Mayor & City Council

MINUTES Regular Meeting of the College Park City Council Tuesday, November 9, 2021 7:30 p.m. – 8:23 p.m. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, this was a virtual meeting. PRESENT: Mayor Wojahn; Councilmembers Kabir, Kennedy, Dennis, Esters, Day, Rigg, Mitchell and Mackie. ABSENT: None. ALSO PRESENT: Kenneth Young, City Manager; Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager; Janeen S. Miller, City Clerk; Yvette Allen, Assistant City Clerk; Suellen Ferguson, City Attorney; Teresa Way-Pezzuti, Director of Human Resources; Bob Ryan, Director of Public Services; Robert Marsili, Director of Public Works; Brenda Alexander, Assistant Director Public Works; Frank Pacifico, Assistant Director Public Works; Gary Fields, Director of Finance; Michael Williams, Economic Development Manager; Megha Sevalia, Student Liaison. Mayor Wojahn opened the virtual Regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Councilmember Kabir thanked residents for voting and announced the NCPCA monthly meeting on Thursday. Mayor Wojahn thanked people for voting on Sunday and also by mail. Councilmember Dennis announced tomorrow’s PGPD District 1 virtual Coffee Club. Councilmember Esters said Saturday is Good Neighbor Day. Councilmember Day thanked our Veterans and said the Marine Corps’ 246th Birthday is tomorrow. Councilmember Mitchell thanked residents for voting and wished everyone a Happy Veterans Day. Councilmember Mackie asked residents to fly your Flag on Veterans Day and to donate frozen turkeys to the College Park Food Bank for Thanksgiving. Mayor Wojahn announced the D9 Coalition for Civic Engagement forum on the Redistricting Maps, and said the Prince George’s County Council public hearing and vote is next Tuesday. CITY MANAGER’S REPORT: Mr. Young announced the tower crane removal at 8430 Baltimore Avenue; gave an update on the election; announced the Veterans Day observance; College Park City Council Meeting Minutes November 9, 2021 Page 2 announced the Community Forum and survey on use of ARPA funds; and said the new City Hall will open on December 6, 2021 with a new address of 7401 Baltimore Avenue. PROCLAMATIONS: Mayor Wojahn read the Proclamations for Small Business Saturday, Municipal Government Works month, and celebrating the 10th anniversary of Good Neighbor Day. AMENDMENTS TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA: 1. Remove 21-R-20, Kennedy/Rigg, 8-0. 2. Add additional purpose for Closed Session, To Consult with Counsel on a Legal Matter, Rigg/Kennedy, 8-0. 3. Approve the agenda as amended, Mitchell/Day, 8-0 PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS: Gloria Aparicio Blackwell, UMD Office of Community Engagement: Announcement about Good Neighbor Day on Saturday. Carol Macknis, resident: Provided more information about the NCPCA meeting on Thursday. It is a hybrid meeting, in person is at VFW, virtual is by Zoom. Mary King, resident: Discussed misplaced scooters; we need greater oversight of the VeoRide contract. PUBLIC HEARING: A. Ordinance 21-O-14, FY 2022 Budget Amendment (Amendment #1) to transfer ARPA funding and related expenditures from the General Fund to a separate ARPA Allocation Fund; establish budget amounts for the ARPA Allocation Fund; and including the transfer of recovered lost revenue for 2020 to the General Fund, including related expenditures in the General Fund Mr. Fields said when the FY 2022 budget was adopted in May, the estimated ARPA revenue and expenditures were put into the general fund. This amendment will move the ARPA funds out of the general fund and place them into a separate ARPA Allocation Accounting Fund. There were no comments from the audience on this item and the Public Hearing was closed. B. Ordinance 21-O-13, An Ordinance Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park Amending Chapter 15, “Boards, Commissions And Committees”, By Enacting §15-3, “Manner Of Attendance At Meetings” To Authorize Appointed Members Of City Boards, Commissions Or Committees To Participate In And Vote At A Meeting Either In Person Or Through Remote Electronic Visual And Audio, Audio, Or Other Means That Provide The Ability For The Public To Observe The Meeting. Ms. Ferguson said this ordinance will enable the option in the City Code for the City’s advisory boards to meet either virtually, hybrid or in person. Further details will be set out in the rules that apply to advisory boards. College Park City Council Meeting Minutes November 9, 2021 Page 3 There were no comments from the audience on this item and the Public Hearing was closed. CONSENT AGENDA: A motion was made by Councilmember Mitchell and seconded by Councilmember Day to adopt the Consent Agenda, which consisted of the following: 21-G-133 Approve minutes from the November 2, 2021 Worksession. 21-R-19 Resolution Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park Adopting The Recommendation Of The Advisory Planning Commission Regarding Variance Application Number CPV-2021-08, 9741 51st Place, College Park, Maryland, Recommending Approval Of A Variance From Section 27-120.01 (C) From The Prince George’s County Zoning Ordinance, To Construct A Driveway. 21-R-21 Resolution Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park Adopting The Recommendation Of The Advisory Planning Commission Regarding Variance Application Number CPV-2021-10, 10114 51st Avenue, College Park, Maryland, Recommending Approval Of A Variance From Section 27-120.01 (C) From The Prince George’s County Zoning Ordinance, To Repair And Existing Driveway. 21-R-22 Resolution Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park Adopting The Recommendation Of The Advisory Planning Commission Regarding Departure Number CPD-2021-02, 7403 Dartmouth Avenue, College Park, Maryland, Regarding Maryland Jewish Experience Inc., Recommending Several Departures From Parking And Design Standards To Allow A Cultural Center Use. 21-G-136 Approval of a contract with Volta, Inc. in the amount of $49,024.30 to purchase five Meraki switches and related hardware and warranties for the new City Hall and waiver of the City’s procurement policy requiring formal Requests for Proposals for contracts in excess of $30,000. 