Mayor & City Council

MINUTES Regular Meeting of the College Park City Council Tuesday, June 14, 2016 Council Chambers 7:30 p.m. – 9:09 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor Wojahn; Councilmembers Kabir, Nagle, Dennis, Day, Cook and Kujawa. ABSENT: Councilmembers Brennan and Stullich. ALSO PRESENT: Scott Somers, City Manager; Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager; Janeen Miller, City Clerk; Suellen Ferguson, City Attorney; Terry Schum, Director of Planning; Bob Ryan, Director of Public Services; Bob Stumpff, Director of Public Works; Brenda Alexander, Deputy Director Public Works; Jill Clements, Director of Human Resources; Steve Halpern, City Engineer; Chris Keosian, Student Liaison. Mayor Wojahn opened the Regular Meeting at 7:30 p.m. Announcements: Councilmember Kabir thanked everyone who participated in last Saturday’s neighborhood clean- up. Councilmember Nagle reported on a meeting with residents of Hollywood Road to discuss the proposed UMD Shuttle route on their street. Residents are not in favor of the proposal at this time so the University will not move forward with that route. Councilmember Dennis announced the upcoming Berwyn District Civic Association meeting on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. at Fealy Hall. Councilmember Kujawa reported on the City picnic on Saturday. Councilmember Cook said she attended the International Town Gown Association conference last week. Mayor Wojahn announced tomorrow night’s “Live Smart Eat Local” event at the Start-Up Village. He also announced the next 3rd Thirsty Thursday event at Ledo’s Restaurant on Thursday from 5 – 7 p.m. City Manager’s Report: Mr. Somers announced the Berwyn Bridge Reopening Event on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. UMD Shuttle Route 104 through Old Town has been discontinued. Metro’s SafeTrack project continues but will not affect the Greenbelt and College Park stations until November. Public Works has been power washing downtown sidewalks and the parking garage. The cashier window at Davis Hall opened last week; the hours are Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. The split phase traffic signal at US Route 1 and Knox Road is now operational. Reminder the College Park City Council Meeting Minutes June 14, 2016 Page 2 there is free parking after 5:00 p.m. and on weekends in the Downtown Parking Garage and City Hall lot during the summer. Amendments To And Approval Of The Agenda: A motion was made to add the following items to the agenda: Introduction of 16-O-05; extension of the pride flag (16-G-84); and affirmation for expanded services at Davis Hall (16-G-85) (Nagle/Kujawa). The amended agenda was approved (Dennis/Cook) 6 – 0 – 0. Presentations: a. Presentation on final report of the Bicycle Boulevard study – Bryon White, Sabra Wang & Associates: Mr. White reported on the results of the project that was funded by a grant from the Council of Governments Transportation Land Use Connections Program. Bicycle boulevards are shared-space roads with low vehicle volume/speeds to encourage replacement of short car trips with bicycle trips. In College Park, the needs are for east-west connections to connect a neighborhood to a trail or to a commercial destination. The estimated cost is $150,000 for all 17 streets recommended in the report. Public Comment on Consent and Non-Agenda Items: Dr. Judy Blumenthal, 9205 49th Avenue: She asked for an agenda item re: predicted traffic with current and future development before there are any more groundbreakings. Her concerns are public safety, neighborhood overcrowding, quality of life and maintaining quality infrastructure. Ileea York, 4809 Erie Street: When she moved in 3½ years ago she had no idea about “The Boulevard at 9091” development and she is disturbed by the density. She was disturbed by the Monument construction 5 blocks away. Route 1 is a nightmare and Route 193 is bad; it is going to be worse with these new developments. We need a traffic study – the roads can’t handle the additional traffic. Presentations: b. Presentation to the City Council regarding their role in the compensation and classification study – James Brittain, Management Advisory Group: Mr. Brittain provided an overview of the Classification and Compensation study that will take place over the next few months. The study will address internal and external equity issues, include a market salary survey, will update job and class descriptions, and provide funding options for their findings and recommendations. He will return to discuss the final