Commissioners approve consent agenda; staff to fill vacancies on volunteer boards

Allegany County commissioners accepted the work-session agenda after staff reviewed five consent items and later heard that county staff will begin a campaign to fill vacancies on volunteer boards and commissions.

On the consent agenda staff listed five items: A) accept a 9-1-1 training grant for Project 206-1121 in the amount of $35 for 9-1-1 specialist courses; B) accept the fiscal-year 2022 State Homeland Security Grant Program extension with MDEM through Nov. 30, 2025; C) approve the fiscal‑year 2026 GRAMA open-space annual plan, which staff said includes 10 projects totaling $289,000 and had received no public comment since its presentation; D) approve purchase of a Ford Transit cargo van for the detention center for $83,380, to be paid from the inmate commissary fund using a Howard County piggyback award; and E) execute a memorandum of agreement with the Potomac Highlands Airport Authority for a state grant the airport authority is receiving. The presiding official said the consent agenda was accepted as presented.

Later, staff member Katie told commissioners the county has many vacancies across volunteer boards and commissions and that some advisory bodies have not been posting agendas and minutes on the county website. Katie said staff are contacting boards to update membership lists, term expiration dates and to highlight vacancies; staff will bring a consolidated list of vacancies to the commissioners in the future and work to post agendas/minutes or link to board sites on the county website.

No formal votes on the volunteer-board vacancies were taken in the work session; staff said they will return with a list for commissioners to act on.