Charles Co. Gov. News Briefs


Exhibitor Opportunities for 2017 Celebrate Charles: A Fun-Filled Fourth

The Charles County Office of Tourism invites local businesses, artisans, and food establishments to participate in the "Best of Charles County" showcase at the 2017 Celebrate Charles: A Fun-Filled Fourth. A Fun-Filled Fourth will be held on Tuesday, July 4, from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Regency Furniture Stadium (11765 St. Linus Drive, Waldorf).

Artisans, crafters, and food vendors are invited to sell goods, and showcase their talents. Spaces are available for $10. Space includes one 10 feet by 10 feet area, one 8-foot table, and two folding chairs. Register today to secure a spot. Registration is available online at www.CharlesCountyMD.gov/CelebrateCharles. Nonprofit organizations interested in participating should contact Rachel Ammerman at AmmermaR@CharlesCountyMD.gov or 301-645-0601.

For more information, visit www.CharlesCountyMD.gov, or contact Rachel Ammerman, Promotions Specialist, at 301-645-0601 or AmmermaR@CharlesCountyMD.gov. Citizens with special needs may contact the Maryland Relay Service at 711, or Relay Service TDD: 800-735-2258.

WTTG FOX 5 Zip Trip Comes to Waldorf on July 7

Local residents, businesses, and organizations are invited to join the live WTTG FOX 5 Zip Trip broadcast at O'Donnell Lake (10400 O'Donnell Lake, Waldorf) beside Waldorf West Library and St. Charles Companies in Waldorf on Friday, July 7 between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. Families, friends, co-workers, and employees have an opportunity to be on television.

No need to RSVP—everyone is welcome to come. Wear matching shirts that advertise your organization, and bring signs to say "good morning" to everyone watching throughout the region. This is a "drop in" event; audience members may come at any time and are not required to stay for a specific duration. Come enjoy the music and festivities.

WTTG FOX 5 Zip Trip is part of the weekly Friday series that highlights the best spots to visit around the D.C. region. This event will include on-air personalities and crew who will broadcast live at O'Donnell Lake.

For more information, contact the Public Information Office at 301-885-2779 ext. 2779 or FuquaD@CharlesCountyMD.gov. Citizens with special needs may contact the Maryland Relay Service at 711, or Relay Service TDD: 800-735-2258.

The GUIDE Summer Edition Available on June 7

Summer edition of The GUIDE will be available online Wednesday, June 7 at www.CharlesCountyParks.com. The GUIDE is a convenient resource listing current activities being offered in Charles County. The GUIDE features classes, youth camps, sports programs, aquatic programs, amusement park discount tickets, historic sites and places to visit within the county, along with opportunities to experience the outdoors.

Read the GUIDE and see what programs interest you. Fun happens here! Online registration for most programs is available.

For more information on other events and opportunities offered by the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism, visit www.charlescountymd.gov/rpt/recreation-parks-tourism or call 301-932-3470. Citizens with special needs may contact the Maryland Relay Service at 711, or Relay Service TDD: 866-269-9006.

St. Mary's County Government Launches Animal Shelter Survey

St. Mary's County Government is seeking input from citizens in Charles and St. Mary's counties to determine options regarding a proposed animal shelter.

Citizens and interested stakeholders can go to www.stmarysmd.com/shelter to take part in a special online animal shelter survey. Responses will be used to develop plans and decide next steps in the process.

Participation in the survey is voluntary and no identifiable participant information (i.e. name, address, phone number, etc.) will be collected.

Commissioners Adopt Balanced Fiscal 2018 Budget with No Tax Rate Increases

On May 16, 2017, the Charles County Commissioners adopted the General Fund fiscal 2018 budget at $391,452,100, an increase of just 4.2 percent over fiscal 2017. The balanced budget was adopted without raising property tax and income tax rates. Funding for education and public safety accounts for approximately 76 percent of the General Fund budget. The budget adoption also supports an investment in the County Government workforce, as well as a fiscal 2018 Capital Projects budget of $147,456,000.

Budget Highlights:

• Real property tax rate is maintained at $1.141 for County Government and $0.064 for Fire and Rescue per $100 of assessed value.

• Local income tax rate is maintained at 3.03 percent of the state liability.

• A $5 million funding increase for Charles County Public Schools, 2.9 percent more than fiscal 2017. The county's $175,484,000 investment, to support salary raises for teachers and other public school employees, as well as assist in funding new English Language Learners and special education positions, is the largest ever for Charles County Public Schools.

