Mayor & City Council

MINUTES College Park City Council Meeting Tuesday, September 10, 2024 7:30 p.m. – 11:35 p.m. HYBRID In Person in Council Chambers of City Hall Virtual over Zoom PRESENT: Mayor Kabir; Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell; Councilmembers Hernandez, Hew, Esters, Whitney, Mackie, Adams (8:14 p.m.) and Rigg. ABSENT: None. ALSO PRESENT: Kenneth Young, City Manager; Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager; Yvette Allen, City Clerk; Stephanie Anderson, City Attorney; Nate Forman, City Attorney; Gary Fields, Finance Director; Miriam Bader, Planning Director, Carlos Nunes, Senior Planner; Jim Miller, Parking Enforcement Manager; Michael Williams, Economic Development Director; Student Liaison Erica Otte and Deputy Student Liaison John Fahmy. Mayor Kabir opened the meeting at 7:30 p.m. ANNOUNCEMENTS/COMMENTS Councilmember Hernandez: District One representative had a robust conversation with the residents. Staff can proceed with the sidewalk plans on 52nd Avenue. North College Park Civic Association meeting Thursday, September 12th at 7:30p.m. at Davis Hall. Hey, Hollywood event will be held Saturday, September 14 from Noon to 5:00 p.m. at the Hollywood Neighborhood Park. Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month on September 20th at Duvall Field with Let’s Dance, Vamos A Bailar. Councilmember Hew: Attended the First Look Fair on Friday, September 6 at the UMD. Thanked the Bee City USA for participating in the Farmers Market this past Saturday where they gave out 306 native pollinator plants. Attended the Prince George’s County Police Academy Alumni meeting. Prince George’s County Planning Department will be holding meetings regarding the Central U.S. 1 Neighborhood Compatibility Study on September 17 and 19 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Chinese Bible Church, 9618 Autoville Drive. Councilmember Esters: Join Lakeland on September 14 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm for their Community Block Party on Navahoe Street. Berwyn Day, September 28 from Noon to 4:00 pm in the Berwyn Neighborhood Park. Councilmember Whitney: Lakeland Civic Association meeting, September 12th at the College Park Community Center at 7:00 pm. Councilmember Mackie: Sign-up to volunteer for Good Neighbor Day – the link is on the website. School is in session, please be mindful of your speed and stop at all stop signs. Councilmember Rigg: Latina in Aviation Global Festival will be held on September 14 at the College Park Aviation Museum from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Deputy Student Liaison, John Fahmy: welcomed back the UMD students. Kenny Young, City Manager: The City and UMD received LEED Gold Certification for the City Hall building. New staff members: Katie Garcia, Bilingual Communication Coordinator; David Spaulding, Code Enforcement Manager; Justin Gilburt, Code Enforcement Officer (09/23/24); and Jeena Osmani, Executive Assistant to the City Manager. The City has received 273 applications for the Student Housing Subsidy. Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development will offer Business Boost Micro Grants to small businesses – contact Michael Williams, Economic Development Director, for more information. College Park Day will be held on October 5 from Noon to 6:00 p.m. at the College Park Airport. The City will host the Young South Asian Leaders on September 12th. An RFP has been issued for Duvall Field and the acoustic tile work and handicap ramp has been completed at the Old Parish House. The City was awarded a Safe Street and Roads for All Grant from the Department of Transportation. Crosswalks will be installed next week in Old Town and Calvert Hills. Once complete, the traffic calming devices will be reinstalled. PROCLAMATIONS: Suicide Prevention Month and Hispanic Heritage Month. AMENDMENTS TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA A motion was made by Councilmember Mitchell and seconded by Councilmember Mackie to move Discussion item 13 A before Action Item #12. Motion passed 8-0-0. A motion was made by Councilmember Mitchell and seconded by Councilmember Whitney to approve the agenda as amended. 