County Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. Chair calls to order legislative  session day 26- 010. I would ask you to please   join us as we're standing with the pledge followed  by the opening prayer by Councilwoman Robert. I   pledge algiance to the flag of the United States  of America and to the republic for which it   stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with  liberty and justice for all. Heavenly Father,   we come before you this evening with gratitude  for the opportunity to serve our community. We   ask for your presence in this chamber as we carry  out the responsibilities entrusted to us. Grant   us wisdom to make decisions that are fair, just,  and in the best interest of all residents. Help   us listen with open minds to speak with respect  and to lead with integrity and compassion. Give   us patience in moments of disagreement, clarity  in times of uncertainty and unity and purpose.   As we strive to do what is right, we ask for  strength and discernment in our leadership and for   continued blessings over this county and all who  call it home. In your name we pray. Amen. Amen. For presentation of proclamations. Um, you know,   we always talk about Harford County  being a great place to live, learn, work,   and raise a family. And the main reason  is because of the citizens here in the   county. And tonight we're going to recognize  another hometown hero. So Sarah Valentine,   if you could come forward, please. And also uh our  first responders. And um we'll start with that.

Whereas on February 11th, 2026 at approximately  12 p.m., the Whiteford Volunteer Fire Company and   surrounding mutual aid companies were dispatched  to a reported dwelling fire with rescue in Street,   Maryland. And whereas prior to the arrival  of emergency personnel, Sarah Valentine,   an Amazon delivery driver, was making deliveries  in the area when she saw heavy smoke coming from   a driveway. She drove down the driveway, noticed  that the front porch of the residence was on fire,   immediately obtained the address, and called  911. And whereas Miss Valentine heard yelling   coming from inside the residence, she saw Mary  Chavis, an 84 year old woman, at a sliding glass   door with no deck or stairs available for her to  escape. With no regard for her personal safety,   Miss Valentine located a garden chair nearby  and calmly guided Mrs. Miss Shavas to safety,   removing her from the burning home. She  then led the victim to her vehicle and   remained with her until emergency  responders arrived. Now therefore,   we, the County Council of Harford County,  Maryland, on the 17th day of March, 2026,   do hereby recognize and honor Sarah Valentine,  Amazon delivery driver, hometown hero,   and express our appreciation for her dedication  to the safety of the Hartford County citizens. So Sarah, I want to thank you for your actions  that morning because the outcome could have been   totally different had you had not been there.  And uh tonight we're lucky to have members of the   Whiteford Fire Company with us and also the family  uh that you uh saved, I'm going to say. Right. So   uh but we're going to start with you. who  would like you to say a few words and uh I  

want to present you with this proclamation uh for  your efforts uh on behalf of my colleagues at the   county council and actually for all of our Harford  County citizens. Thank you. Yes. Um to be fair,   I did not prepare for this at all. Um I the only  thing that I have to say is that this is too much.   It still is too much. I just did I didn't even  think about it. All I saw was fire and I heard   Miss Mary and I just did what I thought anybody  would do. That that is all. Thank you very much. This isn't quite enough. Where's the check in the mail? I'll keep an eye out on  that. Mary, I don't know if you want   to say something or not. I would just like  to say that this woman is my hero and I On behalf of Whiteford Volunteer  Fire Company, we couldn't thank you   enough. And if you want to be an honorary  member at any time at our fire station,   but uh we can't thank you and the  citizens for helping supporting   Whiteford and the and the county council in  this county enough. So, thank you very much.

All right, we're going to do a photo  real quick. We'll move these. We'll have you have all the council members  in the back. this way. I'm do a few without two One more. Thank you everybody. All right, you too. Take care. Oh,  man. That tastes good. Coffee. Agenda number five, consideration petitions,  applications, appointments, and nominations.   Executive Appointments Deputy Director Planning  and Zoning. May I have a motion, please? Council   President, I move to approve the appointment of  Brian Lightner. Thank you. May I have a second?  

