St. Mary s County was established in 1637 and is Maryland s first county. St. Mary s County is located on a peninsula at the southern tip of Maryland s western shore. Surrounded by the Chesapeake Bay, Potomac River, and Patuxent River, the County is home to 536 miles of beautiful shoreline. The County s locality allows for easy access to major metropolitan areas while offering residents a high quality of life and affordable lifestyles. The mission of St. Mary s County is to be responsible and accountable to the county s citizens; provide high quality, cost effective and efficient services; preserve the county s environment, heritage and rural character; and foster opportunities for present and future generations. St. Mary s County is governed by a five member Board of County Commissioners. Each commissioner serves a four year term. Meetings of the St. Mary s Board of County Commissioners are scheduled each week inside the Chesapeake Building, on the Governmental Center campus in Leonardtown, Maryland. The weekly County Commissioner meetings can be viewed live on St. Mary s County Government TV 95 (on MetroCast Cable) or online at www.stmarysmd.com/broadcast.asp. St. Mary s County Board of County Commissioners Francis Jack Russell, President Lawrence D. Jarboe, District 3 Todd B. Morgan, District 4 Cynthia L. Jones, District 1 Daniel L. Morris, District 2 Contact Governmental Center P.O. Box 653 41770 Baldridge Street Leonardtown, MD 20650 (301) 475-4200 Quick Stats Population: 108,987 Median Household Income: $86,358 County Seat: Leonardtown Avg. Summer Temperature ( F): 74.4 Square Miles: 373 Avg. Winter Temperature ( F): 37.4 Largest Employers: Naval Air Station Patuxent River: 10,965; MedStar St. Mary s Hospital: 1,500 Location St. Mary s County is centrally located in the Mid-Atlantic region within reasonable driving distance from many of the major east coast urban centers: Atlanta, Georgia: 613 miles Boston Massachusetts: 477 miles New York, New York: 266 miles Richmond, Virginia: 95 miles Baltimore, Maryland: 81 miles Chicago, Illinois: 741 miles Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 177 miles Washington, D.C.: 54 miles
County Departments County Administration Dr. Rebecca Bridgett, County Administrator The County Administrator is responsible for the day-to-day administration of County government, supervision of all government department heads and coordination of staff activities under the County Commissioners jurisdiction. The County Administrator assigns and reports on general business actions and functions of County government and provides periodic performance reports on projects or problems. The County Administrator oversees the Public Information Office and is also responsible for the follow-up actions resulting from developments at meetings as directed by the Board of County Commissioners. The office also processes incoming mail to the Commissioners and operates the County s Switchboard. FY13 Resolutions & Ordinances: 42 Managers meetings held: 12 Proclamations & Commendations: 357 Phone calls from citizens: 16,446 BOCC meetings & Budget Work Sessions: 49 Incoming USPS Mail: 308 pieces Events attended by BOCC: 161 BOCC written responses to citizens: 244 Executive Sessions held: 11 Incoming emails processed: 1,777 Online: www.co.saint-marys.md.us/countyadmin.asp Public Information Office Tony Jones, Public Information Officer The Public Information Office is responsible for sharing information regarding county government agencies, departments and programs with citizens. The Public Information Office oversees all communications with local and regional media and the public via news releases, the county website, social media, videos and through the dissemination of emergency information. The Public Information Office also manages the county government cable channel St. Mary s County Government TV 95. The Public Information Office also oversees several annual events, including Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, Flag Day, Fire/Rescue Appreciation Day, ribbon cuttings, groundbreakings and other special events. News Releases issued: 272 Video productions performed: 187 Special events planned and executed: 26 Online: www.stmarysmd.com/pio SMCG 2014 Page 2
Department of Finance Elaine Kramer, Chief Financial Officer The Department of Finance is responsible for all financial activities of County government, with the exception of the billing and collection of property taxes, which is the responsibility of the County Treasurer. Total FY2014 Operating Budget: $222,665,317 Total FY2014 Capital Budget: $41,015,552 Online: www.stmarysmd.com/finance Department of Recreation and Parks Brian Loewe, Director The Department of Recreation and Parks operates and manages 20 county parks; 15 public waterfront landings; the Three Notch Trail; the Wicomico Shores Golf Course (WSGC) and Riverview Restaurant; the St. Clement s Island Museum and the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum and Historic Park. The Department also manages the Leonard Hall Recreation Center; Margaret Brent Recreation Center; Hollywood Recreation Center; Carver Recreation Center; St. Mary s Gymnastics Center; Chancellor s Run Activity Center; a skatepark and sprayground at Nicolet Park; a disc golf course and the Great Mills Swimming Pool. Hundreds of youth and adult programs are offered each year encompassing a broad range of educational, leisure and sports activities. These programs are offered through a combination of County sponsored efforts and by volunteer youth sports leagues. Programs include: before and after school programs; therapeutic recreation programs; summer day camps, sports camps; special events, trips and tours. Programs with the greatest participation/visitation in 2013: Museum Visitation: 54,325 Great Mills Pool: 31,900 Three Notch Trail: approx. 30,000 WSGC Rounds of Golf: 30,030 Youth Sports (soccer, baseball/softball, football, basketball, lacrosse): 13,200 Special Events (Easter Festival, Verbic Tournament, Summerstock): 4,420 Gymnastics Center: 3,050 Youth & Adult Leisure Programs: 1,945 Online: www.stmarysmd.com/recreate SMCG 2014 Page 3
