WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

ADMINISTRATION

ORIGIN & FUNCTIONS


COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR

Appointed by the Board of County Commissioners, the County Administrator is the chief administrative officer of the County. The County Administrator, under authority of the County Commissioners, is responsible for the daily operations of County government (County Code, secs. 1-104).

OFFICE OF BUDGET & FINANCE

For the Board of County Commissioners and the County Administrator, the Office of Budget and Finance provides fiscal advice and administration. In this, the Office develops operational and capital improvement budgets for the County. The Office also develops multi-year projected budgets, and oversees budget management for County agencies (County Code, secs. 2-301 through 2-304).

The Office oversees the Office of Community Grant Management and the Purchasing Department.

OFFICE OF COMMUNITY GRANT MANAGEMENT
Providing financial support to local organizations, the Office of Community Grant Management manages the County contingency fund, and other funds to assist local non-profit organizations. To fund these, the Office collects revenue through local taxes on amusement device licenses, as well as tip-jar, bingo, and other gaming licenses, fees, and profits.

The Office oversees the Gaming Commission and the Local Management Board.

PURCHASING DEPARTMENT
Responsible for the procurement needs of County government, the Purchasing Department posts and processes all bids, quotes, and approvals for County purchases as well as purchases by the city of Hagerstown in excess of $25,000. The Department maintains all records of vendors, purchase transactions and correspondence. To further aid resource management for the County, the Department maintains a central storage location (County Code, secs. 1-106.2 through 1-106.4).

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT
Overseeing human resource management, and recreational activities for the County, the Health and Human Services Department also coordinates and conducts safety and risk management training for county agencies. In addition, the Department reviews all County contracts, and analyzes and reports to the Board of County Commissioners on compliance with insurance and Occupational and Safety Health Administration (OSHA) standards, as well as other potential concerns.

Two divisions are overseen by the Health and Human Services Department: Human Resources, and Recreation and Fitness.

INFORMATION SYSTEMS DIVISION
Procuring and developing hardware and software to meet County government communication and networking needs, the Information Services Division provides support for these systems, such as digital security, and tech support.

The Division also oversees the County's Geographic Information System, which collects, organizes, and analyzes a wide range of county information including geographic, geologic, and demographic. The Geographic Information System then compiles this information in an interactive digital format, which is made available to government agencies and the public.

PUBLIC RELATIONS & COMMUNITY AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
Under the County Administrator, the Public Relations and Community Affairs Department is responsible for access to information and activities of County government, as well as disability programs and grants.

The Department oversees the Office of Disabilities Issues and the Public Information Office.


COUNTY TREASURER

From 1776 to 1843, the financial supervision of Maryland counties was overseen by two State Treasurers. One served the Eastern Shore, and the other, the counties west of the Chesapeake. In 1843, the two positions merged, and a single State Treasurer began to oversee each county's finances. Appointed annually by the Board of County Commissioners, the position of County Treasurer was established in 1870 (Chapter 222, Acts of 1870). Since 1934, the County Treasurer has been elected by the voters to a four-year term that begins the first day of January following the election (Chapter 555, Acts of 1933).

State and County taxes levied within Washington County are collected by the County Treasurer. All rights, remedies, and actions provided for the collection of taxes by law are available to the County Treasurer for the purpose of enforcing payment of State and County taxes (County Code, secs. 2-101 through 2-105).

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