Second. Thank you, Mr. Riley. It's been moved and  seconded to approve the appointment of the deputy   director. Is there any discussion, Mr. Bennett?  Uh, m Mr. President, good evening. I just wanted   to say I had a really great conversation today.  Um, and it was really nice for uh, Mr. Lightner   to come to my office and speak to me about a  whole lot of different issues around zoning. Um,   to be able to talk about things like data  centers, about making sure that our communities   are resilient against um, extreme weather um, and  to hear his stances on how to operate and balance   uh, you know, political pressure while also  uh, expertise in his field. So, I feel really   uh encouraged by his appointment and think he's  going to do a great job. Thank you. Um I too want   to speak to uh the time that I spent with Brian  and also the um support that I've received from   several other people that know him in the field  and in the industry and I think he's going to   uh do an outstanding job. So, um I'm sure he  is going to be confirmed. Mr. Jinger D. I too   um had a chance to talk to Brian although uh today  actually. So uh but uh we did get a chance to talk   um I actually had a question um and uh him and  Matt called me back. Um so but I think that's   what's important. I I we are not experts. They  are the experts and we rely on the experts whether   it's planning and zoning or uh license permits  um just everything. We we want people that are   experts to help us when we have tough decisions  or we need advice or we need something. So,   you have to be able to go to somebody, ask them  the questions and they give you the, you know,  

they give you the knowledge that they have. So, I  I certainly appreciate that. I read his resume. I   know he's been been around a couple different  places, which is he said really helped prepare   him for this job. He was here once before, so  I'm glad he's come back. Um I also you know   he also got some recommendations that were highly  touted. So uh uh look forward to working with him   and uh and uh I am uh moving forward to vote for  him. So thank you. Thank you Mr. Janu. Um I think   that's it. Miss Dixon. Mr. President. Hi. Mrs.  Robert. Hi. Mrs. Mhoff. Hi. Mr. Janerano. Hi.   Mr. Riley. Hi. Mr. Bennett. I. There being  six votes in the affirmative, one absent,   the appointment is hereby approved. Mr. Lightner,  would you please stand and be recognized? Thank you. Um, Harford Center board of  directors. May I have a motion? Council   President, I move to approve the appointments  of Nikki Biggs, Michael Hagen, Charles Kelly,   Kristen Klene, and Lisa Snograss. May I have  a second? Second. Thank you, Mr. Bennett.   It's been moved and seconded to approve uh the  Harford Center board of directors for reappoints.   Is there any comments, Mr. Bennett? Um, Mr.  President, I just want to say uh you know,   the Harford Center is a really special board.  I'm very lucky to be on it and um we do a lot of   really great work at the Harford Center for our  community and um just I'm so thankful that all   these people are continuing to serve with us and  help uh support the community. Thank you. Anyone   else? Thank you, Miss Dixon. Mr. President, hi.  Mrs. Robert, hi. Mrs. Mhoff. Hi, Mr. Jano. Hi,   Mr. Riley. Hi, Mr. Bennett. Hi. There being  six votes in the affirmative, one absent,  

the appointments are hereby approved. Are any of  these individuals in the audience? All right. Um,   six special presentations. We have none. Seven,  approval of minutes. Public hearing March 10th,   2026. Legislative day 25-009, March 10th,  2026. Are there any corrections to the minutes? There being no corrections, the minutes stand  approved. Eight. Introduction and consideration   of resolutions. Resolution 00526 meet after  grant. May I have a motion? Council President,   I move to approve resolution 005-26. I have  a second. Second. Thank you, Mr. Riley. It's   been moved and second to approve resolution  00526. Is there any discussion, Mr. Jardino? I don't have discussion. I thought  maybe you would. Then I will I think   um during the public hearing we talked  with representatives from Lufgo. I think   uh you know it's a great local company. They  continue to reinvest in Harford County. Uh   they're looking to bring 120 jobs to the county  and um I think that is u something that should   be recognized and supported. So therefore I will  be supporting it. Mr. Jan, I do stand corrected. So, um I I echo what Council President  Vincenti said. The the amount of   uh time, effort that they put into and and the  project to take over this building is certainly   um I think more than they thought. Um but  uh you know, we're glad that you know,   they did come forward. Glad that they're  increasing their size. Um has built up a   nice company. Uh and gentleman was uh originally  from Semilt, right? So he wants to be in Harford   County and stay in Harford County. We certainly  applaud that. Um so uh definitely looking forward  

