County Council - Regular Meeting

Let's go ahead and um we want to welcome everybody. If everybody could go ahead and stand and we'll do the pledge of allegiance of the flag and the prayer. All right, let us bow our heads. Heavenly Father, as uh as always, we come to you today with thanks. We thankful for your love, your grace, your mercy, uh all the blessings you bestow upon uh us here in Tul County, state of Maryland and our great country. Uh Father, as we head into Waterfell, we pray for uh for all those who are visiting here for a successful uh successful festival. We play pray that it's safe and fun and enjoyable and and good fellowship. Uh and we continue this uh season of thanks. Father, we just pray for again for safe travels for all those uh here in Talba County, those who are visiting, those who might be leaving and uh for for their safe return. We just ask for all your blessings throughout your hand to uh to be on all that. Uh in Jesus most precious and holy name we pray. Amen.

Amen. To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Okay, thank everybody for coming tonight. Um, so we've had the agenda before us. Is there any additions, deletions, or corrections to the agenda? Council. Okay. All right. Hearing none, the uh chair moves that the minutes be accepted as unanimous consent. The agenda. Agenda. I'm sorry. The agenda. What did I say? Minutes. Yeah. Yeah. Jumping in.

That's the next one. Sorry. Okay. Um, next is the minutes of October 14th. Um, council's had a chance to take a look at that. Is there any additions, deletions, or corrections to the minutes? Okay. All right. Hearing none, the chair moves that the minutes be accepted as unanimous unanimous consent. Um, next is dispersements of November 4th. We've had a chance to take a look at that, council. Is there any additions, deletions, or corrections to the dispersements? Okay. Hearing none, the chair moves that the dispersements be accepted as unanimous consent. Okay. First um is a very very important uh operation green light for the veterans uh proclamation. Madam Secretary, could you go ahead and read that into the record, please?

Proclamation supporting operation green light for veterans. Whereas the residents of Talbet County have great respect, admiration, and the utmost utmost gratitude for all who have selflessly served our country and the Talbet County community in the US armed forces. And whereas the contributions and sacrifices of those who have served in the US armed forces have been vital in maintaining the freedoms and way of life enjoyed by our citizens. And whereas Talbet County seeks to honor individuals who have made countless sacrifices for freedom by placing themselves in harm's way for the good of all. And whereas veterans continue to serve our community in the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, religious groups, civil service, and by functioning as county veteran service officers throughout the nation to help fellow former service members access more than 52 billion dollars in federal health, disability, and compensation benefits each year. And whereas annually approximately 200,000 service members transition to civilian life with 44 to 72% experiencing high levels of stress during the transition from military to civilian life.

Okay.

And whereas an estimated 90% of service members who deploy for military operations and experience or witness a traumatic event are at a higher risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD. and many are at a high risk for suicide during the first year following military service with an average of 17.6 veterans dying by suicide every day. And whereas various organizations including the Cambridge VA outpatient clinic, Healthc Care for Homeless Veterans, Maryland's commitment to veterans, Perry Point VA Medical Center, supportive services for veterans families, and the Veteran and Military Support Alliance provide critical resources across Caroline, Dorchester, K, Queen Ans, Talbett, Worcester, and WCOMo counties. These resources include health care, mental health support, housing assistance, crisis intervention, substance use services, and peer support for veterans. And whereas the National Association of Counties encourages all counties, parishes, and burrows to recognize Operation Greenlight for veterans. And whereas Tolbut County appreciates the sacrifices of our United States military personnel and believes specific recognition should be accorded to them. Therefore, be it resolved in observance of Operation Green light for veterans. Talbot County encourages its citizens to recognize the importance of honoring those who made immeasurable sacrifices to preserve freedom by displaying green lights in their place of business or residence from November 4th, 2025 through November 11th, 2025. Given under our hands in the great seal of Talbet County this 4th day of November in the year of our Lord, 2025.

Thank you, Madam Secretary. Okay. Is there a motion? So moved as read second. Okay, we got a motion second to put it into the record. Madam Secretary, could you call the vote? Mr. Callahan, I. Mr. Steppp, I. Mr. Leer, I. Miss Milky, I. Miss Hayes. Hi. Okay. Is there anybody here? Yes. Come on up. Katie or Lisa? I'm Rachel.

Oh, Rachel. Okay, I got you. Please sit. Please sit down. Yes. Yes. Introduce yourself if you don't mind. Hi, I'm Rachel Stoyov from Mure Behavioral Health. I've been sent to share this message with you. The Midore region is home to a strong and diverse uh veteran community. A approximately 6.8 of Maryland's adult civilian population are veterans, many of whom reside in rural areas like the Midshore, where access to health care, mental health support, employment, and social support can be very limited. About 25% of Maryland veterans live with a disability compared to just 132.2% of nonveterans, which further underscores the importance of community awareness and your local support. Operation Greenlight for Veterans is an important initiative that encourages residents, businesses, and public buildings to display green lights as a visible show of appreciation and solidarity. Beyond honoring their service, this helps erase raise raise awareness of the challenges veterans face and connects them to vital local resources, ensuring that they feel recognized and supported across all ages and stages of their lives. The Midshore Behavioral Health database is regularly updated and a good place to find resources for veterans in this community. Please reach out to Mitchell Behavioral Health with any additional questions or if we can provide any further support to your veterans. Thank you.

Thank you. I appreciate it. Mr. Stepp no just you can stay. You can Yep. We got something for you. Okay. Don't go don't go nowhere. Yeah. Okay. All right. So, I just uh it it is a pleasure to do this every year for you guys. So So number one, thank you for that. Uh but most importantly, just want to thank uh you all of our veterans that are either either here or tuning in and that live here in Tula County. Uh just thank you for again for your uh for your service and sacrifice as well as your families. And extra special uh thank you to all Marines out there as they're celebrating their 250th here uh come uh come on the 10th. So uh thank you. And the Navy.

