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ALLEGANY COUNTY GOVERNMENT NEWS

PACE 2009

The Cumberland/Allegany County Industrial Foundation, Inc. and the Garrett County Development Corporation present PACE 2009: Think Green –Think Mountain Maryland. The Pace Reception is Thursday evening, January 29, 2009 and the PACE Legislative Breakfast is Friday morning, January 30, 2009. Both events are at the Loews Annapolis Hotel. The general public is welcome to PACE. There are sponsorship opportunities available now. For additional information, contact Allegany County Department of Economic Development/Cindy Young, 301-777-5967, 800-555-4080, cyoung@allconet.org , www.mtmdpace.com. Read More!

Allegany County Bureau of Police:
To contact the Allegany County Bureau of Police please dial 301-777-1000 or for emergencies dial 911.

Christmas Tree Recycling Locations
Allegany County Government appreciates the effort of all recyclers and encourages individuals, business, and other entities to reduce, reuse, recycle, and compost. Allegany County Government has 10 locations located throughout the county for recycling live Christmas trees and other natural seasonal greenery such as wreaths and swags. All decorations have to be removed – no tinsel, no bows, etc.

Christmas trees may be dropped off for recycling at different locations throughout Allegany County beginning Friday, December 26, 2008 through Saturday, January 17, 2009. After this date, all Christmas trees are to be taken to Allegany County Government’s compost site at the North Branch Industrial Park 11700 PPG Road. The compost site is open on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Read More

Allegany County Commissioners Vote for Tax Relief
Stakem, Hutcheson, Lewis Support Homestead Property Tax Credit
The Allegany County Commissioners James J. Stakem, Robert M. Hutcheson, and Dale R. Lewis, have voted to decrease the Homestead Property Tax Credit Rate from 10% to 7%. The Allegany County Commissioners have taken the initiative and demonstrated their commitment to address the concerns of taxpayers who are upset with high assessments and the associated property taxes. Read More

Recent Public Meeting Presentations

GIS: Allegany County Land Suitable for Urban Development

Comprehensive Annual Financial Report & Single Audit
Mountain Ridge Rural Legacy Area Meeting
Sheriff Office / Bureau of Police FY 2009 Budget Amendment (08/28/2008)

Report on Sale: Public Improvement Bond of 2008 (08/28/2008)

Bureau of Police Officers Recertified and Sworn In
At 9:30 AM, on Tuesday, August 19, 2008, staff from the Maryland Police Training Commission (MPTC) officially notified Allegany County Government that the re-certification process has now been completed on 12 police officers serving the County’s Bureau of Police. These officers were sworn in today at 3:00 p.m. by Dawne D. Lindsey, Allegany County Clerk of Circuit Court. These Allegany County Bureau of Police officers can now exercise full police powers. Two additional officers are actively progressing through the recertification process. This is expected be concluded in the near future.

As publicly stated, Allegany County will be operating the expanded Bureau of Police with funds currently budgeted for that function. It is also the County’s desire to utilize vehicles and equipment already owned by the County for the Bureau of Police to avoid unnecessary expense. Until such time as the physical possession of vehicles and equipment is resolved with the Sheriff’s Office, the County’s Bureau of Police will be rotating a limited number of vehicles for patrol purposes, and will be using uniforms already in stock. “This reminds me of my days in the military,” remarked Deputy Chief J. Robert Dick. “We are going to improvise, adapt, and make do with the resources we have available. However, we absolutely will not compromise on officer safety issues relating to necessary public safety equipment.”

Allegany County had previously sought a waiver of the MPTC requirements for 90 days to complete the necessary recertification requirements. The MPTC did not meet earlier this month due to scheduling conflicts of the various members and the waiver was not granted. According to Deputy Chief Dick, “Our department has taken full advantage of the time required for the recertification process to provide additional Maryland Police Training Commission approved in-service training. This included defensive tactics, interview and interrogation classes, and ‘active shooter’ training.” A total of 38 hours of in-service training has been completed by each recertified officer to date. MPTC requires officers to complete 18 hours of qualified training every year. “The MPTC made a truly professional effort under difficult circumstances to complete the recertification process and at the same time obtain a wealth of in-service training. I am proud of the personal and professional effort made by each officer to date. It has been a real team effort. Allegany County’s citizens should be proud of each and every officer in the Bureau of Police for their commitment to our community,” concluded Dick. State recertification requires the completion of a physical, drug testing, a criminal background exam, fingerprint checks by Federal and State authorities, a polygraph exam, firearms qualification, etc.

