill. The county also recycled 19,000 tons of materials, including household and commercial recyclables, yard waste, and scrap tires during that year.

In August 2023, the county agreed to continue its more than three-decade contract for trash and recycling services with the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority — an independent state agency that assists seven counties plus Baltimore City with waste management. The commissioners unanimously approved the annual contract with the authority in the amount of $180,966.26, which is about a 3.95% increase over the fiscal 2023 membership fee, according to Engle.

Due to rising costs to process trash at the Northern Landfill the tipping fees charged to dump garbage there increased on July 1, 2023. Tipping fees are paid by those who dispose of waste, based on weight.

The cost of dumping general household trash increased from $65 per ton to $66 per ton, and the charge for the disposal of construction and demolition trash jumped from $80 a ton to $82 a ton, according to a county news release. Money collected from tipping fees goes into the county’s Solid Waste Enterprise Fund, which pays for recycling, the management of solid waste, the transfer station and operating the Northern Landfill.

The Board of Carroll County Commissioners at their meeting Thursday unanimously approved a request from Mount Airy to rezone 1.3189 acres of property along Twin Arch Road, from residential to industrial. This zoning waiver approval allows the town to move closer to annexing the property into its corporate limits and increasing its industrial and commercial landscape.

“I can’t see any opposition to do this,” District 1 Commissioner Joe Vigliotti said. “I mean, the town is requesting it. It’s something that we can help make happen. We’ve been having some discussions over the last couple of weeks about ways we could cooperate with our municipalities in order to grow our commercial and industrial areas in the county, [as] a way to grow the tax base, rather than having to rely on increasing taxes.”

The small piece of property is owned by Tom Pank of Pank Land LLC. It is adjacent to two other parcels, one totaling 10.35 acres, and the other 38.94 acres, also zoned industrial, and located within the town’s corporate limits.

“This is sort of cleaning up the corporate boundary line of the town,” John Breeding, director of planning and zoning administrator, said in an interview Friday. “It’s really pretty straightforward.”

Breeding said the entire 50-acre property backs up to the Mount Airy Fire Company Carnival Grounds. A vacant home is on the 1.31 acres, and another building is on the adjacent property.

“Currently, Pank Land LLC has a plan under review with the town and Carroll County for a grading-only permit to grade all three parcels in preparation for a site development plan to be presented once a prospective user for an industrial lot contacts the property owner,” a written annexation plan states.

The Mount Airy Town Council is slated to schedule a public hearing on the annexation at its meeting Monday night. The public hearing is slated for October.

District 4 Commissioner Michael Guerin, who represents Mount Airy, said he’s familiar with the area, and the heavily traveled Twin Arch Road.

“I think it’s important that the public hearing take place, so people understand the larger concept of why this is happening, in relation to some of the neighboring parcels as well … and how it’s going to affect an already very busy road,” he said.

Breeding said at Thursday’s meeting that he agreed with Guerin’s concerns. He said when a site plan for development is presented to the town, requirements for road improvements will be discussed.

The Mount Airy Planning and Zoning Commission and Carroll County Planning and Zoning Commission have both recommended approval of the annexation.

Commissioners’ President Ken Kiler, who represents District 2, and District 5 Commissioner Ed Rothstein dispute Bouchat’s claims that the county budget was developed by staff without commissioners’ input. Despite the fact that all three lawmakers are Republicans, the commissioners say they are fed up with Bouchat’s attacks and numerous emails.

“The Board of County Commissioners have always and will always maintain 100% responsibility and authority with the development, deliberation and decision-making of the budget,” said Rothstein, who served for four years with Bouchat on the board of commissioners. “[Bouchat] thinks things are being done behind our back. We do not delegate our responsibility to anyone. He has become a complete distraction over this thing, and what we need to accomplish.”

Bouchat has accused commissioners of a lack of transparency and accountability in creating and executing the fiscal 2025 operating budget. His concerns stemmed from news last year that commissioners started the budget process with a $12.4 million budget deficit.

“If the commissioners were involved in the creation of the budget from beginning to end, we, the elected officials, would have known ahead of time with far more knowledge to manage the forthcoming fiscal crisis,” Bouchat stated in an August email. “Knowledge is power, the administration has more knowledge then the commissioners.”

Bouchat went so far as to seek legal advice from County Attorney Timothy Burke, who declined to take up the matter, since Bouchat is not a county government official. The Office of Counsel to the Maryland General Assembly agreed with that assessment, according to a letter sent to Bouchat.

Carroll commissioners passed in May a $545 million operating budget following a frustrating process that included months of discussions as they worked to eliminate the $12.4 million deficit.