Yep. Well, and I I see that we have a number of of uh veterans in in the room uh now in uniform, but the truth of the matter is that we look around this community and you don't know you don't recognize how many veterans are are around us and uh contributing in so many different ways to this community. And thank you for your service. and we are honored to be able to to do something along these lines to uh to recognize you.

Um having been married to a Vietnam War veteran, um I I know firsthand how important these services are. So very grateful for what's being done. Thank you for Greenlight. Certainly. Thank you for coming in this evening. And I want to thank all the veterans that have served that are here with us this evening. Having a veteran at home in our family, I know the importance of your service and the resources that's available when they come back home as well. So, thank you so much.

Yep. And thank you veterans. That's for sure. You mean a lot to us in this community. That's for sure. We appreciate you. We love you guys and really appreciate everything you've done through the years to keep us safe. That's for sure. So, if you guys, the veterans and everybody come up would like to come up, we'll take a picture of you guys. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Thank you. Yep. Okay. Madam Secretary, next is update to the um the Maryland Environmental Service. Guys, want to come on up? Yep. That's a follow. That is Wish I could say we important. You are important.

Give a shot. Wouldn't trash be important.

Well, you stop collecting it, you find out how important it is. So, we got you. We got you guys scheduled it for 10 minutes now. Okay. Yeah, I know. I can see don't get Yep. I just want to make sure you see that now. Okay, we will we'll keep it on. Okay. All right, buddy.

Well, thank you again. It's a pleasure to be here. Um once again, um my name is Tim Ford. I am the managing director for environmental operations for the Maryland Environmental Service. So, I am in the solid waste division of uh what we do. With me is Gary Lasco, who is our senior project manager. responsible for our Easter operations including midore one and midore 2. Next slide. So uh we'll start with uh with the money. Um this is the mature to FY26 um tipping fee at 7150. I will note that uh in today's paper Baltimore County um posted that their uh tipping fee is $135 a ton.

So uh regional fees are rising. We're happy to to to keep a uh proverbial trash lid on um on our tipping fees um to the extent that we can. Um so our our fees for 26 will be 7150 uh at the landfill uh and brushes at 4650. There will be a sewage search charge. It was going to be $15 a ton. Um the county weighed in and we listened and is $5 a time beginning on January 1st, 2026. You're welcome.

So uh we uh we still it's important for the county. We are responsible for um postclosure care for the midshore one landfill. Part of that includes the old eastern landfill which is adjacent to the midshore one landfill. We have a exposed steel membrane there. Um it is a 20 year warranty. Um we're probably what are we almost 10 years into that? Yeah. We installed it in 2016 um and received MD approval in 2017.

Yeah. So we uh we we test it every year. It's in good shape. Um as a matter of good fiscal responsibility, we're going to begin to reserve for replacement for that capu. uh in terms of monies. Uh so when we um have to replace it in 10 or 15 years uh we'll have the cash for it. Um some regulatory changes there is a methane rule. Mitch one landfill now qualifies under that methane rule before prior it was voluntary. Landfill gas collection was voluntary. We were doing it anyway. So this rule really won't have much of an impact on us other than our ability to collect um carbon credits because be voluntary that would no longer be available to us. Um and then Lee management we um we manage leech for both the existing landfill at mature one and of course we bring mature to lee as a pass through uh to eastern utilities.

Sure. These are the numbers guy. I guess these are just some statistics to um bring you up to speed on um recent trends I guess at the transfer station and um what's presented there is the the last 12 months the rolling 12 months of inbound trash and brush as well as scale house transactions at the transfer station. Um, as you can see, this last quarter, first quarter of FY26, so that's July through uh September for us, we received about 11,000 tons of trash. So, um, good quarter. Uh, brush was kind of right in line with um kind of the general average of about a thousand tons a quarter. Um, and as you can see, that's a it's a very busy place there at the transfer station. We get uh nearly 10,000 transactions there every quarter. Um, so the biggest takeaway from this slide is that uh we had a really good first quarter in terms of inbound waste and uh right now we're just sitting slightly above our budgeted um inbound trash projection of about 41,000 tons per year. And this is just a homeowner drop off um facility that is colllocated with Midore One Transfer Station. And um again, it's a very heavily used uh site. There's cars and and constituents in and out of that facility um pretty much every minute um through the work week as well as on Saturdays. So we had about 24,000 visits over the last 12 months, including over 6,000 this past quarter. Um that operation is uh is is partially funded through the sale of punch cards. Um, as you can see there, you know, we sell, you know, over $520 punch cards per quarter.

So, these were two landfill. Um, we began 128 foot lift and sell three in September. Uh, we're rolling along there. We have begun, we hit the next one. Um, next slide. We uh we are able to um to begin construction on a new landfill cell. Those are the remaining uh we got remaining two landfill cells to finish out the the completion for midshore 2. That'll get us through 2042. That was all part of the agreements that we reached with Caroline County last year with your help. Uh and also with your help, we were able to issue uh service uh revenue bonds uh series 2025 revenue bonds. We just completed that sale. Thank you again to the county for supporting

our efforts to get a double A bond rating and an excellent um rate of 3.62%. Stoneex Financial Inc. and we closed on that just in the last month. So, thank you for your help on that. It's your good credit that helps our good credit and uh we appreciate it. And that's service. You got to pay those things back just in case you didn't know that. Go ahead.

