(11/2021) Cool autumn weather means Thanksgiving time is near. What are you thankful for this year? I am thankful for family, friends, and the caring people who call Frederick County home.

I am also grateful that we live in a community with a rich agricultural history, where food and fiber are produced. The Frederick County’s Farm Bureau celebrated their 100th anniversary during their recent banquet in New Midway. Agriculture has changed greatly through the years. One local farmer told me that when he started on his family farm, he worked behind horses. Now the tractors on his farm are equipped with GPS.

Innovation and value-added products are how agriculture will thrive in the years ahead. In order to leave a legacy of agriculture for future generations, we need to keep the industry viable and preserve large swaths of farmland. Frederick County has committed to preserving 100,000 acres of farmland. We are more than two-thirds of the way to our goal!

As part of Frederick County’s effort to preserve farmland, this year we introduced the Agriculture Innovation Grants program. The competitive grants are awarded twice a year through the County’s Office of Economic Development. Council President M.C. Keegan-Ayer and I recently announced $198,000 in grants to 10 recipients in the latest grant cycle.

Many of the latest recipients are located in the northern part of Frederick County. Catoctin Breeze Winery in Thurmont will use its funding to conduct a soil study so they can determine the most sustainable variety of grapes to grow. Deer Run Farm in Emmitsburg will purchase a no-till planter drill that other farms will be able to rent. Grossnickle Farms in Walkersville will install well and septic so they can open an on-farm market. Timber is also an agricultural product, and two of the latest recipients – Fitzgerald’s Heavy Timber in Thurmont and Off the Grid Farm in Woodsboro – plan to use their grants for sawmill operations. The projects are anticipated to create 26 full-time and 25 part-time positions.

Frederick County’s agriculture community has embraced this new grant program. These funds help to ensure the county’s distinctive agricultural identity for future generations. Funding comes from dedicated revenues generated by the county’s recordation fee. Applications for the next round will be accepted in January. If you want to learn more about the program, you can contact Katie Stevens, Associate Director of Agriculture Business Development, at 301-600-3037.

Legislative package

Each year, my administration collects suggestions for new pieces of legislation from the public, government agencies, civic organizations and local officials. I then hold a public hearing to hear reactions to the proposals and gather any new suggestions. The way Frederick County develops our legislative priorities is unique in Maryland. I believe that the extensive public input process is an example of good government. Later this month, I will present the County’s final legislative package to our Delegation for their consideration when the General Assembly meets in 2022. I am requesting four pieces of legislation in this year’s package.

• The first bill was requested by the Town of Emmitsburg. It would keep the state’s longstanding forest banking program in place until 2024 so that existing forested land can continue to be preserved. Last year, the program was effectively halted while the State conducts a review. Forest banking has preserved more than 2,500 acres of forest in Frederick County. Scores of property owners who began the process to preserve environmentally sensitive areas in Frederick County are currently unable to finalize their plans because of last year’s changes. The proposed bill also would allow local governments more time to use the money that has been deposited in their Forest Conservation Fund.
   
• The second bill in the County’s legislative package would redirect $15 of the fee charged for performing marriage ceremonies by the Circuit Court to Heritage Frederick, which maintains marriage records for numerous places of worship. The marriage ceremony fee is different than the marriage license fee, which helps to fund the nonprofit Heartly House.
   
• The third piece of legislation would help cemeteries maintain contact with owners of burial lots. In cases where a lot has been abandoned for 75 or more years, ownership would return to the cemetery.
   
• The final bill was requested by County Council Member Steve McKay to change how vacancies on Frederick County’s Board of Education are filled. Currently, the county’s Charter requires the County Executive to appoint a replacement, with the County Council’s confirmation. Council Member McKay’s bill would appoint the next highest vote-getter in an election to fill a vacancy during election years. Outside of election years, the County Executive would continue to fill a vacancy by appointment. The same legislation has been introduced twice before, but because the last two sessions were cut short as a result of Covid, the bill did not have time to win final approval.

You can find copies of all these bills at www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/Legislative.

COVID-19

As the holidays approach, I encourage people to stay vigilant in the battle against the COVID-19 virus. Frederick County continues to see high rates of transmission. We are faring worse than the statewide average. This fall, we have seen two to three dozen people every day who have been hospitalized with the virus at Frederick Health Hospital. At the time I wrote this column, we had lost 11 neighbors to Covid during the month of October. Please do your part to keep everyone safe and well.