Department of Public Works and Transportation George Erichsen, P.E., Director The Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW&T) is responsible for the planning, design, construction, inspection, operation and maintenance of a variety of public facilities via operational and capital improvement planning. These include the St. Mary s County Regional Airport, county highways, solid waste disposal sites, convenience centers, piers, bulkheads, jetties, bridges and review/permitting of private sector infrastructure development. DPW&T is also responsible for STS Transit System, vehicle maintenance, fleet management, non-public school transportation, Metro Mail services and the Capital Projects and Building Services divisions. 1,260 lane miles (630 centerline miles) of local roads and over 95 inventoried bridges and structures maintained (including sidewalks, guardrails and signage) Maintains approximately 850,000 square feet of buildings and support facilities Oversees 125 tenants and over 38,000 takeoffs/landings at St. Mary s County Regional Airport Operates a local transit bus system which travels 1,200,000 miles with more than 405,000 passenger trips annually Over 930,000 vehicles served at six (6) convenience centers Online: www.stmarysmd.com/dpw Land Use and Growth Management Phil Shire, Director The goal of Land Use and Growth Management (LUGM) is to enhance the quality of life for present and future generations through protection of the natural environment, balance with orderly growth, excellent customer service and effective administration of land use regulations. Building permits reviewed and approved in 2013: 2,416 *Building Inspections performed: 12,462 Zoning Inspections performed: 7,795 Site Plan reviews: 64 Revisions and re-reviews: 252 *Building inspections are conducted by a private contractor, MDIA (Middle Department Inspection Agency) Online: www.stmarysmd.com/lugm SMCG 2014 Page 4
Department of Emergency Services and Technology Robert Kelly, Director The St. Mary s County Department of Emergency Services and Technology provides communications and dispatching support for more than 1,800 volunteers, police and Animal Control operations in the County who perform first responder services to our community. Emergency Services and Technology is also responsible for all County computer systems, including all software applications, desktop computers and laptops, networks, phones and video systems. Total Law Enforcement calls in 2013: 72,312 Fire/Emergency Medical Service (EMS) calls in 2013: 15,535 Animal Control calls in 2013: 7,490 Responsible for 800 County-owned computers in 42 locations Online: www.stmarysmd.com/es&t Department of Aging and Human Services Lori Jennings-Harris, Director The St. Mary s County Department of Aging and Human Services provides a wide variety of programs and services to the county s senior residents and others in need of supportive services. Activities for older adults include social and recreational programs; direct support of essential services, such as nutrition, health and in-home services; community programs and outreach; information and referral service; volunteer management and help for other populations in need. The Division of Human Services helps support an array of programs and services to adults, families and children that provide supportive services to individuals with mental illness; offers substance abuse treatment and prevention options to residents, including outpatient to residential services; provides supportive services to children and offers social, educational and recreational activities to children and families. Seniors receiving services: 5,331 Seniors receiving meals: 1,335 People attending the annual Health Fair: 700 Seniors receiving information and referral services: 438 RSVP Volunteers providing service (valued at over $766,000): 375 Children receiving services: 3,694 Veterans receiving services: 121 Online: www.stmarysmd.com/aging SMCG 2014 Page 5
Department of Economic and Community Development Robin Finnacom, Acting Director The St. Mary s County Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) works on behalf of local citizens to sustain and grow the County s sound economy. DECD s mission is to identify promising markets and encourage economic growth in the County s key industry sectors. The Department s mission is reflective of its three divisions: Business Development including an emphasis on defense and technology business start-ups; Tourism which promotes the quality-of-life and travel to the County s key destinations and annual events; and Agriculture and Seafood focused on maintaining profitability in agriculture and aquaculture and increasing protection of agriculturally zoned land through preservation. 5th Lowest Unemployment Rate in MD Farmers Markets Sales: $1,200,000 Number of County Visitors: 646,700 Tourism Industry Sales: $143 million Agricultural acres permanently preserved: 20,500 Online: www.stmarysmd.com/decd Office of the County Attorney George R. Sparling, County Attorney Serves as the legal counsel to St. Mary s County Government by advising the Board of County Commissioners, County Administrator, County Government departments and advisory boards and commissions appointed by the County Commissioners. Also serves as legal advisor to the St. Mary s County Board of Appeals, St. Mary s County Planning Commission and St. Mary s County Ethics Commission. Public Information Act requests in 2013: 63 Public Information Act requests in 2012: 39 Online: www.stmarysmd.com/countyattorney Department of Human Resources Susan Sabo, Chief of Staff/Director The Human Resources department provides central administration for benefit and insurance programs for County government employees to include health, dental, pension, life and disability. Human Resources administers risk management programs which focus on providing a safe and healthy work environment for County employees. County Employees: 697 Online: www.stmarysmd.com/hro SMCG 2014 Page 6