City Council

DocuSign Envelope ID: 8F7E0C57-CE2D-4729-ADE1-D1443DC1F599 MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL CITY OF SEAT PLEASANT REGULAR WORK SESSION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2024 6:00P.M. 1. OPENING 1.1 Call to Order Council Vice President Wright called the meeting to order at 6:06p.m. 1.2 Roll Call Present: Councilmember Donovan Bilbro, Councilmember Monica Higgs, Councilmember Hope Love, Councilmember Shireka McCarthy, Mayor Kelly Porter, Council President Gerald Raynor, Sr., Councilmember Kizzie Scott, Councilmember James Wright Staff: Dashaun Ball, City Clerk, Beverly Barber, Human Resources Manager, Michael Barber, Environmental Justice Director, Rick Corrales, Public Engagement Manager, Demetrious Harris, Chief of Police, Betty Logan, Chief Financial Officer, Myneca Ojo, City Manager, and Kyrthlyn Rhoda, Grants Manager, 1.3 Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance: Mayor Porter gave the invocation. 1.4. Approval of Agenda Motion to approve the agenda. Motion by Shireka McCarthy, second by Hope Love. Final Resolution: Motion Carried Yes: Monica Higgs, Hope Love, Shireka McCarthy, James Wright Jr, Donovan K Bilbro, Kizzie Scott 2. PRESENTATIONS 2.1. Proposed Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Budget, Myneca Ojo, City Manager and Betty Logan, Chief Financial Officer  Ms. Ojo and Ms. Logan presented the Preliminary FY25 Budget with the direction for the City of Seat Pleasant.  Ms. Ojo stated that Ms. Logan will be correcting the numbers as they are working in Tandem.  Ms. Ojo stated that the budget is not complete as it pertains to the revenue and expenditures as we move forward to finalize the budget. The budget expenditures calculation will be provided later. Page 1 of 13 DocuSign Envelope ID: 8F7E0C57-CE2D-4729-ADE1-D1443DC1F599  The City Council proposed budget will be $304,112.00 decreased by 11.9% for the council events and strategic planning with an increase to the council stipends.  Councilmember McCarthy stated this is an election year and there will be a new council, and she cannot fathom why the Strategic Planning should be reduced.  Councilmember Bilbro inquired on the timeline for the next draft for proposed budget for recommendation of changes.  Ms. Ojo stated that she believes April 13, 2024, will be the timeline to get a final budget to the council.  Councilmember Love inquired of the consideration for the council events with the cost of services increase for the council events for those that have events on a regular basis.  Ms. Ojo stated that this is a preliminary budget and there may be an opportunity to increase the cost centers, as the council has access to the facilities, and they are only looking at the current spending.  Councilmember Wright stated that many jurisdictions are having difficulties with the way the ARPA funding was used.  Ms. Ojo stated that the city has been very conservative with the spending, and they had provided the information on the restrictions, and the city is a hundred percent accountable for the ARP Funds.  Ms. Ojo stated that the City Clerk, Mayor and Administration, and Finance is straight forward.  Ms. Ojo requested for the council to view page 18, for the Learning Seat Pleasant concept and the Training and Professional Development has been moved to Human Resources under the Learning Organization for Administration, this is to capture the training and experience for every position except SPPD, and they have mandatory training under their General Orders. It is better to have everything centralized in the Human Resources department. It will provide mandatory training for all positions, and recommendation is for the mandatory training.  Ms. Logan stated that her position, as a CPA, has specific training requirements, and she is not sure if the entity will be able to provide their required training.  Ms. Ojo stated that the EJD and City Clerk has mandatory training through OSHA and the Clerks Association. The mandatory training will be housed in the Human Resources Department. This will not change the funding, but it will become a part of the training record. Page 2 of 13 DocuSign Envelope ID: 8F7E0C57-CE2D-4729-ADE1-D1443DC1F599  Mayor Porter stated that this is like the budgeting for outcomes as it tracks the training of the individual.  Ms. Ojo stated that the consultant will be assisting Human Resources with tracking and managing the training. Any new employee will have the required courses for the position, which will be coordinated through the Human Resources department.  