This is the council's final budget public hearing in which we will hear testimony for the fiscal year 2026 executive proposed capital budget that was presented Is that right it's operating my apologies executive proposed operating budget that was presented on April 21st This evening is a hybrid meeting which is being conducted in person and via WebEx teleconference It is also available to the public through live stream on the County Council website and broadcast on channels 44, if you're Verizon 99 and 1071, if you're Comcast. The council will hold final work sessions for the fiscal year, 2026 capital budget. On Wednesday, May 14, beginning at 10 a.m. and Friday, May 16th, also beginning at 10 a.m. All in the sea Vernon Grey Room. Agendas for these work sessions and all other budget sessions can be found on the council's website. Please check our website regularly for updates of the various budget sessions taking place in May. We have already done the roll call in our previous emergency legislative session before we begin this evening's proceedings. we will recite the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. We will now proceed with our budget public hearing. Sign up to testify on legislation that is the subject of this public hearing was done online or in person prior to the start of this session. The cutoff for testimony sign up was at 7pm this evening. Please note that while we are receiving testimony this evening, we continue to receive written comments, which will be fully considered by this council prior to our taking action. Anyone who signed up to testify this hearing will be called to testify. When you are called upon to testify, please state your name and the city or town of your home address. Representatives from nonprofit organizations will have up to five minutes to speak. Individuals and other organizations have up to three minutes. Individuals who have indicated that they are testifying through an interpreter may be allowed a total of five minutes with interpreter translation. You may not yield your time to another speaker. You will be notified at the 30 second mark to begin wrapping up by the administrator, and then you will be notified when your time to speak is up. You must please conclude when your time is up. If you have written testimony, you may also email it to council mail at howardcountymd.gov. Are there any students with us to testify? Okay. Okay. And today is not on education. Is that correct? That is correct. Yes. Operating except education. So first up, we have Esha on day. Virtually. Yes. I get evening Esha. You've now been elevated for every dawn, meet yourself and begin your testimony. Hello. Good evening, esteemed council members. My name is Esha Ande, and I'm a current junior at Mount Hebron High School. Today, I'm here to testify against the proposed operating budget that the county executive has presented to the county council due to its lack of a menstrual pilot program. At the March budget hearing, I alongside girls from Mount Habran, Howard, Mary its Ridge, Longreach and Centennial Period Clubs advocated for a program to be initiated in Howard County, calling for an implementation of free menstrual products in all community centers, athletic complexes and public libraries, and you will hear from some of those girls today. They all stand with me in our goal for this program. When the cost for this program was calculated, our club found that this initiative would cost $4,964.84 for a three-month pilot program and a one-time fiscal year cost of $8,309 in 36 cents due to a one-time purchase of menstrual dispensers. After the purchase of this capital, the cost tenuous program would be $4,499.6. An incredibly small percentage of power counties 1.219 billion dollar budget for the fiscal year of 2026. To be specific, the fiscal year cost for 2026 comes out to a mere $0.0000068% of the county's budget. And in addition, the Mount Hebron High School period club has raised $2,500 towards this cost through competitions and grants, even further alleviating that low, low cost. However, the low cost of the program is not the only upside. At the budget hearing, we heard girls from all walks of life, some who were forced to use toilet paper as a last resort, substitute for products and others who have lived in homeless shelters which lack necessary access to supplies when needed. The use of mental products should not be a luxury and this program aims to change that. By implementing free products in bathrooms across the country, for some women, the difference between staying home from work and earning their weekly salary may be a five-minute walk away to their nearest public library. esteemed council members, it's your responsibility to protect your constituents. So I implore you, please consider this program to protect the health and dignity of women in Howard County. Thank you. Thank you. Next up we have a Hana Roy. Is that right, 10-11? Okay. Hi, good evening, Anahe. You have now been elevated. Feel free to unmute yourself and begin your testimony when you're ready. Good evening, esteemed council members. My name is Ahana Roy and I'm a sophomore at Mount Hebron High School. Today, I'm here to testify against the