8-0-0. PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS None PRESENTATION: College Park Here & Now Newspaper (Streetcar Suburbs Publishing) on their new strategic plan - Marta McLellan Ross, SSP Board President Kit Slack, Executive Director: reviewed their Strategic Plan and their objectives. They are working on expanding their paper to include County news. Sharon O’Malley, Managing Editor: Introduced Jalen Wade, Associate Editor; Josephine Johnson and Ijeoma Opara, graduate students at the UMD Philip Merrill College of Journalism and freelancers for College Park Here & Now. Thanked Council and staff for taking calls and speaking with all editors. If you have stories or news tips from your District, please call Ms. O’Malley or any of the journalists. Email news letters are sent out every two weeks. Ms. Slack stated that the paper is financially secure as it has been in publication for 20 years. Most of their business is from supporting businesses and having the City of Hyattsville as an anchor advertiser. They are also seeking grants and doing fundraising. Will continue to build community connections as they do not believe that the Spanish speaking population is reading the paper for news. May also work with the Community School Liaisons to reach out to the Spanish Speaking population. The paper is currently delivered to every address (apartments included) in College Park by US mail and is delivered to campus in stacks for distribution. Over 20,000 newspapers are delivered each month. CONSENT AGENDA A motion was made by Councilmember Hernandez and seconded by Councilmember Whitney to approve the consent agenda. Motion passed 8-0. 24-G-118 Approval of a contract with TVM Productions and Consulting, LLC to provide audio- visual services for City Council meetings, Worksession and other meetings designated by the City 24-G-119 Support of proposed Land Use Authority Legislation 24-G-122 Approval of a letter to the Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation requesting installation of a concrete safety median or re-installation of the temporary flex posts on Cherry Hill Road at the College Park Marketplace to prevent certain left turn movements on to Cherry Hill Road 24-G-120 Approval of the August 7, 2024 minutes of Mayor and Council meeting. PUBLIC HEARING AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 24-O-04: An Ordinance of the Mayor and Council of the City of College Park, Amending City Code Chapter 110- 1 “Fees and Interest”/Chapter 151 “Permit Parking”, by reenacting the Monthly Permit Parking Program in the Downtown Parking Garage – Reduced Rate Commuter Parking for Downtown Business/Merchant Employees; and to authorize the City Manager discretionary powers to oversee and manage these programs – Kenneth Young, City Manager and Stephanie Anderson, City Attorney Jim Miller, Parking Enforcement Manager, reviewed the Ordinance and staff report. This formally existed prior to the new City Hall building and now there is a demand for additional parking. The City Manager would have the decision authority on the program. A motion was made by Councilmember Rigg and seconded by Councilmember Mitchell to adopt Ordinance 24-O-04, an Ordinance of the Mayor and Council of the City of College Park, Amending City Code Chapter 110-1 “Fees and Interest”/Chapter 151 “Permit Parking”, by reenacting the Monthly Permit Parking Program in the Downtown Parking Garage – Reduced Rate Commuter Parking for Downtown Business/Merchant Employees; and to authorize the City Manager discretionary powers to oversee and manage these programs. The motion passed 8-0-0. Ordinance 24-O-04 will become effective October 1, 2024. WORKSESSION DISCUSSIONS Report from Vacant and Blighted Property Tax Committee Miram Bader, Planning Director stated that the first phase of the Committees charge is to: A. Develop and reach consensus on a clear definition of a vacant and/or blighted property in the City of College Park. B. To assist with reaching these definitions, identify and use best practices from other jurisdictions that have implemented a vacant and blighted property tax program. C. Make recommendations on the following: a. Should the terms ‘vacant’ and ‘blighted’ be combined or should each have a separate definition. b. Which property/occupancy types should a vacant and blighted property tax program apply to? D. Report initial findings to the Mayor and Council within 4 months. Bob Catlin reviewed the Initial Findings Report. The Committee focused on single-family residential and retail. Definition of Terms for Vacancy and Occupancy, Blight, Occupied and Well Maintained, Vacant and Well Maintained, Occupied