[{"_1":2,"_122":-5,"_123":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_25":26},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5},"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","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_27":28,"_29":30},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[31,74,86,98,110],{"_32":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":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6427534,"mediaKeyId","5901386-99b9c817a8a1478322c9f04f5f76e5af","parentId",5901386,"title","Caroline County commissioners approve MOA to use Office of Administrative Hearings judges for police trial boards","audioSeconds",609,"startMs",327000,"endMs",936000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5901386-99b9c817a8a1478322c9f04f5f76e5af&start=327&end=936","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5901386-99b9c817a8a1478322c9f04f5f76e5af/thumbnail_327000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6427534/Caroline-County/Maryland/Caroline-County-commissioners-approve-MOA-to-use-Office-of-Administrative-Hearings-judges-for-police-trial-boards","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6427534-054eb11fbb2a316a440ecd151aa1b1b2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770239533&Signature=CF00cl45ZIP8RfzLL7ACnmHho9z-VXaAzTwu773ndzXK50IDIqO-S5eg~ylpnVrkGvS9Lx7Ll70FTsvDsqP8mR3UGleqVN5Cr2VQQ2MiMY8i~wSH6UsN~oZfEcfSwLqry7mAwhB0rsup8PEMfonQODDazP3aWNgmBCYj3QwN9J31AAhX8kWz8dNzXcFWqfFnF4eqDEIG3DjU-n8VQJv8Zu300v58gjiwO7UhD4E7uEhBIZ6hbVVIYK8GPWab4VVVyQ6UJHTqcj69KuX88vQQqmya5wUQWv6Y0CMfVUKltKz3xiUXoyt7HWnVvOc8-N0WuC79ksWR35bvH7ms7LUu-Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Caroline","date","2025-10-07T00:00:00Z","article","Caroline County commissioners voted on Oct. 7 to approve a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that allows the county and local law enforcement agencies to use administrative law judges supplied by the Maryland Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) to preside over police trial boards.

The MOA, presented by Kim Raider, PABACC administrator, directs law-enforcement agencies (LEAs) to pay costs such as judge fees and court reporters; the county’s formal role is limited to appointing or declining any judge the OAH provides. \"The first page of this MOA, the last paragraph, that is where your responsibility lies as commissioners, which is the public safety article requires the chief executive officer of the county to appoint an actively serving or retired administrative law judge,\" Raider said during the meeting.

Why it matters: the county lacks its own roster of administrative judges to staff a pending trial board after the passing of a judge referenced in the presentation. Commissioners and staff said the MOA mirrors arrangements in other counties and keeps the administrative and cost burdens for trial boards with the LEAs while giving the county a limited appointment role.

Key points from the presentation and discussion:
- Kim Raider said the MOA was developed with input from the county attorney’s office, the attorney general’s office, town managers and LEA attorneys. \"We came up with the idea of putting this MOA together with all of the LEAs since we don't have a county police force.\"
- Costs for administrative judges, court reporters and other trial-board expenses will be paid by the law-enforcement agency whose officer is involved. Raider confirmed, \"Yes. That is correct.\"
- Commissioners sought clarification of the county’s authority. County Attorney Stuart Barrow and Raider explained the statute requires the county executive to appoint (or decline) an administrative law judge when a trial board is convened.
- Commissioners pressed procedural questions about locations, virtual hearings and whether the OAH would provide lists. Raider said the OAH would provide a judge and the county could decline and request someone else.

The board approved a motion to \"approve the member memorandum of agreement between the office of administrative hearings and Caroline County, Maryland, and provide approval to sign the MOA.\" The motion passed by voice vote; the meeting record shows the commissioners responded \"Aye\" and the chair announced, \"Ayes have it.\"

What happens next: staff will provide the MOA to participating LEAs and execute the county's signature. The MOA assigns operational and expense responsibilities to LEAs; the county's obligation is limited to confirming or declining the administrative law judge offered by OAH.

