This meeting is being recorded. Good afternoon. This is the Council Special Legislative Session in which we will give final consideration to the fiscal year 2026 proposed budget legislation introduced on May 5, 2025. This legislative session is being conducted as a hybrid meeting, which is available in person and virtual via WebEx. It is also available to the public through live stream on the Howard County Council website and broadcast on channels 44 if you're Verizon 99 and 1071 if you're Comcast. At this time I will do a roll call for our council members Dr. Jones. Good afternoon everyone. Good afternoon Miss Young. Here. Miss Rigby. afternoon, and Mr. Youngman. Here. We will now recite the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the public, which stands one nation under God, in indivisible liberty and justice for all. A Monday, June 2nd, at 7 p.m. the Council will hold a legislative session in which legislation will be introduced for June and will give final consideration for the remaining non-budget legislation which was introduced on May 5th. Moving on to our agenda. Mrs. Herd, would you please read the legislation for final consideration? The following legislation is introduced by the chairperson at the request of the county executive unless otherwise noted. Council bill 45, 2025. Use of excess surplus revenue up to $14,500,000. FY 26 operating budget of the Board of Education Emergency Act. I move to approve CB 45 20 25. Second. I move to approve amendment one to CB 45 20 25. Second. I move to approve a amendment one, two amendment one, two CB 45. Second. All right. I will throw in any other amendments to this. Are there? No? OK. Amendment 1 to, well, overview here for those of you who might not have had an opportunity to read it. Did everybody on the literal same page? OK. Give everyone a minute to get there. Okay. All right. So I have several amendments to the budget that would move $4.5 million to Howard County public school systems special education category. Because I am moving Pego, I need to amend CB 45. Pego is excess surplus. Office of law, Gary. Just in case you need to explain this. Office of law, advise that this is a necessary step. And if anybody has any questions about that, you can feel free to ask them. We have had a number of discussions about what exactly this all means. But I am making several changes to my original amendment one and then adding some new things to, by through a amendment one a amendment one. So amendment one to amendment one to CB 45 initially removed $500,000 from park resurfacing as a pay go cut and also removed a million dollars from transform constituent services as a pay go cut. That has been amended by a amendment one and by through a amendment one, I have put a amendment one, two amendment one. I put the transformed constituent services back into Pego operating and removed $1 million from OPEB. OPEB was specifically, and this $1 million included an extra or OPEB in general in FY26, included an extra one time appropriation of $2.5 million in addition to the $11 million annual payment, which includes the funds for Howard Community College and HCPSS. There's also $2.5 million in unobligated funds to OPEB for FY25, in case of unexpected overages before the end of the fiscal year. Because the annual contribution meets our current liabilities, I'm reducing the extra contributions by a small amount to help our schools maintain current levels of service. The other area where I am taking money out is, as I already mentioned, the parks resurfacing in a Mema 1. And let's see, there was one more. Three, oh, parks and wrecks, private forest easement for 350K. And we would first need to vote, obviously, on a memo. One to a memo, one, which contains the $1 million pay go cut from CO380, which we added back in and the $1 million that we took out instead from OPEB and $350,000 that I removed from park in Rex' private forest easement. So I don't know if anybody has any questions that they would like to ask about these amounts, but I would guess now would be the ton. I think I just want to remind the body that we need to do this quite quickly so that way we can get the signature of the executive. So that's the only input I will add about CB 45 at this time. That's what I ask if anybody had any questions. Okay. Ms. Hare, would you please call the vote on amendment one to amendment one to CB 45. Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? No. Ms. Young? Yes. Absolutely. Ms. Rigby? I don't want to cut from school retirees. My answer is no. Mr. Youngman. Yes. Amendment 1 to amendment 1 to CB 45 passes. Is there any further discussion of... I guess I have a script for this. Is there any further discussion of amendment 1 to CB 45? Has moving seconded. Is there any discussion? Ms. Herr, would you please call the vote on amendment one as amended to CB 45 2025? Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? No. Ms. Scheng? Yes. This total amendment adds 1.85 million to this that would would ultimately go to the school district. It's not a lot of money, but it's something to help them bridge the gap of the 14.9 million that they're looking at right now. I am hopeful that we can get one more vote, but if we can't, I can only say that I tried very hard to make sure that the cuts that I did make from this budget were done with a scalpel, not with a cleaver, and that I was very responsive to the administration, in particular Ms. Gance, who was very concerned about losing her million dollars from her transformational constituent services. And I wanted to make sure that I was not removing anything that was critical to the administration in the course of this amendment. So the answer is yes, I definitely vote for it. Mr. Riebby? No. Mr. Youngman? No. A amendment 1 to CB 45 fails. Is there any further discussion of amendment number 1 to CB 40? Wait a minute 40 our council bill 45 to council bill 45 Thank you, Mrs. Herod. Is there any further discussion of CB 45? Mr. Herod would you please call the vote on CB 45 chair wall. Yes Dr. Jones absolutely yes Miss Sean Yes Mr. Rickney? Yes. Dr. Jones. Absolutely. Yes. Miss Zhang. Yes. Miss Rikby. Yes. Mr. Youngman. Yes. CB 45 for passes unanimously. Are we taking a recess now then? All right. We will take a 15 minute recess and we'll resume at about one o'clock. Thank you. So do you start just by reading the next one? Is that what happens? Yes, I can start with reading the next one. Okay. SAO 1 FY 2025 supplementary budget and appropriation ordinance department of public works $2 million. I move to approve SAO 1 FY 2025. Second. SAO 1 FY 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mr. Tarrad please call the vote on SA01 FY 2025. Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Miss Young. Yes. Miss Rigby. Yes. Mr. Youngman. Yes. SA01 FY 2025 passes. Thank you. Council Bill 32 2025 emergency appropriation risk management self insurance fund $500,000. I move to approve CB 32 2025. Second. CB 32 2025 has been been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Tarrad please call the vote on CB 32 20 25. Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Young. Yes. Mr. Rigby. Yes. Ms. Stryungman. Yes. CB 32 20 25 passes. Council Resolution 88 20 25. Board of Education, physical year 2025, operating budget transfer and supplemental appropriation. I move to approve CR 88 2025. Second. CR 88 2025 has been moved and seconded is there any discussion? Mr. Tarrad, would you please call the vote on CR-882025? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Young. Yes. Ms. Frigby. Yes. Ms. Tree Youngman. Yes. CR-88 passes. Council Bill 34, 2025. Pay plan for physical year 2026. I move to approve CB 34, 2025. Second. I move to approve amendment one to CB 34. Second. Well, there's also two amendments to amendment one. Do you have a vote? I move to approve amendment one to amendment one to CB 34. Second. Is that good? I can amendment one. I'm amendment two to amendment one. So, um, yeah, that's one. Technical correction. So amendment one to amendment one makes a technical correction just to in the description of the amendment to clarify why the PM schedule was substituted. Amendment one as amended by amendment one inserts pay scales for members of local 2000 and fire management. It corrects a rounding error in the D schedule. It adds a rate that was inadvertently emitted from one of the cells in the P schedule. It corrects the PM schedules and it corrects a date on the RLC schedule. Okay, thank you. Amendment 1 to amendment 1 to CB 34, 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mr. Chair, would you please call the vote on amendment 1 to amendment 1 to CB 34? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Jones. Yes. Ms. Bergman. Yes. Amendment 1 to amendment 1 to CB 34 passes. I move to approve amendment 2 to amendment 1. I'm sorry, that's what you're saying. Second. Amendment 2 to amendment 1 corrects a cell in one of the pay scales. Okay, thank you. Amendment 2 to amendment 1 to CB 34 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Chair, would you please call the vote on amendment two to amendment one to CB 34? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Young. Yes. Ms. Rigby. Yes. Mr. Youngman. Yes. Amendment two to amendment one to CB 34 2025 passes. Amendment one to CB 34 as amended has been moved and seconded. is there any discussion? Mrs. Hared would you please call the vote on amendment one to CB 34 as amended has been moved and seconded is there any discussion. Mrs. Hared would you please call the vote on amendment one to CB 34 as amended. Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Miss Xiang? Yes. Miss Rigby? Yes. Miss Triangman? Yes. Amendment one to CB 34 2025 as amended passes. CB 34 2025 as amended. How has been moved and seconded? Is there any discussion? Mrs. Tarrad, would you please call the vote on CB 34 as amended? Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Young? Yes. Ms. Frigbee? Yes. Ms. Dury Youngman? Yes. CB34 as amended passes. Council Bill 35, 2025 classification, plan amendment, director and deputy director of the Department of General Services. I move to approve CB35 2025. Second. CB35 2025 has been moved and seconded, is there any discussion. Mrs. Herod, would you please call the vote on CB 35, 2025. Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Jones. Yes. Ms. Rigby. Yes. Ms. Trigangman. Yes. CB 35, 2025 passes. Council Bill 36, 2025, appropriation ordinance physical year 2026. I move to approve CB 36 2025. Second. I move to approve amendment one to CB 36 2025. Second. So amendment one to council bill 36 makes mostly technical corrections in the general fund. Do you want me to go through each of those in the description? No, thank you. Amendment one to CB 36. No, amendment one, where am I? I've already lost my page. Amendment one. Amendment one to CB36 has been moved and seconded. Is there any further discussion? Mr. Hared, would you please call the vote on amendment one to CB36? