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

Click here to watch the video of the City of College Park Mayor & Council Meeting held on September 24,  2024. By going to this link, you are able to watch the discussion of specific agenda items you are interested in. If you have questions about Council actions and discussions, please email us at lbesters@collegeparkmd.gov and swhitney@collegeparkmd.gov.

CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

The deadline to support applications for the City’s Needs-based student housing subsidy program was September 15. The City received 133 undergraduate student applications and 225 from graduate student applications for a total of 358 applications.  The City will perform a lottery, and 60 applications will be chosen for undergraduate students and 60 applications will be chosen for graduate students. All student recipients will receive notification from the City before a check is issued to their landlords.  

The City is working in collaboration with PNC Bank to offer financial seminars. The kickoff of the PNC financial education series will be on September 18 at 11 am at the College Park PNC branch located at 7230 Baltimore Ave. Sign up at CollegePark.gov/finance series or contact Michael Williams, Director of Economic Development at 240-487-3506.

There will be a pre-application neighborhood meeting on September 19 at 6:30 pm at City Hall Community Room to discuss the rezoning and redevelopment of a student housing development called College Park Towers on Hartwick Road.

The City’s signature event, College Park Day will be held on Saturday October 5 at the College Park Aviation Museum. The free event will feature food, fun, activities and music. 

PRESENTATION:

Ms. Angela Rodriguez provided a brief history of the Ms. College Park competition and introduced the current Ms. College Park, Elena Arguetta, to give her term report. Ms. Arguetta acknowledged Ms. Rodriguez as the founder of the Ms. College Park Competition.  

Ms. Argueta, who was crowned on September 24, 2023, grew up in College Park attended more events than any other Ms. College Park. She is currently pursuing an associate’s degree in nursing from Prince George’s Community College.  

Ms. College Park Pageant has been in existence for over 30 years. She thanked the Mayor, American Legion, and Councilmembers. Mayor Kabir acknowledged Ms. Arguetta as the first Ms. College Park born and raised in College Park.  

The 32nd Ms. College Park will be introduced at the end of September.

AMENDMENTS TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Councilmember Riggs made a motion to remove the Ms. College Park presentation from the agenda as it already occurred, seconded by Councilmember Whtiney.

Councilmember Hernandez made a motion to move the Business Retention items from the Consent to Action Item agenda.

PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS 

None

CONSENT AGENDA 

24-G-123 Approval to create and distribute a Request for Proposals (RFP) for three grants of up to $10,000 each for Adult Social Sports Programs for College Park Residents – Kiaisha Barber, Director of Youth, Family and Senior Services

24-G-124 Approval to Submit a Grant Application to the Environmental Protection Agency for the Upper Paint Branch Resilience Project, Requesting $20 Million Under the EPA Community Change Grant Program – Rakhmel Rafi, Grants Coordinator

Councilmember Esters made the motion with a second by Councilmember Mackie. The Consent Agenda passed unanimously.

ACTION ITEMS

24-O-07 Introduction of an Ordinance to amend City Code Chapter 179 to remove the City Forester position from the City Code/Tree and Landscape Board –Robert Marsili, Director of Public Works and Stephanie Anderson, City Attorney (Public Hearing scheduled for October 8).

Mr. Marsili introduced an ordinance to remove the city forester from the code and replace it with the city arborist.  

Motion by Councilmember Whitney, seconded by Councilmember Esters.

24-G-126 Approval of the nomination selection Committee for the Business of the Year Award – Michael Williams, Director of Economic Development

Mr. Williams said the nomination subcommittee would have four members from the City Council.

Council Hew asked if businesses that had previously received the award could be selected. Mr. Williams said any business operating in the City would be eligible for the acknowledgement. 

Councilmembers Esters, Hew, Mackie and Rigg will serve as the nomination committee.   

Motion by Councilmember Mackie, seconded by Councilmember Adams and approved unanimously.

24-G-117 Approval of Parameters/Guidelines for the City’s Business Retention and Attraction fund – Michael Williams, Director of Economic Development

Mr. Williams said this was as the fourth meeting on the subject,  

Councilmember Hernandez asked if a smaller business would be eligible to contribute a smaller percentage of start-up costs as they often have greater needs. He asked that smaller businesses be given a boost.  

