Wicomico County Council — February 17, 2026

This meeting was lighter on controversy than the March sessions, but it still mattered for two reasons: council approved a broad set of routine and operational resolutions, and it introduced Legislative Bill 2026-02, the Critical Area Resource Protection rewrite that became a much bigger issue later. The meeting also included a useful discussion about the county's anonymous reporting hotline, especially around cost, vendor registration, and whether a live human hotline is preferable to an AI-based system.

• Public hearing on an FAA airport agreement.
• Grant-related resolutions for sports tourism and county court facilities.
• Sole-source resolutions for court security monitoring and a fire panel at the community corrections building.
• Appointments to the Water and Sewer Technical Advisory Committee and Audit Committee.
• Approval of a multi-year banking, p-card, and investment services contract.
• Introduction of Legislative Bill 2026-02 on Critical Area Resource Protection.
• Update and discussion on the county's anonymous reporting hotline.

Council moved through a long list of resolutions with little opposition, and nearly everything passed unanimously. The biggest legislative step was the introduction of Legislative Bill 2026-02, which staff described as a state-mandated rewrite of the county's Critical Area chapter. The most substantive discussion outside the formal resolution votes came during the internal auditor's update on the county's anonymous reporting hotline, where council talked through whether the county should prioritize a Maryland-registered vendor, whether callers should reach a live person rather than AI, and whether the county was getting enough use out of the system to justify the added cost.

• Resolution 36-2026 passed, approving a long-term FAA airport agreement.
• Resolutions 37-2026 and 38-2026 passed, accepting grant funds for tourism events and court facilities.
• Resolutions 39-2026 and 40-2026 passed as sole-source operational purchases.
• Resolutions 10-2026, 11-2026, and 12-2026 advanced Water and Sewer Technical Advisory Committee appointments.
• Resolutions 41-2026 through 44-2026 passed, filling and reappointing Audit Committee seats.
• Resolution 45-2026 passed, approving a multi-year banking, p-card, and investment services contract.
• Legislative Bill 2026-02 was introduced unanimously.

Legislative Bill 2026-02

Staff described Bill 2026-02 as a state-mandated rewrite of the county's Critical Area Resource Protection chapter. They emphasized that most of the changes were not optional and that the county had very little flexibility to diverge from the state model ordinance. They also previewed one practical homeowner-facing change: a faster administrative variance process for some minor cases, intended to reduce delay and hearing costs.

Anonymous reporting hotline

Internal Auditor Analie Chhatel explained that the prior hotline contract had been terminated after questions about whether the vendor was properly registered to do business in Maryland. Council then discussed replacement options. The practical debate was whether the county should pay more for a more robust system with a live human answering calls, rather than a cheaper AI-style reporting system. Council members also asked how often the hotline is actually used and whether the county might need to do more to make people comfortable reporting concerns.

• Most of this meeting was routine county business, but it still created the official record for a large number of approvals and appointments.
• The meeting is most useful as the starting point for Bill 2026-02, which became much more important in the March 17 meeting.
• The hotline discussion is a good example of local government weighing cost, usability, and public trust in a fairly practical way.
• This page works best as background and continuity, not as a “big decision” meeting.

• Resolution 36-2026

  Approved Resolution 36-2026, a 20-year supplemental agreement and memorandum of agreement with the FAA covering navigation, communication, and weather-aid facilities at the airport, with no monetary rent.

• Resolution 37-2026

  Approved Resolution 37-2026, accepting Maryland Sports Commission grant funding to support two FY26 tourism events for youth and amateur sports.

• Resolution 38-2026

  Approved Resolution 38-2026, accepting grant funds from the Administrative Office of the Courts to support goods and services for county court facilities.

• Resolution 39-2026

  Approved Resolution 39-2026, authorizing Absolute Security Group as a sole-source vendor for court security camera and access-control monitoring and maintenance.

• Resolution 40-2026

  Approved Resolution 40-2026, authorizing Johnson Controls Fire Protection LP as a sole-source vendor to install and service a fire panel at the community corrections building.

• Water and Sewer Technical Advisory Committee appointments

  Council approved Resolutions 10-2026, 11-2026, and 12-2026 for Austin Whitehead, Dallas Baker, and William McCain, while noting another member appointment would still be forthcoming.

• Audit Committee appointments

  Council confirmed Resolutions 41-2026 through 44-2026 to fill and reappoint members of the Audit Committee.

• Resolution 45-2026

  Approved Resolution 45-2026, a multi-year contract with Wilmington Trust NA for banking, p-card, and investment services on behalf of the Department of Finance.

• Introduction of Legislative Bill 2026-02

  Introduced Legislative Bill 2026-02, the Critical Area Resource Protection rewrite. Staff described it as largely state-mandated and said the county had very little discretion to diverge from the state model ordinance.

• Anonymous reporting hotline update

  Internal audit staff explained that the county had terminated its prior hotline contract over Maryland registration concerns and was now comparing replacement vendors. Council discussion focused on whether to pay more for a more robust system with a live human response rather than an AI-based intake system.

• Bill 2026-02 returned later for a much more substantive March 17 public hearing and amendment debate.
• The hotline discussion suggests future council action may be needed once a vendor recommendation and budget path are finalized.

• February 17, 2026 Transcript Notes (Transcript)
• 2026 Resolutions Archive (Resolution Archive)
• 2026 Legislative Bills (Legislation)

county administration airport grants finance public safety land use environment appointments

Based on transcript notes from the February 17, 2026 Wicomico County Council legislative session.