proposed operating budget that the county executive has presented to the county council due to its lack of the menstrual pilot program. Again, previously at the March budget hearing, students from multiple high schools, Mount Hebron Howard, Maryitt's Ridge Longreach and Centennial High School period clubs had advocated for a program to be initiated in Howard County calling for the implementation of free menstrual products in all community centers, athletic complexes, and public libraries in the county. While I was unable to testify at the time, I had listened to their testimonies beforehand and understood a a great extent of the situation. Deeply personal experiences were shared and they revealed the reality that many women unfortunately have to face, a lack of access to menstrual products. This issue has a greater consequence than the surface level name. It is not just an inconvenience but it is a barrier to daily life. It is the difference between a woman being able to go to work. It is the difference between being able to partake in daily activities of living. It is the difference that makes this an issue of human rights, health, equity, and dignity. As Esha mentioned earlier, our clubs proposed a detailed plan for a three-month pilot program in conducted budget research to support our request. In order to get the funds for the pilot program, our club has been putting in a consistent effort over the past few months. We worked to get our mission out to as many sources as possible. One of them was the Maryland Youth Advisory Council who saw a promise in our mission and gave us a grant of $1,000. Additionally, we recently won $1,500 in a big idea's competition because the judges saw how much potential for change there is, the programs like these. But we need your support too. esteemed council members, I urge you to please reconsider this program so that no one in Howard County has to choose between their health and participation in society. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you. All right, we will now move to the regular list. Okay. First up is Colleen West. Good evening, Chair, Walsh and members of the County Council. I'm Colleen West, the Executive Director of the Howard County Arts Council located at 8510 High Ridge Road. On behalf of our board and the many artists and arts groups that we serve, I want to thank you for all that you do for our community and for the arts. We are grateful for your strong leadership and recognize the difficult position you are in as you try to bounce the needs of all residents during a challenging budget year. Creating an environment where artists can thrive and the public has access to rewarding experiences in the arts are important goals for the arts council. Creating an environment, oh to that end, I ask you to fully support County Executive Vols, a proposed community service partnership grant of $1,351,000. 71% of this funding will support 50 to 60 operating and project grants to local and regional arts organizations. Last year, attendance at these programs funded through these grants was 341,000 people. Volunteers supporting these programs donated nearly 80,000 hours of work. Clear indicators of the importance of the arts in our community. When it comes to our quality of life and community building, the arts can and should be part of the solution. In my written testimony, I cite a growing body of research that shows the impact of the arts on the economy, community, and development in our own personal well-being. The arts have the power to unite, heal, and soothe. They provide us with opportunities to connect with one another and to help make sense of the world around us. The arts help us cope with the deep sense of despair and anxiety caused by trauma, social isolation, and bullying. They are lifeline for many suffering from mental illness and depression. They bring us hope, inspiration, and joy. And with the close to a $1 billion statewide impact, a strong non-profit art sector is also an asset that stimulates business and generates revenue. To be competitive and attract our chair of Maryland's Creative Economy, we need to provide artists with adequate wages, affordable housing and healthcare, strong arts organizations to employ them, and fit for purpose arts spaces that meet the needs of both the public, as well as the creatives who work within them. The nonprofits are the heart of the arts community and the primary focus of the Arts Council. While these nonprofits are used to operating on shoe string budgets, their finances are extremely fragile. The Arts Council through its community service partnership with the county is one of the only sources of unrestricted funds for day-to-day operations. This support is critical to groups such as the Howard County Concert Odyssey, Miseco Ballet, the Columbia Festival for the Arts and more. In addition to our grant programs, the CSP grant provides funds to support the Arts Council's other principal project. The multi-purpose art center in Ellicott City. At the center, we sponsor year- classes, exhibits, and performances, and provide low cost art studios, rehearsal, and performance spaces for artists and arts groups. Last year, over 30,000 people