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 Esters mentioned the upcoming election and having learned about recent incidents where a candidate’s sign was defaced, and notes being sent to homes denouncing candidates. She asked residents to go to the debates if they want to learn more about candidates and make their choice at the voting booth. She said she would like to think better of city residents. She mentioned the Lakeland Civic Association meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 13 beginning at 7pm at the College Park Community Center.
Councilmember Whitney mentioned the upcoming Lakeland community clean-up she organized. The event is scheduled for Saturday, April 15 and the purpose is a general cleanup in the park and along the walking trail in preparation for the Lakeland Historical Marker reveal and the Literacy and Legacy 5K on Saturday, April 22. She encouraged residents to contact her for details on signing up.
Councilmember Adams mentioned the mayoral debate, sponsored by the District 3 Civic Associations, scheduled for Wednesday, April 13th at 7:30pm at City Hall.
Councilmember Riggs mentioned the Route 1 Rampage to be held on Sunday, April 23 sponsored by University of Maryland Club Cycling.
Councilmember Mackie mentioned National Drug Take Back Day on April 23. A drug take-back event will be held by University of Maryland with drop off at the Pocomoke Building at 7569 Baltimore Ave. She also mentioned that Maryland Day will be held on April 29 from 10am -4pm.
SGA Liaison Valerie Graham mentioned the availability of applications for the SGA Liaison positions and encouraged students to apply.
Mayor Protem Denise Mitchell acknowledged Code Enforcement staff for their work over the weekend in keeping things quiet in College Park woods.
CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
Mr. Young informed residents of the last day to register to vote in the upcoming special election is April 18 and the last day to request a ballot is April 26. He mentioned the location of drop boxes throughout the city including Davis Hall, the Hollywood Shopping Center, Stamp Student Union and City hall. In-person voting on Tuesday, May 2 (Early voting) at Davis Hall from 8am – 7pm, May 6 (Election Day ) from 10 am – 6pm at City Hall.
He provided details about the upcoming debates on April 12 beginning at 7:30pm at City Hall (sponsored by the District 3 Civic Associations) and April 15 beginning at 1pm at Davis Hall (sponsored by Streetcar Suburbs Publishing).
Mr. Young mentioned the end the of Maryland legislative session on April 10 and two bills dealing with noise abatement and car exhibition (HB304 and HB208) did not make it out of session. He said that the council will soon receive a report from the city’s lobbyist about the session overall.
He provided an update on the car burnouts that took place on Saturday April 8 at Rhode Island Ave and Edgewood. He began by acknowledging the event was handled appropriately. Mr. Young said a call for service to police occurred at 2:21am and there was a response by 2:26am. Guardian, the Prince George’s Police Department helicopter unit, was deployed to assess the situation. There were approximately 75 vehicles and 100 people observed. A U-Haul truck and Dodge Charger were doing burnouts at the intersection. Once the crowd dispersed and it was safe to proceed, Guardian requested police vehicles to assist in apprehending the culprits and the vehicles. Eventually two individuals were arrested and charged. One individual was from Baltimore and the other was from Germantown. One was 19 years old, and the other was 22.
After the City Manager’s comments, Councilmember Kabir mentioned the City’s Spring Clean-up event to be held at Davis Hall on Saturday, April 15. April 15 would be the only shredding event offered this spring.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Former County Councilmember Danielle Glaros
AMENDMENTS TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
No amendments, agenda approved.
PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS –
David Turcios, resident of College Park for 19 years, said he is a former coach of the Boys and Girls club. Many of the kids from College Park always gather, and he helps to keep them active. The city has issued a permit to a county Lacrosse Team. Recently, a coach from the Lacrosse team got mouthy with children about their use of the field. A woman and her husband became verbally aggressive with the children, claiming they had the right to use the park because they paid for the permit. He did not want outsiders to stop our children from utilizing space in their community. This occurred at Duvall Field. Staff said they would look into the situation.
CONSENT AGENDA
23-R-04 Resolution Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park Adopting The Recommendation Of The Advisory Planning Commission For Application Number CEO-2023-01, 9400 49th Avenue, College Park, Maryland, Recommending Approval Of Variances From City Code §87-23.C, To Permit The Installation Of A 5-Foot-High Board-On-Board Fence Along The Side Yard Of A Street (appeal period ends April 6)
23-G-58 Approval of New National Opioid Settlements (Teva, Allergan, Walgreens, and Walmart) Ref Num CL-386477, and of amendments to the agreement that was made with the State of Maryland about division of proceeds – Suellen Ferguson, City Attorney
23-G-59 Letter of support for the University of Maryland’s Low-No Emission Vehicle Program – Kenny Young, City Manager
23-G-60 Approval of Minutes from the March 2, 2023, March 7, 2023, and March 11, 2023, meetings.