Um, so again, we are working on a new cell construction now. That'll include cell five and a lee tank construction. We're also beginning the design for the cell one, which will be the last cell. Uh, we expect to start construction on that in about two years. We did award a contract to Alan Myers for 6.5 million and again they're they're ongoing. Um and then Gary, this is really what you probably want to talk about and that's our recycling programs and I know there's been some issues here. We want to talk about that briefly on our three minutes that we have left. So Gary, go ahead.

Sure. So um uh the county requested that we remove the bins from Perry Cabin Park uh back in July and u we did. So we distributed those bins um to a number of existing locations within the county u mainly closer to east uh so the the transfer station and then here in town at AutoZone market um and then kind of shortly after that um we recognized as well as the county that uh the St. Michael's Market formerly Growl was um receiving a lot of the recyclables that were you know formerly going to the cabin site. So, we work with the owners there to uh locate some additional bins there as well as uh provide some additional collections um some weekend collections there to um alleviate the you know any concerns that they had with um recyclable materials or other materials building up at that site. Um recently we've worked with um the owners of St. Michael's Market as well as uh Mr. Clark to develop a concept plan to um relocate that existing recycling station um to a different area at St. Michael's Market um mainly in the back there where it's kind of out of the way of their um inbound deliveries um and and um employee traffic. Um and I would just add to that uh you know so we we continue to work with the the St. Michael's market as well as Mr. Clark to make sure that um you know all all parties are satisfied with the service.

Um this is um I believe these are now finally uh the audits finally complete on these but just a summary of our recycling program uh over the last fiscal year. So this was fiscal year 25. Uh we took in about 1.1 million in revenue and had a little over $900,000 in expenses. So the net income for that project was about $200,000. That is uh distributed equally amongst the counties after the project's operating reserve is is satisfied. Um, and as you can see there, u to Toba County, uh, will yield about $48,000 into their, uh, their county surplus account on top of $26,000 that was in there previously, um, for their balance in that account, which again can be used for recycling activities, you know,

including improvements. That's your money. Okay. And lastly, the last 30 seconds. We will once again be providing the recycling services at the water foul festival this year. Uh we've been in close contact with them over the last few weeks to make sure that uh there's an appropriate number uh of bins and and bins placed in the right locations for this year's festival. Great. So I'm told Santa will be making a return as well. That's good. That's good. Okay. Any questions? Yeah.

Two two quick ones. One, thank you for the increased pickups at the St. Michael's Market. That's that's probably the most important thing that you can do for the happiness of our Talbet County constituents. Uh when when somebody comes up to one of these stations with a car full, the last thing want they want to do is see all the bins are full, they're not going to take them back home with them. They're probably not going to drive them all to the clear far side of East into the transfer station. And that's when we get the the the the backups, which we don't want anybody to do. We tell people not to do that, but that's what that's what in fact happens. So the increasing the frequency, are you doing the same thing when you uh see uh or anticipate similar issues at the Amish market or any of the other locations,

we monitor all the sites um and if we need to increase pickups, we we're well that realm in that direction. So yes, we we do. Specifically at the Amish market, have we had to increase pickups there? Um now, you know what we do On top of just the pickups though is um when our folks go around and collect the recyclables, if they notice nonrecyclables there, like you know, perhaps somebody leaves, you know, piece of furniture, what have you, um we will send out another employee later in the day to remove, you know, those non-recyclables so that additional um things that shouldn't be there don't accumulate. It doesn't invite more. Yeah. To try to try to stop it at the past.

Right. Thank you. We're very much um sensitive to the need to both maintain volume there and to keep these things from being unsightly because if they're unsightly then you're going to problems with your post land land owners. Well, I I know I know our constituents down in the St. Michael's area are looking forward to uh the expeditious uh redevelopment of the of the site on the north end of town there. So, uh thank you for working with us toward toward that. Absolutely. Okay. Any any other questions for council? Good. Okay, guys. Thanks a lot. I appreciate you report. Yep. Thank you.

Thanks, Jerry. You're welcome. Okay. Next on the agenda is um presentation of the FY26 senior care plan. Okay. You guys are serious about the 10 minute.

We got the clock. Yeah, we got the clock. We just trying to get people used to it. Okay. I understand completely. All right. Well, thank you for having us there. this evening. Um, we'd like to present our senior care program. Um, some statistics from FY25 and then our plan for FY26. Um, I'm Carrie Audi. I'm the nurse program supervisor and with me is Dr. Kami, our health officer. So, I know you're all quite familiar with the program at this point. Um, so I'm gonna try to keep it brief. Okay.

Um, senior care is a statewide grant program funded through the Maryland Department of Aging. It provides services for people 65 and older who may be at risk of nursing facility placement. Um the goal is to help seniors remain as safely as possible in the community for as long as possible. Um and the cost to the state's a lot less by funding programs like this than to pay for the cost of a patient's care in the nursing facility. So um we have four core services. Screening for eligibility for all available supportive programs. comprehensive assessment of individual needs and that's conducted in the home, a case manager to secure and coordinate services and a pool of gap filling funds to purchase services um for those who are eligible. A little on the history of the program. It began as a pilot program administered by the health department in 1982. It's a formal partnership between the health department, upper Aging, Social Services, and Tula County government. We're one of only two count in Maryland in which the local health department directly administers the senior care program in conjunction with their heirs program. Um the AIRS program stands for assessment evaluation and review services. Um every county has an AIRS program at their local health department. Uh we use an evidence-based assessment tool to evaluate the client's physical health, functional abilities, cognitive and psychosocial health. And the assessment is conducted by a trained nurse or social worker in the client's home. Um following the assessment, we develop a personalized comprehensive care plan to address each client's individual needs. The client and the family are involved in the process um in order to prioritize their needs. Um as I said on the last slide, we're one of only two counties in Maryland that administer their senior care program through their local health department. And this benefits the clients in several ways. The nurse or social worker that conducted the

