Howard County Board of Appeals advances plan to remove newspaper requirement for hearing notices

The Howard County Board of Appeals on Dec. 19 moved forward with proposed changes to how the county posts public hearing notices, endorsing a draft that would eliminate the longstanding requirement to publish notices in local newspapers and instead rely on online posting and on‑property signs.

Chair Jean Ryan told the board she reviewed the Attorney General's guidance and proposed deleting the newspaper mandate from the board's rules, saying the change would both reduce costs for petitioners and speed scheduling. "The rule removes the requirement for newspapers and only requires posting cases online as we currently do," Ryan said. She added the county's online calendar, banner notices and a sign posted on the property would remain part of the notice regime.

Board members and staff said the change could save petitioners "$2,000 to have a hearing. So that just went up a 100%." (Jean Ryan). Staff explained current practice: some county boards are still advertised in two newspapers of general circulation where required by code, while the Council posts meetings on the county website and uses an email list (Constant Contact) to notify subscribers.

The board asked staff to send the draft rule for legal review to confirm which code provisions apply and whether any statutory or charter requirements remain for other boards; Chair Ryan noted some sections of the Administrative Procedures Act apply to other bodies but not to the Board of Appeals. The board also agreed to include a short transition plan in the rule so residents who rely on print are informed about the change.

Next steps: staff will circulate a revised draft incorporating the board's direction and any clarifications from legal counsel; the board intends to forward the final proposed rule to the County Council for consideration.