Councilmember Adams said that he believed Councilmember Hernandez was asking to increase the amount of the grant. 

Mr. Young said that the cap of the grant is $30,000 because the City Manager has spending authority for up to $30,000. 

Councilmember Rigg asked Mr. Williams for a definition of small business he felt comfortable with. He said would be willing to give the City Manager the authority to increase the amount for small business, saying we should defer to the Economic Director and City Manager’s expertise.  

Councilmember Esters agreed with Councilmember Rigg about giving Mr. Young and Mr. Willaims the opportunity to use their discretion, but said we need to be consistent and not appear to be arbitrary in making these decisions.    

Councilmember Adams said we have worked to carve out funds based upon requests. He trends toward the way we have done things rather than what we are working toward. 

Councilmember Hernandez thanked colleagues for helping to get closer to consensus. He said he would like to give the strongest discretion of decision making to the Economic Development and City Manager but would like to monitor the program.

Councilmember Esters asked that as part of the application we ask for the number of employees who reside in College Park.

Councilmember Whitney said she would like the application to include a question about the range of employee salaries.

Councilmember Hew said we should request a breakdown of part-time, full-time, and seasonal employees. 

Councilmember Whitney said it would be nice to put this to bed and asked if the Council felt comfortable with $60,000 authorization. Councilmember Hernandez said he was not comfortable with the proposed authorization amount.  

Mr. Young said we look at where opportunity lies, and explained this is not the only program the city operates. He said they need the flexibility to work through the details with applicants to bring forth good applicants. 

Councilmember Hernandez asked for suggestions for moving. Mr. Young said we can table the item and bring suggestions back for consideration.  

WORKSESSION DISCUSSIONS 

Literacy Program Recommendations at Hollywood Elementary School – Kiaisha Barber,

Director of Youth, Family and Senior Services

Ms. Barber provided a brief overview.  She said for the past three fiscal years, the Mayor & Council has included in their budget $40,000 for tutoring at Hollywood Elementary School (HES) and funded the Literacy Lab which had to conclude their work in early 2024. Principal Johnson reached out asking for the funds in the budget to fund Amplify Tutoring.  

Dr. Sullivan, Associate Vice President of Amplify Tutoring, said Amplify Tutoring is based on research done at Stanford University. At Hollywood Elementary, sessions with consistent online tutors are offered 3 times a week and tutors work with 4 students each. Last year they worked with a total of 24 students. The Education Advisory Committee (EAC) saw a full presentation from Dr. Sullivan and voted to approve the use of funding currently in the budget.  

Councilmember Whitney asked how this is different from the online tutoring services already offered by the City? Ms. Barber said Amplify is a more individualized approach that is embedded in the school day.  

Councilmember Rigg asked why Prince George’s County Public School (PGCPS) did not provide another year of funding for Amplify. Mr. Carlos, Johnson, HES Principal, said the county brought it to the schools but did not provide the funding for the 24/25 school year. He went on to say the major benefit of the program will be for the multilingual students. Principal Johnson said he did not know why it was not funded.  

Ms. Barber said based upon the data shared by Dr. Sullivan, Amplify has been successful. Ms. Anna Doebereiner, HES reading specialist, agreed that Amplify has been successful. There has been outreach to PGCPS, but they have yet to respond.  

Councilmember Mackie disclosed she attended the EAC meeting when Amplify did their presentation and said she was impressed with the program’s success in just 4 months. She said she hoped we could do this. She said when children can read, they can succeed.  

Councilmember Hernandez asked who the program targeted. Principal Johnson said it is targeted toward multilingual learners.  Councilmember Hernandez asked how many students attend HES.  Principal Johnson said 301 students currently attend, 278 of which are multilingual. He added if the school does not receive the funding, there would be a negative impact on the students.  

Motion to accept the request made by Councilmember Hernandez, seconded by Councilmember Mackie.

Discussion with the Board of Election Supervisors on election matters: Ranked Choice Voting, Vote 16, and Vote By Mail – Yvette Allen, City Clerk and Board of Election Supervisors

Ms. Yvette Allen, City Clerk, introduced the discussion and Susan Huemmrich, Chief Election Supervisor, provided the report which detailed Board of Election Supervisors (BOES) recommendations on Ranked Choice Voting, Extending voting to 16-year-olds, and Vote by Mail.  