assessment then becomes the client's primary case manager. Our clients aren't passed along to another agency after the their assessment, which is usually what happens in other jurisdictions. And then the client has one point of contact who's a skilled professional. Um they get to know that person and and the nurse or social worker gets to know them. um and they become a trusted source for guidance and information in the health care system. Uh our an annual client satisfaction survey consistently yields high marks and again this year we achieved 98% of our clients reporting that they are satisfied or very satisfied overall with their services. Um so who's eligible for the program? They need to be a tool county resident who's age 65 or older. Um they must have a moderate or severe functional disability and then they also need to meet financial eligibility requirements that are set forth by the Department of Aging. Um for an individual they can have income up to $3,997 a month and assets less than $11,000. A married couple can have income up to $4,565 a month and assets less than 14,000. and the asset limit does not count the home they live in or the car that they drive. Um the budget plan for FY26 includes 7% for administration, 23% for case management and 70% for gap filling for direct services for seniors. Um the chart here shows the past five years of the numbers of clients served and the funding for the program. In FY25, we served 223 clients, 223 unduplicated clients. So, that has been the highest in recent history. Um, I even went back a little further than this 5year period, and it continued to be the the highest number we've served in recent history. Um, thankfully, due to county support

and an increase in the Department of Aging funding, we did not have to have a wait list in FY25, and I'm hopeful that we will not have to start one this year. Um, our clients are often in a crisis situation when we meet them and getting services in place right away can avert a negative outcome. And then I also just want to point out that in FY25, our average spending per client works out to just over $1,000 per client. Um, the median cost of nursing facility care is $146,000 per year. So, um, not saying that senior care can fix everything, but what we can do with a thousand dollars for a year, um, if it prevents or even just delays a nursing facility placement, then it's a huge savings to the system. Um, so I've referred to our gap filling funds, but here's a breakdown of how the funds were spent in FY25. Um, our biggest chunk went to chore services at 23% of the funding. Um, chores are one of the first things that people start to struggle with as they age and their mobility declines. Um, emergency response systems, that's the little buttons they can wear around their neck to summon help if they need it. Um, that was 22% of our spending. Um, and that's really important because so many of our clients live alone. Um, and they need access to help if they were to have a medical emergency or a fall. Medical supplies accounted for 22% of the the spending and that includes incontinence nutritional supplements, medical equipment such as shower chairs, bedside commotes, roller walkers, etc. Personal care accounted for 20% of the funds we've spent. Um we have an awesome CNA, Donna. Um she provides our personal care services, but um we we still have not figured out how to clone her yet, so we're supplementing that with an agency provider. And then 12% of the funds went to prescription medication co-pays. Um

is a big reason sometimes for non-compliance with medication regimen. So, we're really trying to reduce that obstacle for people. And then finally, adult daycare services is just a small little sliver at 1% there. We have a separate grant that pays for most of this service, but senior care does supplement it a little bit. And I'll run quickly through our statistics for FY25. Most haven't changed a whole lot from the previous year. 73% of our clients are female. 27% are male. 54% of our clients are white. 45% are black or African-Amean. By age, our biggest age group continues to be our 75 to 84 year olds. Um, but interesting, for the past two years, our younger age group has increased by several percentage points each year. That's our 65 to 74 year olds. Um, and then living arrangements. 55% of our clients live alone and that increases the risk of injury, social social isolation, depression, anxiety, malnutrition, and a host of other things. Our clients average monthly income. Um, this year we saw an increase in the percent that are living at or below the poverty level, which is a monthly income of $1,34 or less. So, it went from 31% to 37% this year. Um, also of note, 43% of our clients have Medicare only. No supplemental insurance to cover that 20% that Medicare does not. Um, functional status. Our assessment includes an evaluation of their functional abilities. That's um their activities of daily living, bathing, dressing, toileting, ambulating, meal prep, um chores, etc. and 39% had a severe impairment in their activities of daily living. Um and then also 38% of our clients received a nursing facility

level of care when we submit our assessments in um the department of health system. Um that means we've got 38% of our clients. They're living in the community but needing the level of care that would be provided in a nursing facility. Um they're supported at home by family, friends, neighbors, um other community programs and our senior care program. and our program and our clients depend on um all of our support and partnerships from from all other sources. Um county government in addition to funding um that supplements our program, you all have stepped up to advocate for our program as well when there was threats of funding cuts in FY25. Um your advocacy really got the attention up at the state level and those cuts did not happen. So um I really wish to extend my gratitude for that. Um and then we're also grateful grateful for the support we received from the health department, our health officer, virtual aging,

um department of social services, commission on aging, and then many civic church and community organizations. Um this year I want to give special recognition to the Midore Community Foundation who um awarded us uh some grant money from the Albert and Diane Miller Fund to provide additional support to our seniors. So we are extremely grateful for that support. Um program challenges. A challenge for us is always the growth of the aging population. Um especially here in Tolbert County where we have the highest percent of seniors in the state. Um that's not expected to change at all. The Department of Aging has a new initiative called Longevity Ready Maryland. Um I've put their website on the slide here. It really has a lot of useful data. It allows you to drill down to county level data and um they also have some great details about their 10-year plan and goals. Um we continue to face some of the other challenges too. Uh the growing preference for aging at home is going to place an additional strain on already limited resources such as housing, transportation, and a shortage of workers to provide in home care. Um just a quick acknowledgement that November is National Family Caregivers Month and family caregivers are providing invaluable unpaid care to their loved ones um all while trying to juggle work and children and their own healthare needs. Um, in FY27, the Department of Aging plans to transition the name of the senior care program to SOORE, which stands for supporting older adults with resources. Um, so we're excited and we look forward to being a part of that transition and the planning and implementation. Um, more details are available on the website. And just want to wrap up by um first thanking you again as our county leaders for your continued support of this

