Mayor & City Council

MINUTES College Park City Council Regular Meeting Tuesday, September 27, 2022 7:30 p.m. – 10:15 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; Janeen S. Miller, City Clerk; Suellen Ferguson, City Attorney; Bob Ryan, Director of Public Services; John Adams, Code Enforcement Officer; Student Liaison Valerie Graham and Deputy Student Liaison, Adrian Andriessens. Mayor Wojahn opened the Worksession at 7:30 p.m. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Councilmember Kabir announced the opportunity to apply for the County Homeowner’s Tax Credit. Councilmember Kennedy said the Branchville Volunteer Fire Department will hold an Open House on Sunday October 9. Councilmember Esters announced a County-wide community clean up on October 15. Councilmember Rigg announced the success of the recent fundraiser for local Afghan refugees. Councilmember Mackie said November 12 is Good Neighbor Day. Councilmember Mitchell announced her Good Neighbor project for Attick Towers; she thanked the Prince George’s County Police and Code Enforcement regarding a recent incident. Mayor Wojahn said the College Park Aviation Museum is hosting a Latinas In Aviation event on Saturday. Deputy Student Liaison Adrian Andriessens said that Mental Health Awareness week on campus begins on October 8, and that mental health resources are available. College Park City Council Minutes September 27, 2022 Page 2 CITY MANAGER’S REPORT: Mr. Young said October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and announced the City’s plans; Prince George’s County Planning Board public comment sessions; clean-up Saturdays at Public Works. PROCLAMATIONS: Mayor Wojahn read the proclamations for the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge. He then read the proclamation for National Code Compliance Month. Bob Ryan, Director of Public Services, and John Adams, Code Enforcement Officer, accepted the proclamation. AMENDMENTS TO/APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA: The agenda was approved without amendment, Mitchell Mackie, 8-0. PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS: Stephanie Stullich, resident: Discussed quality of life issues, particularly noise, and made certain suggestions for Code Enforcement. PRESENTATIONS: The City Council received the draft report from the Redistricting Commission, led by Chair, Robert Day. Ms. Ferguson reviewed the charge to the Commission. Ms. Rowlands reviewed how the criteria were counted. In summary, District 3 needs to be smaller and District 1 needs to be larger after redistricting. Ms. Rowlands described the various district maps that the Commission chose to recommend. The Commission recommends using the 2023 population projections. Ms. Dewar discussed the rationale for the maps that were chosen and reviewed the Commission’s recommendations. Mr. Day stressed that the numbers tell the story. Discussion: The Commission voted not to recommend the consultants’ maps because they divided neighborhoods more than they wanted. The figure for “actual voters” is the sum of the unique voters in the last City election (2021) and the last state election (2020). To meet the criteria, the student population has to be divided. A visual aid for the consultant’s maps would be helpful. The Commission was charged with bringing 3 maps forward but chose to bring five. The Council can go back and look at the maps that were not chosen. Redistricting will be even harder 10 years from now; the Council may want to consider a change to the criteria. Ms. Ferguson explained why the “actual voters” criterion was added to the Charter. There is an explanation of the Commission’s approach to the census undercount in the report. Specific questions about the proposed split of the current District 3. Mayor’s summary: Keep College Park Estates in D 3. Find a way to keep more of north College Park in D1. Substantially equal – 6 to 7%. Can Autoville/Cherry Hill be put back in D 4. PUBLIC HEARINGS: Ordinance 22-O-08, An Ordinance Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park Authorizing The Acquisition Of Certain Property Located At 5100 Roanoke Place, College Park, Maryland, For A Public Purpose. Ms. Ferguson reviewed the staff report. Mayor Wojahn asked for public comment. College Park City Council Minutes September 27, 2022 Page 3 There was no public comment. Mayor Wojahn closed the Public Hearing. CONSENT AGENDA: A motion was made by Councilmember Rigg and seconded by Councilmember Adams to approve the Consent Agenda, which consisted of the following items: 22-G-131 Approval of minutes from the September 6, 2022 Worksession, the September 6, 2022 Special Session, the September 13, 2022 Regular Meeting, the September 20, 2022 Worksession, and the September 20, 2022 Special Session. The motion passed 8-0. ACTION ITEMS: 22-G-132 Consideration of County Legislation CB-97-2022 – An Ordinance Concerning Zoning - Zones and Zone Regulations - Base Zones - Expedited Transit - Oriented Development A motion was made by Councilmember Mackie and seconded by Councilmember Mitchell I move that the City Council send a letter in substantially the form attached to Calvin Hawkins, Chair of the Prince George’s County Council, opposing CB-97-2022 Councilmember Mackie said it is important to go on record that we oppose what is going on in the County Council. There were no comments from the audience. Councilmember Mitchell said there has been much debate among other municipalities regarding this and other zoning bills that have been withdrawn. She hopes the County Council will take heed. Councilmember Rigg remarked on the distressing trend he has seen. It seems as though the County Council is taking the legs out from under the new Zoning Ordinance that was recently adopted. We need to stay on top of this matter. The motion passed 8-0. 22-O-08 An Ordinance Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park Authorizing The Acquisition Of Certain Property Located At 5100 Roanoke Place, College Park, Maryland, For A Public Purpose A motion was made by Councilmember Whitney and seconded by Councilmember Esters to adopt Ordinance 22-0-08 Ms. Whitney thinks this will be a quality addition to the Berwyn neighborhood and the City, and is excited to hear what the community suggests. College Park City Council Minutes September 27, 2022 Page 4 The motion passed 8-0. ADJOURN: Motion by Rigg/Adams, 10:15 p.m., passed 8-0. _______________________________________________ Janeen S. Miller City Clerk