Board of County Commissioners - Regular Meeting

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Good morning. All right, that's that's a little better. Uh, it is a good morning. And is today the first day of spring?

Tomorrow. That's right. The 22nd 21st. Listen, I don't know what day I don't know what day it is, but I'm here and thank you for being here. Um, so we're going to call to order the March 19th, 2026 uh meeting of the board of commissioners. Note the presence of all three commissioners. Um, and I'm going to ask Serena to lead us in the pledge. Sorry to put you on the spot, but if you could stand and the 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.

Great. All right. So, we know that uh March is Women's History Month. At our last meeting, we honored women who have been elected to represent their comm communities around Montgomery County. And this moh this morning, we wanted to turn the spotlight to women uh that are entrepreneurs in our uh MCO business community. Uh with us today are women who are impacting our local economy and bringing flare and flavor to our main streets. my fellow commissioners and I will introduce each of them and we'll have everyone uh come up for a group photo after uh every name has been called. So I will start. Um so first is design treasures uh design treasures uh the owners and founders of design is it designated treasures design. Okay. Design treasures Bana and Trevor Walls. Keep standing. Keep standing. and anime uh Curran. Um does Design Treasures is a family-owned gift store in Nartown that's been in operation since 1984. Uh so thank you for being here and let's celebrate uh uh design treasures. It says designated here for design. All right. And next up is La Radiance One Salon. La Lorray Douglas, owner of Lradians uh hair and wellness salon in Lansdale. We heard a little bit about your salon in the back room. Um you are doing well like health and wellness tied to uh hair styling and and care. So 10 years in Landdale, correct? All right. Well, let's give uh Lorraine Douglas a round of applause.

Thank you. Um, Unleash Counseling. Analisa Smithson who owns Unleash Counseling. Anna Lisa, a priv a licensed private therapist in Pottstown who uses creative techniques including animals, nature, and art to help those overcoming depression and anxiety and addiction. Thank you for for being here. [applause] Uh, it takes a village. Serita Lusain, who I who I went to Nartown Area High School with, uh owner of It Takes a Village. It Takes a Village supports uh working families with reliable, structured afterchool programming here in the Narstown area. Let's celebrate Serena [applause] Bewell Apparel. Amanda Phillips from East Narton, the best Narton, I I must say, uh the owner of Be Well Apparel. Be well is an online retailer specializing in adaptive apparel that's designed to make everyday life more manageable for those living with chronic illness and ongoing medical treatments. Thanks for all that you do and let's celebrate. And then Holistics Coaching and Consulting Whitney Halman, founder of Holistics Coaching and Consulting and remind me your daughter's name.

Joy. And we have Joy here. Hi Joy. Can you say hi to everyone? Okay. Uh Whitney, who is from Pottstown, helps new parents, I wish I would have had you five years ago. Navigate life with an infant. Her goal is to make the postpartum experience easier through mental health advocacy, parental leave, coaching, workshops, and integrative wellness. Thanks for all that you do, and uh let's celebrate and joy. Enjoy. So, I'll turn it over to my colleague, Commissioner Mcka, to recognize a few women entrepreneurs.

Thank you. Um, we just got to meet everybody beforehand. I'll just briefly reiterate, it's inspiring to see all the amazing work that you're doing and how much you're contributing to all of our main streets. As Mr. Winder said, flare and flavor uh is something we appreciate and all of our residents appreciate. So, I'm going to recognize uh five of of uh the great womenowned businesses here in the county, starting with uh Copiway Chilean Bakery in Amler. So, uh this is Cotay Cafe. [applause]

Thank you. Um Cotay has brought an incredible selection of traditional Chilean pastries and cakes to Amler. Uh, it creates a place where neighbors can find community and culture. And I'm just going to hold up one of those pastries, which looks amazing, as you can tell. Everybody wants to try this. I don't know who I'm going to give this to. Maybe one lucky winner in this room will get it at the end of the uh meeting if you last. Uh, so next up, thank you. Um, next up is King's Collar. Nancy Gold is here. Uh Nancy is the owner of King's Collar Shirt Makers in Lower Marian Township. Uh she's been nationally recognized uh as a master shirt maker and founded King's Collar in 1978, which means that you are in your 47th year operating [applause] right here and is the first woman to be uh recognized as such as a master shirt maker. I think you said you're the first woman to be

first woman in the country in the country. First woman in the country to get into this.

Um she's got a reputation for precision tailoring for uh people who like our commerce director Steve Forester can't find a shirt that fits them because they're so tall. But um you know maybe I got to upgrade for my gap in Jay Crew [laughter] for you. But thank you Nancy. Thank you. Um, next is Mod India, Suda Jooshi, which just opened about a week ago. Mod India is a restaurant that just opened in Lafayette Hill. Uh, and their first location was in Glenn Mills. So, congratulations and we all look forward to visiting. Uh, next up is Lillian Oak Wellness Spa. Uh, Ko Chia is the founder uh of Lillian Oak. Please welcome Kendford just took over the business a year ago and uh she's got a skilled team of licensed professionals providing treatments and wellness services where clients feel informed, confident, and cared for. So thank you Ka for your leadership here in spring. Uh finally uh for me uh is Sweet Ashley's Chocolate and Connie Lawson Limmerch Township [applause] also member of the Libert board of supervisors. And uh I just want to say Sweet Ashley's is one of my go-to chocolates to thank people because they're always very happy and very annoyed when they've finished the entire box that I've sent them. Uh but Connie pivoted from working in the pharmaceutical industry uh to creating quality handmade chocolates uh like their signature Skookul Mud uh which we're all familiar with. Uh but congratulations and thank you Connie for

I'll just make one final point. I think it's you know amazing to see Connie you pivoted from pharma to running a small business and we often don't recognize that while we have a lot of big businesses in Montgomery County that employ tens of thousands of people small businesses are always the majority in terms of who's creating jobs. So that's something that we think about in our commerce department and all the ways that we can support you. So we look forward to seeing you all thrive and and being there to help in whatever way you can. Next up.

All right. Well, thank you. Um as my colleagues have said, this is uh you know an amazing month when we're recognizing uh women. Um I think that we should be recognizing women every month. just my just personal feeling, but uh uh we're really excited to see everyone here today. Um this is a great tradition that we started last year and and we're growing and uh and it's it's the the type of business, womenowned business that we have here today across McGomery County just shows how diverse our county is and all the different types of small businesses there are. Um and I I've mentioned before I was a small business owner as well at one point. Um, and I know how hard it is running your own business. And the people don't when you're in a small business, people don't realize you never turn off. You're you're going 24/7. You're always thinking about your business. You're dreaming about your business. You go to sleep at night, you're just thinking, dreaming, everything. You wake up in the morning, first thing you're thinking about is your business. Um, and it's a dedication that um is is unique to a lot of individuals, but as Commissioner McKesha said, um, majority of our businesses throughout the United States are classified as small businesses. Uh, they are the heartbeat uh of our country and it's amazing to see uh you all here this uh this morning. Uh, so I just want to start off unfortunately my uh TZ Brittingham who was on her way. I don't know if this is in the order, but she texted and she hit a pothole on the way and her tire went a pothole in Pennsylvania. Who would think, [laughter] right?

Like, how could you not hit a pothole in Pennsylvania, but unfortunately county own road? It wasn't a county home road. [laughter] I won't say which 422 road it Oops.

Uh, but she was very disappointed that she wasn't able to make it. So her she hit uh and her a car her tire went flat. So she was standing on the side of the road waiting for a flatbed to come and get her. But uh she is the owner of Keller Williams in Collegeville. I I know that she uh has an environment where uh the way Keller Williams is set up um it's like a hub for real estate agents and she has within her hub uh throughout McGomery County over 300 agents as well as having an operation in Atlantic City as well. So, um, doing a phenomenal job, uh, and, uh, great leader within the community. Also, we have Ava Defor is she's based out of Norristown. Uh, she owns a she owns a social media solutions company uh, for small businesses called Salent Social Company. Um, and it's it's great to see, you know, how long you in business now?

One year. One year. and and you how you you just out of college one year? 22.

22. So that's that's great to see you jumping into, you know, your own business like that. And I know you're doing really well and I I think uh great things are ahead of you as uh so thank you for being here. And then I I my next up is Avery Chapman. I see her if she was standing in the back. There you come on in Avery. Amy is the owner of Sips and Berries and it's an incredible smoothie shop in Harley'sville and you do uh breakfast and lunch. Um and you have all types of smoothies and and other offerings. So when you're in uh Harley'sville, make sure we stop by and and see Avery. Uh her smoothies are incredible as well. So thank you for being here this morning. And I know you were running late uh to get here for your serving your breakfast crowd, but uh Well, we're really happy that that you were able to make it and be here this morning uh with us. And then last but not least, we have Marina Catz. Uh she's here from Abington. Marina is a Ukrainian immigrant uh who works in uh as a personal uh injury lawyer. Uh and she also is the president of the Philly Lawyers as well. She's a incredible community leader as well and does an amazing job uh throughout uh McGomery County and Bucks County and Philadelphia. So, we want to, you know, thank you for being here um as well. And then I sorry I I have one more um Kathy Offerman empowering you center. [applause] It's empowering you pillars of light and love which uh they own so much to give which is an inclusive cafe in Skipback. Um and what's uh really unique about what they're doing there is they're

providing an environment or a cafe for uh for students and older with special needs. Um and I I believe you have 30 plus uh over 40 employees with disabilities. Um, and I all you can eat Sunday buffet. [laughter] Is that every Sunday or Sunday?

Yep. So, they're right on Rich Pike. I'm I'm sorry. Yes, it's Skip Back Pike um in uh Skipak uh right in the village there. And if you haven't been, please stop in and support because it's a it's a a great cause. Um and it's really a nonprofit organization for the environment that they're they're providing. So, if you're there, uh, again, please stop by and and and and all the businesses that we recognize today, if you're in the area, please stop by and and and, uh, show your support. Um, and and I want to thank again, thank everyone for being here this morning.

