Harford County Board of Estimates approves contracts, leases and park land donations

The Harford County Board of Estimates met May 5, 2026, in the William Paca Conference Room and unanimously approved a package of procurement awards, lease amendments and property donations with one member absent.

Robert McCord, Director of Administration and designee of the County Executive, opened the meeting and said Harford County Government was "following protocol under the Open Meetings Act." The board approved the April 21, 2026 minutes by general consent.

The board approved a contract not to exceed $60,000 for design, printing and mailing of sample/practice ballots and election information for the 2026 gubernatorial primary, as recommended by Stephanie Taylor of the Harford County Board of Elections. The board also approved renewal of the West ProFlex legal research subscription for the State's Attorney's Office, recommended by Karissa Higbee of the Office of Information and Communication Technology, at $59,065.62 for the first year and one month with a six percent annual increase for option years.

Public‑safety and public‑works purchases cleared on unanimous votes. Emily Miller of the Harford County Sheriff's Office requested replacement of end‑of‑life Cisco switches; the board approved award to ePlus Technology, Inc. for $223,707.40. The Department of Public Works won approval for multiple items: a federally funded Abingdon Road Bridge H‑0169 construction inspection agreement with MDOT‑SHA for $404,568.45 (Harford County will pay 20% of construction costs as the local share); contracts for crushed aggregates with Martin Marietta Materials totaling up to $443,000 (washed) and up to $964,000 (excluding washed) per year; and purchase of an Alamo Machete 22' flail mower for $111,420.64 to support roadside vegetation management.

The board approved a competitive sealed‑bid award to Ecotone, LLC for Edgewater Village Park stream restoration in Edgewood — about 1,300 linear feet of stream work, replacement of 245 linear feet of sewer main, and riparian/floodplain buffer enhancements — at $898,116. The presentation noted the work supports nutrient and sediment load reductions in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and helps meet the county's NPDES/MS4 permit obligations.

Procurement also approved a change order for off‑the‑lot fleet purchases that increases the contract by $2,000,000 per year, raising the not‑to‑exceed amount to $3,000,000 per year across multiple dealerships, as presented by Leroy Fleming of the Department of Procurement.

The Department of Law's property unit, represented by Chris Reilley, presented several negotiated lease items: a three‑year renewal amendment for Suite 100 at 11‑15 South Main Street for $129,994.92 per year (with 3% increases in years three through five) and an addendum for Suite 107 for $60,662.88 per year (with 3% increases in renewal years three through five). The board also accepted donations of two facility management areas from the State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources — Bynum Run Pond FMA and Forest Hill Lake FMA — each conveyed to Harford County for $1.00. Reilley closed with approval of Lease Agreement Addendum No. 6 to continue leasing the Aberdeen Activity Center from the City of Aberdeen for $64,359.00 per year with a 3% annual increase on renewals.

All motions were moved by Robert Sandlass, Treasurer, and seconded by Joseph Siemek, Director of Public Works, unless otherwise noted; each motion was recorded as "unanimously approved with one member absent." With no further business the board adjourned at 1:22 p.m. Michele Silvestri is listed as recording secretary on the minutes.

What's next: the decisions recorded are routine procurement and lease approvals; no additional hearings or appeals were announced at the meeting.