The Oct. 7 vote took place during the regular meeting; the MOA was presented in the public portion of the agenda and carries no additional county-funded obligations beyond the appointment role described in the MOA.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Caroline County Commissioners Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Caroline County commissioners voted on Oct. 7 to approve a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that allows the county and local law enforcement agencies to use administrative law judges supplied by the Maryland Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) to preside over police trial boards.","taxTitle","Caroline County, Maryland","taxId",61674,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_32":75,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":76,"_40":77,"_42":78,"_44":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6427515,"Commissioners amend draft fund to require developers to pay 100% compensation for solar project areas containing any prime soils",2710,4102000,6812000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5901386-99b9c817a8a1478322c9f04f5f76e5af&start=4102&end=6812","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5901386-99b9c817a8a1478322c9f04f5f76e5af/thumbnail_4102000.jpg","/articles/6427515/Caroline-County/Maryland/Commissioners-amend-draft-fund-to-require-developers-to-pay-100-compensation-for-solar-project-areas-containing-any-prime-soils","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6427515-c567cb098bb11304609f4108adc29e49/orig.mp4?Expires=1770239533&Signature=LwoJGk6ntDz9E3G4NqqcF0RJog1bmaJ3hpkU7rzr3PPXpubQYX-oZlRbSdpSNlU62vQkDn-NjAvsn20HZ-e7WgSKPzTJdeQhDiTYs~5G5f9JLPrE9G43XWxq6ZG9DtvpHMDXVtqouVWKeRQZU-PrDknAR4ndFXU4ruy2GRvOVB3jqav0OLBpZa6i7z438nrfoEOqyplsrPvDmwddJ1E4EbhCrItOg8hp7QMbM6wqwVW4nJLKXC8sovkSiXD3qnePzUhy-SKUSDXb9SZ5ooWrGQYhoA3cmGiVgwP0TET7Iahfv~kHr9Tu-uS0bPQ-UtTQaRogb0EEsAKpmbCko-rVmg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Caroline County commissioners voted Oct. 7 to amend a proposed new county chapter creating an agricultural land preservation fund tied to solar-energy development on farmland. The amendment sets the compensatory-preservation contribution at 100% of the appraised value of the project area when any part of that project area contains soils designated as prime farmland or farmland of statewide importance.

The proposed legislation (legislative bill 2025-011) creates a county-administered fund to receive payments when solar energy generating stations and energy storage are developed on agricultural soils classified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as \"prime farmland\" or \"farmland of statewide importance.\" The fund’s money, the draft says, may be used to buy agricultural land preservation easements, including purchases through the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) and other approved programs.

Why it matters: Commissioners and staff described the change as a way to ensure that developers who place solar infrastructure on high-value agricultural soils compensate the county for preservation efforts. The amendment also clarifies appraisal procedures to value project areas and removes reliance on a single state-determined average number.

What the board changed and why:
- Staff initially drafted a calculation tied to an annual MALPF average (the MALPF \"fair market value\" measure) and a 75% multiplier; commissioners voted to remove the MALPF-only calculation and increase the multiplier to 100%. A county attorney and staff said the county could instead require independent appraisals paid for by the developer if MALPF data were unavailable.
- Commissioners debated whether compensation should apply only to prime soils or to the full project area. After discussion they adopted an amendment that applies the contribution to the entire project area if any portion contains vital (prime or statewide-important) soils, reasoning that infrastructure and transmission affect the whole parcel.
- The board opened a public hearing on the amended bill, received no public testimony and closed the hearing.

Next steps: The amended version will be available for further consideration and a final vote at a later meeting. Staff said the amendment clarifies appraisal methodology and gives the county the ability to require two independent appraisals paid by the developer if needed.","Caroline County commissioners amended a draft ordinance Oct. 7 to require solar developers to pay compensatory preservation contributions equal to 100% of project-area fair-market value when any portion of the project area contains prime or statewide-important soils; the board opened and closed a public hearing with no public comment.",{"_32":87,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":88,"_40":89,"_42":90,"_44":91,"_46":92,"_48":93,"_50":94,"_52":95,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":96,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":97,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6427525,"Caroline County approves one-year agreement to provide policing services for Federalsburg",2771,999000,3770000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5901386-99b9c817a8a1478322c9f04f5f76e5af&start=999&end=3770","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5901386-99b9c817a8a1478322c9f04f5f76e5af/thumbnail_999000.jpg","/articles/6427525/Caroline-County/Maryland/Caroline-County-approves-one-year-agreement-to-provide-policing-services-for-Federalsburg","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6427525-74d91da3e6efbfb61c3078b200e01a72/orig.mp4?Expires=1770239533&Signature=f27CdLRn-yrbwsJy9bPJAri2QpNl7Vi1r4FsFquKJubdVynGXov8uHLhIojrRaRYTyGpMFOlqI8YzVVHIL5ogpkYKQa4g1ec6QU-ZqdzQhDi~QSvro7jsz~hfHXYBqddwRH3R8zYebbP6MJAHkexodqYSo92YwAzSPNeZXNONvh08NYMVwGPrmbwPkGN13DQJkJd5mCM0Y5Z5VG8UCS1fxgeIBrx1eB~BJVwxc5bjt8b6nRGdCZUA3adyE~uOAGhvZAWHsWxNZunaqddq0FFit4Ugi81H0dv~MqFYGTG0-RgAiNGABCVE5b2QQugeg~LYkkXkr4azo-L5XD7Zug2ZQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Caroline County Board of Commissioners voted Oct. 7 to authorize a one-year agreement for the county sheriff’s office to provide policing services to the Town of Federalsburg, with the town reimbursing the county for actual, documented costs.