Great. So, we're going to invite all the womenowned business owners up for a group picture. We can maybe there's some down here and some up here. Two two rows. Some down here, some up here. How are you?

And then we'll have everybody step on the other side. Sure. Okay. One, two, three, four. Keep going. One, two, three, four. Yes. On the other side. You can stay there. And then you three. Great. Four and four. Yep. Okay. All right. And then I do need everybody to step up. We're going to step up a little bit. That's okay. Step up. There you go. Sorry. Sorry. Get everyone. Get tighter. better. Can you see everybody?

I think he's got everyone.

One, two, three. Great. [applause] That's what we Thank you for coming. Thank you. That's right.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

Thank you for coming. Thank you so much. It's so nice to meet you. That's the lady that is.

All right, we're going to go. We're going to continue our meeting. Thanks everyone.

Thank you for being here. That's why All right, we're gonna we're we're gonna continue. Um, just a few more things uh from me. Um, I'd like to welcome uh Mark Wheeler. Is he here? Mark Wheeler is our our new uh chief information officer to the Monk MCO team. Um, Mark has a strong track record leading innovation in data governance and AI integration in both the public and private sectors. Um he previously served as director of data analytics and artificial intelligence for the federal government's centers of excellence and also served the city of Philadelphia as chief information officer. Uh the board has continually worked to innovate our operations to serve our residents to the best of our ability and we're really excited that Mark has joined our team. Um, next up, uh, as we've mentioned many times in this room, housing, uh, security for our most v vulnerable friends and neighbors is another major priority for this board. We recently celebrated the grand opening of a new short-term supportive housing facility in Lansdale, and we're proud to keep the momentum rolling as we break ground on our new uh, Norristown facility next Tuesday, March 24th. Our team worked hard with local advocates to get this project approved at a zoning hearing board that went well uh into the

evening uh last spring. And I want to thank our county team for the work that they did to get this project approved. So, we're thrilled to see some of the fruits of that labor come to bear here in Narristown, and we're grateful to uh many of our staff, especially Kaylee Silver, who is a t tire tireless leader on this issue. Um, so we welcome you to join us as we break ground next week. Uh, coming up next month in April is Earth Day. Uh, to mark the occasion, we're thrilled to announce our first ever sustainability marketplace. The Marplace will take place on April 22nd from 10 to 2 p.m. right behind us here on Swed Street between one Montgomery Plaza and the courthouse. The marketplace will feature uh a carefully curated lineup of local vendors offering sustainably made goods, echo uh friendly products, and locally sourced food. Attendees can shop um from local makers and learn simple everyday ways to incorporate sustainable practices into your homes and lifestyles. This event is open to the general public and free uh to attend. We are actively seeking vendors to participate. So to apply you can scan the QR code on the screen which is a little far for you to do that or search for the sustainability marketplace on our website. Applications are due March uh 31st. I'd like to thank our uh chief sustainability officer Davey for her leadership and her innovation around doing this this event. So Davey oh there you are hiding. Um, couple more things. Uh, spring holidays. As we move through spring, we have a number of important holidays and traditions to recognize. I want to wish everyone a happy Easter, Eid, and Passover. Uh, I know that our Muslim friends and neighbors will be

celebrating the end of Ramadan uh, this weekend. Uh, I'll be attending an event uh, tomorrow uh, afternoon. Um, regardless of what you celebrate, uh, the spring holidays share a common theme, and that's a theme of reflection and renewal. And we wish everyone who's celebrating in the coming weeks a joyful time with family and community. And then lastly, I have the honor of recognizing this month's way to go winners. These are county employees who have been recognized by peers for outstanding service to our county. Uh, first up we have Yvon Durham, an officer on our SEC security team here. Yvon, don't hide over in the corner. Come on. Come on in. Come on in. [applause] Yvon's colleagues say she's great with people. She brings positive energy to her colleagues and the general public every day that she comes to work. Yavvon goes above and beyond her work duties and is truly a valued member of the team. So, congratulations, Yavon. Um, next we [applause] have Lauren Cal, who is not here, who is the lead developmental disabilities waiver coordinator, that's that's a mouthful, in our office of uh developmental disabilities with HHS. Lauren's colleagues say Lauren is constantly jelling multiple pro projects and coordinating with partners to help individuals and families understand their eligibility for medical assistance. She is thorough, dedicated, and compassionate, and always brings warmth and a sense of humor to the office. Next is Will William Billy Franklin, a correctional officer here in the county. He's not here today. Billy's colleagues say he is always hardworking and on top of his daily duties. He takes the time to take others under his wing and what mentor them to do the job to the best of their abilities. And

everyone says he's a great mentor. So, congratulations to Billy. Uh, next we have Chad Moore, our payroll manager with the within the controllers's office. Many people don't get to see Chad, but we know Chad does a lot of great work throughout the CA county. Chad's colleagues say he's frequently goes the extra mile for his colleagues to make sure his their work is uh is correct and timely and he's constantly working to make our systems more efficient while keeping compl compliant within requirements. So, congratulations, Chad. thanks for all that you do. And last, we have um last but not least, we have Jennifer So uh Vedra, a senior district court clerk at the district court 38-1-08. Jennifer's colleagues say she's hardworking, patient, and kind with everyone who comes in and consistently lifts up co-workers in a way that makes coming into the office really enjoyable. She is just an amazing head clerk. So, congrat congratulations to Jennifer and all of the way to go winners. And Yavon, you are the sole person here. So, let's come on up and take a take a [applause] picture.

All right. One, two, three. Thank you. [laughter] [applause]

And just finally before I transition over to Commissioner McKasia, I want to acknowledge the report that came out yesterday about the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit unit in the inquir. The MCIU I want to just clarify for our community. Uh the MCIU is an independent organization, not a county agency. We do not oversee the MCIU's governance or finances. The Montgomery County Intermediate Unit is governed by a 22 member board of directors composed of school district representatives. The county's Department of Health and Human Services has utilized the MCIU as a contracted provider. We would be concerned by any reports of alleged misappropriation of funds by any provider. our controllers's office, which is our county's fiscal watchdog, would take the appropriate steps to determine if there was any misuse of county funding that occurred. And so that's uh the end of my comments. I'll turn it over to my colleague, Commissioner. Thanks, everyone.

Sorry. I'll just start by noting that we have an election coming up. So, we've got an election in uh May on the 19th. It's our primary election in the midterms less than two months. Our elections team led by Frank Dean is working very hard to make sure that we prepare our ballots. Candidates have had an opportunity to petition to get on the ballot. Uh there will be a period in which uh the courts will uh entertain challenges in the coming weeks and we hope that those will be cleared as quickly as possible because uh in order for us to get the ballots out to the voters. Uh we have to have a resolution in all the courts. So uh I say that because it's always a little bit of a tight timeline in the primary. We hope the legislature will change this so that we have more time to prepare and get people ballots early, but u please look out for more information on when we get the mailin ballots out. And if you haven't requested one and you want to vote by mail, please do so as soon as possible so that we can get your ballot out in the first batch uh of mailins. Uh, with that, I also want to acknowledge a conversation that's happening right now in Congress that is deeply concerning to election officials around the country. Uh, there's a so-called Save America Act being considered by the US Senate that was passed by the US House. Uh, the president has said it's his number one priority. Uh I want to make clear that from the perspective of election administrators, it would be completely unworkable for us to be asking uh all of our citizens, our residents for their birth certificates or their passports, which is essentially what this bill uh would require at this time. Now, uh voter registration forms already require

driver's license or social security number. Uh but one of the aspects of this bill would require that your name on the registration match your birth certificate. And for about 70 million married women, that is not the case or not likely to be the case because uh if you change your last name after getting married uh and you haven't gone through the procedures to change uh all of your documents that there's likely a mismatch and that could lead to the kinds of election litigation that we see uh when it comes to undated ballots and all of these issues where partisan actors try to come in and depending on whether they think it'll help them or not. We'll try to throw out thousands if not millions of ballots. And none of that uh is good for our residents or citizens who have uh made every attempt to exercise their hard one right to vote. So, uh, our county will be prepared to litigate if this bill does pass because certainly, uh, we don't even have the resources to implement the kinds of burdens and requirements that are being suggested in this bill. Uh, and there are strong arguments that it is unconstitutional. If you think about the fact that we have a a constitutional amendment against pole taxes and the idea that no one should have to pay any fee to exercise their fundamental right to vote, uh the idea that you would have to pay for a $165 passport in order to exercise your right uh is something that goes against uh the fundamental right to vote. Uh and that's something that we take very seriously in our process. We want to make sure everyone in our county uh is able to exercise their rights. So stay tuned uh on that issue. Uh second, uh I

wanted to note that we have uh a sticker contest for the I voted sticker this year. It's something that you all uh I hope in the county when you exercise your right to vote are proud to wear. For the first time ever last year, we actually put those stickers in the mailin envelopes, too. So, people who are voting by mail did not miss out on that uh recognition. And what we'd like to do now is ask anyone in the county who wants to share their artistic skills to design uh an uplifting uh message uh a visual sticker that up to 600,000 people might wear uh this coming election. Uh please submit uh your entry uh online to montgomery countypa.gov voted sticker contest. We're particularly trying to get uh high school students and young people to participate, but there's no strict requirement who can. So anyone who cares about u promoting our democratic process and celebrating the right to vote should participate. And uh we'll see if any of us up here have some design skills, but I think we'll probably disqualify from from being the winner of that contest. But uh second, uh want to note that uh there is some great work happening to address housing affordability in the county. Uh there was a recent article on what's happening in Narworth in terms of consideration of zoning uh amendments that could allow different housing options. And I live very close to Narbirth. I'm not a norm. I'm considered a near, but uh it's it's a very contentious, you know, you have to be very careful how you refer to yourself. Um, but it's, you know, when you walk down Hford AB, which is a main street in

Arbor, there's still storefronts that are shuttered. And we want to see main streets across the county have uh great small businesses like the ones that we all just honored today. And part of that is making sure that there's a base uh of support for those businesses, including uh people who can live and walk to the main street. and that involves creating more housing options. So, I want to commend all the burough council members and the mayor of Narbirth for working on this issue. Uh, and there's a lot of great steps that have happened around the county, including in Amler, uh, in in Koni, around SEPTA stations, using septic property to support transit oriented development. and um you know want to continue to commend all those officials that are working to address the cost of housing which is one of the top issues facing residents uh across the county. And finally to echo Commissioner Winder on the holidays uh whether you're celebrating Eid, Passover, or Easter. Uh want to wish you all happy holidays in the coming weeks. And although they're observed many different ways across faith and traditions, these spring holidays are really bound by enduring themes of renewal and hope uh which are important to all of us. So that I'll turn it over to my colleague commissioner develop.

