October 2023 Newsletter

Greetings!

This past weekend, I got the chance to celebrate Pride at Howard County's annual Pride event. Although I've been out to my loved ones for many years, I also took the opportunity to publicly declare my bi identity.

There were several events this year that led up to my decision to share this truth. This past June, it was incredibly meaningful to join County Executive Ball and other leaders to raise the pride flag at the George Howard Building in Ellicott City. Soon after, emails came in to my inbox - "It's too much, it's too loud," and, frankly, worse.

In August, the Maryland Supreme Court ruled that it was legal for a Catholic organization to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people, even if it was operating as a charity. This decision weakened the protections that were put in place by the state's anti-discrimination laws. Without legal protections, our community members are vulnerable to discrimination and abuse in all areas of life.

At Pride this past weekend, I decided I wanted to be crystal clear because it's never too late to be proud, or loud, about who you are. I’m queer and I'm honored to be part of our community and the creation of an inclusive Howard County.

Yours in service,

Christiana Rigby (she/her)

Councilwoman, District 3

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October 18, 2023

September Legislation Wrap-Up

On October 2nd, the County Council convened for our Legislative Session. The County Council took action on several pieces of legislation, including the following:

CB35-2023: An act authorizing step adjustments for purposes of pay equity, under certain conditions; requiring certain approvals by the Personnel Officer following an assessment and recommendation by the Human Resources Administrator; and generally relating to the rates of pay for County employees. This bill passed in a 5-0 vote. Introduced by the Chairperson at the request of the County Executive.

CB36-2023: An act amending the Pay Plan for Howard County; providing pay scales for certain public safety employees that shall be effective January 1, 2024; to correct a scale that applies to members of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 143; and generally relating to the Pay Plan for Howard County. This bill passed in a 5-0 vote. Introduced by the Chairperson at the request of the County Executive.

CB37-2023: An act removing the prohibition on owners of multiple residential properties from receiving the property tax credit for seniors and retired military personnel; and generally relating to property tax credits. This bill passed in a 3-2 vote with two members abstaining. Introduced by Councilmembers Deb Jung and David Yungmann.

October Legislation

New legislation was introduced at the October 2nd Legislative Session, including:

CR169-2023: A resolution adopting the Howard County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan. Introduced by the Chairperson at the request of the County Executive.

CR171-2023: A resolution pursuant to Title 5, Subtitle 3 of the Education Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, approving the Howard County Board of Education’s Capital Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2025 and Capital Improvement Program Request for Fiscal Years 2026-2030 for the purpose of submission to the Interagency Commission on School Construction. Introduced by the Chairperson at the request of the County Executive.

CB39-2023: An act amending the definitions of "Parking Area, Parking Facility or Parking Use" and "Solar Collector, Rooftop" to ensure that solar canopies are permitted by right uses on parking structures.; and generally relating to solar canopies. Introduced by Councilwoman Christiana Rigby.

CB40-2023: An act removing certain exemptions for stream restoration projects in the Forest Conservation Act, removing the definition of a stream restoration project, and generally relating to the Forest Conservation Act. Introduced by Councilmember Liz Walsh.

The legislation will be up for a vote at the Council's Legislative Session on November 6th at 7:00 PM.

VIEW COUNCIL LEGISLATION

TESTIFY AT A PUBLIC HEARING

VIEW COUNCIL CALENDAR

Howard County's General Plan

On October 11th, the Council approved Howard County's General Plan, HoCo By Design, in a four to one vote. The meeting was recorded and is available to the public online. The final version of HoCo By Design, updated with changes from amendments, will be posted to the Council's website in the next few weeks. The Council's votes on amendments can already be accessed online.

As we look forward to the future, I'd like to share the remarks I gave shortly before I voted in favor of HoCo By Design:

"Every ten years, our County engages in a planning process that guides our land use, growth, and development decisions for the next 20 plus years. During this time, we develop our County's General Plan. The basis of the General Plan is to inform the comprehensive rezoning process. This plan includes guidance for our housing, transportation, environment, schools, and more. All of these will determine how and where we grow, and what we conserve and preserve.

For over three years, the Department of Planning and Zoning engaged with thousands of residents, businesses, nonprofits, and other stakeholders to determine what changes and adaptation our communities desire, and how we can be resilient and prosperous in the future. Starting in March, the Council body reviewed the plan in a total of nine work sessions. We have heard from many residents; by email, phone, in community meetings, at the grocery store, and in three well-attended public hearings. During this time, we carefully considered the potential benefits and drawbacks of each policy statement and implementing action and their accompanying text.

This General Plan was carefully drafted to include a vision for the future of the County that seeks to address many of the primary concerns of our time - our housing crisis, our climate crisis, and many more. All these current challenges are the results of past policy choices and compounding inequities. This General Plan gets us one step closer to finding solutions to these crises by outlining the actions we want to take, as a County. Just as these issues and crises have been generations in the making, the solutions will not come overnight. And I'd be foolish to assume a future Council in 20 years will not be frustrated that we did not go far enough to support community housing stability and provide more avenues for children born here, to live here as adults.

