Howard County Executive Calvin Ball vetoes Council Bills 58 and 59 | The Locally Times
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Ball announced on November 6 that he vetoed both bills pursuant to Howard County Charter Section 209 after review and public testimony.
Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced on November 6 that, after careful review of Council Bills 58-2026 and 59-2026 and consideration of public testimony, he decided to veto both bills pursuant to Howard County Charter Section 209. ## What the record shows When introduced in September 2026, CB58-2026 was a broad sweeping bill that would have significantly changed how Howard County Government issues, awards, and administers grants of all types to nonprofit organizations. During its final legislative session on October 30, 2026, the Council passed an amended version of CB58-2026 that only applied to capital grants awarded to nonprofit organizations for the purchase, construction of improvements, development, or redevelopment of real property. The amended legislation applied certain requirements only to grants of greater than $1.5 million and included more than 20 requirements for nonprofit grantees receiving capital funding, including long-term use agreements, significant non-county matching funds, financial guarantees or bonds, and repayment provisions. In his letter to the Council regarding CB58-2026, Ball noted it was unclear where the arbitrary threshold of $1.5 million originated and why certain standards should apply to capital grants above that amount but not below it. As amended, the bill would not have affected any grants awarded in prior fiscal years. In public testimony, several nonprofit organizations urged the Council to oppose the legislation and instead called for a comprehensive and thoughtful study of the County's grant funding processes.