The agreement, presented by Sheriff Baker and discussed at length by commissioners, is structured as an annually renewable contract so the county and town retain exit options without multiyear fiscal commitments. The commissioners and county staff emphasized the town is responsible for direct costs and that the county will account and bill Federalsburg for dollar-for-dollar expenses.

Why it matters: Federalsburg has experienced staffing and financial challenges in operating an independent municipal police department. The one-year MOU shifts operational responsibility to the county sheriff’s office while preserving the town’s obligation to fund the service.

Key details from the meeting:
- Sheriff Baker and staff said the town will pay for overtime, salaries, equipment and other operations; \"the town will only reimburse us or be billed for dollar for dollar cost,\" the sheriff’s office told commissioners.
- The draft budget for the first year was described as approximately $748,000 (reported in discussion as \"almost $800,000\"); staff said they built buffers into the estimate and that Federalsburg would be billed for actual costs.
- Commissioners pressed for financial and audit assurances from the town. Deputy County Administrator Daniel Fox said Federalsburg has submitted a FY2026 budget but county staff do not have recent audits or detailed budget-to-actual records; Fox said it is difficult to assess long-term fiscal capacity without audit documents.
- Commissioners requested contractual protections and milestones. The agreement includes a 60-day termination clause and staff said they could add preamble language identifying recommended milestones (for example, completing an audit by a date) while preserving the county’s ability to exit.

Votes and motion: Commissioner [motion-maker not specified in the public record] moved to accept the agreement for law-enforcement services among the Caroline County sheriff, the Caroline County commissioners, and the mayor and council of the Town of Federalsburg. The motion was seconded; commissioners voted by voice and the chair announced, \"The ayes have it.\"

Follow up: County finance staff and the sheriff’s office will provide quarterly statements to Federalsburg and will monitor payments; commissioners directed staff to seek written plans and financial milestones from Federalsburg and to maintain accounting safeguards so the county does not subsidize the town’s policing costs.","Caroline County commissioners approved a year-to-year memorandum of understanding for the county sheriff's office to provide law-enforcement services to the Town of Federalsburg; the town will reimburse the county for actual costs and the agreement allows a 60-day termination.",{"_32":99,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":100,"_40":101,"_42":102,"_44":103,"_46":104,"_48":105,"_50":106,"_52":107,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":108,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":109,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6427508,"Commissioners open and close public hearing on changes to Right-to-Farm committee membership requirements",207,3828000,4035000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5901386-99b9c817a8a1478322c9f04f5f76e5af&start=3828&end=4035","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5901386-99b9c817a8a1478322c9f04f5f76e5af/thumbnail_3828000.jpg","/articles/6427508/Caroline-County/Maryland/Commissioners-open-and-close-public-hearing-on-changes-to-Right-to-Farm-committee-membership-requirements","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6427508-534debdc19179055a0ed6f20ced65457/orig.mp4?Expires=1770239533&Signature=WgxssCBxuMRk1zmHX0HykCTOkqogqoSQ7FMeFVP0MWyMIYKHUnaMFF0S-5pnBXxW1oiVxkBmBXeAltPx45DLQmECFM~kh-UXF8t7g6SawiTgzkICGfbEM1AgzS-wbXZCtEz3rASNDXs6-s570LEwMYaeA~6-mlS~ZuTHS8UdiUD3uqUP2hYwigtwvG5f~BaRJKPaR4NVboOGzJerZa0xnf62b5VCXA8WD7DIxHjLOa5NenWbPX4OzM-0bevUGW~weNJuSb4DkliqsxhTel4hT4yctdNE5JZhRkjvpLQq~1KNkAD1t6rNYMO85W8aJ2UtCapr3VqJsKGRnj416N-7jQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Caroline County commissioners held a public hearing Oct. 7 on legislative bill 2025-010, which would amend the county code’s Right-to-Farm chapter to change the required composition of the Caroline County Agricultural Reconciliation Committee.

