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 thanks all who came out for the City’s parade held on Saturday, May 6.  He also thanks city staff and volunteers for all their work.   

Councilmember Kennedy announced the upcoming North College Park Civic Association (NCPCA) meeting to be held on Thursday, May 11.  She said that a community planner from the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) will present on the north College Park playground….

Councilmember Esters announced the Lakeland Civic Association meeting to be held on Thursday, May 11 at the College Park Community Center at 7pm.  

Councilmember Whitney thanked staff for their work to hold a parade and elections on the same day. 

Councilmember Mackie also thanked parade volunteers and the Board of Elections.  She said that May is Melanoma Month and encouraged people to wear SPF when outdoors.  

SGA Liaison Valerie Graham wished fellow UMD students good luck on finals and encourage them to take advantage of campus resources available to them.

SGA Liaison Adrian Andriessens also wished fellow UMD students good luck and encouraged them to take advantage of mental health support.

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell wished students good luck on finals.

CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

Mr. Young announced that May 13^th would last spring clean-up day and will be held from 7:30am – 12pm. He added that students and others moving out should take advantage. He also announced that Virtual Kitchen/Krazi Kebob was the recent winner of the Amazon small business award. 

Mr. Young said that the Friday Night Live series will kick off on Friday, May 12, featuring the Nighthawks, classic rock and blues band. Food and beer, and a bounce house for kids will be available.  

The City Manager concluded his remarks by sharing that the Hollywood Farmers Market is open each Saturday from 9am -1pm now through November 18. He then asked Ms. Miller, City Clerk, to provide an update regarding the special election.    

Ms. Miller said, to date, there were 862 votes cast during early voting and 629 votes on election day. According to Ms. Miller, between the number of votes cast and ballots mailed, there were a total of 1897 ballots distributed, but she said that would not necessarily be the total number of votes cast in the election. She said the Board of Elections will begin canvassing on Thursday, May 11 in City Hall. Preliminary results will be announced on Thursday, May 11, and the results will be verified on Friday, May 12.  Any ballots received and postmarked May 6 will be counted. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Former District 2 Councilmember Bob Catlin 

AMENDMENTS TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Councilmember Esters made a motion to move agenda item #23-G-71 to the consent agenda.  Seconded by Councilmember Whitney. Motion passed.  

PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS 

Mr. Dorsch, College Park resident, said the value of our property continues to rise, which results in a higher tax bill.  He asked why the City would increase the tax rate on homes.  

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell interrupted Mr. Dorsch and let him know there would be a public hearing on the item during which he would be able to make a comment.  

Mr. Dorsch proceeded with comments about the recent special elections. He said the elections were a waste of money, saying the Mayor Pro Tem should have been able to take over the position until the next scheduled election.  

David Turley, College Park resident, represents the VFW on Branchville Road. He said he has had numerous conversations with councilmembers and staff about Gerber Auto taking up parking spaces on Branchville Road with their cars. He said he hoped we would do something about the parked cars and those speeding down the street.  

CONSENT AGENDA 

23-G-71 Consideration of a 4-hour parking limit in a specified area of Branchville Road and consideration of traffic calming measures near the VFW located at 5051 Branchville Road – Jim Miller, Parking Enforcement Manager and Steve Halpern, City Engineer – Moved to consent and passed unanimously.

PUBLIC HEARINGS

Constant Yield Tax Rate

Gary Fields, Director of Finance, introduced this item by saying the City is required to hold a hearing as we have split the residential and commercial tax rate. The required advertisement was in the Washington Post on April 18. He added that the second hearing for the proposed 2024 budget will be held on May 23. The City proposes to increase the commercial tax rate to $0.3318.  The City proposes to maintain the current property tax rate of $0.3018 on residential properties rather than lowering it to the constant yield rate of $0.2772. The current tax rate is 8.8% higher than the constant yield rate and will generate $369,497 in additional tax revenue. This property tax rate would still be amongst the lowest in the county and state. Mr. Fields said the City continues to maintain a strong and healthy fund balance at 65%, which is above the city code requirement of 25%. 

