Mayor & City Council

WORKSESSION MINUTES College Park City Council Monday, September 17, 2018 Council Chambers 7:30 P.M. – 11:00 P.M. PRESENT: Mayor Wojahn; Councilmembers Kabir, Brennan, Dennis, Day, Rigg, Kujawa (arrived 7:32 p.m.), and Mitchell. ABSENT: Councilmember Kennedy. ALSO PRESENT: Scott Somers, City Manager; Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager; Janeen Miller, City Clerk; Bob Ryan, Director of Public Services; Terry Schum, Director of Planning; Kacy Rohn, Community Development Planner; Peggy Higgins, Director of Youth, Family & Senior Services; Alex Tobin, Student Liaison; Serena Saunders, Deputy Student Liaison. CITY MANAGER’S REPORT: Mr. Somers discussed the City Hall public visioning session on September 27, the Mayor and Council Retreat on January 6, Night at the Movies, College Park Day, and said we are showing a closed session after tonight’s meeting. AMENDMENT TO/APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA: The agenda was approved as presented (Mitchell/Rigg) 7-0. DISCUSSION ITEMS: 1 Visioning exercise on new City Hall project: The team from Design Collective reviewed their PowerPoint, and asked Council to think about the building itself, the area surrounding the building, and how a new City Hall can contribute to the greater community. Council then split up into groups to participate in an exercise where they reviewed 100+ precedent images and rated them with dots. The group then reconvened and discussed what they liked/did not like about the various images. 2 Comments on proposed M-NCPPC Strategic Trails Plan: Ms. Schum and Ms. Rohn reviewed the staff report. Only Part 1 of the County’s four-part plan is available now; informal comments can be submitted before Thursday’s meeting on Part 1. There will be other opportunities to submit comments; they don’t know when the public hearing will be. Concerns: lack of coordination with DPW&T and SHA; classification system; lack of coordination between trails and roads; lighting at night; connections into DC/across borders; connection between the Trolley Trail and the Northeast Branch Trail; inconsistent wayfinding. 3 Public Safety Operations Group recommendations: Mr. Ryan and Mr. Somers reviewed the staff report. Comments: Provide bill language from Baltimore County; track disorderly complaint trends as shown in the Towson article; post occupancy limits in rental houses to raise awareness; clarify what we can do on our own v. what we need the County for; provide easier access to landlord contact numbers; compare the first six weeks of school over the last 3 years; track alcohol transports; use of chapter houses for large gatherings. Return future W/S to discuss wailing ordinance. College Park City Council September 17, 2018 Page 2 4 Discussion of an annual community meeting: Councilmember Brennan said that with the dissolution of the Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee, we need to continue dialog to make sure we are establishing and/or maintaining important relationships, take proactive measures, report on strategies, and facilitate an exercise that is both visionary and proactive. The meeting should address quality of life issues like noise, litter, property maintenance, destruction of personal property. This would be a staff-orchestrated event. See if/how our Boards and Committees could be involved. Incorporate a town/gown discussion at the annual orientation for B&C members. The annual meeting should happen in the September time frame. We could have a smaller group further define the meeting. Consider creating a video. [At 10:30 p.m., a motion was made by Councilmember Brennan and seconded by Councilmember Kabir to extend the meeting. The motion passed 6-1 (Rigg opposed).] 5 Participation in the National League of Cities Innovation Ecosystem program: Mayor Wojahn said the NLC Innovation Ecosystem program will help city leaders identify roadblocks to innovation and help the City develop partnerships to identify solutions. Elected officials will need to attend the NLC City Summit in November and express the City’s commitment to the program. Elected officials will also need to attend the 2019 City Summit to highlight achievements. Mayor Wojahn said he spoke to Ken Ullman and University officials and they are enthusiastic about the program. Is the City authorized to participate? OK to move forward. 6 Appointments to Board and Committees: None. 7 Requests For/Status of Future Agenda items: Mr. Tobin wants to discuss a Student Advisory Committee at a Future Worksession. Rigg/Mitchell 7-0. 8 Mayor and Councilmember Comments – Meeting Sunday September 23 about the future use of the College Park Woods Swim Club; Coffee Club schedule; Lakeland Community Heritage Project parade; Dream Team Basketball game; Berwyn District Civic Association meeting being held in the Four Seasons Room at Holy Redeemer for the time being; SGA Safety Walk; Parkrun; PGCMA meeting; Estate Planning Clinic for seniors; Smart Growth walking tour; Seniors wellness fair. ADJOURN: A motion was made by Councilmember Brennan and seconded by Councilmember Day to adjourn into a Closed Session to consider the acquisition of real property for a public purpose and matters directly related thereto. The motion passed 7-0 and Council adjourned the Worksession at 11:00 p.m. ____________________________________________ Janeen S. Miller Date City Clerk Approved