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Young. Yes. Ms. Rigby. Yes. Ms. Tree Youngman? Yes. Amendment 1 to CB 36, 2025 passes. I move to approve amendment 2 to CB 36. Second. This amendment moves a total of 4,200,000. Actually since the first amendment did, was not successful, I have not actually read down the numbers, but it won't be 4,200,000. But it will be rather 200,000 in debt service from the commercial band fund, 2,500,000 in capital outlay funding from prior Terry fund in the operating budget to the operating budget to Howard County public schools. And I move to approve a amendment one to amendment two. To CV 36. Is there a second? Second. Thank you. This amendment increases the proposed non-departmental pay-go reduction. That let's see. We just, well, this council just voted that down, the 1,850. But let me go back to do this. Okay. CB, well, it's yeah. I have to get myself together here now. Okay. Amendment 2 reduces 500,000 pay go and parks resurfacing reduces 1 million pay go in transform constituent management reduces 2,500,000 in fleet operations and reduces 200,000 bond anticipation notes from dead services. That was the original amendment two. Amendment one to amendment two were basically some drafting errors that left out reductions and revenues that needed to be made in order to reduce certain expenditures. It also identified some new reductions to enable the restoration of Pego to the transform constituent services capital project. And in particular, this took out $515,000 in fleet. Specifically, when I reviewed the vehicle replacement list, I was pleased to see how many hybrid vehicles there were on the list. And I want to thank Robert Phillips at fleet for hearing my multi-year request to modernize our fleet with hybrid vehicles. The small reduction in the FY26 appropriation that I made represents the totals for replacing vehicles that are around the same age as my car. And ones that are not hybrid vehicles or being used by public safety. There's plenty of money left in the appropriation to replace old backlog vehicles. And I didn't touch those amounts because I wanted to make sure that our county employees would feel safe with the equipment that they use. This also includes a $1,250,000 reduction at as a general fund charge back reduction from DPW. And this is also from fleet. Again, I want to thank Robert Phillips for diversifying our fleet with hybrid vehicles. As a result, our fuel usage peaked at an historic high of 4.5 million in FY 23 and has been declining ever since. A conservative average of fuel consumption is between 3.5 million to 3.9 million per year. I decreased the FY26 appropriation of 5.184 million by the difference of the highest fuel usage average. Chargebacks are simply an accounting method to account for internal expenditures. Reductions in chargebacks do not affect services. And then we have the OPEB Pego, which we've already described, and that was a reduction of $1 million, but that is now not part of this amendment because that was voted out. And the private forest easements at $350,000 was also voted out in CB-45. And there is one more part of this amendment, which is lease payments, DGS. So this number represents the difference between the actual and budgeted costs of the leases. So $385,000. And let's see, finally, there is commercial ban, which we also removed, and that was for debt service. That is a reduction of $200,000 from the General Fund. So the original amount of this amendment, I think, was 4.5 million, 4.2 million, minus 1,850 help. Can anybody do that, Matt F Matt? Mr. Cook, would we need to do an amendment to an amendment? I would need an amendment to an amendment. Well, we can't amend the amendment, but I don't, I'm not certain. I would defer to Mr. Cook about passing since CRCB 45 did not pass. I mean the amendments did not pass. Ms. Young, would you be able to explain about commercial ban? And what it's used for and what the impact on the budget will be? My understanding is that there would be very little. If any. But could you explain for the public about commercial do you utilize commercial ban? I think I explained it already, but let's see. Let me go back to where we were talking about that. Commercial ban was, let's see, debt service. And actually I'm not very good at explaining this. So maybe Mr. Cook could explain it or our auditor could explain commercial ban. And why $200,000 is not going to have an impact on our budget. I think I understand the amount. I think the issue is, I just want to make sure that the public understands. I think the audit would probably be better discussing that than me. I don't want to venture, but I believe the commercial bet. I'm sorry. I'm not in a position to articulate on it at this time, so I'd rather defer to Cook Gary Okay, nobody can explain commercial business. He lay with public like to explain it Yeah, I would defer to the Department of Finance because they understand the instruments that finance uses to finance the county's debt. The only thing I think I can really add to this conversation is that the council doesn't have the power to cut a provision for debt service on obligations that are outstanding. That would be the only tidbit that I would add to the conversation. And do you see that is falling into this category? Well, it would depend on the facts, which I don't have. Okay. All right. Thanks. Okay, we're on a amendment two. Yeah. I'm amendment two to amendment two. I don't know if there's any other questions or I'm going to choose. Oh, okay. Good afternoon, Councillor Chair. Wait a minute. Director Healey, if you're about to argue against an amendment that's pending, you're going to tell us. I thought I was invited to give the facts. Oh, that's it No argument just passed All right, go ahead and do what he else could answer that was embarrassing Please go ahead Mr. Cook just explained We can take money from A death service, Bond and special notes is a debt service and we avoid the internet agreement with Bank of America who we now have a line with so for $150 million to allow us to be able to carry out our capital projects. Okay, I have no idea what you just don't either. So my understanding of this, if I understand it correctly, you're cutting $200,000 from this. Yes. And you just said we have a $150 million line of credit with Bank of America? Yes, once you enter an arrangement, you have to pay the debt service, which is the interest cost to the bank for that amount. And what we have in the budget is the debt service for that line of credit. And no more. No more. Exactly the amount of interest on that line of credit. Based on our projections, yes. I'm waiting for my budget book, but what? You have a question, please go ahead. It's, this is the budget category that's interest only on the line, right? Yes. So we budget the ups and downs and when we're gonna do bottom into it since to clean it up and Like that's the projection for how much interest we're gonna need to pay to be available in the line during the year Yes, okay like an equity line on your house. Yes, you're correct Actually 200k is the difference between the actual and the budget. That's what I'm actually thinking. Yes, that's what we found. That was why we put it in. We might borrow it. And that's why we're so little. The FY26 proposed amount for this line item is $2.2 million. And as we noticed also in the budget book that BANs is historically overestimated and there's always money left at the end of the year. Mr. Rahulie. And then we use the BAN in prior to the issue and sub the bond so that way capital work can begin. Is that correct? Correct, yes. Thank you. It's used as a to pay off our vendors until we redeemed the bonds when we now issue the 30, 20 bonds or 30 bonds. Right, because that work is happening outside the bonds cycle. The bond sale cycle. Yes, you can't just keep issuing bonds all the time. Thank you. Mr. Cook, there's something that we need to do though since the first amendment in 45 didn't pass in this references those amounts. recommendation would be to have an amendment three, I guess from the floor to amendment. Is it amendment three to amendment two. And then just have what you can do in that amendment three to two, as opposed to trying to walk through what's still alive in amendment two to two and then Ms. Walsh has an amendment two to two after. Right and I want to make sure that we're in the right space so that Ms. Walsh's amendment can be voted on appropriately. Did amendment one, two amendment, two get legal sufficiency? I'm sorry, Ms. Walts, which amendment to two? One, the one we're talking about. Amendment one. Amendment one, two, amendment two. Yes, the answer is yes. OK, so. So I will answer your question as I ask me whether it's legal or sufficient. It got sufficiency provided that the reductions on page two basically lines 14 through 18, which address debt service is not striking a provision for debt service on obligations outstanding. Is that with the letter of the memo came back? Is that what it said? Or is that something you're telling the amendments monster right now? Ms. Young? Can I answer that question? So. I'm going to go ahead and ask for a second. I'm going to go ahead and ask for a second. I'm going to go ahead and ask for a second. I'm going to go ahead and ask for a second. I'm going to go ahead and ask for a second. I'm going to go ahead and ask for a second. I'm going to go ahead and ask for a second. I'm going to go ahead and ask for a second. I'm going to go ahead and ask for a second. answer is yes I believe that yeah yeah yeah yeah it Yeah. It was provided previously. OK. Yep. And so you did confirm that it was? Again, I don't know the facts about the outstanding and the relationship of the ban and questions. Wasn't it anything? Yeah. Nothing about the facts. No, we don't have the facts. We're just reviewing it based on the language of the amendment. OK, but given that caveat, did you go back and verify facts? No, we didn't have time to do that. We were working on these with today Wednesday, Monday and Tuesday. Okay. We were busy trying to make sure that we had enough money in here to give the school districts something worthwhile. So Mr. Cook, your recommendation is that what happened that we have another amendment to a amendment two that addresses the fact that there I'm sorry. So Mr. Cook your recommendation is that what happened that we have another amendment to amendment two that addresses the fact that there is not the ability to go after capital pay go. The recommendation at least on I guess we're on amendment two. Yes. Any of amendment two or any of the amendments to that amendment that assume certain things happen with CB-45 that now haven't happened, my recommendation would be that the sponsor of that amendment modify it accordingly based on what can be done at this point in light of the status of CB 45. Okay. I got it. Okay. So do I need to then recommend amendment three to amendment two? Yes. Yes. Well, a amendment for it, because I'm passing around a amendment three to amendment two Yes, well amendment four because I'm passing around amendment three. Oh You're ready amendment three Okay Do and just just for the record right so right now what's been moved is amendment two to CB 36 and then amendment one to amendment two to CB 36. So it may be that after Ms. Young's amendment Ms. Walsh's additional amendment are sorted out, you know, want to perhaps withdraw depending amendment one to amendment two and proceed from there. But to discuss amendment three, we'd have to move amendment three. Correct. To amend to two. Okay. Well, amendment one is still pending. Yeah. You guys tell us we have sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Well, those really are the two options where you can vote with it vote on it not with standing Okay,, do you have a preference miss you on this? I mean it's bonzer I Don't have a preference. We can vote on it not with standing I'm sure that there are not three votes on this county council to pass it So I think we should just move ahead. Okay so yeah okay yeah. All right Mrs. Herod. Would you please call the vote on amendment one to amendment two to council bill number 36. Chair wall. Yes. Dr. Jones. No. Miss Young. Absolutely yes. Miss Rikby. No. Mr. Youngman. Yes. Amendment 1 to amendment 2 to Council Bill number 36 passes. Okay. I am not moving amendment 2 to amendment 2 which is in your book hopefully. That one assumed that the amendment that CB would have not even talked moving it. So this amendment number three to amendment two to council bill that I just handed you I moved to. What is the wording? I moved to approve amendment 3 to amendment 2 to council bill number 36. Second. So this amendment 3 supposes what has already happened this morning which is a majority of the council rejected amending CB 45 to exceed the 14 and a half million that the executive added to the school budget by emergency legislation. amendment three then attempts to do or proposes to do is to find specifically the $8 million that was referenced in the executive's May 8th letter to the Board of Education. As you recall, we