draft with the City Council by the end of the calendar year. PUBLIC HEARING ON ORDINANCE 16-O-03: An Ordinance Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park, Amending Chapter 15, “Boards, Commissions And Committees”, §15-19, “Powers And Duties”; Chapter 125, “Housing Code”, §125-8, “Maintenance Of Dwellings”, §125-17, “Firesafety Laws”, And §125-17.1, Abatement Of Certain Violations; And Chapter 157 , “Property Maintenance”, §157-2, “Definitions; Word Usage”; §157-3, “Compliance; Inspections”; §157-4, “Notification Of Violations; Hearings”, §157-6, Responsibilities Of Owners And Occupants”; §157-7” Designation Of Unfit Buildings; Condemnation”; § 157-8, “Higher Standards To Prevail”; Deleting §157-5, “Adoption Of Rules And Regulations”, And §157- College Park City Council Meeting Minutes June 14, 2016 Page 3 9 “Hearings”; Amending Chapter 110, ‘Fees And Penalties”, §110-2, “Penalties”, And Adopting A New Chapter 115, “Fire Safety,” To Update And Clarify The Codes, Include Fire Safety Laws In One Chapter And Provide For A Fine, And To Make Certain Conforming Changes Mayor Wojahn opened the Public Hearing at 8:40 p.m. Ms. Ferguson commented that this ordinance began as an effort to conform snow removal requirements and since we were in the chapter, we made a number of other updates. We separated out the fire safety laws found in various chapters and moved them into one new Chapter, 115, to make clear that they apply to all structures in the City, not just certain types. There was no public comment on this proposed ordinance. Mayor Wojahn declared the Public Hearing closed at 8:42 p.m. CONSENT AGENDA: A motion was made by Councilmember Dennis and seconded by Councilmember Kabir to adopt the Consent Agenda, which consisted of the following items: 16-R-11 Adoption of Resolution 16-R-11, A Resolution Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park, Maryland Creating A Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Committee. 16-G-77 Adoption of program guidelines for a Council Internship Program. 16-G-79 Award of Contract CP-17-01 in substantially the form attached for Miscellaneous Concrete Maintenance and Asphalt Resurfacing to NZI Construction Corporation of Beltsville, Maryland for $538,875.00, funded from Fund 301 Unrestricted C.I.P. Reserve. 16-G-80 Award of mowing contract to LevelGreen Landscape, LLC of Washington, DC, in substantially the form attached, in the amount of $27,500 for 4 months, July through October, and authorization for the City Manager to sign the contract. 16-G-81 Approval of an MOU with the University of Maryland Department of Transportation Services in substantially the form attached for resident and employee ridership of the Shuttle-UM in the amount of $6,000 for the period August 29, 2016 to August 28, 2017, and authorization for the City Manager to sign the MOU. 16-G-82 Field Use Request for use of Duvall Field by Berwyn Baptist Church for Soccer Camp from July 18 – 22, 2016. 16-G-83 Approval of minutes of May 10, 2016 Regular Meeting. The motion passed 5 – 0 – 0 (Councilmember Nagle was away from the dais.) College Park City Council Meeting Minutes June 14, 2016 Page 4 ACTION ITEMS: 16-G-78 Approval of FY 2017 Program Open Space allocation A motion was made by Councilmember Kabir and seconded by Councilmember Cook to approve the FY 2017 Program Open Space allocation as follows: $20,000 in acquisition funding to Hollywood Gateway Park and $94,712 in development funding to the Hollywood Wellness Trail. Councilmember Nagle would like a strategic discussion on open space projects before this comes back. We have expended far too much money on the Hollywood Gateway project – it was meant to eliminate an eyesore and it looks worse than ever. Councilmember Cook added that we have created another eyesore across the street. The motion passed 6 – 0 – 0. 16-O-03 Adoption of Ordinance 16-O-03, An Ordinance Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park, Amending Chapter 15, “Boards, Commissions And Committees”, §15-19, “Powers And Duties”; Chapter 125, “Housing Code”, §125-8, “Maintenance Of Dwellings”, §125-17, “Firesafety Laws”, And §125-17.1, Abatement Of Certain Violations; And Chapter 157 , “Property Maintenance”, §157-2, “Definitions; Word Usage”; §157-3, “Compliance; Inspections”; §157-4, “Notification Of Violations; Hearings”, §157-6, Responsibilities Of Owners And Occupants”; §157-7” Designation Of Unfit Buildings; Condemnation”; § 157-8, “Higher Standards To Prevail”; Deleting §157-5, “Adoption Of Rules And Regulations”, And §157-9 “Hearings”; Amending Chapter 