Thursday, November 8, 2012
Originally scheduled for Oct. 30, Hurricane Sandy forced commissioners to reschedule the public hearing for the proposed English Language Ordinance.
The Board of Carroll County commissioners will hear public comments on the proposed English language ordinance in the county office building on Dec. 11. The public hearing will take place in room 003 of the county office building on Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. In late September, Commissioner Haven Shoemaker presented the proposed ordinance to his fellow commissioners, saying that "this isn't a radical motion." According to Shoemaker, 31 states and two Maryland counties (Frederick and Queen Anne's) have passed similar legislation. Based on public input during the hearing, the commissioners may amend the proposed ordinance without any further public hearings. The proposed ordinance may be reviewed and copies obtained at the Office of the County Clerk…
Friday, September 28, 2012
Carroll County residents will have a chance to weigh in on Commissioner Shoemaker's proposed ordinance that would make English the official language of county government.
Carroll County Commissioners voted on Thursday to hold a public hearing for a proposed ordinance that would make English the official language of county government. A date for the public hearing has not yet been set. The comissioners voted 4-0 to move the ordinance to a public hearing. Commissioner Robin Bartlett-Frazier was not present at the meeting. Commissioner Haven Shoemaker presented the proposed ordinance to commissioners, saying that "this isn't a radical motion." According to Shoemaker, 31 states and two Maryland counties (Frederick and Queen Anne's) have passed similar legislation. "It doesn’t single out any segment of the population, it merely says that for the purpose of Carroll County government, English is the official …
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
'I'm tired of pressing #2 for English' -- Carroll County Commissioner Haven Shoemaker
The Board of Carroll County Commissioners will discuss a proposed ordinance to make English the official language in Carroll County this Thursday, a move that would be modeled after a similar measure in Frederick County. The ordinance (a draft is attached) says that using English as the official language in government business would promote English-language "proficiency" and "efficiency" in Carroll County's "role as employer and as a government accountable to its citizens" The proposal also says that official actions of Carroll County government or "which give the appearance of presenting the official views or position of Carroll County" would be taken in the English language. The proposed ordinance offers exceptions to English-only, such …
Monday, September 24, 2012
Commissioners will meet with community members about education issues on Monday and Wednesday evenings this week.
Carroll County Commissioners Haven Shoemaker and Doug Howard will be meeting with the Parent Teacher Associations representing the schools in their districts and any other citizens interested in discussing issues facing the Carroll County Public Schools on Monday, Sept. 24. "At this critical time, on this most important topic, we want as much input from the community about their ideas, desires and concerns about education," Howard said in a statement. The commissioners are seeking input and information from the community including PTAs, parents and teachers and school personnel on topics to include the budget, the facilities study currently being conducted and the common core curriculum changes. According to a county news release, the …
Thursday, June 7, 2012
The policy states that county pool vehicles should be used for travel outside the county and mileage inside the county will not be reimbursed.
The Carroll County Board of Commissioners approved a policy Thursday governing the use of mileage reimbursement. The policy states that commissioners will use a pool vehicle for travel outside the county and should they choose to use a personal vehicle for travel outside the county, their mileage will be reimbursed at the rate county employees receive, 19 cents per mile. Additionally, commissioners will not be reimbursed for county-business travel within the county. The commissioners voted 3-1 in favor of the policy during a regularly scheduled meeting. Commissioner Robin Bartlett-Frazier voted against the motion and Commissioner Richard Rothschild was not present. Frazier said she felt like this policy was directed at her as she regularly…
Thursday, November 17, 2011
We know you love to weigh in on the county commissioners, so let us know what you think about their first year in office.
The Carroll County commissioners are approaching the end of their first year in office. If nothing else, their decisions have spurred much discussion and controversy. Patch has chosen just a sampling of the decisions made by the commissioners in the past 11 months, there were certainly many more than what we have posted in our poll. So weigh in on the poll and use the comment box below to discuss other important decisions that were made, or not made, by Commissioners Doug Howard, Richard Rothschild, Robin Frazier, Haven Shoemaker and Dave Roush. Want some background on decisions that we have included in our poll? Here are some articles that have appeared on Patch: Carroll County Commissioners Deny Education Budget Being Cut This article …
David M. Baker
9:15 am on Thursday, November 8, 2012
Still waiting for Shoemaker and Rothschild to provide the data that drive this ordinance. In the absence of a documented, provable expense to the county, their effort smacks of xenophobia. I know that Messr. Rothschild reads these posts, so perhaps Mr. Culture and Heritage wants to weigh in here. I'll wait... more ›