Talbot County, Maryland

03/28/2024

Category: County Council

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Honorable Stephen H. Kehoe speaks to Council.

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Council Member Lynn Mielke presents Council Commendation to Judge Kehoe for his many years of service to Talbot County and surrounding counties.

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Coaches and Team Moms from the 2023 13U Talbot Braves Football Team recognizes the importance of their championship win, and the hard work that the team put in to get there.

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The 2023 13U Talbot Braves Football Team recieves a Certificate of Recognition from County Council for the AYF Big East/Bayside Conference/Division II State Championship.

The Talbot County Council held their regular meeting on March 26 at 6 p.m.; all Council members were present.

Presentation of Council’s Commendation to the Honorable Stephen H. Kehoe

Council presented the Honorable Stephen H. Kehoe with a Council Commendation for his service to Talbot County and the State of Maryland. Judge Kehoe has served as Judge of the Second Judicial Circuit of Maryland (Circuit Court for Talbot County) from 2014 to present.

He was recently appointed to the Appellate Court of Maryland, First Appellate Judicial Court in February, and will be leaving his current position.

Judge Kehoe began his law career in 1986, following graduation from Case Western Reserve University, Franklin Thomas Backus School of Law. Until his appointment to the Bench, Judge Kehoe spent the majority of his legal career with the law firm of Ewing, Dietz, Fountain, and Kehoe, P.A. in Easton, where he focused on civil trials, land use, commercial and municipal law, as well as criminal cases, divorce and litigation involving estate matters.  

Prior to his appointment to the Bench, Judge Kehoe also served on the Board of Trustees of the Office of the Public Defender (2013 –2014), as a Mentor in the Court of Appeals Mentoring Program (2011-2012); a Member of the Aging Lawyers Subcommittee at the Maryland Professionalism Center (2013-2014); and has been a Fellow of the Maryland Bar Association since 2006.

During his term as Judge of the Circuit Court for Talbot County, Judge Kehoe served as a member of the Talbot County Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council and as the Second Judicial Circuit Representative on the Conference of Circuit Court Judges.

Presentation of Priority Listing for Maryland Department of Transportation

Annually, each county submits a letter of transportation priorities to the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT).  Ray Clarke, County Engineer, presented the proposed list for 2024. The Council unanimously approved the list.

Top priorities this year include: MD Route 322/US 50 Intersection North; MD 33 Capacity, Safety, and Evacuation Improvements; MD Route 333 Oxford Causeway; MD Route 329 (Royal Oak Road) Improvements; US Route 50 Cross Street Traffic; US Route 50/Chapel Road Intersection Improvements; US Route 50/MD Route 309/MD Route 622 Intersection Capacity Improvements; Airport Road/MD 662/US Route 50 Intersection; and Frederick Douglass Recreational Trail from Town of Easton to Town of Queen Anne.

The letter will also include top priorities from each town, and recommendations for projects to be added to the State Transportation Improvement Project (STIP) list. When a project is added to the STIP, it allows the County to directly apply for federal funding for the listed project(s).

Past transportation letters can be found on Maryland Department of Transportation website.

Change Order No. 5 for Bid No. 23-07, Talbot County Public Safety Complex – Phase I Building Renovations

The Department of Public Works presented a Change Order request for Bid No. 23-07, the Public Safety Complex project. The first phase of the project focuses on the full interior renovation of a two-story, approximately 24,000 square-foot building located on Marys Court in Easton.

The renovation involves the replacement of parts of the HVAC system, installation of a backup generator, new gas service line, technology improvements, and buildout of the new Sheriff’s Office and 911 Dispatch Center.

Based on recent construction work being performed by Willow Construction related to completing the building renovations, it was determined future replacement of HVAC units would result in a major building renovation requiring a future capital improvement project exceeding $2.5M due to building modifications, cost of units, and displaced staff.

The Department of Public Works, who is leading this engineering project, recommended using additional funding now to replace the current HVAC system. Change Order No. 5 awards an additional $1,835,330.60 to the renovation project which includes data cabling, additional interior changes, and impact resistant windows, that were not included in the original bid award.

The Council unanimously approved the request.

Other Business

• In recognition of their AYF Big East/Bayside Conference/Division II State Championship win, the 13U Talbot Braves Football Team was awarded a certificate of recognition from the County Council.   The team coaches and team moms were also awarded a certificate of recognition.
• Council unanimously introduced and subsequently voted on an Administrative Resolution which authorizes Talbot County to file an application with the Maryland Transit Administration of the Maryland Department of Transportation for a Section 5303, 5304, 5307, 5309, 5310, and 5311 grant under the Federal Transit Act.
• Council unanimously adopted the 2024 Employee Handbook for Talbot County, Maryland. The new handbook will go into effect on May 1, 2024.
• Council introduced Resolution No. 356, which, if approved, will formally decline an offer of dedication for the paper street portion of Calvert Avenue, located in Rio Vista, and subsequently authorize the execution of a quitclaim deed to convey a 4,195 square foot portion of the paper street to owners of the adjacent property, Grayson and Teresa Bowers. The public hearing will be held on April 23, 2024 at 6:30 PM.
• The Superintendent of Roads and County Facilities requested approval to award Bid No. 24-01, Exterior Repainting of Talbot County Courthouse and State’s Attorney Complex to the low bidder, J.A. Argetakis Contracting Co. in the sum of $58,000.  County Manager, Clay Stamp, stated that Brian Moore, Superintendent, will work with the contractor to bring the scope of work to within the amount budgeted in the FY24 Capital Outlay Request of $47,000; any additional funding needed would come from the FY24 Facilities Maintenance Budget. The request was approved unanimously.
• Easton Utilities requested a letter of support for their application for federal Section 219 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) Funding for water infrastructure modernization projects in the Town of Easton; no County funds are required. The request was approved unanimously. 
• The Department of Economic Development and Tourism requested a letter of support for Maryland Heritage Area Authority (MHAA) grant funding for the 419-mile portion of the National Scenic Byway from Chesapeake City, MD to Crisfield, MD to Smith Island, MD.  If approved, the funding would be utilized for physical byway signage.  The project is a partnership between the nine counties of Maryland’s Eastern Shore and the three heritage areas – Stories of the Chesapeake, Heart of the Chesapeake, and Beach to Bay.  Each of the nine counties will be required to commit $2,500 in funding; funding from Talbot County will be provided through the Department’s budget. The request was approved unanimously.
• Council unanimously approved sending a letter in opposition to Maryland HB558 Primary and Secondary Education – Comprehensive Health Education Framework – Established, in conjunction with the Talbot County Board of Education. A similar bill, HB0119, was introduced in last year’s session; Council also sent a similar letter of opposition at that time.
• County Manager Clay Stamp reminded citizens that the next Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Day will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2024.  The event will take place at the Queen Anne's County Public Works, 312 Safety Drive Centreville, MD 21617, between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., rain or shine.
• Council Member Dave Stepp and Council Vice President Pete Lesher reminded citizens that Talbot Day will be held on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Nominations for the Talbot Day Poster Contest and the Talbot Citizen and Service Award are due on April 1, 2024. Talbot Trivia and Bingo are now available on the County website so residents can get in the spirit of celebration of all things Talbot.

The Talbot County Council continues FY2025 budget discussions. All budget related meeting times can be found on the County website and are open to the public. The budget ordinance is scheduled to be introduced on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, which the Council declared a Special Legislative Day.

Council’s next legislative meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 9th 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 open to the public.

council highlights marys court public safety roads