On Tuesday, July 9th, Howard County and the Office of Community Partnerships will honor the graduates of the “Getting Ahead” program, and will present five local businesses with a 2019 “HIRE Power” Award. The ceremony honors work to alleviate poverty and support local job growth.

Howard County continued a string of 43 years earning a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada. The professional group again recently honored the county for excellence in following generally accepted accounting principles in the “Comprehensive Annual Financial Report” (CAFR) submission for Fiscal Year 2018.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball is seeking applicants who are interested in serving on the Human Rights Commission. Established in 1969, the Commission is composed of 11 voting members who serve five-year terms and one non-voting student member. The deadline to apply is Friday, August 2, 2019.

As part of a developer improvement project to the Midway Business Center located in the 9300 block of Snowden River Parkway in Columbia, a newly installed traffic signal at the intersection of Snowden River Parkway and the entrance to the business center is scheduled to be activated on July 2.

In honor of July’s National Parks and Recreation Month, Howard County’s Department of Recreation & Parks has revealed the names of the four newest inductees of the Community Sports Hall of Fame: Tim Arnett, Joe Dougherty, Doug Hamilton and Alex Pagnotta.

The Howard County Department of Housing and Community Development is now accepting applications for its Moderate Income Housing Unit program. Applications will be accepted through Wednesday, July 31, 2019.   

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball and the Department of Recreation & Parks invite you to join them for Howard County’s July 4th Fireworks celebration at the Downtown Columbia Lakefront.

This July, Howard County’s Department of Recreation & Parks and the National Recreation & Parks Association (NRPA) invites residents to get their game on through a variety of family-friendly activities as they celebrate Parks and Recreation Month.

On Saturday, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball will partner with PFLAG Howard County to host the county’s first-ever PRIDE Festival to celebrate the LBGTQ+ community. This family-friendly event will feature food, music, games, entertainment of all kinds, community resources, allies, friends, and fun!

This afternoon, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball was joined by Rep. John Sarbanes and County officials at a press conference to raise awareness of the free Summer Food Programs available to families in need. The programs are especially important to parents who do not qualify for federal nutrition assistance but still depend on food assistance programs, and children who normally rely on school meals and are especially vulnerable during the summer months.

Media tip sheet showcasing Howard County Government happenings for the month of July 2019

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball to hold a press conference to raise awareness of the free Summer Food Programs available to families in need. The programs are especially important to parents who do not qualify for federal nutrition assistance but still depend on food assistance programs, and children who normally rely on school meals and are especially vulnerable during the summer months.

Phase II of a Howard County construction project to restore and stabilize a portion of the Little Patuxent River in Ellicott City is scheduled to begin on or about Monday, July 8. Weather permitting, the project is expected to be completed by late November 2019.

CSX Railroad will begin maintenance on the railroad crossing at Watersville Road in Mount Airy on or about Wednesday, July 17 starting around 9:00 a.m. Weather permitting, the project is expected to be completed by 3:00 p.m. on Friday, July 19.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball is seeking public feedback regarding the Howard County Government's, with the goal of building a more effective, efficient and user-friendly platform.

Today, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball released the following statement: “We have learned that there was ICE activity in Howard County this morning, with many rumors swirling that led to understandable fear. To clarify, this activity was part of a specific, standard criminal enforcement operation, not a raid or sweep. Howard County Police were not involved in the operation in any way..."

Howard County’s Department of Public Works will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, July 9 to discuss shut down of the New Cut Landfill’s groundwater treatment system later this summer. Based on county corrective actions, all recovery and monitoring wells at the site have met drinking water standards for six years, so the treatment system is no longer necessary.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball broke ground on the new Howard County Circuit Courthouse. The 238,000 square foot facility will be completed through a public-private partnership, the first for Howard County, and resolve deficiencies in the existing Courthouse, which was built 175 years ago and has numerous safety challenges that impact access to justice.

Today, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced Yolanda F. Sonnier, Esq. as the new head of the Howard County Office of Human Rights, effective immediately.

On Monday, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball will break ground on the new Howard County Circuit Courthouse. The 238,000 square foot facility will be completed through a public-private partnership, the first for Howard County. The existing Courthouse was built 175 years ago and has numerous safety challenges that impact access to justice. Simultaneous commercial and financial close for the project was achieved in October 2018 and the new Courthouse is scheduled to be completed in July 2021.

Today, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced that Howard County has been awarded $1,818,450, dispersed over several years, through the Clean Water Commerce Act Grant from the Maryland Department of the Environment, to be used for the Little Patuxent Water Reclamation Plant Advanced Process Instrumentation and Control System (APICS) project, to protect the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Howard County's Human Rights Commission is currently accepting applications for the position of Student Commissioner to serve a one-year term from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 as a non-voting member on the Commission. The deadline for applications is Friday, July 19, 2019.

Howard County Government offices, courts, animal shelter, 50+ centers and Alpha Ridge Landfill will be closed in observance of the Independence Day holiday on Thursday, July 4. As there will be no trash, recycling, yard trim or food scrap pick-up on Independence Day, the county’s holiday "slide” schedule will be in effect.