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 January 14, 2025. 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 said all city offices will be closed on Friday, January 17 in observance of Inauguration Day and on Monday, January 20 in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Trash collections will occur one day later than normally scheduled. The special election for District 3’s open council seat will be on March 11 from 8 am -8 pm. Required submissions for candidates are due on Wednesday, February 5. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Former District 2 City Councilmember Maxine Gross

PROCLAMATIONS AND AWARDS

 Mrs. Elizabeth Campbell Adams 

AMENDMENTS TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Councilmember Whitney made a motion to add the discussion of agenda items for the upcoming Four Cities meeting. 

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell made a motion to approve the agenda as amended, Councilmember Hew seconded the motion. It was unanimously approved.

CONSENT AGENDA

25-G-09 Request for approval for the continued purchase and installation of License Plate Recognition (LPR) Technology for a 5th city vehicle, to include a 4-year extended warranty at an estimated cost of $49,172 – Jim Miller, Parking Enforcement Manager 

25-G-10 Approval of the Property Use Agreement (PUA) for a Class B, Beer, Wine, and Liquor alcoholic beverage license for the use of InfinityFlow Ventures LLC t/a Jerk at Nite College Park, 7313-A Baltimore Avenue, College Park, 20740. – Jatinder Khokhar, Director of Public Services

Councilmember Mackie made a motion to approve the consent agenda, Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell seconded the motion. It was unanimously approved.

WORKSESSION DISCUSSIONS

25-G-11 Review advisory board annual reports and workplans – Yvette Allen, City Clerk

Citing inquiry from community members, Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell asked why the Advisory Planning Commission (APC) does not share a work plan with Council. Ms. Bader said the APC responds to applications rather than having an outlined work plan. They work on an as-needed basis. 

Mark Shroder, Chair of Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC)- recognized two BPAC members in attendance, Donald Hayes, and Joe Tanner. Mr. Shroder said BPAC had the longest work plan in comparison to other boards and commissions as they had a number of things they wanted staff to work on. He acknowledged some of the things they would like to see happen may be expensive, but said they do not all have to happen this year. He referenced city residents living in neighborhoods that function like a cul-de-sacs, saying that cyclists and pedestrians having only one access point to roads like Route 1 and University Blvd is dangerous. He concluded by saying the way the city is built is not conducive to safety. 

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell thanked the committee for the thorough report and bringing up their concerns, including those regarding prioritizing the Complete Streets project.

Councilmember Whitney thanked the committee for the work that has already been done. She said she often wonders why the committee did not previously exist. She asked about the PALs project mentioned on p. 51 of the agenda packet. Mr. Shroder said it was the Near Miss Bike Map project.

Councilmember Hernandez asked for ways to understand more about their work outside of Council presentations and indicated his availability. Rahkmel Rafi, grant coordinator and BPAC staff liaison said their meetings are held every third Thursday. 

Councilmember Whitney mentioned the North College Park Civic Association (NCPCA) interest in extending the Trolley Trail north of Greenbelt Road and asked if there is any coordination between BPAC and the civic associations. She said she did not have an immediate suggestion for including other civic associations. Mr. Rafi did attend the NCPCA meeting where this was discussed, and they are to reach out to the BPAC committee. In addition, a member of BPAC brought the idea to NCPCA.

Councilmember Esters referenced the request by the Bee City USA Committee to revise the district distribution requirements and asked if they could work on identifying volunteers to help with their work rather than increasing the number of voting members, which could have implications for other boards and commissions. Councilmember Hew said individuals are more engaged if they are members rather than volunteers. 

Councilmember Mackie said she would like to encourage the Council to look at having a work session focused on some of the work plans to hear more about concerns, recommendations, and how they will be addressed.

Mr. Young said the reason the Council receives the plan is to see the plans and recommendations in advance of the budget work sessions. 

Councilmember Whitney said there are several budget implications scattered throughout the reports. Mr. Young said staff will review and include recommendations in the budget packet for Council consideration. Councilmember Whitney asked if there are a certain number of hours staff are expected to spend with committees. Mr. Young said some boards and commissions require more time than others. 

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell asked if staff members check for strategic plan alignment and budget implications when they look at the recommendations. Mr. Young said staff does not look at that right now, but moving forward we will need to work to ensure alignment. He said the strategic plan needs updates. 

25-G-12 Review Open Meeting Software – Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager

Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager provided an overview of Open Meeting, a meeting management system. This system would aid in conducting meetings and provide a level of transparency for those viewing Council meetings. 

Everyone would have a tablet, while the city clerk and mayor would have more information on their tablets to help manage the meeting. A large, wall-mounted monitor would list individual names, votes, and the queue. The system would queue and time speakers, and it has an agenda builder that can generate notes. Tablets would just be for voting roll call and queuing. 

Councilmember Whitney asked about how amendments would be handled. Mr. Gardiner said amendments would be handled in real time. 

Councilmember Hernandez asked about the cost of the system. Mr. Gardiner said the initial cost would be ~ $20,000 for software and equipment followed by a yearly cost of $5,000. Councilmember Hernandez said he thinks it would be a good tool but wonders if the advance can help us in managing our meetings better. 

