Comments are by Councilmembers Llatetra Brown Esters and Susan Whitney and are not approved or sanctioned by the City of College Park.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS/COMMENTS – MAYOR, COUNCIL, STUDENT LIAISON

Councilmember Kabir announced that the last day of the Hollywood Farmer’s Market would be on Saturday, November 19.  He also mentioned that the College Park Food Bank was accepting Turkey donations through November 18.  

Councilmember Kennedy thanked those responsible for coordinating Good Neighbor Day held on November 12.  She mentioned her participation in a mental health workshop. 

Councilmember Esters mentioned the upcoming Berwyn District Civic Association (BDCA) meeting to be held on Thursday, November 17 at 7:30pm.  

Councilmember Whitney thanked the individuals who help with her vine removal project for Good Neighbor Day.  

Councilmember Rigg acknowledged those who gathered on Good Neighbor Day to recognize the life of Rose Colby on the Trolley trail, including Mayor Wojahn. Mayor Wojahn acknowledged Ms. Colby’s contribution to the community.  

Councilmember Mackie thanked those who helped remove invasive species during her project for Good Neighbor Day. She encouraged everyone to read the city website about the many things to do during the holidays. She also acknowledged the Department of Public Works (DPW) for the first day of food waste pickup on Tuesday, November 15. Mayor Wojahn mentioned his participation and appreciation for the food waste program.  

Councilmember Mitchell acknowledged the volunteers who came out to assist with her project at Attick Towers for Good Neighbor Day.  

SGA Liaison, Adrian Andriessens, acknowledged Good Neighbor Day. He also mentioned the student group UMD Democracy and their upcoming event to talk about the outcome of the midterm elections.

Mayor Wojahn thanked all those responsible for coordinating Good Neighbor Day including Maryland-National Capitol Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), City Staff, and the Office of Community Engagement (OCE) and their leader Ms. Gloria Aparicio Blackwell who contributes much of her time and energy.  

CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

Mr. Young thanked everyone who attended the event held on November 14 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of College Park City University Partnership (CPCUP).  He announced that City offices will close at Noon on Wednesday, November 23^rd and will reopen on Monday, November 28.  

PROCLAMATIONS AND AWARDS

Thanking County Council Member Dannielle M. Glaros for her service to the City of College Park

Mayor Wojahn read the proclamation and presented Councilmember Glaros with a gift from the city.  He acknowledged Councilmember Glaros for her compassion and advocacy for various issues including affordable housing and food insecurity

AMENDMENTS TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Councilmember Kabir made a motion to amend the agenda by moving the hearing for Redistricting Plans prior to the presentation on plastic bags.

Councilmember Rigg made a motion to add 22-G-165 [Approval of two new Class C (Joint) appointments to CUPCUP Board] to the Consent Agenda

The agenda as amended passed unanimously.

PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS

Mary King, college park resident, said that two weeks ago she was awoken by a terrible car crash.  She suggested that a white line and bollard be added along Metzerott road to steer drivers clear of cars parked close to that intersection.  

PUBLIC HEARINGS

Ordinances 22-O-09 and 22-O-10, Redistricting Plans

Mr. Gardiner, Assistant City Manager, introduced the redistricting maps that were previously moved forward by Council and outlined the process conducted by the Redistricting Commission.  

October Plan 1 Map- works to keep the districts in tact as much as possible. 

Plan 3A Map – one of the original maps submitted by the Redistricting Commission.

Mr. Gardiner indicated both Maps meet the criteria for + or – 5% for population and + or – 7.5% for actual voters

Mary King, resident of College Park, suggested that Council maintain map 3A as it meets constitutional requirements. She said Council should choose what the commission did originally. 

Ms. Lerbeck, resident of College Park, expressed a desire to stay in District 1 and voiced her strong support for the October Plan 1 Map.  

City Attorney, Suellen Ms. Ferguson, indicated that the updated description of district boundaries in Councilmembers’ red folders was done for clarification; there were no substantive changes.

PRESENTATIONS

Presentation from Michelle Whittaker, RCVMaryland, about Ranked Choice Voting

Ms. Whittaker described RCV Maryland as a grassroots organization with the purpose of helping to ensure people understand what ranked-choice voting (RCV) means. According to Ms. Whittaker, the major question for many is why to do ranked-choice voting. This voting structure assists people who have several people to choose from for a variety of reasons. She said the system helps people recognize their commonality and ensures that people can advance other values they would like to advance, like representation.

She added that RCV helps to eliminate the spoiler effect, saying it allows voters to express desires and ends non-majority winners and identifies the candidate with the greatest consensus. 