• Ranked Choice Voting is challenging and would require a substantial promotion campaign. The suggestion is to revisit when there are multiple candidates for seats.

• To extend the vote to 16-year-olds, voters would have to satisfy the same criteria as other voters. The BOES would not recommend opening it up beyond those who meet the criteria. The City would need to update the code and work with the County to get information. The Center for Democracy at UMD would be enthusiastic about helping us.  This change would require a robust promotional campaign. Based upon the last Census, the city has approximately 315 16–17-year-olds. The BOES would need guidance from the Mayor & Council by January to proceed.  

• The BOES recommends voting by mail as a method to increase voter participation. All registered voters would receive a ballot by mail. The process would increase the cost of the 2025 election but the BOES believes there would be an increase in trust and participation.  

Ms. Huemmrich said BOES burnout is a reality. In 2023, they had to execute 2 elections during the same year. She said on average, voting day is a 16-hour work day, and it is hard to get volunteers to give that much time.  

Ms. Huemmrich broached the issue of fraud concerns as it relates to voting by mail. She said paper ballots would be mailed to voters weeks before voting days, and each ballot can be tracked. She said   there are now fewer voters on the rolls due to ballot cleanup efforts.  

In conclusion, Ms. Huemmrich said Rank Choice Voting is not recommended at this time,  extending the vote to 16-year-olds is feasible, and vote by mail would increase voter confidence and turnout.

Councilmember Adams asked for data regarding the Mayoral race. 

Ms. Ruth Murphy, BOES member, did the data analysis and said the Mayoral candidates were not separated.  However, she is willing to tease out the data and provide it to Council.  

Councilmember Adams would like to know if there are jurisdictions who use Rank Choice on particular positions. He acknowledged the heavy burden of two elections. 

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell asked if the BOES can consider information from the state report on rank choice voting. 

Mayor Kabir asked Mr. Young if the state has given any input about Rank Choice Voting.  

Councilmember Mackie asked about analysis of cost for charter changes. She also asked if we know the number of 16-year-olds who have a valid driver’s license. Ms. Allen said we do not know. Ms. Huemmrich said the 300 referenced in the report are based upon census information.  When the County sends the voter rolls, we can request those names from the County.    

BOES member Tania James  has worked on the state board of elections for 24 years. She said voter registration can be done at the MVA, saying 16 year-olds can register in the State of Maryland but can only work the polls, not vote.  

Mayor Kabir asked for costs associated with a charter change.  Ms. Allen said it would cost approximately $2,000, which is the cost to place an announcement in the Washington Post.  

Councilmember Rigg asked if the BOES examined whether 1617-year-old voting promotes lifelong voting behavior. He also asked if the city clerk has talked to other city clerks in cities where the vote has been extended to 16-year-olds.  

Ms. Huemmrich said we do not have a central College Park high school. She said The Center for Democracy at UMD would like to get involved in the city elections. They are offering paid interns to help with the process, but there have been no discussions about the process. She said there are those who may question the ability of 16–17-year-olds ability to take their vote seriously.

Ms.  Murphy said there are students in PG and Montgomery county have a chance to vote for their student representative on their respective school board.   

Councilmember Hernandez asked if we have data that speaks to 16-17 olds vote and if they exercise their right to do so.  

Councilmember Whitney said she is in favor of 16–17-year-olds voting. It is a good habit to get into. She asked Ms. James about her mention of the school ID being used and what would verify residency in College Park. Ms. James said a voter list from the state for residents in College Park would verify residency and their school ID may be acceptable. Ms. Huemmrich said the answer to the question may exist in the City Charter.  

Councilmember Adams asked about feasibility. It sounds as if we would defer to the state and county for verification. It sounds like we would promote education. 

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell said MML was informed that the County BOE would not support municipalities, and we may be in a situation where there will not be support (voter rolls, etc.…) after March 2025. Ms. Allen says that MML is confident that there should be support through 2026.  

Councilmember Whitney asked about the 20% increase in voter participation. What is it based upon? Ms. Huemmrich said it was based upon the return of mail ballots during the Covid election.  

