Mayor & City Council

MINUTES College Park City Council Regular Meeting Tuesday, April 26, 2022 7:30 p.m. – 8:50 p.m. This was a hybrid meeting: Online via Zoom; In-person in the Council Chambers of City Hall. PRESENT: Mayor Wojahn; Councilmembers Kabir, Kennedy, Esters, Whitney, Adams, Rigg, Mackie and Mitchell. ABSENT: None. ALSO PRESENT: Kenneth Young, City Manager; Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager; Yvette Allen, Assistant City Clerk; Suellen Ferguson, City Attorney; Gary Fields, Director of Finance; Megha Sevalia, Student Liaison and Hayden Renaghan, Deputy Student Liaison. Mayor Wojahn opened the Regular Meeting at 7:30 p.m. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Councilmember Kabir announced that the north College Park Community Center Feasibility Study has been rescheduled. A new date and time will be announced soon. Thanked everyone who came out on Saturday, April 16 to clean up the Hollywood Community Garden and around North College Park. The Hollywood Farmers Market will open May 7, 2022. Councilmember Whitney thanked staff for their help in creating the Don’t Dump Donate flyer and the list of drop-off, pickups and recycling options. Councilmember Adams thanked everyone who was involved with the City’s first tree giveaway that took place on Saturday, April 23, 2022. Councilmember Rigg congratulated staff for their collaboration with the University of Maryland for a successful Route 1 Rampage event that was held in Old Town on Sunday, April 24, 2022. Councilmember Mackie announced that this Saturday, April 30, 2022, is National Take Back Prescription Drug from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. You can drop off any expired or unused prescription drugs at the Maryland State Police Barrack Q on Rhode Island Avenue, the UMD Department of Public Safety or call a pharmacy to see if they are participating. Councilmember Mitchell announced that MD Day will be held this Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mayor Wojahn announced that he and Councilmember Mitchell will be in Annapolis on Saturday for the Maryland Municipal League Board of Directors meeting and will be speaking at MD Day. Attended the MICD Just City Mayoral Fellowship and will be sharing strategies with the City’s new Racial Equity Officer. Thanked Councilmember Mitchell for hosting the PGCMA meeting on Thursday, May 14th at City Hall. College Park City Council Minutes April 26, 2022 Page 2 Ms. Sevalia announced that applications for next year’s Student Liaison are due today and today is the first day of SGA campaigning. CITY MANAGER’S REPORT: Mr. Young announced that the City of College Park, Redgate and the UMD have been selected to speak at the 2022 International Town and Gown Conference in Clemson, SC regarding the partnership on a jointly owned building and houses City Hall and UMD offices. PROCLAMATIONS: Mayor Wojahn read the proclamation for Children’s Mental Health Week, May 1 – 7. AMENDMENTS TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA: 1. Kabir/Mitchell: Move Item 22-G-74 from the Consent Agenda to Action, 8-0. 2. Mitchell/Whitney: Approve the agenda as amended, 8-0 COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE ON NON-AGENDA / CONSENT ITEMS: None PRESENTATIONS: A. Quarterly financial presentation: Mr. Fields presented the Quarterly Financials. REDISTRICTING COMMISSION: Mayor Wojahn officially constituted the Redistricting Commission and issued their charge as written in 22-R-04. CONSENT AGENDA: A motion was made by Councilmember Whitney and seconded by Councilmember Mackie to adopt the Consent Agenda which consisted of the following: 22-G-73 Approval of Minutes from the March 1, 2022, Worksession; the March 1, 2022, Special Session; the March 8, 2022, Regular Meeting; the March 15, 2022, Worksession; the March 22, 2022, Regular Meeting; and the April 5, 2022, Worksession. 22-G-76 Approval of a letter to the Prince George’s County Council with comments on the proposed M-NCPPC FY ’23 budget 22-G-77 Approve the appointment of Mayor Wojahn and Councilmembers Adams and Esters to the Student Liaison Selection Committee 22-G-78 Approval of a parking prohibition on the north side of the 4700 block of Cherokee Street near the Ferris Manor Apartments eastern-most driveway and the Berwyn Baptist Church driveway to remedy sight distance problems observed at those driveway entrances The motion passed 8-0. College Park City Council Minutes April 26, 2022 Page 3 22-G-74 Approval of amendments to the Mayor and Council Rules and Procedures A motion was made by Councilmember Rigg and seconded by