Councilmember Hew asked about the generation of meeting minutes and the possibility of committees using the tool. Mr. Gardiner said the system could be expanded to include one committee with the added cost of $1,000 or all committees with the added cost of $6,000. He said he did not get information about minutes creation but that could be something explored in the future.

Councilmember Esters asked how the system allowed the public to see our votes if we are all virtual.  Mr. Gardiner said that votes would not be seen in the same way if the meeting were completely virtual, saying that they might, for instance, have a camera pointed at the Clerk’s tablet so the public could view results. 

Councilmember Mackie asked if there would be a time limit or voting cutoff when using the system. Mr. Gardiner said the time to vote would be set by the Council or the chair. He said votes are not displayed while voting takes place but will be shown once all votes are entered. The council has gotten into the habit of vote explanation but that would not be likely with this system. Councilmember Mackie acknowledged sometimes we need a super majority and asked if that could be loaded into the system. Mr. Gardiner said there are some things that are programmed into the system. Councilmember Mackie asked about the locking of a vote. Mr. Gardiner said that once all votes are made the system will show the vote. Mr. Young said abstaining from a vote would still require a verbal explanation. 

Mr. Gardiner said the note-taking feature is currently available and the minute-taking feature is to come this year. 

Councilmember Whitney asked what happens if a councilmember has left the dais during conversation and inadvertently misses the vote. How will that be reflected? Mr. Gardiner said the screen would display who voted in favor, against, abstained or was absent.

Councilmember Hew asked if an individual can remove themselves from the queue. 

Councilmember Whitney mentioned concern about using an app on the phone due to the Open Meetings Act, saying it would be good to handle them separately. 

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell asked for a quote from another vendor for a comparison before we move forward. In the interim, the Council should work on queuing and limiting speaking time. 

Mayor Kabir asked if staff could obtain other quotes.

FOUR CITIES MEETING 

Priorities for the county fire departments

Review of PGC School Safety Report initiated by County Councilmember Eric Olson. An invitation should be extended to school board representative Jonathan Briggs. 

Juvenile crime issue – what can be done as part of the legislative session? 

PGC approach to snow – Invite the Director of Transportation for Public Schools

REQUESTS FOR / STATUS OF FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

Councilmember Whitney said we have not formed and nominated members of the Childcare Task Force. She asked for it to be added to the next agenda. 

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell asked if we could get our lobbyists to talk with the Council about the session in Annapolis and how the state budget cuts will impact the City.

Mayor Kabir asked when the lobbyists will come to the council. Mr. Young said they normally come to us at the beginning and end of the session. Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell asked for lobbyists to come more frequently to let us know what is happening and allow us to be more proactive. 

COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE

Husain, non-resident -Advanced technology exploration with the University of Maryland Research Center. Three initiatives: economic efficiencies, carbon neutral biofuels, continuous learning, and health. He said he will provide a better update next time and mentioned the formation of a bill, saying he sent it before last week’s meeting. 

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

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell announced she would be attending the upcoming COG Board of Trustees meeting. She mentioned the PGCMA meeting to be held virtually on Thursday, January 16 and would include a County Executive representative. 

Mayor Kabir mentioned Governor Moore’s recent visit to IonQ to discuss $1 billion investment in Quantum technology and research. He said it would bring 250 jobs to College Park. 

Councilmember Whitney attended the Coalition to Support Prince George’s County Fire and EMS. She said it was great to have Councilmember Rigg and Mt. Rainier Councilmember Danielle Carter, in attendance, as they are both volunteer paramedics. She said the formal questions to be put out to county executive candidates should be formalized soon.

Councilmember Hernandez thanked staff for making sure sidewalks were cleared. Also saw creative reminder notes on doors. 

Mr. Young said more snow could be coming on Sunday. 

Mr. Hernandez asked if it is possible for the city to do a small training on the Homestead tax credit. Mr. Young said that Mr. Fields and Ms. Quinones were asked to put together information about both the homestead and senior tax credits. 

Mayor Kabir said he will be attending the US Conference of Mayors meeting in DC. 

MEETING ADJOURNED

CLOSED SESSION

Pursuant to the statutory authority of the Maryland Annotated Code, General Provisions Article § 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, January 14, 2025, to consider the acquisition of real property for a public purpose and matters directly related thereto. They will not return to open session.

INFORMATION REPORT – NO DISCUSSION

1. 2025 Event Schedule

2. College Park Wood Clubhouse Usage Permit Application and Rules and Procedures

Click here to see the full agenda for the City of College Park Mayor & Council Hybrid Meeting on January 21, 2025. 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 Agenda

Award of Education Grants FY’25

Presentations 

Overview of Governor’s proposed budget and 2025 legislative priorities

2^nd Quarter financial report and Homestead Tax Credit

Action Item

Approval of a resolution establishing a Child Care Task Force

Worksession 

Discussion of proposal to have private consultant conduct study to evaluate Urban Street Safety