Councilmember Esters asked if the estimated increase in cost due to mail voting included 1 day of in-person voting. Ms. Huemmrich said it did.    

Councilmember Hew asked if anyone receiving a mail-in ballot would have to register by a certain time. Mail-in voting would cut into campaign time. Ms. Allen said we would continue with the election timeline.  

Councilmember Mackie asked if they had any ideas of how up to date the voter rolls are.  

Councilmember Adams asked that we consider this moving forward. 

Mayor Kabir conducted a straw poll on the issue of extending the vote to 16-year-olds. The vote was 5/3 in favor. 

Listening Sessions in the Park – Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager

Mayor Kabir asked staff to explore setting up neighborhood meetings in each district. Staff proposed listening sessions that would not have the same formality as a regular council meeting. The City of Laurel, which has a strong Mayor form of government, has held meetings in the park. Mayor Kabir expressed interest in listening sessions to bring the government close to the residents.  

Councilmember Esters said she was confused by the need to hold such meetings when councilmembers already meet with residents during civic association meetings and other meetings they may host.  

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell suggested that we consider the schedules of the civic associations and have the Mayor and Councilmembers attend meetings outside of their districts.  

Councilmember Rigg said we do not have issues hearing from residents. It is our student residents who may not hear from us often, and this could provide an opportunity to meet with those individuals.  

Councilmember Hernandez said he was appreciative of staff support for neighborhood meetings.  

Councilmember Hew said he has come across a few people who did not know their councilmembers. He said he welcomes the chance to gather socially and connect residents with councilmembers.

REQUESTS FOR / STATUS OF FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

Councilmember Adams inquired about a few items he added in August that have yet to make it to the agenda.   

COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE 

None

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

Councilmember Hernandez thanked Mayor Kabir, Mayor Pro Tem, and other Council colleagues who supported the Greenbelt Fire Department.  He thanks the North College Park Civic Association (NCPCA) for coordinating the recent Hey, Hollywood event.  

Councilmember Hew attended the University of Maryland (UMD) Environmental Justice symposium and was in attendance to support a recent event to host a group of young professionals from Southeast Asia. 

MEETING ADJOURNED

Click here to see the full agenda for the City of College Park Mayor & Council Hybrid Meeting on September 24, 2024, when it is available. Tune in, show up or share your thoughts/concerns about the following anticipated Consent Agenda and Action Items, and Workshop discussions proposed to be on the agenda that may interest District 2 residents. Please contact us as soon as possible if you need accommodations to participate in a meeting, including language translation:

Proposed Consent Agenda

24-G-128 Approval for staff to send a letter to the 21st District Delegation

requesting a review of Md. Code Regs. 13A.16.08.03 – Group Sizeand Staffing, which regulates staff/child ratios for daycares and

childcare centers

Public Hearing and Possible Action

Ordinance of the Mayor and Council to amend City Code Chapter 119-9 Fees and waivers, to conform the City Code with operational practice regarding when the payment of the refuse collection fee for a rental property must be paid – 

Tracey Clayton, Finance Office Manager and Stephanie Anderson, City Attorney

An Ordinance of the Mayor and Council of the City of College Park to Amend the Fiscal Year 2025 Operating and Capital Budget of the City of College Park, Maryland (Amendment #1) –Gary Fields, Director of Finance

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

Click here to watch the video of the City of College Park Mayor & Council Meeting held on September 10, 2024. By going to this link, you can watch the discussion of specific agenda items you are interested in. If you have questions about Council actions and discussions, please email us at lbesters@collegeparkmd.gov and swhitney@collegeparkmd.gov.

CITY MANAGER’S REPORT 

Mr. Young congratulated the City and University of Maryland for College Park receiving LEED Gold Certification for City Hall. The city recently hired new staff members including Bilingual Communications Coordinator, Katie Garcia and a new Code Enforcement Manager, David Spaulding. Mr. Spaulding was already on and worked evenings and weekends. A new Code Officer, Justin Gilber, will start on September 23. The City Manager has hired a new assistant, Gina Asmati, who speaks five languages.  To date, the City has received 273 applications for the student housing subsidy.  

The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development will offer Business Boost Micro Grants to small businesses, and applications will open on September 23. For more information contact Michael Williams.  

