[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6479025,"mediaKeyId","5707352-bceed4a6831474fef5b7717e64021789","parentId",5707352,"title","Council introduces tax-credit changes, collective bargaining agreement and bond authorization; approves multiple appointments","audioSeconds",808,"startMs",232000,"endMs",1040000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5707352-bceed4a6831474fef5b7717e64021789&start=232&end=1040","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5707352-bceed4a6831474fef5b7717e64021789/thumbnail_232000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6479025/Howard-County/Maryland/Council-introduces-tax-credit-changes-collective-bargaining-agreement-and-bond-authorization-approves-multiple-appointments","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6479025-6a1f425e40b287c954e2e3c6abd641a0/orig.mp4?Expires=1770436893&Signature=Hrf5Jl9l1LB0iWVjBb7WHNQtJ5IxEYWB6xObW8NiKyr9FknrUnQra4euFYAmA087f8sDtpiIYzSZwgA0FTN5RZqUDPA4y4aPzr99THoN~5PUizkbsG7ShUjXVMc46VvaRSOQZY0uM1ohoD7qtgnkIVmRWPXrH20zbpUtK0BWMKPO~JtTp0z0r6lQmjIwrZgky~MB0tEjjrWfqSVZz8JfKKBTknKvHNs~qvEdY4W5ZLYCuEMdwpzLec3alCjLz~QymPIS8eL9POSRAHXfGoRsulRQk3ctoDq19wOIVHGxKdaDCZVK55nnjJlXTh7cJCirM9u3pQNiPJlH05woFoT3UA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Howard","date","2025-09-02T00:00:00Z","article","The Howard County Council opened its September legislative session with the introduction of multiple bills and the approval of a large slate of appointment resolutions.

Introduced legislation (short titles read on the record) included bills to amend the property tax credit for seniors and retired military personnel (Council Bills 59 and 60 20 25); a multiyear collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Howard County Local 3080 (Council Bill 61 20 25); pay-plan and specialty-pay adjustments related to Local 3080 and corrections staff (Council Bill 62 20 25); an emergency act amending the FY2026 capital improvement program to reflect a net reduction of $179,000 tied to final state school construction aid (Council Bill 63 20 25); a lease approval for Howard County Arts Council space in the Center for Arts, Culture and History (Council Bill 64 20 25); an ordinance authorizing up to $150 million in consolidated public improvement bonds and up to $50 million of metropolitan district bonds (Council Bill 65 20 25); and amendments to HOCO by Design to include the Gateway master plan (Council Bill 66 20 25). The council also introduced several council resolutions, including a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement related to a solar array project (Council Resolution 1 67 20 25) and agenda items addressing easements and utility access for library EV charging (Council Resolutions 1 68 and 1 69 20 25).

On procedural business, the council approved the Journal of the July 30 legislative session and minutes for a July 30 special meeting. The motion to approve the July 30 journal passed with Chair Liz Walsh recorded as abstaining and Councilmembers Doctor Jones, Deb Young and Dave Youngman recorded as voting yes. The motion to approve a slate of appointments (a long list of council resolutions) passed on a consolidated vote; two library reappointments were pulled for separate consideration (covered in a separate article). The council also attempted final consideration of Council Bill 56 20 25 (ZRA 213, age-restricted adult housing) but the motion failed for lack of a second.

The introductions set public hearings for Monday, September 15 at 7 p.m., with a work session scheduled for Monday, September 29 at 9:30 a.m. Written comments may be sent to councilmail@howardcountymd.gov and testimony can be provided in person or virtually via WebEx.

Votes at a glance (selected):
- Approval of Journal (07/30/2025) ' passed (Walsh abstain; Jones, Young, Youngman yes)
- Approval of minutes (07/30/2025 special meeting) ' passed (same pattern)
- Batch approval of multiple appointment resolutions (CR 1 17; 1 18; 1 21; 1 22; 1 23; 1 24; 1 27 through 1 40; 1 44 20 25) ' passed on consolidated vote
- Council Bill 56 20 25 (final consideration) ' motion failed for lack of a second

Several items were tabled earlier in the summer and were removed from the table and approved at this session; other items were read for introduction and scheduled for the public hearing on Sept. 15.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Howard - Legislative Session","oneSentenceSummary","The Howard County Council read in multiple bills including property tax credit changes, a multiyear AFSCME collective bargaining agreement, an emergency CIP amendment and a large bond authorization, and approved a broad slate of appointment resolutions.","taxTitle","Howard County, Maryland","taxId",13634,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6479029,"Council confirms two library trustees despite objections tied to union contract dispute",284,1345000,1629000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5707352-bceed4a6831474fef5b7717e64021789&start=1345&end=1629","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5707352-bceed4a6831474fef5b7717e64021789/thumbnail_1345000.jpg","/articles/6479029/Howard-County/Maryland/Council-confirms-two-library-trustees-despite-objections-tied-to-union-contract-dispute","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6479029-c80645f0ce35927dc1eb8269b506c3aa/orig.mp4?Expires=1770436893&Signature=hv3SP8zbHokr-nZp8FR8ik95jAfDYCxLQgdGym0KUkBIpewf6rlZqRaNGr76S0JmhGPgo97P9q9mVKL9gwC6EfWkjv3TY~vWLUxEAsPiSta-YbH8UsU30ZqFyG9sMkCZqjoP1rmUAsdL~XUcnxUEihTvWejE4ZR-3I9vF3ELw87I6d0lQ0rPEJUQpl29Kaue7ek0SNwr4LbhVCMHkneRFxCO~DByonjknDgOHUtv2h7oLB5Q6VDrdovmFIs9vphLDFzoHaWSABVWIo2s8PNsWpg0h2H1KV9kFTJCka1OOTzINBjjyPl7stpgY2LiZjYMmgSUR-SwrCeAx~ZbScQI8g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Howard County Council confirmed two reappointments to the Board of Library Trustees after separate votes and debate over the board's handling of a negotiated union contract.