Ranked-choice voting is a system that allows voters to rank candidates of preference. The structure also works for multi-choice winners such as College Park’s city council elections. All first choices are counted. If the candidate reaches the majority threshold as voters’ first choice, they win.  If a candidate does not reach that threshold, the candidate who received the lowest number of first-choice votes is eliminated. The process continues until a winner is identified. There is a Universal tabulator that will help with the calculation of the election RCV is being used and successfully implemented across the county.  Some examples include Takoma Park (Since 2006); Alaska (2022); and New York City (2021). It has also been used in Democratic Primaries in two states, one county, and 53 cities.  She mentioned that Fair Vote is a national organization that focuses on RCV.  

Mayor Wojahn wondered how this would work in College Park, where two representatives are elected per district.  

Councilmember Whitney asked whether or not there is evidence of increased voter participation. Ms. Whittaker indicated that increased voter participation can be a side effect of RCV, but is often not the only reason for increased turnout.  

Councilmember Kabir ask how those using this voting structure deal with errors on the ballot.  Ms. Whittaker indicated the error rate is similar to the current voting process and that voter education is key. She added that the State of Maryland currently has a system that can utilize RCV. Councilmember Kabir mentioned the potential of a local jurisdiction to cause confusion by changing to a different voting structure. Ms. Whittaker reiterated the importance of voter education. She added that confusion is not necessarily caused by the system.  

Councilmember Kabir asked Ms. Whittaker if there was a referendum in Takoma Park to change to RCV. She said she believed it had been a ballot initiative but did not have the information in front of her.  

Councilmember Mitchell asked of any jurisdictions outside of Maryland during this last election cycle used ranked-choice voting. Ms. Whitter said she focuses on Maryland, but that jurisdictions out west had used it, as well as St. Paul, MN. She said the Virginia’s Arlington County Board is currently considering it for Board elections.  She indicated the Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center could provide additional information.  

Councilmember Kennedy shared that she is an advocate for ranked-choice voting but struggles with it in such a small, local jurisdiction. She shared that College Park elections have not been competitive. She asked how we avoid this becoming a distraction. Ms. Whittaker indicated that we must ask ourselves why we want to use this voting system and what outcome we are looking for. She added it may not work in all areas, but it allows for expanded voices in the process.

Councilmember Rigg thanked Ms. Whittaker for her presentation and talked about his experience with the process where there were multiple candidates. He mentioned how such a change could be good, but he expressed concern about its worth given the amount of effort needed to make the change. He concluded by saying he likes it conceptually. 

Mayor Wojahn indicated the administrative burden may remain the same under RCV as it is for current elections. 

Councilmember Adams expressed interest in RCV like other council colleagues. He asked Ms. Whittaker if more candidates were willing to put themselves in elections where ranked-choice voting exists. Ms. Whitter said data shows an increase in the number of women and People of Color (POC) running and winning. Councilmember Adams asked about statistics regarding the number of ballots invalidated as it compares to other voting structures. Ms. Whittaker did not have that data at her fingertips but referred him to the Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center.

Councilmember Esters acknowledged the number of reasons why rank choice voting would work but asked if there were cases in which it had been adopted but hadn’t worked. Ms. Whittaker shared two instances. First, in Cincinnati during the 1920s, a Black candidate was elected for mayor through RCV, and the City interpreted that as a failure and stopped using RCV going forward. Second, in Burlington, VT, a mayoral candidate elected via RCV in 2009 became embroiled in scandal and RCV was blamed for elevating a bad candidate. She said that often, where it has been implemented and then rescinded, the choice to repeal is based upon the individuals who were elected.  

Ms. Whittaker concluded her comments by stressing the importance of having ranked-choice voting to ensure that voters have their voice and for the purpose of improving democracy. 

Councilmember Rigg said that ranked-choice voting could be considered as a ballot initiative for the next municipal election.  

Presentation from the Committee For A Better Environment on a proposal to ban plastic bags

Mr. Robert Marsili, Director of Public Works, introduced the item by indicating that the Committee for a Better Environment (CBE) would present their proposal, and he recognized CBE for their work on a number of environmental projects. Todd Larsen and Alexa Bely presented the proposal on behalf of the committee.  

According to Ms. Bely, here is College Park we see plastic pollution that flows into our waterways.  A major source of plastic pollution is plastic bags.  Annually, we see about 13 million bags used in College Park. Only 5% of plastic bags are recycled, and. they the most common contaminant in recycling machines.  She said county data shows that 90% of individuals will take bags if they are offered. However, in places where plastic bags are banned and there is a fee for paper bags, we see a dramatic increase in the use of reusable bags. 

She said the CBE conducted a study and observed that within the city, 75% of patrons used plastic bags when offered. The CBE asked how we could reduce the use of plastic bags. The CBE outlined the following approaches for reducing plastic bag usage:

• Plastic bag ban 
• Disposable bag fee or tax
• Hybrid plastic bag ban with a charge or tax for other bags

Mr. Larsen discussed lessons learned from other municipalities about which approach is most effective.