“Currently the Carroll County commissioners handle the budget, our meetings and all actions in full compliance with the law,” Kiler said. “In 1971, the General Assembly passed a comprehensive law requiring the [commissioners] to establish orderly procedures for budgeting and finance, which required, among other things, the designation of a budget director to assist the BOCC in preparing a budget, a timeline for preparation and adoption, public review, hearings regarding proposed budget, a statement of debt service requirements, a balanced budget, a reserve fund, and the adoption of the budget by ordinance prior to the beginning of the fiscal year.

“Since the state law was passed, Carroll County has followed a budget resolution, amended in 1975, which incorporates all required budget adoption processes and practices mandated by the General Assembly,” he said. “Our county is in full compliance with state law regarding our annual budget adoption procedure.”

Meanwhile, two years into his first term as a state delegate, Bouchat said he does not intend to seek a second term, because he believes it’s virtually impossible to effectively lobby for his constituents in Carroll and Frederick counties as a Republican in a chamber where Democrats hold the majority.

Bouchat has argued for years that if Carroll County went from its current form of government — in which a board of five commissioners is responsible for legislative and executive policy decisions — to a charter government, in which a county executive rules with a county council, Republicans would fare better in Annapolis.

In 2019, Bouchat also said he would not seek a second term on the Board of County Commissioners, after commissioners voted to hold off discussions about charter government.

Rothstein, said it makes “no sense” for Bouchat to twice use the idea of charter government as a reason not to seek a second term.

“He’s served two years of his first term, and the idea of using charter government over a commissioner form of government has no credibility,” he said. “It’s a shame.”

Rothstein defended the county’s form of government, mentioning the current controversy over the proposed Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project. The project would see 70 miles of 500,000-volt transmission lines installed through Carroll, Frederick and Baltimore counties.

Rothstein said county commissioners are working well with their counterparts in Frederick and Baltimore counties. Both of those counties are charter governments with a county executive and county council

“Most recently with the powerline situation, Carroll County has become the nucleus of bringing together Frederick County and Baltimore County, and the state legislature,” he said. “We are thoughtful in everything we do. We have strong leadership roles across the state.

“The relationship with the other elected officials, the Board of Education, and the state legislature, is transparent, and better than any other county in Maryland,” he said. “No other county has such a strong and open relationship.”

Kiler believes commissioner government is best for Carroll.

“The residents and voters of Carroll County have said that multiple times,” he said. “We have met with [the] governor, a number of his secretaries and delegates, and senators, multiple times. I don’t feel we would have a stronger voice in Annapolis if we had a county executive.”

Kiler said since 1968, county residents have voted against switching to charter government three times.

“The last charter proposal in 1998, was defeated by an almost 3-to-2 margin,” he said. “In addition, Code Home Rule was rejected by the voters three times, most recently in 2006. Based on these precedents, we can only conclude that our citizens are satisfied with the commissioner form of government in Carroll County.”

Finally, Republican Del. April Rose, who serves with Bouchat in District 5 as part of the county delegation in Annapolis, said she would welcome a discussion on charter government only if that is what residents want.

“I’m always willing to listen to constituents,” she said. “We’ve gone through this several times. I’ve seen this movie before. Traditionally our citizens have said they don’t want this and think it will be more expensive. I do not see a groundswell of people wanting a county executive.

“Certainly, as a duly elected official he is allowed to bring it up, but there’s no support for it on the delegation,” Rose said. “The delegation is not giving him what he wants, and he realizes he’s not getting it.”

“I’m a businessman, and I do not see the logic of investing my time and effort, and the good people’s money, to go down there if I can’t get anything done,” said Bouchat, who is a member of the House Judiciary Committee.

Bouchat, who represents District 5, served one four-year term on the Board of Carroll County Commissioners, representing District 4 from 2018 to 2022, before being elected to the General Assembly in 2022.

“It’s such a dead-end street to be in the 3-to-1 minority where the majority rules,” said Bouchat, who describes himself as a political science nerd. “You must follow the rules to be the most effective. What we’re faced with is an entrenched opponent who outnumbers us 3 to 1. The Democrats not only outnumber us, but also are in possession of the fortress.”

The state legislature in Annapolis is made up of 188 senators and delegates. Of that, 47 are senators and 141 are delegates. In the Senate, there are 34 Democrats and 13 Republicans. The House consists of 102 Democrats and 39 Republicans.

Bouchat has argued for years that if Carroll County went from its current form of government — in which a board of five commissioners is responsible for legislative and executive policy decisions — to a charter government, in which a county executive rules with a county council, Republicans would fare better in Annapolis.

“Nobody really cares what a commissioner says in Annapolis,” he said. “A countywide elected official has more power and can then meet with a chairman of a committee, any elected official.”

Bouchat said he will leave the General Assembly and consider running for a statewide office where he can represent all of Maryland. His life experiences make him “extremely marketable” to residents going through similar circumstances, he said. Bouchat’s daughter died of an opioid overdose in February 2017; and when he was a juvenile, he was incarcerated for assaults that occurred in Howard County. Both experiences taught him a lot, he says.