Councilmember McCarthy inquired about the Professional Development being moved to HR, and how is the funding split, as each department’s training is different. How will you identify how the training budget be divided by department or a free for all.  Ms. Ojo stated that it is rolled up into one pot as $125,000 for training and $125,000 for Professional development.  Councilmember McCarthy stated for the departments that have required training is separate than the training. She feels that it should be considered separating them.  Councilmember Bilbro inquired about the contractor assisting with the tracking of the training. Can it occur without funneling all the money in one pot?  Ms. Ojo stated that not really as it will make it disjointed, as it needs to be captured by the department managers. Every employee will be required to take the Sexual Harassment, EEOC, and safety training should be tracked through Human Resources department.  Ms. Ojo stated that the contractors will be working with every department to determine mandatory training for each position. This is made to ensure the city has a succession plan to pull the individuals in if someone were to leave the organization.  Councilmember Bilbro stated that the $125,000 looks flat and it could be required to have more allocated.  Ms. Ojo stated that it is to ensure that the training is tracked and to know what training is required. Most of the staff will fall within the training, as each position does not have professional development, but each person will be required to have mandatory training.  Mayor Porter stated that this is a new process and will need to ensure that we do not need to pull a person from another department to fill in vacancies.  Ms. Ojo stated that succession planning is necessary, and this holds every employee accountable if they have the training.  Councilmember Love inquired of the timeframe with the training to be in full force. Page 3 of 13 DocuSign Envelope ID: 8F7E0C57-CE2D-4729-ADE1-D1443DC1F599  Ms. Ojo stated that the Learning Seat Pleasant can be in place within 180 days.  Councilmember McCarthy stated that each cost center should have an explanation.  Ms. Ojo stated that they will make sure it is there as it is an easy fix.  Councilmember Bilbro stated that the recommendation will be helpful for the constituents, and newly elected officials.  Ms. Ojo stated that this is the preliminary budget and wanted to know if the council had any recommendations.  Councilmember Higgs inquired about when the council will receive the next iteration of the budget.  Ms. Ojo stated that the revise budget will be submitted by Friday, April 5, 2024.  Councilmember Higgs inquired if Ms. Logan had any additional in-put on the budget.  Ms. Logan stated that she does not have any input for the budget as she had just received it before the meeting.  Councilmember McCarthy stated that the formatting needs to be consistent in the document.  Councilmember Bilbro inquired if the Staff Assistant and Grants Manager position are one or two separate positions.  Ms. Ojo stated that the Staff Assistant position is under Administration, but the Grants Manager is performing the duties of the Staff Assistant. 3. REPORTS 3.1 Mayor’s Report  Mayor Porter stated his report can be viewed in BoardDocs with the meeting attendance in the month of March.  Mayor Porter stated that the report consists of meetings for the month of March.  Mayor Porter stated that he attended the Maryland Black Mayors meeting.  Mayor Porter stated that he would like to bring in Autism Ally to present to the council next month.  Mayor Porter stated that he attended the Maryland Mayors Association meeting.  Mayor Porter stated that he met with the Chief Financial Officer to discuss the banks leaving Seat Pleasant. Page 4 of 13 DocuSign Envelope ID: 8F7E0C57-CE2D-4729-ADE1-D1443DC1F599  Mayor Porter stated that he attended the National League of Cities Conference in Washington, DC from March 11-13, 2024.  Mayor Porter attended the Local Government Advisory Committee Retreat in Luray, VA from March 20-22, 2024.  Mayor Porter stated that he attended the Ward I Community Meeting.  Mayor Porter stated that he attended the Town of Cheverly State of the City Address that was delivered in both English and Spanish.  Mayor Porter stated the attended the Easter Egg Hunt  Councilmember McCarthy stated that she feels that the Autism Ally should attend this month’s meeting in honor of Autism Awareness month. 