The Harford County Council voted to approve an audit request to review expenses and reported missing equipment associated with the Board of Education, and heard public comments raising land-use, airport-zoning and traffic concerns.

Audit details
County auditor Crystal Brooks told the council the review will confirm whether expenses tied to a 2024 conference trip were appropriate, allowable and supported by receipts; it will also examine reported missing Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) equipment and HCPS’s response. Brooks said the auditor’s hope is to provide initial findings "by the end of the week." The council voted 7-0 to approve the audit.

Public comments
Jeffrey Beck criticized the county’s follow-through on the Hartford Next master plan and called out shortcomings around livable communities, tree canopy programming and stormwater management in Joppa Town.

John Pimalamo questioned whether a commercial operation at 3538 Aldina Road (Harford County Airport) complies with part 1, chapter 267 of the county zoning code and the conditions of zoning case 58-14; he disputed the administration’s explanation that much regulation rests with state or federal aviation authorities and argued local land-use controls remain central.

Bill Whelan told the council he had reduced attendance at sessions because of perceived conflict and expressed skepticism that proposed road improvements would mitigate traffic from a planned Costco project; he cited Planning & Zoning estimates of 14,460 weekday vehicle trips and 18,740 Saturday trips and noted multiple revisions to the traffic impact analysis.

Why it matters: The audit could lead to public reporting on Board of Education expenditures and missing equipment, and public commenters flagged land-use, environmental and traffic issues that may influence pending planning and permit decisions.