23-G-61 Approval of a Contract Amendment with Hagerty Consulting, Inc in an amount not to exceed $75,000 for services from April 2023 through January 31, 2024.
The Consent Agenda passed unanimously.
PUBLIC HEARING AND POSSIBLE ADOPTION OF:A. 23-CR-01, A Charter Resolution Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park, To Amend Article III, “Mayor And Council”, §C3-5, “Election” And §C3-6, “Vacancies”; And Article IV, §C4-2, “Registration Of Voters”, §C4-3, “Supervisors Of Elections”, §C4-4, “Other Election Officials”, And §C4-5 “Petitions For Candidacy; Employees”; To Change The Date That A Petition For Candidacy For A Mayor Or Council Vacancy Must Be Withdrawn To Two Days After Said Petitions Are Due, Provide That Voter Registration For City Elections Shall Close 15 Days Prior To An Election, Provide That Supervisors Of Elections Will Be Appointed Or Re-Appointed On Or Before June 30 Of A Non-Election Year With Two Year Terms To Begin On July 1 Of That Year, Remove The Requirement That City Elections Be Conducted As Nearly As Practicable To Prince George’s County Elections, And Change The Last Day Of Candidacy Withdrawal In A General Election To 49 Days Before The Election, And To Make Non-Substantive Corrections, Remove Unnecessary Provisions, And Clarify Other Provisions.
Ms. Miller, City Clerk, said this item was originally introduced on March 14. She clarified that the changes would apply to the November election not the special election. She said she and Ms. Ferguson, the City attorney, spoke to Acting County Board of Elections Administrator and reached a compromise by keeping the administrative closing date for voter registration the same, but changing the eligibility date to 15 days prior to the elections. The goal is to allow additional time for people to register and hopefully encouraging more people to rdo so.
23-O-04, Ordinance Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park, Amending Chapter 34, “Elections”, Article I, “General Provisions” §34-3, “Definitions”; Article II, §34-6,“Absentee Balloting”; And Article III, “Fair Election Practices”, §34-11, “Appointment Of Treasurer By Candidates And Political Committees”; To Redefine Ballot And Electronic Signature And To Define Mail-In Ballot, Reflect Maryland Law With Respect To Mail-In Ballots And Absentee Ballots, Accept Certain Signatures Electronically, Set A Time By Which Applications For Main-In Ballots Must Be Made, Make Provision That Qualified Voters Who Have Opted To Receive A Mail-In Ballot For Federal Or State Of Maryland Elections Will Automatically Receive A Mail-In Ballot For City Elections Without The Necessity Of Filing An Application And Clarify Who Can Be Appointed As A Treasurer For An Political Candidate.
Ms. Miller said this item was originally introduced on March 14. Councilmember Whitney asked if someone were on the list and received a mail-in ballot, would they be required to use the mail-in vote or could they still choose to vote in person. Ms. Miller said they could bring their ballot to the voting location on election day and submit it in person.
23-O-02, Ordinance of the Mayor and Council of the City of College Park amending Chapter 190 “Zoning”, Article I “Revitalization Overlay District” by renaming the article and repealing and reenacting §190-3 “Powers and Duties of the City Advisory Planning Commission to conduct hearings”, §190-4, Criteria for Granting Variances, §190-9 “Departures From Design Standards”, and §190-17 “Appeal” to conform the Variance And Departure Provisions to County Law.
Ms. Ferguson said this item was intended to update zoning in accordance with the county ordinance. Additional notice of provisions will be provided by the county. This is something that we need to do by law.
PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSESSION DISCUSSIONS
A. Budget Worksession Follow-up: Additions to FY2024 Proposed Budget and special tax rate for commercial/apartment properties – Gary Fields, Director of Finance and Kenny Young, City Manager (30)
Mr. Adams mentioned the increase in property values while our property tax rates have continued to be lowered. He mentioned the challenge the city will face in providing services and doing its work if this continues to occur.
Councilmember Adams asked abo the $75,000 contributions to Meals on Wheels and Fire stations and asked if this could be moved to ARPA funding. Mr. Fields said maybe. He referenced the monies to the Literacy Lab being tied to COVID-19 and the use of ARPA funds having to be tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said Lost revenue recovery funds are in the general fund. Mr. Young cautioned about the use of lost revenue because we need to make sure there are still funds available.