“I’m not stepping away from politics,” he said. “In two years, I will make a decision on what I want to run for.”

For months the delegate has been sending emails to his colleagues on the all-Republican Carroll delegation talking about his frustrations and calling them out.

Dels. April Rose and Christopher Tomlinson, who both represent District 5, said Wednesday they do not agree with Bouchat’s reasoning.

“There is no connection to our form of government, and whether Republicans can pick up more seats in the Maryland General Assembly,” Tomlinson said. “(Democrats) gerrymander every 10 years and that has cost us seats every 10 years. Unless they’re able to change things, nothing will happen.

“I do not feel I am ineffective,” Tomlinson said. “I introduced four bills my first term, and two passed. I introduced four bills my second term, and one passed. Eric has passed zero bills.”

Rose said she disagrees with Bouchat’s arguments and the way he makes them.

“His problem is that he wants to be a de facto county executive. We all don’t agree with what he wants to do,” Rose said, adding that she’s proud of how well she works with Democrats.

“I prefer to have an open dialogue and work with my colleagues,” she said. “We may all not agree, but I don’t believe in the name calling. The insults are unprofessional. We’re in the severe minority in the legislature, but by being a professional, by working with our majority partners, I’m not going to say we get everything done, but we try.”

The solar projects are proposed on farmland in Hampstead, Sykesville and Westminster. Commissioners learned in July that the Maryland Public Service Commission, a state agency that regulates gas, electric, telephone, water and sewer disposal companies, is processing applications for the six proposed solar facilities.

The planning commission’s meeting starts at 6 p.m., Wednesday, in Reagan Room 003, in the county government building at 225 N. Center St., in Westminster.

“What we will be discussing are site design requirements related to solar projects, such as setbacks and landscaping,” Christopher Heyn, director of the county’s Department of Planning & Land Management, stated in an email. “Our current code has requirements for zoning districts where these facilities are allowed, such as the commercial and industrial zoning districts.

“However, we do not have any codes related to projects in the agricultural district, because, the county does not allow those. Our goal is to establish generic requirements for all solar projects.”

A year ago, after several public hearings, work sessions and a recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission, the commissioners adopted an ordinance stating that solar energy-generating facilities are not allowed on farmland in the county; instead, they should be built on land zoned for commercial and industrial use.

Heyn said if the Public Service Commission issues a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity permit, allowing for a solar project on agricultural land, the county will have requirements in place to protect residential neighborhoods. However, the zoning code prohibition on solar farms on agricultural land would remain in place.

“This type of project would still be prohibited by our zoning code, but it has been determined in the courts that the state can preempt local zoning codes for this type of use,” Heyn said.

The detailed six applications are in various stages of the approval process. Since the six new solar-generating farms are prohibited on farmland in the county’s zoning code, each of the applicants has chosen to apply to the state, which could disregard the county’s zoning restrictions.

To address that possibility, commissioners voted unanimously July 25 to ask the Planning and Zoning Commission to examine and recommend changes to the zoning code. These would include new stipulations intended to protect residential neighborhoods near agricultural land where a solar farm could be built.

Heyn has suggested to commissioners that they put new regulations in place quickly, since the state has already held one public hearing and is slated to have another on a solar proposal in October.

The Board of Carroll County Commissioners Thursday unanimously approved improvement changes to Melvin Miller Memorial Park in Hampstead, and funding changes to Millard Cooper Park in Sykesville, totaling $172,871.75.

The funding is coming from the state’s Program Open Space for the current fiscal year. The program provides financial and technical assistance to local jurisdictions for the planning, acquisition and/or development of recreation land or open space areas.

In June, commissioners approved Program Open Space funds for improvements to both Melvin Miller Memorial Park and Millard Cooper Park, Bob Hicks, director of the county’s Department of Recreation and Parks said.

But both Hampstead and Sykesville have requested changes.

Hampstead wanted to again resurface two pickleball/tennis courts, one basketball court and replace a portion of the walkway along the courts at Melvin Miller Memorial Park, for a total of $54,537.25.

But when the project was submitted to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for approval, the agency determined that Program Open Space funds were previously used for improvements to these same pickleball, tennis and basketball courts in 2009, Hicks said.

State law specifics that projects using their funds must be used for park projects that have a lifespan of 20 years or more.

As a result, the town requested that the money go toward just resurfacing the tennis court, along with the construction of a new pavilion, and concrete pads for future picnic tables.

Funding future upgrades to Millard Cooper Park in Sykesville also changed.

For fiscal 2025, which began July 1, the town received $54,537.25 for new lighting and pavilion upgrades to the park. The town requested the use of open space funds left from fiscal 2023, which was intended for projects not yet completed.

