Keeping Up with Christiana! |
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Greetings!
Welcome to our April Newsletter! Over the past two weeks, there have been many important COVID-19 vaccine updates for Howard County and Maryland. Governor Hogan recently announced that all Marylanders age 16+ are now able to register for vaccine appointments. You can pre-register for a vaccine appointment at the State's mass vaccination sites here, and you can pre-register for a vaccine from the Howard County Health Department here.
Statewide, roughly 37% of all Maryland residents have received at least one vaccine dose. Here in Howard County, roughly 42% of all residents have received at least one vaccine dose, including over 86% of residents over the age of 65. In two weeks, the State of Maryland will also be opening a mass vaccination site at the Columbia Mall, which will help Howard County residents gain better access to vaccinations.
I encourage you to read the Health Department's weekly vaccine update, which is posted on the Health Department website. The letter includes information on vaccine clinics from the Howard County Health Department, as well as how to make appointments at state mass-vax sites and pharmacies. If you have any specific questions related to the vaccine distribution or availability, please email me at crigby@howardcountymd.gov.
As we continue into 2021, please don't hesitate to contact my office if you are experiencing any issues in your community or would just like to get in touch. We are here to help with your concerns and listen to your feedback. Wishing you a safe and healthy April!
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Christiana Rigby
Councilwoman, District 3
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To date, there have been over 18,252 recorded cases of COVID-19 in Howard County, and 237 of our Howard County neighbors have lost their lives to this virus. Howard County's positivity rate and new case rate have have held steady over the last month. As vaccination efforts continue to improve and expand, I encourage everyone to continue doing their part to limit the spread of coronavirus in Howard County by wearing a mask and practicing physical distancing. For information on COVID-19 and coronavirus testing locations, please visit the Howard County Health Department's website.
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March Legislative Wrap-Up |
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On April 5th, the County Council convened for our April Legislative Session to hold a vote on March legislation. The County Council took action on many pieces of legislation, including the following:
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CB20-2021: legislation requiring that certain single-user restrooms in Howard County be made available to all individuals regardless of gender; requiring that certain single-user restrooms use gender-inclusive signage to identify the restroom. This legislation passed unanimously in a 5-0 vote. You can read more about the legislation here. Introduced by Christiana Rigby.
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CB22-2021: legislation requiring the developer of a TOD (Transit Oriented Development) to provide the required moderate income housing units on the TOD site. This legislation passed unanimously in a 5-0 vote. You can read more about the legislation here. Introduced by Christiana Rigby. Co-sponsored by Liz Walsh and Deb Jung.
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CR43-2021: a resolution encouraging the County Executive to implement a “Shared Streets Program” to promote the public health, safety, and welfare and the safe use of outdoor space during the State of Emergency due to COVID-19; and generally relating to implementing the “Shared Streets Program”. This resolution passed unanimously in a 5-0 vote. You can read more about the legislation here. Introduced by Liz Walsh.
You can watch the County Council's full April legislation session here.
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At the legislative session on April 5th, the County Council introduced new legislation and tabled several bills already under consideration. I have included information on current legislation of interest below:
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CB17-2021: legislation relating to solar energy in Howard County, including to allow rooftop commercial and accessory ground mount solar collectors in all zoning districts; to allow commercial ground-mount solar collector facilities in certain zoning districts; to limit the size of commercial ground-mount solar collector facilities on certain parcels that are in the Agricultural Land Preservation Program; and generally relating to the Howard County Zoning Regulations. This legislation was first introduced in March and tabled by the County Council at the April legislative session. You can read more about the legislation here. Introduced by the Chairperson at the request of the County Executive.
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CB23-2021: legislation amending the eligibility requirements for a property tax credit for seniors and retired military personnel in accordance with Chapter 332, Acts of the General Assembly of 2019; and generally relating to property tax credits. This legislation was first introduced in March and tabled by the County Council at the April legislative session. You can read more about the legislation here. Introduced by Opel Jones and Deb Jung. Co-sponsored by Christiana Rigby, Liz Walsh, and David Yungmann.
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CR59-2021: A resolution amending the rules that implement the Settlement Downpayment Loan Program established under Title 13, Subtitle 9 of the Howard County Code; to update and add certain definitions; to remove language related to lending pools and participating lenders; to add a method of calculation to determine self-employment; to update minimum down payment requirements and qualification for certain loan types; to update loan subordination requirements; and generally relating to the Settlement Downpayment Loan Program. You can read more about the legislation here. Introduced by the Chairperson at the request of the County Executive.
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Community Initiatives, Events, and Updates |
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FY22 Capital Budget & Public Hearings |
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On April 1st, County Executive Ball released his Fiscal Year 2022 Proposed Capital Budget and presented it to the County Council. This Capital Budget includes investments in District 3 that I wanted to share with you.
There are several priority projects in this FY22 Capital Budget that I am pleased to see funded, especially the East Columbia 50+ Center in Owen Brown, Savage Complete Streets, the Hammond High School Renovation/Addition, the Talbott Springs Elementary School Replacement, and High School 13.
You can read more about the FY22 Capital Budget in my D3 Budget Newsletter here.
The County Council wants to hear your thoughts and testimony on this year’s Capital Budget! I encourage you to provide feedback by emailing CouncilMail@howardcountymd.gov.
There will also be two public hearings on the FY22 Capital Budget, which are scheduled for Tuesday, April 20th at 4:00pm and 6:30pm. Community members and organizations may sign up to testify on the Capital Budget during these hearings. There will also be a third Public Hearing on the Capital Budget scheduled for Monday, May 10th at 9:30 AM.
The County Council's full schedule for budget hearings and work sessions are available on the Council website. You may sign up to testify virtually here.
