Carroll's commissioners voted yesterday to rezone 70 acres of undeveloped farmland in South Carroll for industry. Commissioners Donald I. Dell and Robin Bartlett Frazier approved the rezoning of the land known as the Brosenne property.

About two years ago, the commissioners solicited rezoning requests from owners of property that could be used for industry. The owners of the Brosenne tract initially requested the rezoning, but then decided against it. They changed their minds again last month.

"This was an unusual application since we were waiting for the property owners' approval," said Frazier. "We received a letter from the owners Oct. 25 requesting the rezoning."

The tract, which is between Route 97 and Klees Mill Road, adjoins an industrial park along Route 26. The rezoning proposal had won approval from the county planning commission and the county planning staff.

Commissioner Julia Walsh Gouge was not at the meeting. After Dell and Frazier lost their bids for re-election in September's Republican primary, state Secretary of Planning Roy Kienitz wrote that Dell and Frazier shouldn't make major votes on growth policy because they had lost to candidates promising a different growth strategy. Candidates in the general election race for commissioner made a similar request, but Dell and Frazier said they would continue to vote on matters until their terms expire next month.

Although the Brosenne land lies in the Liberty Reservoir watershed, it was not among the hundreds of acres proposed for rezoning about which the state had concerns.

In other business at yesterday's commissioners meeting:

The commissioners said they will ask for $792,398 in federal and state transportation funds to make improvements to Carroll Transit System, a private, nonprofit company that provides ride services to the elderly, disabled and needy. The county would provide matching funds of $194,911.

The money, which will not be available until July, will help Carroll Transit with operating costs and pay for an additional bus, which could run hourly throughout the day on a route between Westminster and Eldersburg.

"That will really help," said Neal Roop, executive director of Carroll Transit. "There is a demand. A year ago, we had three buses in South Carroll and now we have six."

Ridership is increasing on all routes, Roop said. Carroll Transit operates 32 buses and had 117,444 riders last year. Roop expects ridership to exceed 200,000 this year, he said.

Colleen Baumgartner, Carroll's grants manager, cautioned that the state's fiscal crisis could affect the matching funds. "We won't know for certain until the legislature meets," she said. "Some of this is in flux."

But one grant that the county does have in hand is $50,000 from the Department of Juvenile Justice for the Carroll Sheriff's Department to continue its community conference program. The grant will help continue an effort that targets young offenders and their families.

"The program is restorative justice," Baumgartner said. "It allows youth to make restitution and for them and their families to work together with victims to resolve conflicts."

One year into the program, no second offenses have been reported, she said. The Sheriff's Department expects to train more facilitators this year who will work with an estimated 64 youth offenders.

In other business, Gabe Zepp, county ag marketing specialist, listed several events that have brought attention to Carroll's dairy and beef industry.

The first cloned heifer sold in the state Holstein sale came from a New Windsor farm. A prize-winning bull landed its Carroll owners on the cover of Holstein World. For the first time, the Maryland State Fair's supreme grand champion bull and heifer were bred on Carroll farms.

"These awards are really good advertisement for Carroll County farms," Zepp said.

Something that hasn't been too good for Carroll is the weather.

James Slater, county drought manager, said recent rains have helped but that the drought lingers. Ground water levels remain at emergency levels, but their status could change this weekend, if predicted rains arrive, he said.

Area reservoirs are reaching higher levels, but are far below capacity, Slater said. Liberty Reservoir, which supplies water to nearly 2 million people including more than 20,000 in South Carroll, is at 46 percent of its capacity and would normally be at 80 percent this time of year, he said.