discussed at length in our Friday work session the three proposals that the executive made to the board as a solution to fund a significant gap still in Howard County Public School System services just to maintain services as is. That is just to prevent a list of horrors that we already experienced in the last fiscal year. In our conversations with both the Board of Education and with Superintendent Barnes and his staff. It seemed as though there was some wiggle room with regard to using the General Fund which was the executive's proposal number two and to adjusting investment income projections so as to increase projected revenue which was the executive's proposal number three. But where the hard stop seemed to be both with the board and with the superintendent was touching their health fund, which was what was proposal number one in the May 8th letter from the executive to the superintendent. The last time I was chair of this council four years ago, we finally finished closing the hole that was left in that health fund when we took office in 2018. That was a $40 million hole. And finally, we filled that scrap together and then we find that and it has been solvent. The testimony we heard from board members and from the school system on Friday was that that is not a place to be looking for extra money and to be repurposing for regular operating expenses. So the purpose of this amendment three is to find the $8 million that's needed to plug that specific whole proposed by the executive and his May 8th letter so that the school system does not have to get into its health fund. And so you'll see there are a number of proposals that does latch onto the debt service. But in large part it is going after our fleet fund, which is funded again, handsomely through operating, non-departmental operating budget, P go. And in my view is not as important as keeping intact what we still have in place in our school system. As many of you may know, the executive senate letter just yesterday making new claims about the wherewithal of our school system to find giant pockets of money and fund its operating expenses with that. I think that is at this point of farce. We need to do something serious to keep that school system intact. To me, serious is at least $8 million. That was as high as a number as I thought a majority of you could handle. But again, this presupposes that you wouldn't allow amendment to take it out of so-called one-time expenses and funds that funds from everywhere else. I will remind you that according to last year's or fiscal year 24's Act for Released in January of 2025, this county is sitting on almost half a billion dollars in general fund. This county preserves not 3%, but 10% in so-called rainy day funds in the amount of $43 million. And this operating budget has numbers of other contingencies, emerging needs that in many cases weren't used when they were called the same thing in last year's operating budget. This is too big an item I think for us to look away. I think it will have serious consequences that an entire generation of school children and educators will feel. I strongly hope that you figure out a way to vote positively to this amendment three to amendment two. Any other discussion? Mrs. Howard, what? The timing of these amendments, and I know the amendment I have for earlier, I mean, for later discussion, which I'm not going to move by the way, the timing of it, a lot happened since then, as I understand, superintendent, board of education, the school system, conversations have been happening. So you mentioned the work sessions last week. I know when I filed my amendment, certain things had not happened yet. As I understand, there's discussions about support from the school system side. While it may be a concern to use one time funding, I understand that there is support from the school system to handle some of this. So given that this was given to us today, do you still think that this would be a better move than what the school system is supposing? To somewhat meet the county executive or I should say the county side with the 14 and a half mill? Yes. The deficit that was identified by the school superintendent after, you know, some discussion on the operating budget was just to keep the school system whole. The school system needed to find $29.2 million for call. And after that announcement and some work sessions and some conversations, probably among a whole host of stakeholders, on May 5th, after an April 21st budget, on May 5th, the executive sent this letter to Chair Mosley of the Board of Education saying, I can find, I'll file this emergency letter, or actually no, that's not true. First, the letter went out that said, find the money yourself in these three categories. In the health fund, in the general fund balance, and in reprojecting your investment income. I think within days, we then found out about this emergency legislation C-B-45 that we voted on earlier. That puts an additional 14 and a half million dollars into the school system, meaning the school system in order to bridge that 29.2 cap needed to find the delta. And so for each of those three categories in the May 5th letter, the executive identified, what the corresponding savings would be. And so those were the three categories we went through with the board and the superintendent during Friday's work session. And for two and three, for the general fund balance and for the investment income, it seemed like there was flexibility. In fact, Brian Holt said they'd already made the changes to the investment income and given the $5 or so million in general funds surplus right now, that was possibly workable. But the place that seemed to me to still be off limits in their view, but the board and the superintendent's was this health fund. And so I ended that work session by saying, I'm going to find $8 million in our operating budget and I'm going to make an amendment unless I get some call or assistance from the executive or the superintendent. It's like, hold off Liz, you don't need to. Of course, I called in come because the schools at Bear Bones right now, so that was this amendment. And I apologize. I was supposed to have, well, I intended to have two and three, and perhaps got a little optimistic about my colleague's willingness to add the simple one and a half million. That was the original amendment one to CB 45. So I did presume that we would have passed an amendment to CB 45, but CB 33 or amendment three to amendment two is what we call the disaster scenario, which I was hopeful would not obtain, which is we voted down adding more than the 14 and a half million dollars extended by an executive who is sitting on half a billion dollars in general fund balance. And that's based on fiscal year 2024. We don't have the numbers for fiscal year 2025. At least this council doesn't and the public doesn't. Eight million dollars to keep our schools intact does not seem like a big lift to me. And the consequences of not extending that dollar value, I think are quite disastrous. And so therefore, a amendment three is the disaster scenario, a amendment. I'll just briefly say in response, I'll just briefly say in response to add to the $14.5 million is a mischaracter in my mind. is a mischaracter in my mind. The counting executive coming up with... The $14.5 million is a mischaracter in my mind. The county executive coming up with $14.5 million is totally different than the council coming up with $10.1 because any red scent that we come up with, we're pulling from somewhere else. That's so to just say to exceed $14.5 or to put on top of, it's a deeper conversation. And I just want to say that I will be labor the issue. I know we're running out of time here, so. Okay, and I'll answer that concern. We got as part of our budget work session analysis, a list of, from last recall, last year in the operating budget book, there was a list of $78 million worth of recipients of alleged one-time costs that were lots of things that sounded like things police or that people needed all the time. And the example I kept using was ammunition by the police. That was on a one-time list. But what we also got as part of our work session analysis was the funds that weren't spent or weren't yet allocated or appropriated or encumbered or whatever the vowel word is that starts with, you know, that means it went somewhere else. $10 million of that or $6 million of that last year. $10 million was housing opportunities trust fund still remained in the general fund and had not been transferred to that fund. Another 6 million dedicated to fleet had not been moved to that internal service fund. And so that is what made my amendment and our analysis focus on fleet because there was 6 million dollars that were still sitting in general fund as of April, whatever day, 24th, when we pulled the analysis about what funds have been spent from prior pay-go expenses. This isn't, this is, that, you know, to me that was a recognition that we're not spending what we say we're going to spend and we're doing that at the expense of a year-by-year operating budget of a school system that teaches 55,000 kids every single day. Anything else on amendment three, two amendment two? To council bill number 36? Ms. Haire, would you please call the vote on amendment three to amendment two to council bill number 36? Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones. No. Ms. Zhang. Yes. I'm sorry that your amendment will not have any better luck than in my amendments and that we're in the same boat here Ms. Walsh. And it's disappointing that we can't find a way to bridge that gap for the school district, for our students, for our teachers, for our staff. We know that our Howard County schools are what draw people to this county. And supporting them is one of the most important things we can do as county with our budget. So again, my response to this amendment is yes. Ms. Rigby. I'm gonna clarify a few things for folks out there. One, I'd like to read from an email that I received as a parent. And this is from the superintendent. And he sent this to all parents, students, staff, everyone on the council, and yet it wasn't mentioned. On May 13th, he says yesterday's announcement provides the Board of Education with more viable options to balance the FY 2026 operating budget. If there is a person I trust, it's him over pretty much any elected official. The second thing is that we started off this session by approving a transfer from contingency. Why is that? That's for snow removal. This body made a decision a few years ago, a majority of this body made a decision a few years ago to not budget, you know, for snow removal in a way that would cover snow removal. And so we often have these SAOs at the end of the year. And so this is actually pulling from the same place that we transferred at the beginning of this session. Secondly, or thirdly, I think at this point, those reserves are at the urging of our credit raging agencies. Maryland has just received a downgrade. The federal government has just received a downgrade. The result of a downgrade would be that we are paying more money, just to borrow money to build things like schools, like fire stations. It would be reckless to do what has been suggested to do what has been suggested and to go after a significant portion of that reserve. That number is based on sound financial guidance, not feelings from elected officials. So my vote on this amendment is no. Mr. Youngerman. I was going to wait till later to say this, but it's in context of what you guys just said. We're asking the school system to spend some of its fun balance, which essentially equates to money that the county funded the school system that didn't need or didn't spend. And that happens every year and happens in county government, which is how we end up with Pego. And each year, when we've asked the school system to dip into fund balance, we've had the same conversation. And then the following year they have more fund balance. We dip into it again, fund balance. That's how it goes. It is