21-G-137 Approval of a new FTE to staff the lobby Information Desk in the new City Hall. 21-G-128 Approval to amend the scope of work for the College Park Woods Community Center project (RFP-CP-19-05) to include additional work required by DPIE for erosion and sediment control and rough grading of the site to obtain the rough grading permit with associated cost of $74,000. The motion passed 8-0. College Park City Council Meeting Minutes November 9, 2021 Page 4 ACTION ITEMS 21-G-134 Follow-up discussion and possible action on the proposed County Council Redistricting Maps. Mr. Gardiner reviewed the background from the staff report. The County Council will hold a public hearing and vote on the Redistricting maps on November 16. The County Council has two options: 1) adopt the revised County Council district maps, or 2) oppose that map, in which case the County Redistricting Commission maps will go into effect. The draft letter was reviewed. Councilmember Mackie suggested adding the County Executive as a cc on the letter. A motion was made by Councilmember Mackie and seconded by Councilmember Mitchell to send a letter to the Prince George’s County Council and County Executive expressing the City Council’s strong opposition to CR-123-21 and urging the County Council to vote against it and allow the Redistricting Commission plan to go into effect for the new County Council districts. Councilmember Mackie said this new proposal is not good for College Park as a whole. We need to work together to oppose this. There were no comments from the audience. A motion to amend the letter was made by Councilmember Rigg and seconded by Councilmember Kennedy to add a 3rd paragraph referencing the lack of civic engagement with City residents, elected officials, and civic associations, and specifically requesting our At-large Council Members to engage with us. Councilmember Rigg said this divisive map was created without any consultation with anyone in the City. There was no public comment on the proposed amendment. Mayor Wojahn said our civic associations are sending letters expressing their frustration with the lack of engagement. The motion to amend the letter passed 8-0. The motion to send the letter, as amended, passed 8-0. 21-O-14 Adoption of 21-O-14, an FY 2022 Budget Amendment (Amendment #1) to transfer ARPA funding and related expenditures from the General Fund to a separate ARPA Allocation Fund; establish budget amounts for the ARPA Allocation Fund; and including the transfer of recovered lost revenue for College Park City Council Meeting Minutes November 9, 2021 Page 5 2020 to the General Fund, including related expenditures in the General Fund. A motion was made by Councilmember Kennedy and seconded by Councilmember Esters to adopt Ordinance 21-O-14 (FY 2022 Budget Amendment #1). There were no comments from the Council. The motion passed 8-0. 21-O-13 Adoption 21-O-13, an Ordinance Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park Amending Chapter 15, “Boards, Commissions And Committees”, By Enacting §15-3, “Manner Of Attendance At Meetings” To Authorize Appointed Members Of City Boards, Commissions Or Committees To Participate In And Vote At A Meeting Either In Person Or Through Remote Electronic Visual And Audio, Audio, Or Other Means That Provide The Ability For The Public To Observe The Meeting. A motion was made by Councilmember Rigg and seconded by Councilmember Mackie to adopt Ordinance 21-O-13. There were no comments from the Council. The motion passed 8-0. ADJOURN: A motion to adjourn the Regular Meeting and enter into a Closed Session was made by Councilmember Esters and seconded by Councilmember Mackie at 8:23 p.m. Mayor Wojahn read the 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 a matter directly related to a negotiating strategy. Specifically, the Mayor and Council will discuss the VeoRide Contract negotiations. The Mayor and Council will also consult with Legal Counsel on a legal matter. The Mayor and Council will not return to public session after the closed session ends. The motion passed 8-0 and the Regular Meeting adjourned at 8:23 p.m. _____________________________________ Janeen S. Miller Date City Clerk Approved College Park City Council Meeting Minutes November 9, 2021 Page 6 CLOSED SESSION November 9, 2021 At the conclusion of the Regular Meeting on November 9, 2021, a motion was made by Councilmember Esters and seconded by Councilmember Mackie to enter into a Closed Session. Mayor Wojahn read the 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 a matter directly related to a negotiating strategy. Specifically, the Mayor and Council will discuss the VeoRide Contract negotiations. The Mayor and Council will also consult with Legal Counsel on a legal matter. The Mayor and Council will not return to public session after the closed session ends. The motion passed 8-0 and the Regular Meeting was adjourned at 8:23 p.m. The Closed Session began at 8:28 p.m. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, this was a virtual meeting. Mayor Wojahn was the Open Meetings Trainee. Mayor Wojahn and all members of the City Council were present. In addition, the meeting was attended by City Manager Kenneth Young, Assistant City Manager Bill Gardiner, City Clerk Janeen Miller, City Attorney Suellen Ferguson, and Community Development Planner Felicia Hutchinson. Mayor Wojahn and Ms. Ferguson provided updates on the VeoRide contract negotiations. Negotiating strategies were discussed. Ms. Ferguson provided legal advice. Ms. Ferguson provided an update to the Mayor and Council about an ongoing legal matter and suggested a course of action. No action was taken. Adjourn: A motion was made by Councilmember Mackie and seconded by Councilmember Day to adjourn the Closed Session. With a vote of 8-0, the Closed Session was adjourned at 9:18 p.m.