Yesterday, County Executive Pittman announced the start of our Community Support Grant application process for fiscal year 2023. County Executive Pittman believes that the community-based nonprofit organizations in this county are best positioned to serve our most vulnerable residents and so he created this program in his first budget to help support their work. Applications will be open through Feb 21, 2022, and you can read more details about the program below or at this part of the county website.

 

Thank you to everyone who participated in the District 4 Budget Town Hall last night with County Executive Pittman and Councilman Pruski. For those of you that live in Council District 3, your town hall is tomorrow, January 13th and next week we have the District 1 Town Hall with Councilwoman Lacey on Thursday the 20th. These events will be live-streamed on the County Executive's Facebook page, but you may also click here to register for Zoom, where you will have the opportunity to make a live, public comment.

 

Also, be sure to read the County Executive's statement on the role of government as it pertains to protecting the health and safety of our neighbors. There’s a lot more going on throughout the county as well, so be sure to check it all out!

Twenty-one of our neighbors in Anne Arundel County lost their lives last week to COVID-19. That’s an average of three per day. They are not numbers, they are human beings with families and friends. We are projected to continue losing our people at that rate or higher in the coming weeks.

I had hoped we were done with government mandates in our COVID response, but science is clear that masks slow the spread of this virus. Masks keep kids in school, workers on the job, people out of hospitals, and people alive. They don’t save everyone, but they do save some.

Our hospital leaders pleaded with the County Council to extend the mask mandate, citing studies that show more people mask when it’s required.

Of the 540 local businesses that responded to our recent questionnaire, nearly two-thirds said that they support a government mask mandate. They want to protect their employees and the economy that sustains them.

Of the 1752 county residents that sent testimony to our County Council for last Friday’s special session, 75% supported extension of our mask mandate.

All of our neighboring counties have implemented temporary mask mandates to address this super-surge, and the Governor is once again saying, “Wear the damn mask.”

The Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Fire Departments are asking for the community’s to help alleviate the unprecedented strain that COVID-19 and its emerging variants have placed on the area’s emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, frontline responders, and hospitals.

COVID-19 infections continue to spread rapidly throughout Maryland. According to data from the Anne Arundel County Department of Health, the COVID positivity rate in the county has reached 30.02% resulting in a 91.9% Intensive Care Unit occupancy rate.

In light of this unprecedented burden on EMS personnel, hospital staff, and our health system, the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Fire Departments are seeking the community’s assistance in the following ways:

In cases of mild symptoms that are likely due to a viral illness, EMTs and Paramedics will evaluate the condition. If the severity of illness is mild, they may advise that home care, primary care follow-up, and outpatient testing are appropriate, as opposed to being taken to an ED.

By following these guidelines, our community can help decrease COVID-19 transmission and, in so doing, decrease the number of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. For more information about COVID-19 and related resources, visit the Department of Health's website.

Please click here to read the full statement.

Click the image above to see our hospital leaders call on the County Council to extend the mask mandate, citing studies that show more people mask when it’s required.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman and Arundel Community Development Services, Inc. (ACDS) announced today that the application period is now open for Community Support Grants. The community grant programs offers FY 2023 funding for eligible nonprofit organizations that provide vital services to county residents.

Priority consideration will be given to applications that are:

Read the full press release and learn more about the grants program.

The Arts Council of Anne Arundel County invests in the local arts community through grantmaking. The Community Arts Grant is their capstone program and provides general operating funds to the county’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organizations. Twice a year, they offer Mini Grants to a broader range of organizations, with the goal of supporting high-impact projects that reach new audiences or fill a gap within the community.

Check out their grant opportunities.

County Executive Pittman signed Executive Order 54 to redefine and restructure the Agriculture Commission to better reflect the administration’s commitment to protecting agricultural lands and open space while promoting commercially-viable farms in the County.

The Commission is made up of County residents who are familiar with agricultural and farming issues, with most voting members owning, managing, or operating a farm in the County.

Learn more about the commission and submit your application.

County Executive Steuart Pittman announced the South County Senior Activity Center renovation and expansion capital improvement project. The announcement was made at a groundbreaking ceremony at the center. The center, located at 27 Stepney’s Lane in Edgewater, was originally built in 1991. Membership since then has grown to over 6,800 members.

Read the full press release.

Review the draft plan on the Recs and Parks section of aacounty.org. Copies are also available at Anne Arundel County Public Library branches, Seniors Centers, and staffed Recreation & Parks facilities. After reviewing the draft, please email your comments to [email protected].

County Council - Below is a list of the legislation receiving a public hearing at the January 18, 2022, County Council meeting. Come and let your voice be heard during the public comment period for each of these!

The legislation scheduled to be heard at the next County Council meeting is subject to change. Click here for an up-to-date list and to see other legislation that has been introduced but isn't scheduled for a hearing at the next meeting.

Region Plans - The county's nine Region Plans will be the backbone of our county's planning work and will include an evaluation of community assets and needs, a shared vision for the next 20 years, and specific recommendations for each region about land use, zoning, environmental protection, transportation, public facilities, and more. Work in regions 2, 4, and 7 are currently underway, and you can provide input now. Find out what region you live in, and click the following link for your region to complete a quick survey: Region 2 - Region 4 - Region 7

Residents can view a calendar of upcoming meetings in their area, review site plans and other documents, attend virtual meetings, watch previously recorded meetings, and provide public comments directly to the Office of Planning and Zoning - all through the new Community Meetings website. See a partial list of upcoming meetings below and click here for more details and to view the full calendar.

Visit the County's Department of Health Website for more information.

For media inquiries, please contact Jeff Amoros at [email protected]