Board of Town Commissioners

MINUTES BEL AIR BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION MEETING OCTOBER 28, 2025 The Board of Commissioners Work Session Mee�ng was held on October 28, 2025, at 5:15 pm. PRESENT: Commissioner Paula S. Etting, Chair Commissioner Jakob D. Taylor IN ATTENDANCE: David Anderson, Media & Public Relations Specialist Stephen Kline, Director of Public Works Michael Krantz, Director of HR & Administration Charles Moore, Chief of Police Angela Robertson, Director of Economic Development Kevin Small, Director of Planning Elizabeth Thompson, Town Counsel Pamela Wockenfuss, Deputy Director of Finance Jane Sudbrink, Recording Secretary ABSENT: Commissioner Mary F. Chance Commissioner Steven T. Chizmar I. BEGINNING OF MEETING Chair E�ng stated that this was not an official town mee�ng because there was not a quorum. Therefore, she said there would be no mo�ons nor approvals. She said they determined to con�nue with the mee�ng so as receive useful informa�on on the agenda items and to broadcast the mee�ng for the absent commissioners. IV. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT Mr. Krantz reported on the following items on behalf of Mr. Hopkins: 1. BGE is moving up the paving schedule for Pennsylvania Avenue to next week. Weather permi�ng, paving from Shannon Drive to Hickory Avenue will be done during the day. Paving from Hickory Avenue to Bond Street will occur at night. Bond Street to Hayes Street will be done during the day. 2. Mr. Krantz said Mr. Hopkins received feedback from Maryland American Water regarding repair of the water leak at Gordon and Hickory Streets. He said there is a no�ceable depression where the pavement has setled, but said this is a temporary patch. 3. Mr. Krantz said the speed hump was installed at the 500 block of East Broadway. 4. Mr. Krantz said a new traffic light is currently being installed at the intersec�on of Pennsylvania Avenue and Bond Street. He said this is a result of requests from ci�zens and Chief Moore via the traffic commitee. 1  5. Mr. Krantz said the town has submited a request to State Highway to review the intersec�on of Route 24 and Idlewild Road at the request of a resident whose children cross that road to get to and from school. He noted that this resident has also informed the school board and elected officials. V. TENTATIVE AGENDA FOR TOWN MEETING (Monday, November 3, 2025, at 7:00 pm, Bel Air Town Hall) A. Presenta�ons 1. United Way of Central Maryland Cer�ficate of Recogni�on upon Their 100th Anniversary Ms. Robertson described the mission of United Way, which strives to create programs that promote equity and that improve communi�es by increasing access to housing, health, and educa�onal opportuni�es. She said that Elizabeth Acosta, Associate Vice President of Governance, and Angela Rose, Harford County Regional Board Chair, will be at the town hall mee�ng to accept the cer�ficate. 2. Cer�ficate of Apprecia�on to Patricia “Pa�” Parker Mr. Krantz said this presenta�on is “self-explanatory” and he is looking forward to the ceremony. 3. Appearance and Beau�fica�on Commitee (ABC) Awards See above. 4. Municipal Government Works Month Proclama�on See above. B. New Business 1. On-Call U�lity Repair Service Contract Mr. Kline said this request for approval is for three contracts with three different businesses, as follows: Site Services, TN Masonry, and Deano’s Excava�ng, Inc. for on-call u�lity repairs. He said his department put out a bid with unit cost pricing to an�cipate repairs that may occur during an emergency situa�on. Mr. Kline said this contract will alleviate the procurement process during an emergency situa�on. He said the contracts are not to exceed $100,000 and the town has worked with these companies in the past. 2. Remove and Replace Fuel Pedestals and Pumps Contract Mr. Kline said the Public Works Department has two pedestals with pumps for diesel and gasoline distribu�on to the town’s fleet. He reported that the exis�ng pedestals and pumps are obsolete and there are no replacement parts. Consequently, he put in a bid for two new pedestals and pumps and the lowest bid was $48,000. 