Councilmember Adams asked that we increase the tax rate by 3 cents for commercial properties and the revenue to both restore the suggested budget cuts of $50,000 from economic development and create a student housing rent subsidy grant program.
Mayor Pro tem Mitchell asked Mr. Fields about what it would mean to increase commercial tax. Mr. Fields said he reached out to SDAT to get clarification. If we went the route of two different tax rates, we would need to have two constant yield rates. The 3-cent increase rate would be a positive thing financially. He asked the Council to consider if they approve of the increase of the constant yield back to 30.18 and 3 cent increase on commercial.
There was a question of clarification about the 27.18 constant yield that would be advertised if we identified two separate rates. Councilmember Whitney described the difference between the constant yield rate we would go back to and the one we would need to advertise as a political issue, and Mr. Fields agreed.
There was a question about the effect of people appealing their property tax assessments, and Mr. Young said we won’t have that information until June, but we need to work on our budget now.
There was discussion about the cost of a senior tax credit, and Mr. Fields said it would depend on three parameters: the age the person must be to qualify, the number of years the person must have lived in their home to qualify, and the percentage credit Council votes for.
Councilmember Adams put forth the idea that the City Housing Authority could manage a student housing subsidy, saying the College Park City University Partnership (CPCUP) has been in discussion with the City Housing Authority about managing student housing subsidy, and they are interested in doing so.
Mr. Young said we should be cautious about the City Housing Authority taking on this responsibility as he is not sure they have the capacity.
Councilmember Kabir asked whether only apartments could be taxed and said he was concerned about small businesses. Councilmember Adams gave a few examples of annual increases for businesses based upon the proposed increase (Tacos a la Madre $161. Home Depot, $12 thousand).
Councilmember Mackie asked if we could prioritize Council’s wish list.
Mr. Fields referenced discussions with the city manager where they discussed the need to be more conservative about expenditures going forward, and Mr. Young said we should also consider possible results of the compensation study that will occur in FY24.
Mr. Fields informed the council that staff would need to send out an advertisement to be placed in The Washington Post to comply with requirements needed when changing tax rates. He asked for confirmation that Council intends to move forward with a 30.18 cent tax for residential and 33.18 cents for commercial.
Councilmember Riggs suggested a straw poll regarding the tax rate. Most members voted for the tax rate change with Mayor Pro tem Mitchell voting against it. She said it was a question mark for her.
Councilmember Esters asked about the status of Attick Towers. The City Manager said Mr. Fields and Ms. Ferguson are working with the Housing Authority on their needs. He said the project manager that has already been proposed for the FY24 budget could help prioritize specific projects that ARPA money could be pointed to.
Councilmembers Whitney and Esters made the ask for an additional $250 thousand from ARPA be allocated to Attick Towers renovations. That money was taken from the stormwater management ARPA funds, as federal funds are expected to cover some of those needs. Councilmember Mackie had also requested additional funds for Attick Towers.
B. Legislation – Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager
Mr. Gardiner, Assistant City Manager, mentioned the end of the legislative session, saying we would get a report from the city lobbyists soon. He said the legislation requiring a rental property to be properly registered with a municipality before a property owner can evict a tenant passed.
Several mental health bills introduced by Delegate Peña-Melynk passed.
Senator Rosapepe was effective in protecting tax revenue for municipalities where cannabis businesses are located.
The other bills on racing and exhibition driving did not pass; it is suggested that we could bring it back locally or at the county level.
REQUESTS FOR / STATUS OF FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
Councilmember Esters motioned to add a future agenda item to deal with parking and speeding near the VFW on Branchville Road.
MEETING ADJOURNED
Closed Session Pursuant to the statutory authority of the Maryland Annotated Code, 003
General Provisions Article, § 3-305(b), the Mayor Pro Tem and City Council of the City of
College Park are providing notice that they will meet in a Closed Session after the Council
meeting on April 11, 2023, for the following purposes:
1. To Consult with Counsel to obtain legal advice
2. To discuss pending or potential litigation
They will not return to open session after the closed session ends.
Click here for the April 11th meeting agenda. Click here to watch the video of the April 11, 2023, meeting.
Click here to see the agenda for the City of College Park Mayor & Council Hybrid Meeting on April 18, 2023. Tune in, show up or share your thoughts/concerns about the following anticipated Presentations and Workshop discussions:
Regulation of short-term rentals such as AirBNBs
Development and Implementation of strategies to engage UMD students living in College Park
The College Park District 2 Digest 