The #10 ranking among nearly 3,000 jurisdictions is a significant increase this year from the #20 ranking received in 2018. The county, which was the only top 10 county in Maryland, was also #10 among its peer group of urban, high-performing communities. 

Media tip sheet showcasing Howard County Government happenings for the month of April 2019.

A Howard County construction project to add a third left-turn lane on westbound Snowden River Parkway between Minstrel Way and Broken Land Parkway, in an effort to decrease congestion at the intersection, is expected to begin on or about Monday, April 7.

A Howard County construction project to repave the roadway and parking lots in Centennial Park’s North area, located at 9801 Old Annapolis Road in Ellicott City, has begun.

Thursday’s rainfall has triggered the second enhanced stream debris removal action since Howard County Executive Calvin Ball unveiled Phase One of his EC Safe and Sound plan in December 2018. As part of his plan to ensure public safety, Ball ordered inspections and debris removal of nine streams any time the County has a rainfall of two inches or greater in a 24-hour period, or after an hour of sustained winds more than 30 mph. 

On Friday, March 22nd, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball will speak at a preview breakfast for a new Art Education Collection in the Howard County Library System (HCLS). This new initiative is one of only a few in the nation. It is integral to HCLS' mission to promote art and cultural education for all and create greater access and exposure to art within the community.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball is reminding property owners that the deadline to apply for Flood Mitigation Assistance Grants, established under Phase One of his EC Safe and Sound plan, is Friday, March 29, 2019. The grants are available to property owners in the Plum Tree, Little Plum Tree, Tiber-Hudson and New Cut watersheds for improvements to their structures only.

A Howard County construction project to mill and repave Fels Lane in Ellicott City is underway. Weather permitting, the project is expected to be completed by late March. 

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball marked his 100th day in office by signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA), for the Gateway Innovation Center in Columbia. The Center is being launched to serve as a nexus of resources for innovation and small, minority, woman, and veteran-owned business creation and support. Strategically located between Washington, DC and Baltimore, in the 920-acre Columbia Gateway Innovation District, the Center itself will occupy nearly 50,000 square feet.

As Howard County faces a historic $108 million deficit between projected revenues and requested expenditures in FY2020, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball and the Police Department have determined that in order to save taxpayer dollars, without causing any impact to public safety, the Police Department's aviation program will be discontinued.

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Today, March 13, 2019, officially marks one hundred days in office for Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. In that time, his administration has improved government services, announced major climate action, developed plans for Ellicott City, assisted those affected by the federal government shutdown, and much more.

Howard County project to construct a sidewalk along a portion of Sybert Drive in Ellicott City is scheduled to begin on or about Monday, March 25. The project is not expected to impact the flow of traffic and weather permitting, the project is expected to be completed by mid-April.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, along with Police Chief Lisa Myers and Fire Chief Christine Uhlhorn, announced new enhancements to the county’s opioid alert protocol. The current system uses social media alerts to keep the public informed and raise awareness about overdoses in Howard County. The new updates include a more targeted use of data to give localized alerts, “bad batch” alerts to help prevent lethal overdoses, and regional alerts to strengthen prevention measures.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball will mark his 100th day in office by signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the Gateway Innovation Center in Columbia. The Center is being launched to serve as a nexus of resources for innovation and small, minority, woman, and veteran-owned business creation and support. The Center will occupy nearly 50,000 square feet in the 920-acre Columbia Gateway Innovation District, located between Washington, DC and Baltimore.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, the County's Department of Finance and the Maryland Access Point of Howard County have announced that in-person assistance will be available throughout the spring and summer to help applicants file for a variety of tax credits.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball previously met with the Howard County Local Children’s Board (LCB) to receive their new report, “Access to Opportunity in Howard County: Making the Case for Equity.”

On March 12th, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, First Lady Yumi Hogan, and Korean Counsel General Dong-gi Kim will present a unified partnership to designate a “Koreatown” in Ellicott City.

Howard County’s own Merriweather Post Pavilion, one of America’s great amphitheaters and host to the country’s top musical talent, is set to be home to Soulful Symphony, a visionary orchestra that celebrates, elevates and reimagines American music and culture. 

A Howard County construction project to extend an existing pathway along a portion of eastbound Old Annapolis Road in Ellicott City is scheduled to begin on or about Monday, March 25. The project is not expected to impact the flow of traffic.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced the first enhanced stream debris removal action is concluding under Phase One of his EC Safe and Sound Plan, which was implemented in December 2018. As part of his plan to ensure public safety, Ball ordered inspections and debris removal of nine streams any time the County has a rainfall of two inches or greater in a 24-hour period, or after an hour of sustained winds more than 30 mph. A wind storm on February 25 triggered this first action.

A Howard County construction project to install water transmission mains along southbound Cedar Lane in the Hickory Ridge Village of Columbia is scheduled to begin on or about Monday, March 11. During the project, the two southbound lanes of Cedar Lane will be closed Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. A single lane of southbound traffic will be diverted to the center turn lane, while the two northbound lanes will remain open.

Phase II of a Howard County construction project to rehabilitate a portion of the public sewer house connections in the Kings Contrivance Village of Columbia is expected to begin on or about Monday, March 11. Disruptions to residential water and sewer service are expected to occur in blocks of approximately two to three hours during construction hours, Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Gear towards all veterans and their families (active, guard, reserve and dependents), the County's Veterans Resource Fair provides attendees with a convenient, one-stop shop where they can talk face-to-face with the organizations and nonprofits that provide services, support and jobs.