[Thursday, May 15, 2025] On Tuesday, May 13, 2025, Jacob Dyer, Acting Director of Fiscal and Administrative Services, and Samantha Chiriaco, Chief of Budget, continued their reviews of the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget. This week’s presentations included a review of commissioner add/deletes to the budget. The commissioner add/delete process is when the commissioners add or delete budget items in the general fund or the Capital Improvement Program that were not originally proposed. A final review and adoption of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget is scheduled for Tuesday, May 20, 2025.

Briefings

• Michelle Lilly, Director of the Department of Emergency Services, and Dina Barclay, Director of the Department of Community Services, briefed commissioners on the vulnerable populations plan. The plan captures actions that the county government and partner agencies plan to take to reduce the risk of cold-related, severe, and heat-related illness and injury to vulnerable populations in Charles County.

Plans include Warming and Cooling Centers at the Nanjemoy Community Center, Port Tobacco Community Center, Richard R. Clark Senior Center, all branches of the Charles County Public Library, and Lifestyles Center. The Maryland State Police Barracks is also available as an after-hours warming center with a four-hour limit.

A dual-phase weather plan was also established to begin at the first freeze watch. Phase 1 includes an annual review of the weather plan, update of warming centers, coordination with local partners, and weather monitoring.

Phase 2 occurs when temperatures are 32 degrees Fahrenheit or 40 degrees Fahrenheit with precipitation. Media Services and Emergency Management coordinate messaging, including referrals for shelter at warming centers and information for the Charles Regional Medical Center.

• Jennifer Harris, Chief of Media Services; Renesha Miles, Chief Equity Officer; and Doria Fleisher, Assistant Division Chief of Media Services, provided a briefing on Recognition for Cultural Heritage Months in Charles County. The updated communication strategy includes face-to-face recognition, website and social media posts, featured photos and videos, and participation in community events. Featured content must be equitable, consistent, inclusive, and have willing participation from featured groups.

Department Highlights

Commissioners heard updates from the Department of Fiscal & Administrative Services, Department of Recreation Parks & Tourism, and the Department of Human Resources:

• Fiscal and Administrative Services is rolling out an update to move all county laptops from Windows 10 to Windows 11 ahead of Windows 10's end-of-support date on Oct. 25, 2025. Other software updates include new procurement, key performance indicator models, and a Budget Book Module for OpenGov.

Fiscal and Administrative Services plans to refresh the county’s official websites, starting with the main government website, followed by Tourism, and Recreation and Parks. The Economic Development Department is also getting a new website, hosted on the same Granicus platform, which will help maintain consistency across all county sites.

• Recreation, Parks, and Tourism is installing weather stations at 10 county parks. These stations have lightning detection and warning sirens to alert park visitors of severe weather within a radius of the park. Bensville Park just opened the third synthetic multi-purpose field with LED lighting.

The department is also using the latest technology to identify local events that enhance tourism, streamline the athletic field and food truck reservation process, and maintain parks through use of robotic line painters and electric maintenance equipment.  Electricity, 911 call center and broadband have been installed at Mallows Bay Park, and more.

• Human Resources wellness programs for staff encompass classes and events to support whole person wellness. Events include vision clinics, wreath-making classes, glass etching workshops, and more. Several staff training courses, such as the Leadership Academy and professional development classes have had over 560 participants. The County is also actively engaging in community-based recruiting events to find excellent candidates for vacancies. The summer internship program received a record number of more than 1,100 applications this year.

Public Hearings

On Tuesday, May 13, 2025, Charles County Commissioners held their annual hearing on local legislative proposals. Every year, commissioners hear from the community about proposed legislation that can be considered for county-wide laws. This year, Commissioners received five local legislative proposals shared by residents.

Approval Items

Commissioners approved:

• Approval of the Sheriff’s Office Retirement Plan Amendment 2025-1. Enhancements to the pension were applied to both Charles County Government and Charles County Sheriff’s Office dispatchers.
• Approval of the Charles County Pension Plan Amendment 2025-1 regarding Non-Vested Termed Participants. Changes would require employees who have been employed for less than five years at Charles County Government to move their money out of the Charles County pension plan if they have less than $7,000 in contributions and interest. A second change eliminated a provision limiting benefit limits for those who retire within 5 years of transferring service.
• A change order of $185,000 for additional construction costs for the Mattawoman Waste Water Treatment Plant Flow Equalization Basin project.