• Successful plastic bag ordinances are passed from the bottom up
• A charge for other bags is an incentive to reuse. Without a fee, stores will provide single-use paper bags which cost more and also have a negative impact on the environment.  
• Thickness standard should not be used because it invites stores to buy, and customers to take, thicker film plastic bags. This does not reduce plastic bag usage.
• Compostable and biodegradable bags should not be exempted from a ban because they are single-use, and many do not actually break down in the environment.  

Mr. Larsen indicated vendors would be given a 6-month period to comply, which would allow them to use the bag supply they already have and prepare for the transition. He said Hyattsville, Greenbelt and Berwyn Heights are considering such proposals and College Park doing the same would help to create a coordinated effort in the area.  

Mayor Wojahn said a resident had asked if input was received from retailers. Mr. Larsen indicated they had not received input from retailers but that many of the stores in the area are accustomed to such restrictions. 

Councilmember Esters thanked the committee for their work and acknowledged the importance of restricting the use of plastic bags. However, she expressed concerns for small businesses and their ability to comply with such a ban given the increased cost of other bags.  

Councilmember Kennedy talked about how putting this in place may be challenging and suggested that their presentation be made into an FAQ. She wondered if the $.10 charge would be enough for small businesses to recoup additional costs. Mr. Larson said that the $.10 charge is the floor for stores to charge for paper bags, and individual stores can choose to charge more. Maryland Sierra Club’s Martha Ainsworth noted that the implementation of the fees reduces the demand for paper bags, which in turn reduces overhead. 

Councilmember Adams echoed sentiments regarding smaller vendors, specifically takeout restaurants, and challenges they may have integrating this into their operations.  

Councilmember Mitchell asked that this proposal be brought back to a future work session to discuss an implementation plan.  

Councilmember Kabir indicated education is important and expressed concern about the use of the word “ban.” He suggested that branding of this program be considered. He also suggested a community meeting and meetings with the small business owners. He emphasized the opportunity for city-branded bags to be given out to residents and said he looks forward to further discussion.

Councilmember Mackie said the presentation is great and the proposal is something we should do. She asked if CBE had thought of ways to discourage people from going onto Amazon and buying plastic bags. Mr. Larsen said it would be hard to stop people from making such purchases, but they would like to encourage people to use multi-use bags made from recycled materials. He mentioned that each year there could be a reusable bag week when vendors can give out bags and promote themselves. 

Councilmember Whitney thanked the committee for their work.  She mentioned having a collection of plastic bags that she had tried to recycle at Mom’s but was told they no longer did so after learning the organization they had worked with was burning the bags instead of recycling them. She said she liked the idea of City-branded bags and suggested the City could peak interest in and awareness of the effort by having a contest through which K-12 and UMD students could create artwork for the bags. She said just this month, Salisbury, MD decided to advance toward a plastic bag ban. She said this is an opportunity for the City to be at the forefront of this effort. She noted that Salisbury consulted with its chamber of commerce and the majority were in favor and that it was mentioned in Salisbury’s discussion visits to fast food establishments that had shifted away from plastic without issue.  

SGA Liaison, Adrian Andriessens, thanked the CBE for their presentation. He felt that University of Maryland students would be behind this effort. 

Mayor Wojahn thanked the CBE for their work.  

CONSENT AGENDA 

22-G-161- Approval of minutes from the November 1, 2022, Work session.

22-G-162 –  Authorization for the City Manager to sign a contract with Trinity Wiring and Security Solutions in the amount of $152,381.46 for the design, build and installation of a new video security systemin the City Garage, including maintenance and support. The contract shall be reviewed by the City Attorney – Gio Gordeziani, IT Manager

22-G-165 – Approval of the appointments of Erica Bondarev Rapach and Kenneth Young to the new Class C seats on the CPCUP Board of Directors. CPCUP voted in July 2022 to expand the board by adding two new Class C seats 

ACTION ITEMS

22-O-09 – Ordinance Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park To Adopt A Redistricting Plan “October 1” For Council Member Elections As Required By § C2-2 Of The College Park

Councilmember Whitney indicated her interest in moving forward with October Plan 1 Map.  She added that it meets the criteria while the other map raises concerns about serving six civic associations.  

Councilmember Stu Adams indicated his support for October Plan 1 map.

Councilmember Mitchell indicated her support for October Plan 1 map

Councilmember Esters said that she echoed her colleagues support for October Plan 1 map because it keeps the currently boundaries in place as much as possible, and she does not believe she will get scooters requested for district 2 if Map 3A were chosen.  

