Commissioners approve appointments, easements, CREP agreements, USDA loan documents and other consent items

At the Jan. 13 meeting the Queen Anne's County Commissioners approved a slate of routine and programmatic items, including appointments, easements, grant-submission actions and contract-authorizing signatures.

Appointments and board representation
- The commission confirmed several appointments: Jerry Jordan to the Commission on Aging (term to 12/31/2028); Ryan Snow as an alternate to the ECDIS Commission (term to 12/31/2029); Casey Jo McKinney to the Regional Behavioral Health Advisory Committee (term to 12/08/2028); and Jared McLean, Bridal Snow and Abel Ortiz to the Social Services Advisory Board (terms to 06/30/2028). Commissioners also adopted an updated boards-and-commissions representation chart to reflect assignment changes.

Easements and CREP agreements
- Acting as the Sanitary Board, commissioners executed a 5-foot easement agreement with Comcast Cable Communications Management LLC to install fiber optic cable across the front of Collection Station M at 600 Graysonville Cemetery Road; staff stated the easement had administrative approval by sanitary staff. The board also approved two Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) agreements to be submitted to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources: a 58.63-acre CREP parcel from Michael Raymond Bostick Jr. (of a 264-acre property) and a 42-acre CREP parcel for Joe Lippy Farms (of a 75-acre property). Both CREP transactions were described as funded through Program Open Space with no county funds required.

Financial and membership items
- Commissioners authorized the county president to sign final closing documents for a Sellersville USDA loan assumption and Barclay extension totaling $5,200,000. The board approved payment of $997 for the National Association of Counties 2026 membership dues. The commission also approved payment of a $5,000 invoice to the Clean Chesapeake Coalition related to an administrative appeal on the Conowingo Dam water quality certification; staff said the appeal filings were later withdrawn but that the work had been completed and several counties had already paid, and one commissioner recorded an abstention on the vote.

Parks equipment and proclamation
- Parks & Recreation was authorized to purchase an ABI Force Z-23 infield groomer from Lawn and Golf Supply (Phoenixville, PA) for $29,999 under a government contract. Commissioners read and adopted Proclamation 26-02 declaring January 2026 National Mentoring Month and heard from Kelsey Haft of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Eastern Shore, who said the program supported approximately 1,100 youth in Queen Anne's County in 2025 and logged nearly 5,000 volunteer hours.

Most items were approved by voice vote; the transcript does not record a roll-call tally for these consent items.