Hagerstown Mayor and City Council to Convene for May Work Session

The Mayor and City Council of Hagerstown will hold a combined Executive and Work Session on Tuesday, May 5, 2025, at City Hall. The meeting, scheduled to begin with an open session at 3:00 p.m. to vote on entering an executive session, will address a variety of municipal matters. Residents can access the full agenda and meeting packet on the city’s official website at http://www.hagerstownmd.org/government/agenda. The proceedings will be televised and recorded for public viewing.

The day’s agenda begins with a brief open session at 3:00 p.m. where the Mayor and Council will vote to move into an executive session, permitted by the Open Meetings Act for discussions on specific sensitive matters. This closed-door session is scheduled to commence immediately following the vote. At 4:00 p.m., the Work Session will officially begin in the Council Chamber on the second floor of City Hall.

The Work Session will open with the recognition of proclamations for World Red Cross Day and the JustServe City initiative. Following these acknowledgments, attention will turn to the city’s financial future with a presentation of the Fiscal Year 2027 Budget, slated to begin at 4:15 p.m. This presentation will be led by City Administrator Scott Nicewarner, Chief Financial Officer Michelle Hepburn, and Accounting and Budget Manager Brooke Garver, and will outline the upcoming schedule for budget discussions.

Further into the afternoon, at 4:45 p.m., an update on the operations of the Hagerstown Field House will be provided by City Engineer Jim Bender and John Wack of Eastern Sports Management. This will be followed by a discussion at 5:05 p.m. concerning the 2026 Reallocation of Summer Camp Funding, presented by Eric Deike, Director of Public Works.

The latter part of the session will focus on community development initiatives. Beginning at 5:15 p.m., Margi Joe, Community Development Manager, will present recommendations from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Advisory Committee for FY 2027 Public Service Awards. This will be followed at 5:25 p.m. by a recommendation for the Reallocation of Unexpended Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) CV-Cares Act Funding, also known as COVID-19 Response Funds. Another project update at 5:35 p.m. concerns a recommendation for additional funding for the Wheaton Park Enhancement Project Phase II Bandshell Construction, also presented by Ms. Joe.

The meeting will also address administrative matters, with a presentation at 5:45 p.m. on Position Descriptions for the Department of Planning and Economic Development (DPED) Boards, led by Steve Bockmiller, Deputy Director for Planning and Zoning Administration. The agenda concludes with comments from the City Administrator and Mayor & Council at 5:55 p.m., followed by adjournment.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from a press release by the City of Hagerstown.

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