College Park Day will be October 5 from noon – 6pm at the College Park Aviation Museum. Signature events will be promoted over the next few weeks. The event will include bands, food, inflatables, insect petting zoo, big wheel races and more.  

On Thursday, September 12, the city hosted 26 young South Asian leaders seeking opportunities to build relationships and enhance their professional development.   

The Acoustic tile work and ramp at the Old Parish House have been completed, and the Duvall Field RFP has been issued. 

The City has received a Safe Street and Roads Grant.  

In Old Town and Calvert Hills, WSSC contractor will install crosswalks. Once striping is completed, traffic calming devices will be re-installed.

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell gave a shout out to Code Enforcement. There were four parties in District 4 over the past weekend. Officers Spaulding and Davies responded from 9 pm -3 am. She also thanked the City’s Contract Officers for their assistance. Mr. Young said he would share her comments with staff. 

Mayor Kabir asked about the Stop Sign program the City started as a pilot. Mr. Young explained that we currently have three cameras posted, and they are taking information about traffic patterns in particular neighborhoods. The mobile cameras will be moved around the city. Information will be sent to Council members and presented online. He said no tickets will be given during this period. 

PROCLAMATIONS AND AWARDS 

A. Suicide Prevention Month 

B. Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 through Oct. 15) 

AMENDMENTS TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA 

Councilmember Adams made a motion to move Worksession item A, the report from blighted and vacant properties prior to Action Items.  Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell seconded, then moved to pass the agenda as amended, with a second by Councilmember Whitney.

PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS 

None.

PRESENTATION: College Park Here & Now Newspaper (Streetcar Suburbs Publishing) on their new strategic plan – Marta McLellan Ross, SSP Board President

The College Park Here & Now is representative of local media. Ms. Ross expressed thanks to College Park for helping to keep residents informed. She said their objective during the meeting was to speak about their strategic plan. She introduced Nora Edelman as a board member and Kit Slack as the new Executive Director.  

Kit Slack spoke of the Four Priorities for College Park, Hyattsville, and Laurel

• Provide in-depth journalism
• Deepen community connections
• Grow financial stability to invest in staff and local journalism
• Invest in people across all levels of the organization. 

According to Ms. Slack, they are gearing up for the expansion of their paper. 

Sharon O’Malley, Managing Editor for the College Park Here & Now, introduced three journalists from the paper. She thanked members of the Council and City staff for taking phone calls and video meetings. She appreciates the courtesy shown to them. She has been with College Park Here & Now for 8 months. Her goal is to focus on items of interest in College Park and making the articles shorter. She said she is working closely with the Phillip Merrill School of Journalism at UMD to recruit writers. She attends Council meetings every Tuesday via zoom and says Council keeps her job interesting.  

Mayor Kabir spoke of the former paper for the city, The Gazette, which stopped publishing about 10 years ago.  

Councilmember Whitney mentioned formerly working for The Gazette and leaving the paper prior to its financial failing. She asked how College Park Here & Now will be able to sustain itself. Ms. Slack said that is a major goal of their strategic plan; they work with businesses and are seeking grants while also doing fundraising.  

Mayor Kabir recognized former Councilmembers Stephane Stullich and Maxine Gross, who are currently on the board. 

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell thanked College Park Here & Now for filling a void.  She asked about filling the gap for Spanish-speaking residents. Ms. Slack said they are eager to do so. Ms. Slack is a Spanish speaker and said they need to build out their community connections. She does not believe the Spanish speaking community is currently reading their paper for the news. They would like to collaborate with the schools’ community liaisons. She asked for people to reach out with ideas for building community and mentioned College Park’s strategic goal of engagement. Ms. Slack said there are three ways to get something in the newspaper: speaking with the City’s Communications Department; contacting Sharon O’Malley; and advertisement. There is also their emailed newsletter, which is currently sent every two weeks.  

Councilmember Rigg asked if the paper makes it to every address in College Park. Ms. Slack said it is sent to all, but not to on-campus housing. The standard is to send it to individual apartments. Stacks are delivered to residence halls.  There are 20,000 papers delivered each month.  