Under the proposed amendment, the county would remove specified membership requirements — including slots reserved for two members from the agricultural community, one municipal member and one member from the county Board of Realtors — and instead allow commissioners greater discretion to appoint committee members who are county residents.

The commissioners opened the hearing, received no public testimony and closed the hearing. Staff said the change is intended to make it easier to fill committee vacancies.

What happened next: The hearing record will be retained for later readings; the board did not take a final enactment vote during the Oct. 7 session.","Caroline County held a second-reading public hearing Oct. 7 on a bill to remove several specified membership requirements for the County Agricultural Reconciliation Committee; no public comments were received and the hearing was closed.",{"_32":111,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":112,"_40":113,"_42":114,"_44":115,"_46":116,"_48":117,"_50":118,"_52":119,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":120,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":121,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6427500,"County accepts $10,000 grant to market tech park; will fund infrastructure study and national site-marketing report",536,7419000,7955000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5901386-99b9c817a8a1478322c9f04f5f76e5af&start=7419&end=7955","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5901386-99b9c817a8a1478322c9f04f5f76e5af/thumbnail_7419000.jpg","/articles/6427500/Caroline-County/Maryland/County-accepts-10000-grant-to-market-tech-park-will-fund-infrastructure-study-and-national-site-marketing-report","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6427500-61f9d9d9530b7a755f870f9a0d807d92/orig.mp4?Expires=1770239533&Signature=aYQtKn35uhO41lgPM7MrjI0EwJxySAGnntAi-GXKonvDdIKsWqdMrnSBwKR0GYqImj9xsgKceAvJUaQ~3CBR0hr-STu33faQGyxSry5SxjdIZ9rMCS86KaeJckakSfq3oti-OgPYI-JH1UM9NIWX1z~MAi1AUOGgzXUn-1DDqKTivBDk6bjSuZVCMSzkX2jLggEkf~Ytmu8yyXpVJudNQ6i3L1tGQQWXX8A-PXfxJejQH2pmIXV9tX~I7T-S9FdJURGr~CIECYhMUFvR-nGyIg4~9eZ3gB9KhoPvEQM5m4OfOgl6b12cWjAXBUqKpCiA1gR5veR6lBCXMT4w41j2~w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Caroline County commissioners approved accepting a $10,000 grant on Oct. 7 to fund site characterization and marketing for the county tech park. County staff said Medco will cover about half the work and the county will use the money to commission an engineering/infrastructure follow-up and a marketability report from a site-selection firm.

Why it matters: County staff said recent appraisals indicate parcel-level values may be higher than a single aggregated appraisal; staff and the Maryland Department of Commerce have urged an active marketing push to attract buyers or users for the tech park property.

Details discussed at the meeting:
- County staff said RK&K will perform an engineering report extending a water-and-sewer study completed previously; the report will examine infrastructure such as electric and fiber availability and other site details.
- A national site-selection and marketing firm (the strategic development/site selector group named in grant documents) will compile a marketing study and distribute it to national brokerage and site-selection audiences to attract interest.
- County staff noted two recent appraisals: one appraised the whole parcel as a single site; another assessed individual parcels and produced higher per-parcel values. Staff said the new materials will support negotiations with the Maryland Department of Commerce and prospective buyers.

Next steps: Staff will finalize the two reports under the grant terms and use the marketing product to reach national site-selection firms and potential buyers; county staff said they will coordinate next steps with the Maryland Department of Commerce and present materials to commissioners in follow-up briefings.","Caroline County accepted a $10,000 grant (mostly provided by Medco) to fund infrastructure due diligence and a national marketing study for the county tech park; county staff said the work will support site marketing and upcoming discussions with the Maryland Department of Commerce.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Caroline County commissioners approve MOA to use Office of Administrative Hearings judges for police trial boards

Commissioners amend draft fund to require developers to pay 100% compensation for solar project areas containing any prime soils

Caroline County approves one-year agreement to provide policing services for Federalsburg

Commissioners open and close public hearing on changes to Right-to-Farm committee membership requirements

County accepts $10,000 grant to market tech park; will fund infrastructure study and national site-marketing report