August 2023 Newsletter

Greetings!

Welcome to our August 2023 Newsletter!

As we head into the fall and return to routines, I wanted to reach out with resources that you may find helpful in this transitional time. In this newsletter you’ll find information regarding students returning to school, free community fitness events, and more. I hope that you are able to participate in some of the fabulous fall activities and outings in our community.

Please don't hesitate to contact my office if you are experiencing any issues in your community or would just like to get in touch. We are here to help with your concerns and listen to your feedback.

Wishing you a safe, happy, and healthy school year!

Yours in service,

Christiana Rigby (she/her)

Councilwoman, District 3

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August 24, 2023

July Legislation Wrap-Up

On July 31st, the County Council convened for our Legislative Session. The County Council took action on several pieces of legislation, including the following:

CB33-2023: An act for purposes of the property tax credit for real property owned by certain disabled law enforcement officers or rescue workers, amending the definition of disabled law enforcement officer or rescue worker; and generally relating to the property tax credit for real property owned by certain law enforcement officers or rescue workers. This bill passed, as amended, in a 5-0 vote. Introduced by the Chairperson at the request of the County Executive.

CB34-2023: An act altering a certain provision of law when the County Purchasing Agent may award a contract for supplies and services without competition; requiring the County Purchasing Agent to forward a proposed contract to the County Council for review and comment; requiring the County Purchasing Agent to review certain comments by the County Council under certain circumstances; and generally relating to purchasing. This bill passed, as amended, in a 4-1 vote. Introduced by Councilmember Deb Jung.

CR128-2023: A resolution adopting the School Capacity Chart, pursuant to the Adequate Public Facilities Act of Howard County, to designate the elementary school regions, and the elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools constrained for new residential development during each of the following ten years as based on the definition of program capacity as defined by Howard County Public School System policy and requiring a certain joint special work meeting in accordance with Section 16.1103(d) of the Howard County Code. This resolution passed in a 5-0 vote. Introduced by the Chairperson at the request of the County Executive.

CR129-2023: A resolution adopting the Housing Unit Allocation Chart pursuant to the Adequate Public Facilities Act of Howard County. This resolution passed in a 5-0 vote. Introduced by the Chairperson at the request of the County Executive.

August Legislation

The County Council is on recess during the month of August. Legislation for the month of September will be pre-filed on Thursday, August 24th for introduction in September.

VIEW COUNCIL LEGISLATION

TESTIFY AT A PUBLIC HEARING

VIEW COUNCIL CALENDAR

Community News, Events, and Updates

Back to School Information

The first day of school in Howard County is Monday, August 28, 2023! We have included important information below about the upcoming school year.

Student Meals:

Starting this year, HCPSS will no longer use Nutrislice for menus or meal payments. The new portal, LINQ Connect, allows families to view breakfast and lunch menus, make online payments, monitor accounts, schedule payments, and submit online applications for the Free and Reduced Meals Program. Learn more about the new portal by visiting the Food Services website.

HCPSS encourages households to complete Free and Reduced Meal applications, based on your household income eligibility.

Back-to-School Nights:

Back-to-School Nights are back! Each Howard County school will have a New Student Orientation and a Back-to-School Night in the coming weeks; some schools will offer an open house as well.

Back-to-School Nights give parents/guardians the opportunity to see what their child’s school experience is like and the chance to ask teachers questions about the upcoming school year. You can find more information about New Student Orientation and Back-to-School Night on HCPSS's Back to School web page.

Wondering How to Prepare for the First Day of School?

For school supplies lists, visit this website.
For transportation and bus services, visit this website.
For school start times, visit this website.

Human Rights Commission's Awards

The Howard County Human Rights Commission is seeking nominations for its 2023 James E. Henson, Sr. and Jean W. Toomer Individual, Dr. Murray Simon Student, and Colette Roberts Organization awards. If you know an individual or organization that has made significant contributions to human and civil rights in Howard County, please nominate them by August 31st at 5:00 PM.

Learn more about the awards and complete a nomination form.

Labor Day Collections

Labor Day is a slide holiday for trash, recycling, and yard trim collections. If your collections take place on Monday, they will slide to Tuesday. Tuesday collections will slide to Wednesday, and so forth.

Be prepared for the next holiday by finding out which holidays side at the Bureau of Environmental Services website.

LIFT Fund

The Howard County Economic Development Authority's Leveraging Investment for Future Transformation "LIFT" Fund allows EDA to provide microloans ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 to small businesses in Howard County. This loan program primarily serves minority-owned, women-owned, and veteran-owned small businesses.

Learn more about the Economic Development Authority and the LIFT Fund at hceda.org.

Yoga & Boot Camp at the Chrysalis

As part of the Summer Moves Series, the Columbia Association and Inner Arbor Trust host yoga and boot camp classes at the Chrysalis. These events are free, open to public, and designed to be accessible to individuals of all skill levels. Below are upcoming dates for these classes:

Yoga, August 28th from 6:00 to 7:00 PM
Yoga, September 11th from 6:00 to 7:00 PM
Boot Camp, September 18th from 6:00 to 7:00 PM
Yoga, September 25th from 6:00 to 7:00 PM
Boot Camp, October 2nd from 6:00 to 7:00 PM

View the full calendar of classes at the Columbia Association's website.

Medicaid Check-In

Maryland Medicaid Renewal is not automatic this year! To ensure you receive a renewal notice in the mail or through email, make sure your contact information is updated. Once you receive a notice, you will have 45 days to respond and renew coverage.

Construction Projects

Stay up to date on construction projects throughout Howard County by using the Construction Projects Map! The interactive map allows you to sort through active, on hold, and complete projects from Recreation & Parks and the Department of Public Works.

View the map using this link.

Christiana's Climate Corner

Welcome to Christiana's Climate Corner, where I will be sharing updates on environmental and sustainability efforts in Howard County, including information on legislation, events, and opportunities for you to support sustainability efforts in our community!

Trash Talk!

I am thrilled that Howard County's Green Bin Composting is expanding to additional trash zones in Kings Contrivance. Starting on September 18th, residents will be able to sign up to receive industrial composting services, with the first collections expected to occur before Thanksgiving. The Department of Public Works will be distributing information directly to residents.

If you currently have a backyard compost bin, or no compost at all, industrial composting is a huge upgrade. Industrial composting greatly expanded the amount of food scraps that can be composted. For example, if you have a backyard compost bin, you are limited to using it for fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee, and other natural materials. When using an industrial compost bin, these materials are expanded to dairy products, meat and bones, baked goods, pastas, and more.

If this expansion does not cover your neighborhood, you can still participate in backyard composting. Stop by the Bureau of Environmental Services located at 9801 Broken Land Parkway to receive a free backyard composting bin.

Learn more about Howard County's Green Bin Composting by visiting feedthegreenbin.org.

This expansion has been years in the making and it is so exciting to see it finally come to life. I want to thank Pearl Seidman, the Kings Contrivance Village Board, the Bureau of Environmental Services, and others in the community for their advocacy, support, and collaboration. Our community members are incredibly passionate and dedicated to creating change and making our County greener. This truly was a community lead effort!