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 16, 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 asked residents to join the city for Bailamos, a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at the College Park Woods Clubhouse on Friday, September 19 from 5:00pm – 7:30pm. He said parking will be in the neighborhood and be like parking for the Spring Fair done in North College Park months ago. He said Fall Clean Up days will be October 4 and October 25. Bulk Trash or debris can be dropped off at College Park Public Works, and document shredding will be done on October 25 from 8am -12pm. Mr. Young announced that general elections for Mayor and Council will be held November 4 at City Hall, early voting will take place on November 2 at Davis Hall. The deadline to register for anyone interested in voting in this election is October 20, and youth must turn sixteen by November 4 in order to vote.
Councilmember Hernandez asked about the police study that he doesn’t see on the future agenda. Mr. Young said he will get to it this year if he can, but it is not currently scheduled.
PROCLAMATIONS AND AWARDS
AMENDMENTS TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell approved agenda, seconded by Councilmember Whitney. The motion was unanimously approved.
PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS
David Dorsch, resident – The city should sell the house located at 4704 Calvert Road, and the money needs to go back to the taxpayers. He said Monday he noticed when trash and recyclables were picked up workers took a bag out of the receptacle because it was in a plastic bag, but there were recyclables in the bag. We need to determine how best to relay information to the community, beyond what is online, so they know what to do.
Mayor Kabir informed Mr. Dorsch that the city publishes a Resident Guide each year that is sent to all residents.
Oscar Gregory, non-resident – thanked Mr. Bill Gardiner for the letter he wrote to the USDA to save BARC.
Margaret Markowitz, residents – asked Council to look at the administrative process for the abuse. She said she had an experience with neighbors who have lied about her. The complaint against her has been taken as true. She said she has experience working with mediators for years and understands the importance of investigations and equity.
She has been issued warnings, but investigations have not occurred. She said that only through the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request did she learn how the complaints were handled, and it was biased. She has never had such an experience. She cannot believe what she has read.
CONSENT AGENDA
25-G-95 Approval of an on-call contract for engineering services to Charles P. Johnson and Associates, Inc. (CPJ) – Steve Halpern, P.E., City Engineer
25-G-96 Approval of an on-call contract for engineering services to Rummel, Klepper, & Kahl, LLP (RK&K)- Steve Halpern, P.E., City Engineer
25-G-90 Approval of a task order under the on-call engineering services contract with Charles P Johnson and Associates (CPJ) in the amount of $44,690.00 for the design of the 48th Place Sidewalk Project
25-G-91 Approval of a task order under the on-call engineering services contract with Rummel, Klepper & Kahl, LLP (RK&K) in the amount of $123,911.62 for the design of the Wellesley Drive Sidewalk Project
25-G-92 Approval of FY23 Maryland Heritage Areas Authority Grant (MHAA) Rescoped Project with ATT#1, FNL MHAA FY23 Lakeland Heritage Arts Project – Rakhmel Rafi, Grants Coordinator – Rakhmel Rafi, Grants Coordinator
25-G-93 Ratification of the FY27 Community Parks and Playgrounds application with ATT#1 FY27 CP&P Application – Rakhmel Rafi, Grants Coordinator
25-G-94 Approval of a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requesting not to relocate the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) – Bill Gardiner – Assistant City Manager
25-G-97 Approval of the sponsorship of two Lakeland College Park basketball teams to the 2026 Inter-Center Basketball League in the amount of $1,200.
Councilmember Esters made the motion to accept the consent agenda, seconded by Councilmember Whitney. It was unanimously approved.
PRESENTATIONS:
Miss College Park 2025
Miss College Park 2025, Maddie Bronk – She is a recent graduate of UMD and UMBC. Last year was her third attempt to gain the title, and she was excited to be named Ms. College Park. She said she had an incredible year. She has met the mayor, councilmembers, and Senator Roseapepe, and has had the opportunity to speak about her platform of Autism awareness. Ms. Bronk said she was honored to be part of many memorable moments, including College Park Day, Friday Night Live, the College Park Memorial Day ceremony, Berwyn Heights Parade and National Night Out. She was the first Ms. College Park to be accepted as a member of the American Legion Battalion which bring her closer to her Pop Pop who passed away this year. Throughout her title she has been able to inspire children and celebrate the great diversity of the College Park community.
Honoring Dawn Powers of the Education Advisory Commission
PUBLIC HEARING AND POSSIBLE ACTION:
25-O-09 Ordinance 25-O-09 an Ordinance of the Mayor and Council of the City of College Park, Maryland, Amending Chapter 175 “Taxation” “§ 175-9 “Eligibility Requirements”; and § 175-10 “Eligibility Criteria”; concerning the Grant a Tax Credit Against the City Property Tax Imposed on Real Property within the Revitalization Tax Districts – Michael Williams, Director of Economic Development
Ms. Anderson, City Attorney, said we had an ordinance amending the revitalization of the city’s tax credit including eligibility requirements and eligibility criteria. We also amended section 175-10 to address environmental issues associated with it.
