Mayor and City Council

MINUTES OF CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING CITY OF NEW CARROLLTON FEBRUARY 18, 2025 Present were Councilmembers Lincoln Lashley, David Lai and Duane H. Rosenberg; Council Chair Urbina arrived at 8:44 p.m; Mayor Katrina R. Dodro, Administrative Officer Maisha Williams and City Clerk Kaitlyn Schisler; Code Enforcement Manager Daryll Green attended virtually. I.​ Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:11 p.m. by Councilmember Lashley in the Municipal Center, Room 230. II.​ Public Comments The following members of the public made comment: ●​ Richard Potts spoke about concerns regarding a previous councilmember's comments, a confidential email, and feeling unprotected by the city. ●​ Phelecia Nembhard thanked DPW for their work during the snow storm. She asked for clarity of how super majority votes will work with four councilmembers and she voiced opposition to the proposed sign legislation for candidates. She also voiced opinions on how public comments are handled at open meetings. ●​ Jim Wildoner voiced concerns about freedom of speech violations in reference to the proposed sign legislation for candidates. III.​ Council Announcements Council Chair Urbina asked if any of the councilmembers had announcements. Councilmembers Lashley, Lai & Rosenberg made announcements. ●​ Richard Potts spoke about concerns regarding a previous councilmember's comments, a confidential email, and feeling unprotected by the city. ●​ Upcoming events were announced, including a career and technical education event, food distribution, a volunteer opportunity with the West Lanham Hills Volunteer Fire Department, candidate forums, a job fair, a resource fair, free tax preparation, and the summer youth employment program. ●​ Councilmember Rosenberg thanked those who attended the chili supper, highlighted the community tax aid site, announced a meeting of the New Carrollton Homemakers, and mentioned Read Across America Day. ●​ The availability of community garden plots and a scholarship opportunity were announced. IV.​ Public Hearing on Charter Changes- April 2, 2025 The Council discussed a public hearing on charter changes. A public hearing on charter changes was scheduled for April 2, 2025. The budget public hearing will also take place on April 2nd. V.​ Mayor Announcement Regarding Council Vacancy  The Mayor announced that the Council vacancy would not be filled at this time due to timing and other ongoing matters. The council will continue with four members, maintaining a quorum. The mayor will break any tie votes. VI.​ Solar project 6000 85th Ave Discussion Paperwork regarding the scope and specs for the 6000 85th Ave solar project was presented for review. VII.​ Endesco Inc. Presentation Representatives from Endesco Inc. presented a proposal for a parking study. The presentation covered the company's background, relevant projects, a proposed parking study, and responses to questions from the City Council. Key topics included parking demand, enforcement, residential parking, community outreach, and financial considerations. VIII.​ FY24 Audit Reports to Council Bob Diss from Lindsay and Associates presented the audit report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. The report includes management's discussion and analysis, financial statements, and notes to the statements. IX.​ Budget Amendment for Second Quarter Discussion A budget amendment for the second quarter was discussed as a continuation of a conversation from the previous meeting. A clarifying question was asked by Councilmember Lashley. X.​ Future Budget Meetings Format The Council discussed options for the format of future budget meetings, including holding a single-day budget workshop or continuing with the current format. Various councilmembers shared their preferences and concerns. XI.​ 4 Cities Meeting The next Four Cities meeting will be held in College Park on February 27th at 7:30 p.m. Language access was suggested as a potential agenda item. XII.​ New Election Legislation Discussion The Council discussed draft legislation regarding ballot harvesting, political signage restrictions, and authority lines on campaign materials. Councilmembers shared their opinions and suggested changes to the draft legislation. XIII.​ Ethics Discussion The Council discussed strengthening wording in the Ethics Chapter of the Code to prevent future conflicts of interest. The proposed wording would state that any elected official is not to conduct business with any entity receiving City funds. There was also a discussion about modifying the Code to change the gifts exceptions to match the State requirements. XIV.​ Motion to Adjourn  Councilmember Lai moved to adjourn. Councilmember Lashley seconded. The motion passed unanimously (4-0-0). The meeting adjourned at 9:33 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kaitlyn Schisler City Clerk Note: These minutes are a summary of the actions taken by the City Council and do not include all details of the discussions. Please refer to the official meeting transcript for a complete record.