Okay. Um you guys covered a lot. So let's see um I'll go through just a couple other things. Uh this week is uh agriculture literacy week uh which is all about trying to help kids get a better understanding of our food system. Uh so there's uh many reading events that occur uh throughout Montgomery County. Um, and I know Commissioner Winer, myself, and I'm not sure if Commissioner McKe uh read at all this year or not, but I we tried to get to uh several schools and and read uh to the students, and they're usually really good books about the food uh you know, food uh different parts of food and and learnings of food and all that. So, it's it's a it's a great opportunity uh for us to support uh agriculture throughout McGomery County and beyond. and also the importance of uh of you know understanding food and good food and all that stuff. I know Commissioner Winery you were reading at Paul Fly Elementary School this week.

The book was hard this year. Was it? It was I mean they said it was a little bit of a tough one but it was good.

Well unfortunately I was supposed to read yesterday uh and I I got tied up in another meeting but I I know an R grouper from our planning commission is an here is she here anywhere? No. uh and and and Kim, my assistant, stepped in and they they carried the torch and read to the students and they had a lot of fun doing the activities and all that. So, I want to thank them uh for for going in my place and and continuing on with what we're trying to do uh McGomery County and support uh these programs. Uh it's always a lot of fun. Uh other thing is, uh Monco, I want to do a big shout out to our McGomery County public safety. Uh uh I want to highlight a couple county resources that many may may not know about. Our Department of Public Safety operates both a hazmat team uh and an urban search and rescue team. Each team is composed of uh about 30 highly trained responders who serve as resource uh to our municipalities when dealing with unusual and complex emergencies. In late February, our our hazmat team spent over three hours uh supporting first responders in the Pottstown burrow with a major gas and carbon monoxide leak. Uh and just last week, our our urban search and rescue team assisted with a horse rescue uh in the Woodpane Township. Uh both teams train hundreds of hours every year and on are on call 247 to keep McGomery County safe. Um, so and they're always ready to go when we we all were preparing for the big storms that were coming in. Uh, and we're lucky in McGomery County. I think we fared out pretty well. Um, but, uh, they were on call and they were ready to respond, uh, quickly if needed. So, we want to shout out to, uh, them as well. And, you know, as mentioned, we have several spring holidays coming on, and I know we're all waiting and anxious for spring itself. Um, and it teased us last week when it got warm, but then it got cold again.

But we're really looking forward uh to uh to spring and all. See, we're looking forward to all the holidays, you know, with Easter, Passover, and Eve coming up. I want to wish everyone happy holidays. Um, and I know last week was St. Patrick's Day. Uh, so that's a that's a week where we all turned Irish for a time and and the three as three commissioners. Once again, we participated in the Kcha Hawin St. Patty's Day parade. Uh, we had a lot of fun. It's it's just great to be out there. Uh, it's such a great crowd and we really enjoyed uh the day and so now we all go back to uh whatever nationality we are, but uh for a week we we all like to be Irish. So um again uh so thank you for that. And I want to reiterate one of two other things. One is as Commissioner Winer mentioned about the IU. I' I've gotten several calls as well. Um uh we both served on the IU board when we were on our respective school boards. Um they do a lot of great work there. Uh but uh as mentioned, we we don't have any oversight uh with what happens at the Montgomery County IU and whatever uh spending has occurred there. uh I'm sure will be um reviewed uh by the IU board which is made up of one representative from each school district uh in McGomery County. We're sure there's 22 school districts. Um so I know that uh more will come out I would suspect uh uh in the near future related to those expenses but uh again as a county we have no oversight um no power or supervision of what happens at McGomery County IU or any of the school districts throughout McGomery County. Um, and lastly, I know Commissioner uh, Mckiser brought up about the stayback

that's being debated uh, in Washington right now. Uh, two things. One is is that it's a lot more than just associated to voter ID. Uh, which probably 75% or more of the country uh, supports and wants voter ID. U, but there's other aspects uh, within that Save America Act. But more importantly, I've also learned uh when anything's being debated in Washington, however it starts, you never know what it comes out looking like. So, we'll have to see if and how and what gets passed. And based on that, um we'll all make a determination on how if McGomery County is impacted one way or the other. Okay. Thank you. Thank you.

All right. We have two uh short presentations. Um, Gideon Day. So, Christine Laura, our chief public defender.

Morning everyone. Good morning specifically to Commissioner Wer, Commissioner Misha, Commissioner Della. Good morning. Yesterday, March 18th was National Public Defender Day, or as I like to call it, Gideon Day. And every year we celebrate this specific day because exactly three six 63 years ago yesterday on March 18th of 1963 the United States Supreme Court handed down a decision that changed the fabric of the American justice system in Gideon v. Wayight for this landmark ruling. If you were charged with a crime at the state level and couldn't afford a lawyer uh you were in most places expected to represent yourself. Clarence Earl Gideon, who you see up there in the top corner, was a gentleman with an eighth grade education who was expected to do just that in a Florida report despite repeated requests to the judge uh that was overseeing his trial that he needed a lawyer. And he asked throughout those proceedings and he was eventually convicted after proceeding prosay, which means alone. And from his jail cell, he handwrote a petition to the US Supreme Court. And in a shocking turn of events, cuz this doesn't happen often, especially on a prosay petition, the court agreed with him. They evaluated his request and they decided that that sixth amendment right that was passed in the 1700s in fact should apply to the states through the 14th amendment and created the modern public defense system. A number of years later, in 1968, Pennsylvania established the public defender act and our office right here in Montgomery County was established. Just a fun fact on a personal note. I wrote my cover letter and applied to this job on Gideon Day on the 60th anniversary of Gideon Day, which is true. It's actually like the first line. It felt like a sign. I saw that the posting was there. I was a career public defender. Monco is my home

county. It's where I live, where I was raised, and I was like, I should be there. And it came to fruition. So although that that I was not even here yet. I started in July of 23, but it's a special day for me. Always has been throughout my career. Next slide. And actually, because it's Women's History Month and I did see all of these wonderful women that we celebrated in the county, I just can't go without saying that although Clarence Errol Gideon is the godfather of the public defense system, the real mother of the public defense system, um, she actually started the first PD's office in LA County in 1913.

And lot not a lot of people talk about her, but her name was Clara Folultz. And well before Gideon, well before anybody was talking about this, one of the first female lawyers in the country, Clara Folultz saw a weakness in the system. She saw a very well-funded prosecution. She saw people being taken into court and convicted and jailed without any help. And she knew that it was a problem. And she herself opened the first public defender's office in LA County 1913. But after that, what's really amazing about Miss Folultz is that she took the Folultz Act and went to 32 different neighboring states. And this is all before Gideon and petitioned those states to open public defense systems there. So a lot of our early public defender offices were thanks to Clara Folultz um a groundbreaking revolutionary woman. In an era where we often see civic norms challenged and civil rights and liberties debated, um, disrespected and often broken, the work of the public defender, I think, is more vital than ever. We are, in essence, the boots on the ground for the Bill of Rights. We are among the last true constitutional lawyers who stand up in courtrooms every day and advocate for the rights of citizens, ensuring that the government is held to its burden of proof. Um, next slide. And this brings me to something really monumental that we've done right here. Um, MONCO is really part of history. And I I say this pretty much everywhere I go because we did something that was historic in this state. In the 2024 2025 cycle, this board made the decision to look at data and to apply the national public defender workload study and directly affect staffing in our office. It was totally historic. It was monumental. It

has come to fruition and we are seeing the fruits of that decision in the courtrooms right now in Montgomery County. Um, I want to thank you again for that decision. By doing so, you didn't just invest in a department or in some employees. You invested in the integrity of our legal system here in the county um and strengthened the constitutional protections that our residents enjoy. So, thank you for that. Um, next slide. When we speak, this is my staff, by the way, yesterday. Um, most of them. We're not all there. It's tough because we were in court, but uh you have our adult units, our uh juvenile delinquency unit, our child advocacy unit that represents dependent kids in the system. We are doing really really great work. We celebrated yesterday our social service advocates. It is also national social it's a national social workers month and we celebrated that on Tuesday. We celebrated them, our investigators, our administrative support staff, our lawyers. It is a team operation. We are really proud of the work we do. When we talk about Gideon's promise in our circles, we often talk about how it's unfulfilled. It started as an unfunded constitutional mandate. And I would be remiss if I didn't say that it was just last year that Pennsylvania joined as the 49th out of 50 states to put any state level funding towards public defense. Uh we are still it's been a centuriesl long battle to get towards uh a more equitable justice system. We are still so far away. Uh a recent NYU study said that to fund public defenders throughout the country, so like all 50 states, there would need to be about $128 billion spent and we're only spending across 50 states about six billion. So we are far away from where we should be but we are taking steps in the right direction and that's really

how I would like to close this to thank you for your leadership for your support and your advocacy and for showing and demonstrating not just in word but in action that you are willing to guide us towards a more equitable system. Thanks for having me.

