Ellicott City has shown courage and resilience in response to two devastating floods. Our community is a symbol of strength, a center of commerce, and a jewel for our County, State, and Nation.

I am proud to share with you what I feel are the five best options for flood mitigation. Each option represents a comprehensive collection of flood mitigation projects that result in less water on Main Street than the previous plan and put public safety above all else.

By building the infrastructure necessary to improve public safety, we will create a future for Ellicott City that gives businesses a reason to invest, maintains the cultural value of Main Street, helps to protect our town from a changing climate, and makes us a national model for safety, strength, and resilience. You can watch the Phase II announcement here and read more about these plans on th e EC Safe and Sound website .

I was honored to join Chief Lisa Myers at the Howard County Police Department Awards Ceremony honoring our courageous officers. Our community can only thrive because of the hard work the men and women of the police department commit themselves to every day.

We talk about things like our school system and our parks and our quality of life, but the foundation of that quality of life is feeling safe. We would not feel safe without the strong efforts of our police department. To those who were honored, congratulations once again, and thank you to every officer and family member for the sacrifices made for the betterment of our community.

Celebrate the season in Old Ellicott City at our annual SpringFest. This free and family-friendly event offers 3 outdoor stages, including our beautiful new Riverside Stage located in Lot B. Enjoy classic rock and acoustic/folk mixed with a little bluesy funk from 20+ bands including favorites like Gayle Harrod Band, Dirty Secret, Kipyn Martin, Foreplay and Soul Island Rebels. We even have a samba parade band! 

Stage areas offer free family crafts, artisans, local food, wines and locally brewed craft beer from JailBreak Brewing, Manor Hill Brewing and Ellicott Mills Brewing Co. Sidewalk sales, outdoor dining, and free museums throughout town offer something for everyone. Free parking and shuttle service from county parking lots makes getting to the festival easy. For more information, check out Visit Old Ellicott City's website.

Money Matters

Sometimes in life we hit hard times, and our finances can spin out of control. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by financial matters, and are looking for help to devise a pathway forward, there is help available to you in Howard County. For this week’s Money Matters Moment, meet Renee McElroy, Financial Coach Program Coordinator with MakingChange.

Also, be sure to stop by the Howard County Money Matters Fair this Saturday, April 28 from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Columbia Mall (1st floor outside Lord & Taylor). Local businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits will be on hand to provide consumer counseling, financial planning, and other financial education services free of charge. A wealth of information will be available, along with interactive financial education geared toward people at every stage in life, from children through retirees. Registration not required. 

Tonight, Monday April 22nd, I will present my Fiscal Year 2020 Operating Budget to the Howard County Council for review and approval. The meeting will take place at 7:00 p.m. in the Banneker Room of the George Howard Building, 3430 Court House Drive in Ellicott City. The Council will hold a legislative public hearing following the presentation. To learn more, click here.

To view my proposed Fiscal Year 2020 Operating Budget, click here.

We have a lot to celebrate from this legislative session. I was proud to give testimony that helped make our community a stronger, safer and better place to live. This year will also bring historic, record-breaking funding from the state to Howard County. I was to thank the entire Howard County delegation for their hard work and I look forward to continuing to speak up on behalf of our residents in Annapolis. Here is a quick snapshot of some of the bills that passed this year.

Department of Fire and Rescue Services' Office of Emergency Management

Howard County’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is currently in the process of updating its Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) plan. The HIRA is an analysis of manmade and natural hazards that have impacted Howard County and our region in the past, as well as hazards that could impact us in the future. This analysis serves as a foundation for OEM and the county’s future emergency preparedness and planning efforts. As part of the HIRA update, we are seeking public participation in this 17-question survey. Your participation in this survey will help us gauge how natural disasters may impact you, your family, your business and even your pets. We thank you in advance for your help as we work towards ensuring our community is prepared for future disasters, should they strike. 