attended the center, and we provided opportunities for 3,000 artists and student artists to showcase their work. We are excited and optimistic about our move to the courthouse in FY26 and look forward to continuing our programs and serving artists in the community at our new location. We hope you will also support the $81,000 Pego grant to relocate the Arts Council's programs, offices, studio art and studio artists to the courthouse. The Arts Council has also put together a 31 member steering committee who is working with us to develop a new Howard County Arts and Cultural Master Plan. The last plan was conducted in 1989. It was updated in 2003, and a lot has changed since then. In closing, we look forward to continue working with you to ensure people of all ages and abilities have access to world class arts programs and joyful creative experiences for years to come. Thank you for your support and for this opportunity to speak to you this evening. Thank you. Next up is Jennifer Broderick. All right. Good evening, council members. Very glad to be here and thank you for having me and for the opportunity to speak to you today. today. As you said, I'm Jen Broderick, Executive Director of Bridges to Housing Stability, located in Columbia, Maryland. And I'm here on behalf of Bridges, which is an organization who I know many of you are aware of, whose mission is to provide a path to self-sufficiency, to prevent and end homelessness through affordable housing solutions and advocacy here in Howard County. We're an organization of 18 staff, 11 board members that are community members here in Howard County and over 150 households receiving services each and every month. I am here to support the proposed operating budget for the Community Service Partnership Grants and the budget for the Howard County Department of Housing and Community Development, including funding for the Community Renewal Program, Homeless Services, Housing Opportunities Trust Fund, General Funding and Grants. For 35 years, Bridges has provided rehousing and stability services for low income households and those experiencing homelessness in the county. Thousands of individuals have been positively impacted. 95% of the clients we serve remain housed long-term. With CSP community renewal trust fund and planned and homelessness dollars, bridges will continue to help those whose housing is lost or in jeopardy. Bridges has a waiting list for programs. I know some of you have sent people to us and we can't always help them as quickly as we would like. And there is a high demand for these services. Increasing rents and overall costs of living increases and rising eviction are contributors to the rising number of people experiencing homelessness and Howard County this year compared to last year. It's the first year in several years that we've had an increase in homelessness in our pit count. Our services are needed now more than ever. A year ago, we started the Family Home Start program to re-house homeless students and their families. We've already re-housed over a hundred housing, Howard County Public School System students and their families in this program and want to continue it in the year to come. With the vacancy rate so low in the county, the work to find housing for these households is challenging and our staff have to work very hard. Many apartments have market rents that are way out of reach for our low income households and those clients. We appreciate the county executives' consideration to increase funding for community service partnership grants which will help nonprofits in the county continue to provide the vital services despite rising operating costs due to inflation and federal and state funding cuts. The Howard County Department of Housing and Community Development Support allows bridges to provide additional scattered site affordable housing solutions to low- working households, making 30 to 60% of how a county median income, along with strengthening relationships with landlords, furthering fair housing and providing support services. Affordable housing for these low income households that often have barriers is very scarce, as I said before, and there are at least 7,500 affordable housing units needed. The housing trust fund dollars are essential for a variety of approaches that will help people stay housed, afford repairs, purchase housing, serve seniors, and provide gap funding for essential housing projects in the county. The success of so many of our county residents is dependent on safe affordable housing and the connection to resources and services that help households remain housed. The total for community services overall the budget is less than 7% of the total budget but help thousands of local residents. Bridges leverages these funds that we receive through all of our federal, state, and county government grants with hundreds of thousands in other funding from supporters, foundations, and events to continue the work to serve people in need. I hope you will support and keep these items in the FY26 budget. We realize that it has been a difficult budget year for the county, but these essential funds make up a very small percentage of the total county budget, and the