Around Maryland

Baltimore County agreed last week to move detainees under 18 charged as adults to a Baltimore City juvenile jail when space allows, months after the Office of the Maryland Public Defender criticized conditions for minors at the Towson jail. The Youth Detention Center on Greenmount Avenue, a facility operated by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services that houses Baltimore City minors charged as adults, can now hold county youth awaiting trial, according to a Jan. 1 memorandum of understanding.

Officials say they are in the process of hiring staff for the town’s new parking division. Transit Manager Rob Shearman told members of the Ocean City Transportation Committee Tuesday that the formation of a new parking division was well underway. With the council’s approval, officials have created new job descriptions and pay grading and have started the process of seeking a parking manager to oversee operations.

Harford County Public Schools Superintendent Sean Bulson proposed a $660.9 million operating budget for fiscal 2025 on Monday with a boost in funding for special education. The operating budget, which would run from July 1 to June 30, 2025, would increase spending by $47.3 million from fiscal 2024. The plan includes a request of $356.5 million from the county and $294.7 million from the state.

A long-running dispute over a historic Black cemetery buried beneath a Bethesda parking lot went before the Maryland Supreme Court on Monday as justices dove into the technical nuance of whether state law could be used to halt the sale of property that includes the burial site. Approximately 95 people packed into the courtroom in Annapolis, most of them backing efforts to restore and properly memorialize the area.

Joined by county and state leaders, the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health (UM UCH), a member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), Jan. 5 held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the patient bed tower at UM Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air, a project that is part of UM UCH’s transformation of health care delivery in Harford County.

Frederick County Public Schools Superintendent Cheryl Dyson on Monday released a $992 million recommended budget for fiscal year 2025, an increase of more than $81 million from the current spending plan. Dyson’s recommended budget totals $991.6 million. It includes a $38.2 million pool for salary increases, which would equate to an average raise of 7% for employees across the system.

Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Myriam Rogers presented her proposed $2.58 billion operating budget for the fiscal year 2025, a 2.2% increase compared with the previous year. Rogers’ first budget request as superintendent comes as Maryland prepares for a slowing economy and federal coronavirus pandemic funding is set to expire this year.

The Maryland Energy Administration today announced the opening of the Fiscal Year 2024 funding round for its state-wide Maryland Smart Energy Communities Programs, which provide grants to Maryland communities and organizations to help with the costs of planning and installing clean energy projects. These projects will lead to reduced energy consumption, greater cost savings, enhanced community investment, more robust economic development, and expanded engagement by local leaders in clean energy.

Ocean City’s police chief reports seasonal recruitment for the department remains “sluggish,” but noted there will be two more testing opportunities in the coming weeks.During Monday’s meeting of the Ocean City Police Commission, Police Chief Ross Buzzuro provided members with a report on the police department’s seasonal recruitment efforts.