Mr. Williams expressed his thanks for bringing this to council and working with Mr. Young to bring forth the criteria.
David Dorsch, resident – asked where the revitalization tax credits are within the city. Mr. Williams shared his map with Mr. Dorsch.
Oscar Gregory, non -resident – said he stands in opposition of tax credits for developers against city taxes. The tax credits take away tax revenues from the residents. He said giving away developer tax funds is not what you were hired to do. This has made free money part of the business plans for developers. We can see the impact that these tax credits have had on students. He asked why council does not push back on University of Maryland for them to house impoverished students.
Yona Gross, resident – said he is not against or for the tax credits. He said we often hear dialogue about long-term residents versus students, and the university versus the city. He said Council is here to represent all residents. College Park is a great city because of students and not in spite of them.
Councilmember Hernandez said he finds this a useful tool in attracting businesses to the city.
Councilmember Hew said people may misunderstand our objective in offering tax credits to developers. At one time there was a lack of student housing and tax credits were used to attract student housing projects. He is for affordable housing and senior housing; these are needed in the city.
Councilmember Esters said amending the tax credit provides the city with leverage to help shape us moving forward.
Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell said this has been asked of us by residents. We must have tools in our toolbox that will allow us to move forward.
Councilmember Whitney said she wanted to state her support. She said this is our opportunity to encourage the kind of businesses we don’t just want in the city, we need in the city. There are seniors who have had to move out of the city because they want to downsize but can’t find the kind of housing they need. She pointed out that any tax credit that was granted would still leave a lot of new revenue on the table.
Councilmember Mackie wanted it stated on the record that all potential credits would have to be come before Mayor and Council. She said in the past the city has deliberated over offering tax credits.
Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell said there have been tax credits we have not given, this tax credits are not automatic.
Mr. Young said this amendment does not automatically offer tax credits to developers; this puts in place the evaluation criteria.
Councilmember Hew said buildings on Route 1 are built to a sustainable level. To get the tax credit, the buildings should be built in a sustainable manner.
Mayor Kabir said tax credit is a tool, and it is not only offered in College Park. During his time on Council, some of the development was not built with particular standards. Just because it is available does not mean it will be given automatically.
ACTION ITEMS:
25-O-10 Introduction of Ordinance 25-O-10 an Ordinance of the Mayor and Council of the City of College Park, Maryland, Amending Chapter § 62-17, Mayor and Council Compensation, to change the amount of compensation payable to the Mayor and Council –Teresa Way-Pezzuti, Director of Human Resources
Ms. Way-Pezzuti introduced the item for consideration.
Councilmember Esters asked Ms. Way-Pezzuti about how the research done by the Compensation Committee, specifically how “apples were compared to apples.” Ms. Way-Pezzuti said twenty-six cities were reviewed to determine their suggestions.
Councilmember Hew said many residents do not understand all that is done by councilmembers. There are many things that are not mentioned as it relates to the work of Mayor and Council.
Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell made the motion, seconded by Councilmember Whitney.
Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell asked if in addition to the job responsibilities, there could be information about additional work done by Mayor and Council.
Councilmember Hernandez asked when this item should be voted on. Mr. Young said it would have to be voted on by the current Council for the next Council.
Ms. Allen said the public hearing can be held on October 7, if not it will be placed on the early December meeting agenda.
Mr. Young said the item can also be brought in November.
WORKSESSION DISCUSSIONS
Discussion to identify required amendments to Chapters 110, 125, and 144 to ensure proper permitting and enforcement related to Short Term Rental units in the City of College Park and related platforms on which these units are advertised – Director of Public Services and Stephanie Anderson, City Attorney
Mr. Khokhar said the purpose of the discussion is to deal with related fees and penalties to better align with code enforcement permitting.
On October 3, 2023, Mayor and Council adopted ordinance 23-O-09 to address short term rentals. Staff have since identified the need for amendments to the Code to establish an occupancy permit fee category in line with Chapter 144-6; fees, adjustments to the application and inspection process as well as the need for an SOP to ensure uniformity and availability of information via a registry managed by staff or an outside data analytics group to be identified. The City has the following classification for residential rental dwelling units:
1. Single Family (include owner-occupied rentals, townhouses, SFDs grandfathered in or with special exemptions such as permitted second kitchens, etc.)
