County Executive Ball maximized efficiency and effectiveness of the processes and outcomes of the Howard County government to lead with bold, forward-thinking ideas and statistical analysis. He created innovative, best practices that jurisdictions across the nation will follow and emulate.
- Held the first Innovation Summit in Howard County history
- Launched new analytics initiative, Howard County Data Analytics and Statistics Hub (HoCoDASH) aimed at fostering innovation for the public good. HoCoDASH is a performance management system designed to further improve the effectiveness and efficiency of County services
- Created Howard County’s first “Innovation Fund” that consists of $225,000 in grant funding for projects that utilize innovation to improve the quality of life for Howard County residents
- Received seven National Association of Counties (NACo) 2019 Achievement Awards for innovative and effective government
- Secured a AAA bond rating for Howard County from all three bond rating agencies
- Launched “HoCo Counts,” his initiative aimed at raising awareness for the United States 2020 Census in order to count every resident
- Filed legislation to repeal the mobile home tax
- Signed a MOU for Project SEARCH, a government internship program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities in their last year of high school
- Assisted and aided our residents and businesses impacted by the federal shutdown:
- Suspended water shut offs
- Accommodated families who had to make Recreation and Park payments
- Collaborated with schools to offer free and reduced lunches to impacted families
- Made sure Howard Community College worked with students regarding their tuition
- Worked with BGE to provide options for those to pay their electric bill
- Made sure our library system temporarily lifted library fines
- Created a food distribution system and provided groceries directly to impacted families
- Most importantly, met with and listened to federal workers and federal contractors about their fears and frustrations
- Addressing noise complaints from BWI by filing legislation against FAA
- Reviewing and reforming our Office of Human Rights, appointed Yolanda F. Sonnier, Esq. as the new Human Rights Administrator
- Expanded the PlanHoward Academy, winner of the 2019 Civic Education and Public Information Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo). Recognized as an innovative, effective county government program, PlanHoward Academy is a free course designed to give residents a better understanding of how local planning works
- Accelerated the General Plan process by 1 year, to create a long-range plan that will guide decisions regarding development, land preservation, and changing demographics
Click here to view our infographic for how we addressed concerns from our listening sessions in the first year in office.
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