program. We would not have such a successful program if we did not have your support like we do. Um and we would not be able to serve the number of clients that we serve. So thank you so much. Um my favorite part, if I can have a few seconds, I really like to share a couple client testimonials in their own words. Um we asked them, you know, what the senior care program means to them. Um, and I'll just share a couple. Um, I think the senior program is great. You've given me all the help a person can ask for. It's a great thing to get what I ask for and have a good feeling about everybody that I talk to. They're so nice and cooperative. It's a great service to help people. Um, and then the second one, I believe that the senior program of the Talbert County Health Department in East epitomizes the meaning of the word team. They are of one accord and never procrastinate on, forget or minimize any issues for which I seek their guidance or help. They help me to feel that there are still those who want me to be my best self and I'm truly grateful for them and I could not have put that better myself. Um, which leads me to the people that deserve the biggest gratitude, our team back here. Um, they do the work and serve our clients day in and day out with their knowledge, experience, passion for Tob Countyy's older adults. So, our nurses, Kimberly Mitchell, Veronica Ryan B, Kate Stinton, and Judy Fontlery. Our social workers, Debbie Toers, um, and our CNA, Dr. Jenkins. So much and I'm sorry I went over 10 minutes.

That's good job. Really good job. Dr. Far, you got to say something now. Come on now. I'm gonna give you 15 I'll give you 15 seconds. Okay. I mean this is tough to to over I mean to go over what she just described. Humbling to be part of her team without her support and and knowledge and a wonderful team behind behind behind her. I can't take any credit. This is not me. It's all them. You definitely got a phenomenal team behind you. That's for sure. We really appreciate everything you guys do for Tob County because we need you and we we really everything that you do means so so much to the seniors and just people in general. You do very good care. So

and also I would add something that the the council is humbling. I mean you could see that all this is coming the council support is really felt and sensed and smelled and very very humbling and very appreciative. It's a partnership. It's a partnership is what it is. Yep. So, council, nope. I just want to thank you for all that you do, your staff and and the team back there, because you truly do make a difference in the lives of the people that are trying to stay in their homes that are seniors. So, thank you so much for your support and all that you do for the seniors here in in Talbit County.

Um, ditto to that and also um given the demographic of our county is truly truly appreciated what you do.

Thank you. Well, this I find to be the easiest decision we get to make every year because the most compassionate thing that we can do to help people age in place is also the most fiscally and economically responsible move. Uh it just makes sense. Um, I'm grateful to uh to you for for leading this effort and for all involved and uh look forward to the the way this program evolves from senior care into Soore in the in the coming year.

I'll keep it simple. Thank you. Great job. Appreciate each and every one of you for what you all do. Thank you. Okay, that being said, um is there a motion? I'll move for the uh senior care plan for the following year, coming year. Okay, great. So, we got a a motion and second um to go ahead and for the plan for next year. Um Madam Secretary, could you call the vote? Mr. Callahan, I. Mr. Steppp, I. Mr. Leer, I. Miss Milky, I Miss Hate. Hi. Okay. Thanks a lot. I appreciate you guys coming too tonight. Thank you so much for having us. Yep.

Okay. Next on the list is um the uh finance officers um uh administration Martha and her team. Come on up here.

Good evening, council. Martha Sparks, finance director for Toba County. Caitlyn Foster Clark, assistant finance director. Uh the government finance officers association of the United States and Canada has awarded the certificate of achievement for excellence and financial reporting to to county for its annual comprehensive financial report for the fiscal year ended June 30th, 2024. This report has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program which includes demonstrating a constructive spirit of full disclosure to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the report. The certificate of achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. This is the 25th year that Talby County has received this award. Um, in addition to the certificate of the award, they also there were also three awards for myself, um, our assistant finance director, Caitlyn Foster Clark, and recognition of our entire finance team. This award could not be possible without the daily and constant dedication to excellence that all of our staff in the finance office provide to our residents, our businesses, the county council, the county manager, and all of our departments. I am very proud to work with all of these people. And I'd like to introduce four of actually three Kaitlyn's four um of the people that are here tonight. Um, we have Linda Pitman who is our accounts payable and payroll manager. And then we have Jen Butler who as our accounts payable specialist and Melody Hoffy who is our

accounting manager. Sounds great.

Okay, Mr. Ste say a few words me off. I know um you guys you guys rock. I mean the the especially like as we get through budget stuff and the amount that you all go through to to just keep not only get us in in a you know a good spot where we are but to more importantly to maintain that and like I said for to have this for for 25 years is just is just awesome. So kudos job well done to each and every one of you. Thank you for what you guys do.

Thank you. Well, of course, we get to see something of an inside look of of the the professionalism, the the the superior work that you do for for the county and and for our for our constituents. Um it's great when somebody outside also recognizes that excellence that you bring to the job. Thank you so much. Congratulations. Thank you. Um it's great what you do and getting this award. Um you really deserve it and um you know it's not a uh participation award. You've really earned it and we thank you very much.

Thank you. Congratulations to you and your team. Job well done. Thank you so much. Um I will say that the um this award is kind of there are two ways that we can get a a a report card for how we do on our budget. So when we're going through the budget that's putting up that's one part of it. So then h the results of our budget, how we actually perform with our revenues and our expenses is the other report card. And then how we communicate it is what this is. So we're really proud of it.

We're proud of it. So, as your county manager, I couldn't be more proud of our finance team. Um, under Martha's leadership with Caitlyn and her staff, we depend on them every day. They work with all of our department heads and we have certainly elevated the bar each year with them in place. So, I just wanted to publicly thank you for the job that you all do. Thank you. Yeah. Martha, Martha, you want to get your team come on up? Okay, come on up. You're welcome. Thank you.