to to approving that and we want to thank him  for his support and and bringing uh jobs to   Harford County and high paying jobs, technical  jobs and and those are the type of jobs that   uh we look forward to help support um outside  the base. So thank you. Thank you. Um Miss Dixon,   Mr. President, hi. Mrs. Robert, hi. Mrs. Mhoff.  Hi, Mr. Janerano. Hi, Mr. Riley. Hi, Mr. Bennett.   Hi. There being six votes in affirmative, one  absent, resolution 00526 is hereby approved. Um,   resolution 00826 uh the housing hut grant  um has been removed at the request of the   county executive. And Mr. Overbay, would you  like to give some clarity on that, please? Thank you, Council President, members of  the council. Um, in preparation for this   evening's meeting, it was identified that there  were some additional edits and changes that   needed to be made to some of the support documents  associated with this resolution. Uh, so therefore,   the county executive made the request to withdraw  it at this time so that our staff can complete   those changes and bring it forth in front of the  council in the coming weeks. Thank you. Anyone   have any questions? Thank you, Mr. Thank you.  Yep. Um, Mr. Chandra, please read resolution   00926, authorization transit MTA grant application  2026. Resolution 009-26, authorization transit MTA   grant application 2026 is introduced. Introduced  by council president Vincenti at the request of   the county executive. A resolution authorizing  the county executive to file an application   with the Maryland Transit Administration of  the Maryland Department of Transportation  

for SSTAP statewide special transportation  assistance program and section 5303 5304   5305 5307 5309 5310 5311 5318 and 5339 formula  and discretionary operating and capital grant   programs under the federal transit act during the  fiscal year and for any additional funds which   may be available under the federal transit act  during the fiscal year. Thank you. Uh Miss Glock, M. Richardson. Good evening. Good evening, Council President  and the C members of the Council. Um,   I'm here tonight to ask for the approval of the  authorizing resolution for Harford Transit Link.   This authorizing resolution is a requirement  of our annual grant application. You'll hear   it called the annual transportation plan or our  ATP. Um, it is an annual grant application. Um,   in this particular one, we're looking for  the ESAP funding and the 5307. Those are   typically our operating capital and um maintenance  grants. Uh with those we actually are reducing the   um county matching funds, the burden to the  county to operate public transit. Um the MTA,   we are subreients of the MTA. So they apply  for all of our grants and then they will do   award back down to us. Um being a UA, we have  our we have our own pot of money, so to speak.   Um so with this authorizing resolution, if  approved, we would then take it to the county   executive for his approval as well. And then  we are able to submit our grant application   um 10 days from now. Very good. Um council  questions. This is something we do annually. Yes,  

sir. Every year. Um Mr. Allegie, is there  any reason why we'd hold this? You don't   have to hold it. You can certainly move  it tonight and vote one way or the other,   or you can hold it till the next meeting, which  is typical, but there's no reason not to. Well,   they're going to file in 10 days. Our next meeting  is not till two weeks from now. So, uh, council,   are you okay with moving it tonight? Yes. All  right. Motion. Yep. Council president, I move to   authorize, uh, I move to approve the authorization  of resolution 009-26, authorization transit MTA   grant application as introduced. Thank you. May I  have a second? Second. Thank you, Mr. Riley. Um,   it has been moved to move resolution 0029 or  excuse me 00926. Is there any other questions? Miss Dixon. Mr. President, I Mrs. Robert.  Hi. Mrs. Mhoff. Hi. Mr. Jano. Hi. Mr.   Riley. Hi. Mr. Bennett. I. There being six  votes in the affirmative and one absent,   the motion or the resolution 009 is  approved. 26 is approved. I'm sorry.   Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate your time. Yes. I see. Nine, introduction of bills. We have  none. 10, introduction and consideration of   amendments. We have none. 11. Call for final  reading of bills. Bill 26-001. Harford County   Sheriff's Office Pension Plan Amendments.  May I have a motion? Council President,   I move to approve bill 26-001. Thank you.  May I have a second? Second. Thank you,   Mr. Riley. It's been moved and seconded to  approve bill 260001. Is there any discussion? Miss Dixon. Mr. President. Hi. Mrs. Robert.  Hi. Mrs. Mhoff. Hi. Mr. Jano. Hi. Mr. Riley.  