impact is felt throughout every sector of our community, especially the most vulnerable residents. At Bridges, we know that stable housing results in better employees for employers, students with improved performance in school, healthier residents, and less mental health crisis. The return on investment is huge. And reducing homelessness saves money on emergency services and emergency department visits. Many thanks to you and your support. Thank you. Next up is Brendan Murray. Okay. Then we go to Aaron Shapiro. Hi, good evening, Aaron. You've now been elevated. Feel free to unmute yourself and begin your testimony. Good evening, Honorable members of the County Council. My name is Aaron Shapiro, and I am the executive director of Patat's Goheritage Greenway, headquartered in historic Ellicott City. On behalf of Patat's Goheritage Greenweyer or PHG, as we typically give a bye, I'm pleased to submit the following remarks and testimony this evening. PhD is proud of the positive contributions we make to the health and well-being of residents, while helping store the historical, natural, cultural, and recreational resources of Howard County. Thanks to the support provided by Howard County Government over the last six years, PhD as the nonprofit managing entity of the Patapsco Valley Heritage Area has been able to effectively carry out its mission of preserving, protecting, interpreting and restoring the environment history and culture of the River Valley and the Patapsco Watership. We respectfully ask that you support the $80,000 in FY26 Community Service Partnership or CSP grant funding for our organization and the operating budget. The success of Maryland Heritage Area depends on support from local governments, which in turn benefit from the Maryland Heritage Area Authorities Program, access to additional grants, free educational programs, stewardship activities, and the promotion and development of heritage tourism. We grew our volunteer force over the past year, expanded our water quality monitoring program to include biological and chemical monitoring at 12, and what we hope to be 13 Howard County sites in FY26. Removed over 33,000 pounds of trash during stream clean-ups, planted 319 trees and maintained an additional 410, led stewardship events that removed nearly 600,000 square feet of invasive plants, and offered a range of free environmental education and history programs for the community. The return on Howard County's investment in the Patapsco Valley Heritage Area is high. Some recent highlights that I'd like to mention include nearly $350,000 in funding for partner organizations in Howard County during the last two years, which includes $40,000 distributed through our state supported PHG minigrants and sponsorship programs. As a staff, including executive director and environmental program manager, Heritage Program coordinator, community program coordinator, water quality program coordinator, and a marketing coordinator, as well as an engaged board of directors comprised of 20 local community members. Given that, our experience and expertise marks us as unique among the state's 13 Heritage Area Management entities, allowing us to effectively and efficiently leverage public and private grant funding to work with and support partners in a range of activities. Additionally, we've increased engagement with Howard County Spanish-speaking community, including hosting our first festival, the OVO program last summer, one that we're continuing this year as well. We funded over $15,000 in projects through our EC250 Legacy Fund, which provides grants to organizations for programs, events, projects, and learning experiences that raise the visibility of Ellicott City's history and beautify and enhance the Ellicott City historic district. We've expanded our youth engagement through multiple events with Girl Scouts of Central Maryland, the Howard County cluster, hosted our annual Patapsco Day with Hall of Field Station Elementary School at the Daniels area of Patapsco Valley State Park, partnered with and hosted educational programs with Athens High School, Hebville Elementary, Mount Hebron High School, Bonnie Branch Middle School, and Centennial High School, and created stewardship and educational events and partnership with Rotary Clubs of Howard County. We recognized the importance of promoting heritage tourism and supporting local organizations, which has been highlighted in our social media campaigns and our print materials as well as on our website at Patapsco.org. We continue to execute our five-year strategic plan, which takes us through FY28, to bring increased vitality to our heritage tourism activities, enhancing the visitor experience and driving interest, and increased interest in local businesses. This effort involves ongoing technical and professional support to our partners, and a focus on interpreting and exploring an inclusive history of the region that values the contributions of everyone. This is vital in encouraging people to live, work, and play in Howard County. In closing, we promised always strive to provide Howard County a valuable return on the investment it makes in PHG and to serve the needs of our community. Thank you for your