A virtual hearing will be held on September 9th at 7:00 p.m. to allow public comment on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) permits needed for multiple Ellicott City flood mitigation projects.

This week, Howard County was awarded grant funding from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to purchase three replacement transit vehicles and implement an automated bus stop announcement system on its fixed route fleet.

This week the Fourth Circuit of U.S. Court of Appeals dismissed Howard County’s Petition for Judicial Review of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) changing flight paths as part of its implementation of NextGen.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball is seeking applicants, particularly business representatives, a representative from the general public and one from a consumer interest group, interested in serving on the Consumer Protection Advisory Board. The deadline to apply for these positions is Friday, September 4, 2020. 

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball is seeking applicants to fill three vacancies on the Commission for Women – two general members and one student member, who are interested in serving on the Commission. The deadline to apply is Friday, August 28.

Howard County has activated Emergency Operations in preparation for Tropical Storm Isaias, which is expected to cause heavy rainfall and winds between 20-30 miles an hour. A Flash Flood Watch has been issued for the county from Monday at 11 p.m. through Tuesday at 11 p.m. 

Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services has received $821,257 in federal funding, secured by Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, and Congressmen John Sarbanes and Kweisi Mfume. The funding was awarded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters – COVID-19 Supplemental (AFG-S) program, which provides funds for the purchase of PPE and related supplies for our nation’s first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Epidemiologists are seeing an increase in the number of positive cases among those 35 years of age and younger, with recent data from the week of June 21 to the week of July 5 showing a case count increase of 111 percent.

County Executive Calvin Ball announced the 203 recipients of the first round of HoCo RISE Business Relief Grants. Howard County allocated $5.7 million in CARES Act funding towards the grant program to provide financial assistance to businesses in targeted sectors that have been most impacted by COVID-19 and plan to re-open.

Beginning Monday, July 6th, Howard County residents may apply for financial assistance to pay past due rent payments to prevent eviction. The $​1.5 million in housing ​payment relief is being allocated through local non-profit partnerships. Applicants must be Howard County residents, provide proof of home address, and provide evidence of loss of income due to COVID-related job loss, reduction in hours, and/or medical illness.

Howard County Government offices, courts, animal shelter and 50+ centers will be closed in observance of the Independence Day holiday on Friday, July 3rd. However, the Alpha Ridge Landfill will be open on the 3rd and there will be regular Friday curbside collection.

Howard County has completed the installation of private access point gates in Historic Ellicott City, allowing pedestrians to retreat quickly to higher ground in the case of imminent flash flooding.

The Howard County Office of Community Sustainability (OCS) was awarded two grants, totaling $109k, from the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA). OCS received a $9k grant to plan a Combined Heat & Power (CHP) system at the Howard County Detention Center and up to $100k to plan a microgrid project at the George Howard Complex and the Roger Carter Center.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced today that the National Association of Counties (NACo) has selected Howard County for four 2020 Achievement Awards. The awards honor innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents.     

County Executive Calvin Ball announced today that, in accordance with the Governor’s recommendations, restaurants may open for customers for outdoor seating only, effective Friday, May 29th at 5:00 p.m.

County Executive Calvin Ball discusses phased reopening steps for Howard County based on the HoCo RISE framework in a new video. Ball walks through the various data points officials are tracking to determine when certain activities can responsibly and safely resume. 

Howard County Government offices, courts, animal shelter, 50+ centers and Alpha Ridge Landfill will be closed in observance of the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, May 25. There will be no trash, recycling, yard trim or food scrap pick-up on Memorial Day. The county’s holiday "slide” schedule will be in effect.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball requested a deferral from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) for Ellicott City recovery loans offered to businesses after the 2016 and 2018 floods. The DHCD granted the request today deferring the recovery loans due date from September 2020, to September 2021.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball will host his second Virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, May 13th at 6:30 pm to answer questions and concerns from Howard County residents about COVID-19 and the local response and recovery. Residents can register online to participate via WebEx or stream live on Facebook.

County Executive Calvin Ball visited Howard County’s first farmers’ market of the year at Miller Branch Library. Earlier this week, Howard County Farmers’ Markets released their schedule for the season, including modified operations in response to the current COVID-19 crisis. Many of the markets will be drive-thru or pick-up only.

Today, County Executive Calvin Ball helped distribute groceries to provide much needed food items to restaurant workers displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic.  La Palapa Grill and Cantina in Ellicott City partnered with Saval Foodservice to distribute the groceries to more than 350 people.  

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball responded to the Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery plan announced by Governor Hogan today.  “Today the Governor provided an overview of benchmarks and phases to re-opening and recovery for Maryland,” said Ball. “Howard County will review these standards and they will guide our decisions for re-opening certain aspects of our community, like our parks, recreation centers, and playgrounds." “Today the Governor provided an overview of benchmarks and phases to re-opening and recovery for Maryland,” said Ball. “Howard County will review these standards and they will guide our decisions for re-opening certain aspects of our community, like our parks, recreation centers, and playgrounds..."

Howard County received $770,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds to be used in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The County is planning to grant these funds to housing providers (such as the Housing Commission, Bridges to Housing Stability, Heritage Housing Partners and Community Action Council) to provide rent assistance to tenants that could be facing eviction for non-payment of rent due to COVID-19. 

Today, Governor Hogan signed an Executive Order requiring all residents to wear face masks at all stores, pharmacies, or on public transportation, effective Saturday April 18th at 7:00 am. Face coverings can be homemade using bandanas, scarves, or t-shirts or residents may also wear disposable or cloth masks. Tutorials for homemade masks are available online from the Center for Disease Control.