Wicomico County Council approves grants, appointments and procedural resolutions; multiple measures pass unanimously

Wicomico County Council on Jan. 21 approved a series of resolutions that included a surplus-property exchange with the Humane Society, state grant acceptances for broadband and county programs, two appointments, and personnel housekeeping measures.

The measures were adopted by voice vote or unanimous consent during the council’s legislative session; several required only the council’s approval to accept state grants or confirm board appointees. The council also introduced Legislative Bill 2025-02, a charter amendment to require independent legal counsel for the county ethics commission; councilmembers discussed clarifying language before the public hearing and voted to introduce the measure.

Council actions of note: - Resolution 22-2025: Declared a 13.32-acre county tract at 5000 Goldman Lane as surplus in exchange with the Humane Society of Wicomico County for the Society’s building and improvements at 5130 Citation Drive in Salisbury. (Introduced and approved after a prior public hearing.) - Resolution 14-2025: Extended the statutory deadline for adopting the Capital Improvement Program for FY 2026–2030 from the third Tuesday in February to June 15, 2025 (citing County Charter sections 704(g) and 707). The extension is to allow additional time for review given state budget uncertainty. - Resolution 15-2025: Accepted a $1,100,000 Connect Maryland grant from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development for broadband projects serving difficult-to-reach properties; the county will act as pass-through to participating ISPs (see separate article for details). - Resolutions 16-2025 and 17-2025: Confirmed the appointment of Janice E. Hess to the Adult Public Guardianship Review Board and to the Wicomico County Commission on Aging. - Resolution 18-2025: Amended FY2025 operating budget/position control to reflect a $4,594 salary increase for a Planning, Zoning & Community Development position after completion of required certifications; the department reported salary savings would cover the increase. - Resolution 19-2025: Accepted a $211,500 capacity-building grant from the Governor’s Office for Children; council was told this will fund a 100%-grant-funded position (salary cited during discussion as $55,000) subject to grant term and possible no-cost extension. - Resolution 20-2025: Authorized acceptance of $99,375 in Connected Devices Program funds and $3,000 in administrative award money for distribution of devices to eligible residents. - Resolution 21-2025: Confirmed meal reimbursement rates in the county personnel manual, described in discussion as unchanged from the prior year (staff cited $18 for breakfast, $22 for dinner as examples of the approved per-meal amounts used for travel reimbursement).

Introduction of ethics bill: The council voted to introduce Legislative Bill 2025-02, an amendment to Chapter 37 (Ethics Law) to authorize the ethics commission to retain special independent legal counsel when needed to avoid conflicts of interest. County law staff and the county attorney discussed clarifying language on whether special counsel would maintain records exclusively or provide copies to the county law department; staff were asked to redline specific language before the public hearing.

Votes at a glance (text of motions as recorded in the meeting): - “Approve Resolution 22-2025 (surplus/exchange with Humane Society).” — approved (unanimous). - “Approve Resolution 14-2025 (CIP adoption date extension).” — approved (unanimous). - “Approve Resolution 15-2025 (Connect Maryland grant $1,100,000).” — approved (unanimous). - “Approve Resolution 16-2025 (appointment of Janice E. Hess, Adult Public Guardianship Review Board).” — approved (unanimous). - “Approve Resolution 17-2025 (appointment of Janice E. Hess, Commission on Aging).” — approved (unanimous). - “Approve Resolution 18-2025 (position salary increase, PZCD).” — approved (unanimous). - “Approve Resolution 19-2025 (Governor’s Office for Children capacity building grant $211,500).” — approved (unanimous). - “Approve Resolution 20-2025 (Maryland Connected Devices Program funds $99,375 + $3,000 admin).” — approved (unanimous). - “Approve Resolution 21-2025 (confirm meal rates).” — approved (unanimous). - “Introduce Legislative Bill 2025-02 (ethics commission special counsel).” — introduced (unanimous vote to introduce).

Why this matters: The bundle of actions authorizes state grant funds and personnel changes, confirms appointments, and sets a revised calendar for adoption of the county’s capital program while the state’s budget uncertainty continues. The introduction of the ethics-counsel bill could change how legal advice is delivered to the ethics commission and raises questions about custodianship of records and how enforcement of ethics opinions would be managed.

What’s next: Several items (notably the ethics-counsel amendment) will return for public hearing and final council votes, and county staff will circulate redline language to address record-keeping and implementation clarifications. The county will execute grant agreements and subrecipient agreements for broadband and device-distribution projects and proceed with vendor contracts where required.