support and for the opportunity to speak with you this evening. Thank you. Next up is Ann Hebner. Good evening, county council members. Thank you for this opportunity to talk with you tonight. My name is Ann Hevner. I'm the executive director of rebuilding together Harry County. And we are located in Columbia, Maryland. On behalf of the board of directors, low-income homeowner clients and thousands of volunteers in our rebuilding together Harry County Network. I am testifying and supportive the County Executives proposed budget for the Department of Housing and Community Development. Also, I'm testifying and supportive the County Executives Community Service Partnership grant funding from the Department of Community Resources and Services. Rebuilding together is the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to providing the rehabilitation of residential structures for the purpose of providing decent, safe, and affordable housing opportunities for low-income homeowners. There are 116 affiliates in the United States. For the past 33 years, rebuilding together Howard County has successfully preserved the limited stock of affordable single-family homes in Howard County and revitalize the housing community. We have repaired free of charge over 1,500 homes. A recent study was conducted to determine the return on investment for rebuilding together funding. For every dollar funded rebuilding together, the return on investment is $2.85. Rebuilding together services are available to all low income county residents regardless of where they live. Last year we repaired 120 homes. We provide our services year round. Three weeks ago on April the 26th, 19 teams of volunteers totaling over 350 individuals, work to promote, provide critical home repairs to 18 homeowners in need. Two of our volunteers were county council members. We'd like to thank Deb Young and also Kristiana Rigby for coming out that day. We greatly appreciate your support. While the volunteer program portion of our organization is important, it makes up only 20% of our total repairs. A approximately 80% of our repairs are completed by professional contractors who installed new roofs, energy efficient windows, HVAC systems. They make plumbing repairs, they replace non-working appliances, et cetera. In addition to our volunteer program, we are the go-to organization in Harry County to provide home modifications. Home modifications allow our clients increased mobility and independence, and include wheelchair ramps, stair glides, grab bars, and bathroom rehabilitation for handicapped individuals. The average income of our clients is $29,000 a year. Today I'd like to share one of our client stories with you. We were contacted by Lisa Terry, the manager of Harrod County Office on Veterans and Military Families in DCRS. She shared that an elderly veteran had several water leaks in his home. As a result, his past due water bills were so high he was at risk of losing his home. Rebuilding together, Brun and a plumbing specialist who determined the homeowner had four leaks in his house. One being under his paved driveway outside. Rebuilding together repaired all the leaks, even the one under the driveway which required us to dig up his driveway. Then Lisa was able to obtain other sources who agreed to pay the clients past to water bills and the veteran was able to remain in his home with all the water leaks fixed, and with a new section of his derived way installed by rebuilding together. For the first time rebuilding together is videotaping client testimonials. These are very powerful testimonials. That's where the clients tell their own story about the impact in their lives as a result of these noteworthy, critical home repairs. We take these client testimonies and we share them on our newsletter and also on social media and also our website. Last year, for the first time, rebuilding together introduced a new client survey. All clients were asked to answer 12 questions regarding their interaction with rebuilding together. While it's some of the times hard to get anybody to agree to anything, a hundred percent of the respondents agreed to the following four points. The first point was that they all agreed that they would refer rebuilding together to their neighbors. The second is that they felt that they were going to be able to live in their home longer as a result of these repairs in age and place. Third, they said that they felt safer in their homes as a result of their repairs. And fourth, they said that the communications from the rebuilding together organization were clear and effective. In closing, rebuilding together Harrod County is making a positive difference in low-income homeowners' lives that we couldn't do without the important funding from our partners, the DCRS and DHCD. Thank you very much for your time and consideration. Thank you, Ms. Hevner. Look at how bad I am at this. I know. I'm sorry. Next up is Chiara Demore. I could even Chiara. You've now been elevated. Feel free to unmute yourself and begin your testimony when you're ready. Good evening. Good evening. Good evening. Members, my name is Kiera D. Mour. I live in Columbia and I'm the founder and executive director of