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Howard County Council approves additional appropriations for election equipment and jail staffing
Summary
The council approved Ordinance 2024‑HCCO‑32 and related transfers, allocating roughly $558,000 across funds — including $87,400 for 20 ExpressVote machines and $76,006.60 to fund five correctional officer positions — and adjusted overtime funding to $200,000.
Howard County Council approved a package of additional appropriations and transfers at its August meeting, authorizing funding for election equipment, juvenile services grants and new correctional‑officer positions while reducing a proposed overtime request.
The council adopted Ordinance 2024‑HCCO‑32 after a public reading of the ordinance text showing total additional appropriations of $557,967.31. County Clerk Debbie Stewart requested $87,400 to purchase 20 ExpressVote machines for early‑voting centers; Stewart said $10,000 will come from the clerk’s equipment fund and a $50,000 grant will reimburse part of the purchase, leaving approximately $37,400 from the general fund. “They will be delivered before the election,” Stewart said, and the units are tamper‑proof.
Sheriff Jerry Asher requested funding to add five correctional officers for the remainder of the year, a package he said would cost $76,006.60. Asher told the council his authorized corrections complement is 45 positions (43 filled at the time because two employees were on military leave) and cited a staffing study that recommended 54 correctional officers. “If we hire 3 right away, we could come back in a month and ask for two more,” Asher said; the council approved the request by voice vote after a motion from Councilman Faulkner and a second from Councilwoman Blake.
Asher also asked for an overtime appropriation originally set at $275,000 to cover staffing through year‑end. After discussion, council members moved to reduce that figure to $200,000 (plus a $20,000 transfer), a change the council approved as part of a consolidated motion to adopt the package.
The appropriation package included several grant and program lines for juvenile services (examples: a JCC‑PSC grant totaling $77,600 for case management, drug screening and incentives; a JDAI grant totaling $7,461.82) and smaller appropriations such as $2,500 for an employee service bonus and FICA adjustments noted in the ordinance text. The council also approved Resolution 2024‑HCCR‑14 to permit intra‑departmental transfers, including a $20,000 transfer from part‑time cook to overtime corrections and a $2,000 deputy to community‑policing transfer.
Audrey presented the ordinances and resolutions; final approval votes were voice votes with no roll call recorded in the public transcript. The council also adopted Ordinance 2024‑HCCO‑33 to amend salary and staffing authorizations for 2024, which included setting the veteran‑service officer part‑time hourly rate at $14.34.
What’s next: The appropriations and transfers take effect as approved; departments will use the authorized funds for equipment purchases, staffing and grant administration, with the sheriff’s office and clerk’s office to complete procurement and hiring processes.
Votes at a glance: • Ordinance 2024‑HCCO‑32 (additional appropriations): approved by voice vote after an amendment reducing overtime corrections to $200,000; mover — Councilman Faulkner; second — Councilwoman Blake (motion recorded at the time of the sheriff’s request). • Transfers (Resolution 2024‑HCCR‑14): approved by voice vote; mover — Councilman Faulkner; second — Councilman Maple. • Ordinance 2024‑HCCO‑33 (salary amendments): approved by voice vote.