CONSENT AGENDA 

24-G-118 Approval of a contract with TVM Productions and Consulting, LLC to provide audio-visual services for City Council meetings, Worksession and other meetings designated by the City –Kenneth Young, City Manager and Stephanie Anderson, City Attorney

24-G-119 Support of proposed Land Use Authority Legislation – Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager

24-G-122 Approval of a letter to the Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation requesting installation of a concrete safety median or re-installation of the temporary flex posts on Cherry Hill Road at the College Park Marketplace to prevent certain left turn movements on to Cherry Hill Road –Steve Halpern, City Engineer 

24-G-120 Approval of August 7, 2024 minutes of Mayor and Council meeting.

Moved by Councilmember Hernandez and seconded by Councilmember Whitney. Passed unanimously.

PUBLIC HEARING AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 

24-O-04: An Ordinance of the Mayor and Council of the City of College Park, Amending City Code Chapter 110-1 “Fees and Interest”/Chapter 151 “Permit Parking”, by reenacting the Monthly Permit Parking Program in the Downtown Parking Garage – Reduced Rate Commuter Parking for Downtown Business/Merchant Employees; and to authorize the City Manager discretionary powers to oversee and manage these programs – Kenneth Young, City Manager and Stephanie Anderson, City Attorney

Mr. Miller said it was a program that formerly existed prior to the new City Hall and said the City wants to meet the demand for parking created by the growth of city businesses. The change would allow the City Manager to make decisions regarding the programs without Mayor & Council approval going forward. 

Moved by Councilmember Rigg, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell. Unanimously approved.

A. Report from Vacant and Blighted Property Tax Committee – Miriam Bader, Director of Planning; Nathaniel Forman, City Contract Attorney, Bob Catlin, Chair of VBPTC; Darrin Sharp, Co-Chair of VBPTC.

Introduced Carlos Nunez as the newest hire to the Planning Department. He played a role in the VBPTC. 

Mr. Catlin, chair, presented the report. He introduced the committee and referenced the number of meetings held to produce the report. He mentioned discussion regarding a requirement for owners to register vacant and blighted properties, saying the intent of registering would be to enable contact with the owner. He said it was felt that people who did not want to be contacted would not register.  

Councilmember Adams thanked the committee for their work. He said that Council talked about a vacant/blighted tax as a tool. He thinks we should strongly consider a registry, addingother municipalities, such as Frederick, have implemented registration fine and taxes.  

Mr. Catlin said the City must consider how much it wants to take the lead on this matter or rely upon the county. The two cities that have implemented a tax, Mt. Rainier and Upper Marlboro, simply send the county a list of properties that should be taxed at the higher rate, but this does not enable pinpointing the rate to say, a vacant commercial unit within a property that is taxed as part of a single property tax account. If the City wanted to do that, it might need enabling legislation, and it would have to send the tax bills itself, rather than the county.  

Councilmember Esters thanked the committee for its work. She agreed the City should consider a registry while acknowledging the concern of placing more burden on those who cannot afford to address issues with their property. She asked Mr. Catlin to discuss the reason for combining the definition of vacant and blighted, rather than defining them separately. Mr. Catlin said vacant and blighted properties were the ones people found most concerning. The committee thought the old standalone buildings with rundown conditions are the ones best targeted by the commercial property tax.

Councilmember Mackie asked about blighted properties with people living in them. Mr. Catlin said such issues should be addressed by Code Enforcement. Ms. Bader said the grid developed by the committee was done to identify the most onerous issues, which are vacant and blighted properties. All vacant properties would be on the registry.  

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell asked for clarification on the first phase of such a program. Ms. Bader said the first phase would be the registry. Thereafter, the fines and appeals process will be determined. Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell referenced information from DC and asked if the committee researched information from the county. She asked if we proceeded with the registry, who would handle it? Ms. Bader said Code Enforcement would cover it.  

Councilmember Hew said he agreed we need to create a registry. He asked that the City lean toward a solution that is not easily written off. Attorney Nate Forman said there are important differences between what can be a tax versus a fine. Councilmember Hew asked about bank-owned property that is vacant. Ms. Bader said the registry would help with such properties.  