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Howard County - General Plan Update |
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Once each decade, Howard County updates its general plan, a long-range, visionary document that guides land use, growth, and development decisions. From now through the end of 2021, the county’s Department of Planning and Zoning is leading a community outreach effort to create a new general plan, called HoCo By Design.
I encourage you to visit the HoCo By Design website to learn more about Howard County's General Plan process and how you can get involved in this effort to plan for Howard County's future!
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Community Action Council - Services |
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We are a community, and one in four residents in our community are struggling to make ends meet. If you are wondering where to get help, or how to help your neighbors, go to www.cac-hc.org to learn about the Community Action Council of Howard County.
CAC offers four main programs and services to help improve economic security and strengthen our community: food assistance, housing assistance, utility assistance, and early childhood education. We’re here for you, get support or get involved now. 410-313-6440.
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Celebrate Autism Acceptance Month with the Howard County Autism Society |
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Throughout the month of April, people around the world come together to #CelebrateDifferences during Autism Acceptance Month.
Several activities, events, and fundraisers are being held by the Howard County Autism Society and its community partners during Autism Acceptance Month including a parent-led panel for newly-diagnosed families, presentations for the community, sensory-friendly Sunday at Robinson Nature Center, and more. For a complete listing, visit this website.
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Kings Contrivance Village Board Elections |
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This month, Columbia Villages are holding elections for Village Board Members and Columbia Council Representative. In District 3, the Village of Kings Contrivance will be holding elections for Village Board and Columbia Council Representative on April 23rd and April 24th, 2021.
Kings Contrivance residents are encouraged to use the absentee ballot which will be available from April 8-22. Look for your absentee ballot in the April 8 printed issue of the Crown Prints, at Amherst House, or contact the Village Board and they will provide you with one. Absentee ballots must be submitted by 9PM on April 22.
There are no contested elections in the Village of Owen Brown this year.
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Racial Equity Task Force - Public Hearing |
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Save the date! Howard County's Racial Equity Task Force will be holding its second public hearing on the evening of Thursday, May 6th, 2021 from 6pm - 8pm. This virtual hearing will provide community members and organizations with an opportunity to provide testimony and feedback on the draft recommendations of the Racial Equity Task Force.
The draft recommendations will be posted on the Racial Equity Task Force website during the last week of April. Once the recommendations are posted, community members will be able to sign up to provide verbal testimony for the public hearing. Written Testimony may still be emailed to racialequitytf@howardcountymd.gov at any time.
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The Howard County Department of Housing & Community Development is currently accepting applications for their Moderate Income Housing Unit (MIHU) program! The MIHU program is designed to provide affordable homeownership and housing opportunities to eligible Howard County residents.
Residents who are interested in applying for the MIHU program can find and submit an application online. The enrollment period for MIHU homeownership applications is from April 1, 2021 through April 30, 2021.
For more information and to find the application, please visit this website.
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Mobile Ticketing is Now Available for RTA Riders |
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I am excited to share that Howard County has implemented mobile ticketing, route tracking, and trip planning for our RTA bus service using the Transit app!
This updated technology helps bring RTA of Central Maryland into the 21st century, and it makes riding the bus easier and more reliable in Howard County.
Along with mobile ticketing, RTA introduced free transfers and fare capping, two cost-effective features for its riders that improve equity and access to the RTA system. One-way $2 fares purchased in Transit are valid for 90 minutes, making any transfers within that 90-minute window free system-wide.
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Rental Assistance & Eviction Prevention |
Howard County Government is offering Rental Assistance and Eviction Prevention Grants to Howard County residents who are struggling to pay their rent or mortgage due to loss of income resulting from COVID-19.
Residents may apply for rental and mortgage assistance from:
Maximum assistance per household is 12 months of housing and utility expenses. Residents that previously received housing assistance ARE eligible to apply for additional assistance. You can find more information on the housing assistance grants and how to apply here.
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Food and Utility Assistance |
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Howard County Government has dedicated additional funding to the Community Action Council of Howard County (CAC) for energy/utility assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you are in imminent danger of utility cut-off and need assistance paying your utility bills, you can apply for assistance from the Community Action Council here.
CAC also provides food assistance to Howard County families in need. You can find more information and fill out an application for food assistance here.
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Virtual Assistance Portal |
Howard County Government has launched a Virtual Assistance Portal to help connect residents with disaster and emergency resources, including housing assistance, food assistance, employment assistance, utility assistance, and more.
You can visit the portal and learn more about the resources available here.
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If you or a family member lost a job or experienced reduced income due to COVID-19, you can apply for unemployment insurance from the state of Maryland.
You can find more information and apply for unemployment benefits here. You can find more information on job opportunities and employment assistance here.
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Howard County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) is a group of community organizations focused on collecting and deploying resources during a local disaster.
If you are able to donate, are in need of grocery/medicine delivery, or are in need of resources, please visit COAD's website here to learn more about their services.
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District 3 Pre-Submission Meetings |
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There is currently one pre-submission meetings scheduled in District 3. |
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Name: Lynn Buff Court
Council District: 3
Acres: 1.88
Planned Use: Commercial
Number of Units: 1
Zoning: CE-CLI
Meeting Date: April 22, 2021 at 6:00 PM
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Christiana Rigby
Councilwoman, District 3
crigby@howardcountymd.gov
410-313-2001
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Colette Gelwicks
Special Assistant
cgelwicks@howardcountymd.gov
410-313-2421
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Felix Facchine
District Aide
ffacchine@howardcountymd.gov
410-313-3108
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Please feel free to contact us by email or phone. Plus, you can stay up-to-date with Christiana by following us on social media, where we post daily updates on events, county news, legislative priorities, and Christiana's activity! Don't miss out on any District 3 news! |
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