Thank you. Um [applause] you know I I almost forgot that we did make that investment. It feels like it was forever ago, but um just want to thank you for [laughter] thank you for your leadership and um grateful for the team uh that you have assembled. You there's folks that have been there for some time, folks that you've recruited to come here. Um, and they're they're doing really really important work. And I know uh that it's long days, long hours, uh sometimes a very thankless uh job um working with some tough uh populations, but uh I'm glad that you're leading the team to to do it. So, thank you for being here and uh just wanted to acknowledge acknowledge you.

Thank you. Okay. the same. Thank you for your leadership and yeah, leading a team that's um doing extraordinary work and setting an example in the Commonwealth and uh it's you know it's very clear that I mean to get to the point where we did uh support the proposal that you that you um recommended took a lot of work and diligence in terms of actually explaining to all three of us, you know, what it meant, the standard that we would be setting. And so that's credit to you for for moving us to a place where uh that made sense. Thank you, commissioner. I appreciate that. Great.

So, thank you. You know, and you know, we're always asked, you know, why why we have public defenders office and why are we funding it and I think it's important for you to, you know, when you came here today and talked about it and it's because everyone is, you know, has a through right process, right? they they have that and you know we we have to provide that for for as a service and it's a very important service uh from a county perspective. So I want to thank you know everything that you're doing and the whole department that's doing and um and as mentioned you know we were able to finally get you know to a point where uh the department is getting you know what the resource the necessary having the necessary resources in place. So, um, you guys, you're doing amazing work. So, thank you for for everything.

Thank you, Commissioner. I appreciate I just want to call out just like something as simple as like the case like your case management system. Like the way you were doing it before was so archaic and it was wild, right? And inefficient. And so, like, you did really make the the case for not only the people investment, but just systems and tools that better enable your employees to, you know, to do their absolutely work. and thank you for that because the case management system has been life-changing. Good. So, well, thank you for being here. Thank you guys. Uh, next up, uh, we'll acknowledge another important group in the county, uh, national, uh, this month is National Social Work Month, Vieira, Deputy Administrator, uh, Office of Mental Health. Thank you for being here.

Absolutely. Thank you for having me. Good morning, everyone. And thanks for inviting me to, uh, talk about March as National Social Work Month. Uh we want to briefly highlight the incredible work social workers perform across Montgomery County. Next, this is not just about recognition. It's about understanding the impact these professionals have on our residents. This year's national theme is uplift, defend, and transform. And in the words of the national uh association of social workers NASW the theme honors the prime mission of social work profession to enhance well human well-being meet the human uh needs of all people and uh put special attention on needs uh and empowerment of people who are vulnerable oppressed and living in poverty. To understand why this recognition is important let's take a quick look at the impact social workers have. There are over 810,000 social workers across the nation. And I'm going to guess that everyone here in some way or another has probably been impacted positively by a social worker. Whether it's you or a family member as you're in the hospital or at school, whether you're seeking support for an aging family member or a veteran, whether you need mental health, there's um substance abuse interventions and support. If you need support around uh food stability or housing, anywhere basically that you think of a system or a program that helps individuals, there's most likely going to be a social worker there. And while many may recognize that direct service, that direct intervention that happens with individuals, many may not know that there's also a really cool uh part of social work that has a specialized training in system level or what we call macro work. And that is what drew me to the field. We get to look at the big picture. We get to see policy. We get to

understand and talk to community members to see the needs and also the strengths that a community has so that we can organize and figure out ways to uh to fill gaps um within the system or to create policy change in order to address those community needs. There are many social workers in fact in the county's own HHS health and human services that lead the way in positive transformation. In fact, our very own Pat McKernan um is the director of HHS and she was named PA's social worker of the year in 2023. Um social workers are woven into the fabric of the community, but not to overwrite the beautiful pattern that exists. It's to help to uplift to build on those strengths to elevate the community so that we can um be even more resilient and strong together. Um the next slide. Thank you. The national theme of uplift um oh one more slide. Sorry I was not correctly telling you when to to switch those slides. Apologize. Um the national theme of uplift, defend, and transform aren't abstract ideas. Social workers put these principles into practice every day. They uplift by connecting individuals and families to care. They provide support to a wide variety of areas so people and in turn communities can flourish. They defend by advocating for vulnerable residents um and at protecting rights at individual and policy levels. And we transform by designing effective programs, uh, improving service pathways and leading systems to change to be more responsive to the community around us. Thanks so much for taking the time today to highlight the importance of social work and celebrate all the amazing accomplishments that have occurred with

the support of social workers. Recognizing their efforts elevates the profession and it inc it encourages future practitioners. So, if there's anyone around here today or listening online that has not uh decided on their career pathway but really wants to make a difference and improve the lives of the community around them, then I would seriously consider um the career of a social worker, uh it is a fascinating, fulfilling and impactful career. Thank you to the board for your continued support of this essential workforce.

Great. Thank you. And uh do we do I mean you probably this is a probably a trick question. Do you know how many social workers we employ in the county? We actually have 64. 64. Great. Well, we are grateful uh to you and

and all of them. Um sorry, I'll get uh for for the work that you do um day in and day out. I I often think about like my parents spent a lot of time going back and forth from the h hospital when they were when my mom was ailing and it was really that social worker that helped us connect all all of the dots and make sure that we had the supports that we need. So I know you all are doing um important work. So thanks for being here to tell us a little bit about it. Thanks. All right. Any any anything? Yep. Okay.

All right. Uh next up, public comment. uh this section of public comment because I see a new a few new faces here um limited to three minutes and uh speakers must comment on items that are appearing on today's uh agenda that the commissioners will consider at this meeting. So that's items E through K. So who do we have for public comment? Mike Masarelli. Um, good afternoon, commissioners. Thank you. Yeah. Um, just state your name and where you're from. Victor Sterling, Ka Haken, Pennsylvania.

Okay, great. Um, you're probably looking at the one person in this room that that may be 10 times worse than Hitler. Um, we have a situation that back in the beginning of the 2024 election, if um, we know that six million Jews were exterminated. Mr. Does this relate to anything that's being acted on by the board? Can you identify what that is? Here's my here's my issue. We have a situation where on March 5th, this commission uh, indicated a resolution that said we would not Mr. Melli, is there something on today's meeting? There's a general public comment later for general matters

reference to um to a a word of contracts for ICE. That was last that was last meeting. So we we'll hear what you have to say. You'll have full three minutes, but but we'll do that in the next public comment section. Okay. If you don't mind. So I can just basically say March 5th, you passed a resolution. No, we're going to have you sit down. General public comment section. You can share what you discuss that matter. Okay. Thank you. What's up, Joe Rooney? So are you. Okay, we're not going to do that here. Don't sit there and call me names. Okay, sir. Please. Joe Rooney. Mr. Rooney. I got I got you. [snorts]

I'm going to ask that everybody keep their comments professional, calm, say what you need to say. Go ahead, Mr. Rooney.

Uh Joe Rooney. I live in Abington and it's item B1. First, Tom, I apologize for what was just said. That's uncalled for. Um, we hear a lot about affordability. B1's about uh buying five vehicles for the DA's office. So, I don't exactly understand why they have to do that. That's neither here nor there. But, um, there's three vehicles, a Chevy Traverse, Chrysler Pacifica, and Dodge Durango. First question is uh how come we have to have three different kinds of vehicles? The second one is I looked online the this is $210,000 roughly for the thing and uh that's about 404 to $45,000 depending on the vehicle and the MSRP if I look it up online is less than that. So maybe there's some special equipment because it's government purchase. I don't know. That's not explained as far as I could tell. But um we talk a lot about affordability. We talked about how the county's increased our taxes from uh 2020 to 2026 by 55%. And look how the the last two presenters had all these this manpower increase in in these different workers. So maybe we could buy some slightly used vehicles at about 50% of the cost. They just looked up online a few of them. So, uh, [clears throat] I don't know if anybody looks into that or not, but everybody knows the day you drive a new vehicle off the lot, it's a used vehicle and it loses about 10% of its value. So, uh, you can buy some 2023 vehicles for basically 20 to $25,000 and they all have uh 25 26,000 miles, $34,000 miles and anybody here would probably look at that. So, I'm just asking that the county might consider that. I don't know about procurement. I don't know about any of that. But if we can save five vehicles 20,000 bucks a vehicle and get something that has 25,000 miles on it, it does take a

little leg work to figure it out, but it also saves us 100 grand. And um it's just a just a suggestion as we hear about affordability and everybody's paying their taxes right now for the federal level and most of us have all gotten our county or township [clears throat] tax in also when we're all being hit by tax increases. And just for Addington Township, we have a 33% increase in our count township taxes. We have a 23% increase over the last two years in our school taxes. So, if we could save a h 100red grand, maybe we could look into that.

Thank you for your suggestion. And just on um I can't speak for the specific vehicles. We can look into that. Um but I know for the DA, a lot of his vehicles are customized for the detectives. So, uh they're not just like off the the lot vehicles, but we'll we'll look. Good suggestion. Next up, David Morgan. Morning commissioners. I'm David Morgan from Amler and I'm going to comment about my agreement with Mr. Rooney on B1 that uh to reduce that cost if possible, but also look at B4. Uh I know that safety and bridges is really important, but uh that increase of a million.222 222 uh 1.222 million um is of concern to me. Uh the total value of that contract is 8.2 million. So that going from 7 to 8.2 is a large double digit increase in that cost and was it foreseen? Is it something that's just another stage or can we watch for all construction projects that we're not seeing that hefty increase? And also I'm concerned about B6 with 144,000 about transporting um various uh voting um equipment because we had in our Abington meeting a comment made about there's one um station in the park which is 24 hours open. It was concern concerns me for safety for anybody trying to vote in the we hours of the morning in a park um and also maybe at a parking lot that's pretty deserted. So these remote locations we have to really see if we can economize and have them more safe and uh maybe not 24 hours for sure. So those

are areas of cost savings I could bring up as a taxpayer. We are getting our bills as Mr. Rooney said and you can look at that line A on your tax bill. Try to catch it before it goes to a a processor if you have your your home being taxed. um these uh bills relate if we had 4% as our last tax increase we also had sort of a hidden 4% in terms of draw down of 13 million 12% is covered so if you you consider 4% covers 12 million if we had a million increase every meeting was about 20 commissioner meetings a year that would be 20 million we are increasing our cost now we have also some new positions upgrades in our salary board so you have to consider when you're voting on these how much we can absorb these higher costs. Um we also have um um let's see anything else I can mention here. New positions. Oh yeah, if anyone's retiring uh with new positions. If someone can fill that a position like policy and assistant policy, those people know a lot about general operations. So if they can find a new position and save us that cost so we take what they've learned and can provide for us then those positions can be reallocated and we can have a draw down in the workforce in our county which is a costly thing with pensions and with benefits. So all this affordability uh is really of our concern and we can really look ahead because last year we had 55 million over budget and we have right now that I know no CFO to manage all these things and now we are at the quarter part of the year where the CFO gives a report about the budget.

