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From the Desk of
County Councilman Brad Young

(3/2024) The Frederick County Council meets regularly on Tuesday evenings at 5:30 at Winchester Hall. Located at 12 East Church Street in Frederick. All meetings are open to the public.

On January 2, the Frederick County Council approved several Bills. Bill 23-22 establishes a Tax Credit for Daycare Providers, sponsored by Council Member Renee Knapp and myself. This Bill provides a tax credit to homeowners that designate a portion of their home to a daycare facility. If a homeowner increases the assessed value of their property as a result of additions or improvements in the creation of a designated daycare space, that homeowner is eligible for a property tax credit in the amount of the increased tax. Bills 23-23 and 23-24 Amend the Frederick County Employee and Uniformed Employee Retirement Plan. These Bills, sponsored by me, on behalf of the County Executive, reduces the full vesting period from ten years to five years of eligible service. Full text of these Bills can be found on our website.

On January 23, the Council approved Bill 23-25, Establishing a Residency Requirement for Planning Commission Members. This Bill, sponsored by Council Vice President Kavonté Duckett, requires Planning Commission Members to be residents of Frederick County. Bill 23-26 is similar to Bill 23-26 and Establishes a Residency Requirement for Members of the Board of Appeals. This Bill, sponsored by Council Vice President Kavonté Duckett, requires Board of Appeals Members to be residents of Frederick County. Full text of this legislation can be found on our website.

Upcoming legislation includes Bill 24-01. This Bill, that I am sponsoring on behalf of the County Executive, makes Updates and Additions to the Historic Preservation Ordinance. A Public Hearing for this Bill was held on February 27. Documentation and text for this Bill is linked to our agenda for that evening. All documentation can be found on our website. It will come back to the council for a vote at a future meeting.

One of the most important responsibilities of the County Council is upon us. Under the County Charter, the County Executive must deliver the proposed Fiscal Year 2025 budget to the Council for review, public hearing, and action. This is the funding of all County operations for the next fiscal year. This year’s budget will be approaching $1 billion.

The Council by the Charter only has until May 31, to review, amend, and act on this all-important financial plan. The Council will have a public hearing and we want and need to hear from you. The public hearing is set for Tuesday, April 23, at 7 p.m., at Winchester Hall. Please come out to the hearing, write, or call the Council with your opinion. I want to hear from you!

The Frederick County Council encourages public involvement at every stage of the legislative process. We welcome public comment at every Council meeting on Tuesday evenings. Members of the public are welcome to attend and give comment in person, leave a voicemail to be forwarded to each Council Member, or email us any time at councilmembers@frederickcountymd.gov. Please visit our website at www.frederickcountymd.gov/countycouncil to view our latest agendas, legislation, and upcoming calendar of events.

And as always, if there is ever anything I can do for you, please feel free to reach out to me and my office. You can contact me via email at: BYoung@FrederickCountyMD.gov, or you can call my office at 301-600-1108.

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