St. Mary's County Government Operating Schedule for Good Friday & Easter
Landfill, Convenience Centers and STS will operate normally March 25
All St. Mary's County Government Administrative Offices will be closed Friday, March 25, 2016 in observance of Good Friday. Offices will reopen for normal business hours on Monday, March 28.
The St. Andrews Landfill, six Convenience Centers and St. Mary's Transit System (STS) will be closed Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016. The Landfill, Convenience Centers, and STS System will be open for normal hours of operation on March 25, 26 and 28. The Statewide Specialized Transportation Assistance Program (SSTAP) will not operate on Friday, March 25.
All three St. Mary's County Library locations (Charlotte Hall, Leonardtown and Lexington Park) will be closed Friday, March 25. The Lexington Park library will be closed Easter Sunday. All library locations will be open Saturday, March 26, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
All Department of Aging and Human Services Senior Activity Centers will be closed March 25 and there will be no Meals on Wheels deliveries.
Full Cycle Siren Test to be Conducted April 4
St. Mary's County Emergency Services & Technology, in cooperation with Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Calvert County Public Safety and Dorchester County Public Safety, will conduct a full-cycle test of the alert and notification sirens throughout St. Mary's, Calvert and Dorchester counties on Monday, April 4, 2016, at noon.
The full-cycle test includes a three-minute activation of all sirens within the 10-mile area around Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant. All citizens are asked to remember the scheduled testing and relay the information to friends, family and neighbors.
The test is being conducted to check siren operation and increase public awareness of the alert and notification siren system. If the sirens sound at any other time, residents should tune to one of the local radio stations listed below for information and instructions.
Emergency Alert System stations include:
• WPTX 1690 AM Lexington Park
• WYRX 97.7 FM Lexington Park
• WTOP 103.5 FM Frederick, D.C.
• WKIK 1560 AM La Plata
• WKIK 102.9 FM California
• WPRS 104.1 FM La Plata
• WSMD 98.3 FM Mechanicsville
• WNNT 100.9 FM Warsaw
• WGOP 540 AM Pocomoke
• WCEM 1240 AM Cambridge
• WCEM 106.3 FM Cambridge
• WCEI 96.7 FM Easton
• WRAR 105.5 FM Tappahannock
• WKHZ 1460 AM Easton
Knowing what to do before, during and after an emergency is a critical part of being prepared and may make all the difference when seconds count. Visit
prepare.stmarysmd.com to learn about Disasters & Hazards, Being Prepared and Being Informed.
St. Mary's County Board of Elections to Conduct Public Logic and Accuracy Demonstration
The St. Mary's County Board of Elections will conduct the Public Logic and Accuracy Demonstration on the DS200 Ballot Scanner and the Express Vote voting units on Friday April 1 beginning at 10 a.m.
The Testing will take place at the Election Warehouse, 47382 Lincoln Avenue in Lexington Park (site of the old Carver Elementary School).
Questions about the demonstration should be addressed to Wendy Adkins at 301-475-7844, ext. 1613.
Commissioners Recognize Employees for Length of Service
At the start of their weekly business meeting, the Commissioners of St. Mary's County paused to recognize county employees for their length of service to St. Mary's County.
The annual ceremony recognized 86 employees with 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 years of service.
Each employee received a certificate signed by the commissioners along with a service pin.
The commissioners congratulated and thanked the employees for their dedicated service to the citizens of St. Mary's County.
Commissioners to Hold Public Hearing on Behavioral Health Services Administration Report
In preparation for the Maryland Department of Mental Health and Hygiene's plan to integrate the administration of behavioral health administration statewide, the Commissioners of St. Mary's County have scheduled a public hearing to solicit citizen comment about the plan.
The hearing will take place on Tuesday, March 29 at 6:30 p.m. in the commissioners meeting room in Leonardtown.
St. Mary's County has conducted a comprehensive review of the administration of its behavioral health services and held two meetings with stakeholders. The purpose was to identify the appropriate lead agency to manage and monitor the mental health and substance abuse services in St. Mary's County. Currently, this public health issue is largely led statewide by local health departments.
The Maryland Department of Mental Health and Hygiene intends to complete the integration of behavioral health administration transition in fiscal year 2017. The recommendation is for St. Mary's County to plan to transition administrative services from the Department of Aging and Human Services to the St. Mary's County Health Department in fiscal year 2018.
A copy of the Behavioral Health Service Administration Report
can be found on the county's website or can be requested through the County Administrator's Office.
Important 2016 Presidential Primary Election Deadlines
Deadline to register to vote, change party affiliation and request alternate polling place is April 5
Important deadlines for the upcoming 2016 Presidential Primary Election are approaching. The deadline to register to vote, change party affiliation, update an address, and request an alternate polling place for this election is Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at 9 p.m..
To vote in the upcoming primary election, Maryland residents who are eligible to vote but are not yet registered—including 17-year-olds who will be 18 years old or older on or before the November 8 General Election—must register by the 9 p.m. deadline on April 5. This is also the last day for registered voters to update their address at their local board of elections or change their party affiliation.
St. Mary's County residents with a Maryland driver's license or MVA-issued ID may register to vote, change their address, or change their party affiliation online at
voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/OnlineVoterRegistration. Voters and members of the military, their spouses and dependents who are overseas and who do not have a Maryland driver's license or MVA-issued ID, may also register or change their address or party affiliation online using different identifying information.
Paper voter registration applications must be hand-delivered or mailed to the St. Mary's County Board of Elections. A hand-delivered application must be received by the St. Mary's County Board of Elections by 9:00 p.m. on April 5 and a mailed application must be postmarked by April 5.
Voter registration applications are available across Maryland at the following locations:
• Local boards of elections
• Motor Vehicle Administration offices
• State Department of Health offices
• Local Department of Social Services offices
• Offices on Aging
• Division of Rehabilitation Services
• Public institutions of higher education
• Marriage license bureaus
• Post offices
• Public libraries
• State Board of Elections
You may also call 1-800-222-8683 to request an application by mail or download and print a voter registration application at
www.elections.maryland.gov/voter_registration/application.html
Most of Maryland's polling places are accessible to voters with disabilities. An elderly voter or a voter with a disability who is assigned to an inaccessible polling place may ask to be reassigned to an accessible polling place. This request must be submitted in writing by 9 p.m. on April 5. The request form is available online at
www.elections.maryland.gov/pdf/request_for_accessible_polling_place.pdf or by calling 1-800-222-8683 to request a form by mail. On receipt of a timely request, the St. Mary's County Board of Elections will review the request and determine whether there is an accessible polling place with the same ballot as the voter's home precinct and notify the voter of the status of his or her request.
To verify voter registration status or to find out if an assigned polling place is accessible, visit
voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/VoterSearch.
The 2016 Presidential Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, April 26 and the 2016 Presidential General Election is Tuesday, November 8. Starting Thursday, April 14 up to and including Thursday, April 21, voters can vote in person at the designated early voting center(s) in their county of residence and update their address. The best days to vote early to avoid delays are Saturday, April 16 and Sunday, April 17. Early voting locations and hours and additional election-related dates and information are available at
www.elections.maryland.gov/voting/early_voting.html.
For more information, voters may contact the St. Mary's County Board of Election at 301-475-7844, ext. 1100 or the State Board of Elections at 1-800-222-VOTE (8683) or visit
www.elections.maryland.gov.