Project Information

Bid Title

Adequate Public Safety Ordinance (APSO)

Issuing Agency

Charles County

Location

Maryland

Published Date

Dec 2, 2025

Closing Date

Jan 8, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

Project ID:

Title: Adequate Public Safety Ordinance (APSO)

Addenda: 0

Release Date: 12/2/2025

Due Date: 1/8/2026

Post Information

Posted At:Tue, Dec 2, 2025 7:46 AMSealed Bid Process:Yes (Bids Sealed / Pricing Sealed)Private Bid:No

Overview

Summary

The County Commissioners of Charles County are hereby requesting proposals from qualified consulting firms to conduct a study in order to draft and implement an Adequate Public Safety Ordinance (APSO) and evaluate and recommend a potential funding source, such as a Public Safety Impact Fee (Impact Fee). The APSO will assist with managing growth by ensuring that new development is not adversely impacting the adequacy of the local public safety infrastructure (Fire, Police, and Emergency Medical Services). The study will evaluate the County’s existing public safety capacity and projected needs based on population growth, and then determine what the specific criteria will be that constitutes “adequate” public safety. The study will also evaluate the options for potential benefit assessments such as impact fees, to be levied on new development projects to fund the necessary expansion of public safety infrastructure.

In tandem to the addition to the above, the study will also consider land donations and fee-in-lieu options for parkland development. State enabling legislation was adopted in 2024, laying the groundwork for further local policy changes. The study should evaluate existing regulatory requirements related to parkland and open space and make recommendations on ways to strength the program in accordance with the enabling legislation to include possible amendments to the Charles County Subdivision Regulation and Charles County Zoning Ordinance.

Background

The Adequate Public Facilities (APF) element of the Charles County Zoning Ordinance is designed to assure that proposed developments will not adversely affect the health, safety, and welfare of the public by requiring developers to provide new, additional, or upgrades of existing public facilities which are necessary to address the impact on public water, roads, and school facilities from their project, when the existing and planned facilities will not provide or maintain an adequate level of service.

The Adequate Public Safety Ordinance (APSO) would assist with managing growth by ensuring that new development is not adversely impacting the adequacy of the local public safety infrastructure. The APSO could fit into the APF regulations if the APF regulations were expanded to include public safety facilities, as both the APSO and APF seek to assure new development would not adversely affect public facilities. An expanded APF program could be removed from the Zoning Ordinance to create a separate, comprehensive APFO. Alternatively, the APSO could exist separate from the APF program in its own Ordinance.

Timeline

Release Project Date:

December 2, 2025

Pre-Proposal Meeting Registration Deadline (Non-Mandatory):

December 15, 2025, 8:00am

Firms must register in advance to attend the pre-proposal meeting via the County's eProcurement Portal RSVP Manager.

Pre-proposal meeting will occur virtually/teleconference, unless otherwise specified. Firms that have registered timely will receive participation instructions.

If multiple attendees from your firm will be attending the meeting, please have each individual complete the eProcurement Portal RSVP Manager process.

Pre-Proposal Meeting (Non-Mandatory):

December 16, 2025, 10:00am

Pre-proposal meeting will occur virtually/teleconference, unless otherwise specified. Firms that register timely and via the County's eProcurement Portal RSVP Manager will receive participation instructions.

The attendance roster will be published on the County's eProcurement Portal.

Question Submission Deadline (Non-Mandatory):

December 19, 2025, 4:30pm

Questions shall be submitted via the eProcurement Portal Question & Answer feature prior to the due date and time specified. The County will not provide responses to questions received after the deadline.

Proposal Submission Deadline:

January 8, 2026, 11:00am

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