College Park resident Mr. Dorsch asked why the City is increasing the tax rate on residents. He said this is one of the richest cities in the county and the state, saying the City should be reducing the property tax rate for residents. He referenced the newest dog park and the Hollywood Park that he said is not used. He asked how much money the City has in the bank and asked the City to adopt the constant yield rate.  

23-O-03 An Ordinance Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park To Adopt

The Fiscal Year 2024 General Fund, ARPA Allocation Fund, Capital Projects Fund And Debt

Service Fund Budgets Of The City Of College Park

Mr. Field the formal hearing to adopt the ordinance will be held on May 23. 

ACTION ITEMS

23-G-73 Discussion and possible action on a financial incentive from ARPA grant funds for small businesses – Michael Williams, Economic Development Manager 

Mr. Williams introduced this item and said the City is seeking approval to provide a second round of ARPA funds this year to small businesses. He believes there still is need.  

Councilmember Kabir thanked Mr. Williams for proposing a second round of grants. He said we have a lot of home-based businesses and warehouse businesses who exist and are paying taxes versus new businesses coming to the city.  He asked if the home-based business would be eligible for the second round of grants.  Mr. Williams said all businesses will be eligible to apply for the grant and that we will be able to verify their status.  

Councilmember Adams thanked the staff for the work and asked if Meals on Wheels and the fire departments will be part of this second round. Mr. Williams said they will be eligible to apply, but there are small businesses that are ailing. Adams asked if the city is providing the discretion to increase the amount from $7000.  The City manager indicated that we only have a certain amount of money available, and those numbers are based upon that. Mr. Young said he would be comfortable going up to $10,000.

Councilmember Rigg asked if this is the last of the ARPA funding available for economic development.  Mr. Williams said some of the funds for economic development will be focused on the attraction of businesses and will not be ARPA restricted. He said the City is working to attract and retain businesses.  He mentioned the upcoming Knox Road project and said there are national and local chains that want to come to College Park. He said he is looking to get existing businesses squared away so he can focus on development. Rigg said he thinks the city has spent ARPA money well and agrees with the second round of small business grants, but he sees a real sustainability problem with providing what amounts to operational subsidies for businesses.  

Councilmember Esters said she appreciated the work and reiterated the importance of prioritizing those businesses that did not receive funds in the first round and those who are in need. 

Councilmember Whitney asked about the slowdown of grant awards.  Mr. Young said there were some businesses that needed additional vetting and the involvement of Haggerty Consulting is available again to assist with the distribution of funds.  

Councilmember Mackie asked if everyone would be eligible for the second round of grant funding.  Mr. Williams confirmed that would be the case.  

COMMENTS FROM THE MAYOR, COUNCIL, STUDENT LIAISON OR CITY MANAGER

Councilmember Rigg attended what he believed to be his last PTA meeting as a parent. He said they are critical organizations for engagement with the school system. He referenced the upcoming Council meeting that will include discussion with Ms. Barber, Director of Youth and Family Service, on how we can better engage with the school system. He asked that parents continue to keep an eye on our children after this year as they have dealt with significant learning loss over the past three years.  

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchel thanked Mr. Rigg for his comments and mentioned the resignation of the County’s school superintendent.

Councilmember Mackie mentioned opportunities for summer involvement for our youth.   

SGA Liaison Valerie Graham mentioned that despite the investigation into the UMD SGA election, the new SGA liaisons were approved. 

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell said she was able to represent the City during Governor Moore’s recognition of “If I Were Mayor” participants.  She expressed her pride for all youth involved and the various topics they discussed.  

MEETING ADJOURNED 

Click here for the May 9 meeting agenda. Click here to watch the video of the May 9, 2023, meeting. 

Click here to see the agenda for the City of College Park Mayor & Council Hybrid Meeting on May 16 2023. Tune in, show up or share your thoughts/concerns about the following anticipated Presentations and Workshop discussions:

Swearing in of Mayor-elect Fazlul Kabir

Discussion of AARP Livable Community Action Plan 

Discussion of Mayor and Council compensation 

Discussion of a request of commemorative bench installations in hour of Mayor Kushner and Mayor Owens

Information Report:  Restructuring the Planning Department and creating a new Grants Coordinator