Hi. Mr. Bennett. I. There being six votes in  the affirmative. One absent. Bill 260001 is   hereby approved. 12. Enrollment of bills. Bill  260001 serves as the text finally passed. 13   unfinished business we have none. 14 new business  we have none. 15 comments and input from attending   citizens. Miss Dixon, do we have anyone signed  up? We have no one signed up. Mr. President,   16 business from council members, Mr. Janana.  Thank you, Council President. I really just   have one thing. um the end of this month, we're  going to lose a very important person that's   uh helped uh myself and other council people  and he's going to be greatly missed and it's   Rich Truit. Um he's the director of  um licens and permits and I've worked   closely with Rich on a couple different things.  He's actually still working on something for me   um which is the uh parking and the fire lanes and  trying to get that code uh squared away. I talked   to him uh today about that. Um so hopefully  that'll be coming through soon. He'll be able   to pass that on to Harold. But uh there there's  been a lot of conversations I've had with Rich   um on a lot of different things. And it's that  knowledge that you just can't get anywhere. Um   it's hard to replace that. Um and hopefully we'll  have some people in the future that'll do that.   But uh I wish Rich um the best. I I know he's  going to work for the association and that does   a lot of these things. So, he's he's still going  to be around and I'm sure if I need to bother him,   I can do that. Uh which I probably will, but um  he will be missed. Uh and uh I do appreciate his   time and efforts all the time and and helping um  in this role. So, thank you and good luck to you,   Rich, if you're out there and you hear this. Thank  you. Uh Mr. Riley, just two things. Um, don't  

forget tomorrow night there's the Jarrettsville  Norrisville late for Pylesville Street Festival   Community Advisory Board meeting at 6:30 in  Norrisville Volunteer Fire Company. And in case   you don't know, today's uh St. Patty's Day. Uh,  happy St. Patty's to everybody. Music. Thank you,   Mr. Riley and Mr. Bennett. Good evening. I  think anybody within a 10 mile radius of Looney   knows that tonight is St. Patrick's Day. Um, I  appreciate everyone being with us tonight. Uh,   the real party of the day is here in the council  chambers. Um, it's been a busy week. I met with   the president of St. John's Towers to talk about  the need for their elevators to be fixed and also   uh looking for ways that the county or the state  can support them in getting that work done. Um,   I also was able to attend the Abington CAB  meeting which was really uh exciting because   we got to hear about what's going on this year  to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our country   and they had a historical reenactor come to share  with us about what was going on 250 years ago. Um,   which was a really just fun experience and I can't  stress enough how great our local CAB meetings   are to attend. It's a chance to learn about your  community. It's also a chance to have your voice   heard. Um, and you know, I think our CAP meetings  are underutilized in some communities. So, I   really encourage people to come and attend theirs.  Um, the NAACP will have its Freedom Fund Gala this   weekend, um, the 21st at 6 PM at Rockfield Manor.  There are two general admission tickets left. So,   I encourage people to come and and buy those last  two tickets and enjoy it. I'm excited to go and   I'm sure other council members will be there as  well. Uh that's all I have this evening. Thank   you, Mr. Bennett. Uh Miss Robert, thank you.  Um on Thursday, March 12th, um myself and um  

Councilwoman Imhof and Council President Vincenti  attended the Army Alliance lunchon and that was   um very nice affair. We got to hear more of up  andcoming things that are happening with APG   and other surrounding um army facilities and what  that looks like financially with their income. Um   they did a presentation and it was it was very  enlightening. Um but come to find out a couple   people that were sitting next to us remember APG  when it was absolutely nothing there and we were   talking about what that looked like back even  in like early 2000s. So good conversation. Um,   congratulations to Edgewood High School. They had  over the weekend Once Upon a Mattress. Um, and   that was a good performance. And then, um, this  week I will be reading twice for a literacy week,   um, at Old Post Road Elementary on tomorrow and  Friday at Riverside Elementary. And then just a   reminder, there's a housing fair on Saturday at  the Epicenter. It's free event from 9 to 1:30.   of spring into wellness community fair also free  Saturday from 3 to 6 at Harford Day School. Um and   then the on March 28th there is an inclusive egg  hunt at Copper Mine Bair Athletic Club from 1 to 4   so that everyone can participate. Thank you. Thank  you, Miss Robert. Miss Hoff, good evening. Um,   I like Councilwoman Robert said, I was able  to attend the Army Alliance annual luncheon,   um, which was a great chance to connect and  hear updates on the important work being   done at APG to ensure our war fighters have the  resources and capabilities that they need. Also,   over the weekend, I was able to stop at a few  volunteer fire companies to drop off some treats   and say thank you, including Abington, Belair,  Fallston, and Joppa Magnolia. Um, it's always a   good reminder that these that our community relies  so heavily on the volunteers of our community.  