Get your hair right. Get your hair right. Get your hair right.

Thank you so much. Thank you very much. Okay, that was great. Um, okay, Madam Secretary. Next on the agenda is introductional legislation. You want to go ahead and read that into the record for us? A bill to amend chapter 11 of the toolb county code alcoholic beverages for the purposes of permitting on premises consumption of beer, wine, and liquor at alcohol dispensary beastro. Expanding the seating capacity for alcohol dispensary beastro exempting class I licenses issued for an urban location from the market tests set forth in section 11-8D2. If the municipality in which the urban location is located does not have an existing alcohol dispensary beastro holding a valid class I license and exempting Oxford Conservation Park from the 500 ft distance restriction for new offsale licenses.

Okay. Thank you, Madam Secretary. Sounds great. Um a show of hands or introduction introduced by councel. This will be known as bill number 1623. And the public hearing will be held on Tuesday, December 9th at 5:30 p.m. Okay, that sounds great. I appreciate it. Okay. Um, next on the uh agenda would be um some discussion on the cannabis zoning tax uh amendment from the planning commission. Yes. Uh council president, before we proceed, um

Yes, sir. I I can give a summary of the of the bill or we have a this was actually requested uh by Adam Len on behalf of his client. Sure. Mr. Lyn and his client I believe are here and they may want to just speak a little bit about the Yes, sir. the nature of what it is they're proposing. No problem. Yep.

Good evening. Thank you. I'll be brief. Okay. So, class I license. Could you introduce yourself please? Yep. Adam Lynn, I'm the attorney for um the University Family who's pushing the bill forward.

Um so class eye license is a relatively new license in Tula County. Um, and it's always it's gone through I think one other amendment since it was enacted and it's always been kind of tailored for somebody trying to do something. And um we're trying to give it a practical approach that's going to allow for others uh at a limited scope where people are going to have to come back in the future. Um it's not going to create a uh there's a restriction on how many class size um would be able to be granted.

Um, and I think it's just a little bit more broad, but specific enough to um achieve its goals without having any problems for the community. Questions? Good. Okay. Any any questions, council? No question. Okay. All right. All right. We appreciate it, guys. Thank you. Thank you. And we are talking about um the the the the u establishment of uh latitude 38. Correct. Correct. And that and we're trying to open that up in and is you're going to be trying to open that up next year? Spring. Spring. Okay. Gotcha. Okay. Good. Okay. We wish you luck. Thank you very much. Mhm.

Okay. Um, thank you Patrick. Anything else from you or you? Um, not on that. No, comments on the cannabis. Okay, let's let's let's Yeah, let's go ahead and and and discuss the cannabis zoning text amendment. Okay. Yes. So, um, you have proposed cannabis regulations that were requested by council member Hay um for referral to the planning commission. Mhm. These are similar to the regulations the the council previously considered um with some changes. Uh those changes are

uh increasing the minimum setbacks from 500 ft uh which could could be reduced in the prior bill to 200 feet with consent. This actually increases them to a,000 ft from any property containing a pre-existing residential or institutional use. It increases the minimum lot size from 20 acres in the original bill to 75 acres for for growing. Uh it separates cannabis processing for for cannabis grown on site versus cannabis grown offsite. Um, so that cannabis processing for cannabis grown on-site would be agricultural and cannabis processing for cannabis grown off-site would be institute and I'm sorry industrial and it makes uh cannabis growing and on-site processing a special exception use rather than a permitted use as it was in the in the prior bill. And uh lastly makes off-site processing a special exception use in the BM and GC zoning districts and permitted in the LI zoning district which is similar to alcohol production facilities and food and beverage packaging and processing. Okay. All right. So um at this time we need a motion to go ahead and send that to the plan commission.

So moved. Second. Okay. We got a motion second. Madam Secretary, could you call the vote? Mr. Callahan, I. Mr. Steppp, I. Mr. Leser, I. Miss Milky, I. Miss Hay, I. Okay, that's good. Thank you, Patrick. I appreciate that. Mr. Mr. Callahan, did did I may have missed it. Did we announce a hearing date in bill number four, the the We did. Yep. 16 December. Yep. December 9th and 30. Okay. And bill 1623. Yep. Okay. It's hard to believe I remember that. Okay. All right. Good job. They're trying to keep on top of it. Yep.

Okay. Next is elections for um the council up here.

And this would be for a president. Yes. Correct.

Yes. Congratulations, Council President Callahan.

Okay. Thank you. Appreciate it, council. Thank you. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you for serving.

Yep. Thank you, guys. I appreciate it. And this would be for vice president. Just a note for the public, this is the only thing during the year that we do by secret ballot.

Announced immediately the result. Yes, we do. Yes, it is. No mail in votes. Exactly. Congratulations, Vice President Lecher. Okay, congratulations. Congratulations.

Okay, council. Appreciate it. Um, and we got Clay stuff next. Here we go. County manager.

Good evening. Congratulations, council. um uh look forward to working with President Callahan and Vice President Leer and uh the council to complete a lot of things you started and it's going to be an exciting next year. Um under county manager report, I'd like to ask you have no boards and committee appointments this week. I'd like to ask Cassandra Vanhuser to come up, your director of economic development and tourism. She has a request for you regarding um awarding contract for bid number 2405 to county travel guide and I'll fill in anything that uh is necessary. I'll hand it to you. All right. Good evening. Good evening, council. Congratulations on your election. Yep. Look forward to working with you all again, all five of you.

You, too.