110, ‘Fees And Penalties”, §110-2, “Penalties”, And Adopting A New Chapter 115, “Fire Safety,” To Update And Clarify The Codes, Include Fire Safety Laws In One Chapter And Provide For A Fine, And To Make Certain Conforming Changes. A motion was made by Councilmember Nagle and seconded by Councilmember Kabir to adopt Ordinance 16-O-03, An Ordinance Of The Mayor and Council Of The City Of College Park, Amending Chapter 15, “Boards, Commissions And Committees”, §15-19, “Powers And Duties”; Chapter 125, “Housing Code”, §125-8, “Maintenance Of Dwellings”, §125-17, “Firesafety Laws”, And §125-17.1, Abatement Of Certain Violations; And Chapter 157 , “Property Maintenance”, §157-2, “Definitions; Word Usage”; §157-3, “Compliance; Inspections”; §157-4, “Notification Of Violations; Hearings”, §157-6, Responsibilities Of Owners And Occupants”; §157-7” Designation Of Unfit Buildings; Condemnation”; § 157-8, “Higher Standards To Prevail”; Deleting §157-5, “Adoption Of Rules And Regulations”, And §157-9 “Hearings”; Amending Chapter 110, ‘Fees And Penalties”, §110-2, “Penalties”, And Adopting A New Chapter 115, “Fire Safety,” To Update And Clarify The Codes, Include Fire Safety Laws In One Chapter And Provide For A Fine, And To Make Certain Conforming Changes. The motion passed 6 – 0 – 0. College Park City Council Meeting Minutes June 14, 2016 Page 5 16-O-04 Introduction of Ordinance 16-O-04, An Ordinance Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park Amending City Code Chapter 138 “Noise”, §§138-5, “Prohibited Acts”, 138-6, “Violations And Penalties” And 138-9, “Imposition Of A Fine By Noise Control Board” And Chapter 110, “Fees And Penalties”, §110-2, “Penalties”, To Clarify The Circumstances Under Which A Non-Resident Owner Has Violated The Noise Ordinance, Make Any Repeat Violation Within A Twelve Month Period Subject To An Increased Fine, And Modify The Mitigating Factors That May Justify A Reduction In The Fine For A Violation. A motion was made by Councilmember Day and seconded by Councilmember Dennis to introduce Ordinance 16-O-04. Councilmember Day read the title of the Ordinance. Mayor Wojahn announced that the Public Hearing will be Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers 16-CR-01 Introduction Of Charter Resolution 16-CR-01, A Charter Resolution Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park, To Amend Article III, “Mayor And Council”, §3-6, “Vacancies”, Article IV, “Voting And Elections”, §C4-4 “Other Election Officials” And Article VIII, “Ordinances”, §8-2, “Passage”, To Change The Manner In Which Notice Is Given Of Vacancies In Elective Office, Appointment Of Election Officials, And Adoption Of Ordinances A motion was made by Councilmember Nagle and seconded by Councilmember Kujawa to introduce Charter Amendment 16-CR-01. Councilmember Nagle read the title of the Charter Amendment and announced that the Public Hearing will be Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers 16-O-05 Introduction of Ordinance 16-O-05, An Ordinance Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park Amending City Code Chapter 138 “Noise”, §§138-2, “Definitions” To Revise The Definitions Of Day And Night To Shorten The Hours During Which Certain Noise Generating Activities May Take Place On Saturdays, Sundays And Holidays. A motion was made by Councilmember Nagle and seconded by Councilmember Kabir to introduce Ordinance 16-O-05. Councilmember Nagle read the title of the Ordinance. Mayor Wojahn announced that the Public Hearing will be Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers. College Park City Council Meeting Minutes June 14, 2016 Page 6 16-G-84 To extend the length of time to hang the Pride banner on City Hall for one week ending Monday June 20th. Mr. Somers said in light of the tragic event that occurred in Orlando on June 11, a request was made to extend the length of time that the Pride flag was displayed at City Hall by one week. The Council’s original motion was to display the banner from June 6 to June 13. This motion would extend the display for one week. A motion was made by Councilmember Nagle and seconded by Councilmember Day to extend the length of time that the Pride flag was displayed at City Hall by one week to Monday, June 20. Councilmember Nagle said this is to show solidarity with members of the LGBT community. Councilmember Cook urged people that if they “see something, say something.” Mayor Wojahn commented that the tragedy in Orlando hit a lot of us hard and that the acts of this one man don’t represent any particular faith. Councilmember Kabir said someone may disagree with the lifestyle of another person but that does not give them the license to kill; it is a time for compassion and solidarity with the LGBT community. The motion passed 6 – 0 – 0. 