Mayor & Common Council Meetings

CITY OF WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 28, 2013 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 October 28, 2013, at 7:00 P.M. Mayor Utz; Council President Wack; Council Members Albert, Chiavacci, Frazier and Whitson; City Administrator and Acting City Clerk Wolf, Chief of Police Spaulding, Director of Recreation and Parks Gruber, Director of Public Works Glass, City Treasurer Palmer, Director of Community Planning and Development Horn, and City Attorney Levan were present. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Utz read a Proclamation declaring November 1, 2013 as Extra Mile Day. MINUTES Upon motion of Mr. Chiavacci, and seconded by Ms. Albert, the Minutes of the meeting of October 14, 2013 were approved unanimously. CONSENT CALENDAR Upon motion of Mr. Frazier and seconded by Mr. Chiavacci, the Consent Calendar consisting of the September Departmental Operating Reports and Updates on Personnel Policies were approved unanimously. REPORT FROM THE MAYOR Mayor Utz reported on a recent meeting with other Mayors from municipalities Countywide regarding Stormwater Management fees, stating that they were unable to come to a consensus on how to proceed with the matter and will need to discuss it further. The municipalities are looking to the County Commissioners for guidance on how the funds will be raised. Mayor Utz also reported on his attendance at the Fall MML Conference where he had the opportunity to discuss issues with representatives from other municipalities throughout Maryland. REPORTS FROM STANDING COMMITTEES Mr. Chiavacci reported on a recent meeting with Chief Spaulding regarding the License Plate Reader (LPR) program to develop points to measure the success of the program after the three month trial period. President Wack commented on his attendance at the 2030 workgroup on October 18th, which discussed strategic planning for future County efforts. He commended the presentation by Dave Ivan from Michigan State University. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND DISCUSSION Mr. Frazier asked for any information regarding the Pay as You Throw trash removal system to be forwarded to him for review. Mayor Utz recommended he speak to the City of Aberdeen, which has a similar program already in place. ORDINANCES & RESOLUTIONS Mr. Horn introduced Ordinance No. 821, which amends Article I, Section 164-3 Definitions and word usage, and Article X Restricted Industrial Zone, Section 164-53 Uses permitted, of the City’s Zoning Ordinance in order to add “Office, Professional, Business – non-residential” to the list of permitted uses in the Restricted Industrial (IR) zone which will allow professional and business offices to locate on property zoned Restricted Industrial (IR) without having to go through the expensive and time consuming special exception process conducted before the Board of Zoning Appeals. Dean Rasco from Ruppert Properties and attorney Isaac Menache were present to support the Ordinance. Mr. Menache explained to the Mayor and Council that the proposition is consistent with the County’s Code and is beneficial to local businesses. He also presented a letter of support from Hooper Properties, a property owner in the IR Zone at the Airpark. Mayor Utz remarked that due to the lack of industrial businesses coming to Westminster, allowing offices and other types of businesses would be a great way to draw in more businesses to Westminster. Upon motion of Ms. Albert, seconded by Mr. Chiavacci, the Introduction of Ordinance No. 821 was approved. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Ms. Palmer recommended approval of the Financial Advisor Agreement, stating that the only change in the agreement was the addition of a “do not exceed limit” clause to the cost of services. Upon motion of Mr. Chiavacci, seconded by Ms. Albert, the Financial Advisor Agreement was approved. DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS Ms. Gruber reported on her meeting with Eagle Scout Robert Coe to discuss his mile marker project at the Wakefield Valley Community Trail. She also reported on the success of the Daddy Daughter Dance on October 16 th and the Trick or Treat Trail at the Community Trail on October 26th. Ms. Gruber announced the upcoming meeting regarding the redesign of the Skate Park on November 7th and the implementation of ActiveNet at the Westminster Family Center on November 18th. Ms. Palmer reported on her opportunity to speak to the students of Academy of Finance. She also reported on her attendance to a recent GFOA conference regarding the Maryland state revenue outlook and a training session on debt capacity. Chief Spaulding reported that the LPR training will begin on November 7 th with four operators to begin on December 1st. The goal is to see how the data is being retained throughout the state and if the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center will allow use of the data without it being reported back to them. Mr. Horn recognized Barbara Sardi from the Community Planning and Development Department and Mr. Glass for expediting the process for McDonald’s to reopen on November 1st. Ms. Wolf announced the upcoming Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Business Awards Ceremony on November 7th will feature several Westminster businesses. She also announced the ADA Ramp project ribbon cutting ceremony on November 5th. Ms. Wolf reported on the initial meeting regarding the website redesign, stating that the completion time was approximately 16 weeks. She also reported on the upcoming implementation of a new system for taking meeting minutes and another system for automating employee timesheets. Ms. Wolf then reported that the City is ready to move forward with the application for the geothermal project at the Armory and solar energy project at the Street Department building. Finally, Ms. Wolf reported that the Union Street properties subreceipient grant from Habitat for Humanity was approved, and the window replacement project at the Armory was set to be completed before November 7th. Ms. Wolf then announced the VIP reception at City Hall was scheduled for December 2nd. ADJOURNMENT President Wack adjourned the meeting at 7:36pm. Respectfully Submitted, Samantha Parthree