Mayor & City Council

WORKSESSION MINUTES College Park City Council Wednesday, September 8, 2021 7:30 p.m. – 10:34 p.m. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, this was a Virtual Meeting. PRESENT: Mayor Wojahn (arrived at 7:42 p.m.); Mayor Pro Tem Dennis; Councilmembers Kabir, Kennedy, Esters, Day, Rigg, Mitchell, and Mackie. ABSENT: None. ALSO PRESENT: Bill Gardiner, Interim City Manager; Janeen S. Miller, City Clerk; Suellen Ferguson, City Attorney; Terry Schum, Director of Planning; Katie Hart, Community Development Planner; Bob Ryan, Director of Public Services; Robert Marsili, Director of Public Works; Frank Pacifico, Assistant Director of Public Works; Gary Fields, Director of Finance; Bob Ryan, Director of Public Services; Megha Sevalia, Student Liaison. Mayor Pro Tem Dennis opened the Virtual Worksession at 7:30 p.m. City Manager’s Report: Mr. Gardiner reported on the opening of UMD classes and the parties that took place over the weekend; street trees are available from Public Works; monthly Public Safety meeting; welcome two new staff members: the IT Manager and Economic Development Manager. There was discussion about calls to the City hotline number over the weekend. Amendments to /Approval of Agenda: Motion by Councilmember Dennis, second by Councilmember Mitchell, to approve the agenda without amendment. Discussion items: 1. Award of contract to VeoRide - Terry Schum and Katie Hart, City Staff, plus Alex Keating, General Manager from VeoRide: Ms. Schum reviewed the staff report and history with this vendor. The City, the Town of University Park and the University of Maryland previously entered into separate contracts with VeoRide. The UMD contract has different hours of operation. The City and Town of UP had 24/7 hours of operation, whereas the UMD had 5 a.m. – 9 p.m. hours on campus. We have received a letter from the UMD expressing concern about the 24/7 hours of operation. She reviewed the changes in the proposed contract. We have never paid anything under our contract with Veo; the draft contract proposes that Veo pay a fee to the parties that we can use to offset administrative costs. Parking hubs, enforcement, and fines were discussed. Rebalancing the fleet was discussed. New this year – Veo is offering discounted pricing to eligible users. UMD will have dedicated staff to find and report parking violations and issue fines to Veo when violations are found on campus.  College Park Worksession Minutes September 8, 2021 Page 2 Discussion: Tell residents how to report a misplaced bike or scooter. Improve the website for VeoRide. Improvements to rebalancing are needed. Add the Greenbelt Metro Station as a priority parking hub. Status of Capital Bikeshare in the City. Complaints from residents and Councilmembers about vehicles being left in improper places, blocking sidewalks, being found in streams, being put in prohibited areas by Veo employees, vehicles sitting for days in non- parking areas, being found outside City limits. A parking area is needed near Edmonston Road. Mr. Gardiner said staff will look at additional parking areas soon. To help assess hours of operation: request statistics about hours of use. Concern about locking into a 3-year agreement if these problems continue. Next steps: come up with provisions to address the concerns heard tonight, include terms to end the contract if it is not satisfactory. Return future meeting. 2. Draft Agreement for transfer of ownership of Rhode Island Avenue to the City – Terry Schum: Ms. Schum reviewed the staff report. This traffic signal would be the first that the City is responsible for. Staff will need to field any complaints for maintenance and repair and would likely be done by a subcontractor. Mr. Marsili reviewed other cost responsibilities that would be borne by the City. Discussion about taking ownership began because we were getting pushback from the County about roadway improvements that we wanted to make for protected bike lanes and the Hollywood Streetscape. This provides us the opportunity for better/faster snow removal, better traffic management, control of the speed limit. Discussion of the section between 193 (University Blvd) and 430 (Greenbelt Road). To agenda next week (Kabir). 3. Discussion of the City and University dedication plaque at City Hall - Bill Gardiner: Mitchell likes photo C; Rigg and Dennis like the downtown parking garage plaque (photo D); Esters likes photo A; agreement on both seals and both names; Mackie likes the District numbers but not the architect or contractor; Day likes C and D; consensus for name College Park City Hall. Next step - professional mock-up based on the feedback. Straw Poll: A – 2; B – 0; C – 3; D – 4. 4. Discussion of funding for IFC/PHA Tailgate events at UMD Football home games – Bob Ryan: Review of staff report. Guest: Mikaila Baumel. Request for $15,000 in support of IFC/PHA tailgates. Number of homegames has increased from 5 to 6. Vendor costs have increased. The tailgate event provides a safe and monitored environment and reduces unregistered parties by Greek houses in residential neighborhoods. Rigg and Day in support. Ms. Sevalia added that the SGA is in support. To Consent next week. 5. Discussion of proposed ARPA funding of non-profit organizations for food service – Gary Fields: Staff is recommending grants to our local food service providers. Questions: Are we providing assistance to our residents in Attick Towers? We can look into that. Can ARPA pay for capital improvements? Yes. Important to be thoughtful and think about the overall plan for spending this money. Future W/S. Consensus to move forward with staff recommendations on Consent next week.  College Park Worksession Minutes September 8, 2021 Page 3 6. Requests for/Status of Future Agenda Items:  Rigg: Use of ARPA funds for stormwater management/hydrology study – will submit form.  Gardiner: Discuss this in the context of other ARPA funding projects. 7. Mayor and Councilmember Comments: back-to-school; County public hearing on the Sectional Map Amendment; redistricting; New President of the Calvert Hills Citizens Association; NCPCA meeting; school supply donation. 8. Adjourn into Closed Session: At 10:34 p.m., motion by Councilmember Esters, second by Councilmember Mackie, passed 8-0. Closing Statement: 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 to discuss: 1) The appointment, employment, assignment, promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation, removal, resignation, or performance evaluation of appointees, employees, or officials over whom this public body has jurisdiction; 2) To consider the acquisition of real property for a public purpose and matters directly related thereto; and 3) To consult with Counsel to obtain legal advice; and to consult with staff, consultants, or other individuals about pending or potential litigation. Specifically, the Mayor and Council will discuss a contract dispute, property acquisition, and the City Attorney’s evaluation. The Mayor and Council will not return to public session after the closed session ends. ___________________________________ Janeen S. Miller Date City Clerk Approved