the Community Ecology Institute. We are very grateful for the support for the community ecology institute included in the proposed fiscal year 2026 County operating budget. As you know, CEI's mission is to cultivate communities where people and nature thrive together. Our work is in direct alignment with the county's priorities for thriving and healthy residents, a clean and sustainable environment, ready and successful students, and safe and engaged communities. By working towards tangible community level change at the intersections of environment, education, equity, and health, CI continues to innovate, lead, and collaborate with the county in these essential spaces. CI is a unique and impactful local success story that has touched the lives of so many county residents, especially over the past six years. More two properties, free town farm and the green pharmacy garden, and through our seven multi-generational programs, CI meaningfully nurtures people and partnerships while protecting our local ecosystem and fostering collective resilience. In 2024 alone, CI engaged more than 3,500 distinct and diverse members of our community with over 59,000 hours of experiential education. More than 430 of these community members have signed a letter of support for CIs Inclusion in the county's operating budget, which I have emailed to you with the county council. Many of these individuals included personal notes on the impact of CIs work in their lives, and I want to spend the rest of my time with you tonight sharing some of these testimonies. The first, the nourishing garden's program provided by CEI is a life changer. I'm learning so much about how to tend the land, reduce waste and grow food, not to mention the mental benefits of being outside and working in the garden as well as helping the local community. Please keep supporting this program. It is amazing and so beneficial on so many levels. The second, what began as a simple desire to get back to the community has transformed into a deeply enriching experience has connected me more closely to nature and to the values that matter most, service, sustainability, and stewardship. The sense of community I experience at CEI has been revitalizing. It's helped me slow down and connect with the land and has become more than just volunteering. It has been a true gift. The third. CI provides integral community benefits that have helped my adopted child and abuse survivor to learn, find safe friendships, to experience the outdoors and to thrive beyond words. This places a haven, a village, and creates a huge community impact in the time that kids and their caregivers need it most. The fourth. C.I. has been amazing. They have helped Highland House for women, the new recovery house for women who have struggled with substance use disorder and are now committed to sober living. Taking care of a garden and cooking with homegrown vegetables and herbs has been life changing for the current group of women at the Highland House and this was made possible by C.I. With it, I'm a parent volunteer with help select elementary screen team. The CEI's help to attain a test-speaking Bay Trust grant for our school, our students had the opportunity to analyze and design the combination food and habitat garden that also addresses erosion control. Our county public school systems first food forest. The students are engaged and excited to come to the green team every week, and CI has been essential in establishing the foundations of this team. The sixth. As a high school senior who has participated in the Green Seeds internship program for four seasons, CI has provided an invaluable amount of knowledge and experience for me and many other students. We have learned methods we can use to help ourselves, our environment and our local communities at the same time. It is thanks to this program that I plan to pursue a career in biological systems engineering, so I can expand upon what I've learned from the internship. CI's programs also build qualities such as collaboration and leadership, they're essential and beneficial to all students, no matter what feature they choose to pursue. 7th, every experience my family has had at CI shows had deeply meaningful and necessary close connections with community nature are tormental, social, and environmental health. More than ever, a humankind needs diverse safe havens like this to help us heal and move forward together. And the 8th. In a time of such uncertainty and fear, CI provides a deep sense of community and a place to go that is heart-forward. This has been a very difficult year for many people and organizations and I am personally and professionally appreciative of the community members who share the unique and multifaceted positive impacts that CIs had for them. We need these glimmers of goodness now more than ever. We at CIA know that Howard County leaders are very committed to the health of our community members. We deeply appreciate your past support and ask that you maintain the proposed funding for C.I. and the county's forthcoming operating budget. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next up we have Jamie Frazier. Hi good evening Jamie. You've now been elevated. Feel free to unmute yourself and begin your testimony. I'm unmuted and video. All right, here we go. Okay. Yes, sir. Yes, we can. All right. Thank you. Good evening, councilmembers. Thank you for your time and service. As many of you know, because I've met some of you on this, I'm a current co-chair of the Board of Directors for Howard Eekoworks. And I'm here to testify on behalf of Howard Eekoworks and request your support for the current allocation of the operating budget for E. Kerrworks. Lori Lilly is the executive director. She is unable to make it tonight. And I'll be honest after watching the last few people's testimony, I feel like I'm going to come up short because Lori would have had her fingertips all the data and all the details that I don't necessarily have as a board member. But I can tell you why I volunteer with them and why I'm passionate about it and also where we are as an organization because that's kind of my role is the board. I mean, they're just a fantastic organization. I'm just really, really proud to be associated with them through their workforce development that they do. And the eco-friendly work that they do in stream restoration and maintenance and job training. In 2024, as many of you know, we purchased a new property at 16 acres. And we are in the process of moving into that property. And we're poised for growth to continue providing services and expanding the services that we provide. But this is going to be a difficult year and difficult transition because there's money to be spent doing that and resources. I know there was written testimony submitted and I'm not going to claim that I know the history, but. Lori's testimony points out that we have not had an increase in the operating budget in a number of years, and the cost of providing services has certainly gone up. And so we're hoping that you will keep the operating budget as it is currently proposed, because we're still providing the service and it costs more to provide. Otherwise, I would like to strongly encourage you to support ECA works and pass the proposed budget. Thank you. Next up is Jackie Aing. Good evening, Council Chair Walsh, Vice Chair Jones, and Council Members. It's my privilege this evening to offer the support of the Housing and Apportability Coalition for full funding of the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Community Service Partnership Program as proposed in the County Executives FY26 operating budget. A few specifics. In FY23, when homeless services was shifted from community resources and services to HCD, salary funding for those eight positions was not also shifted. Those salary monies have been coming from HCD's Community Renewal Program. Coalition continues to argue that that policy decision is ill advised as it's been diverting close to a million dollars from programs and services the program's intended purposes. The Coalition therefore wholeheartedly supports the FY26 proposal to shift the funding of three FTEs to the General Fund. Three of the eight positions is a grid start, but it still leaves a diversion of about $700,000. The previously was available to assist some of our community's most vulnerable. The coalition supports the proposed 17.4 million dollars for the community renewal program that includes the ongoing settlement down payment loan, home rehabilitation, home assistance programs. We particularly urge the Council approval of the one-time expense of $4.5 million to create a new non-congregate shelter which will temporarily serve individuals who are homeless, but not eligible for the current grassroots shelter or other options such as hotel rooms. As the number of Howard County homeless unsheltered persons continues to rise, our community needs as many safe housing options for this population as possible. Coalition also supports the continued funding for the new HCPSS and HCC housing stability projects. As the programs were initiated this past year, the Family Home Start program has rehoused 100 HCPSS students and 56 families as Executive Director Broderick just mentioned and rental assistance is helping 50 HCC students including nursing student athletes, HC HCCPS, S employees, home care, and respite care providers. The lack of any funding for the housing opportunities trust fund in this budget is short-sighted. The trust needs to be funded at levels that enable it to achieve its intended purpose. Harry County lags behind its sister counties in proactively implementing creative funding mechanisms to accelerate affordable housing production. The unfortunate decision to bypass funding leaves our community. It will prepare to address many housing needs but particularly those of its residents who could be affected by the proposed federal cuts. That said, we are appreciative that the budget proposal supports previously appropriated funds for an older adult rental assistant program intended to assist low income households consisting of at least of 162 or older adult. The program supports age-friendly, howard strategy of helping seniors meet their basic day-to-day financial challenges. Hard County is fortunate to have a mature, safety net of nonprofit organizations that serve our community's most vulnerable