Department of Housing and Community Development

With a little more than a week to go in this quarter’s Moderate Income Housing Unit (MIHU) program open enrollment period, don’t miss out on your chance to call Howard County home. Managed by the county’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), MIHU is an inclusionary zoning program that requires developers of new communities to sell approximately 10 to 15 percent of the dwelling units to households of moderate income. MIHUs are sold at affordable prices set by DHCD. To learn more about MIHU home buying and rental programs, contact DHCD’s Housing Opportunities Programs Division at 410-313-6318 and select option two or visit DHCD's website.

Department of Planning and Zoning

The Department of Planning and Zoning’s 2018 Development Monitoring System report (DMS) is now available online. Divided into Residential and Non-Residential sections, the DMS report tabulates and analyzes recent and current development activity at each stage of the county’s land development review and approval process. Essentially, the DMS report summarizes all current year development activity in the county, as well as offers comparisons to previous year’s development activity dating back five years. 

Howard County Police Department

This past Wednesday, Howard County Police Department (HCPD) held its annual awards ceremony where it recognized officers, civilian employees and volunteers for their outstanding contributions to our community and police department. Wednesday’s ceremony highlighted many examples of great work done by agency members in 2018, such as the recipient of the department’s “Police Officer of the Year” award, PFC Elijah Cortez, and “Civilian of the Year” award, Kevin Costello.  

As a neighborhood community resource officer (NCRO) for Owen Brown, PFC Cortez has become well-known and respected in the Owen Brown neighborhood. His familiarity with the neighborhood has helped investigators close numerous criminal investigations that have further increased the quality of life for residents, business owners and community leaders.

A retired HCPD sergeant, Costello now serves as the department’s background section supervisor. His section oversees all background investigations for prospective employees and in 2018, his team conducted 355 background investigations and 182 polygraph exams. To make the process more efficient, Costello has streamlined several aspects of the process, all while maintaining HCPD’s rigorous background screening process.

To all of HCPD’s award recipients, CONGRATULATIONS and thank you for all you do to keep our residents and community safe at all times.

Department of Public Works (DPW)

A note from our friends at the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA). As SHA continues the widening of MD 32 from a two-lane road to a four-lane divided highway with shoulders from Linden Church Road to I-70, SHA will host an informational public meeting on Wednesday, May 15 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Glenelg High School to provide additional project information. Maps and displays will be provided and SHA representatives, as well as the Design-Build Team, will be on hand to answer questions. Construction on this set of roadway is scheduled to being summer 2019, with construction completed by summer 2022. For more information about this project, visit SHA’s website here. For questions and/or more information about this SHA project and/or public meeting, contact SHA Project Manager Jason Stolicny at 410-545-0379 or email jstolicny@sha.state.md.us or SHA Project Engineer Craig Lease at 667-240-2970 or email clease@sha.state.md.us.   

Department of Recreation & Parks

Calling all instructors and teachers! The county’s Department of Recreation & Parks is seeking independent contractors interested in instructing adult educational and recreational classes and programs in a variety of disciplines. Past programs have included fusion cooking, gluten-free baking and cooking, collage making, dog obedience classes and belly dancing.

Applicants must be at least 21 years of age and must provide proof of training or experience in the field they wish to teach. Selected applicants will be responsible for creating a course curriculum, the daily class operations and any administrative duties required by the program. Required skills include attention to detail, organizational skills and previous experience teaching or leading groups.

The DEADLINE to apply is Monday, May 13. To apply, contact Karen Bradley Ehler at 410-313-4635 or email kehler@howardcountymd.gov or Danielle Bassett at 410-313-4634 or email dbassett@howardcountymd.gov. 

Department of Transportation

In case you missed it in last week’s newsletter, MAJOR service route changes are coming to the Regional Transportation Agency of Central Maryland (RTA) starting Sunday, May 5.

Improvements include: scheduling adjustments to shorten wait times between buses and eliminate two-hour frequencies; all buses will now operate on 30-minute or one-hour intervals; new or expanded service on Sunday routes; three new routes to allow for more efficient rides with shorter travel times; and streamlined routes and schedules to make them easier to understand. These changes will make riding RTA more convenient, more reliable and more efficient. To learn more, visit www.transitrta.com/NewRoutes.