and Blighted, Vacant and Blighted. The Committee does not believe a registry is worth implementing. The committee recommends the following: 1. A unified definition for “vacant and blighted” properties (or another term that replaces “blighted”), rather than separate definitions for “vacant” and “blighted.” This definition should apply to all property types in the city. 2. Properties should be subjected to a special tax rate. a. A tax rate of $1.50 to $2.50 per $100 of assessed value has been applied in other Maryland jurisdictions. b. The committee does not at this time conclude whether this type of increase or a significantly higher magnitude increase, like that of the District of Columbia, would be more appropriate for commercial properties. c. The committee does not at this time conclude whether the tax increase should be the same or different for residential and commercial properties. 3. At this time, the Committee does not recommend additional taxation on vacant and well- maintained properties. 4. At this time, the Committee does not recommend additional taxation on occupied and blighted properties. The City needs to consider how much it wants to take the lead on this matter or rely upon the county. If the City wants to set the tax at a higher rate, we may need to enact legislation. Council feels that a registry is strongly needed if the property owner doesn’t register, they could potentially be fined. Suggested that we review other municipalities (Mt. Rainier, Upper Marlboro and the City of Frederick that implement a tax. Larger developments with multiple units should not be ignored. The Committee will come back in 2025 to discuss phase 2 of the charge. ACTION ITEMS 24-O-05 - Introduction of an Ordinance to amend City Code Chapter 119-9 Fees and waivers, to conform the City Code with operational practice regarding when the payment of the refuse collection fee for a rental property must be paid Stephanie Anderson, City Attorney reviewed the staff report. With the implementation of Acella, the software requires that the trash fee be paid when a rental property is obtaining or renewing an occupancy permit. This Ordinance requires all fees for refuse collection be paid annually with the submission of an occupancy permit as set forth in Chapter 110 of the City Code. A motion was made by Councilmember Whitney and seconded by Councilmember Mitchell to introduce Ordinance 24-O-05 of the Mayor and Council of the City of College Park Amending Chapter 119-9 Refuse, Solid Waste, and Special Trash by Repealing, Re-Enacting, and Amending §119-9, Fees and Waivers. The Public Hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, September 24, 2024. 24-O-06 - Additional discussion of remaining Lost Revenue Recovery funds and ARPA funding and Introduction of an Ordinance to amend the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget (Public Hearing to be held on September 24) Mr. Fields, Finance Director, reviewed the staff report. The City Manager and Finance Director are recommending that the remaining Lost Revenue Recovery unobligated funding of $1,108,773, plus allocated unspent funding of $1,881,634, as of June 30, 2024, a total of $2,990,407 be allocated to employees’ salaries and benefits from July 1, 2024, to September 30, 2024, to ensure the Lost Revenue funds are fully utilized for approved spending by the December 31. The Council discussed items that had previously been supported, Care Solace, Attick Towners, and food service delivery organizations. Due to a last-minute request from Meals on Wheels, Council discussed funding and if a deadline of November 1 should be placed upon them (MOW) to use the funding. If a contact is not approved by November 1, the money would go towards food service delivery organizations. There was a lengthy discussion on funding for Meals on Wheels, the A&A Tax received and where the money is most needed. Mary Cook, resident, Meals on Wheels may have possibly found a location today. They will definitely need kitchen renovations. Don’t give up on MOW just yet. A motion was made by Councilmember Adams and seconded by Councilmember Rigg to introduce Ordinance 24-O-06, an ordinance of the Mayor and Council of the City of College Park, to amend the Fiscal Year 2025 Operating and Capital Budget of the City of College Park, Maryland (as substantially outlined in the packet) ARPA Allocation Fund : 1. Care Solace – approximately $180,000 