Mayor & City Council

MINUTES College Park City Council Regular Meeting Tuesday, May 24, 2022 Council Chambers 7:30 p.m. – 9:43 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor Wojahn; Councilmembers Kabir, Kennedy, Esters, Whitney, Adams, Mackie and Mitchell. Councilmember Rigg attended virtually. ABSENT: None ALSO PRESENT: Kenneth Young, City Manager; Janeen S. Miller, City Clerk; Suellen Ferguson, City Attorney; Gary Fields, Director of Finance; Terry Schum, Director of Planning; Kiaisha Barber, Director, Youth, Family and Senior Service; Teresa Way-Pezzuti, Director of Human Resources; Bob Ryan, Director of Public Services; Michael Williams, Economic Development Manager; Kayla Carter, Racial Equity Officer; Miriam Bader, Senior Planner; Valerie Graham, Student Liaison and Adrian Andriessens, Deputy Student Liaison. Mayor Wojahn opened the meeting at 7:30 p.m. Announcements: Councilmember Kabir said we are looking for participants in the July 4 parade, and asked residents to notify the City if there is flooding in your yard after a storm. Councilmember Kennedy discussed the PGCMA meeting and the roundtable discussion on mental health. Councilmember Adams congratulated the winning UMD sports teams. Councilmember Mackie congratulated the College Park Housing Authority on their 50th anniversary, and commented on the senior event at Acredale Park. Councilmember Mitchell also discussed the stormwater management project, and congratulated former Councilmember Day as the Chair of the Redistricting Commission. Mayor Wojahn said the first meeting of the Restorative Justice Commission is Thursday, and that the PGCMA annual breakfast will be on Tuesday morning of the MML Conference. Student Liaisons Valerie Graham and Adrian Andriessens congratulated the UMD graduating class of 2022 and the winning sports teams. College Park Regular Meeting Minutes May 24, 2022 Page 2 City Manager’s Report: Mr. Young welcomed the new Student Liaison, Valerie Graham, and Deputy Student Liaison, Adrian Andriessens, and introduced Kayla Carter, the City’s new Racial Equity Officer. Proclamations: Mayor Wojahn read the Proclamation for Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week (June 4-12). Amendments to/Approval of the Agenda:  ADD 22-G-95, Adams/Mitchell, letter of support for UMD Maryland Bikeways Program grant application to Consent Agenda, passed 8-0.  Mitchell/Whitney, approve agenda as amended, passed 8-0. Presentations: A. Mayor Wojahn discussed the Maryland Municipal League’s annual “If I Were Mayor, I Would…” 4th Grade Essay Contest. The theme this year was about the soul of the community. He introduced the outstanding essayists who read their essays:  Tatiana Guevara, Hollywood Elementary School  Erick Argueta Rivas, Paint Branch Elementary School  Alexander Rivero, Paint Branch Elementary School  Maryam Saleh Mohamed, Al-Huda School  Bilal Hijazi, Al-Huda School  Rafiq Amir, Al-Huda School  Stephen Trynosky, Holy Redeemer B. Mayor Wojahn and Dr. Carolyn Bernache, Chair of the Education Advisory Committee, presented ceremonial education grant checks to Greenbelt Middle School, Hollywood Elementary School, and Paint Branch Elementary School. Public Hearing: Public Hearing on the proposal to implement a new residential permit parking zone for townhouse residents in the 4700 block of Cherokee Street: Mr. Ryan said the proposal is for the south side of Cherokee Street only, and only for the residents of the Lennar Townhouses. Whatever is decided tonight can be reconsidered in the future, if and when structured parking is built. Residents will be notified by a mailing. Comments from the audience: Christopher Gill, resident, President of Metropolitan Homeowner’s Association (attended virtually): Supports having a permitted zone. The south side of the street is currently unrestricted and there appear to be cars parked by people that don’t live there. The DSP approved by the County included a garage that provided 2 spaces for each townhouse resident; as we know the garage has not been built. This permit zone will be very beneficial to the townhouse residents. College Park Regular Meeting Minutes May 24, 2022 Page 3 Dan Davis, non-resident, representing Ferris Manor Apartments: He is concerned with the exclusive nature of the proposed permit zone because it would prevent his tenants from parking on this part of the street. They have 60 tenants and they have a parking deficit. By making this exclusive it prevents his tenants from parking on the south side of Cherokee. He is happy with the potential temporary nature of this. Edgar Mallone, resident: Supports the proposed parking zone. Some parking spots are occupied by cars that are out of state and stay there for long periods of time. Alexandra Long, resident: Supports the proposal but has a concern about the limit on the number of passes. Thinks other people besides residents are parking there. There being no further public comment, Mayor Wojahn closed the Public Hearing. Consent Agenda: A motion was made by Councilmember Kennedy and seconded by Councilmember Adams to adopt the Consent Agenda, which consisted of the following items: 22-G-85 Approval of minutes from the April 19, 2022 Special Session; the April 19, 2022 Worksession; the May 4, 2022 Worksession; the May 10, 2022 Regular Meeting; and the May 17, 2022 Worksession. This motion also approves confidential minutes from the closed sessions from August 13, 2019 through April 12, 2022. 22-G-93 Approval of letters of support for the communities of Buffalo, NY and Laguna Woods, CA after they experienced mass casualty shootings. 22-G-87 Re-appointment of the College Park City-University Partnership’s Class B and Class C members 22-G-94 Approval of a contract with Julie Beavers and with Aaron Springer as independent contractors for operation of the College Park Farmers Market at the Hollywood Shopping Center and to acquire related liability insurance. 