Talbot County Council Highlights for May 7th Meeting

The Talbot County Council held their regular meeting on May 7, 2024, at 1:30 p.m.; all Council members were present.

Celebrating 20 Years of Building African American Minds (BAAM)

Co-founders Dina and Derick Daly, staff, and members of the Board of Directors accepted a Certificate of Recognition celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Building African American Minds (BAAM). Located in Easton, the nonprofit organization provides scholarships, afterschool programming, summer camp, and more to empower at-risk youth in our community.

The recognition reads, “Since 2004, Building African American Minds (BAAM) has provided services to more than 1,200 African American boys, and now girls, in grades 1 through 6 who are at risk of academic failure with the knowledge and skills to maximize or augment their potential as responsible and productive citizens through academic, social, and motional learning.”

“The Talbot County Council thanks founders Derick and Dina Daly for their vision, acknowledges the many partnerships BAAM has formed to accomplish its goals, recognizes the important contributions of the BAAM to the Talbot County Community at large, and wishes the organization even greater success in the next 20 years.”

In 2019, BAAM opened their Athletic Center, which expanded their ability to offer programming to children and adults. In 2023, they broke ground on a new, three-story, 25,000 square foot academic center which will allow BAAM’s after-school and summer programs for youth to double the number of participants and allow for expanded programming and services for adults. The Academic Center is anticipated to be completed by the end of year.

For more information, visit https://www.baaminc.org/

Proclamation for Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month

The Mid-Shore Chapter of ABATE accepted a proclamation recognizing May 2024 as Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month.

The proclamation reads, “It is especially meaningful that citizens of our county and state be aware of motorcycles on the roadways and recognize the importance of motorcycle safety.”

With the warmer weather upon us, more motorcyclists will be out on local roads and highways. Sharing the road means motorists should be aware of motorcyclists and understand they share the same rights and responsibilities. There are simple techniques all motorists can follow to keep everyone safe, including always being on the lookout for motorcyclists around you, focusing on driving and avoiding distractions, using turn signals, giving motorcyclists plenty of room, and avoiding speeding.

Said simply, “Look twice, save a life.”

Proclamation for Correctional Officers and Employees Week

Joseph Hughes, Deputy Director, and Cindy Green, Security Captain, Talbot County Department of Corrections, accepted a proclamation recognizing May 5 to May 11, 2024 as Correctional Officers and Employees Week.

The Talbot County Department of Corrections is essential to the County’s justice system and public safety. The Department of Corrections maintains control, custody, security, and safety over individuals committed to the Talbot County Detention Center, while also aiming to create opportunities for incarcerated individuals to resolve issues that may have led to their incarceration.

The proclamation reads, “the important work of Correction Officers and Employees rarely receives the recognition from the public it deserves, yet, the professionalism, dedication, and courage routinely exhibited by these employees in the performance of assigned duties is worthy of, and deserves our utmost respect.”

The Department of Corrections will celebrate Correctional Officers and Employees Week with a series of events for their employees to celebrate their important role and thank them for their service.

“We couldn’t have the accredited facility, daily safety for our community, and humane treatment for our inmates without the professionalism you bring to your jobs every day, and we thank you for that,” said Council Vice President Pete Lesher.

“The word inspire comes to mind. In the old days, we ran a jail. Now, there is a level of compassion that I have not seen in other places,” said County Manager Clay Stamp. “Where you understand people make mistakes, and you help people get from one side to the other, and you are all about giving people a second chance. That level of compassion is inspirational, and greatly appreciated.”

Talbot County recognizes the importance of their work, not only with the proclamation, but the inclusion of Correctional Officers in the Maryland Correctional Officers Retirement System (CORS) in the FY 25 Budget, and capital funding to support improvements to the Detention Center, located at 115 W. Dover Street in Easton, MD.

Other Business

• Ray Clarke, County Engineer, requested support to apply for and accept Operation and Maintenance Funds from the Maryland Department of Environment Bay Restoration Fund (BRF). Last year, the County requested $30,000, but received a total of $42,000 in grant funding as a result of operating the facilities at a higher level of performance, through a high level of treatment and low discharge amounts of phosphorus. The Council unanimously approved the request, and thanked Clarke for the Department’s continuous efforts to improve our impact on the environment.
• The Town of St. Michaels requested letters of support for two grant funding opportunities to support the expansion to the St. Michaels Nature Trail: one for the Maryland State Highway Administration Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) in the amount of $1.187 million and one for the Maryland Department of Transportation Bikeways Program (Kim Lamphier Bikeways Network Program) in the amount of $237,000. The Council unanimously approved the requests.
• The Maryland Department of the Environment requested Council consideration for a waiver of the 15-day comment period on the Sewage Sludge Utilization Application by Trappe East Holdings Business Trust for the start-up of the Trappe East Wastewater Treatment Plant. If approved, the waiver would help expedite the process of getting the Trappe East Wastewater Treatment Plant, located at 3500 Lake Echo Drive in Trappe, Maryland up and running quickly. The request was approved by a vote of 4-1 with Council Member Mielke opposing the request.

The Council also held two public hearings for the FY 2025 Budget as well as the Constant Yield. The public hearing on the Constant Yield and the first public hearing on the budget public hearing were held during the Council meeting at 2:00 p.m.; the second public hearing was held later in the day at the Easton Elementary School at 7:00 p.m. Written comments will be accepted until Friday, May 10, 2024 at Noon; individuals may email comments to [email protected] .

The Talbot County Council will hold a work session for final FY 2025 budget deliberations on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 3 p.m. in the Bradley Meeting Room.  The work session is open to the public.

The next legislative meeting will be held later that evening, beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Bradley Meeting Room located in the South Wing, Talbot County Courthouse, 11 North Washington Street, Easton.  The meeting is open to the public.