Mayor & Common Council Meetings

CITY OF WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 10, 2013 QUORUM: A meeting of the Mayor and Common Council was held in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 1838 Emerald Hill Lane, Westminster, Maryland on the evening of June 10, 2013, at 7:00 P.M. Mayor Utz; Council President Wack; Council Members Albert and Frazier; City Administrator and Acting City Clerk Wolf, City Treasurer Palmer; Chief of Police Spaulding, Director of Recreation and Parks Gruber, Director of Community Planning and Development Horn; and City Attorney Levan were present. Council Members Chiavacci and Whitson, Director of Public Works Glass and Director of Housing and Preservation Services Beyard were excused from attending. Ms. Albert moved to waive the Rules of Order and Procedures to allow for Council President Wack’s vote in order to fulfill the quorum. Mr. Frazier seconded and the motion passed unanimously. MINUTES: Upon motion of Mr. Frazier, seconded by Ms. Albert and unanimously passed, the minutes of the Council meeting of May 20, 2013 were approved. CONSENT CALENDAR: Upon further explanation from Chief Spaulding on the National Capital Region Law Enforcement Exchange (NCR LInX), Mr. Frazier moved to approve the Consent Calendar, which consisted of the May 2013 Departmental Operating Report, the approval of the NCR LInX Memorandum of Understand, and the Municipal & Financial Services Group Contract – Water & Sewer Rate Model Update. Ms. Albert seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. REPORT FROM THE MAYOR: Mayor Utz reported on the success of the recent Memorial Day parade, adding that he received positive feedback from citizens that it was the best Memorial Day parade the City has had. He also reported that he recently attended the economic outlook presentation by Anirban Basu. He stated that Mr. Basu was optimistic, but cautionary and feels that economic forces, such as the housing market, will continue to push forward. Finally, Mayor Utz reported that he was on site for the unveiling of Libre, the latest addition to the sculpture park at the Westminster Library. REPORTS FROM STANDING COMMITTEES: Mr. Frazier took the opportunity to question the grounds maintenance of the Wakefield Valley Golf Course. He indicated that one section he saw looked like it was not being maintained. It was suggested that he or neighbors contact the City’s Code Enforcement Officer should the property become an issue. ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS: Ms. Wolf explained that Ordinance No. 844 is an amendment to Chapter 36 – Procurements and Contracts of the City’s Code, which would give the City authority to “piggyback” on the competitive bid process of such groups as the National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA) and would outline the circumstances under which the City can use these bidding processes. Upon motion of Ms. Albert, seconded by Mr. Frazier and unanimously passed, the introduction of Ordinance No. 844 was approved. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Former Council President Damian Halstad was presented with a certificate and plaque from the Mayor and Common Council for his years of service as President and for being an upstanding representative for the citizens of Westminster. NEW BUSINESS: Mr. Horn summarized that the original Public Works Agreements (PWA) for Meadow Creek Industrial Park (A-922) and Bolton Hill (A-1010) residential development committed the developers to a financial contribution toward undefined improvements in the MD-97 corridor. He stated that the proposed amendments incorporate a $500K defined contribution so that each of these developers will no longer be burdened by unknown costs. The financial contribution will help pay for additional lanes in each direction north of the Airport Drive and Magna Way intersection and full signalization at the Old Meadow Branch Road and (future) Arthur Peck Drive on MD 97. Mr. Horn recommended the approval of the amendments to PWA A-922 and A-1010. Upon motion of Mr. Frazier, seconded by Ms. Albert and unanimously passed, the PWA amendments passed. Ms. Palmer explained that for years the Street Department has been collecting foreign coin from the parking meters. After researching, it was found that foreign coin cannot be converted to U.S. dollars. She stated that the only place these coins are accepted is UNICEF, who uses them to fund programs throughout the world. She went on say that the only UNICEF location that accepts foreign coin is located in New York City. Mr. Palmer requested approval from the Common Council to mail the coins to the UNICEF location in New York and incur the postage expenses. Upon motion of Ms. Albert, seconded by Mr. Frazier, the recommendation to mail the foreign coin to UNICEF in New York City was approved. Dr. Wack explained that for years, the City has been looking to jumpstart the local economy by partnering with telecommunications and internet companies to develop the ability to provide broadband services to the community that are significantly faster than what is currently available. He stated that the City would most likely take on the cost of building the fiber, adding that this is the least risky part of such a network since the fiber optic cable itself does not wear out and it gives us leverage when talking to other partners who would come in and provide the services. It will allow the City to set the stage for competition which will ultimately provide citizens with better services and lower prices. Dr. Wack stated that the next step is the engineering, adding that before the City can solicit bids for construction, they have to know the specifications of what is being built. He also reported that the City would pay out of existing capital benefit assessment funds that have been set aside for these types of capital improvement projects. After further discussion, the attending members of the Common Council were in favor of moving forward to the engineering phase of these pilot projects. DEPARTMENT REPORTS: Ms. Gruber reported that they just completed their second week of ActiveNet training, which is the recreation management tool that they will be implementing to track items such as rentals, memberships, and registrations. She stated that they are excited to have this new tool as it will completely change the way they do business and the department will soon be able to be open 24/7 for registration purposes. Ms. Gruber also reported that they are preparing for the opening of summer camp, which will begin the following week. She stated there was a great turn out for registration, explaining that average attendance across the ten weeks is approximately 45 campers and the capacity is for 60 campers per week. She added that they expect to have to close registration for several of the more popular weeks. Chief Spaulding thanked the Mayor and Common Council for their support of the Torch Run. He stated that they had about 200 people involved in this year’s event, including 45 middle school students. He went on to say that he appreciated the City’s support, adding that the walk from the Carroll County Farm Museum to McDaniel College and down to City Hall was offered as a wellness event for City employees. Mr. Horn expressed his anticipation of working with Ms. Albert on the Planning and Zoning Commission. Mr. Frazier asked about the status of the expansion of the Holy Apostles Charismatic Episcopal Church on Old New Windsor Road. Mr. Horn reported that the Board of Zoning Appeals hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, June 19 th. Ms. Wolf explained that the library’s sculpture, Libre, is a depiction of a book. She went on the say that the library has planned one last sculpture, a relief on the building by artist Toby Mendez. Ms. Wolf then reported that the County has two groups working on the issue of the stormwater fee. She stated that Mr. Glass is serving on the committee that is dealing with how the fee is assessed and indicated that they have a draft report out. She added that this report does not contain dollar amounts, but a method by which the dollars will be assessed once recognized. She explained that the other committee is working on the cost aspect for all the stormwater projects that are already planned or should be planned in order to meet the requirements that are going to be imposed by MDE. Ms. Wolf went on to say that if the County does not impose a fee, each municipality will have to impose a fee. CITIZEN COMMENTS: Rebecca Orenstein of 64 Pennsylvania Avenue congratulated Dr. Wack on being voted Council President. She then requested that someone look into the mosquito issue behind her house around the Kemper Avenue area. She feels that the problem stems from the stormwater management pond. She again reported that 66 Pennsylvania Avenue continues to be, in her opinion, a nuisance. Ms. Orenstein publically thanked Sergeant Launchi for assisting her with a personal matter. Finally, she announced that the Corbit’s Charge celebration on June 29th at noon. ADJOURN: President Wack adjourned the meeting at 8:57 PM. Respectfully Submitted, Elizabeth L. Fahey