Councilmember Kennedy to adopt the rules as amended in the packet. No comments from the audience. Amendment #1: A motion was made by Councilmember Kabir and seconded by Councilmember Mitchell to amend the Mayor and Council Rules and Procedures by changing Section IV (G2) to read, “Elected Officials will provide prior notice to the rest of the Mayor and Council when speaking on a city-wide or Council level issue at meetings or forums proposed by one or more elected officials, a civic association or a community group at a meeting hosted by elected official(s), a statement that the communication is from the individual elected official and is not City sanctioned or approved will be provided”. Mayor Wojahn stated that this amendment seems to require a Councilmember speaking at any meeting hosted by an elected official state that the communication is from the individual elected official and that the waiver would be required to be read even when the elected official is speaking on behalf of the Council. Councilmember Kabir stated that by adding an attribution about meetings will make all communication consistent and by establishing a rule to require an elected official to give notice to rest of the council, this amendment would encourage more elected offices to join community meetings/forums. No comments from the audience. Councilmember Kennedy requested clarification of the amendment. Suellen Ferguson stated that this amendment would require a Councilmember attending any meeting/forum to let the rest of the elected officials know in advance, and will require any elected official appearing at one of these meetings and is giving a communication that is not the position adopted by the Council has to state that. Councilmember Kennedy had a different recollection of the prior Worksession discussion about district v. city-wide forums. Ms. Ferguson said the amendment in the packet stated that the district official would invite the rest of the council. Mayor Wojahn recalled that if a forum is on a subject that is being considered city-wide you have to provide notice and the opportunity to participate to the rest of the Council – this example is different from a town hall. Councilmember Whitney asked if RSVPs are needed in case there is a quorum. Ms. Ferguson said the City should just go ahead and provide public notice. Councilmembers Mitchell and Adams requested further clarification. [A motion was made by Councilmember Rigg and seconded by Councilmember Adams to recess for five minutes to allow the City Attorney to reword section IV to reflect the Council’s suggestions. The motion passed and Council went to recess at 8:29 p.m.] College Park City Council Minutes April 26, 2022 Page 4 Ms. Ferguson’s revised language: “An elected official(s) will provide prior notice to the rest of the Mayor and Council when intending to present on a city-wide or Council level issue at a meeting sponsored by the elected official(s), a civic association or other community group. At such a meeting, a statement that the communication is the position of the individual elected official(s) and not city-sanctioned or approved will be provided for any position that has not been adopted by Mayor and Council.” Amendment #2: A motion to amend the amendment was made by Councilmember Kabir and seconded by Councilmember Whitney to amend the language to read as Ms. Ferguson drafted, shown above. Vote on Amendment #2: The vote on the amendment to Dr. Kabir’s original amendment passed 8-0-0. Vote on Amendment #1: The vote on the amended amendment passed 8-0-0. The vote on the underlying motion, as amended, passed 8-0-0. 22-O-05 Introduction of the FY ’23 Budget Ordinance, an Ordinance of the Mayor and Council of the City of College Park to Adopt the Fiscal Year 2023 General Fund, ARPA Allocation Fund, Capital Projects Fund and Debt Service Fund Budgets of the City of College Park. Mr. Fields explained the attachments to the proposed ordinance which explains changes to the original proposed budget presented March 26, 2022, and the ARPA Allocation Fund proposed budget with details of additions made. A motion was made by Councilmember Rigg and seconded by Councilmember Esters to introduce 22-O-05, an Ordinance of the Mayor and Council of the City of College Park to Adopt the Fiscal Year 2023 General Fund, ARPA Allocation Fund, Capital Projects Fund and Debt Service Fund Budgets of the City of College Park. The Public Hearing will be held on Tuesday, May 10, at 7:30 p.m. ADJOURN: Kennedy/Whitney, 8:45 p.m., passed 8-0. ____________________________________ Yvette Allen Date Assistant City Clerk Approved