3.2 City Manager Report  Ms. Ojo stated that with the report for the month of March, met with department heads regarding the budget for FY25. All the departments were required to view the budget and set goals. Finance, Grants and Public Safety provided the projected revenues.  Met with Senior Staff weekly as possible. Mayor Porter attended one of the senior staff meetings and provided an update on legislation.  Seat Pleasant Day will be on Saturday, May 4, and all employees are required to be involved.  Recommendation for Consent Agenda to streamline some of the processes during the meeting.  Presented the 2023 Annual Report has been put in the format of a newsletter to be sent to the residents. The newsletter will be expanded to the Business community.  Mayor Porter stated that he is concerned with the major thoroughfare and fences that are not the most desirable. There may need to be some restrictions that the council can implement.  Councilmember Bilbro stated that he noticed there is no written Public Engagement report.  Ms. Ojo stated that the report will be sent as it was provided during the meeting. Public Engagement:  Mr. Corrales stated that social engagement is up by 132% for the last 90 days, and the content is being shared and comments received.  Mr. Corrales stated that Call-A-bus rides for services will continue if the driver is not available due to personal reasons. Page 5 of 13 DocuSign Envelope ID: 8F7E0C57-CE2D-4729-ADE1-D1443DC1F599  Mr. Corrales stated that Seat Pleasant Day ending time will be one-hour earlies, and the city will receive funding and the county hydraulic stage, and he is waiting to receive feedback from the county on items that can be used for the event.  The city received one corporate donation for Seat Pleasant Day.  Recommended Community Committees for Seat Pleasant a representative from each Ward to Beautify the city. They would like to have a Hispanic Committee, Education and Youth, and Financial Planning, training but proper training.  Emergency Operations plans make the mayor the FEMA Operations planner. It was recommended to the Chief to have the officers trained to ensure the readiness for an Emergency.  Mayor Porter stated that he would like to establish a Business Association, and he will be meeting with some people on tomorrow. Finance:  Ms. Logan stated that the report can be viewed in BoardDocs.  The FY21 Audit met with the auditing firm on March 20, 2024, and the draft financial statements have been provided for discussion, and the auditor is out of country, and she reviewed and discussed the auditing manager to discuss any issues. They have signed copies of the Financial Statements, and they have begun the draft financial statements and trial balances for FY22.  The payroll transitioned from ADP to Paychex is going smoothly. The transition team for the city, police department, EJD and Human Resources department have been meeting weekly. The next pay period will be processed with Paychex.  The FY25 budget, finance did provide the revenues for the budget of the nine months actuals, and it allowed the preparation of the budget easier. It was easier to project the three months’ revenue and make the budget numbers reasonable.  The billing and collecting Business Personal Property Tax, and the city received over $220,000 in the month of March. They have a schedule where the notices are sent and followed upon for the invoices.  The city received a number of cut-off notices for the utility bills for 6512 Seat Pleasant Dr., and the property had been sold to a resident in 2020, and the Comcast billed for 1802 Brightseat Rd, where the city rented the property in 2021. The city is being billed for the properties that the city no longer owns or used, and the utility companies have not been notified. They will be identifying a project to identify all the properties owned by the city. Page 6 of 13 DocuSign Envelope ID: 8F7E0C57-CE2D-4729-ADE1-D1443DC1F599 The Financial Assistant immediately contacted the companies to request an extension and obtain copies of the bills.  The city received $7,046,508, and it has been mentioned to the city council, as it too much money in one bank over the FDIC limits. The city needs to produce a collateral plan. She will need to meet with the Finance Committee to present the bank recommendation.  The city has received taxes from the State of Maryland and the county, and the state provides a local income tax to the city, and the local tax that the residents are paying. It is a local income tax as well as a county tax.  