St. Mary’s County Commissioners Approve FY2024 Budget and Grants for Public Safety
The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County (CSMC) convened for their regular business meeting on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. The meeting opened with an invocation and pledge, followed by the approval of the consent agenda.
The Commissioners then convened as the Board of Health to hear from Dr. Brewster, County Health Officer, and Sheriff Hall on drug use in St. Mary’s County. They discussed the ongoing opioid crisis and the need for continued efforts to combat drug use in the area.
Following the Board of Health meeting, the Commissioners approved the FY2024 Recommended Budget for Public Hearing. The budget included several requests for grants from various public safety departments.
During County Administrator time, the Commissioners approved several requests from the Sheriff’s Office, including the request to apply for the FY2024 Heroin Coordinator grant in the amount of $59,649 and their grant application for the FY2024 Police Accountability, Community, and Transparency Grant in the amount of $47,117. They also approved the Sheriff’s Office’s request to purchase signage, furniture, and equipment using federally and locally forfeited funds.
The Commissioners also approved the Sheriff’s Office request to apply for the FY2024 Sex Offender Compliance and Enforcement in Maryland grant and their grant application for the FY2024 Police Recruitment and Retention grant. These grants will provide additional funding for St. Mary’s County public safety initiatives.
In addition to public safety grants, the Commissioners approved several other requests during County Administrator time. They approved the Board of Education’s request to apply for the SB 291 Pass Through Grant for renovations at Oakville Elementary School. They also approved the Department of Finance’s schedule of nonrecurring and other unique one-time costs to the Maryland State Department of Education for FY2024.
The Department of Recreation & Parks also received approval for their request to apply for the Cal Ripken Foundation grant in the amount of $6,500. Lastly, the Department of Public Works & Transportation approved their acceptance of $1,937,953 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for Emergency Coastal Resilience grant funding and the department’s FY2024 MDOT Transportation Priority Letter.
The Commissioners concluded the meeting with a legislative update from the Office of the County Attorney. They will host their next regular business meeting on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, at 9 a.m. The public can access CSMC decisions and related public documents on the county government website in BoardDocs. CSMC meetings can be viewed live Tuesday mornings on SMCG Channel 95, or as a replay Friday at 6:30 p.m. Meetings are also available for on-demand viewing on the St. Mary’s County Government YouTube Channel.