I'd like to know how we're doing. Thanks Mr. Morgan. We are actively recruiting a CFO um and we have other measures in place to help us navigate the budget implications. Thanks. Next up. That's it. Okay. Uh, next up, I'll move to approval of the minutes. I'd like to make a motion to approve the March 5th, 2026 minutes of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meeting. Is there a second? Second. Second by Commissioner Dello. Any board comment? Hearing none. I'm moving to a vote. All in favor? I. Motion carries. Next up, personnel. Uh, Anthony Brew.

Good morning, commissioners. Good morning. You should have in front of you the final copy of the um the personnel listed is a three-page document dated March 18, 2026. The time stamp at 10:02 a.m. All positions have been reviewed and accounted for for your consideration. Great. Um I'd like to make a motion to approve the March 19th, 2026 personnel presentation as given by Mr. Anthony Brew. Is there a second? Second. Second by Commissioner McKesia. Any board comment hearing? None. All in favor? I. Motion carries. Thank you.

Um, next up, advertisement of bids and RFPs, Montgomery County, uh, exhibit A. I'd like to make a motion to approve the advertisements of bids and RFPs for Montgomery County on attached exhibit A. Is there a second? Second.

Seconded by Commissioner Dello. Any board comments? Um, I just want to make a quick comment on the related bids. Um the county has been a part of the regional sustainability sustainable energy partnership of southeast PA since 2020. Uh this enables us to take a big step forward towards making our energy consumption across the collar counties more sustainable and cost-effective for our residents. Um, so today, uh, we're voting on an RFP that would enable MOCO to issue an invitation to bid for solar energy projects on behalf of Chester, Bucks, Delaware County, and Montgomery County as a joint initiative. If the vote passes, we would then seek to procure a vendor to provide solar panel installation across our region. Between all four counties, there are 15 potential sites, all at county owned facilities. If approved, this is another example of MTO uh with our Coller County uh neighbors being a leader on the issues that impact the county and our region most. Do you have a comment on that?

Great.

Yes, sir. Um, so serving on the DVDC board, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, uh, I got a sense from the staff of what's happening around the state and this seems to be the first of its kind partnership that we should really be proud of. uh working together as a region with the collar counties, we're going to deliver uh real lasting benefits to the county and all of our residents uh by investing in solar power and clean energy. So, the long-term savings for us is about $1 million over 25 years uh which uh is significant when you think of uh all the costs that we're trying to save on an annual basis. uh you know this will really add up and help us invest in other infrastructure needs that we have. Um it'll also give us more predictable energy rates in increasingly unpredictable energy market. We all know this. You look at your own pico bill. Energy rates have gone up significantly. The same is true for all county assets. And by investing in our own sources of energy, clean energy, uh we'll be able to have more predictability in terms of how much we're paying. Uh and then finally, uh it shows continued progress to our leadership in cleaner, more sustainable county operations. Uh we would love to get to a place where we are operating on 100% clean energy here in the county. Uh we can do that through this solar initiative as well as the hydroelectric dam initiative. Uh together uh that should be able to get us to a place of 100% renewable um as we move forward.

Good. Thank you. Any other comments?

I just um we are going out for information but we're not obligating anything at this time. So I'm myself will be really curious to see the RFP the information that the information that comes back because I I mean sustainability is a great goal and concept and I hope that we're able to get there but I also look at it from a business standpoint um to make sure the the ROI is there um and we're not just uh using county funds um there has to be a payoff at the end uh from savings uh So, I'm really excited to see what information comes back and then I'll, you know, we'll be in a better position to decide how we move forward, I believe.

Okay. Uh, and one more thing on item three, there's a recycling center RFP. Um, so that this RFP, this would create a pathway for Montgomery County to build its own recycling drop off center, something our residents across the county have asked for and wanted for a very long time. And you see a lot of our uh state reps and municipalities have recycling uh events. We currently offer six uh household hazardous waste collection events each year and the demand uh continues to be incredibly high. Uh so this would provide one location where our residents can recycle a wide range of items that are otherwise hard to recycle. Uh we are pursuing a grant from the uh from DP uh that could cover up to 80% of the cost of of this assessment that we're doing. So all right, I guess that's enough comment for now. Moving to a vote. All in favor?

I. Motion carries. Next up, awards of contract Montgomery County uh exhibit B. I'd like to make a motion to approve contracts, awards, amendments, and renewals for Montgomery County on attached exhibit B. Is there a second?

Second by Commissioner McKesia. Any board comment? Just two quick comments. One is uh we heard early on uh some comments related to some of the uh awards, you know, including the the vehicles. I I do want to mention the vehicles themselves. We're we're getting them off co-stars list. So, we're actually getting savings already. We're not paying, you know, lot prices. Um and a lot of the vehicle replacements, this was part of a multi-year rotational uh plan as well. Um so um it is all all suggestions are always considered you know but necessarily buying used isn't you know as good as buying you know but we get savings right up front. So buying those five vehicles, we're not paying what what you people going off the street uh to pay because there's if you're familiar with Coastards, that's a at the state level where government agencies are able to buy uh different types of equipment and all uh through through a whole bid process that occurs. So it's really great pricing. Uh so we do take that very seriously. Take you know understanding the cost and taxpayer money. Um, and also I know there's a couple change orders in this um today associated to the the justice center. Um, I know that this has been a hot topic for for a while and I as three commissioners, we are certainly not happy with where we're at. Um, and we are trying to pursue to get this uh project done um as fast as possible. It is running late. It's over over two years late. We've talked about this at previous meetings. Um we're we we are not happy. We don't uh agree with a lot of where things are at at this point in time, but on the flip side of it, we have to get the project done. Um we're

kind of limited in saying, well, you know, we're not we're not going to we're just going to stop here. That that's not an option. Um but we will be as mentioned al also in previous meetings we are pursuing uh in the future we'll be pursuing uh there's processes that you go through when you deal with contractors that uh don't meet uh timelines and delivery schedules and other things uh and we'll be pursuing all avenues to to to uh to address uh the overruns over schedule and and all those things as well. So, we are on top of it. We are very upset. Um, I know probably angry in a lot of instances is a good word to say as well. Uh, but we're uh we're going to do what we can um to get this project done um and and then do what what's necessary to recoup um the overspend um in the future. So, I just wanted to mention that as well.

Thank you. Um moving to a vote. All in favor? I. Motion carries. Uh, next up, awards of contract, Southeast PA Regional Task Force, uh, exhibit C. I'd like to make a motion to award the contracts award contract awards, amendments, and renewals for Southeast PA regional task force attached to exhib. Is there a second? Second. Second by Commissioner Dell. Any board comment? Hearing none, moving to a vote. All in favor? I.

Motion carries. Uh, next up, uh, general public comment. Uh, three minutes must be gerine to county business. And I'm going to ask everybody to be respectful, uh, in their their comments. Um, I [clears throat] don't want to see anyone disrespecting any of my colleagues here. We can we can disagree, right, on whatever your comment is, but let's keep the temperature down. So, first up, Mike Mascari. Okay, Mike, you're up. Go ahead. um on um number six, the uh transport of um polling to the new locations. Um, I'm curious. Um, uh, it was my understanding that on March 5th, um, there was a resolution to not involve ICE with, um, with anything going on in the county, but I'm curious why on March 11th, they held a forum at the um, at the uh, Montgomery County Public Safety. And I'd like to know what that involved, if it involved anything with election equipment, moving election equipment, any of that. I'm not even

Yeah, I have toware what you're talking about. But again, so as far as the resolution that took effect March 5, does that have any teeth to identify what they're doing? I don't know what they're I don't I don't know what you're referencing. Well, again, the resolution, I believe, states that in no uh that [snorts and clears throat] no public uh property for Monco could be used to support ICE, but apparently on March 11th, a week less than a week later, they're there holding a big forum at the Maricopa County public trans uh Maricopa County, I mean, sorry, uh Montgomery County uh public.

So, we'll look we'll look into it um and [clears throat] we can get get back to you. Um, we have to do a little research, but thanks for your your comment. Again, these people are out of control and they need to be Thank you. Next up, um, Fred St. Standard. I'm sorry. That's my What is your first name again? Fred Standard.

Okay. Uh, Madame President, commissioners, I represent Abate McGomery County. I am a resident of Upper Morland. A bait is Alliance of Bikers aimed towards education. We are a statewide group. We're a uh a national organization as well. Uh, we're here to promote public safety as far as motorcycles are concerned. now is what I would like to propose is to have the commissioners proclaim the month of May as the motorcycle awareness month. It's something that has been done for many years up at the state up at the state house on the steps there. Uh, I would like to let the bikers know that here in Montgomery County we are recognized and that we do a proclamation for that month.

Okay. Yeah. Happy happy to look into doing that and uh can you leave your your information with our our board secretary Yvon? Yes, I'll I'll give it to her after the meeting. Yep. Thank you for your comment. Thanks for being here. Thank you. Yep. Mark Height. Hi Mark. Good morning.