part of the money that the taxpayers have funded to county government and county government, it's funded to school system that it didn't need or didn't spend or whatever. It's simply just being appropriated to the next year. And at the end of this year, they're going to add to that fun balance again. So I can't understand why a win-win solution that was worked out between county government and the school system became not a win and became a loss or not enough of a win or whatever the case might be. But superintendent Barnes and all of us know how important existing programs are. And I think that we're going to be six months down the road and we won't be talking about it because we'll be off to something else. But just like all the things that people have been stressing out over are going to be fine. So I vote no. Amendment 3 to amendment 2 to council bill number 36 fails. Are you moving? I need amendment 2 as amendment 2. Yeah, I was just, okay. A amendment two. No, yes. A amendment two to CB No, yes. Amendment 2- C-B-36-2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any further discussion? Mr. Tarr, would you please call the vote on amendment 2-C-B-36-2025 as amended. Chair Walsh. school system fired somewhere around 200 teachers last year as a result of the cuts. That this council allowed to go through in the executive's proposed budget. There is no reason not to expect the same or worse will happen this year. I cannot imagine why anyone who sat through Friday's work session and the conversations that we had there thinks that there was any kind of agreement between the executive and the school system thinks that there was any willingness to take on the amount of risk that was being imposed or suggested to be imposed by May 5th letter. And no ability to discount the consequences of this. As you say, Mr. Youngman, we will look back on this in six months and we will see what resulted from this in my view, terrible vote. My vote is yes. Dr. Jones. No. Ms. Schaun. I also vote yes. I'm very concerned that this health fund balance could get eaten away quickly. That our school district could end up with a deficit and that deficit could balloon year after year. I ask the county executive over and over again in our budget work sessions to please put in writing that if our school district Went into a deficit on their health fund That we the county would guarantee that they would be made whole And at least three or four times during that work session. I was rebuffed had Had the administration agreed to make that guarantee in writing, I would feel much better about the request by the administration for the school district to to find money to ensure that if the health fund goes into deficit, that they will need to make sure that they pay for that. I ask again, since obviously this amendment is not going to be successful, I will ask again that the administration put in writing that they will guarantee to the school district that if their health fund goes into deficit, they will cover whatever that deficit amount is to ensure that the school district does not have to utilize other funds that are desperately needed for students and to pay our staff. Ms. Rickney. So the executive sent a letter to the school system, and I'll quote from it, it says, please know that I remain committed to ensuring that the health benefit expenses of the Decaturative Center letter to the school system, and I'll quote from it, it says, please know that I remain committed to ensuring that the health benefit expenses of the school system are met. And that HCPSS health fund does not enter a deficit after we worked collaboratively in the past to close the prior 40 million health fund deficit in HCPSS that was exacerbated before we all took office. So I'm grateful that he included that in this last letter because I think that does provide a level of concern. If you're like that's a guarantee. I'd like to proceed uninterrupted on my vote, Ms. Young. Okay, thank you. So there's that piece. The other piece is that I think the council is certainly committed. We've all, we, I mean in all our discussions, we've all, that I've had with everybody, there's certainly a commitment on this side. The other piece is that I know that I've made appeals to the executive and I think that's, you know, I think we've been heard. That's why we are pulling from our one-time reserves to send this 14.5. That's why we had CB 45 before this. And yet at the same time, the county's employee benefits health fund is going into a deficit. It is alarming to me that people who are tasked with the fiduciary responsibility of the county are all right with that outcome of the county's health fund. And yet, there's a lot said about the school systems. And that is really concerning to me. My vote on this amendment is now. Mr. Youngman. I'm glad the conversation focused back down on the health fund. By the time it got to me. Unlike last year, the number everyone's been advocating for in the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of emails is the number that's happening. Last year 240 teachers weren't fired. Vacant positions were eliminated. And they're still sitting on 240 vacant positions. This is just whether or not we're comfortable with the school system looking at their health fund differently. There's a million ways you can look at the average of spend over the last few years, you can look at the actuarial, and I think they were using actuarial, and we're saying, look, look at what the spend has been over the last few years. This isn't about not getting to the 22 point whatever million dollars. This is the number that everybody advocated for. It's just whether or not we're comfortable with them using their health fund deficit. And we've all been there. We all know what happened before we got here. We're not going to let them end up with a $40 million health fund deficit again. And if the county executive doesn't live up to his word, this council will be forced to fix it. But we can comfortably move forward as the school superintendent said in that email that we've gotten to the point where we will, and if they've served so be it, you know, but if they do and the county executive doesn't live up to that word, we will. We're not going to let the health fund go into a deficit again. So I vote no. A amendment two to CB 36, 2025 fails. I move to approve amendment three to CB 36, 2025. Second. Amendment 3 is an operating budget amendment to the community renewal fund to reflect the removal of personnel costs and to include the 5.8 section 108 loan as a pastor. Thank you. Amendment 3 to CV 36, 2025 has been moved and seconded is there any discussion? Mrs. Hared would you please call the vote on amendment 3 to CB 36 2025. Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Miss Young? Yes. Miss Rigby? Yes. Miss Triongman? Yes. Amendment 3 to CB 36 2025 passes. I move to approve amendment 4 to CB 36 2025. Second. Amendment 4 to Council Bill 36 is an operating budget amendment to the Agricultural Land Preservation Fund to initiate the new and beginning farmer program. Amendment 4 to CB 36 2025 has been moved and seconded is there any discussion? Mr. Chair, please call the vote on amendment 4 to CB 36 2025. Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Young. Yes. Mr. Youngman. Yes. Amendment 4 to CB 36 2025 passes. I move to approve amendment 5 to CB36 2025. Second. Amendment 5 is an operating budget technical amendment to the program revenue fund to correct an erroneous amount. Amendment 5 to CB36 2025 has been moved and seconded is there any discussion? Mr. Chair, would you please call the vote on amendment five to CB 36, 2025. Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Young? Yes. Mr. Youngman? Yes. Amendment five to CB 36, 2025 passes. I move to approve amendment six to CB 36, 2025. Second. Amendment 6 is an operating budget amendment to the grants fund to remove a grant for which the county is no longer applied. Amendment 6 to CB 36 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Hair, would you please call the vote on amendment 6 to CB 36. Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Young? Yes. Ms. Rigby? Yes. Mr. Gengman? Yes. Amendment 6 to CB 36 passes. I move to approve amendment 7 to CB 36, 2025. Second. Amendment step. Yes. There's also an amendment 1. Oh, dear. Okay, I'm's also an amendment one. Do an amendment one. Oh, dear. Okay. I move to approve amendment one, to amendment seven, to CD 36, 2025. Second. Amendment one, to amendment seven, just correct some of the pages that are attached to amendment number seven. And then amendment seven makes changes in the watershed protection and restoration fund to remove 450,000 contractual services and to reduce per-rata charges and adjust appropriation to fund balance accordingly. Thank you. Amendment one to amendment seven to CB 36, 2025 has been moved and seconded is there any discussion. Mrs. Taird, would you please call the vote on amendment one to amendment seven to CB 36? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Young. Yes. Ms. Rikby. Yes. Mr. Youngman. Yes. Amendment one to amendment seven to CB 36 passes. Amendment seven to CB 36 as amended has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Is this a terror? Would you please call the vote on a amendment 7 to CB 36 2025 as amended. Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Miss Young? Yes. Miss Rigby? Yes. Miss Rigby? Yes. Mr. Youngman? Yes. A amendment 7 to CB 36 2025 as amended passes. A move to approve amendment 8 to CB 36 2025. Second. Amendment 8 is a technical amendment to the opioid abatement fund to reflect the use of $500,000 in priority fund balance. Amendment 8 to CB 36 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Hared would you please call the vote on amendment 8 to CB 36 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Herod, would you please call the vote on amendment 8 to CB 36? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Young. Yes. Ms. Rigby. Yes. Ms. Dr. Youngman. Yes. Amendment 8 to CB 36 2025 passes. I move to approve amendment 9 to CB 36 2025. Second. Amendment 9 is an amendment to the Water and Sewer Operating Fund to account for the reduced increase in certain water and sewage that are part of council resolution of 94. Amendment 9 to CB 36 2025 has been moved and seconded is there any discussion? Mrs. Hared would you please call the vote on amendment 9 to CB 36 2025 chair wall. Yes, Dr. Jones. Yes, Miss Young. Yes, Miss Rikby. Yes, Mr Youngman. Yes Amendment 9 to CB 36 2025 passes. I move to approve amendment 10 to CB 36 2025. Second. Amendment 10 is an amendment to the employee benefits fund to keep the existing employer employees split of health benefits premium unchanged. Amendment 10 to CB 36 2025 has been moved and seconded is there any discussion? Mr. would you please call the vote on a amendment 10 to CB 36 2025? Chair Walsh. I am relieved that the executive back down from this proposed savings and restored the prior health benefits that had been extended to all of our county employees. My vote is yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Jones? I am also pleased that the county executive saw the need to restore these benefits. We don't know what will be happening in this region in the near future given the potential loss of many jobs. for the people who are employed here and have health region in the near future, given the potential loss of many jobs. And for the people who are employed here and have health benefits in the county, I think this is a help to their families if they are suffering job losses in their families. So I'm glad that this was restored. Yes? Mr. Rigby? No. Mr. Youngman. Yes. Amendment 10. Where are we? Am I on 9 or 10? 10. Amendment 10 to CB 36 2025 passes. I move to approve Amendment 11 to CB 36 2025. Second. I move to approve amendment 11 to CB 36 2025. Second. Okay, can you hear me now? Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Amendment 11 makes various changes to the capital budget. Do you want me to go through each of them or? Just summarize How about just a summary please miss it. Okay most of that most of the changes have to do with changes in Reckon Parks project to account for program open space funding Aside from Reckon Parks ads grant funding and reduces the same amount bond funding for the Daisy Road Bridge project. It adds 3 million in grant funding to CO319 TIFF projects. It reduces grants by a million in D1176. The Parkland Acquisition Program, that's a program open space, ill-chchester reduces grant funding by 550,000 Rockburn branch restroom Reduces grant funding and increases the same amount in Pego. I'm sorry increases Pego by 500,000 Parks resurfacing reduces grant funding to match program open space funding, and then Valley Mead, Chatham flood mitigation, restores a million dollars that were accidentally removed from other. Patapsco Female Institute reduces Pego and substitutes the same amount in transfer tax and then historic structures rehabilitation reduces transfer tax by 500,000. And then it makes project text changes in the project description pages for those projects. Thank you, Miss Sager. Amendment 11 to CB 36 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Do they going to move amendment one? I don't believe so. No. Okay. Sorry. Okay. Is that any more discussion? Mrs. Chair, would you please call the vote on amendment 11 to CB 36 2025? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Jones. Yes. Ms. Rikby. Yes. Ms. Trigangman. Yes. Amendment 11 to CB 36 2025 passes. Actually, I'm doing four. I move to approve amendment 14 to CB 36, 20, 25. Second. We talked about amendment number 14 to CB 36 at our Friday work session. This regards the central branch relocation of the Harcounny Library and whether that is particularly at the Lakefront location or elsewhere. And so in order to actually hasten the long-continent discussion of that amendment 14 proposes to put a time limit on this. that is by September 15th of this year, if the lakefront property is to be truly considered as one of the options for the Lakefront Library then it should fall into the hands of the county by that date. Amendment 14 has been moved and seconded is there any other discussion? Mrs. Herr, would you please call the vote on amendment 14 to CB 36 2025. Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Jiang. No. Ms. Riveby. Yes. Ms. Rive Youngman. Yes. Amendment 14 to CB 36 2025 passes. I move to approve amendment 15 to CB 36 2025. Second. I move to approve amendment 1 to amendment 15 to CB 36 2025. Second. Also, discussed at our work session, is this amendment 15? It requires the county, specifically the Department of Public Works, to provide more detail to this council and to the public generally about the expenditures at issue in the Safe and Sound Plan and the various sub-projects that are part of that. We ask for details of the revenue fund sources and the expenses for each of them per subproject to continue through completion of that work. So that's the combination of one and a amendment 15. I think a amendment one is a better statement of what kind of progress reports and what information we'd like in them, total estimated costs and annual revenue sources and expenditures in general. Yes? I don't think anything needs to change, but I do think that we should contemplate that those reports and those spend down, I'm calling them, like they are going to have to have an unallocated section, because there is some money that's not specific to the tunnel or this project or that project, but we'll still be able to see what they've pulled from it. That's we contemplate, right? Oh, I think the Wiffie is specifically for the tunnel. Yeah. But like, let's say that we got a bond bill, and it's just for safe and sound, it's not for this pond or something, then we'll at least be able to see, they spent it down, and this is where it went. I think so. I mean, this is the first, I would say this is the first year that this council has seen any detail in terms of either an accumulation of bonds other funding received or grants, I guess. Grants, bones, loans, and other funding received. And the spend. any detail in terms of either an accumulation of bonds and other funding received or grants, I guess, grants, bonds, loans and other funding received and the spends per project and the estimated total cost of it. And so I'm hopeful that that reporting will improve and will understand nuances like that. But we'll have a greater sense or any sense of what is happening and what is proposed to happen as those funds are expended into the future. Go ahead, Ms. Young. So, I am concerned that if right now it says the expenditure of these funds is conditioned upon the fulfillment of providing these reports. And this is a lot of money to sort of stick away in the event that these say a report is skipped one quarter. Does that mean that we say to the project, I'm sorry you can't continue. These funds are frozen. You're in the middle of blasting a tunnel, but we're not going to let you continue. The potential impact on the project itself, stopping it or slowing it down for this report does concern. It's just delivery of the report. Yeah, I have every confidence that our office of budget can deliver to us the same reports that I'm quite certain that they're running themselves. If you recall Mr. Deluca in the first time we met with him a work session, admitted that the county side had all that information. It just hadn't been shared with us before. When I asked how many days do you need in order to give this to us because we want to have it for the next work session, he said something like, well, you know, a couple days we have it already. Of course, we then didn't receive it for several days immediately before the next scheduled work session. But, of course, an entity like the county that's managing almost half a billion dollars worth of work that includes a variety of sources of incoming revenue. And, you know, several sub projects on which those funds are spent is accounting for these projects and how that money is spent on a daily basis, I would think. I don't think we're gonna get there because I think that this information is at their fingertips at all time. I guess my other concern was that then there were were a number of presentations of different information charts, etc. But it didn't appear as if you were finding the information that you were looking for in those presentations. So are you going to be very specific with the department as to exactly what you're looking for so that there's not a question when they do present it and then there's a hold up on their funding. Yeah, and part of that is what Amendment 1 to Amendment 15 is because I think we had to have Amendment 15 in before we got the new, you know, the updated stuff for our Friday work session. And so that's why the language changes, you know, at least significantly enough to have an amendment. But the progress reports shall provide for each major sub-project the total estimated cost because we didn't get that before this year. And annual revenue services, and expenditures because we get lists of this is how much it costs but we don't know in any given year whether it's this local bond initiative or some other funding that's doing it. So this, it took us a while and we've had several conversations about what we think is improved language in amendment number one. So we think it's there. Obviously I'm happy to discuss with budget or office of whomever to get it, but I think it's going to be more of a dynamic thing where we get something in a quarter from now and say thanks this is so much more clear than anything ever given to us before in tiny pieces over you know an entire budget season. But amendment one to amendment 15 was our very best effort to articulate exactly what we were looking for. And has DPW said that they would be able to fulfill this every quarter? Again, I am only relying on Mark DeLuca saying that he had the information we were asking for him from him already and it was a day or two to turn over to the council in our first work session on that capital project. All right. I just don't want to slow down this project. You know, stop to stop because there was a delay in getting this report. I agree. Am I out of line to say that if there's any wording in this that some health throws that funding into a problem that we would reconvene and fix that? I don't think we want to hold their feet to the fire, but I don't think we want people walking off the tunnel job. No, we don't. We really don't. No. This is just – I'm imagining passing on information that's already at the ready, just not to the council and not to the general public. And yes, whatever remedial measure would be necessary because they miss a deadline or something, I'm sure that we can handle at that point. And is there, does it say how we're going to receive these quarterly, they're just going to send these quarterly progress reports to us or are we going to review them in a monthly meeting or? No, I mean I think it's just one of the many reports that this council receives by law. As always happy to have a monthly meeting about them but it's not a mandate at this point time we're just trying to get the information out on a regular and timely basis Okay, anyone else? Mr. Herd would you please call the vote on amendment number one to amendment number 15? Chair Walsh. Yes, Dr. Jones. So I do have concerns about the amendment. I think amendment one makes it better, makes amendment 15 better. I'm just always cautious on the more reports that we get via bills. The more it could gumming up the works in terms of, you know, just having regular conversations and emails to say, hey, how about this information? What does this look like when we get this? It is true that it may not be available to the public on a website or it may not be given by a certain date. But I don't think the administration would withhold the information. At least I don't have that track record with the administration if we are in an email conversation or a face-to-face conversation with the department about information. I'm just always cautious about putting it in a bill. I'm going to vote in favor of amendment one to amendment 15. So yes. Ms. John? Yes. Ms. Rikby? Yes. Mr. Youngman? Yes. Amendment one to amendment 15 to CB 36 passes. Amendment 1, wait, no, man. Amendment 15. Amendment 15 as amended has been moved and seconded. Thank you. Is there any discussion? Mr. Herd, would you please call the vote on amendment 15 as amended to CB 36 2025. Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones? No. Ms. Jones? Yes. Ms. Rigby? Yes. Ms. St. Youngman? Yes. Amendment 15 to CB 36 2025 as amended passes. I am not moving amendment 16. I am moving, I move to approve amendments 17 to CB 36, 2025. Second. You may recall from our last budget vote that we maybe unanimously voted in support of a multi-year agreement to be reached with our educators. This is building onto that in amendment number 17 and asks or states that the county council continues to support the multi-year educator compensation agreement already agreed to by the Howard County Education Association and the Howard County Board of Education. And we asked the board in these difficult times to please preserve that agreed to multi-year agreement. Memant 17 has been moved and seconded, is there any further discussion? Mrs. Herr, would you please call the vote on amendment 17? Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Young. Yes. I believe that multi-year agreement has been reached this year, which is wonderful news. And I hope that there's sufficient funds in the budget to ensure that the unions will be able to move forward successfully with that contract. Mr. Rikby? Yes. Mr. Youngman? Yes. A amendment 17 to CB36 2025 passes. Not as the last of our amendments, right? Correct. Okay. CB36 2025 as amended. How has been moved and seconded? Is there any discussion? Mrs. Herred, would you please call the vote on CB36, 2025 as amended. Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Young? Yes. Ms. Rigby? Yes. Mr. Youngman? Yes. CB36 2025 as amended passes. Council Bill 37 2025, bond authorizing various general county projects for 103 million 139,000,518. I move to approve CB37 2025. Second. I move to approve amendment 1 to CB 37 2025. Second. Amendment 1 to council bill 37 makes the corresponding change in bond funding that was made in amendment 11 to council bill 36 regarding bonds changing on the Daisy Road Bridge project. Thank you. CB 37 has been moved. No amendment one to CB 37 has been moved and seconded is there any discussion. Mr. Tarrad, would you please call the vote on amendment one to CB 37 2020 25? Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Zhang? Yes. Ms. Rigby? Yes. Ms. Rigby on the minutes left. Amendment 1 to CB 37 2025 passes. CB 37 as amended has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Ms. Tarrad, would you please call the vote on CB 37 as amended. Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Young? Yes. Ms. Rigby? Yes. CB 37 as amended passes. Council Bill 38, 202525, bond authorizing general county projects $54,652,000. I move to approve CB 38, 2025. Second. CB 38, 2025 has been moved and seconded is there any discussion? Mrs. Herod, would you please call the vote on CB38 2025? Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Miss Young? Yes. Miss Rigby? Yes. Mr. Youngman? Yes. CB38 2025 passes. Council Bill 39, 2025, bond authorizing county road construction projects, excise tax projects for $8,131,789. I move to approve CB39 2025. Second. CB39 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Chair, would you please call the vote on CB39 2025? Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Young? Yes. Ms. Rigby? Yes. Ms. String-Eungman? Yes. CB39 2025 passes. Council Bill 40, 2025, bond authorizing county water and sewer capital projects, metropolitan district, 81 million, 31,000, 54 dollars. I move to approve CB 40 2025. Second. CB 40 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Herod, would you please call the vote on CB 40 2025? Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Young? Yes. Ms. Rigby. Yes. Ms. St. Youngman. Yes. CB 40 2025 passes. I'm on page. Council Bill 41, 2025, bond authorizing general county projects. Capital projects C0337, $23,200,000. I move to approve CB 41 2025. Second. CB 41 2025 has been moved and seconded is there any discussion? Mr. Tarrad, would you please call the vote on CB 41 2025? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Jones. Yes. Ms. Frigbee. Yes. Ms. Tree Youngman. Yes. CB 41 2025 passes. Council Bill 42 2025. Fund authorized and watershed protection restoration fund 14 million 276 thousand dollars. I move to approve CB 42 2025. Second. CB 42 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Tarrad, would you please call the vote on CB 42 2025? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Miss Young. Yes. Miss Rigby. Yes. Mr. Gungman. No. CB 42 2025 passes. Council Bill 43 2025 bond authorizing non-county government BBI fund and the private sector BBI fund for $1 million. I move to approve CB 43 2025. Second. CB 43 2025 has been moved and seconded is there any discussion discussion? Mrs. Herod, would you please call the vote on CB 43? Chair Walsh. Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Young. Yes. Ms. Rigby. Yes. Ms. Stryangman. Yes. CB 43, 2025 passes. Council Bill 44, 2025. Author authorized installment purchase agreement, capital project G-O-1-6-4, for $16,947,400. I move to approve CB 44-20-25. Second. CB 44 has been moved and seconded, is there any discussion? Mr. Chair, would you please call the vote on CB 44 2025? Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Scheng? Yes. Ms. Rigby? Yes. Ms. Triongman? Yes. CB 44 2025 passes. Council resolution 89, 2025, capital program and extend to capital program. I move to approve CR89, 2025. Second. I move to approve amendment 1 to CR89, 2025. Second. Amendment 1 to council resolution 89 mirrors the same capital changes made in amendment 11 to council Bill 36 that are just reflected in fiscal years 27 through 35. Thank you. Amendment 1 to CR 89 2025 has been moved and seconded is there any discussion. Mrs. Tarrad would you please call the vote on amendment 1 to CR 89 2025. Chair Walsh yes. Dr. Jones Yes. Miss Scheng? Yes. Miss Rigby? Yes. Miss- Amendment 1 to CR89 2025. Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Miss Xiang. Yes. Miss Rigby. Yes. Mr. Youngman. Yes. Amendment 1 to CR89 2025 passes. So we're just as amended, right? Yes. That's right. CR 89 as amended, as amended, has been moved and cited. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Herr, would you please call the vote on CR 89 20 25 as amended chair wash. Yes, Dr. Jones. Yes, Miss Young. Yes, Miss Rigby. Yes, Miss Trigangman. Yes CR 89 20 25 as amended passes Council resolution 90 2025 Howard Community College fiscal year 2026 operating budget. I moved to approve CR 90 2025. Second. CR 90 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Herod would you please call the vote on CR 90 2025. Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Miss Xiang? Yes. Miss Rigby? Yes. Miss St. Youngman? Yes. CR 90 2025 passes. Council resolution 91, 2025, Howard County Library System, fiscal year 2026 operating budget. I move to approve CR-91 2025. Second. CR-91 2025 has been moved and seconded is there any discussion? Mrs. Herard, would you please call the vote on CR-91 2025? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Young. Yes. Ms. Rigby. Yes. Mr. Gungman. Yes. CR-91 2025 passes. Council Resolution 92 2025, Hyeruk County Board of Education, fiscal year 2026 operating budget. I move to approve CR 92 2025. Second. I move to approve amendment 1 to CR 92 2025. Second. Amendment 1 amends the fiscal year 26 operating budget for the school system by adding 5 million in state aid and then the 14.5 million In excess surplus revenue that was approved by the passage of council bill 45 earlier today Thank you amendment one to see our 92 2025 has been moved and seconded is there any discussion? Mrs. Herd would you please call the vote on amendment one to CR 92 2025. Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Young? Yes. Ms. Rikby? Yes. Mr. Youngman? Yes. Amendment one to CR 92 2025 passes. CR 92, 2025 as amended has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Tarrad, would you please call the vote on CR 92 2025 as amended. Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Young. Yes. Mr. Rigby. Yes. I'm glad to ensure that HCPSS has an additional 20 million in funds. So I remain concerned that a portion of these are one-time funds. Mr. Youngman. I think we've talked the school budget to death. So, yes. CR-92-2025 as amended passes. Council Resolution resolution 93 2025 Health Department in fiscal year 2026 operating budgets. I Move to approve CR 93 2025 second CR 93 2025 has been moved and seconded is there any discussion? Mrs. Tared, would you please call the vote on CR93 2025? Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Miss Jung? Yes. Miss Rikby? Yes. Miss Triangman? Yes. CR93 2025 passes. Council Resolution 94, 2025, Metropolitan District, Fee's and Charges. I move to approve CR-94, 2025. Second. I move to approve amendment 1 to CR-94. Second. Amendment 1 reduces the increase in certain water and sewer rates. Amendment 1 to CR-94, 2025 has been moved seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Chair, would you please call the vote on amendment 1 to CR-94 2020-25. Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Young? Yes. Ms. Rikby? Yes. Mr. Gengman? Yes. Amendment 1 to CR25 passes. CR 94 as amended has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mr. Tarrad, would you please call the vote on CR 94 as amended? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Young. Yes. Ms. Rikby. Yes. Ms. Mr. Youngman. Yes. CR-94-2025 as amended passes. Council resolution 95-2025 fees. Department of Public Works. I move to approve CR-95-2025. Second. CR-95-2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Herod would you please call the vote on CR 95 20 25. Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Young? Yes. Ms. Rigby? Yes. Ms. Dregunman? Yes. CR 95 20 25 passes. Councillor Resolution 96, 2025. These fines and charges for the Department of Inspection, License and Permits. I move to approve CR 96, 2025. Second. CR 96, 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Hared, would you please call the vote on CR 96, 2025? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Young. Yes. Ms. Rigby. Yes. Mr. Youngman. Yes. CR 96 2025 passes. Council Resolution 97, 2025 fees and charges from the Department of Planning and Zoning. I move to approve CR 97, 2025. Second. CR 97, 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Herod, would you please call the vote on CR 97, 2025. Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Young? Yes. Ms. Rigby? Yes. Ms. Dr. Youngman? Yes. in. Jones. Yes. Miss Young. Yes. Miss Rigby. Yes. Mr. Youngman. Yes. CR 97 2025 passes. Council resolution 98 2025 Department of Police, Fees and Charges. I moved to approve CR 98 2025. Second. CR 98 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Tara, would you please call the vote on CR982025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Tara, would you please call the vote on CR-982025? Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Young? Yes. Ms. Rigby? Yes. Ms. Tree Youngman? Yes. CR-982025 passes. Council resolution 99, 2025, schedule of fees, parking citations for the Department of Police. I move to approve the year 99, 2025. Second. CR 99, 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Herd, would you please call the vote on CR 99 2025. Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Miss Young. Yes. Miss Rigby. Yes. Yes. Mr. Youngman. Yes. CR 99 2025 passes. Council resolution 125, fees and rates of various departments. I move to approve CR100. Second. CR100 has been moved and seconded is there any discussion? Mr. Howard, would you please call the vote on CR125? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Miss Joan. Yes. Miss Rigby. Yes. Miss Rigby. No. CR 125 passes. Council resolution 101 2025 watershed protection and restoration fee rate schedule. I I'm up to approve CR 101 2025. Second. CR 101 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mr. Tarrad, would you please call the vote on CR 101 2025? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Young? Yes. Ms. Rigby? Yes. Ms. Rigunman? No. CR 101 passes. Council resolution 102, 2025, Health Department fees. I move to approve CR102 2025. Second. CR102 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mr. Chair, would you please call the vote on CR102 2025? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Jones. Yes. Mr. Youngman. Yes. Oh. CR-102-2025 passes. Council resolution 103-2025, Department of Fire and Rescue Services, Inspection Fees. I move to approve CR-103-2025. Second. CR-103-2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Chair, would you please call the vote on CR 103, 2025? Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Zheng? Yes. Mr. Youngman? Yes. CR 103, 2025 passes. Council resolution 104, 2025, Department of Finance. Fee schedules. I move to approve C-R-104-2025. Second. C-R-104-2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mr. Tarrard, would you please call the vote on C-R-104-2025? Chair Walsh, yes. Dr. Jones, yes. Ms. Jones, yes. Mr. Gengman, yes. CR1042025 passes. Council Resolution 106, 2025, admission and amusement tax fiscal year 2026. Oh, I did. Did I skip 105? I'm sorry, Council Resolution 105 2025, emergency medical service reimbursement program rates. I move to approve CR 105 2025.. Second. CR 105 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Tarratt, please call the vote on CR 105 2025. Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Zhang. Yes. Ms. Rigby. Yes. Ms, Miss Reganman. Yes CR 105 2025 passes now Council resolution 106 2025 emissions and amusement tax fiscal year 2026 I move to approve CR 106 2025 second CR 106 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Tara, would you please call the vote on CR 106 2025? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Young. Yes. Ms. Rigby. Yes. Ms. Trig Youngman. Yes. CR 106, 2025 passes. Council resolution 107,2025, Jillian excise tax visible year 2026. I move to approve CR107-2025. Second. CR107-2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mr. Terry, would you please call the vote on CR107-2025. Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Young? Yes. Ms. Rikby? Yes. Ms. Trigangman? No. CR107 2025 passes. Council Resolution 108 2025 Fire and Rescue Tax Physical Year 2026. I move to approve CR108 2025. Second. CR 108 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Herd, would you please call the vote on CR 108 2025? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Young. Yes. Ms. Rigby. Yes. Ms. Tr, Miss Young. Yes, Miss Rigby. Yes, Mr. Youngman. Yes CR 108 2025 passes Council resolution 109 2025 property tax fiscal year 2026 I move to approve CR 109 2025 Second CR 109 2025 has been moved and seconded is Is there any discussion? Mrs. Herod, would you please call the vote on CR 109 2025? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Young. Yes. Ms. Rigby. Yes. Ms. D. Youngman. Yes. CR 109 2025 passes. Council resolution 110, 2025, VN Lou for moderate income housing. I move to approve CR 110 2025. Second. CR 110 2025 has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Tarrad, would you please call the vote on CR110 2025? Chair Walsh? Yes. Dr. Jones? Yes. Ms. Jones? Yes. We do know that this is nearly not nearly enough for actual fee and low for moderate income housing. It increased from $3.65 to $3.71 per square foot. And it is of the 20 fees that we are voting on today. This is number 18 and only three have changed. One for the building excise tax, one for the fee and low and one for our metropolitan district water and sewer. Of all of the fees that we should be increasing when given the number of advocates that we have in here on a consistent basis about building more affordable homes. It seems to me that this is the one that we really should be looking at every year more seriously and truly making it a fee that would allow this county to provide more moderate income housing. But I will vote yes. Mr. Rigby. The more you increase this fee, the more you directly increase the cost of housing. My vote is yes. Mr. Gengman. Yes. CR110, 2025 passes. Resolution 111-2025 transfer tax physical year 2026. I move to approve CR 111-2025. Second. CR 111-2025 has been moved and seconded is there any discussion. Mr. Howard would you please call the vote on CR 111-2025? Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Young. Yes. Ms. Rigby. Yes. Ms. Rigunman. Yes. CR111-2025 passes. Council Resolution 112-2025 Recordation Tax Physical Year 2026. I move to approve CR12112 2025. Second. CR-112 2025 has been moved in second. Is there any discussion? Mrs. Harry, would you please call the vote on CR-112 2025. Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Ms. Jones. Yes. Ms. Rigby. Yes. Ms. Rigangman. Yes. Dr. Jones. Yes. Miss John. Yes. Mr. Rigby. Yes. Mr. Gungman. Yes. CR-112-2025 passes. Before we get to our concluding budget closing statements, I'd like to move that we reconsider our vote on CB 36 as amended. Second. Mr. Howard, would you please call the vote on, am I doing this right? Reconsidering our vote on CB 36 as amended. Certainly. Chair Walsh. Yes. Dr. Jones? I'm sorry, yeah, I was just asking if we have, if we get a chance to debate for a motion to reconsider and I believe the answer is no. And I guess we explained in our vote. So your rules provide, this is rule 1.010b, I'm sorry not be e, reconsiderations. The motion is debatable only if the question proposed for reconsideration was debatable. So you're talking about the budget bill itself which was debatable. So in that instance, according to your rules, the question on the motion whether to reconsider would be debatable. Got it. Got it. Okay, thank you. just so that we move move so fast past that, we just wait for voting. I don't have anyone having anything to debate about or say. Can we go backwards, Mr. Cook, or should we just continue on voting? Each member can say what they want to say or just cast their vote. OK, it's really up to each of you. Okay, so since I'm up to vote, I guess my question was, had we had debate why the motion to reconsider? So since we didn't have that option, my vote is no to reconsider the vote, to reconsider the motion for CB36. Miss Jung? We're voting on whether to reconsider now, but I second it. I guess actually I agree with Dr. Jones. I don't know why we're reconsidering it, so I'm gonna have to vote no. Miss Rikby? No. Miss R Mr. Youngman. I don't mind talking about it, but I guess it's done. So I'm going to vote yes, and still fails. Still fails. The vote or the motion to reconsider CB36 2025 fails. So we will now each be given the opportunity to provide a budget closing statement. Does that begin with me or do I go last? That's up to the chair. You can go whatever. I will go last. I will go last. Okay. I will begin. Good afternoon, council colleagues. This is what happens when you skip lunch and have a light breakfast, I do apologize. Good afternoon, council colleagues, advocates, residents and friends. Today is my esteemed pleasure to cast my vote on the proposed FY26 budget. Since the rollout of our county's budget, I have been beyond impressed and thankful for the county executive's vision for our future. Annually, this council is charged with critically assessing and analyzing the needs of our future leaders to excel to greater heights. I am proud of our commitment for the next generation. As a father of three, with two great school children in Howard County Public Schools, I'm ecstatic for the proposed budgetary funding for HCPSS. With respect to education, HCPSS will receive a 5.1 increase in funding, totaling county recurring investment in HCPSS to 800 million in our proposed FY2026 operating budget, 64 percent of new revenue growth accounted for recurring funding and new pension costs for ACPSS educators this year. Furthermore, combining state and federal funds, ACPSS total budget will reach approximately 1.2 billion in the year ahead. I'm thrilled to cast my vote for long term investments for the Howard County Library system. Allocated in the FY26 budget is 27.3 million to library systems. This is a 3% funding boost of 794,000 over last year's budget. The Howard County Library System is one of our counties, crown jewels that exhibit not only educational values but promotes community connections for all. As an educator, I absolutely support allocating a 3% increase to fund our community college. The Total County Funding for ACC reaches 45.8 million, ensuring our commitment to higher education. This funding will continue to lay a foundation and set a precedence for current and future ACC dragons. As a council member, personal and public safety is incredibly important to me in my office. This year's funding helps keep our law enforcement officers ahead of the curve and well equipped to keep Howard County the safest place to live in Maryland. As our county continues to grow, so has the county executives and this council's commitment to fire and rescue services and the police department. This budget provides a 326.2 million in continued support for fire and police services, including equipment upgrades and staffing, all that is necessary to keep our county nationally ranked. My vote today will continue my commitment to invest in services to support our department of fire and rescue services. This 6.6% funding increase prioritizes the fire department staffing, equipment requests, and emergency management operations that keep our community safe and informed during unforeseen natural occurrences. The Howard County Police Department will receive 4.6 million to support staffing and services, bringing their total FY26 budget allocation to more than 162 million. Nearly 800,000 in one-time funds for police equipment and materials, including costs associated with the addition of a school resource officer at Gilford Park. High school will be included as we prioritize our residents, students, and staff. Our office often receives concerns regarding extended wait times at our local hospital. In response to these challenges, we are partnering with the Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center on a major capital project to expand emergency department capacity at the hospital. Accessibility to maternal and infant health care has been a concern for constituents. The investment in our FY 26 budget includes investments to address the need to strengthen the county's existing maternal and infant health programs and provide families with the necessary resources to promote healthy living. Our FY26 budget includes funding to meet the needs of ESOL, English as a second language, the community dealing with autism, nonprofit organizations, as well as youth engagement, workforce development non-profit funding. I am pleased to announce this year's budget includes funding for housing programs, supported supporting home ownership, home rehab, homeless disporvention, and affordable housing. These important programs are funded through our Department of Housing and Community Development. These additional opportunities promote and offer residents wealth building opportunities and affordable access to housing. Finally, I am proud of the efforts by our county executive and the county council and in the attempt to eradicate poverty and enable self stability for all residents and children in need. Thank you to county executive ball and your administration for your innovation and leadership on a phenomenal budget. As I close my remarks I would like to immensely thank my district to staff and the Council Administrator Michelle Harret, the Irwimbley and the Administrative Team, the entire team who help keep us afloat. Especially thank you to my Administrative Aid Miss Razz, I we call it Razz but Miss R Razzana high tower she doesn't want to be called out but I must thank her publicly and personally thank you so much. She faithfully updates virtual and hard copy binders throughout this process and your assistance and support are truly invaluable and my team are beyond grateful. So thank you. Today I vote, oh well we've already voted that was just my close statement. So thank you. Today, I vote, oh well, we've already voted. That was just my close statement. So thank you all so much. Well, I pay coup goes next. All right, Ms. Young. You have to share. But she called her name on the other side. OK. Um. Howard County is a great place to live. And one of the things that makes us so great is our wonderful school district. We are so fortunate to have so many people who move to this county specifically to get the great education that our school district offers every single day. The schools, however, will continue to need funding at higher levels and future budgets will have to face that reality. Here's the illustration of the mandates that our school districts have been asked to fulfill over the last nine decades. You can see how long this list is. This isn't just our school district asking for more money than what they need. This is federal, state, and local governments asking our school districts to do more and more and more for the children who attend these schools every single day. There is no doubt that the cost of these mandates and our school district will continue to grow. And yet our county has grown even faster, the budget of the county has grown even faster than the budget of our school district. When we started here at the county council in 2019, our operating budget was 1.1 billion. Now it's 1.61 billion. That is a huge increase, increase in the space of six and a half years. I certainly recognize that our school district budget has increased as well, but again, when you've got a list like this that mandates hundreds of items that our school district is expected to fulfill every day for our 57,000 some odd