October 18 is the voter registration deadline, although you may also register at an early voting location or on election day at a polling location. You can request a mail-in-ballot by November 1 online but it must be postmarked on return by November 8. You don’t need any reason for a mail-in-ballot, everyone who is registered is eligible to vote with this easy method. Early voting centers will open on October 27, 2022 through Thursday November 3, 2022 from 7 AM through 8 PM, Saturday and Sunday too.

Of course if you don’t choose one of those options, you can vote on Election Day at your normal polling location on November 8. This is an important election, so please make sure your voice is heard.

The Frederick County Council is meeting through the election. We have some big issues that have to be resolved. We are still working on the Sugarloaf Area Plan. It is a work in progress, with trying to respect individual property rights. Sugarloaf is a private mountain that the Stronghold Foundation allows the public to utilize. They have been excellent stewards of the land for decades and we have to make sure their needs are respected in the process. There are still numerous outstanding issues with this Sugarloaf Planning document; at the time of this writing, it is unclear how the process will unfold. Perhaps the best solution is to return the document to the Planning Commission to allow them to continue work on this plan.

The Council is also hearing a change in the Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) law. The current proposal would raise the charge to on each unit in a neighborhood to subsidize the cost of affordable housing. I am skeptical of this approach – pushing up the cost of housing to then subsidize it through a government program seems counterproductive on its face.

Finally, the Council is working on potential changes to the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance. The basic changes would make changes to the laws on what roads and public infrastructure must be in place before a development may begin.