22-R-08 Approval of a Resolution for a PY 47 Reprogrammed CDBG funding application for retrofitting curb ramps citywide for ADA compliance. ADDED Approval of a letter of support for the UMD grant application to the Maryland 22-G-95 Bikeways program. The motion passed 8-0. College Park Regular Meeting Minutes May 24, 2022 Page 4 ACTION ITEMS 22-G-86 Consideration of the proposal to implement a new residential permit parking zone for townhouse residents in the 4700 block of Cherokee Street A motion was made by Councilmember Esters and seconded by Councilmember Whitney to authorize the City Manager to establish a new residential permit parking zone, on the South side of the 4700 block of Cherokee Street, for the exclusive use of residents of the Lennar townhouses. Parking would be restricted by permit only 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with a permit limit of 2 permits per address and 2 visitor passes for occasional use. The restriction will be reassessed at least annually to determine continued need. Councilmember Whitney said currently the residents of Lennar don’t have any on-street parking available to them, whereas the residents of Ferris Manor are allowed to park on the north side of Cherokee. This proposal is for the south side of the street. Councilmember Esters stipulated that an annual review by staff would be sufficient. The motion passed 8-0. 22-O-05 Adoption Of Ordinance 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 Mr. Fields reviewed a PowerPoint and said this is the 2nd consecutive year that we are reducing the tax rate to the Constant Yield rate, bringing us to a property tax rate of $0.3018 per $100 of assessed value. He discussed the high level of community input in this budget cycle. Mr. Young reviewed highlights of the departmental budgets. Councilmember Adams discussed continued funding for food service organizations and of funding for the north College Park Community Center feasibility study. A motion was made by Councilmember Kabir and seconded by Councilmember Kennedy to adopt Ordinance 22-O-05, an Ordinance of the Mayor and Council of the City of College Park, Maryland to adopt the Fiscal Year 2023 General Fund, ARPA Allocation Fund, Debt Service Fund, and Capital Projects Fund budgets for the City of College Park. Councilmember Kabir discussed the amenities, new programs, and new staff that are being added. Mayor Wojahn is pleased we are growing our services to residents while being able to decrease taxes due to growing tax base in the City. The motion passed 8-0. College Park Regular Meeting Minutes May 24, 2022 Page 5 22-G-92 Support of a letter recommending approval of the Preliminary Plan of Subdivision 4-21055 for the Terrapin House development, with conditions. A motion was made by Councilmember Rigg and seconded by Councilmember Adams to send a letter of support for the approval of Preliminary Plan of Subdivision 4-21055 with the conditions contained in the City staff report. Comments from the audience: Matthew Tedesco, non-resident, attorney for the applicant: Thank you for your support. The applicant agrees in full with the proposed conditions. The motion passed 8-0. 22-G-88 Consideration of the EAC proposal for a tutoring program at Greenbelt Middle School - Carolyn Bernache, Chair, Education Advisory Committee Ms. Barber and Dr. Bernache said the FY ’23 budget includes an allotment for $6,900 for Education Advisory Committee initiatives. This proposal is for $3,000 for a partnership with the “Every Child” program at Greenbelt Middle School. Greenbelt Middle has the highest number of College Park residents. The project provides online tutoring; this agreement would be to provide volunteer UMD tutors for virtual tutoring of College Park students that attend Greenbelt Middle School. This is to help address the learning loss during the pandemic. Any agreement would be subject to the review and approval of the City Attorney. We have learned that the Literacy Lab is not interested in expanding their services at this time. Dr. Bernache said the program can be expanded as tutors are added, and added that the EAC also is looking at other initiatives. Pre- and post-testing will be done as an assessment. A motion was made by Councilmember Mackie and seconded by Councilmember Esters that the City Council approve a partnership with The Every Child Project (TECP) during the 2022-2023 school year to provide virtual tutoring to a minimum of 10 Greenbelt Middle School students, subject to review by the City Attorney. Councilmember Whitney would support a larger stipend (currently set at $250 per tutor) to the tutors. The motion passed 8-0. College Park Regular Meeting Minutes May 24, 2022 Page 6 22-G-90 Consideration of a Consulting Agreement with Vision 33 for on-call support for Accela. Mr. Gardiner said this is a request to approve a contract with the firm we have worked with for several years on implementing Accela. Because the amount we are requesting is in excess of $30,000 it has to be approved by Council. This will put into place a vehicle we can use for their services going forward without having to come back to you every time. We have been using one of the business analysts 20 hours/week to get us across the finish line to go live on July 1. We anticipate keeping 20 hours/week until the end of July, and then switch over to the Public Works component of workorder management and specific CRM needs. The other hourly component is technical assistance for more complicated configurations. We estimate we will spend about $63,000 between now and the end of the year. Mr. Ryan said we are making headway with the analyst and will have the public facing piece go live on July 1; staff is using the system now. A motion was made by Councilmember Kennedy and seconded by Councilmember Mitchell to authorize the City Manager or his designee to enter into an agreement in substantially the form attached with Vision 33 for Accela software configuration, support and technical services from May through December 2022 in a total amount not to exceed $63,000. The motion passed 8-0. ADJOURN: At 9:43 p.m., motion by Councilmember Mackie, second by Councilmember Adams, passed 8-0. _______________________________ Janeen S. Miller, City Clerk