Governor O’Malley Supports the Environment
Georges Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Project Secures $9,558,000

With the financial support of the State of Maryland, Allegany County Government is able to undertake an important, far-reaching project to improve the Georges Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (25018 Old Reynolds Road, Westernport, MD). Read More

George's Creek Regional Composite Survey
The results from this survey will be used by the Allegany County Planning Staff and the Planning & Zoning Commission to help in the development of the county’s comprehensive plan. Your responses will be combined with those from other participants for statistical analysis. The information you provide in this survey is confidential. This information will not be used to sell you anything. You will not be put on any mailing or telemarketing list as a result of answering this survey. Begin Now

Allegany County Public Works Constructs New Garage
Flintstone Facility Serves Eastern Allegany County

The Allegany County Commissioners, James J. Stakem, Robert M. Hutcheson, and Dale R. Lewis, are pleased to announce that Allegany County Government has opened a new County Roads garage facility near Flintstone. According to Allegany County Director of Public Works W. Stephen Young, this garage serves the eastern section of Allegany County. It is ideally located at 28719 Headquarters Road NE (I 68 Exit #64 – MV Smith Road) and has replaced the dated, older facility located in Little Orleans. The new garage facility is under the management of Kenny Gilpin, District Supervisor in the Roads Division.

Public Works Personnel Get High Praise
Preliminary Discussions to Physical Reality
Allegany County’s Department of Public Works was solely responsible for this new facility. It was designed by W. Adam Patterson, P.E., of the Engineering Division and constructed by the County Roads Division and the County Maintenance Division under the direction of Jim Lashley and Evan Bone, respectively. Young highlighted the significant contributions of the employees in these divisions and credited them with the overall high caliber of the finished construction project. He emphasized: “The talented workers in the Roads and Maintenance Divisions did a top-rate job. Every person on this team should take great pride in this construction project. This was a job well done.” According to Young, substantial cost savings measures were also realized by this approach.

Strategic Geographic Distribution for Efficiency
The Department of Public Works has four garages in Allegany County. Public Works uses these garages to house equipment and materials needed throughout the different seasons of the year - snow removal in the winter and roadside vegetation maintenance in the summer. These garages are located to efficiently and effectively serve all sections of Allegany County:

Garage 1, Central District – Cumberland
Garage 2, North East District – Flintstone
Garage 3, South East District – Oldtown
Garage 4, Western District – Frostburg.

Allegany County Transit’s Christine Conner has successfully completed the Penn TRAIN Professional Supervisor Program (Pennsylvania Transportation Resource and Information Network) and has been awarded her certificate. This comprehensive training program takes one year to complete. Transit supervisors and managers take a multi-level series of courses. Each course requires three training days plus homework assignments. Selected topics included communication effectiveness, drug and alcohol overview, team building, a supervisor’s role in the top ten safety concerns, project management, sexual harassment, ethics and leadership, coaching and counseling employees, and case studies. Conner is also a 2008 graduate of TransitSCORE (Safe, Courteous, On-Time, Responsible, Efficient). This is an advanced-level train-the-trainer program. Conner is now certified to train professional transit vehicle operators.James S. Stafford, Jr., Allegany County Transit Division Chief, remarked: “Allegany County Transit is extremely fortunate to have Christine Conner. She is a talented and dedicated transit supervisor. Conner is truly concerned about serving Allegany County Transit’s customers. She is also a great co-worker.”

Allegany County Government is undertaking an important, far-reaching project to improve the Georges Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (GCWWTP, 25018 Old Reynolds Road, Westernport, MD). The Department of Public Works led by Director W. Stephen Young and Deputy Director Paul F. Kahl and its Utilities Division, managed by Mark W. Yoder, are spearheading this important project. All are Professional Engineers Learn More

The Allegany County Commissioners, James J. Stakem, Robert M. Hutcheson, and Dale R. Lewis, announced that the Allegany County Government Department of Finance is a national award winner: The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. This is the highest form of recognition in the area of government accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. This is the 15th consecutive year that this award was received by the Allegany County Department of Finance. The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting has been awarded to Allegany County Government Department of Finance by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for its comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR). NOTE: This award was received for the FY 2006 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. The GFOA is a nonprofit professional association serving approximately 16,000 government finance professionals with offices in Chicago, IL and Washington, DC. The CAFR has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the CAFR. A Team of CPA Professionals

Jerry L. Frantz, CPA, Director of Finance, and W. Jay George, CPA, Assistant Director of Finance, are seasoned professionals associated with Allegany County Government. Citizens and stakeholders benefit from their extensive experience; of note, Frantz has given over 25 years of service to Allegany County Government. Frantz cited the significant contributions of George: “Jay is the key individual responsible for the CAFR and the reason for this national award for FY 2006. He leads this significant project.” Jason M. Bennett and Pamela S. Smith complete the team of Certified Public Accountants in the Department of Finance. View CAFR