Town Council Meetings

Town of Sykesville Dear 7547 Main Street, Sykesville, MD 21784 Town House p: 410.795.8959 f: 410.795.3818 Stacy Link, Mayor townofsykesville.org Joseph Cosentini, Town Manager Craig Weaver, Town Treasurer Kerry G. Chaney, Town Clerk OFFICIAL MINUTES OF JULY 12, 2021 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING NO. 21-11 The Council meeting of the Town of Sykesville was held on Monday, July 12, 2021. Mayor Link called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. via Zoom.us. Mayor Link led the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence. PRESENT: Mayor Stacy Link, Council President Anna Carter, and Council Members Alan Grasley, Elizabeth Guroff, Mark Dyer, Leo Keenan, and Jeremiah Schofield. STAFF: Joseph Cosentini, Town Manager Police Chief Michael Spaulding Kerry Chaney, Town Clerk Jana Antrobus, Executive Assistant Derek Shreves, Public Works Director Craig Weaver, Town Treasurer MINUTES: I. Minutes from April 13, 2020 MOTION: Council Member Grasley motioned to approve the item on the Consent Agenda with the correction that Council Member Schofield was absent. Council Member Dyer seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously with Council Member Schofield abstaining. BUSINESS: II. Public Hearing on Annexation Resolution NO. 2021-01 Joe Cosentini, Town Manager, explained that the resolution was introduced in February 2021 and went through the County process. It is back before the Council for approval. The property is located south of Oklahoma Avenue and west of Schoolhouse Road. The request consists of several parcels, most of which are already partially incorporated. The Carroll County Commissioners granted a zoning waiver for each of the partially incorporated parcels to be incorporated at their current Town zoning of R-10,000. The parcel that is fully unincorporated would be  incorporated at the Town equivalent of the County zoning, Conservation. No parcel will be split zoned. The Carroll County Planning Department reviewed the request, and their comments have been incorporated into the documents for the annexation. They made a favorable recommendation on the annexation and zoning request. The Sykesville Planning Commission also recommended approving the annexation. Council Member Schofield noted that on the plans, it should say Oklahoma Avenue instead of Oklahoma Road. MOTION: Council Member Keenan motioned to open the public hearing at 7:07 P.M. Council President Carter seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. Kelly Shaffer Miller of 73 East Main Street, Westminster, MD, and attorney for the Schoolhouse Development LLC owners provided a comment. Schoolhouse Development LLC owns the two largest parcels to be annexed. They are aware of the necessary subdivision and site plan processes if and when they decide to develop the properties. Ms. Shaffer Miller also announced the County has adopted amended water and sewer maps that will bring this property into the service area for the development of this property. There were no other public comments. MOTION: Council Member Grasley motioned to close the public hearing at 7:11 P.M. Council President Carter seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. III. Consider/Discuss/Act on Annexation Resolution NO. 2021-01 Council Member Schofield confirmed the water and sewer plans from the county. Ms. Shaffer Miller explained that the County has lines near Schoolhouse Avenue that would be used for the development. The County accounted for the use, but they have not yet updated their maps. Council Member Schofield also asked about the walking path and if it would be affected by the annexation. The developers are not certain exactly where the path is located, however if it is on the property, it would be made part of the site plan process and the developers are open to maintaining it. MOTION: Council Member Grasley motioned to approve Annexation Resolution NO. 2021-01 as presented. Council Member Schofield seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. IV. Consider/Discuss/Act on the Downtown Sykesville Connection Memorandum of Understanding  Joe Cosentini, Town Manager explained that the Town has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Downtown Sykesville Connection (DSC), and it currently has a two-year renewal agreement. The MOU presented at this meeting is a simplified version, removes the requirement that the DSC’s Executive Director makes a quarterly presentation to the Council. The DSC will provide written updates quarterly instead. The MOU term is also changed to renew automatically unless a review is requested. The funding terms remain the same. The DSC has reviewed the MOU and is in support of its adoption. MOTION: Council President Carter motioned to approve the Downtown Sykesville Connection Memorandum of Understanding as presented. Council Member Keenan seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. ANNOUNCEMENTS/REPORTS • The next meeting is August 9, 2021. This will be held via Zoom. • We have volunteer opportunities available on the Historic District Commission, SPARC, Board of Zoning Appeals, Police Auxiliary, and Crossing Guard. Email town@sykesville.net for more information about volunteering with the Town. • Mayor Link announced there is a Porch Talk at the Gate House Museum on July 18 at 2 P.M. featuring Warren Dorsey. • Staff Updates o Joe Cosentini, Town Manager, announced the Town received the easement termination and release paperwork for Warfield. The Town’s signature is required, and if we declined to sign, the easement would only be reapplied to the portion the Town owns, Carried Dorsey Park. It does not affect the Town’s ability to govern through the Historic District Commission. o BGE is set to work on the splash pad electric on Sunday, July 18. o Staff is meeting with the manufacturers of the zip line to discuss the issues with it breaking and potential fixes. o Treasurer’s Report Craig Weaver, Town Treasurer, presented the Treasurer’s Report for June 2021. He explained that this is unaudited. The audit will begin later in July. Council President Carter asked about the purchase of the police Tesla. She was concerned about the maintenance of the vehicle given the amount of police equipment it will need to run. Chief Spaulding explained that significant research was completed prior to the purchase of the vehicle. The savings from the maintenance and gas would pay for the car in two to three years, and the battery is expected to last between 300,000 and 1,000,000 miles. Historically, the Sykesville Police have not driven that far on vehicles. Council Member Grasley asked about the Bad Debt Expense line item added under the Administration budget. Mr. Weaver explained that line item is to address the interest accruing on the Warfield note. The auditors recommended adding it to the budget to write off the interest as it accrues.  There was a brief discussion about if approval of the monthly Treasurer’s Reports is needed. It was agreed to approve the auditor’s reports but not the Treasurer’s Reports. o Public Safety Report Chief Spaulding presented the Public Safety Report for the period of June 14 to July 5. There was a total of 551 reports, including 18 assist other agencies, nine community policing events, 13 foot patrols, 19 incident reports, 372 patrol checks, and 37 traffic enforcement initiatives. Chief Spaulding announced the new police recruit was hired as an entry level position and will begin the Police Academy on September 20 with graduation expected in April. Recruitment is occurring to replace the recently resigned officer and the other opening. • Council/Committee Reports o Council Member Dyer announced the County presented updates to the Planning Commission including the 2021 spring amendment to the County Water and Sewer Master Plan and Comprehensive Rezoning updates. The Stonehouse Restaurant will be submitting their proposal soon, and Fairhaven is making improvement to their entrance, which has a small portion in Town limits. o Council President Carter announced the Historic District Commission reviewed two applications at their June 22 meeting. Their next meeting is scheduled for July 27. o Council Member Keenan announced the next DSC meeting is July 19 with new board members starting. The Farmers’ Market is going strong with lots of positive feedback. The Sippin’ on Summer event is scheduled for July 31. The Let Freedom Ring Parade was a huge success, and the Town of Sykesville Parks and Recreation float was the winner. o Council Member Grasley announced the merchants held a meeting in June. Dana Alonzi, DSC President, provided a presentation on what the DSC does to assist the merchants. ADJOURN: There being no further business to come before the Council, Council Member Keenan motioned and Council President Carter seconded to adjourn meeting at 7:45 P.M. The motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted Town Clerk Kerry Chaney