November 11, 2024

Ready Report: Veterans Day, PSEG/MPRP Town Halls, Delegation Hearing & More…

I want to start by taking a moment to thank all the brave men and women who have served America in our Armed Forces on this Veterans Day. While we should honor the sacrifice and service of our veterans, active duty military and reservists every day of course, this special day sets aside time on our calendars to truly remember and, hopefully, pass these lessons along to our children, grandchildren and others in our community.

This nation and our freedoms are secured by brave warriors who sign up willing to put their lives on the line to defend and protect us. Whether someone has been in combat, deployed to overseas outposts, protecting citizens on our waterways or is serving in one our reserve units, we thank each veteran and their families. We also want to do all we can to help our veterans with challenges they may face after leaving the service – our country has made some positive progress in recognizing these needs but I know there is still a long way to go and I promise to keep working on those issues in Maryland.

2024 Election Concludes:

President Trump’s victory in last week’s election and Republicans taking control of the U.S. Senate (plus it looks like holding the House) was great news for those of us who want to see common sense in Washington D.C., a secure border and Constitutional, limited government as well as taking the inflation and cost of living crisis seriously and taking steps to address it.

While there have been some positive expressions of bipartisanship, not surprisingly, some “Blue State” Democratic governors have already come out to say they will be trying to check the new Trump administration. I think our leaders should be looking to work with President-Elect Trump on ways to protect our state and country and help struggling families and retirees. I’ll have more on this soon.

PSEG MPRP Town Halls THIS WEEK:

Over the next few days, the utility PSEG will be hosting information sessions in Baltimore, Carroll, and Fredrick Counties. PSEG made the following announcement regarding these three information sessions:

“PSEG invites you to a public information session to learn more about MPRP and the process moving forward. There will be a brief overview of the project followed by a moderated question and answer session.”

Below is information regarding time and location of each session:

Baltimore County – Tuesday, November 12th – 6-8:30 p.m.

Embassy Suites by Hilton, 213 International Circle, Hunt Valley, MD

Carroll County – Wednesday, November 13th – 6-8:30 p.m.

Carroll County Ag Center, 706 Agricultural Center Dr., Westminster, MD

Fredrick County – Thursday, November 14th – 6-8:30 p.m.

Brunswick Volunteer Fire Company, 1500 Volunteer Drive, Brunswick, MD

Click here for more information about the proposed powerline route, as well as more information about PSEG’s upcoming information sessions.

The entire Carroll County delegation remains opposed to this project, and will continue exploring options to stop this project from happening. Click here for information on how to get involved. 

Nov. 20th – Carroll-Hunterstown Transmission Upgrade Public Meeting – Taneytown

(NOTE: This Project Is Using Existing Right-of-Way – NOT Taking Additional Property)

Potomac Edison / FirstEnergy is preparing for public engagement efforts in Carroll County related to Carroll-Hunterstown transmission line improvements. This project will utilize existing rights-of-way.

There will be a Public Meeting for concerned citizens to learn more about this project. The meetings information is below:

Meeting Date:   11/20

Time:                 7:00PM – 9:00PM

Location:           Northwest Middle School Cafeteria, 99 Kings Dr, Taneytown, MD 21787

The public will be able to submit questions and comments at the in-person meeting – and also via an online platform that will be set up on the project’s website. Click here for more information.

This project does not have any connection with the MPRP powerline project being conducted by PSEG, this is a different power company that’s been servicing Western Carroll for a long time, but I am monitoring the situation as it develops and will be sure to provide any information that I receive.

Nov. 21st – Carroll County Delegation to hold Annual Public Hearing

The Carroll County Delegation will be hosting its annual public hearing on Thursday, November 21, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. The hearing will take place at the County Office Building, 225 North Center Street, Westminster, MD 21157.

The Delegation will be discussing possible Carroll County-specific bill requests for the 2025 Maryland General Assembly Legislative Session.  These legislative requests are ones made by the County Board of Commissioners, local non-profit organizations, and individual Delegation members.  The public is encouraged to attend and give input on the proposals.

The meeting will be shown live on Comcast channel 24 (Carroll County Government Channel) and will be available after on the county government’s website, Meeting Calendar – Carroll County, Maryland (iqm2.com).

AGENDA

  1.  Call to Order
  1. Pledge of Allegiance
  2. Delegation Chair Election
  3. Legislative Hearing on Local Bill Requests

The local Carroll County bill requests include:

Legislation Requested by the Carroll County Commissioners:

  1. Ability to refuse building permits for companies which owe property taxes
  2. Require background checks for county employees
  3. Sunday hunting expansion
  4. Carroll County Public Facilities Bond

Community Requests for Legislative Bond Initiatives

Representatives of community groups, local governments and charitable organizations will be presenting state capitol budget funding requests for the delegation to consider putting forward. These would be submitted as “Legislative Bond Initiatives” in the state capitol budget process.

Public Comment:

Opportunity for attendees to address the delegation on any additional state legislative issues or concerns.

Carroll County citizens are invited to hear the presentations and submit oral or written comments on any of the local legislative proposals or other state issues. For those not able to attend in person, we also welcome public comment on any 2025 Legislative issue through e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected]

This was a lengthy update as there is a lot going on here before Thanksgiving. Have a great week ahead and please reach out with any questions – thank you for the opportunity to serve you.

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