Councilmember Kabir said Council should move forward with the October Plan 1 map because our residents want the districts to be as close to what they are now as possible, which was part of the guiding principles of the charge to the Redistricting Commission. He thanked the Commission for working with Council to address resident and Council concerns. He noted that the Commission recommended Council consider revising the Charter to improve the process, given the challenges of this redistricting. He said a future work session might be needed to consider the recommendations in the Commission’s final report.

Councilmember Kennedy – Indicated her interest in moving the October Plan 1 forward.  However, she expressed concern that with this map District 1(D1) has a higher number of voters now than it did before, which she said is essentially a disservice to the district. She said if we start to see D1 residents have trouble getting on committees, that would be a signal. She said we may see that others may be discouraged from running in District 1 because the high voter participation favors incumbents, saying Council needs to consider those items moving forward.  

Councilmember Rigg  commended the Redistricting Committee for their work.  He acknowledged 3A as a better map but recognized there is more support for the  October Plan 1 Map. 

Councilmember Mackie thanked the Redistricting Commission for their work and for distributing student housing across the districts. She said she is sad to lose Autoville and Cherry Hill but recognized this process is for the entire city.  

SGA Liaison Valerie Graham said that October Plan 1 Map was not the choice of students on the Commission but understands the need for change.  

Councilmember Mitchell echoed her colleague by expressing she will miss representing Autoville and Cherry Hill.  

Councilmember Esters thanked the students for their part on the Redistricting Commission and expressed interest in working with students to encourage their participation in City elections moving forward.   

Councilmember Whitney moved to adopt Ordinance 22-O-09 to adopt the October Plan 1 redistricting map. Councilmember Esters seconded, and the ordinance was unanimously adopted.

22-O-10 Ordinance Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park To Adopt A Redistricting Plan “3A” For Council Member Elections As Required By § C2-2 Of The College Park Charter

No vote taken on this item as Council voted to adopt the October 1 Redistricting Plan.  

22-G-125 Approval of a contract amendment in the amount of $138,537 with NZI Construction Corporation for sidewalk construction

Ms. Terry Schum, Director of Planning and Community Development introduced this item.  She indicated that work started last year and there were delays for a variety of reason.  

Councilmember Kabir asked for the final design and the timeline for sidewalk construction.  Ms. Schum said she believes it will take 30 days to complete.  

Councilmember Esters indicated that this sidewalk borders District 2, and she is happy to see it move forward as it will assist with walkability in the area.  

Councilmember Whitney expressed her appreciation for the project moving forward, saying she often see residents walking in the street, which sees a fair amount of traffic.   

22-G-163 Amendment to contract with Wallace Montgomery in the amount of $34,850 for the Hollywood Streetscape project –Terry Schum, Director of Planning

Ms. Schum said the project has gone on much longer than anticipated. and there are very large cost overruns, some of which have to do with additional permit-related work. She explained that we are still waiting for permit modification and that there were additional electrical concerns that may not have existed had we owned the road when the contract was negotiated.  She said this amendment will help get us to the end of the project.  

Councilmember Kabir expressed his excitement about the work that will help to bring more people to the Farmer’s Market. He asked when the goat path will be completed. Ms. Shum explained that we will need to discuss cost overruns in December. The contractors hope to have substantial completion by December, saying supply chain issues have delayed some items like customized furniture for  the parklets.  

22-O-06 Introduction of an Ordinance, 22-O-06, to approve the Comcast Cable Franchise Agreement – Suellen Ferguson, City Attorney

Ms. Ferguson introduced this item and indicated her pleasure to present an ordinance for an agreement we have been working on since 2012.  She indicated this is a collaboration between other cities and the county. She said the outcome was good, but there are some setbacks.  We rely heavily on the C-Net which is a combination of two systems.  Comcast is not willing to support this system beyond year 10 of the contract.  There will be a required payment fee for I-Net, which is paid annually. 

The ordinance moved forward, and the Public Hearing will be held on December 13, 2022.

MEETING ADJOURNED

CLOSED SESSION AFTER THE MEETING

Pursuant to the statutory authority of the Maryland Annotated Code, General Provisions Art.

§ 3-305(b), the Mayor and Council of the City of College Park are providing notice that they will meet in a Closed Session after the meeting on Tuesday, November 15 to discuss the appointment, employment, assignment, promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation, removal, resignation, or performance evaluation of appointees, employees, or officials over whom this public body has jurisdiction; any other personnel matter that affects one or more specific individuals. The Mayor and Council will conduct the City Manager’s evaluation and will discuss the timeline and process for City Attorney’s evaluation. They will not return to public session.

Click here to see the meeting agenda for November 15.

Click here to view the Mayor and Council Work Session held on November 15.

Click here to access the Mayor and Council work session agenda scheduled for December 6.