• College of Southern Maryland funding increased to $9,886,200 to include funding for additional mediation services.

• A $4.6 million funding increase for the Charles County Sheriff's Office, 5.5 percent more than fiscal 2017, to support hiring one additional officer, capital/equipment purchases, and a salary increase for staff.

• Various increases for county departments and other agencies on county payroll such as performance-based merit increases, and funding for one-time costs and existing programs.

"I am pleased the Board of Commissioners has adopted a sustainable budget for fiscal 2018. I look forward to seeing the positive change the adoption will bring to our community," said Commissioner President Peter F. Murphy.

"I thank our county finance employees and entire staff, County Commissioners, and partner agencies for working tirelessly to adopt a balanced fiscal 2018 budget," said County Administrator Michael D. Mallinoff, Esq., ICMA-CM. "Next year, we will begin conversations early with the Board of Education and the Sheriff's Office to address budgetary challenges such as opening a new school, and work together to implement innovative and shared fiscal solutions for the fiscal 2019 budget."

Fiscal 2018 budget details are available online as well as the budget process video at: www.CharlesCountyMD.gov/budgetprocess.

Fiscal 2018 Budget Invests in Charles County's Future Generations

On Tuesday, May 16, the Charles County Commissioners adopted the General Fund fiscal 2018 budget, which included a $189.6 million investment towards Charles County's education programs. The county also invested capital funding of $32.1 million for the Charles County Public Schools, College of Southern Maryland, and Charles County Public Library.

• A $5 million funding increase for Charles County Public Schools, 2.9 percent more than fiscal 2017. The county's $175.4 million investment to support salary raises for teachers and other public schools employees, as well as assist in funding new English Language Learners and special education positions, is the largest ever for Charles County Public Schools.

• Continued funding for the Board of Education's priority projects, including a new elementary school on Billingsley Road; renovations to Dr. Samuel A. Mudd and Eva Turner elementary schools, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School, and Maurice J. McDonough High School; various full-day kindergarten additions; and existing schools' maintenance.

• College of Southern Maryland funding increase to $9.8 million.

• Capital funding for the College of Southern Maryland's Health Care Training Facility at the new regional campus in Hughesville.

• Funding for the Charles County Public Library's request for two new positions associated with the Mobile Library.

Current fiscal 2017 and adopted fiscal 2018 budget information, budget details, infographics, and documents are available online at: www.CharlesCountyMD.gov/budgetprocess.

Fiscal 2018 Budget Supports Public Safety, Health, and the Environment

The Charles County Commissioners adopted the General Fund fiscal 2018 budget on Tuesday, May 16, as well as the Capital Projects Fund and Enterprise Fund. A portion of these funds promote public safety, health, and protection of our natural resources.

• A $4.6 million funding increase for the Charles County Sheriff's Office, 5.5 percent more than fiscal 2017, to support hiring one additional narcotics officer to address opioid crisis, capital/equipment purchases, and a salary/merit increase for eligible staff.

• Five new Emergency Medical Service (EMS) employees to meet the growing demands of service in the Waldorf area.

• Additional funding for the Department of Health to address the opioid crisis. Funding will support two peer recovery specialists who are trained in evidence-based methods to help people through stages of overdose recovery and funding for Narcan supplies used to reverse the effect of opioids.

• Funding to begin the planning stages of replacing the Tri-County Animal Shelter.

• Preservation and protection of county land through various programs such as rural legacy, agricultural preservation, and purchase of development rights.

• Funding to pursue partnership initiative with the Maryland State Park Service for Chapel Point State Park.

• Funding to support the operations of Mallows Bay Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary.

• Expansion of the Curbside Recycling Collection Program to serve 1,500 more homes.

• Funding to pay for stormwater management requirements associated with the federal Clean Water Act.

Current fiscal 2017 and approved fiscal 2018 budget information, budget details, infographics, and documents are available online at: www.CharlesCountyMD.gov/budgetprocess.

2016 Charles County Preservation Award Winners Announced

The Charles County Historic Preservation Commission hosted a Preservation Reception and Awards Ceremony on Thursday, May 18, at Smallwood State Park (2750 Sweden Point Road, Marbury). As part of this event, the commission announced the 2016 Charles County Preservation Award winners. Pat Turner, Derek and Beth Turner, Tina and Steve Lohr, Grayden Hays, and Wayne Wilkerson were preservation award recipients. Tyler Quick received honorable mention for 2016.

