Work Session

WORK SESSION MEETING MINUTES JANUARY 12, 2026 PUBLIC OFFICIALS Present: Council President Angela M. Blake, Council Vice President April R. Jackson, Councilwoman Michele R. Gregory, Councilwoman Sharon C. Dashiell and Councilwoman Melissa D. Holland IN ATTENDANCE Mayor Randy Taylor, City Administrator Nick Rice, Finance Director Sandy Green, Fire Chief Rob Frampton, EMS Sergeant John Dennis, Field Operations Director Mike Dryden, Sanitation Manager Monte Thomas, City Clerk Julie English and City Solicitor Ashley Bosche CALL TO ORDER The City Council convened in Work Session on January 12, 2026 at 6:26 p.m. in the Government Office Building Council Chambers, Room 301, located at 125 N. Division Street. RESOLUTION President Blake called on Mr. Rice to present the Resolution. • Resolution to Amend SC7-25 Mr. Rice explained that the proposed charter amendment would update authorized check signatories by replacing the Council President and Vice President with the City Administrator and Deputy City Administrator, and the Director of Finance and Deputy Director of Finance. Ms. Green stated the current charter language was outdated and violates segregation of duties, noting that council’s role was legislative, not executing payments. She added that most municipalities follow this practice in accordance with Government Finance Officers Association standards and that the current setup could pose audit or internal control concerns. It was clarified that signatures were pre-printed and not manually signed by council members. Council gave consensus to move the resolution forward. ORDINANCE • Acceptance of State Grant for AEDs Sergeant Dennis requested council's support to accept a $ 5,000 AED grant from the State of Maryland. The grant was a 50/50 matching grant to be used for AEDs on public safety equipment. He confirmed matching funds were available and requested approval to proceed. Council gave consensus to move the ordinance forward. • Medical Supplies Budget Transfer Request Chief Frampton requested a $50,000 transfer from surplus to their medical supplies account. He  explained that rising supply costs and increased call volume had caused the account to be depleted earlier than anticipated. He noted that anticipated Medicaid underpayment funds later in the year, estimated at approximately $500,000, would replenish surplus and more than offset the requested transfer. Council gave consensus to move the ordinance forward. • Sanitation & Streets Budget Amendment Mr. Dryden presented an ordinance requesting a sanitation and streets budget amendment, citing significantly increased vehicle maintenance costs due to wear and tear on aging sanitation and streets equipment. He reported that the sanitation vehicle maintenance account had been reduced from approximately $90,000 at the start of the fiscal year to about $11,000. He requested an additional $90,000 for sanitation and $30,000 for streets to cover ongoing maintenance needs. Mr. Thomas explained that trash and dump trucks experience heavy daily use, frequent breakdowns, and costly repairs, and that limited backup vehicles increase strain on the fleet. Discussion included the need for additional backup trucks, potential of new trucks in the CIP, and long-term solutions. Council expressed support and consensus was given to move the ordinance forward. • Ordinance to Reallocate Paygo Funds from Completed Capital Projects Ms. Green presented an ordinance to reallocate Paygo funds from completed capital projects and older bond pools with remaining balances. She explained that small amounts of unspent Paygo funds would be redirected to the City Park Project, Zoning Code Update and the St. Peters Main Street Project which are all in need of additional funding. Council gave consensus to move the ordinance forward. • Ordinance to Reallocate Paygo funds from completed Water Sewer Capital Projects Ms. Green presented another ordinance to reallocate Paygo funds within the Water and Sewer Fund. She explained that the $130,000 pump included in Schedule B of the FY 2025 budget was originally planned to be funded through bond proceeds, but staff determined it would be more cost-effective to use available Paygo funds instead of financing the purchase over 15 years. Council reached consensus to move the ordinance forward. • Tax Abatement Draft Ordinance Council discussed a draft ordinance intended to begin conversation on small, targeted steps to support the local housing market, particularly nonprofit housing providers. Discussion included the impact of House Bill 1189 and whether it provided automatic property tax abatements for nonprofit housing organizations. Council also discussed potential local incentives such as waiving or reducing ADU's (Accessory Dwelling Units) and water/sewer connection fees, permit-related incentives, and exploring a “live where you work” down payment assistance program. Council emphasized the need for data and cost estimates before committing to incentives. Action items included obtaining cost estimates for ADU's and connection fees, clarifying the scope of House Bill 1189, ensuring existing incentives remain in place, and bringing the item back for further discussion at a future work session. COUNCIL DISCUSSION • Survey Update  Council discussed the election survey, agreeing to clarify questions while keeping the survey concise to encourage participation. Ms. Holland raised concerns that community feedback had primarily focused on the vacancy appointment process rather than broader election reform. Council agreed to finalize the survey questions for submission to the Communications Department, with plans to distribute the survey broadly through city channels and council members to maximize community engagement. • March Town Hall Update Council discussed the March town hall. The consensus was to focus on distributing the survey approximately two weeks before the town hall. Ms. Blake emphasized that the town hall itself would serve as an educational and discussion forum for residents on election reform, while the survey will gather baseline data on the appointment process to guide the conversation. PUBLIC COMMENT (Agenda Items Only) The following public comments were heard: • Speaker #1 suggested exploring in-house hydraulic maintenance as a potential revenue source and encouraged residents to review the draft comprehensive plan and participate in meetings. • Speaker #2 was in favor of Field Operations receiving an additional truck to ease maintenance, believed the appointment process needed reform, and thought rank choice voting should be decided by the city’s voters. • Speaker #3 recommended funding new trucks gradually, but criticized the proposed survey as likely unreliable and easily skewed. • Speaker #4 thought the survey would be unreliable and recommended the council to focus on constituents, not personal opinions or popular trends. • Speaker #5 felt the survey would be a waste of time and urged the council to focus on the appointment issue and leave ranked choice voting for the ballot in the future. • Speaker #6 suggested using sanitation drivers for code enforcement and training formerly incarcerated individuals in construction to boost housing and jobs. • Speaker #7 criticized the survey as unreliable, suggested using state legislation to streamline neighborhood housing ordinances, and urged residents to attend the Planning Commission hearing. ADMINISTRATION COMMENTS Mr. Rice gave a shout out to the city’s events team for hosting the well-attended holiday and New Year’s Eve events. Mayor Taylor also commended the events team and was grateful to connect with residents during each event. COUNCIL COMMENTS Ms. Holland thanked Chief Meienschein and Chief Frampton for the tours of the police and fire departments and also shared that she attended the Eastern Shore Association of Municipalities meeting in Cambridge, which provided valuable insights on tax differential and affordable housing. Ms. Gregory reminded everyone, especially during stressful times, to practice self-care. Ms. Dashiell thanked city staff for organizing holiday events, highlighted a citywide effort that provided gifts for 119 children, noted the Mayor’s initiative to address homelessness, and shared that the airport’s new airline, Breeze, which saw strong passenger numbers. Lastly, she asked the public to send original, thoughtful emails rather than canned messages to better convey their opinions. Ms. Jackson recommended that fellow council members refrain from using profanity on social media, highlighted the Martin Luther King celebration and noted that a scholarship would be awarded at the banquet. Ms. Blake noted that it had been a productive week working with the administration and appreciated the progress being made. ADJOURNMENT The Work Session adjourned at 8:15 p.m. _________________________________ City Clerk _________________________________ Council President