2. Condominium Units
3. Rooming Houses
4. Multiple unit dwellings – buildings with 2-5 units
5. Multiple unit dwellings – buildings with 6 or more units
6. Hotels/Motels
7. Fraternities/Sororities
The city has identified the following practices by other municipalities that we may include in the City’s policies:
1. A host must register its municipality in order to conduct business as a short-term rental. 2. The host must be present while guests are on the premises.
3. They may host two travelers/visitors at most. 118 09092025 short term rental ordinances classifications and penalties 2 combined edits-kay edits
4. Many municipalities allow for only one vehicle with an approved visitor pass. Parking Enforcement regulations would have to be visited here in the City as well.
5. Short-term rentals are only allowed for a maximum of 30-days within a calendar year or subject to ordinance levied fines and penalties
6. Associated regulations include noise, parking, waste management, unruly gathering, and tenant conduct/behavior.
7. Stringent inspection requirements and severe penalties are set in many cases.
8. Advertisement such as lawn signs, window signs/lobby signs are not allowed at premises. 9. Some municipalities use consultants to monitor advertising platforms to cite for non-registration and levy hefty fines.
10. The distance from other properties, limit on the maximum number of occupants is mandated to manage impact on the quality of life for the neighboring community.
11. Many communities note that their present penalties are not sufficient to deter owners/or landlords from weekend rentals due to income generated despite negative impacts on quality-of-life issues in general.
City staff recommend penalties of $3,000 for the first offense and $5,000 for any subsequent offenses. They also recommend that we begin with a comprehensive analysis not limited to legal sufficiency review, business change review, workload impact to implement the change, any permitting software updates required, in addition to education and outreach efforts needed to implement the regulation and enforcement of short-term rental (STR) occupancies within the City of College Park.
Mr. Khokhar said in his research, the phenomenon of the short-term rental has been prevalent for 20 years. Right now, we do not have language that addresses short-term rentals and property compliance.
Councilmember Whitney said she is in favor of software that can scrub sites for city listings. We have heard from folks about houses that were short-term rentals that the city was not aware of. It seems that renting by the hour is prohibited and if swimming pools are rented by the hour, it is a violation. We need to keep an eye on that. She said a flat fee of $350 is an increase for most buildings but would be a decrease for fraternities and sororities. She said there is a section referencing Urban Renewal in Lakeland that needs to be stricken from the ordinance.
Councilmember Esters asked if an initial inspection could be done prior to issuing a permit to allow for an added level of control rather than relying upon an owner to provide information about their compliance. Mr. Khokhar said this could be done.
Councilmember Hernandez said as it relates to the inspection, he would like unauthorized construction to be considered because it ends up being a problem. He shared an anecdote – a resident has had continuous problems with a neighbor that became an Airbnb, but they were able to build out dwelling units. Airbnb advertises $7000 for an 8-bedroom house per night. He said he would like to reinforce the need for penalties and asked that some consideration to be given for taxes. He does not think that hosts need to be present while guests are on the premises.
Councilmember Hew addressed the need for hosts to be present. He said there may be issues that arise, and they need to address while the unit is being rented. He asked if the city has already reached out to Airbnb.
Mr. Khokhar said that new construction is not under our purview, it is the county. The city has been working with the county to address such issues.
Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell thanked Mr. Khokhar for the report. She said if the person who owns the property is not available, they should identify a designated contact to address issues. This is a good opportunity for us to sit down with DPIE to address permits for new construction. It could be a good time to work in a collaborative manner to help us have more control over construction.
Councilmember Mackie said this is a good start to work that needs to be done. She said she wanted to address the accountability issue, as she has stayed at Airbnbs in various places and they have rules. She said we will need to look at parking. She asked if we could limit the number of short-term rentals allowed in the city. Mr. Khokhar said if a landowner just says if they are going to do a rental, they will need to specify what kind of rental with Public Services. There are three tiers in their system – rental, short-term, vacant. Right now, they have rental residential and non-residential rentals. Councilmember Mackie asked if Mr. Khokhar thought of the increased workload of code enforcement and whether we will need to hire more staff. Mr. Khokhar said we will need to deal with legislation, fees, and penalties, and then consider any staffing needs.
Councilmember Ranker said he was fine with owners not being present for a month if they live here for the remainder of the year.
Mr. Khokhar said we will promise that our process is open, fair, and transparent.
Councilmember Hew said he wanted to clarify for Mr. Ranker that 30 days is the limit to rent at one time, while there is a limit of 180 days per year. Mr. Khokhar said the intent behind language of ordinance matters. To him, 30 days represented 14 or 15 weekends. There could be many different interpretations of that requirement.
