Commissioners approve a series of budget and grant items, add executive session

The Board of County Commissioners of St. Mary's County voted Aug. 25 to add an executive session on potential real property acquisition related to the FDR Boulevard project and approved a package of bills, minutes and grant actions.

The board approved checks dated Aug. 25, 2009, adopted minutes for the Aug. 18 meeting, and approved budgeted spending and grant applications that included mosquito control, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, the medical waiver local administration grant, two mental-health-related state grant modifications and a tourism mini‑grant for a water-trails brochure.

The board unanimously approved adding an executive session. Commissioner Kenneth R. DeMent moved to add the session for the purpose of discussing potential real property acquisition related to the FDR Boulevard project; the motion was seconded and approved. The board then handled routine business items, including approval of checks dated Aug. 25, 2009, and adoption of the Aug. 18 minutes.

On program and budget items, the commissioners:

- Confirmed the county’s local contribution of $49,500 for larviciding and surveillance in the mosquito-control program; the county’s adult mosquito spraying remains a shared (50/50) community–state expense. The motion to authorize the commission president to sign the confirmation was made by Commissioner DeMent and seconded by Commissioner Raley; the board voted aye and carried the motion.

- Approved renewal of the Child and Adult Care Food Program grant application for the county’s adult day services and senior centers, authorizing President Jack Russell to sign a renewal application for reimbursement estimated at $35,000.

- Approved the local administration of the medical-waiver grant project (Project US 1062) from the Maryland Department of Aging for fiscal year 2010, in the amount of $126,085, and authorized the commission president to sign the application and related documents.

- Approved modifications tied to mental health funding: a FY 2010 5‑County Crownsville Project Agreement for jail mental health services with a project budget of $78,223 and a reduction of $3,000 to administrative costs; and a FY 2010 Core Services Agencies modification for community mental health services in the amount of $888,622 and a related budget amendment decreasing a project by $12,802. County staff said the state’s emerging cuts are likely to require further program-level reductions.

- Approved a $1,000 mini-grant application to the Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium to help print and publish a county water-trails brochure.

All motions were made publicly at the Aug. 25 meeting and recorded as approved. Where individual roll-call votes were not read into the record, the published minutes show motions carried following the board’s “aye” responses. The meeting also included ceremonial proclamations and presentations not reflected here because they were non-substantive to county policy or budget.

Votes at a glance (motions recorded at the Aug. 25 meeting): - Add executive session for potential real property acquisition related to FDR Boulevard — mover: Commissioner Kenneth R. DeMent; second: Commissioner Daniel H. Raley; outcome: approved. - Approve bills (checks dated Aug. 25, 2009) — mover: Commissioner Daniel H. Raley; second: Commissioner Lawrence D. Jarboe; outcome: approved (motion recorded as 4 to 0 in the minutes). - Adopt minutes of Aug. 18, 2009 — mover: (motion recorded) outcome: approved. - Confirm local mosquito-control budget $49,500 (larviciding/surveillance) — mover: Commissioner DeMent; second: Commissioner Raley; outcome: approved. - CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program) renewal — amount in paperwork: $35,000; mover: Commissioner Jarboe; second: Commissioner DeMent; outcome: approved. - Medical waiver local administration grant (Project US 1062) — $126,085; mover: Commissioner DeMent; second: Commissioner Raley; outcome: approved. - FY2010 5‑County Crownsville Project Agreement modification — $78,223 with $3,000 budget decrease to administrative costs; mover: Commissioner DeMent; second: Commissioner Mattingly; outcome: approved. - FY2010 Core Services Agencies grant modification — $888,622 with budget decrease of $12,802 to one project; mover: Commissioner DeMent; second: Commissioner Raley; outcome: approved. - Water Trails Adventure brochure mini-grant — $1,000; mover: Commissioner DeMent; second: Commissioner Jarboe; outcome: approved.

Notes: Where the meeting transcript and minutes did not record individual roll-call votes, the article reports the outcomes as reflected in the public meeting record. The board’s agenda and staff presentations indicated these were program renewals, confirmations or routine approvals and did not create new policy beyond the approved budget and grant signatory authorizations.