Are you looking to testify at a hearing of the Howard County Council? You can easily register your interest electronically by accessing the login tool from the home page of the Council's website. The Howard County Code is subject to amendments from time to time. For instance, an amendment was recently proposed to remove the exemption from the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance for residential subdivision plans with conditional exemptions. This amendment was supported by Walsh, who also proposed creating an independent Office of the Inspector General to oversee allegations of fraud and waste, similar to systems in Montgomery, Prince George and Baltimore counties. The Yellow Book can be used as a basis for best practices, but it does not replace the sections of the Howard County Charter that describe the auditor's functions.
The Smarter Growth Alliance for Howard County is an alliance of local and state organizations that collaborate to promote healthy, equitable, and sustainable communities through smarter development and transportation decisions and better protection of the county's natural, historic, and cultural resources. The Howard County Zoning Regulations were recently amended to allow all zoned CAC (Corridor Activity Center) properties to reduce the required commercial square footage below 20 square feet per housing unit if the Planning and Zoning Department determines, based on a market study presented by the developer, that the reduction is necessary for the financial viability of the project. The same amendment also modified the requirements for a certain area of separation between a highway and a new main subdivision that lies along a scenic road. It also modified a certain approval process for a major subdivision that adjoins or adjoins a panoramic road. Recently, dozens of Howard County residents signed up to testify about a bill that would establish new guidelines from the Office of the Auditor. This bill would amend Sections 212 and 213 of the Howard County Statutes to increase the council's oversight over the county auditor. Earlier this month, Glendenning sent an apology letter to the five members of the County Council, the African American Community Roundtable, and the Howard section of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. The Office of Transportation recently adopted WalkHoward, which is a Howard County Pedestrian Master Plan.
This plan was authorized by a resolution adopted by the Office of Transportation. Additionally, a law was passed that alters the number of consecutive years of a project or phase of a project must be reevaluated if it fails one or more components of the school capacity test of the Howard County Adequate Public Facilities Act. In this article, we will provide you with a comprehensive guide on how to testify at a hearing of the Howard County Council. We will discuss how to register your interest electronically, what amendments have been proposed to the Howard County Code, what best practices are outlined in The Yellow Book, what organizations are part of The Smarter Growth Alliance for Howard County, what amendments have been made to The Howard County Zoning Regulations, what bill was proposed by dozens of residents in order to increase council oversight over county auditor, and what plans have been adopted by The Office of Transportation.
