Kai’s Record

The following is a list of some of the highlights and a selection of other items over the last four years that reflects Kai’s record as a county commissioner. The list does not include a great deal of details, some of which can be found in other parts of the website. If you have questions about anything below, feel free to contact Kai at kai@catoctinmountain.com or kai@kaihagen.com.

BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

Each county commissioner serves as the liaison or point person to a dozen or so different boards and commissions. Among others, Commissioner Hagen has served on the following throughout his four year term:

  • Planning Commission
  • Parks and Recreation Commission
  • Agricultural Business Council
  • Affordable Housing Council
  • Solid Waste Advisory Committee
  • Tourism Council

FREDERICK COUNTY GOVERNMENT

  • Support for the Ethics Ordinance.
  • Support for the Lobbying Reform improvements.
  • Online Streaming Video (live and archived) for all public meetings of the Board of County Commissioners, as well as meetings of the Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals, as well as some other meetings

BUDGETS AND FINANCE

  • Responsibly balanced budgets during challenging times, with NO TAX INCREASE (was one of three commissioners that committed an extra hundred hours or so during the FY2011 budget process to meet with Division Directors, Department Heads and others, to thoroughly review budgets, program by program, as part of our effort to make significant reductions in a careful manner).
  • Reduced county spending by 9.25% over past two fiscal years (this is roughly a 20% reduction in the non-school part of the county budget)
  • Upgrade to the county’s Bond Rating (achieved AAA with Fitch Rating Agency)
  • Opposed the one-time cut in the 2010 Tax Equity payment to county municipalities

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

  • Support for the Frederick County Office of Economic Development, including the Small Business Development Center, the Fast Track Program (which is an economic development tool used to expedite projects through the development process, while adhering to all established standards); the award-winning Business and Employment Center; the Agricultural Business Council (on which I have served as BOCC liaison); the Small Business Loan Fund and much more.
  • Support for FITCI (the Frederick Innovative Technology Center Inc.). More than 200 direct new jobs have been created through this business incubator.
  • Support for the preservation of the Arts and Entertainment Tax District (in the City Frederick)
  • Support for the Redevelopment Tax Credit programs to fill vacant space.
  • Support for Frederick County’s strong participation in the BRAC Action Plan (Base Realignment and Closing)
  • From 2005 to 2009, Frederick County has been the 6th highest number of new jobs created among counties in Maryland. Frederick County is one of only ten counties in Maryland that has experienced positive job growth over this period of time. And we have new business construction underway in Urbana with the new Banner Life Insurance headquarters, the new National Cancer Institute /SAIC building at Riverside Corporate Research Park, and an approved office and research center off of MD 85 in Westview South.
  • Served for the entire term as the liaison to the Frederick County Tourism Council.

LAND USE: PLANNING AND ZONING

  • Re-write of the 2006 New Market Region Plan
  • Update of the Thurmont Region Plan
  • Development and adoption of the new and updated Frederick County Comprehensive Plan
    (Among other things, the new plan reduces sprawl and focuses growth in traditional growth areas where infrastructure exists or can be provided more efficiently. It protects rural areas and historic, cultural and environmental elements of the county. The plan responsibly accommodates residential and business growth to meet the state’s population projects for the county over the next 15 to 20 years, including 3,000 acres of vacant zoned land available for business development. It also includes new Priority Redevelopment Areas and Priority Preservation Areas in a number of productive agricultural areas of the county.)
  • Supported the county-wide Stream Buffer Ordinance.
  • Reduced by approximately half the development potential of the county’s Resource Conservation zones.
  • Numerous improvements to the zoning ordinance to support agriculture and farmers in Frederick County.

EDUCATION

  • In conjunction with changes on county land use plans, we re-focused county priorities in our Capital Improvement Plan, emphasizing the rehabilitation and renovation of old schools that had suffered years of neglect as capital funds went to build many new schools to accommodate rapid residential growth. This commitment has already included the renovation of West Frederick Middle School, the replacement of Linganore High School, the additions to Carroll Manor Elementary School and Walkersville Elementary School, while also moving up or beginning work on other old schools, such as Lincoln Elementary School.
  • Achieved long-term goal of school capacity at 90% systemwide.
  • Prioritized funding for education by fully funding "Maintenance of Effort." (With the substantial reductions we have made in other parts of the county budget, the share of the county operating budget supporting Frederick County Public Schools has risen from 50% to 58%.
  • Improved the school component of the county’s Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (a phasing mechanism established to ensure that new development is served with needed infrastructure).

TRANSPORTATION

  • Committed $2 million to advance the US 15/Monocacy Blvd Interchange (which we have listed as our number one priority to keep high on the state’s list of local projects to fund).
  • Improved the traffic component of the county’s Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance.
  • The revised New Market Region Plan and the newly updated Comprehensive Plan have pulled back growth boundaries to reduce sprawl, reducing the need for expensive new roads and the demand on some of our already congested roads and intersections.

ENVIRONMENT and SUSTAINABILITY

  • Established the Office of Environmental Sustainability and Sustainability Commission (This was done without adding any additional costs to county taxpayers. And, in fact, the work of the office has been responsible for significant saving in energy consumption and other areas.)
  • Established a county Energy Conservation Plan (which includes a goal of 50% renewable energy).
  • Purchased a number of hybrid vehicles in Fleet Services, and two hybrid buses for county Transit services.
  • Supported the strengthening of the Frederick County Forest Resource Ordinance.
  • To date, have achieved an overall 10% reduction in county fuel consumption.
  • Converted the Park and Recreation Department (which was buried within the Division of Public Works) into a an upper level division of county government, and have worked to expand its scope and mission.
  • Installed a Solar Water Heating Project at the Frederick County Detention Center
  • Applied LEED building standards for the new Brunswick Branch Library and the Catoctin Creek Nature Center (opening soon) which will also have a green roof and geo-thermal heating.
  • Supported amendment to zoning to better enable solar and wind systems for on-site generation and use (this helped county residents qualify for state and federal tax credits and incentives. It was a good step, but I think the result was overly restrictive, and will support broadening the scale of the systems that are permitted, with appropriate setbacks, etc.).

WASTE MANAGEMENT

  • Introduced Single Stream Recycling to all Single Family Residential Households (though I support finding a way to do this with our local, private haulers, rather than a single, large out-of-state company).
  • Development of an award-winning Composting Operation (currently for yard waste, not food waste).
  • Landfill Gas to Energy Project completed (which will capture most of the methane – a powerful greenhouse gas – produced in the landfill and generate electricity and revenue).

WASTE-TO-ENERGY / INCINERATOR

  • More details are found elsewhere, but I have actively opposed the 1,500 tons per day, regional "Waste-to-Energy" incinerator. This extraordinarily expensive and economically-risky project was approved in spite of my objections and without my support. It now appears likely that Carroll County (our 40% partner) will pull out of the project. But, either way, the next Board of County Commissioners will have the opportunity to advance the incinerator or reverse course altogether. I hope to be part of the decision to move in another and better – and far less risky – direction.