My name is Mark Height. I'm a resident of Limmerick Township and a member of the Royers Ford Baptist Church which is in Upper Providence Township and we are a proud member of the Power Interfaith Network and I'm here to speak to you as part of a group uh from Power Interfaith. I bring an additional perspective in that uh since January of this year, I've been serving on the Limmerick Township Planning Commission. There's probably not much about data center development I could tell you that you haven't already heard. But here's the thing. People in our township see these things coming at warp speed and they are upset. At our January meeting, I listened to dozens of people during the public comment period. These were not unhinged people. They presented wellressearched concerns about the effects on electricity costs, power transmission disruption, water availability and quality, environmental issues, noise, wildlife habitat destruction, and decommissioning concerns. They were upset because they felt their government was just letting this development happen and they were asking us to do something. We've had to move our next meeting to a larger venue because we're expecting maybe hundreds of people. No surprise to you to hear that there's not much local governments are empowered to do. We're required under the state constitution to provide zoning for every type of use. Limmerick Township has a data center ordinance which is better than not having one. I suspect the ordinance was drafted to make development pretty easy. That's a topic for another venue. The point is that if a developer shows up with a proposal that complies with the ordinance, the township has to say yes. We have one application on the books reading the tea leaves. It would not surprise me and many others to see uh two more maybe more than that. Three data centers in a tight radius in Limmerch Township right across the river

from a fourth of Penhurst in Chester County. So we in Power Interfaith know that you don't have uh you're not destined [clears throat] with the power to deal directly with this either. It's going to require action at the state level, the state house and senate and the governor's office. That's going to take time. Time during which these developers can just push their proposals through and start building. So, we're asking you to publicly support a statewide moratorum on data center development in order to give legislators at the Commonwealth level the time, the breathing space to develop and enact policies that truly address the need for sustainable economic development, concerns about energy demand and cost, environmental protection, and community impact. A lot of people are watching all of us. Thank you.

Thank you for your comment. a a a couple things. Um we are spending a lot of time as a county just learning about uh data centers. We've got, you know, Davey who just uh did a program with Chester County in Montgomery County, an educational program. You were you you both were were there uh to help educate local municipalities. So Dave, thank you for your leadership there. Uh we also are working on uh model ordinance language for municipalities. So, our planning commission is leading the way there. Um, in terms of like a a moratorum, uh, I'll I'll turn to our solicitor. Um, what what we are going to do is just at least provide residents the information and education that they need in order to understand both sides of the the issue, right? Um, but we know that data centers is local, which I appreciate you uh acknowledging that's done at a municipal level. Um but we have talked um as a team about doing some type of educational programming for residents um because we see a lot of people getting their information on social media. There's a lot of misinformation out there. It sounds like you all have done your due diligence and resource uh research. Um but we're going to try to do our part um to to understand the issue and help educate residents. So I know it's a hot topic um on the moratorum. I don't know if our solicitor has any comment.

So we don't have authority under Pennsylvania law to enact such a moratorium as but yeah I guess you're suggesting to lobby our state which which again in in terms of education both of residents and work that the county might do otherwise that's at commissioner's discretion but on the legal aspect we don't have the authority to do it. those zoning decisions are um at the municipality level.

Just wanted you to I'm I'm I'm not a lawyer, but I I told you all the time I could play one on TV. Um so, just always want to check. Um but uh but thanks for all that that you're doing and keep us posted on the programming that you're doing. Um and we're we're committed to um convening and trying to understand the issue um for all of Montgomery County residents. Yeah. I mean, the problem is this is happening so fast. I know there's no time for anybody to respond. It's all going to be done before anybody can do anything unless the state decides to put up a word for it. Yeah. And I'm sure you're lobby lobbying the delegation uh as well. Appreciate whatever help you can.

Yeah. Okay. Okay. Next up, Marilyn Joy Joyson. Join Marilyn.

Good morning. My name is Marilyn Jorgensson. I live in Audabon. I'm also here with the power interfaith St. James UCCC in Limmerick. And I'm opposed to the data centers and AI buildout coming to Pennsylvania as well. Um I know you just said you have limited ability, but I'm hoping that this board of commissioners and the state of PA will take steps to protect me and other Pennians from big tech's takeover of our communities and economy. We're all really scared and we don't want our children to say, "Why didn't you do something?" We don't want to become like data center alley in North Virginia, one of the largest concentration of data centers in the world. Some towns are running out of water and jacking up the electricity prices by 267% since 2020. These centers use as much electricity as 60% of all households in the state of Virginia. How can we do that in Pennsylvania? We can't. We are ranked around 45th for states using renewable energy. I was happy to see that was on your agenda today. We need to invest in renewable energy in PA. South Dakota is a leader. They have 89%. Pennsylvania is at 3 to 5%. That is sad. That is really sad. We need to make an investment. I lived in Hawaii for a couple years. I had solar on my house. My electric bill went down to almost zero. I had a special switch for hot water. I had a special switch for the house. And we had tax incentives. Hawaii's at 39%. Pennsylvania. We can do much better than that. We should be concentrating on tax

incentives for renewable energy, not tax incentives for big tech data centers. My main objection, though, is the effect on the climate. We'd have to use fossil fuels and water for these centers. [clears throat] Climate changes here, and we are not taking it seriously. We just had to dismiss school early Monday for tornado warnings. Tornado warnings. We never had those when I went to school in the 80s. What's happening? This This isn't a joke. We had terrible thunderstorms last summer. To be honest, everyone's excited for spring to come. I'm not. What's going to happen this summer? Those thunderstorms were scary. We're supposed to be decreasing emissions in our atmosphere, not adding them. I'm humbly asking you, the county board of commissioners, even with your limited capacity, to do whatever you can to say yes to renewable energy and no to fossil fuel burning data centers. We have already breached the first major climate change in 2025.

Thank you for your comment. Thank you, Susan Meyers.

My name is Susan Meyers. I'm a registered voter in Montgomery County and I live in upper Frederick within a 7mi radius of the proposed data center. I'm a member of St. James and also member of Power Interfaith. I share the same concerns regarding the proposed massive data center in Limmerch and I'm deeply concerned about the environmental footprint with the increased use of fossil fuels, the strain on the energy grid with massive demand of electricity. There's neighbors whose rates are going skyhigh already without the demand of a data center. There's a tremendous draw of could be up to a million gallons of water a day. We are having extended droughts now. So what effect is this going to have on our water supply? There will be tremendous noise pollution from massive generators and dozens of huge refrigerator units on the rooftops which will run 247. My husband doesn't think he'll hear it, but I think I will hear this if I can hear a train whistle that's 15 miles away. I will be affected by the air pollution from the toxic emissions from the diesel field turbines. What will be the impact on the property values of the surrounding homes and the businesses right across the street? The proposed site is in a rural area with an inadequate infrastructure. Will the cost of the upgrades to this infrastructure be passed on to the tax residents? These are not hypothetical problems or things that I've read on the internet. They're real ones that are occurring in the existing 71 data centers that are already in Pennsylvania and there are 50 more proposed centers. At this point, there is no regulatory framework and statewide standards. They need to be put in place to ensure there is environmental sustainability and protection of our resources to ensure that there is grid reliability and the data centers are energy efficient. The development of clean energy sources needs to be promoted and there needs to be transparency and accountability in

the planning and operation of these data centers. Developers know that these centers are unpopular. So, they're signing non-disclosure agreements so that no information is known until it's almost too late for the residents to act. This is totally unacceptable. It is our health, our lives, our families, and our homes that will be impacted. and we have a right to know what is happening and the time to react and act. So I'm asking that you support the call for a statewide moratorum and do whatever you can. I know you don't have the power to do it yourselves but to support and have the county support the state calling for a moratorum. Uh, Commissioner Wner, you said that you wanted to work to make Mont Montgomery County the best place to live, work, and raise a family,

and it certainly won't be that in the areas where these data centers are to be developed. So, I would appreciate any help and support you could give. Thank you,

Peggy Greenfield. Good morning. I think still commissioners. My name is Peggy Greenfeld and I'm a resident of Lower Marian Township. [cough and clears throat] Pardon me. Where I've lived for more than 30 years. My congregation is the Narborth Havar, which is also located in Lower Marian Township and also in Narborth Burough. We we meet in different churches actually. My synagogue is also a member of power interfaith which is as others have spoken it's a multi-racial multiffaith statewide organizing coalition of over 50 congregations working toward economic and racial justice on a livable planet. I'm speaking here today because because [clears throat] of my grave concern about a proposal for an AI data center to open in Limmerch Township. While I don't live in the immediate vicinity of Limmerick, I am extremely concerned that the potential harms that this data center can cause will indeed reach and affect me in lower Maran. I've been following the emergence of data centers uh throughout the country and the resistance and opposition there too, which has made me aware of the following potential risks posed by the data center. Uh first uh a major drain on our power grid leading to astro astronomical increases in our utility bills uh particularly electric bills as well as increases in power outages and uh just lack of access to power and during uh heavy surge times as well as depletion of our water supply and risk of its contamination. I fear that our government at all levels is allowing the AI data centers to proliferate with little to no assessment of the damage

and harm they will likely cause to both the li Limmer community and throughout this county. This reminds me of the way that fracking of natural gas got pushed through locally and at the state level without first assessing the potential harmful effects which we now know are actually came to fruition. I urge you as representatives of our county to use your voice, your relationships, and your resources to speak on behalf of the interests of all citizens of Montgomery County, especially the interests of lower of Limmerick Township residents, and convey to people at all levels of power in the state and local government, including and especially our governor, my concerns and all the other concerns of others about the risks of skyrocketing utility bills and depletion. of our water resources posed by the proposed data center in Limmerick. Please, please do what you can to slow this barreling train down. This means speaking loudly to anyone you know about the need to pause the onslaught of these data centers. Thank you.

