Howard County Board of Appeals approves June 4 minutes, votes to meet in closed session for legal advice

The Howard County Board of Appeals approved minutes from its June 4, 2026 meeting and voted on June 18 to move into a closed session to consult with counsel about rules of procedure, Chair Jean Ryan said.

The short administrative meeting opened with Chair Jean Ryan identifying the body and date. After confirming board members had received the June 4 minutes, a member moved to approve, a second was recorded and the chair called the roll. The transcript records Chair Jean Ryan saying the motion carried and that the minutes were approved. The roll call as recorded included Chair Jean Ryan, Ms. Fiercuff, Ms. Harris, Ms. McCurdy and Ms. Phillips, each of whom is recorded as voting to approve the minutes.

Later the chair told members that, "based on the general provision [of the] Annotated Code of Maryland, there is a need to go into closed session in accordance with Section 3-305(b)(7) to consult with counsel to obtain legal advice." She identified the closed-session subject as "rules of procedure regarding decision and orders." The motion to enter closed session was seconded. The administrator called the roll for the closure vote; the transcript records Chair Ryan, Ms. Spiercoln, Ms. Harris, Ms. McCurdy and Ms. Phillips as voting to close the meeting in accordance with Section 3-305(b)(7), and the chair announced that the motion passed.

The board paused the livestream and adjourned its administrative session to a closed meeting. The minutes of the vote and the statutory citation were stated on the record. At 10:28 the board returned to open session; Chair Ryan announced the closed session had concluded and, with no further business, adjourned the meeting.