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 NOVEMBER 13, 2023 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING NO. 23-17 The Council meeting of the Town of Sykesville was held on Monday, November 13, 2023. Mayor Link called the meeting to order at 7:03 P.M. in the Town House Council Chambers. 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 Kavaloski, Town Clerk Sergeant Padraic Lacy Craig Weaver, Town Treasurer Elissa Levan, Town Attorney PUBLIC COMMENTS: There were no public comments. CONSENT AGENDA: I. Minutes from October 23, 2023 II. Appointment of Daniel Gilbert to the Sykesville Parks and Recreation Commission for a 3-year term, ending November 2026 MOTION: Council Member Gasley motioned to approve the items on the Consent Agenda with a change of having Daniel Gilbert’s term end in June 2026. Council Member Guroff seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. NEW BUSINESS: III. Presentation – FY2023 Audit – Eva Webb, LSWG, CPA Eva Webb, LSWG, CPA, presented the draft audit for FY2023. She explained that the Town received a clean and unmodified audit opinion. She recommended spending the American Rescue Plan Act funds, and noted that when the funds are spent, a special audit will be required. ANNOUNCEMENTS/REPORTS • The next meeting is Monday, November 27, 2023 • We have volunteer opportunities available on the Historic District Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, and the Police Auxiliary. Email town@sykesville.net for more information. • Staff Updates o Town Manager Updates – Joe Cosentini ▪ Main Street has been fully paved with a top coat. The remainder of the work will occur after the holidays, and then Main Street will be repaved again. ▪ Springfield Avenue stormwater work has not yet begun. State Highway will provide updates to the Town regarding timing, and those updates will be shared. ▪ The Citizen Zoning Rewrite Committee had their first meeting. Their next meeting is scheduled for January 9. ▪ The Administrative Assistant position has been filled, and Sarah Patterson starts on Thursday, November 16. o Treasurer’s Report Craig Weaver, Town Treasurer, presented the Treasurer’s Report for October 2023. Revenues are over expenditures by about $540,000. A real estate tax payment of $589,000 was received in October. Mr. Weaver explained that the $3300 real estate tax payment was for the railroad station property. Council thanked Mr. Weaver for his work on the audit. o Public Safety Report Chief Spaulding presented the Public Safety Report for the period of October 16 through November 6, 2023. There was a total of 523 reports, including nine assist other agencies, 11 community policing, 31 foot patrols, 22 incident reports, 243 patrol checks, and 32 traffic enforcement initiatives. He explained that incident 00242 was not a hit and run, it was an injury caused by a tree branch; incident 00243 was graffiti on the soap dispenser at the Post Office; 00253 was a welfare check on a person in their car on Main Street who was intoxicated, resulting in a DUI charge; and incident 00256 was a drunken brawl but was not a domestic incident. Mayor Link asked about a community policing report of returning an empty cheeseball container to a resident. It was explained that the resident frequently drops off snacks to the Police Department, but she asks for the cheeseball containers to be returned so she can use them to store cat food. Council Member Guroff offered support to the Town officers for mental health. ▪ Presentation by Sergeant Lacy Sergeant Padraic Lacy gave a report of various crimes he has been investigating since his hiring. He explained the various  processes he goes through to attempt to identify suspects and charge them for crimes. • Council/Committee Reports o Council Member Dyer announced that he spoke with the Carroll Cable Regulatory Commission regarding internet outages during the holiday season and asked them to not have outages on Main Street as many of the merchants have online sales during the holiday season. o Council Member Schofield announced that there was a Planning Commission meeting on November 6, and the Joy property was discussed. The Planning Commission will continue the discussion at their December meeting. The current plan is to do a zoning text amendment. Joe Cosentini, Town Manager, explained that once the Planning Commission process is done, the zoning text amendment will return to the Council for a public hearing and consideration. Council Member Schofield also announced that he spoke with Pack 719 regarding civic responsibilities. He explained the different levels of government, including the fact that the President of the United States cannot tell the Town what to do. He also announced that he attended the Maryland National Guard Boss Lift event, and learned about the National Guard, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, and more. o Council Member Guroff announced that Santa’s Arrival in Sykesville is on December 2 from 3 PM to 6 PM. She also thanked the Mayor and the Town for hosting a Leadership, MD group. The class is completed, and the graduation is in December. There was a discussion in her Leadership, MD regarding mental health services, and there is a suicide prevention/crisis line nationwide. The number for that service is 988. o Council Member Grasley announced that the Historic District Commission has one application to review. Their meeting was originally scheduled for November 23, however it has been rescheduled for November 29. o Council Member Keenan announced that Trick-or-Treat on Main Street was very successful, and all candy was handed out. Craft Beer was also successful and was sold out. The Snallygaster Family Fling will be in Freedom Park with multiple different activities for runners and families. The Happy-Thon is currently working towards their $13,500 donation goal to help provide clothing, food, and presents to local families in need. Decorations are already up on Main Street to help Main Street businesses by bringing more foot traffic. A proposal was submitted to the Keep Maryland Beautiful Program regarding a composting program in Sykesville. Shop Small Passport is happening with shoppers having a chance to win a gift card. The Downtown Sykesville Connection is planning an Indian Cultural Celebration on December 2.  o Mayor Link gave a “Syke Out” to the Gate House for their Veteran’s Day celebration. The Council went into a five-minute recess at 8:44 P.M. CLOSED SESSION: The meeting is proposed to be closed pursuant to the General Provisions of the Annotated Code of Maryland, Section 3-305(b): (8) To consult with staff, consultants, or other individuals about pending and potential litigation. MOTION: Council Member Grasley motioned and Council Member Schofield seconded to go into closed session at 8:58 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: • Pending Litigation – Warfield Lawsuits – no action MOTION: Council Member Grasley motioned and Council Member Dyer seconded to go back into open session at 10:01 P.M. The motion carried unanimously. ADJOURN: There being no further business to come before the Council, Council Member Grasley motioned and Council President Carter seconded to adjourn meeting at 10:02 P.M. The motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted Town Clerk Kerry Kavaloski