Thank you for your comment,

Laura Walters. Good morning and thanks for this opportunity. I've never spoken publicly before and I appreciate the opportunity. My name is Laura Walters and I lived in Montgomery County uh for most of my life. I live with my uh husband of 61 years and a 72year-old sister in Providence Forge, a community, a townhouse community in Upper Providence Township. These homes were built back in the 1970s. In 2023, my husband and I purchased our townhouse, a small three-bedroom modest townhouse. Um, and we totally updated it, put in new systems and energy efficient appliances. We intended this to be our final home, but today we're no longer sure that that's really possible. The problem is the um electric bills. Just as we spoke out, our electric bills have become unmanageable. Not just because of major changes in our usage, but because of the escalating costs being passed on to consumers by Pico. On February 12th of 2026, our electric bill for a home less than 2,000 square ft was $814.14. They're unmanageable. Our usage, however, when we checked and

compared it to a year ago, was only 51 kilowatt hours higher than the same period in 2025. Um, and also I might add that this is with a a locked in discontin disounted rate. So it was not the actual rate. As an example, in October, this is how things are escalating and getting out of control. In October of 2025, our in our electric bill was $14848. Pretty manageable. November went up, got colder, $2194. In December, got a little bit colder, but we doubled. We were now at $484.38 in January. Let's go up again. $66082. February, we reached a peak um $814. So, this has a community impact. I'm not alone. I have neighbors in your small units.

I'm sorry, ma'am. Your time is up. Sorry, we're giving three minutes. Sorry, thank you.

Uh, good morning. My name is Gary Caling. I live in Amler Burough and I'm also here with Power Interfaith. Um, I go to a church in Lansdale which is called the Renew Community. Um we've been in participation with power doing a survey on ju justice issues that affect um people in our congregation um as well when we're doing this with two other um congregations in our area. And to my surprise, the second highest issue on the list has been this topic around data centers. It's essentially tied with people's concerns about caring for their elderly relatives, which I think is basically a ubiquitous uh topic. Um second, I also have a kind of a unique vantage point on this. Um, vocationally I'm a software engineer for a life sciences company in the area. I'm a leader on a team that has what a group that has about 200 people in it. And so we've tested a lot of the AI tools to see kind of how the how this impacts our our day-to-day work. Um, so I get a lot of private feedback from from people as they're testing these tools. And uh one of the things which I have discovered um is that a lot of people hearing these concerns from you know family and and and whatnot are just privately either refusing to use the tools or or limiting you know what they can. So I think that we may be thinking about the economic impact potentially in the wrong way. Um it's you know to the extent that it does help people as something that um if people don't use if people are unable to use the tools because of these concerns then there's a serious issue there. And I would also just remind everyone that as a as a person who lives in Amler, we have a very visible uh representation of ignoring a historical uh environmental issue. We have a super fun site in the middle of town. It's been there forever and we'll probably be there for the rest of time. So I think this is one where we want to get ahead of it. So I would concur with the the previous ask for a moratorum on data center construction. Thank you.

Thanks for your comment, Jim Mullik. I get you. Hi, Jen. Go ahead. Can I hand this? Sure. Thank you. Y gota

go ahead. Yeah. Malik Warscester. Um, there's nothing in the Constitution that requires free speech, be respectful and calm, nor does it say you can't call people names. I'm a free speech kind of absolutionist kind of guy. That's fair. So, I think you need to review the Pensbury uh free speech case, Eastern.

I'm just asking for decorum in this this I get where you're coming from, but what I'm saying is it's not enforceable under Pensbury. Um, according to 8 USC 1325, it's a criminal offense, criminal uh, misdemeanor to enter or attempt to enter the United States without authorization, punishable by a fine and imprisonment. These individuals are called illegal aliens. The term unconditional or undocumented is not found in the statute. Miss Winder, you referred to ISIS's actions as an unwanted invasion. Winder

uh unlawful federal invasion. What is that? What's an unlawful federal invasion? Where can I find that definition or that law? Um both you and Mr. McKesha stated it's about protecting constitutional rights and the rule of law. You both seem to have forgotten the supremacy clause of the constitution. which states federal law takes precedent over conflicting state law, which you have here right now. Um, you took an oath to support, obey, and defend the Constitution. A violation of that oath is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine, jail time, and removal from office. I suggest you read that. U, Mr. McKea talked about Alex Prey, the guy who brought a concealed weapon to a protest and who was filmed cursing at federal agents, spitting on one of them, and then kicking the tail light out of a federal vehicle. You appeared to use this case to justify your non-ooperation with the federal government. I asked whether did you see the video of the Narstown police officer who uh rammed that naked guy in the middle of the street? Did you cut ties with that police department because of that incident? Did you defund that police department? Did you pass an ordinance to not coordinate with that police department because of that officer's actions? I don't think so. Uh you said you want to use every tool at your disposal to make sure residents of the county are safe except the tool to remove violent criminal illegal aliens. How many illegal aliens are in Montgomery County right now? How many illegal aliens with a history of violent crime are there in Montgomery County right now? How many children are being child trafficked by illegal aliens in Montgomery County right now? Removing illegal aliens is for the safety of the people of Montgomery County. So, you're looking at it kind of the wrong way. Um,

so I would say your time's up. Thank you. Turn the money your money to the federal government that Your time is up. Thank you, Brian Hanland. Brian, good morning. I'll uh first say I want to shout out to my wife's woman owned business, Yoga Home in Ka Hawin. Thank you for broughting all the

great place women owned businesses. I'm here to talk about uh funding for Meals on Wheels. Um I wanted to share two quick stories. I shared an email with you guys last week. Um one is uh a gentleman in his 70s with MS who has a dog. It's his only daily companion. He is lifelong veterinarian, retired. Could not find another one. Uh I get to his house once a week. I was able to find a friend from college who's a veterinarian nearby and he's now providing free veterinarian services at this guy's house uh throughout the year. Another one is a a woman of color uh and she and I have had discussions about her life experiences and I mentioned I'd be uh been to the Equal Justice Initiative museums in Montgomery, Alabama. And this conversation, one thing led to another. I got her some books from there. We had some powerful conversations. She shared it with her sister in Pittsburgh who shared it with their church and shared it with uh the congregants and they have weekly conversations about it. This is just another example of how this in-person uh need for this uh interaction with the seniors is so important. Um, I'm concerned about Montgomery County Office of Aging considering cutting or reducing Meals on Wheels for frail homebound seniors in the coming fiscal year as a cost-saving measure. Uh, I feel this would be short-sighted and miss many opportunities Meals on Wheels provides to local employers, employees, volunteers, and recipients. During the month of March, many of the Meals and Wheels providers invite stakeholders to deliver meals with them and see firsthand the value of this service. Uh I encourage all of you to take advantage of this opportunity and hear from clients and volunteers regarding the value of this program. You're welcome to join me Wednesday mornings in Kona Haken or any of the other Meals on Wheels programs.

Thank you. Thanks for volunteering with Meals on Wheels.

Joe Rooney. Mr. Rooney. Hi, Joe and Arsley. Uh, first off, I hope everybody will remember our troops are serving over in the Middle East. Um, I know there's plenty of people from Montgomery County. My kids are on active duty, but they're not over there right now, but I know there's a lot of parents of Marines who are heading that way that are uh that are nervous. So, God bless all of them and thank you for their service. Um, the second one is Women's History Month. But, uh, once again, I'm hoping somebody will say, "Our mothers and wives do an unbelievably crucial job. Moms are at work every single day at home raising our next generation, volunteering in our schools, volunteering everywhere else, and God bless them and thank them for all that they do. They make our country great." Along that same uh, line like that gentleman just talked about, what I'm hoping is everybody remembers Allison Schubert. Alice Schubert murdered by an illegal alien in Rock Ledge within the last month. Okay, this is what our ICE agents are trying to do to keep us Where's our immigrations officer? I don't know. Hopefully, we'll rename it the Alice Schubert immigration office. Trying to protect our next person from getting murdered by an illegal alien. All right. Uh the Save Act, it's an 8020 issue. Protect our protect our votes. And um Neil didn't say it. It's not that long. It's only been passed by the House. You can read it. It's five pages long. The whole idea is to make sure that everybody in this room, if you're an American citizen, your votes not stolen by somebody who shouldn't work, shouldn't be voting, and they are voting right now. Um, finally, what I wanted to talk about also was last Sunday I uh attended an event that was attended by most of our row

officers. It was at Bethlehem Baptist Church in uh Springside. I hope I have that right. And um it was it was kind of concerning for me. I'm a retired Marine with 24 23 years. My wife is 24 years. Four of our kids have served. And this gentleman was there. Hi. I'm getting filmed right now. He was there. So um I have to tell you it was the most Oh. Um and I don't know if you gave permission for this because you weren't there, Commissioner Winder, but your your picture was focused on the center of the altar of this thing. And I'm not I was celebrating my stepdaughter's birthday. So I don't

I'm not sure what it was. But in in any event that was centered there and I don't know how such a partisan political event is appropriate for a sanctuary of a church, but nonetheless it was there and I will tell you it was the most anti-American event that I think I have ever been to. Now, I haven't been to an a an ICE a anti-ICE event or I haven't been to a anti-filer event and maybe maybe our friends in the Democratic party are used to it, but it was also incredibly anti-atholic and all of our row officers were there. Okay. Uh it actually got so bad that the sheriff, Mr. Kelly, and the mayor of Amler, Miss Sorg, actually walked out, but none of the rest of them did. And I left stunned. I went home. I told my wife. I've told many people.

Thanks, Mr. Rooney. Okay, David Morgan.