Councilmember Whitney thanked the committee for its work.  She said she did not see an exception for the death of an owner and an exception for those whose home suffered damage from natural disaster.  She asked to confirm that the program would not initially be a tool for commercial properties to fill vacancies, saying addressing long-standing commercial vacancies like those for the former Bobby’s Burger Palace were a key goal of Council in pursuing the tax. Mr. Catlin said we would need to take that on separately, and he believes it would require state legislation. Councilmember Whitney asked if we could consider rental properties that are occupied and blighted. Mr. Catlin said Code should handle that. She asked if the committee had seen economic harm from vacant properties that are well-maintained. Ms. Bader said the registry would be the first step in showing that owners are paying attention. 

Councilmember Riggs said he is interested in identifying tools to deal with the issues.  He said he found that the report illuminated the situation and was helpful.  

Councilmember Adams said that larger developments with multiple units should not be ignored and said it may call for legislation. He asked about properties that were once improved, but the improvements have been torn down. Mr. Catlin mentioned how the city was in bad shape years ago because vacant commercial properties paid no taxes. He said the committee should consider that scenario.  

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell asked Mr. Catlin and Ms. Bader about next steps. Ms. Bader said the committee went with the initial charge they received. Given the discussion, they will need to discuss phase 2 and share another report. Mr. Catlin said they would come back to the Council in early 2025, prior to budget discussions. 

ACTION ITEMS

24-O-05 Introduction of an Ordinance to amend City Code Chapter 119-9 Fees and waivers, to conform the City Code with operational practice regarding when the payment of the refuse collection fee for a rental property must be paid – Tracey Clayton, Finance Office Manager and Stephanie Anderson, City Attorney (Public Hearing on September 24).

Ms. Anderson said a new software application changed billing practices such that Use & Occupancy Taxes are being billed at the same time as refuse collection fees, which conflicts with current code. The Ordinance would bring code in alignment with billing.

Motion made by Councilmember Whitney, seconded by Councilmember Esters. The Public Hearing will be held on September 24.

24-O-06 Additional discussion of remaining Lost Revenue Recovery funds and ARPA funding and Introduction of an Ordinance to amend the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget (Public Hearing to be held on September 24.)

Mr. Fields said the information and details were provided in the staff report. He said he took ideas from Council on how the funding might be allocated. Mr. Young and Mr. Fields wanted to use the monies toward staff employee salary and benefits, not because the current City budget could not cover these areas, but to ensure the Lost Revenue funds are fully utilized for approved spending by the deadline. The approach also simplifies record keeping, allowing the budgeted monies for employee salary and benefits to be used elsewhere.  

On August 7, 2024, Council talked about spending on various items that Council has supported in the past – Care Solace, Attick Towers, Food Service delivery.  Those allocations have minimal administrative burden on staff since they already exist.  

Previous allocations for lost revenue recovery would still be honored and completed, including $500,00 for restorative justice, and $780,000 for housing allocations.  

Councilmember Mackie said that we should consider maintaining some funding for Meals on Wheels.  She would like to consider giving them half of the funds originally allocated. Two residents in District 4 would like to see informative signs throughout the city.  Fields said this item will not qualify.  

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell asked that we put money toward Meals on Wheels.  She asked if there should be a deadline for the use of the money.  Mr. Young said there should be an obligation to use the funds by November 1.  

After much discussion, Councilmember Rigg made the motion to introduce the ordinance for a budget amendment that follows staff’s recommendations for the Lost Revenue Funds and ARPA funds and employee salary and benefits as well as including amendments by Councilmembers Adams and Whitney to use money from FY24 extra fund balance for $150,000 for business attraction funds for the Flats, $130,000 for the Business Retention & Attraction fund, and $400,000 to assist Meals on Wheels in establishing a College Park location. It was seconded by Councilmember Hernandez. 

24-G-121 Authorization for the City manager to enter into an agreement with Rally House Stores (Sports Apparel), Inc. in an amount not to exceed $130,000 for business assistance to assist with the costs of buildout, fixtures, other capital related costs, signage, and façade improvements at 7501 Baltimore Avenue to fill the vacant storefront (formerly Target) location – Michael Williams, Director of Economic Development

Mr. Williams provided an overview of the applicant’s business and the request for a business attraction grant. Rally House, sports apparel vendor, is seeking to fill the Route 1 commercial space vacated by Target. The vendor operates over 250 locations throughout the county, including other Big Ten towns.  The performance of their stores varies between $1M annually to $3M annually. They are seeking $130,000 in grant money from the city to assist with buildout.  

