anchor Mission Statement
The mission of the Board of Appeals is to implement the flexibility provided by the Zoning Ordinance, as approved by the County Council, in a fair and equitable manner, and to assist County residents, irrespective of race, ethnicity, nativity, gender, disability, or other relevant demographic or socioeconomic characteristics, in understanding and participating in the variance, administrative appeal, special exception modification, and conditional use appeal processes.
anchor Budget Overview
The total approved FY25 Operating Budget for the Board of Appeals is $588,642, a decrease of $56,273 or 8.73 percent from the FY24 Approved Budget of $644,915. Personnel Costs comprise 93.82 percent of the budget for three full-time position(s) and no part-time position(s), and a total of 3.00 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 6.18 percent of the FY25 budget.
Consistent with the County Charter, the County Executive makes recommendations on the operating budget for all County departments, offices and agencies. However, recognizing the Charter-designed roles, the Executive defers significantly to the Legislative and Judicial Branch agencies. Questions regarding the approved budgets for Legislative Branch departments should be directed to Sandra Marin, 240-777-7923.
County Priority Outcomes
While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following is emphasized:
- Effective, Sustainable Government
anchorProgram Performance Measures
Performance measures for this department are included below (where applicable). The FY24 estimates reflect funding based on the FY24 approved budget. The FY25 and FY26 figures are performance targets based on the FY25 approved budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY26.
| Measure | Actual
FY22 | Actual
FY23 | Estimated
FY24 | Target
FY25 | Target
FY26 |
|---|
| Number of Administrative Appeals decided |
| Average days to issue written Administrative Appeals decisions (within 45 days of close of record unless extended) 1 |
| Number of Variances decided 2 |
| Average days to issue Variance decision (within 30 days of close of record unless extended) 3 |
| Number of Conditional Use cases decided 4 |
| Average days to issue Conditional Use decision (must issue within 30 days of voting on the matter unless extended) |
| Number of Circuit Court appeals processed |
| Number of Administrative Actions taken 5 |
Program Descriptions
Zoning Related Hearings and Administrative Appeals
The Board of Appeals hears requests for variances as provided in the Zoning Ordinance. Development standards for each zone are set by the Zoning Ordinance. Variances from these standards require approval by the Board. In addition, the Board hears appeals of conditional uses decided by the Hearing Examiner, as provided...
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