A public hearing on a proposed 2,000-hog farm in Westminster is on hold while the advisory board that reviews such issues for Carroll County ponders its own fate.

Members of the Environmental Affairs Advisory Board offered to resign in the wake of a decision by the county commissioners to eliminate the agency the panel was created to assist. As a result, several critical issues, including the proposed hog farm on Indian Valley Trail, will not be addressed until after the commissioners meet with the panel.

"We need reaffirmation from the commissioners as to the role and importance of the advisory board in light of the reorganization," said Kevin E. Dayhoff, the panel's chairman. "We'd like to know where we are on the organizational chart. The bottom line is we need direction from the commissioners before we can move forward."

The advisory board had been planning to hold public hearings this month on Roland H. Mann Jr.'s proposed hog farm, but those plans were tabled when the commissioners announced Feb. 24 that they were eliminating the Bureau of Environmental Services. The decision was made as part of a staff shake-up.

"The commissioners appear to be taking major steps in reorganizing the entire infrastructure of the Carroll County government and we, being unsure of the direction of these changes, can neither support, nor condemn, their actions," members of the advisory board wrote to the commissioners. "Consequently, after careful consideration, we have decided the best course for us to follow is resignation."

The resignations were submitted March 1, five days after the county commissioners announced plans to restructure county government. Six of the seven members of the Environmental Affairs Advisory Board signed the letter.

Dayhoff hand-delivered the letter to Commissioner Donald I. Dell. The letter invites the commissioners to reappoint or not reappoint the board, "as they see fit according to their management vision."

Dell, who refused to accept the resignations, expressed a desire to have the board continue its work. He did not open the letter.

"I was the only commissioner in the office," Dell said. "I didn't feel I had the authority to accept the letter without the other board members."

Later in the day, Dell called every member of the advisory panel. "I spoke to each of them," he said. "They were not anxious to resign. After our conversations, I felt everyone was satisfied and the issue was resolved."

'Overcome any hurdles'

Dell said he told Commissioners Julia Walsh Gouge and Robin Bartlett Frazier of the resignation letter the next day. All three commissioners have said they wish to resolve the issue quickly.

"I hope the board continues its work," Gouge said. "It would be devastating to the county for them to resign. Kevin Dayhoff and all of the board members are very competent and do a great job of looking at all of the environmental issues in the county in a conservative but positive way. Hopefully, we can overcome any hurdles."

Gouge said the resignation letter has been sent back to Dayhoff unopened.

"I would like to start all over, from ground zero. I hope to meet with the board face-to-face to discuss the issues they've raised, particularly their concern about losing their support staff," she said.

Advisory board members Chip Boyles and Sandy Watkins said they are looking forward to meeting with the commissioners.

"I'd like to meet with them as quickly as possible," Boyles said. "I would like to see what direction the commissioners would like the environmental affairs board to take. My hope is that, with the county commissioners' support, we can consider issues like the hog farm before they become a problem. I'd like to see the board take a more proactive stance to protect the environment and economy."

The Environmental Affairs Advisory Board was established by the commissioners in November 1990. The panel was designed to guide the county's environmental future by reviewing specific issues of environmental concern and assisting the Bureau of Environmental Services.

For several months, the board has been studying a proposed moratorium on hog farms with more than 250 animals. A similar ban was passed in Frederick County last week.

It has also been working on the county's solid-waste management plan and reviewing the Liberty Reservoir Watershed Agreement, which gave Baltimore ownership of the area in 1984.

"We have a number of complex issues, but we don't have the support staff to help us," Dayhoff said.

'No central place'

The administrative assistant for environmental services now works in the county's permits and inspections department. The position of assistant bureau chief for water resource management was eliminated, and several members of the bureau's technical staff were reassigned to new positions in other departments.

"Before the reorganization, if you had an environmental question, you would call the Bureau of Environmental Services," Dayhoff said. "There is no central place for people to call anymore. That's the critical issue."

Dell and Gouge said the advisory board will continue to have support staff.

Members of the environmental advisory board are appointed to four-year terms by the commissioners. Each member represents different community interests.

Dayhoff, who focuses on environmental concerns, said the advisory board decided to submit the letter of resignation during a closed session Feb. 28. The meeting lasted about 90 minutes.

Board members who offered to resign with Dayhoff were Boyles, towns representative; David Booth, Farm Bureau representative; Carol Rabenhorst, education representative; Watkins, business and industry representative; and Dick Weaver, at-large citizen representative.

Georgia Hoff, who represents development interests, did not offer her resignation.

Pub Date: 3/22/99