It will take all of us working together to implement those solutions for generations now, and for future generations. That includes all of the residents of our County. I am so encouraged that this plan had the most public engagement of any other Howard County General Plan to date, and it has had comparatively more public engagement than our neighboring jurisdictions. I am grateful to every person who touched this plan. Whether as resident testifying or engaging in the public process, a County employee working on the plan, a business owner who testified, and more. Your voice is important, and I appreciate your contribution to this important process. I feel confident that the decisions we have made, as a body, are a step in the right direction."

Community News, Events, and Updates

MIHU October Enrollment

The Department of Housing and Community Development (DCHD) is now accepting applications for its Moderate Income Housing Unit (MIHU) homeownership program October open enrollment period.

Applications are available online and are due by 4:00 PM on Tuesday October 31st. Completed applications can be submitted online, mailed to 9820 Patuxent Woods Drive, Suite 224, Columbia, MD, 21046, or dropped off at DHCD's Patuxent Woods Drive office by appointment only.

Learn more by contacting DHCD's Housing Opportunities Programs Division at 410-313-6318, emailing [email protected], or visiting DHCD's open enrollment website.

Community Action Council Annual Coat Drive

The Community Action Council of Howard County has collected over 180 new winter coats over the past few weeks. Before the end of the month, CAC's goal is to collect another 180 winter coats. These coats will be given to Early Childhood Education students across the County.

If you are able to make a contribution, coats can be purchased from CAC's Amazon Wishlist or by emailing Community Outreach Specialist, Michael Werling at [email protected].

All contributions to the coat drive must be received by Friday, October 20th!

Reading Human Rights

Participate in a book discussion group hosted by the Office of Human Rights and Equity and the Howard County Library System on October 24th at 6:30 PM at the Elkridge Branch Library!

This month's discussion will focus on Judith Heumann's Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist.

Registration is required for this event. Learn more at the Howard County Library System website.

Veteran Owned Small Biz Expo

The Office of Veterans and Military Families, in partnership with the Economic Development Authority, will host its first Veteran Owned Small Biz Expo on Saturday, October 28th from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Maryland Innovation Center.

The Expo will highlight veteran owned small businesses such as books, authors, baked goods, local services and more. Other featured organizations include HERO Dogs, Dog Tag Bakery, Blue Star Families, Escape Velocity Academy soccer with a drone demonstration, the Orioles Bird, and the Health Department Office of Suicide Prevention. The event will also feature family friendly games, giveaways, music by the Washington Tattoo military and veteran musicians, and food provided by 1936 Food Truck and Double BBQ & Soul Food Experience.

Registration for this event is free!

Grassroots is Expanding

Grassroots Crisis Intervention has expanded! The Crisis Intervention, Mental Health, and Substance Use Disorder services has relocated to 8990 Old Annapolis Road, Suite A in Columbia.

The expansion helps Grassroots fulfill the increased demand for services in Howard County. The new location allows Grassroots to open a new Outpatient Mental Health Clinic.

The Grassroots Emergency Shelter will remain at its current location at 6700 Freetown Road in Columbia. People seeking services are asked to visit the new location at 8990 Old Annapolis Road, Suite A, in Columbia.

Learn more about Grassroots services!

Jewels for Hope Fundraiser

HopeWorks of Howard County is hosting their annual Jewels for Hope Fundraiser on Saturday, November 4th from 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM at Glen Mar United Methodist Church.

At the fundraiser, gently worn jewelry and scarves will be on sale to benefit HopeWorks. Hundreds of items will be on sale for $5.

All the proceeds will support HopeWorks' crisis intervention services for survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence, prevention education programs, and long-term wellness initiatives.

YEP! & PUSH

Through the County Executive's YEP! grants, the County is partnering with Columbia Community Care to expand the PUSH Program for middle and high school youth. This free afterschool program offers opportunities for sports and activities, mentorship, career workshops, and much more.

To learn more about PUSH and how to sign up, visit Columbia Community Care's website.

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!

Howard EcoWorks Watershed Tour

Earlier this month, the Council had the amazing opportunity to tour the Tiber-Hudson Watershed with Howard EcoWorks Executive Director Lori Lilly.

We first visited one of the few stormwater bump-outs in the County to see how these projects help make our streets safer and provide better stormwater management practices. For our second stop, we visited Saint Peter's Episcopal Church in Ellicott City to discuss the benefits of biochar for increasing water retention, especially for turf grass. At our final stop of the day, we learned about some of EcoWorks' stream restoration projects and new, innovative ideas to stream restoration. One of these new ideas includes making beaver dam analogs to control sediment movement and erosion.

Thank you so much to Lori Lilly for planning this tour!

Learn more about Howard EcoWorks and how you can get involved by visiting their website.