St. Mary's County commissioners on Oct. 21 approved a set of routine and programmatic actions supporting public safety, human services and county infrastructure and voted to send a letter urging federal leaders to approve a clean continuing resolution to reopen the federal government.

Action highlights (all motions approved by voice vote):

Sheriff's Office RSAT grant
- The board approved acceptance of a $224,556 Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) award from the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy to fund aftercare planning, a licensed social worker and a peer recovery specialist contracted to work with the county’s medication‑assisted treatment program in the detention center. The award includes a 25% non‑federal match ($74,852) to be covered by an existing offender reentry case manager position in the sheriff’s FY26 budget. The commissioners authorized electronic submission and execution of related documents.

'Enough' Partnership Development grant (Department of Aging and Human Services)
- Commissioners authorized an application for a $65,000 partnership development grant from the Governor's Office for Children to support the county’s Enough initiative, including coalition design, a community plan and possible development of an interactive asset map. Staff said the county used last year’s capacity funds and expended them fully and that the new funds would support continuing coalition building and Circles program activities.

Woodmore subdivision: road acceptance
- The board adopted a resolution accepting Woodmore Drive and Woodmore Street (Woodmore subdivision, Hollywood) into the county highway maintenance system and adopted an ordinance setting a maximum speed and stop intersections for those roads. The subdivision consists of about 27 acres and 48 lots; roads were constructed under a 2019 public works agreement and passed final inspection in 2024.

Jurisdictional medical director employment contract
- Commissioners approved an employment contract to appoint Dr. Craig Melville as the county’s Jurisdictional Medical Director, a role that provides emergency medical services clinical oversight, quality review, operational recommendations and liaison functions with local and state partners.

Letter urging Congress to end the shutdown
- The board voted to send a letter to U.S. senators urging passage of a clean continuing resolution to reopen the federal government and pay federal employees. The motion directed staff to send the letter by Thursday if no change in the shutdown status occurs and to include the signatures of any commissioners who choose to sign.

Other
- The board also moved into closed session to discuss personnel matters; the motion passed by voice vote.

Why it matters: The RSAT award funds services inside the detention center and covers medication costs and aftercare supports mandated by state correctional law. The Enough grant continues a state‑sponsored prevention initiative. Road acceptance transfers maintenance responsibility to the county, and the medical director hire adds a county‑level clinical oversight role for emergency medical services.

Votes and process notes: Motions were made, seconded and carried by voice vote; where required by grant procedures, staff were authorized to sign and submit documents electronically. Specific individual vote names were not recorded in the transcript; four commissioners were present and the motions carried by voice vote.

Ending: Commissioners requested follow‑up implementation steps from staff, including posting grant documents, recording the road acceptance in county records and completing contract paperwork for the medical director.