Grayden Hays, a local Boy Scout; and Wayne Wilkerson received a Preservation Service Award for cleanup and restoration efforts at the Crabb Family Cemetery located in the Davenleigh development near Benedict. The cemetery contains the graves of Thomas and Elizabeth Crabb, and their son and daughter-in-law, Ralph and Priscilla Sprigg Crabb. The Crabbs were merchants, planters, and members of the colonial Maryland legislature. The cemetery is one of the earliest in Charles County and dates to the early 18th century.

A Preservation Project Award was awarded to Pat Turner, Derek and Beth Turner, and Tina and Steve Lohr of S.D. Lohr Inc. for the restoration of the Bowling Green Farmhouse. The home was built in the early 19th century, and renovated in the Victorian-style around 1875. Bowling Green is one of the earliest and most elaborate post-Civil War dwellings in Charles County, and has been owned and occupied by members of the same extended family (Bowling, Posey and Turner) for more than 100 years.

Tyler Quick, another local Boy Scout, was recognized as honorable mention for the Preservation Project Award for his efforts to install a fence around the Market Overton Cemetery located on the grounds of the Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Bryans Road, Maryland.

For more information, contact Beth Groth at 301-645-0684 or GrothB@CharlesCountyMD.gov. Citizens with special needs may contact the Maryland Relay Service at 711, or Relay Service TDD: 866-269-9006.

"Chasing the Dragon" Screening to be Shown on June 21

The public is invited to attend a free screening of "Chasing the Dragon," a 45-minute documentary about opioid and heroin addiction, on Wednesday, June 21 in the Charles County Government Building Commissioners Meeting Room (200 Baltimore Street, La Plata) at 6 p.m. This film chronicles how drug abuse devastates lives and draws attention to the prescription drug and heroin epidemic in the United States.

"Chasing the Dragon," a joint production of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration, was created to raise awareness about heroin and opioid abuse in the United States. The documentary contains several case studies of people who either became addicted to opiates themselves or had family members who were addicted. This movie includes adult content and is not recommended for children under the age of twelve.

Following the screening, representatives from the Department of Emergency Services, Charles County Sheriff's Office, University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center, and the Charles County Department of Health will address the topic of opioid abuse in Charles County and how their agencies are addressing this crisis.

The Charles County Department of Health will offer an overdose response training, to include instructions on how to administer NarcanTM (naloxone). Naloxone is a drug used to treat narcotic overdose in an emergency situation. Each attendee will receive a free NarcanTM (naloxone) kit. If you or someone you know struggles with opiate abuse, the access to naloxone could be the difference between life and death.

Visit conta.cc/2siqYpe to register for the free screening of "Chasing the Dragon" and for the Naloxone training. Registration is preferred but walk-ins will be accepted if the space allows.

For additional information or questions, contact Erica Rizor at RizorE@CharlesCountyMD.gov or 301-645-0553. Citizens with special needs may contact the Maryland Relay Service at 711, or Relay Service TDD: 800-735-2258.

Economic Development Receives Marketing Award for Map Pen

The Economic Development Department (EDD) received the 2017 Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) Marketing Award in the small community category for its Map Pen marketing campaign. The honor was presented at MEDA's annual conference on Monday, May 1. MEDA's awards celebrate the people, projects, and programs that are transforming lives by creating opportunities, inspiring innovation, and enriching communities.

"This award demonstrates what happens when you give talented people the flexibility to be creative," said Charles County Economic Development Department Director Darrell Brown. "Someone comes up with an idea, someone else on the team adds to it, another one contributes on top of that, and before you know it, something really good becomes something really great."

Charles County developed the Map Pen, a pen with a pull-out map of county's location in the Washington, D.C. metro area, to promote the county as a strategic location for business, as well as raise brand awareness both within and outside of the county.

Charles County Government Television created a humorous video promoting the Map Pen by recreating a conversation of someone trying to describe Charles County's location with and without the Map Pen. EDD used a social media campaign to raise awareness of the pen, using the hashtag #CharlesMapPen to encourage residents to take the Map Pen with them on their travels both in the county and beyond and share a photo. As a result, the pen traveled to more than seven countries and seven statesfrom New York City to Australia.

After introducing the Map Pen to the community at the 2015 Fall Meeting, the EDD worked with local businesses and other key community stakeholders to further promote and distribute the pen.

"This is a multi-department effort and award," said Charles County Economic Development Department Deputy Director Marcia Keeth. "The Economic Development Department is grateful for the collaborative efforts of our Media Services colleagues who really went the extra mile in creation of the video!"

To learn more about the Map Pen marketing campaign and the MEDA award, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGhESDlkHhk&feature=youtu.be.

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