So if anyone is interested in giving back, they  are a great resource and a great program to work   with. Also, if anybody knows any up and coming uh  high school graduates, so junior or senior year,   uh they have we have we are very fortunate to have  a really remarkable cadet program here in Harford   County where um seniors in our high schools can  actually spend half their day actually at the   fire departments and learning life-saving skills.  Um, a lot of the people do go become professional   paramedics or firefighters, but a lot of them just  kind of keep those skills in their back pocket and   they stay volunteers for the rest of their lives.  So, highly recommend if you know any soon to be   uh high school graduates. Uh, I was also able  to attend the Fallston and Lion Club's bingo   at the Fallston Fire Hall this past weekend.  They actually have pretty consistent bingos,   so highly recommend. There's actually one that's  coming up at the end of this month to benefit pack   899 of Fallston. Um they were actually just here  in these council chambers just a few weeks ago.   Um on Saturday, March 21st, the Charlie Riley  Community Services Scholarship Foundation will   be hosting a cash and bag bingo at the Level Fire  Hall beginning at 2 p.m. A reminder that the next   Fallston Community Advisory Board meeting is  Wednesday, March 25th at 6:30 at the Veronica   Chenith Activity Center. And just for anybody who  doesn't know, the Harford County Public Library   Taste of Harford tickets went on sale today. They  sell out every year, so I highly recommend getting   yours. That's all I have. Thank you, Miss Imhof.  Um, do I get to go twice? I'm sure you could. Um,   business from the president. I just want to um  amplify what Miss Imhof talked about as far as our   war fighters. Everything they wear, touch, or ride  is tested in Aberdeen and Edgewood. And I think  

that's amazing that um that much work is being  done inside the gate at those facilities. Um once   again, I want to uh talk or speak to the uh budget  public hearings for the fiscal year 27 budget.   That's May 7th and May 13th at 7 p.m. in these  council chambers. Um, I too want to recognize   uh Rich Truit uh for his retirement. And I think  it's a double-edged sword for us. We're very   happy that Rich is leaving and and moving on into  something that he truly um is looking forward to.   He and his his wife um and has served this county  well for 31 and a half years. Um, but I'm little   concerned about the institutional knowledge that  we're losing as he walks out the door he's taken   with him. So, I know uh Mr. Bowling in the interim  will do a great job and I'm sure the team there   will uh fill the gaps wherever necessary, but  I want to congratulate him, thank him for his   years of service. Um, I think uh basically that's  all I'm going to speak to. Oh, no, no, no, no. Um,   Saturday evening I had the pleasure of attending  uh the North Harford High School's class of 81's   bull roast. It was extremely um extremely well  attended uh with over probably 300 people in   attendance. Um and uh they do such great things  with the money that they raise there uh to support   the community. So I did want to talk to that. I  did want to speak to also yesterday I had the the   honor and great pleasure to uh sit with um retired  Lieutenant Colonel Allan West, former congressman   uh and speak to him in reference to uh our 287G  program that has left and u the uh program that  

was uh at our correctional or correction center.  So, um I know that there's still more to come on   that, but that's basically uh all I have.  One other thing as I'm looking at my notes,   I want to thank everybody again for their support  for the uh annual Madison Mitchell Endowment   Trust uh banquet. Um it also Friday evening was  extremely successful. Uh the funds raised there   go to support the Harvard Grace Decoy Museum in  its acquisition, presentation and preservation   of the artifacts that they have there. And  that museum has went from being a a local   uh museum to a national museum. Uh when the  Ward Museum closed in Salsbury recently,   uh it brought more attention to the decoy museum.  And the decoy museum has been operating for well   over 30 years. Um, a lot of it by volunteers and  that entire time it has remained in the black.   Through some of the toughest times this country  has seen that museum has re remained in the black.   So very proud of their achievements. And with  that I will adjourn this meeting. Thank you.