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. Kavaloski, Town Clerk OFFICIAL MINUTES OF AUGUST 22, 2022 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING NO. 22-14 The Council meeting of the Town of Sykesville was held on Monday, August 22, 2022. Mayor Link called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. in the Town House Conference Room. 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 Chief of Police Michael Spaulding Police Lieutenant Shawn Kilgore Kerry Kavaloski, Town Clerk Craig Weaver, Town Treasurer Elissa Levan, Town Attorney PUBLIC COMMENTS: There were no public comments. MINUTES: July 11, 2022 MOTION: Council Member Grasley motioned to approve the minutes from July 11, 2022 as written. Council Member Schofield seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. PRESENTATION – Crossing Guard Recognition Chief Spaulding recognized Doug Vogg and Jane Mergler for volunteering as school crossing guards. He thanked them for their time and encouraged anyone else who is interested in volunteering to contact him. NEW BUSINESS: I. Introduction of Ordinance NO. 2022-05 – Elections Joe Cosentini, Town Manager, introduced this item and explained that it will be held until the Town Charter can be updated to reflect the new nomination process. Council Member Schofield requested that ordinances be gender neutral moving forward.  Council Member Grasley asked for clarification on the number of designated agents. Mr. Cosentini explained that a designated agent is a person who is designated to pick up a mail-in ballot for another person. The 10 people allowed per designated agent was an arbitrary number designed to capture people in a household and some neighbors. Council Member Grasley expressed that he would like to see the number lower. Council Member Schofield and Mayor Link expressed that they would prefer a higher limit or no limit at all. II. Zoning Text Amendment – Signs (Chapter 180, Article XIV, Special Provisions, §180-89 Signs) Mr. Cosentini explained that this item was discussed at a previous meeting. The proposed amendment will bring the ordinance into compliance by removing restrictions based on content of the signs and will establish regulations for temporary signs. There were comments regarding protest signs and the need for zoning certificates for certain types. Elissa Levan, Town Attorney, explained that humans are allowed to be offensive, but obscene is different and can remain in the language of the ordinance. MOTION: Council Member Grasley motioned to send the Zoning Text Amendment – Signs (Chapter 180, Article XIV, Special Provisions, §180-89 Signs) to the Planning Commission for review and recommendation. Council President Carter seconded the motion. Council Member Schofield asked for more information to clarify what needs and doesn’t need a zoning certificate. Council President Carter and Mayor Link both mentioned being interested in seeing if a shorter timeframe for temporary signs would be feasible, particularly from a Historic District standpoint. The motion carried unanimously. III. Consider/Discuss/Act on Proposal for Services by the Devos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland – Apple Butter Warehouse Mr. Cosentini explained that this item came from a priority that was identified during the strategic planning session the Council held in March. The proposal is for a feasibility study for the Apple Butter Building. It has been identified as a potential art district. Council Member Grasley asked if a Request for Proposal (RFP) process was needed due to the large amount of money. Mr. Cosentini explained that professional services, such as planning and architecture, do not require an RFP process to be conducted. Council Member Guroff expressed interest in having an RFP process so as to not narrow the scope of the uses of the building. There was a discussion of what will be provided to the Town from this feasibility study. MOTION: Council Member Keenan motioned to approve the Proposal of Services by the Devos Institute of Arts Management with the total project costs not to exceed $125,000 to be paid from the Capital Grant award. Council Member Schofield seconded the motion. The motion passed 6-1 with Mayor Link, Council President Carter, and Council Members Dyer, Guroff, Keenan, and Schofield voting for the motion, and Council Member Grasley voting against the motion. IV. Consider/Discuss/Act on 2022 Paving Contract Award Mr. Cosentini explained that the 2022 paving project was put out to bid. The low bid was $7,000 less than CPE, Inc.’s bid, however due to the repair work that is necessary with this contract, staff recommends going with CPE, Inc. due to their experience in road construction. There was also a resident comment received via email regarding the company that was awarded the bid last year. MOTION: Council President Carter motioned to award the paving contract to CPE, Inc. in the amount not to exceed $150,000 and authorize the Mayor to sign all necessary documents to begin the paving projects. Council Member Keenan seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. ANNOUNCEMENTS/REPORTS • The next meeting is Monday, September 12, 2022 • We have volunteer opportunities available on the Historic District Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, and Police Auxiliary. Email town@sykesville.net for more information about volunteering with the Town. • Staff Updates o Town Manager – Livestock Ordinance Mr. Cosentini explained that currently the Town Code requires any livestock to be kept at least 200 feet from a property line for residentially zoned lots. Even if it was lowered to 50 feet, not many lots would have enough space. Mayor Link requested the number of properties that would be able to have chickens if it was lowered to 50 feet. Council Member Keenan explained that this was already discussed multiple times since the ordinance was passed, and he doesn’t believe it warrants further discussion. Mr. Cosentini also announced that a pedestrian connection will be made from the Raincliffe Community to Freedom Park during the construction at the corner of Buttercup Road and Raincliffe Road. o Treasurer’s Report Craig Weaver, Town Treasurer, presented the July 2022 Treasurer’s Report. He explained that there were several large payments, such as the Workers’ Compensation Insurance and the Liability Insurance that were paid. On the next Treasurer’s Report, $369,000 of property tax and $1,557,000 in ARPA funding will be shown as received.  o Public Safety Report Chief Spaulding presented the Public Safety Report for the period of July 4 through August 14. There was a total of 1,239 reports, including 30 assist other agencies, 23 community policing events, 79 foot patrols, 33 incident reports, 645 patrol checks, and 74 traffic enforcement initiatives. Chief Spaulding also announced that the 13th annual Junior CSI will be held on September 10, additional officers will be out in the field for the first day of school on September 6, and two academy recruits will graduate on September 2. Council Member Schofield thanked Chief Spaulding for the timely response of the Police to the Shell Station for an incident that occurred. Lieutenant Kilgore announced that he has reached out to some of his contacts regarding mental health first aid training and will report back what he finds out. • Council/Committee Reports o Council Member Dyer announced the next Cable Regulatory Commission meeting is in October. o Council Member Schofield announced the next Planning Commission meeting is September 6 at 7 P.M. o Council President Carter announced the next Historic District Commission is August 23 at 7 P.M., and they will review two applications. o Council Member Guroff announced the Parks and Recreation Commission has a movie and concert in the park on September 10. They boosted their Facebook post for their last movie and had a record attendance of over 175 people. She asked about the possibility of getting speed cameras in the area of Millard Cooper Park and Sykesville Middle School with the increased patrons of the park and the students returning to school. o Council Member Keenan announced the Downtown Sykesville Connection has a garden cleanup coming up, the Farmers’ Markets are continuing through October, the Golf Tournament and the Sippin’ on Summer events hit their funding projections, they are working on the Harvest Festival and various grants now. Governor Hogan signed a letter for the DSC to apply to be a Great American Main Street. MOTION: Council Member Grasley motioned and Council Member Dyer seconded to take a five minute recess at 8:28 P.M. The motion carried unanimously. MOTION: Council Member Keenan motioned and Council Member Schofield seconded to go back into open session at 8:36 P.M. The motion carried unanimously. CLOSED SESSION: The meeting is proposed to be closed pursuant to the General Provisions Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, Section 3-305(b): (7) to consult with counsel to obtain legal advice on a legal matter. MOTION: Mayor Link motioned and Council Member Grasley seconded to go into closed session at 8:37 P.M. The motion carried unanimously. Those in attendance were: Mayor Link, Council President Carter, Council Members Dyer, Grasley, Guroff, Keenan, and Schofield, Town Manager Joseph Cosentini, Town Clerk Kerry Kavaloski, and Town Attorney Elissa Levan. Items discussed were: • Consult with Legal Counsel – Warfield Sales Contract MOTION: Council Member Grasley motioned and Council Member Schofield seconded to go back into open session at 9:19 P.M. The motion carried unanimously. ADJOURN: There being no further business to come before the Council, Council Member Grasley motioned and Council Member Schofield seconded to adjourn meeting at 9:20 P.M. The motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted Town Clerk Kerry Kavaloski