HAGERSTOWN – The Washington County Board of County Commissioners will convene for a regular open session Tuesday, Feb. 3, with an agenda that includes annual institutional briefings with a full slate of contracts, land actions and public safety staffing decisions.
However, the bigger meeting may be outside, where the group Indivisible has planned a protest over the proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) use of a converted warehouse outside Hagerstown that would hold 1,500 immigrants awaiting processing.
The commission meeting will open with two annual presentations that typically set the tone for the county’s budget season. Hagerstown Community College President Dr. James Klauber and members of the college’s Board of Trustees are scheduled to deliver their yearly update, touching on enrollment trends, campus initiatives and financial outlook.
Shortly afterward, Washington County Free Library Executive Director Jenny Backos will present the library system’s state of the organization and budget request, continuing a longstanding tradition of early-year briefings to the board.
Later in the morning, commissioners will be asked to approve submission of a fiscal 2027 Rural Legacy Program grant application seeking $9.5 million to continue purchasing preservation easements within the county’s designated Rural Legacy Area, which includes land surrounding the Antietam Battlefield. The county has used the program for decades to permanently protect farmland and other significant open spaces.
Several procurement and infrastructure items follow, including the award of a multi-year requirements contract for facility design services tied to capital improvement projects and emergencies, and the approval of a consultant to implement new recruitment and onboarding tools within the county’s Oracle-based human resources system.
Public safety and emergency communications matters also feature prominently. Commissioners will consider a sole-source contract for long-term maintenance support of the county’s 911 call recording system, a proposal to repurpose a vacant dispatcher position to add a second training coordinator at the Emergency Communications Center, and a plan to offer hiring bonuses aimed at attracting experienced dispatchers.
On the public works side, staff will brief the board on potential cost implications tied to aging filtration equipment at the Smithsburg Wastewater Treatment Plant and seek approval of a service proposal for critical maintenance at the Conococheague Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The agenda also includes several land and easement actions connected to the Eastern Boulevard widening project and a temporary access agreement related to future expansion of the county’s transit facility.
Other notable items on the agenda include:
- Appointments and reappointments to the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board and the Building Code Board of Appeals
- Approval of an alley easement agreement affecting Washington County Transit operations
- Dedication of property needed for the Eastern Boulevard Phase I project
The board is scheduled to enter closed session late in the morning to discuss personnel matters, real property acquisition strategy, economic development proposals and to receive legal advice from the county attorney, before reconvening briefly in open session to adjourn.
The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. in the commissioners’ hearing room at the county administration building. It is open to the public and will be livestreamed on the county’s YouTube channel and local cable access. Written public comment may be submitted in advance to [email protected]. For the full agenda, readers may click here.
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