David, David of Amler. I uh am concerned about data centers as well. And uh the one thing I think with all the water usage, maybe we have to limit it to the Delaware Bay and near Erie, Pennsylvania where there's a lot of water all over the place. And so anywhere else I think to tax the water is difficult. Sometimes um events I I I beg for rain. I pray for rain because we've had low rain. We had 40 days of no rain about last fall the fall before 2024. So uh Florida was really uh dry lately and I was just down in Florida. That's why I missed last meeting. But uh it was uh good to go down there and um um being down there, I swam in pools and the ocean. But I noticed in the airport there a concern I mentioned before is human trafficking and um there was announcements, oral announcements in the in the airport, Fort Lauderdale about this issue. So be on the lookout for it occurring. And there was a sign uh uh posted too that uh mentions um a program called um blue campaign get informed dhs.gov blue campaign. So, um, I didn't follow up in researching that much, but so you're aware as county commissioners that it's a safety concern for our youngest our children uh children from abroad who might be brought into America to really uh keep in mind the safety of of these um people who are affected by that. Sometimes it's an employment situation, others there's other reasons for human trafficking, but um we have to really uh address this. There has been a county observance of early in the year. So, uh, it was a special month like

February or January, but I think we really have to know more. Uh, and so it's neat to, uh, hear about the Hall and Distics, um, business, which helps, uh, women after birth. I, um, support that a lot. I'd have to find out more about them. We're honored today at the meeting. Um it's also uh nice to um know that Monco Mamas uh acts as a social work a agency that they help uh people with better outcomes as pregnancy resources centers do. They help uh having the children up to 5 years old with supplies and helping u the fellowship and um helping uh women uh have leads to jobs and housing. So as county's interest in housing I think that's also a really good reason why we have our brochures. I think there might be some still from HHS on the table which is great. Um, anyone coming to these meetings know that there is an agenda there you can obtain and also the uh I look for the new positions in the um listings there you can find that information. So uh knowing that um we mentioned also the Easter or resurrection day holiday uh there's also coming up Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday and Good Friday. I wish all those who have observed that uh a blessing in that and um thank you commissions.

Thanks Mr. Morgan. Jen Thomas.

Hi Jen.

Hey um thanks very much for having me. uh Jim Thomas from uh Gwenned and um I can't um first of all this data center issue is very important and we may need to rethink how we do the data centers we may be able to have um small data small computer systems put in our fireplaces where these data companies heat our houses for us. We may need to have small data center uh things that use our use our water that we instead of hot water heaters to heat our water and thereby providing internet for the individual people. We may have these data center computer systems installed near swimming pools so that they heat our swimming pools in the summertime, in the winter time so that we can use the uh energy because apparently it costs a swimming pool water to do one bitcoin transaction. We really have to be cognizant of what's going on and we may have to charge them if they're not providing services for us with this with this uh data center electricity and water um requirement. they may need to be charged far more than we humans have to because we does not provide our water and our electricity to these uh these uh computer systems at the expense of humans. I also wanted to uh so that's the uh computer excuse me that's the u data center issue let's make it favorable for the for the individuals especially in the rural counties we have we have places that they don't have internet bring internet when they put these data center pieces in the fireplace of the elderly person living in the rural area so that they can have internet as well I wanted to uh make you aware you're talking about COVID and things like that um I wanted to make you aware I'm a former military officer and had to deal with infectious disease.

I have in my hand a pill package, six pills called nidazoxinide, trade name alinia. These pills sell for $2 in foreign countries and they stop the replication of measles, flu, Marberg, Ebola, smallox. We have the we have the medication that can be used for early treatment. $2 in foreign countries in the United States, $1,200 for these six pills. You might be able to get it with insurance for $200. This is listed in Wikipedia as the broadspectctrum antiviral. This is important information. I just thought I'd come back here and let you know and I'll and I'm working through the health care systems, the uh health and human services in Pennsylvania and throughout the United States to try to make sure that people are aware that there are alternatives. Thank you very much.

Thank you for your comment. That's all right. That's it for Okay. I'm on early dismissal pickup today. So, we're making good time. 12:20 is the pickup. So, um All right. Next meeting is, uh April 9th at 10:00 a.m. uh in the boardroom. Um any closing commissioner comments. I just have two quick ones. Go ahead. Go ahead. I didn't want to cut off. Yeah.

Just two two quick ones. I I I do support I I think that's a great idea as the county um possibly doing uh May as motorcycle safety awareness month. Um I recommend that we at least look into that as you as you said. Um the reason I think May is a good month is because motorcycle most motorcycles are off the roads uh through the win uh late fall uh winter months. Um and so people generally forget about motorcycle riders and then in the springtime um you know you start to see more and more of them on the road and that's when you see more accidents occurring um uh where you have vehicles hitting uh motorcycles. Um so I think anything that we can do to help support uh safety awareness around motorcycles would be would be a good thing. Um, and then also, um, I do want to get more information about the the understanding about the meals on wheels. I I've been getting several phone calls in like the last week or two regarding that as well. So, I want to really understand that a little bit further. And then finally, um I I want to recommend uh I mentioned um I think that as we are going into 2027 uh budget season, uh as well as we're looking at bringing in a new CFO, um and we're also working on having other options available over the next month or two, uh backfilling or dealing with uh uh the county, not having a CFO in place. I'd like to recommend to the the commissioners to consider us putting together uh a team an audit team of volunteers. There's we got a lot of experienced uh CPA, finance advisors and all that in Montgomery County. um probably some that are extremely experienced and who are retired that would definitely be interested in

helping uh where we could have them uh review the budget uh even going back a couple years and and making uh recommendations um you know to us. Um I think it would be extremely useful. I think it'll be a good avenue for us to consider. Um, and I I I don't believe other counties have done something like this, but I think that we could be uh uh we like to be out in the forefront of different things here in McGomery County, and I think this would be a one of those where we could put a team together uh maybe four or five really experienced individuals that would be uh provide, you know, review audit of of our budget this year, last year, maybe previous years and put forward uh some recommendations as well.

Okay. I know you've raised that so y that's fine. Yeah. Comments. Um I'm okay actually. Yeah. Okay. Um thank you all for coming. Uh another productive good meeting. Um I'd like to adjourn the uh make a motion to adjourn the March 19th, 2026 meeting of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. Is there a second? Second. Second by Commissioner Devel. Any board comment? Hearing none. All in favor? I. Motion carries. Next up, salary board. All right. Do we have any public comment for salary board? Okay. If if everyone could just hold on a second. We have one more quick meeting.

Um invite Tony to review the salary board list. Oh, I'm so sorry. No, it's

Go ahead. Um good morning members of the salary board. Chef, in front of you, the final copy of the salary board list is a four-page document dated March 18th, 2026. The time stamp for 10:02 a.m. All positions have been reviewed and accounted for for your consideration. Okay. So, I just want to make uh so I'd like to make a motion to approve the March 19th salary board presentation as given by Mr. Tony Brew. Is there a second? Second.

Second by Commissioner Dello. Um before we move to a vote, um I know I want to uh wish Vince uh from our finance department. He's not here. I don't see him anywhere. Um he's retiring and I want to wish him a happy and restful retirement. Uh he he's been our deputy uh director of finance. He served the county for 45 years. Uh so I just want to commend him for all of his his years of of public service. And I think our colleagues put together a short video that we're going to show and hopefully it's short although we love Vince um to play on the screen. Are we are we ready for that? not working. [snorts]

There it was. Hi, I just wanted to extend my congratulations to Vince uh on his announcing he's retiring. Uh there's no question that the work we were able to do at the county would not have been possible without uh Vince's vast knowledge uh understanding of the system and [music] willingness to really work uh to teach me all the things I would need to do the job uh that I was able to do at the county. Um, I know he will be missed by the county and uh will definitely [music] not be the same without him and really appreciate all the great work he did. Um, and uh, all the things he taught me my time there. Good luck, [music] Vince. And sorry I couldn't make it today. Uh, work had me tied up, but I did put together some uh, remarks that I wanted to read to you. And I know we're still going to see each other in person, so [music] can't do this off the top of my head. Um, I'm going to read this to you and then we'll catch up later. So, Vince, as you step into retirement, [music] I wanted to take a moment to share how much I've appreciated working with you over the years. I know I am speaking for many [music] in the county family and saying how much your presence has meant to all of us. Many people don't realize you started [music] your career when you could buy a cup of coffee for 50. The average house price was $66,000 [music] and a six-pack of honey cost $3.50. 50. That's over 45 years ago. It's okay. Just relax. I know it's hard to [music] believe that you're retiring and you have to pay $4 for a good cup of coffee. Working [music] with you has been one of those positive experiences where someone's professionalism, integrity, and [music] generosity all come together in a way that inspires everyone around them. You've been a [music] trusted resource and a great person to work with. qualities that are not only respected but deeply appreciated, particularly by me. It's [music] impossible to express the full impact

you had at the county. So much of what [music] makes a workplace function well happens quietly and consistently. And you've been the one behind so many of those moments, solving problems before they became problems, sharing your experience without hesitation and offering guidance in a way that always has been supported. You've [music] built a longl lasting You've built long-lasting relationships, helped reshape the county finance processes, and left a mark on the organization that will continue long after you retire. With 45 years in the county, I know retirement marks a big transition [music] for you. And while everyone will miss you and the organization, I'm also really happy for you. You've earned this time to shift gears, slow down a bit, and spend more time with your grandchildren. and extend that long list of world cruises. I don't know many people [music] that have been on over a 100 cruises in a lifetime. Please know your contributions won't be forgotten and neither will the person behind them. You've been someone people rely on, [music] not only because they had to, but because they wanted to. That's a rare legacy and one you should be incredibly [music] proud of. Megan has me on the clock here, so I will sign off with this final thought. Thank you for [music] everything you've done for the county and for the way you've done it. Please stay in touch. We can grab a cheese [music] steak for lunch anytime. I truly wish you the very best as you step into this well earned chapter of your [music] life. Take care, buddy. [applause] Um, so I'm a little misty eyed on that.

How do you follow that up? I know that's hard. I hope you all do something like that for me when I when I retire. I have a little more time. Um, all right. Moving to a vote. Uh, all in favor? I. Uh, motion carries. Uh, next up, I'd like a mo to make a motion to adjourn the March 19th, 2026 meeting of the Montgomery County salary board. Is there a second? Second.

Seconded by Commissioner Dello. All in favor? I. Motion carries. Meeting is ajourned. Thanks, everyone. That's all right. That's it.