2 3. Video Surveillance System Contract Chief Moore said this surveillance system is a “game changer” for the town in terms of public safety and crime figh�ng. He said it will enhance and expand public safety with high resolu�on cameras, cloud- based video analy�cs, and real-�me monitoring capabili�es and solu�ons. He noted that this system will integrate with the town’s exis�ng network and be compa�ble with local municipali�es, the county, the state, and even the country. Chief Moore stated that this system will deter crime and improve safety and security through AI-powered searches to iden�fy suspects and vehicles. He said that this surveillance system will allow the Police Department to monitor loca�ons and events from a command and dispatch center and other secure loca�ons. He noted that such an enhanced system creates resource conserva�on so officers can be dispatched elsewhere. Chief Moore listed the items in the installa�on package, including Verkada hardware, cameras, gateways, mounts, power network infrastructure, five- year so�ware licensing, installa�on materials and accessories, and full opera�onal tes�ng. Chief Moore said this contract will be a piggyback on a Harford County contract with Infinity Technologies—Verkada is included in the Infinity contract. He noted that nego�a�ons with Verkada and Verizon resulted in an addi�onal 10 percent discount on hardware and licensing. Chief Moore said further cost savings came with the approval from the Maryland Highway Safety Office to use the system on exis�ng MDOT infrastructure loca�ons. He added there will be an addi�onal $7,500 cost at each intersec�on for engineering and permi�ng approval fees. He also stated that the town is s�ll working on an MOU with a private partner to secure cameras at a high-the� retail loca�on. In summary, Chief Moore said that the es�mated cost for this system was over $300,000, and the commissioners allocated $226,000 in the FY26 budget. He said the total cost is now $199,340. This lowered cost has allowed them to now have cameras at twenty-two loca�ons. Emilio Alcaraz, Verkada Account Execu�ve, Tempe, AZ, stated that Verkada has partnered with over 100 municipali�es and government organiza�ons in Maryland, including Aberdeen, Havre de Grace, and Harford County. He thanked Chief Moore, Mr. Hopkins, Ms. Moody, and Corporal Ganovski for their support over the past year in trialing the surveillance system. Mr. Alcaraz said the trial program began in October 24, 2024, which then led to the budget alloca�on of $226,000 in April 2025. He said installa�on will formally take place this winter. Mr. Alcaraz then described the func�ons of the surveillance system. He noted that it is keenly focused on license plate recogni�on and monitoring of parking lots and parks using PTZ cameras and AI func�onality. He said there was also discussion for a line crossing/mo�on search capabili�es to prevent incidents like those that occur at the parking garage. He explained further for Mr. Kline how the line crossing feature works. Mr. Alcaraz likened it to a “digital trip wire” that will trigger an alert when a person is walking in that area of the garage. Mr. Kline asked if this would be a photo. Mr. Alcaraz replied that it would be an archived video clip and he noted that there could also be a pre-recorded message installed for people walking in that area. Mr. Alcaraz next discussed Bel Air’s “pain points.” They include limited access to cameras, difficulty in managing and loca�ng footage, lack of a proac�ve response, and costly manual updates and replacements. Mr. Alcaraz listed the solu�ons to these issues via the Verkada system. He said there would be full remote access from anywhere, simple user interface, enhanced camera quality, efficient find-save-share features, and a ten-year warranty with 24/7 support and automa�c updates. Mr. Alcaraz said ongoing maintenance/so�ware costs would be eliminated, and there would be unlimited users, sites, and archiving. He concluded that the evalua�on of the installa�on will be in March 2026 and this evalua�on will also include trainings for staff. 