City Council

CITY OF TAKOMA PARK, MARYLAND CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2023 MINUTES CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Searcy, Councilmember Fulcher, Councilmember Dyballa, Councilmember Gibson, Councilmember Seamens, Councilmember Honzak, Councilmember Small Also Present: City Manager Fox, Acting Deputy City Managers Gregory Clark and Rosalind Grigsby, Public Works Director Braithwaite, Human Resources Manager Cannon, City Clerk Carpenter Mayor Searcy called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM in the Auditorium of the Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Avenue. She noted that the City Council met in administrative function session earlier in the evening to discuss direct report staff. CHANGES TO THE AGENDA / AGENDA SCHEDULING UPDATE Ms. Searcy provided an update on future agendas. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE Ms. Ciekot informed the Council that the library funding was moving forward in the process and that the Council would hear of a decision by the end of March. Ms. Ciekot updated the City Council on other Maryland General Assembly legislative matters. PUBLIC COMMENTS Bob Anderson, Ward 3, commented on the replacement of the New Hampshire Avenue Recreation Center roof. He asked why it was being replaced if the center was going to be renovated. Byrne Kelly said that he requested a second opinion on the stormwater management plan for Circle Woods. He said that water was being added to an area in the 100-year flood plain. Mr. Kelly stated that the City was not following protocol and that it was in violation of some federal regulations. He requested a peer review from an independent engineer on the engineering that involved projects that deposit water into Circle Woods. Page 1 of 4 Mary Muchui, Boyd Avenue, requested assistance for her autistic son. She said that she received the one thousand dollars from the Direct Cash Assistance Program. She felt that the direct cash was just a band aid. Bob Anderson, Ward 3, requested Council to direct staff to provide a simple chart for the past five years that indicated the beginning fund balance, total expenditures, and remaining fund balance. COUNCIL COMMENTS Mr. Small commented on public forums attended. He said that it was important to understand that the purpose of public meetings was to ask questions and to be heard. He reported on his testimony regarding the restrictive covenant legislation. Mr. Gibson thanked the residents for their comments. He said that a proper response to some of the requests made during public comment would be appropriate. Ms. Honzak thanked the residents for their comments. She commented on the Md. Transit Authority Community Advisory team meetings. She said it was something that the community should be paying attention to since the Purple Line is once again moving forward and rapidly. Ms. Honzak said that she started a newsletter in her ward and started handing them out. She asked residents to email her with ideas on how to improve communication. Ms. Dyablla commented on the LIDC stormwater study, noted the upcoming Mid-Winter Play Day, and announced that Habitat for Humanity is accepting applications for the one-half of the duplex on Garland Avenue. Ms. Searcy announced upcoming meetings she would attend. She said that she and other councilmembers received complaints about issues with mail delivery. She said that they were working to identify the issue and to find a solution to rectify the problem. She thanked residents for their comments. CITY MANAGER COMMENTS Mr. Fox announced that the new ARPA Manager will be on board Monday. ADOPTION OF MINUTES: The adoption of minutes was deferred to the next meeting. VOTING SESSION 1. First Reading Ordinance Approving FY 2023 Budget Amendment No. 5. Page 2 of 4 Mr. Fox stated that there was no new information except that the environmental and the equity considerations were updated per the direction of Council. Mr. Small moved the first reading ordinance approving FY2023 Budget Amendment No. 5. Mr. Gibson seconded the motion. Mr. Small recommended a simple single page document containing the most important budget figures. Ms. Dyballa proposed an amendment to transfer $25,000 from the tree fund to the urban forest program services and contract. Seconded by Mr. Gibson. Ms. Honzak proposed a friendly amendment to raise the proposed amount of $25,000 to $28,000. Mr. Gibson requested a map containing the location of planted trees in the Urban Forest Manager report. Ms. Dyballa requested information on the cost differential between the promotions relative to the vacancy positions. She asked about the spending on the acting positions and how were they accounted for in the budget. Mr. Fox replied that only the vacancy savings were included. Ms. Searcy stated that the pay differential between what the existing employee’s salary was and the new increased salary for the temporary acting position was be subtracted from the vacancy savings. She said that the acting positions were not budgeted for. She stated that there was not an accurate accounting for the positions. Ms. Searcy asked that the all the budget amendments for FY23 be posted online has it was done in the past. She requested to have added a table to the budget amendment showing the cumulative impact on the budget by the budget amendments. Mr. Small stated that he did not see the numbers line up in the budget amendment. He said he did not feel comfortable voting on the budget amendment ordinance and recommended tabling the vote until the budget information was clear. Mr. Small moved to table the vote on the Budget Amendment No. 5. Mr. Seamens seconded the motion. (VOTING FOR: Searcy, Fulcher, Dyballa, Gibson, Seamens, Honzak, Small.) Ms. Searcy stated that the vote on the FY23 Stormwater Management Budget Amendment No. 2 would be delayed per the prior action. COUNCIL VOTE TO CONVENE AS THE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT BOARD Page 3 of 4 2. First Reading Ordinance Approving FY 2023 Stormwater Management Budget Amendment No. 2 PRESENTATION 3. Stormwater Management Program Overview Ms. Braithwaite gave a presentation on the Stormwater Management Program. (Presentation attached.) WORK SESSION 4. Procurement – Replacement Roof for the Recreation Center Ms. Braithwaite explained that the New Hampshire Avenue Recreation Center roof was patched repeatedly. She that the roof must be replaced to continue to use the facility. Councilmembers asked questions regarding the cost and the need for the replacement. Ms. Fulcher requested to make changes to the environmental impact statement. Ms. Searcy stated that a modification can be made when the items returns to Council for a vote. Ms. Searcy said she was in full support of moving forward with the contract. ADJOURNMENT The City Council adjourned for the evening at 11:04 p.m. Minutes adopted May 24, 2023. Page 4 of 4