The city paid $418,010 in bills in the month of march, utilities, and Human Resources Expenditures.  Councilmember Wright inquired of the African American Association with two expenditures.  Ms. Logan stated that the manual checks are approved and need to be put in the system to eliminate duplicated entries.  Councilmember Wright inquired of the charges on Chick-fil-a for over six hundred dollars.  Ms. Logan stated that Mrs. Ball can answer the question on Chick-fil-a as that was a manual check.  Councilmember Higgs stated that the Chick-fil-a was for the Ward I Community Meeting.  Mayor Porter inquired of the status of the funding from the state.  Ms. Logan stated that the city had received the funding from the state but for the current fiscal year the funding is being withheld at 20% and the future it will be held at 100% except for Police aid. Grants:  Ms. Rhoda stated that she needs to meet with the Mayor and Council regarding the remainder of the ARPA funds to prevent reallocation to discuss some projects.  The ARPA has virtual meetings on a weekly basis, and the last report was completed with the virtual office online. It is a very user-friendly site, and the meetings occurs on Tuesday's morning.  The PAMC program had approached the city to do another Economic project to complete an Economic Development Feasibility study.  The Foote Street project is being delayed due to DPIE. The stakes are in the ground.  They will be advertising RFP for the Cultural HUB, and they identified nine components and there will be nine RFP’s. Page 7 of 13 DocuSign Envelope ID: 8F7E0C57-CE2D-4729-ADE1-D1443DC1F599  The Civic Leader Institute has been completed and the Capstone Project will combine the municipalities in the same zip code, and the collaborative will be working with them to discuss the implementation. The leadership had requested a Tri-Jurisdictional for the municipalities within the 20743-zip code.  She appreciates the patience as she transitioned with the Staff Assistant duties and she wants to explore more possibilities to assist the mayor and council, and to ensure that the council is abreast with public hearings, and legislation, she would like to explore more of those for the elected officials.  Councilmember McCarthy requested that the Capstone Project be sent to the council. Human Resources:  Ms. Barber stated that the city had three hires and one termination in the month of March.  The operations handled new employees iPad, telephone, and e-mail address and set-up with Peake, and she continues to perform the duties. She met with the former acting city manager and the current city manager on this matter. It was recommended to have an HR Generalist to handle the operational duties.  Meeting with City Manager, Staff and LGIT on employee training Open Enrollment for the city.  Approved CBIZ retirement the council had approved $60,000 for the 401-A plan for FY22 and FY23 the funding did not get sent to the CBIZ. The council approved $115,000 for FY24. The city needs to determine where the funding will come from to be sent to the company. Public Safety:  Chief Harris highlighted 50% reduction in violent crime and concerned with petty crimes and theft with Dollar Store and CVS. They had a couple of thefts in auto and made five arrests and one person was arrested three times. They are doing a great job to identify some opportunities. They are working with Eastern Avenue Apartments with crime on the District side, and they are working with DC to address the crime in the area.  They are looking to fill the vacant NCC position, they made an offer to an experienced NCC Officer, but the offer was declined by the candidate. He has some immediate recommendations on solid waste, animals, and public storage, bulk trash needs to be cited immediately. Page 8 of 13 DocuSign Envelope ID: 8F7E0C57-CE2D-4729-ADE1-D1443DC1F599  The Ward Walks are scheduled to begin in July. They would like to go through each word twice.  He will be sending a recommendation to the City Manager to install solar panel stop signs in front of Seat Pleasant Elementary and in Ward I.  They received 2300 calls for service with a 78% increase. They are having concerns at Blue-Sky Liquors, carryout, and Capital Liquors. They want the shopping center’s owners to notify the city of a business that will be coming into the city within sixty days of a new business.  