neighbors. The proposed budget allocates $14.3 million for the Community Service Partnership Program that will provide critical operational funding for 24 nonprofit service agencies that efficiently and cost effectively provide a range of services to help low income populations stay safely housed, healthy and financially stable. The coalition particularly urges the Council's support of the proposed 4.1 million for the agencies that directly provide homes, housing stability and housing rehabilitation programs. The Arc of Howard County, Bridgesta Housing Stability, Columbia Housing Center, Community Action Council, Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, Living in Recovery and Rebuilding Together. Thank you for your consideration, the Coalition's FY26 funding priorities. We ask that you protect support for housing programs and services. As you make your decisions, please keep in mind the housing and community development revenues have been declining as the need for affordable housing and programs to keep economically vulnerable county residents off the streets and in stable housing has been increasing. In summary, full funding of the housing elements of the proposed operation budget is critical to maintaining the current level of housing related program, but maintaining that programming much less being able to effectively respond to potential increasing needs is seriously threatened. The county and the community must identify new mechanisms to increase revenues for housing development and services. We can't continue to kick this can down the road. It's time. Thank you very much. Thank you. Ryan Powers next. Hi, good evening, Ryan. You've now been elevated. Feel free to unmute yourself and begin your test of money when you're ready. Hi, can you hear me? Yes, we can. Good evening, councilmembers. My name is Ryan Powers from Glenwood and I'm speaking only for myself and not part of any group. I'm going somewhere with this testimony. Please bear with me. The lack of how a county responds and holding home monitoring company at Vantage Senate Singh Alternative Solutions, ASAP, responsible for the reported service valuations, which led to the alleged murder of two HCPSS students by Ebott Sanzaya is extremely disappointing. Quoting from news stories. I am really not happy with how DPSCS is kicking the ball around, Delgibou said. If something is wrong, they need to address it immediately. We need to hold ASAP accountable, otherwise more people will get hurt or killed. Another new story, quoting. Monitoring company Advantage sending sentencing alternative programs known as ASAP should be dropped and they should be fine said Randall's down and double ACP president Ryan Colvin. We are talking about two young people who are dead now because of their actions. This is action by the state, but Howard County is not some powerless player. I am asking the council to do something. In this case with a budget to make sure ASAP is held accountable. On April 29, the Baltimore Sign Reporter multiple issues of ASAP's noncompliance of basic standards meant to ensure the safety of the public. This includes any of the proper documentation and evidence that ASAP was verifying their client's where wearing court-order devices or even performing the required in-person contact meetings. The Sun in Fox 45 previously reported that ASAP did not report Emminson-Zaya had violated house arrest within the required 24 hours. It was close to this time that Zaya allegedly murdered two students at the mall. Any person can google how are county home detention violations and see for themselves. I've read what the commission on correctorial standards can do with complaints about their operations. It isn't much and most of it seems to involve simple fines. If that is accountability, how a county should do the same. I am here because I believe how a county should have a tiered system in place to account for liability for public safety when charging for home detention monitoring services. We are currently reviewing a $12 per day fee charged to individuals for oversight costs associated with home detention monitoring, even private companies. This fee should not be standard across all companies and instead charge more based on the home detention monitoring companies' complaints and violation record. Companies with more violations and complaints, especially recent ones, are more of a liability to the public and should be charged more. This is not a statement of an individual's ability to receive home monitoring because there are several other companies available options according to the state. Everyone tends to forget quickly the things like this even matter. It goes into a memory hole until the next time something horrible happens and then people go, oh yeah, we should have changed the system a long time ago, why didn't we? Please do something now. Thank you for your time. Thank you. All right, this is the last call for Brandon Murray. Okay. All right, this is the last call for Brendan Murray. Okay. I just saved that concludes our public hearing tonight. All right, that concludes our public hearing. Thank you and have a good night. We are adjourned. This meeting is no longer being recorded.