Uh so I'm here to request a an amendment uh to the agreement with uh APG Chesapeake. uh they printed our guide last year and when we put out the RFP uh we put in a clause that it could be renewed upon approval by both parties uh written approval and uh we have come to an agreement with them for the same terms as we had last year for them to do the advertising sales and printing of our guide. They did a beautiful job. Uh I think we've got the best looking guide uh we've ever had. And uh the cost to us would be uh approximately 11,951. We budget for that and we do that in advertising. We purchase ads uh in the guide and uh so they'll do the sales and uh uh do the printing. We do the production, the writing, the content, everything.

Okay. Nothing to add. Okay. Do I have a motion? I'll move approval of the amendment. Second. Okay. Okay, we got a motion second. Madam Secretary, could you call the vote? Mr. Callahan, I. Mr. Steppp, I. Mr. Leer, I. Miss Milky, I. Miss Hayes, I. Thank you so much. Thank you. Good job. And now like Micah Reisher to come forward, your airport manager. He has three items for you this evening. The first item that he has he's going to speak to you about is um requesting council approval for sole source procurement from East Coast Aviation to furnish and install a new TCS 3000 unit on fuel pumps for both jet fuel and AV gas. Micah.

Hey, thanks Clay Council. Good evening. Micah Richer, your airport manager. Uh so, of course, you know, our fuel farm is literally the the lifeblood, the heart of the operation out there. If we can't move fuel, uh, you know, all the other fancy stuff doesn't really, you know, count. Uh, earlier this year, um, our fuel farm is is aged. We're most of the components are 20 to 30 years old. Earlier this year, we had a a a meter fail. It was our jet meter, which is a big deal. Um, thanks to the, you know, the crew and the ingenuity of our staff, we got it back running quickly by robbing Peter to pay Paul. We took parts from the AG gas meter to get the jet meter running. All summer we've been manually metering uh AG gas from the tank into the fuel trucks as a temporary solution. While we researched the the best fix, we found the best fix to be this TCS 3000 electronic register. That's a meter register equipment. We contacted the manufacturer. They recommended that we contact um Eastern um Eastern Aviation. They we they finally came out and gave us a price on it of about $53,000 is the estimate. could rise a little bit once we actually dig into the system and start making some repairs, which is why I requested an amount not exceeded 65 exceed $65,000 in case once we dig into both of these uh systems, there's other repairs of piping or or other ancillary things that need to be replaced.

And I'm just reaffirming that they do have um ample funds in place in their budget to cover the request. Yes, that's correct. And so the the manufacturer provided this this one source to you that uh uh that's correct that re has regional regional monopoly on installation of these systems.

They are the one in the area that they referred us to. We tried uh to call other companies. You know it's it's not a lot of you know fuel dispensing metering equipment in the region. Um we were unlucky. We couldn't get anybody from Baltimore to give us a call back. and and the the old supplier that we used to use, a company called Murdoch. I literally think they're down to like one or two employees because they just they stopped returning our code. They they helped us with the emergency repair, but then they never called us back to give us a quote. So really, we're dealing with a, you know, a situation where the equipment is kind of specialized and there's not a lot of companies that do it. And this is who the manufacturer recommended us to. And we do believe that the quote is is fair. Um, we've verified again with the vendor that they can get the work done quickly and so um, we think they're the best option to use.

Okay, I'll make a motion we move forward as uh, as as Okay, we got a motion second. Madam Secretary, could you call the vote? Mr. Callahan, I. Mr. Steppp, I. Mr. Lusher, I. Miss Milky, I. Miss Hay, I. And uh if you'd like go ahead and move forward with your two other items regarding the storm water management project.

Yep. Thank you, council. The second second and third items are related to the storm water management features that are being installed uh as part of the um the modernization program. We already have some storm water that we installed in in package one. More coming in package uh two and three. Uh so essentially and and this is a standing thing. Once the storm water features are in, the town of Eastn is the inspecting authority for that. We already have agreements at other uh locations on the airport where they come in periodically and inspect the storm water, make sure things are, you know, the vegetation is proper, things aren't eroding, things of that nature. So, what this is is literally adding the new storm water feature easements and covenants to um which we already have for the U in place with the town.

Okay. If if it's possible, I'll make a motion to move forward with both easement requests, items C and D. Second. Okay. Well, we got a motion second. Madam Secretary, could you call the vote? Mr. Callahan, I. Mr. Steppp, hi. Mr. Leer, I. Miss Mily, I. Miss Hay, I thank you. Appreciate that. Okay. Thank you. Good job.

Thank you, council. Um, the only last thing I have, I wanted to make an announcement. The county offices will be closed on Tuesday, November 11th, 2025 in observance of Veterans Day. And that completes your county manager report for this evening. Thank you, council. Again, congratulations on your elections. Look forward to working with you all. Okay. Thank you. Good job. Um Okay. Next. Um Jess, is there any anything tonight? Nothing tonight. Okay. Um no no list out there. So public comment. Anybody want to come up? Huh? There's no one left. No. Nobody left. It's all you.

It's all you. It's yours. I I'll give you 30 seconds. Yep. I do not waste your time here. I'm kidding you. I'm kidding you. You know you're our favorite. You know that. Sorry. You're our favorite. You're our favorite. You know that. um to reintroduce myself for the record, wherever that record may be.