16-G-85 To reaffirm City Council support and direction to expand certain City services to Davis Hall. Mr. Somers said that Council is being asked to reaffirm their support and direction for expanded services at Davis Hall. In November 2015, we indicated that certain City services would be expanded at Davis Hall to accommodate resident and councilmember requests. Starting on June 6, 2016, the City began providing the following services from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. at Davis Hall: payment and processing for all parking zone permits, payment of all City parking fines (not speed camera fines), appeal forms for parking violations, Maryland Non-Resident Vehicle Registration permit, MVA flag releases due to non-payment of parking fines, and purchase or renewal of Prince George’s County annual pet licenses. This was accomplished without an increase in labor costs; material costs were nominal. He is asking Council whether they want to continue going in this direction, or to suspend this service and go in a different direction. A motion was made by Councilmember Kabir and seconded by Councilmember Nagle to reaffirm Council’s support for expanded services at Davis Hall. Councilmembers Kabir and Nagle thanked staff for their flexibility in doing this. The motion passed 6 – 0 – 0. College Park City Council Meeting Minutes June 14, 2016 Page 7 MAYOR AND COUNCILMEMBER COMMENTS: Councilmembers Cook and Kujawa thanked Mr. Somers for attending the Hollywood Farmers Market. Councilmember Kabir discussed the idea of the “Little Free Library” and asked for a future Worksession to discuss. Staff replied that funding can be/has been provided through the Community MicroGrants Program and that Public Works can assist with installing them. Councilmember Nagle requested a comprehensive look at proposed development and the ability of existing infrastructure to support it. Mayor Wojahn discussed events he attended over the weekend. CITY MANAGER’S COMMENTS: Mr. Somers said we are attempting to have a City booth at both farmers markets on a regular basis and that Council is welcome to participate; discussed the City’s involvement in the Calvert Hills Little Free Library; reminded everyone about the Open House for College Park seniors on Wednesday, June 22 at the YFS building, and about the July 4th celebration. Mayor Wojahn announced the next Worksession is on July 5. ADJOURN: A motion was made by Councilmember Kabir and seconded by Councilmember Day to adjourn the regular meeting and enter into a Closed Session to consider the acquisition of real property for a public purpose. The Council will not return to open session tonight. With a vote of 6 – 0 – 0, Mayor Wojahn adjourned the regular meeting at 9:09 p.m. ____________________________________________ Janeen S. Miller, CMC Date City Clerk Approved Pursuant to §C6-3 of the College Park City Charter, at 9:09 p.m. on June 14, 2016, during a regularly scheduled Council Meeting in the Council Chambers of City Hall, a motion was made by Councilmember Kabir and seconded by Councilmember Day to enter into a Closed Session to consider the acquisition of real property for a public purpose. The motion passed 6 – 0 – 0 and after a brief recess the Council entered into the closed session at 9:18 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor Wojahn, Councilmembers Kabir, Nagle (left at 9:50 p.m.), Dennis, Day (left at 10:10 p.m.), Cook and Kujawa. ABSENT: Councilmembers Brennan and Stullich. ALSO PRESENT: Scott Somers, City Manager; Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager; Janeen Miller, City Clerk; Suellen Ferguson, City Attorney; Terry Schum, College Park City Council Meeting Minutes June 14, 2016 Page 8 Director of Planning; Chris Keosian, Student Liaison. In addition, Anne Martens and Carlo Colella (UMD), Eric Olson and Sen. Jim Rosapepe (CPCUP) and Brad Frome (Prince George’s County) were present for Part 1 of the Closed Session. Topics Discussed: 1) Council was updated on an ongoing project and was asked to consider the acquisition of real property for a public purpose in connection with the project. 2) Council received an update on a proposal to acquire land for a public purpose. 3) Council briefly discussed the idea of a land exchange for a public purpose. Actions Taken: None. Adjourn: Due to loss of a quorum at 10:10, the Closed Session ended.