Just a Quick Update

March is nearly over causing me to think I need to update the Blog site with a quick update.

The Board of County Commissioners position continues to keep me busy and that is anticipated for the full four year term. You will never hear me say, "I'm bored."

We are in the midst of the Budget Build for FY-12 (which starts July 1, 2011). As such, besides getting the staff recommended budget, we are asking questions, taking ideas and concerns from fellow citizens and preparing for public presentation of the budget for later adoption.

We are also getting ready to make the yearly trip to New York City (I know, those who know me already know that big city is not my cup of tea). Anyway, the trip there will be to meet with the bond agencies who will determine the bond rating of Calvert County. It's like a credit rating and helpful for when we need to make large purchases like schools and firehouses.

We also have a couple of ordinances (fancy term for local laws) pertaining to updating the building code (which this year has the inclusion of sprinkler systems within new houses being a prominant item), a draft Noise Ordinance, and hopefully soon an updated Ethics Code for county employees.

Besides the above, we continue to address many of the issues that get presented to the board from either the staff of county government, or various citizens. We also continue touring various facilities within the county to learn as well as to maintain dialogue with various institutions. The many we've visited included Calvert Nuclear Plant, Dominion Liquid Natural Gas, Library, and various citizens groups such as Cheasapeake Ranch Estates (CRE). More are scheduled, so the quick pace will continue.

We also attend many functions throughout the public. At one time, I counted us receiving an average of about 20 - 30 invites a week.

We also are providing some guidance to the county staff regarding our expectations, so some internal work is underway there pertaining to improvements that are needed to better serve the citizens. Some of that activity will evolve over time with some being more obvious and some more subtle.