Um Phil Rian, resident of Eastn 29736 Sullivan Drive. Um one of my near-term objectives is going to be to learn everything I possibly can about an alcohol dispensary pro because I have no idea what that is. It's a fascinating term. In any case, um, uh, you folks have your your fingers on the pulse of what's going on here in the county. It's obvious. Um, but there are things that I would like to share with you, which I've shared, I guess, one or two times before, but I I think they deserve some emphasis. Specifically, has nothing to do with anything that's been on your agenda today or yesterday or last week or whenever. Um, it has to do with what I consider to be the characteristics of the people who live in Eastn Club East, which is where I'm from, where I live. Um, those people care about East's future. They care about the people who live here to include those people in speech categories because they volunteer to assist some of those people uh as members of organ for organizations that are of a nonprofit nature. uh it's clearly clearly established record and the people in eastern club east stay engaged with officials like you who are decision makers on to ensure that we have a voice when uh or before even some of the decisions are are made. Um, we stay engaged. We try to stay engaged by monitoring all the meetings of the county council and the town council. We invite county and town officials to our community

to talk with us in town hall settings. In 19 and in 2025, we hosted the count county council president, the mayor, various planning commission officials, uh the town director of economic development, our own town council representative, the town engineer. I realize these are town town officials to the great extent with the exception of Mr. Callahan, but uh but I don't think you can really separate the two. I mean, obviously the two of you have to work, your two groups have to work together. Um we intend or I intend to make a recommendation within our community to expand the list of people to be invited to our community on on key issues to include uh asking some department heads to join us. Now, I realize I have to have your permission or your permission, Mr. Stamp, to um to do that, but uh I I do think there are opportunities and I do think there are some issues that that or even just a manner of a nature of how they work and what they do. We'll talk about that as those things approach. Um, one of the most significant things we did last year, this past year, to keep stay engaged is that we actually hosted a uh a 90-minute debate between the two candidates who were running for town council president at the time, Mr. Abatello and Mr. Gonzalez. So, um, we do try to stay engaged. Uh, we're taxpayers. We don't we don't use a lot of taxpay tax supported services. Um and interestingly enough and probably

unlike most other residents in Talwood County, we've made decisions to spend the rest of our lives here. That's pretty much the way it is. You know, nobody's nobody's a spring chicken who lives in Eastern Club East. Um to include Mr. Steppp's parents and and me. Uh anyhow, I uh I I wanted to share these things with you because I I I I think it's important to to give you a sense for when I come here to talk, who I represent and and um what we do and and what we care about and and how committed we are to to the uh community of Easton and the and the larger community of Taba County. Uh finally, just one more minute uh for 30 seconds. I I want to congratulate Miss Sparks and her and her staff. This is not the first time they've been recognized as I remember. Um you you are served well. Is she still here, by the way?

She is. you are served well and I'm sure that she is served well by all the people who work with her but and ultimately the residents of our county are served well. Uh I want to thank you for publicizing Operation Green Light in recognition of military veterans. Thank you for reminding me I had forgotten, Miss Milky, that you were married to a Vietnam veteran. Um, that's who I am. Not not your husband, but Glad you clarified that.

Wanted to make that distinction. Uh, and I and I and I it's it's it's showing up already because as I walked around the front of the courthouse coming over the meeting tonight, they're nothing but green lights. Yeah. I assume they're there for that purpose. Yep. And uh and I I think it's extraordinary for veterans, current military people on active duty and and those who might be future active duty members. Um again, thank you very much. Thank you. I really appreciate it.

Okay. Uh all right. Next is council comments. Mr. Um I I'll I'll again just parlay off of uh off of Mr. Rian statements and just uh just again another thank you to all our veterans and uh and especially I called it out earlier to uh you know to all the all the Marines out there. Again, a special 250th, my dad included, uh veterans, my father-in-law included, uh Mr. Brian, you know, all of our veterans here in Tula County. Just a uh a big thank you for all you do. And again, uh, happy water foul to everyone as well. Uh, again, hope that's a safe and enjoyable time to everyone and, uh, yeah, looking forward to, uh, next one just before Thanksgiving. Pete, today, Tob County Public Schools uh, received a bomb threat led to the evacuation of a school. This this, of course, is enormously disruptive uh, for the education of our students. And I speak as not only a member of the community and a member of this council, but as a parent of uh of an Eastern High School student who was impacted by this, I'll say that the response to this was gratifying. Ta County Public School staff uh coordinates well with local law enforcement, both Tel County Sheriff's Office and Eastern Police uh Department as well as emergency services. Everyone is in fact safe and the school has been cleared. And I want to thank all involved for their professionalism and ensuring the safety of students and staff. It is clear that there are very detailed processes in place and leadership to ensure that those processes are adhered to. U even as we sit here, I've received one follow-up communication from Tubble County Public Schools during this meeting with further information. Thank you. It's an unfortunate situation, but kudos to all involved in

the response. Thank you, Mr. Lawer.

Thank you. Um, I wanted to supplement what uh Councilman Steppp um mentioned. It's also the 250th anniversary of the US Navy. And as a Navy brat, my father served in both World War II and um Korea in the Navy. Um, I'd like to recognize that and also recognize all veterans. Um, and just emphasize that on November 11th there will be a Veterans Day ceremony at VFW Post 5118 on Glee Road. Um, and um, our great um, sheriff's deputy um, Mr. Coleman will be a guest soloist and Paul Callahan of Trap uh, will be the guest speaker and it's at five o'clock. and I would urge everybody to attend and honor our veterans. Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay. Um I think the only thing I would like to say is um is I would like to recognize um David McUade unfortunately passed away. Um I think it was about a week ago or so. um he was is in lived in Tilman, big part of the community, big pillar of the community in Tilman and really a big part of doing things for the county too. So we want to give their best to the family and everything and if they need anything from us where we're here to help them. So other than that, the county council's next meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 25th, beginning at 5:00 p.m. The council will be convening in open session at 3:30 p.m. and then adjourning into close session as listed on the statement for closing that meeting. Therefore, is there a motion to adjourn this meeting and reconvene as noted?

So moved. Second. Okay, we got a motion second. Madam Secretary, could you call the vote? Mr. Callahan, I. Mr. Steppp, I. Mr. Leer, I. Miss Milky, I. Miss I Okay, thanks everybody. I really appreciate it.