students, you have to expect that you're going to have to pay more money. I am pleased that we were able to offer so many things to the people who live here in Howard County through this budget this year. And I'm not going to list them all because I think Dr. Jones did a pretty good job of listing all those things that are in this budget that people will absolutely love. I think it's important that we are supporting our vulnerable communities. I think it's important that we continue to provide whatever housing that we can. I think it's important that we are providing public safety at the highest level possible. I believe that we're doing that right now in this county. And I'm pleased with the other departments that have been funded to provide our new projects, both for our community center and Elkridge and the new community center in Wild Lake. I think that both of those projects will add a lot to the things that we are looking to, the things that we need to address in those two communities, particularly with our younger population. In general, I think that this was a good budget, although I am disappointed that we couldn't give more money to the school district. And I am pleased with the way that I think all of us were able to work with the administration this year. I think that there was a fair amount of openness enough for us to be able to, I thought, come up with wonderful amendments to this budget, even though they didn't pass. And I look forward to putting this budget into place after today and seeing what our county can accomplish in the next year. Thank you. Ms. Ruby. Thank you. First, I want to thank everyone who has worked on this budget, including my council colleagues, as well as our county auditor, council administrator, and their amazing teams, as well as county executive ball and his team, and the residents who've reached out and engaged and thoughtful and nuanced discussions, as well as my team of Paige, Collette, Brenda, and so many others. That includes you two, Opsala. We are facing some of the most difficult budgetary challenges of our lifetime, locally, statewide, and across the country. Just last week, both the state of Maryland and the federal government saw their credit ratings drop from the highest triple A to AA1. And this isn't just symbolic. It's going to have very real consequences for all of us. A lower rating means higher interest rates, increasing the cost of capital projects like new state roads and bridges. And while this doesn't directly impact the county's borrowing rate, we don't exist in a vacuum. It is incredibly hard to maintain a thriving county without strong stable partners at the state and federal level. And at the same time, our needs are increasing across every age and stage of life. Many of our residents are current or former government employees, federal workers, contractors, public servants, and they're facing economic uncertainty because of layoffs, hiring freezes, funding cuts, and growing instability. These ripple effects go far beyond employment. When the federal government pulls back, counties are left to absorb, but not only the human impact, but also the financial responsibility. The Trump administration is pushing cuts to critical programs. Snap, Medicare, Medicaid, FEMA, Planned Parenthood, and more. These are foundational programs that Maryland and local jurisdictions like ours depend on to meet the needs of our residents. With these cuts, we will see an already seeing increased demand for food pantries, housing assistance, public health clinics, and mental health services. The cuts to FEMA will shift more responsibility onto local emergency services, fire and rescue, and crisis response teams. These needs don't just disappear They become our responsibility, the cost that up quickly, and that stretches a budget that is already under pressure. That is why this moment is so precarious. To meet our same level of service for 330,000 residents, this budget is pulling from savings to cover costs that will repeat yearly. We will not have the same cushion next year as federal support continues to erode. Next year, this county is not going to have the financial flexibility to pull from these one-time reserves. It's not a threat. It's a financial reality. We need to be honest about our limits and do the best we can with the resources that we have for the good of the entire county. Howard County isn't alone in facing difficult budget conversations. Prince George's and Baltimore County are reopening teacher contract negotiations. Montgomery County is considered a property tax increase for the second year in a row. Charles County is considering raising its recordation tax. Government across the country are struggling financially and need to make cautious budget decisions. We are not immune. We need policy solutions that will position us for long-term resilience. And that means encouraging thoughtful strategic growth and development that increases our tax base. Not expanding for the sake of expanding, but growing in a way that sustains services and reflects our communities' values and priorities. With stronger, more predictable revenue streams, we could have nuanced budget conversations about how to best fund our priorities, like education, without relying on volatile reserves or short-term fixes. I'm appreciative of all the work that went into this budget. dealing with the impacts from the federal government has not been easy and recent federal budget discussions that happened only last night are creating even more uncertainty. Many departments are working with less resources than the year prior, and we are all making sacrifices to ensure that Howard County remains a great place for our community. My vote today is not a signal that everything is okay. It's a recognition that we are doing what we can today and I'm calling on all of us to come together and plan for a more stable and equitable tomorrow. Thank you. I didn't prepare anything and I'll go quick because I know you guys want to get to the graduation. Thank you to the D5 staff, including Trish Hammond, who's not here, or if she's here, but she's just probably working as she always is. Look, with respect to the school budget specifically, people need to understand that when the superintendent has to put his budget on paper and get it to the B.O.E. It's we have snow on the ground. Okay, they're only they only have half a year worth of information at that point. They don't even know what their state funding is going to be yet. And then the Board of Ed has to get through a process and they have to get their budget over to the county government. Also with, you know, not year end results. Then at some point the county executive needs to put numbers in a book, print it and send it to us. I think we still, when we got the budget book this year, didn't know the final number that was coming from the state to the school system. People need to understand that we have seen a high level of collaboration the last few years and it never stops. When you see that superintendent, that BOE, that county executive budget, know that everyone is still working. Everyone is still updating numbers. Another month goes by and we see where the school system is tracking. We're county government is tracking. And a lot of times these solutions come like in the 11th hour because that's when you have the benefit of the most information. Next year is not good. People have said it. I mean the budgeted amount that I've seen, preliminary budget, that the school system was going to need from county government. Next year is the increase is going to be bigger than the increase that said it needed this year. And it could be twice the total increase in tax revenues to the county. And that's clearly, and it's not all the school assistance fault folks. The school system, as people have said, are being asked to do incredible things. Mandate's coming down from the state without the money to do them. So everybody's doing their best. There also needs to be a recognition in Howard County that right now we are maturing as a county. We're not growing like we used to in families. And while school enrollment is inching down or staying constant, however, people want to argue it, our senior population is skyrocketing. Our population of folks that need special services is going up rapidly. So in the midst of all these pressures to fund the schools, we've got these other things that also need to be funded. It's not the 90s and 2000s anymore. And it's really important that we have a conversation with ourselves of not just how the school system delivers its services, but what county priorities can afford to be in the future. So not to sound like a doom and gloom guy, but these conversations are going to happen every year and I wish people would give the decision makers and leaders and budget people some space to work on these things knowing how important the school system is and all the existing programs that we all benefited from going through the school system here and don't want to see go away. I appreciate the funding this year for the long awaited creation of the Office of Agriculture. Agriculture continues to be the fifth largest industry in Howard County. It's a big thing and it's a tiny amount of money for such a big industry that needs that support. Also appreciate the beginning of funding for our AgCenter which ties into 4H in the Office of Ag and the next generation of agriculture because without forms we don't have food. So I think that's all I have. DeFi signing off from another budget year. Thank you all. These speeches that we give at the end of this session are largely anticlimactic. The real votes come in the meat of the votes that preceded these speeches. And the reason I move to reconsider particularly CB36 as amended is because that's the bill that encompasses the capital and operating budget for a given year. In this case, fiscal year 2026, if that motion to reconsider had been allowed, I would have voted no, because it is untenable to me the notion of that a county executive will now tout the passage of this budget, this collective number of resolutions and bills as though it was unanimously passed. I feel like this budget as proposed and as passed today by a majority of my colleagues is a grave disservice to the Howard County Public School system. We've heard for years now the testimony that the investment in that school system has been declining proportionally with regard to the overall general fund budget. We are spending that money that we used to spend on our schools, on other things. And I agree that's a policy choice. It's a policy choice I cannot agree with. The vast majority of the costs of our Howard County Public School system are human beings, its salaries and benefits. Those are the people who teach your kid in school, who sweep the floors after they go home, who tend to them at a Cedar Lane graduation ceremony, the people who administer the programs, at things like simulated congressional hearings, all of that makes up a school system. And if you wanna cut from the budget, then you are cutting human beings. It's that simple. And again, if I had the choice and if I'd been paying better attention and not trying to manage a hearing, I would have voted no to CB36 as amended. I think we will see the consequences of this quickly and for a long time hereafter. It is a sadness to me that we are at this point. But that is how I will conclude our discussion of fiscal year. Budget 2026, so I do want to thank our staff. We had highly accelerated schedule. The budget came to us a week later, and we're voting on it a week earlier. Hopefully we've allocated enough time for staff to get that enrolled version out of our office and enjoy the long weekend coming up. It's never an easy task and I know that the five of us never help with that. So we do appreciate everything that you do in my district one office particularly with that That concludes our special legislative session. We are adjourned. Thank you and have a great day This meeting is no longer being recorded