Howard County police recruits may now earn their required two-year community college degree while training for the job, after unanimous approval of the change by the County Council on Monday night.
The bill allows incorporation of a slightly longer version of the police training course into the college curriculum, so that recruits can earn the required 60 college credits, thereby widening the pool of potential county officers, which was the measure's purpose.
In other action, the council unanimously authorized the sale of $111.6 million in bonds Tuesday, as well as a bill allowing prosecution of zoning violations in court or administratively. The zoning change came after officials complained that going to District Court for every unresolved zoning violation was too time-consuming and cumbersome. The General Assembly passed enabling legislation last year allowing the county move.
In addition, the council agreed to a request from County Executive Ken Ulman to withdraw a bill seeking a change in the capital budget to allow the use of $4 million set aside for a county government office complex to be used to buy 15,000 square feet of office space in a Metroventures office building proposed on a vacant lot at Oakland Mills Village Center.
Ulman has said he will resubmit the proposal in April as part of the overall county capital budget request for fiscal 2009, which begins July 1.