Councilmember Esters asked the store representative why they are considering College Park and if they would proceed with their plans without the grant funding.  Mr. Daniel Zmijewski mentioned the Big ten and the connection to the University and area by the Liebert family.  He said the funds from the City will be helpful but was not sure if lack of receipt would preclude the development of the store.  

Councilmember Adams made the motion, seconded by Councilmember Rigg

Councilmember Esters made an amendment to decrease the amount of the grant to $100,000, which was seconded by Councilmember Whitney. The amendment failed. The motion passed 7-1 with a no vote by Councilmember Esters.

WORKSESSION DISCUSSIONS 

B. Listening Session in Districts – Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager

The council decided to table this discussion until the next Council meeting.  

MEETING ADJOURNED

Click here to see the full agenda for the City of College Park Mayor & Council Hybrid Meeting on September 17, 2024. Tune in, show up or share your thoughts/concerns about the following anticipated Consent Agenda and Action Items, and Workshop discussions proposed to be on the agenda that may interest District 2 residents. Please contact us as soon as possible if you need accommodations to participate in a meeting, including language translation:

CONSENT ITEMS:

• Approval to create and distribute a Request for Proposals (RFP) for three grants of up to $10,000 each for Adult Social Sports Programs for College Park Residents – Kiaisha Barber, Director of Youth, Family and Senior Services 
• Approval of Parameters/Guidelines for the City’s Business Retention and Attraction fund – Michael Williams, Director of Economic Development 
• Approval to Submit a Grant Application to the Environmental Protection Agency for the Upper Paint Branch Resilience Project, Requesting $20 Million Under the EPA Community Change Grant Program – Rakhmel Rafi, Grants Coordinator

ACTION ITEMS:

• Introduction of an Ordinance to amend City Code Chapter 179 to remove the City Forester position from the City Code/Tree and Landscape Board – Robert Marsili, Director of Public Works and Stephanie Anderson, City Attorney (Public Hearing scheduled for October 8) 
• Approval of the nomination selection Committee for the Business of the Year Award – Michael Williams, Director of Economic Development

Councilmember Alan Hew has asked us to share the following:

On Tuesday September 17th and Thursday September 19th from 6pm-8pm at the Chinese Bible Church at 9618 Autoville Dr., the Maryland National Capitol Parks and Planning Commission will be hosting two community meetings to get input to help define how the County allows or limits development in the Central US 1 Upper Mid-Town Neighborhood . 

There are two very important issues at stake here. 

1. The area some of us know as the proposed Paint Branch South Preserve Development or the properties at the end of Autoville North (off of Park Road).  There are three properties there (circled in red) that were historically residential, like the properties adjacent to them.  During the last re-zoning process in 2010 these properties were changed to Neighborhood Activity Center, which allows commercial development.  At this time of community input and redefining zones, we can ask for it to be rezoned to AG Agricultural & Preservation Zone or ROS Reserved Open Space Zone like the properties to the south or west of them. 
2. The Hollywood Shopping District is zoned as CGO Commercial, General Office Zone.  We have the opportunity to define what can be allowed or limited in this zone.  For example, we could allow for a multi-family (apartment) high-rise high density residential zone, or lower density residential/office like 4 story max building zone, etc.  We NEED to determine what we want to see here for the long term and set the proper zone and stipulations/limitations.

Please come out and voice your interests in the outcome for our community.  Help us fight to create a true preserve in area #1 and not allow commercial development in that zone. Help define what you want to see in area #2, the Hollywood shopping district.

Nominate a business for the City’s Business of the Year Award to highlight those making a difference!

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD

Nominate an outstanding City of College Park business that goes above and beyond to positively contribute to the community and serves as an example to others! Learn more and submit a nomination by August 31 at collegeparkmd.gov/businessaward24

Navigating College Park just got easier! Our stress map helps you find the safest and most comfortable biking routes. Plus, you can report crashes and stay informed about incidents around town. Advocate for safer streets and make your daily commute smoother with the College Park Bike Stress Map & Crash Reporter. Let’s work together for a safer biking community!

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