Councilmember Deb Young requested that the reappointments of Philip Dodge and Kelly L. Smith be pulled from the batch vote so she could highlight recent actions by the Board of Library Trustees. Young said the union had ratified a negotiated contract by a nearly unanimous vote, that library management had agreed to the contract, but that the Board of Trustees later voted against the fully negotiated agreement. Young said the union filed an unfair labor practice action against the library as a result and urged the trustees and appointees to \"do the right thing\" and support the negotiated contract.

Despite those objections, the council approved the reappointments in separate roll-call votes. Councilmember Deb Young said she would vote yes on the reappointments while urging the board to support staff and the negotiated agreement; Chair Liz Walsh said she opposed at least one appointment on grounds including the board's decision and referenced the board's dress-code policy. Chair Walsh stated, \"But my vote is no.\" Roll-call votes recorded Doctor Jones, Deb Young and Dave Youngman voting yes, and Chair Liz Walsh voting no on CR 1 32 20 25; the reappointment passed. A separate roll call on CR 1 33 20 25 produced the same 3-1 outcome and that resolution also passed.

The council did not amend the appointments; the reappointments will proceed while the union's unfair labor practice claim remains pending. The transcript reports the union ratified the contract, library management agreed to the negotiated terms, and the Board of Trustees later voted against the negotiated contract, prompting the unfair labor practice filing. The council did not take further action on the labor dispute during the session.

Votes at a glance: CR 1 32 20 25 (reappointment Philip Dodge) -- passed 3-1. CR 1 33 20 25 (reappointment Kelly L. Smith) -- passed 3-1.","The Howard County Council confirmed the reappointments of Philip Dodge and Kelly L. Smith to the Board of Library Trustees in separate votes after Councilmember Deb Young pulled the items to highlight the board's rejection of a negotiated labor contract; votes on each reappointment were 3-1.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6479033,"Howard County Council adopts amended solid waste management plan",144,1601000,1745000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5707352-bceed4a6831474fef5b7717e64021789&start=1601&end=1745","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5707352-bceed4a6831474fef5b7717e64021789/thumbnail_1601000.jpg","/articles/6479033/Howard-County/Maryland/Howard-County-Council-adopts-amended-solid-waste-management-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6479033-dc227a766fc903aa4b5b8bf1918093ec/orig.mp4?Expires=1770436893&Signature=jrKoxQLvpv67YvtEMUQXsVZ-hPO0CPVYWoTlPug9akq24kXRHFjqHM2ZqUaWqWvZc0PKZnVPQt0fEv0UGnQkDvLz6slXxecs-XrnvbMNva7XhAA~VnoIcYBbECuEOQeRWAq75-3ZPLathxUyJtZdv6unSjB~PRkO2o4-g7OyhKeiJc8JrGVpaBXWZ1j8rH74ojtk0mKMiDuw6K9W4gjPipUIbK5k7poG3YsxWhNlTtRIgKqpICqlTYN7OoiS~eln3CzvAzQZ8Pol3NjFrRpgbILPZ-zxNW8WahCbqNwVb5NA4yhhhDPZQRvVla-gvHf4-gmX9XyoYEfzUgIFJ-0yQw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Howard County Council voted unanimously to approve an amended solid waste management plan on final consideration, passing Council Resolution 1 43 20 25 as amended.

The resolution, as amended, clarifies statistics and dates in the county's solid waste plan, removes references to certain state goals, corrects numerical errors, adds a three-year period for the county to design and construct the landfill's last cells or identify an export location when the landfill nears capacity, and adds action items at the end of the plan. An earlier amendment had added but was later revised to remove language referencing a 'pay-as-you-throw' program.

Councilmember Miss Sager, who summarized the technical changes, said: \"Amendment 1 to council resolution makes some technical changes to the solid waste management plan. It clarifies statistics, clarifies dates, removes references to state goals, corrects numbers. It adds that the county would have 3 years to design and construct the last cells at the landfill or find another export location when the landfill nears capacity. It adds action items at the end.\"

After the amendments were adopted, Councilmember Deb Young offered remarks thanking staff and outside stakeholders. \"I just would like to thank my council colleagues for agreeing to table this resolution in July and allowing not only myself but DPW and particularly Mark DeLuca and the Sierra Club to work on the amendment,\" Young said. \"...the extra time and the attention that the solid waste management plan was given as a result of what occurred in July.\"

The council approved (1) Amendment 1 to Amendment 1; (2) Amendment 1 as amended; and (3) Council Resolution 1 43 20 25 as amended. Roll-call votes on the amendments and final resolution recorded Chair Liz Walsh, Doctor Jones, Deb Young, and Councilmember Dave Youngman voting in the affirmative on the amendments and final measure.

The plan sets a sequence of technical updates and near-term actions for the county's Department of Public Works and other stakeholders; the approved language gives the county a three-year planning and construction window for the landfill's final cells or time to secure an export solution once capacity nears. The council removed an earlier reference to a pay-as-you-throw program during amendment negotiations.

The measure passed on final consideration and the council adjourned the legislative session afterward.","The Howard County Council voted unanimously to approve Council Resolution 1 43 20 25 as amended, updating landfill timelines, correcting statistics and removing a reference to a pay-as-you-throw program; the measure adds a three-year design/construct timeframe for final landfill cells and new action items.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council introduces tax-credit changes, collective bargaining agreement and bond authorization; approves multiple appointments

Council confirms two library trustees despite objections tied to union contract dispute

Howard County Council adopts amended solid waste management plan