Howard County Government offices and more to be closed on Friday, January 1, 2021 in observance of the New Year’s Day holiday. There will be no Friday trash, recycling, yard trim and food scrap curbside collection on January 1st, as such, the County's holiday slide schedule will be in effect.

Today, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced emergency legislation to reallocate $6.5 million of Howard County funds in FY2021 to immediately ensure critical pandemic support for residents, businesses, and families.

Howard County Government offices, animal shelter, Alpha Ridge Landfill, Cedar Lane and Schooley Mill Activity Rooms, Gary J. Arthur, North Laurel and Roger Carter Community Centers, Meadowbrook Athletic Complex, Robinson Nature Center, Baltimore & Ohio Ellicott City Station Museum, and county historic sites will be closed on Friday, December 25th in observance of the Christmas holiday. Additionally, the County’s 50+ centers remain closed at this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

County Executive seeks applicants to fill two vacancies on the Commission on Veterans and Military Families – one family member of a veteran or active duty service member and one veteran who is a member of a veteran organization.

Today, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball signed CB-63, The Liberty Act, which prevents County employees from asking about the immigration status of residents, discriminating based on immigration status, and requiring that certain information related to citizenship be kept confidential in Howard County. Additionally, Ball penned a letter to the Biden Administration Transition Team emphasizing the need for changes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and their current operations around the country.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded a grant of $2.47 million to Patuxent Commons, a unique and innovative housing development proposed for Columbia that will provide housing for people with disabilities in an inclusive community setting.

County Executive Calvin Ball is reminding residents to enroll for health coverage ahead of the deadline one week from today, December 15, 2020. Any Maryland resident who is currently uninsured may enroll today for one of the Maryland Health Connection's (MHC) private health plans. In areas of Howard County, the number of uninsured residents has doubled since the pandemic.

Today, Columbia was recognized as the “Safest City in America” by WalletHub for the third year in a row. WalletHub compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across three criteria, home & community safety, natural-disaster risk, and financial safety.   

Howard County Government offices, courts, animal shelter, Recreation & Parks’ community and athletic centers, activity rooms and historic sites, and the Alpha Ridge Landfill will be closed on Thursday, November 26th in observance of the Thanksgiving Day holiday. As there will be no curbside trash, recycling, yard trim or food scrap collection on Thanksgiving Day, the County’s holiday "slide” schedule will be in effect for the remainder of the week.

Today, County Executive Calvin Ball announced nearly $6 million in CARES Act funding will be allocated to the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) to offset COVID-19 related expenditures for virtual instruction and lay the groundwork for safe and effective instruction moving forward. The funding will support technology, meals for students, public health and safety supplies, and increased unemployment costs. Ball also announced a CARES Act spending dashboard that will track the actual and projected spending of federal funding as the December 30th federal deadline approaches.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball has announced the Spending Affordability Advisory Committee for fiscal year 2022 (FY22) earlier than previous years to allow more time for the committee to digest, discuss and offer constructive advice to the County amid the pandemic.

Howard County Government offices, courts and animal shelter will be closed on Wednesday, November 11 in observance of the Veterans Day holiday. However, regular trash, recycling, yard trim and food scrap services will be in effect and the Alpha Ridge Landfill will be open. The County’s 50+ centers remain closed at this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

This grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life comes from a $400 million donation from Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg to promote safe and reliable voting around the nation and provide Board of Elections officials with additional funds for staffing, training and equipment necessary to ensure a fair and equitable election.

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Howard County Executive Calvin Ball is seeking applicants interested in serving on the Board of Social Services. The deadline to apply is Friday, November 13, 2020.

Today, County Executive Calvin Ball announced that a total of $109,185,000 of Refunding bonds were sold this week. This year Howard County saw significant savings compared to previous years, with an overall 1.68% interest rate and savings of $8.6 million.

County Executive Calvin Ball will visit the Howard County Detention Center’s native plant sale on Friday, October 9th at 1:30 p.m.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball is seeking applicants knowledgeable about pension administration and funding, who are interested in serving on the County’s Pension Oversight Commission. The deadline to apply is Friday, October 30th. 

Howard County Government offices, courts, animal shelter, 50+ centers and Robinson Nature Center will be closed in observance of the Indigenous Peoples’ Day holiday on Monday, October 12. However, regular trash, recycling, yard trim and food scrap services will be in effect and the Alpha Ridge Landfill will be open. 

Today, County Executive Calvin Ball announced the execution of an agreement of sale to purchase land for the future elementary school site in the Turf Valley development. This agreement marks the end of years of effort to secure land to create sorely needed school capacity in the area.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced Howard County filed a petition for rehearing, which asks the Fourth Circuit to reconsider its dismissal of the County's Petition for Judicial Review related to the FAA's changes to flight patterns at BWI Airport.

Last night, County Executive Calvin Ball addressed Maryland Transportation Secretary Slater and other Maryland elected officials during the presentation of the Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP), Maryland's six-year capital budget for transportation projects.

 Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today announced $1.3 million in CARES Act Funding to support children and families through the county’s HoCo STRIVES (Strategies To Reach an Inclusive Vision and Equitable Solutions) initiative.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball has signed a property acquisition agreement allowing improvements on the Guilford Road and Oakland Mills Road intersection to move forward.