The St. Mary’s County Board of Commissioners met Tuesday morning and authorized the acceptance of funding that will help maintain some county programs. Circuit Court Administrative Judge Karen H. Abrams told the board St. Mary’s is the first county in the state to receive a grant for both juvenile and adult drug programs.

Abrams said, “We see first hand how debilitating addiction is. This [three-year grant] money gives us the opportunity to give support to the people who need it so desperately.”
 
The Office of the Sheriff asked the BOCC to authorize the acceptance of grant awards totaling more than $100,000. Sheriff Cameron explained the funding will be used for the Child Support, Sex Offender Registry compliance and CSAFE programs. County Administrator John Savich called the funding good news.
 
One award accepted was for the underage drinking prevention campaign which Sheriff Cameron said he thinks is working. “The incidents we’ve seen in the past have diminished.”
 
Superintendent Dr. Martirano and the Board of Education sought approval of the Capital Improvements Budget submitted last week and got it. Martirano publicly thanked the BOCC for their support over the years. The proposed renovations to Leonardtown Middle School and the plans for improvement to county schools’ athletic fields were discussed.
 
Department of Human Services Director Bennett Connelly asked the board to authorize Recovery Act funding that will support domestic violence victims through Walden Sierra and an AmeriCorps Vista grant that will provide stipends to outreach volunteers.
 
Elaine Kramer, the County’s CFO, asked the board to approve a budget amendment that she said would realign funding sources which “can bring stability in the future.” Commissioner Dan Raley complimented Kramer’s attention to detail and a department that “produces good clean audits and saves the county money.” Kramer also explained new state legislation requiring each county to have a debt policy, but agreed with the commissioners that the policy “articulates what we’ve already been doing.
 
The BOCC joined the Historic Preservation Society in honoring Fathers Casciotti and Ryan of the Maryland Province Society for Jesus who were instrumental in the sale of a 700+ acre farm to the state of Maryland for public benefit.
 
The commissioners meet again Oct. 6.