The funding from fiscal 2023 included $90,000 for improvements to the park’s Cooper Park Pedestrian Bridge, and $28,334.40 for the Sykesville Linear Trail. Combined with the $54,537.25 for fiscal 2025, the town is now approved for a total of $172,871.75 for future improvements.

Melvin Miller Memorial Park is located at 1551 N. Main St., in Hampstead. The park grounds include tennis courts, pickleball, and an all-purpose blacktop court.

Millard Cooper Park is located at 7282 Cooper Drive in Sykesville. The park features grills, parking, a pavilion, picnic areas, playground, restrooms, tables and a splash pad.

The Board of Carroll County Commissioners at their meeting Thursday unanimously approved the purchase of new security cameras and panic buttons for the Historic Courthouse located at 200 Willis St. in Westminster.

Marathon Technology Solutions in Eldersburg will provide them for $26,942.20. The money is allocated in the current fiscal 2025 budget.

Last month, commissioners approved a contract for the construction of a new holding cell at the courthouse, along with upgrades to the one existing holding cell, to Lyons Construction Company in Hampstead for $51,751.

Security cameras and panic buttons will be installed in both holding cells.

“This is needed to complete the overall project and provide the required safety for court security,” a county briefing paper states.

Upgrades to the existing holding cell were evaluated as part of an ongoing review of court facilities with court security staff.

Lyons Construction is renovating and expanding the holding cell area at the courthouse to ensure sufficient space for processing inmates, and updating all security and safety measures. This renovation is intended to improve the daily operation of the courts, and their security teams’ safety.

The Historic Courthouse dates back to June 13, 1838, when the cornerstone was laid by Andrew Shriver, according to its history on the Maryland Courts website. The courthouse was constructed for $18,000, and originally consisted of the center portion of two stories, seven bays and a gabled roof. Soon after completion, an ornamental cupola, the steps, and a two-story Greek Revival portico were added.

In 1882, the one-story wings were added, and in 1935, they were rebuilt and made larger by adding a half-story. The courthouse underwent a 10-year restoration project, culminating in a rededication ceremony Oct. 9, 1987.

For the sixth consecutive year, Carroll’s SAO has been awarded a state grant as part of the Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network. Last year, the office received a grant award of $425,664; this year, the grant is $403,081.

The funding is allocated for the prosecution of criminal networks operating within the county, including drug trafficking organizations driving opioid overdoses.

Arinze Ifekauche, director of communications and legislative affairs for the Office of Crime and Prevention Policy, specified that the funding cut is not part of more than $148 million in budget cuts proposed by Gov. Wes Moore. Rather, when deciding how much each grant applicant should receive, the quality of the grant application, overall crime rate and population size, are scored and taken into consideration.

“There’s a pot of money, and we’re responsible for administering it,” Ifekauche said. “We rate the quality of the application and prioritize that funding. Then the next level, we’re looking at equity and what funding is equitable amongst the counties that need it.”

The state office had a total of $6,723,865 to award for fiscal 2025 and received a total of $8,518,171 in requests.

“We gave away every single penny, $6.7 million went out,” he said.

Carroll County received 5.99% of the office’s fiscal 2025 allocation.

In comparison, Anne Arundel County received $549,814, which equates to 8.18% of the money available. The City of Baltimore received $696,555 or 10.36%, and Baltimore County received $338,440 or 5.03% of the money available.

The population of each jurisdiction and crime trends are also factors, along with the fiscal responsibility of distributing the dollars where they’re needed.

According to the 2024 U.S. Census, Anne Arundel County has a population of 595,817, the City of Baltimore’s population is 559,266 and Baltimore County is home to 843,420 people.

In comparison, Carroll County has a population of 177,806.

Ifekauche noted that Carroll County did see an increase in funding in fiscal 2023. That year, the county received $425,664, a $40,000 increase over fiscal 2022. In fiscal 2024, the state’s attorney’s office received the same amount of funding as 2023.

Temporary employees were again hired this summer to help with payment processing, and to assist with the backlog, but a new online payment system recently launched, creating delays.

“Even with the additional staff, the office is behind, partly due to a higher volume of phone calls and emails with questions about the new online system,” said Christine Cambareri, the county’s communications manager.

“… The office also saw an increase of in-person payees. Customer service is the number one priority.  A customer at the window and answering a phone call, comes first, opening the mail, second.”

The office collects and processes most county fees and taxes. Last month, the office processed more than $50 million in property tax payments.

“In addition, the office handles sewer/water bills, permit and inspections payments and other invoices,” Cambareri said.

The county issued a news release Tuesday alerting the public about the delay.

A resident that paid in full either on or before July 31 or Aug. 30, will receive the appropriate discount noted on their statement, the news release states.

“If a resident’s payment has not cleared by mid-September, please call the county tax office at 410-386-2971 for more information,” it states. “We appreciate everyone’s understanding, cooperation and patience.”