County Executive Ball is focused on protecting our communities with care and vigilance, supporting our public safety professionals, providing life-saving and innovative upgrades and training, and bolstering community relations.
- Advanced a Safe and Sound Ellicott City
- Developed the Ellicott City ‘Safe and Sound’ plan, including a flood mitigation plan that, when complete, will significantly reduce flood waters on Main Street.
- Enhanced inspection and debris removal of nine waterways
- Acquired all ten buildings at the bottom of Main Street that had received offers of sale under the previous administration
- Launched a flood mitigation grant program to help property owners floodproof their structures
- Created an emergency notification system for flash flooding
- Launched a committee to explore developing an Ellicott City Community Development Corporation
- Filed legislation to access private land to remove debris from waterways
- Filed legislation that would strengthen development regulations and fees to protect the Tiber Branch and Plumtree Branch watersheds and mitigate flooding in Ellicott City
- Received a grant of up to $8.1 million from the National Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) to rebuild the portion of New Cut Road that washed away in the May 2018 Ellicott City flood
- Created public access points for people on Main Street to get out of the flood plain during an emergency
- Resumed the Ellicott City Watershed Master Plan to develop a comprehensive, community-driven vision for rebuilding a stronger and more resilient Ellicott City
- Launched an online Open House to provide information and gather feedback as part of the Ellicott City Watershed Master Plan process
- Worked with the National Weather Service to create a new designation for Historic Ellicott City
- Hand-delivered emergency preparedness packets to business owners on Main Street in historic Ellicott Cit
- Appointed Christine Uhlhorn, a third-generation firefighter who served with the county for nearly 30 years, as the first female fire chief
- Appointed Lisa Meyers, a 27-year veteran and former police captain, as the first female police chief
- Advocated for next generation 9-1-1 technology
- Expanded emergency medical services in Columbia, expanded Command and EMS supervisory coverage in the West, and enhanced community outreach
- Broke ground on new Waterloo Fire Station, paying only one dollar for the land, so $3.5 million in cost savings could be used to fund flood mitigation projects in Ellicott City
- Opened the new Merriweather Fire Station
- Held the second annual Howard County conference to highlight efforts to identify, eliminate and prevent sexual and labor trafficking in our region
- Broke ground on the new Howard County Circuit Courthouse and accepted three P3 Awards for the project, honoring the innovative public-private approach as among the best in the Americas. The 238,000 square foot facility will be completed through a public-private partnership, the first for Howard County, and resolve deficiencies in the existing Courthouse, which was built 175 years ago and has numerous safety challenges that impact access to justice
- Proposed legislation that would raise the minimum legal age to purchase tobacco products and electronic smoking devices from 18 to 21
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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