The Easter Egg hunt was planned by Park & Planning not the Police Department. It has been relayed to the Activity Center the notification of the community.  Chief Harris spoke on a panel for the State of the Community, and the food pantry events with Grace Cathedral and Shabach Ministries.  The activity center seniors are there from 10:00am-2:00pm.  Councilmember McCarthy inquired of the reduction in crime, but where are random gun shots fall, although they have received notice of any gunshot victims.  Chief Harris stated that the gun fire was coming from other side of Seat Pleasant Dr., and gun shots are classified differently, the issue is the same house by Sugar Shack, and has spoken with the commander. The city can look at annexing, as they had a shooting, and the Seat Pleasant officers are the first to respond.  Chief Harris met the person at the house on Seat Pleasant Drive that is having the parties and informed them of the restriction.  Councilmember McCarthy inquired if the city could get an MOU with the Sugar Shack?  Chief Harris stated that they had engaged them, but they were not interested in paying for the services.  Mayor Porter stated that the Annexation process will take longer, and he is meeting with HOA/Civic Association Leaders who has a lot of pull. Environmental Justice:  Mr. Barber stated that his report can be found in BoardDocs.  Mr. Barber stated that they had a lot of rainfall in March and inspection of the drains is being done daily.  Mr. Barber stated that they had issues with Pepco Power Lines, and the street signs replacement is going to be more difficult due to the signs being installed with concrete. Page 9 of 13 DocuSign Envelope ID: 8F7E0C57-CE2D-4729-ADE1-D1443DC1F599  Mr. Barber stated that the vehicles are being inspected and the fire boxes have been installed at City Hall and the EJD building.  Councilmember Higgs inquired about the tree trimming completion as some of the streets in Ward I have not been trimmed.  Mr. Barber stated that most of the tree trimming has been completed and he will inspect the trees in Ward I.  Mayor Porter inquired of the Street Sweeping program and how to improve the streets.  Mr. Barber stated that they have reported some of the street signs and it was reported to the state, and they were informed that they have until 2025 to correct the streets. City Clerk:  Mrs. Ball stated that in the month of March the city advertised for the 2024 elections and have contracted with a company to translate the documents in Spanish.  Mrs. Ball stated that the 2023 Financial Disclosures Statements were submitted to the elected officials and department managers due on April 30, 2024.  Mrs. Ball stated that the meeting minutes and legislation for the month of March can be viewed on the website that has been approved.  Mrs. Ball stated that she had begun meeting with the department managers to update the Records Retention Schedule.  Mrs. Ball stated that the meeting minutes are being transferred into the binders for the clerk’s department. Council Committee Reports 3.1. The City Council Committees did not have any meetings in the month of March. 4. CITIZEN COMMENTS 4.1. There were no citizens on the line or any written citizen comments. 5. LEGISLATION 5.1 None 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 6.1 Consideration of Consent Agenda  Mrs. Ball stated that there is a certain item that are commonly found on a consent agenda. Page 10 of 13 DocuSign Envelope ID: 8F7E0C57-CE2D-4729-ADE1-D1443DC1F599  Mrs. Ball referred to the Robert Rules of Order Consent Calendar and how items can be removed from the Consent Agenda and recommendation for the minutes.  Mrs. Ball stated that the Consent Agenda will streamline the processes and reduce the time for the meeting.  Mrs. Ball stated that any items under the consent agenda will need to be provided in advance.  Mrs. Ball demonstrated the agenda with a consent agenda and how the items are approved with one motion opposed to individually. The approval of the consent agendas items is typically approved unanimously.  Mrs. Ball stated that items can be removed from the Consent agenda with prior notice being sent to the Council President but removed during the agenda. All questions should be asked in advance for any items on the consent agenda.  Ms. Ojo stated that anything that needs to be taken out can be moved to an action item on the agenda.  Mrs. Ball explained the process to remove the items from the consent agenda and the process for correcting any items on the consent agenda.  