Mayor and City Council

MINUTES OF CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING CITY OF NEW CARROLLTON JUNE 16, 2025 Present were Councilmembers Duane H. Rosenberg, Cynthia Mills, Lincoln Lashley, Briana Urbina and Angelli Sybel Malavé; Mayor Phelecia Nembhard, City Administrative Officer Maisha Williams, Assistant City Administrative Officer William Barclay, Major Marc Butler, and City Clerk Kaitlyn Schisler; City Attorney Jason DeLoach. I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Council Chair Rosenberg in the Municipal Center, Room 230. II. Public Comments The following members of the public made comments: ● Stephen John raised concerns about a diesel red light camera. ● Angela Alarcon commented on the importance of converting to electric devices to maintain the Sustainable Maryland certification. She also raised concerns about the proposed amphitheater location. ● Marilyn Padmore expressed appreciation for the council's focus on residents and requested more transparency. III. Council Announcements Councilmembers Urbina, Lashley, and Rosenberg gave announcements about holidays and upcoming community events, as well as an announcement about the City pool. IV. Report of Mayor & Department Heads Mayor Nembhard, City Administrator Maisha Williams, Assistant City Administrator William Barclay, and Major Butler provided their monthly updates. V. Review of Bills for May 2025 The bills for May 2025 were presented for review. Councilmember Malavé asked a question about a payment to Frenchman’s Creek and Lincoln Lashley asked about a Fire Department grant payment. VI. Street Sweeper Program Discussion Council discussed potential solutions for the street sweeper's ineffectiveness, including better communication, signage, and gradually introducing enforcement after education. VII. Upcoming Four Cities Meeting Discussion Councilmember Lashley proposed discussing street lighting at the Four Cities meeting to learn what other municipalities are doing. VIII. FY26 Council Workshop & Legislative Meeting Schedule A draft of the FY26 Council Workshop & Legislative Meeting Schedule was reviewed. The Council agreed to remove the Monday workshop from the schedule due to it being a Federal Holiday and Fall MML, noting that special meetings can be called if urgent matters arise. IX. Ordinance Reading Requirements Discussion (Jason DeLoach) City Attorney Jason DeLoach clairified ordinance reading requirements, stating that the charter and Council rules mandate two readings on separate days, unless it's an emergency ordinance requiring a four- fifth majority. X. Mahoney Amphitheater Discussion Administration provided an update on the $230,000 Mahoney Woods grant project and recommended County Welding as the contractor, with plans including a stage, gardens, and picnic areas. Council members raised concerns about parking, traffic safety, zoning, and the project's capacity and long-term maintenance. XI. Fuel Tank Discussion William Barclay recommended removing the city’s aging underground fuel tanks due to environmental risks and insurance concerns, with a $51,000 removal cost compared to a $400,000 replacement. His recommendation was to transition to offsite fueling with private vendors. Council members supported the move, noting prior inaction on the issue and emphasizing the need for environmental testing and proper remediation. XII. FY26 Fee Schedule Discussion The Council reviewed the FY26 fee schedule and agreed to eliminate the bulk pickup fee.. Discussions included managing service frequency—potentially shifting to monthly pickups—and maintaining a call-in system to monitor usage and prevent abuse. XIII. Converting Diesel Traffic Cameras to Electric (Discussion) The Council discussed concerns about diesel-powered red light cameras near schools, citing air quality and noise. Major Butler clarified that diesel units are temporary, leased for $1/month, meet EPA standards, and are set for removal once permitting is resolved. The Council supported exploring electric conversion, addressing camera placement effectiveness, and evaluating grant eligibility based on equipment ownership. XIV. May Minutes The May minutes were presented for review. XV. Motion to go into Closed Meeting Councilmember Urbina moved that the Council of the City of New Carrollton adjourn into a Closed Meeting, in accordance with the General Provisions Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, §3-305 (b) (9). To conduct collective bargaining negotiations or consider matters that relate to the negotiations; Councilmember Lashley seconded the motion. The closed session commenced at 9:16 p.m. The closed session included Councilmembers Rosenberg, Mills, Lashley, Urbina and Malavé; Mayor Phelecia Nembhard, City Administrative Officer Maisha Williams, Major Marc Butler, and City Clerk Kaitlyn Schisler; City Attorney Jason DeLoach. XIII. Motion to Adjourn Closed Meeting Councilmember Mills moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Urbina. The motion passed unanimously (5-0-0). The meeting was adjourned at 9:41 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 video for a complete record. Agendas and Approved Meeting Minutes can be found at: https://www.newcarrolltonmd.gov/AgendaCenter