(4/2019) It’s been just over 100 days since the new
county council and I have been sworn into office. It has been a busy and hectic
time and we have already accomplished a lot.
As County Executive, I am committed to making life
better for the people who call Frederick County home. I thought I’d share some
of the initiatives we have kicked off since Inauguration Day and the
accomplishments we have celebrated.
Hope for Recovery/Detox Services:
Like most of our state and country, we have been
challenged in Frederick County with overdose and addiction from substance
misuse particularly with heroin and opioids. That’s why I am incredibly excited
to announce that detox services will soon be available in Frederick County so
people can get the help they need.
Last year, I added one time money to the county budget
to offer as a start-up grant to encourage a treatment provider to open a
medically supervised detox center. I am pleased to announce that the County has
awarded a grant to Maryland Treatment Centers to provide medically supervised
detox services in two locations. Over the next three months Maryland Treatment
Centers will renovate their Mountain Manor site in Emmitsburg adding up to 18
more beds for individuals who need withdrawal and detox services. In addition,
the County and Maryland Treatment Centers will be renovating and converting the
second floor of the County’s Work Release Center into a separate space with a
separate entrance for our new detox center. This location was offered by
Sheriff Jenkins to help meet this critical need. This facility will open in
2020 and it will add another 28 beds for detox services.
Together, these two locations will provide 46 new beds
for medically supervised detox services in our county. Maryland Treatment
Centers was selected, in part because of its experience serving the uninsured,
underinsured and indigent, who have a difficult time accessing substance use
recovery services.
Medically supervised detox services will allow
individuals to safely recover from withdrawal under the supervision of medical
providers. The goal is to then find appropriate ongoing substance treatment so
individuals and families can move to full recovery. Recovery from addiction is
a long and challenging process but there is hope for recovery. We can all be
proud that working together, individuals and families will no longer have to
leave the county or state to find the services they need. I am so glad that we
are able to make this happen for our loved ones who are struggling with
addictions.
Good New for Children.
We often hear the adage that our children are our
future. When children experience trauma, their ability to learn and grow is
impacted. Our community recently launched an innovative program called "Handle
with Care." When a child has witnessed a traumatic event, their schools are
alerted by first responders. Educators are not provided with details of the
incident but are made aware that a student may be coming to school experiencing
the impacts of a traumatic event. This will enable our teachers and educators
to offer extra support, without knowing details, so the child can better heal
with as little long-term impact as possible. It takes a village.
Local Legislation to Address Growth.
Growth is without a doubt a hot topic in Frederick
County. My goal is to make sure we managing growth better, learn from our past
mistakes, and protect what we love for future generations.
• I proposed legislation to require enhanced public
benefits – such as a school or school addition, a regional road improvement,
parkland, or other benefit - as part of any new developer agreements. The
County Council is currently considering these proposed amendments for Developer
Rights and Responsibility Agreements.
• I recently appointed an Adequate Public Facilities
committee which has already met to review real time school enrollment, capacity
data, and trends and to make recommendations to strengthen our local laws to
avoid school overcrowding.
• The Planning Commission held its final public hearing
on the Livable Frederick Master Plan which will now go to the County Council
for their public process. Livable Frederick is a new innovative approach to
comprehensive planning that uses new technology and a policy based approach to
ensuring a bright and prosperous future. Livable Frederick puts citizens in
charge.
Going Green, Saves Green
Frederick County recently broke ground on a new solar
project that will reduce our carbon footprint and support a more sustainable
county. The solar project is located on county property near the Ballenger
McKinney wastewater treatment plant, where a waste-to-energy facility was once
proposed. When we go green, we save green. Stay tuned for an announcement about
a second county solar project.
Advocating in Annapolis
During the Maryland General Assembly session, I have
been in Annapolis regularly advocating for education and school construction
funding, more paratransit for our seniors, Next Generation 9-1-1, and the need
for a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to hold down the high price of
medications. As Chair of the Maryland Association of Counties' Legislative
Committee, I have been asked to testify on several bills that will benefit
Frederick County citizens. I expect Frederick County to receive more state
dollars for education for our students as well as for school construction. The
legislative session ends on Monday, April 8.
Celebrating Our Accomplishments
In these first 100 days, we've had lots to celebrate! I
am proud to tell you about the following:
- Frederick County and Fort Detrick officials traveled
to the Pentagon to be recognized with one of only seven U.S. Army Community
Partnership Awards in the nation, based on our collaborative initiatives for
emergency communications dispatch and solid waste management.
- Our business innovation center, ROOT, earned the 2018
Urban County Innovations Award from the Maryland Association of Counties.
- Our Division of Parks & Recreation won three
statewide awards: the landscape site award for Point of Rocks Community
Commons; best activity guide for the winter Recreater; and best social media
campaign for its scavenger hunt, "Weihnachtsgurke in the Woods."
- The Kids Like Us art therapy program at our Health
Department earned an Innovation Now Award from the Addiction Policy Forum. The
Kids Like Us program works with children from families that have a member
suffering with an addiction.
- Our business incubator, The Frederick Innovative
Technology Center Inc., also known as FITCI, marked 15 years of successfully
helping entrepreneurs bring their big ideas to life adding over 800 full-time
jobs to Frederick County.
- We have also celebrated major milestones in our
business and volunteer communities. Numerous fire and rescue companies held
banquets, including an impressive 125th anniversary for Brunswick Volunteer
Fire Company Inc. Frederick Mutual Insurance Company marked an amazing 175
years of doing business in our community!
Budget
On April 15th, I will present my proposed 2020 budget.
These past few months have been very busy meeting with county divisions,
holding public hearing, and formulating and developing a balanced budget
proposal that best balances the needs of our growing community. I have reached
out to the public with meetings and an online survey to makes sure the county
budget reflects our community's priorities and values. I received thousands of
responses to the survey. At public hearings, I heard from many people asking
for more funding for the animal shelter, education, seniors, and our libraries.
Individuals have also sent letters and emails advocating for their priorities.
The list of budget requests and appeals that I have received and have
considered is available on the County’s website at www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/budget.
Our budget will be fiscally responsible and will
reflect community priorities and value for education, public safety, good
roads, parks and libraries and will value our hardworking county employees.
If you have something to share, please contact me at
jgardner@FrederickCountyMD.gov or call 301-600-3190