Hew said we need to be careful about the number of rentals permits we put out there. His observations in other college towns are that they limit the number of rentals on a particular street.
Mr. Young said we must treat residential property the same whether it is a rental or single family.
Councilmember Whitney asked if charging a hotel/motel tax is prohibited. Mr. Young said no, but it would be something that Ms. Anderson would need to research. Whitney said having several short-term rentals in your community is not only a quality-of-life issue, but also an affordability issue if STRs are seen as more profitable than longer-term rentals.
Councilmember Mackie said she would like to make sure that all regulations would apply to short-term rentals as they apply to other homes.
Mayor Kabir asked if we need to create a separate ordinance for any increase in fees. Mr. Young said yes, if Council wants to make it cost prohibitive, we will need to discuss fee structure and put forth changes. Mr. Khokhar said the State law allowing higher fees will go into effect October 1.
Mr. Khokhar asked the student liaisons if they had input. SGA Liaison DiSpirito said it is tricky approaching short-term rentals, and he agrees with Council’s desire to strike a balance.
Mr. Young said the city had been working with DPIE for a year now to identify areas where we can take on some inspections, which will require some cost. He said we sit in a good spot, and DPIE is working with us.
Mr. Hernandez said it is good to know that hotel/motel tax can be applied.
REQUESTS FOR / STATUS OF FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell asked about the police study. Mr. Young said we have $25,000, which does not give us enough money to do a comprehensive study. He will need to come to Council to understand what is wanted. It is not currently a priority, as the majority of Council does not want to create a police department. We need to have further discussion about what we want.
Mayor Kabir said we have heard that over the years. We do not know the tax dollars our residents pay for beat officers, but we are not getting enough officers.
Councilmember Ranker said a few weeks ago we approved sending a letter to the 21st Delegation about the use of data to set rental costs – Real Page. Mr. Gardiner said Berkely, California created an ordinance to prohibit this behavior. Action will require state or federal action. There will be legislation. Councilmember Ranker asked about the early lease ordinance. Mr. Young said they will need to discuss the entire future agenda and items to be added.
Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell asked for clarification, for Councilmember Ranker and others, on how items come to the agenda after agenda submission.
COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE
Yonas, resident – Council priority should be community engagement. The city had a 10% turnout for elections in 2023. It is the duty of elected officials to reach out to community.
Oscar Gregory, resident – Council just voted to give away hundreds of thousands of dollars to developers. They do not care; they will work around it. Their business model is to make a profit. He has been an accountant for 35-40 years. He understands that voters have 30 days to put items on the referendum. He thinks the matter of compensation should be put to a referendum and residents will vote to do so.
COMMENTS FROM THE MAYOR, COUNCIL, STUDENT LIAISON OR CITY MANAGER
Councilmember Mackie gave a shout out to the Seniors Committee. She encouraged residents to come out Wednesday to the College Park Woods Clubhouse for Bingo. She said it is a great way to engage with the seniors.
Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell said she and Councilmember Hew attended a meeting today with the National League of Cities (NLC) to discuss the upcoming census. The last time we dealt with the census was during COVID. She said they will bring information back to the body.
Mayor Kabir said he, Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell, and Mr. Young attended Council of Governments (COG) meeting on artificial intelligence (AI). She mentioned the bilingual job fair to be held at City Hall on Thursday, September 18.
Councilmember Esters mentioned the proclamation for Breast Cancers Awareness Month and encouraged women to do their self-examinations and get their mammograms.
Councilmember Hew said that NLC will do a directory of members in their conferences to allow for interaction. He mentioned the need for a listing of best practices. He said that NLC is working on energy and environmental issues to bring to the current Federal administration.
Councilmember Hernandez congratulated those with Mexican roots on Mexican Independence Day.
Student Liaison Nick DiSpirto mentioned low-voter turnout. He and Amira Abujuma are working to increase student voting. He encourages those running to speak to a student to help give them a reason to vote. Hopefully, their candidate forum will be an avenue to do that.
Deputy Student Liaison Amira Abujuma said some students do not know about the election or that they can vote.
Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell said candidates are not allowed on campus to campaign. There have been conversations with several university presidents about that over the years. She said if the student liaisons were game to take that on, Council would love it.
Councilmember Esters said low voter turnout has been an issue for some time and mentioned that some councilmembers have worked with former SGA liaisons to identify strategies to address. The best time to address is outside of an election year.
MEETING ADJOURNED
Click here to see the full agenda for the City of College Park Mayor & Council Hybrid Meeting on October 7, 2025, once it is available. Tune in, show up or share your thoughts/concerns about the following anticipated Consent Agenda and Action Items, and Worksession 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:
Presentation:
Child Care Task Force
The College Park District 2 Digest 