3  Mr. Alcaraz explained for Mr. Kline how the system will interface with other municipali�es like Aberdeen. Mr. Alcaraz explained to Chair E�ng that video clips can be from twenty seconds up to twenty-four hours long. Commissioner Taylor asked about archiving. Mr. Alcaraz said that videos can be archived indefinitely, but there is a thirty-day reten�on period for storage on the cloud and the cameras. Mr. Alcaraz explained further for Commissioner Taylor that a clip can be any �me frame. He clarified that the camera videos are stored on the cloud backup and then staff will go through and manually archive what they need for an inves�ga�on or have se�ngs that will do this archiving. Commissioner Taylor asked about an inves�ga�on for an event that took place thirty-five days ago. Mr. Alcaraz said that Verkada does offer longer �me period reten�ons, but base models come with the thirty-day period. Chief Moore confirmed for Commissioner Taylor that the $199,340 cost is for the en�re project. Corporal Ganovski presented on the past year’s pilot program of the Verkada system. He cited specific examples where the cameras aided in inves�ga�ons, public safety, and traffic safety. He noted that a�er thirty days, nothing from the cameras is stored on the system. He explained that the cameras are monitored as-needed and there is not enough �me or manpower to watch the cameras 24/7. Corporal Ganovski said just with the one to two test cameras, the capabili�es have been phenomenal for the department. He noted that the test model of the geofencing line at the parking garage has worked very well. He said this geofencing acts as an early warning sign for poten�al life-threatening situa�ons. Commissioner Taylor asked if the thirty-day reten�on is sufficient. Chief Moore replied in the affirma�ve and said there was only one case in the past year where a longer �me period may have been helpful. Chief Moore described past monitoring systems that had pixilated photos, which were difficult to decipher. He explained how the Verkada system provides the images clearly via AI while maintaining private informa�on. Chair E�ng asked about the cost of geofencing in the garage. Chief Moore said he has two es�mates. Without the parking garage geofencing, the cost is $199,430. With the parking garage surveillance, the cost is $217,439.23. He noted that he is s�ll working on the numbers. Commissioner Taylor determined that the difference is around $18,000. Chief Moore explained the difference. He said if the board chooses the first op�on, the department can install more cameras, including in town hall and the Police Department lobby. Commissioner Taylor asked about the cost of increasing the reten�on window. Mr. Alcaraz said he would work with Infinity Technologies to provide es�mates of the costs to Chief Moore. Commissioner Taylor said he would defer to Chief Moore’s judgement in this area since the cost is coming in under budget. Chief Moore noted the many organiza�ons involved in this contract, like private en��es and the Maryland Department of Transporta�on, as well as addi�onal factors like electricity costs. 4. Appointment to the Cultural Arts Commission Chair E�ng said this appointment will be for a closed session at a future �me. 5. Appointment to the Appearance and Beau�fica�on Commitee Chair E�ng said this appointment will be for a closed session at a future �me. 4 VI. COMMISSIONER LIAISON REPORTS Chair E�ng said the Tree Commitee did not meet. Commissioner Taylor said the Economic and Community Development Commission did not meet because members were at the Bel Air Annual Awards. He reported that A. Bright Idea was the recipient of the Archer-Bull Award. Commissioner Taylor congratulated all the winners, but was especially complementary of Sue Niewenhous, Ci�zen of the Year, who has devoted fi�y years to the town. VII. STAFFING UPDATE A. Review Term Expira�on Dates of Boards, Commitees, and Commissions Mr. Krantz reported that there is part-�me file clerk posi�on posted for the Administra�on Department. He said this posi�on will be open for another week. He reported that the newly hired laborer has started and that there are other applicants under considera�on. Mr. Krantz said the part- �me procurement officer posi�on is pending. VIII. CALENDAR Commissioner Taylor reminded all town residents to vote on November 4. IX. MISCELLANEOUS No items were discussed. X. STAFF COMMENTS Mr. Kline reported that the Appearance and Beau�fica�on Commitee will have a cer�ficate of apprecia�on ceremony on Friday at noon in honor of the volunteers who maintain the garden at the corner of Hickory and Pennsylvania Avenues. He invited commissioners to atend the ceremony. Ms. Robertson thanked Chair E�ng, Commissioner Taylor, and staff for their atendance at the annual awards. XI. COMMISSIONERS’ COMMENTS There were no commissioners’ comments. XII. MEETING CONCLUSION The mee�ng concluded at 5:59 pm. APPROVED AS AMENDED: November 17, 2025 Signature on file _____________ Paula S. E�ng, Chair Board of Town Commissioners 5 Signature on file_____________ Michael L. Krantz, Town Clerk 6