Mrs. Ball explained the next steps if the Consent Agenda will be considered.  Mayor Porter inquired if the mayor wanted to highlight an item under his report under the consent agenda.  Ms. Ojo stated that she had seen it where the mayor’s report was not listed under the consent agenda.  Mrs. Ball stated that the mayor and Council President reports are for the constituents, and the council can decide which items will be listed on the consent agenda.  The City Council stated that the item may be considered later. 6.2 Council Committee Description Recommendation  Ms. Ojo read the proposed description for each member of the council committee.  Mrs. Ball stated that if the council agrees with the recommendation the City Code will need to be amended.  McCarthy recommended for the Finance Committee that Audits be a part of the function of the committee, as the audit is funded in the Council budget.  The City Council stated that the item may be considered later. 7. NEW BUSINESS 7. 1. Citizen Comment Response Time Consideration Page 11 of 13 DocuSign Envelope ID: 8F7E0C57-CE2D-4729-ADE1-D1443DC1F599  Councilmember Bilbro stated that when the citizens attend the meetings and ask questions, the response is still provided in writing. The complex questions can be responded to in writing.  Councilmember Love stated that some questions may not be able to be answered during the meeting. The council will need to consider what questions may be answered during the meeting.  Mayor Porter suggested changing the order of the agenda to allow the Citizen Comment to before reports.  The City Council stated that the item may be considered later. 7.2 The Learning Organization for Seat Pleasant Contract Consideration  Ms. Ojo stated that this is the first opportunity to discuss the Learning Seat Pleasant RFP and is designed to assist and find an HR Firm that can work with organizations like Seat Pleasant, and to get the city on track where it needs to be. The safety concerns for employees, and the training on the competencies, and makes the city accountable to ensure that the employee has access to the information. Design to do the full wrap around, learning. She wants a firm to conduct an audit of the HR department and see how the information flows out to the employees. The employees would have information within the first 90 days with the mandatory training, and a schedule of the classes you are required to take. They will work with each department to determine the training necessary for the department to thrive and assist with coordinating the training. There will be a portal to capture the training along with on-line training. The HR department will have a level of transparency. create a job survey, rewards program for the employees. The consultant will work closely with the City Manager and HR Manager.  The City Council stated that the item may be considered later. 7.3 Consideration for Commercial Collection Bins Ban for Seat Pleasant  Ms. Ojo stated they have been noticing the clothing donation bins in the city and they are required to have a permit and they do not. The bins are eye sore, and creating illegal dumps, and it has no purpose in the city.  The City Council stated that the item may be considered later. 8. ANNOUNCEMENTS 8.1. Public Session, Monday, April 8, 2024, Seat Pleasant City Hall- Council Chambers, 6301 Addison Rd., Seat Pleasant, MD 20743, Hybrid and by Zoom Video, at 7:00p.m. Meeting Link details will be on the city's website. Page 12 of 13 DocuSign Envelope ID: 8F7E0C57-CE2D-4729-ADE1-D1443DC1F599 8.2. Proposed Budget Hearing for Fiscal Year 2024-2025, Saturday, April 13, 2024, Seat Pleasant City Hall-Council Chambers, 6301 Addison Rd., Seat Pleasant, MD 20743, Hybrid and Zoom Video, from 10:00am-11:00am, Meeting Link details will be on the city's website. 8.3 Annual Seat Pleasant Day, Saturday, May 4, 2024, 4K Run and Dog Parade at 8:00am-11:00am, Goodwin Park Activities from 11:00am- 4:00pm 8.4 Regular Work Session, Monday, May 6, 2024, Seat Pleasant City Hall-Council Chambers, 6301 Addison Rd., Seat Pleasant, MD at 6:00p.m. Hybrid and by Zoom Video at 6:00pm. Meeting Link details will be on the city's website. 8.5 Public Session, Monday, May 13, 2024, Hybrid and by Zoom Webinar at 7:00p.m., Meeting Link details are available on the city's website, 6301 Addison Rd., Seat Pleasant, MD 9. ADJOURN 9.1 Adjourn and Logout-The meeting adjourned at 8:53p.m. Respectfully submitted, Dashaun N. Ball, MMC City Clerk Page 13 of 13