2. Housing Authority (HA) - $250,000 3. Grants to Food Service Organizations - $155,000 4. Attick Towers - $500,000 5. Food Service Delivery Organizations - $300,000 General Fund: Encumbrances: 1. Student Housing Subsidy $ 150,000 2. Business Assistance/Retention grants $ 251,126 3. Business Assistance/Retention grants $ 280,000 4. Meals on Wheels $ 400,000 A motion was made by Councilmember Whitney and seconded by Councilmember Esters to amend the motion to include that the Busineess Assistance/Retention grant state that $150,000 is for the Flatts and $130,000 is for Rally House. The motion passed 8-0-0. A motion was made by Councilmember Rigg and seconded by Councilmember Hernandez to introduce Ordinance 24-O-06 as introduced by Councilmember Adams and amended by Councilmember Whitney as the motion for which we will hold a public hearing on September 24, 2024. 24-G-121- Authorization for the City manager to enter into an agreement with Rally House Stores (Sports Apparel), Inc. in an amount not to exceed $130,000 for business assistance to assist with the costs of buildout, fixtures, other capital related costs, signage, and façade improvements at 7501 Baltimore Avenue to fill the vacant storefront (formerly Target) location Michael Williams, Director of Economic Development reviewed the staff report. Staff is recommending a grant of $130,000 from the Retention and Attraction Funds. Rally House agreed to a commitment of 7 years at the 7501 Baltimore Avenue location. Rally House will contribute approximately $1.3 million dollars in Capital Costs and hire up to thirty employees in College Park. The requested amount of assistance would cover approximately eleven percent of buildout, signage, façade improvements, and other capital costs. Rally House General Counsel, Dan Zmijewski, stated that receiving this grant is crucial due to the high expense of opening a store. When asked if Rally House would not come to College Park if they did not receive the grant, he said, “I don’t know the answer to that. I don’t think I would say “yes”, but it is incredibly important to us for you to help us.’ Rally House will be subleasing at this time since Target still holds the lease for an additional two years. Rally House will work with the owner of the building for a master lease. Target nor the owner of the building is contributing to Rally House locating at this location and the lease amount is per square foot. Council requested that Rally House sell some sundries. A motion was made by Councilmember Adams and seconded by Councilmember Mitchell to suspend the rules. The motion passed 8-0-0. There was discussion on the lack of business in North College Park. Several councilmembers requested the Economic Development Director pay additional attention in the north part of the City as they have several vacant properties. A motion was made by Councilmember Adams and seconded by Councilmember Rigg to approve authorizing the City Manager to enter into an agreement approved by the City Attorney with Rally House Stores (Sports Apparel), Inc. in an amount not to exceed $130,000 for business assistance to assist with the costs of buildout, fixtures, other capital related costs, signage, and façade improvements at 7501 Baltimore Avenue as outlined in the September 10, 2024, City Council Action staff report. A motion was made by Councilmember Esters and seconded by Councilmember Whitney to amend the motion to reduce the amount not to exceed $100,000. Maxine Gross, resident, is in favor of the lower amount. The motion failed by a vote of 2-6-0: Hernandez: no Mitchell: no Hew: no Mackie: no Esters: yes Adams: no Whitney: yes Rigg: no The vote on the original motion passed: 7-1-0. Hernandez: yes Mitchell: yes Hew: yes Mackie: yes Esters: no Adams: Yes Whitney: Yes Rigg: Yes WORKSESSION DISCUSSIONS A motion was made by Councilmember Rigg and seconded by Councilmember Hernandez to suspend the rules and amended the agenda to remove the Worksession discussion item “Listening Session in Districts”. The motion passed: 8-0-0. REQUESTS FOR / STATUS OF FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Councilmember Mitchell asked to have the Future Agenda on an agenda to clean it up. COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE None ADJOURN A motion was made by Councilmember Mitchell and seconded by Councilmember Whitney to adjourn the meeting. Mayor Kabir adjourned the meeting at 11:35 p.m.