Dear Neighbors:
This blog includes information on recent and upcoming City Council meetings as well as some announcements related to the Coronavirus pandemic. The Takoma Park Covid-19 response webpage is continually being updated: https://takomaparkmd.gov/initiatives/project-directory/information-and-resources-covid-19/
There will be two City Council meetings this week: on Monday night at 7:30 PM, when we’ll have another in the series of special April work sessions on the budget, and then a regular Council meeting on Wednesday at 7:30 PM. The budget session will focus on capital projects as well as ideas for changes and amendments to the City Manager’s proposed budget (the process of making such changes is known as “reconciliation”).
Here’s a link to the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting: https://takomaparkmd.gov/meeting_agendas/city-council-meeting-agenda-wednesday-april-22-2020/. The agenda includes a presentation from the Council Compensation Task Force, and a work session on the stormwater fee structure. Both are discussed in more detail below.
CITY BUDGET AND PROPERTY TAX RATE
There’s information on the proposed budget, including the budget document itself, plus the schedule for Council consideration of the budget and property tax rate, here: https://takomaparkmd.gov/meeting_agendas/city-managers-budget-presentation-monday-april-6-2020/. There will be public hearings on the property tax rate and on the budget at the April 29 Council meeting. Residents are also welcome to make public comments or submit written statements at any of our regular Wednesday meetings (the Monday budget sessions don’t have public comment periods). We’ll be working on the budget into the middle of May.
In addition, I encourage residents to contact me directly with comments or questions on the budget. For those who have already sent emails to me and haven’t heard back yet, I’ll be responding soon. I was pleased that around 20 Ward One residents participated in the virtual community discussion I hosted on Thursday night on the budget and other topics. Though there were a few technical glitches, I think overall it went well. I plan on doing more virtual meetings, which I’ll announce when the details are firmed up.
There are a lot of factors for us to consider on the budget and property tax rate, and I can’t predict at this point what the Council will decide to do. I’m opposed to the property tax increase included in the proposed budget put forward by the City Manager. And while I can’t speak for my colleagues, I think there’s little chance the Council would end up supporting it.
As stated in my April 13 blog (http://www.councilmemberkovar.com/blog/2020/4/13/april-13-more-thoughts-on-the-budget-property-tax-amp-the-library), my starting point is to see what keeping the current tax rate would mean in terms of our ability to continue providing key City services and targeting funds toward residents or small businesses facing financial challenges because of the Coronavirus. My sense is we’ll want to inject more flexibility than usual into the budget to enable us to shift funding to other purposes over the course of the coming fiscal year. That way we can adjust spending when we have a clearer idea of the virus’s impact on the economy and on funding we receive from the State and County. I’m hopeful we’ll be able to structure the budget in that way without any tax rate increase (we’ve cut the tax rate in three of the last four years). I’ll be working for that goal in the coming weeks.
UPDATE ON LAST WEEK’S COUNCIL MEETING
There were a number of excellent public comments (both delivered live and submitted in written form) about the budget, the Library project and other issues. I was impressed that so many residents took the time to participate and to be engaged in the municipal decision-making process in a period when some of the usual communication methods are impossible or more difficult.
Library Project. We approved the next round of funding for design work on the Library project by a 7 - 0 vote. We also added an amendment strengthening our call for the architect to give us options in the design that could produce lower construction costs. You can see video of my remarks from the Council discussion on this project through the following link, if you scroll ahead to the 2:02 mark in the sublink for the April 15 meeting: https://takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/meetings-and-documents/city-council-video/. You can see my written comments on the Library in the April 13 blog mentioned above.
Recreation Department Van Purchase. The Council voted 4 - 3 not to go forward with the van purchase, though it will no doubt be revisited at some point in the future. I voted against the purchase.
Resolution on Quasi-Judicial Actions. We adopted a resolution postponing quasi-judicial proceedings and decisions (from our Tree Commission, Commission on Landlord-Tenant Affairs, and the Noise Control Board) during the pendency of the State Coronavirus emergency declaration. This step was taken because decisions by those three bodies can be challenged in the Maryland judicial system, and it was our City Attorney’s recommendation that if the City didn’t have in-person proceedings, State courts would be more likely to rule that we hadn’t followed appropriate procedures. Under the terms of the resolution, the three bodies would be allowed to meet virtually to discuss policies related to their missions, but not to take official actions. The only exceptions would be for emergencies relating to public health, safety, or welfare. All other proceedings are postponed until after the emergency order is lifted.
City Manager Comments. You can see the comments made by the City Manager in the April 15 Council meeting, plus her comments from past meetings, and also a listing of the actions she has taken under the emergency pandemic powers she was granted by the Council via this link: https://takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-manager/
APRIL 22 COUNCIL MEETING
Council Compensation Task Force Presentation:
https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20200422-1.pdf
Every four years, the Council appoints a task force to review Councilmembers’ compensation. Along with several of my colleagues, I urged this year that the task force consider the extent to which the current part-time compensation level is a barrier to low and moderate income residents being able to consider running for City Council. Based on their review of that topic, the task force has recommended slightly more than a doubling of the current Council salaries.
I appreciate all the work the task force members put into the analysis and recommendations. In my view, though -- with the financial pressures we’re confronting due to the Coronavirus -- this is not the time to contemplate changes of this sort. It’s an important subject that should be considered when we can ensure a more robust public discussion, and when we have a more certain financial picture for the City. So I hope we’ll be able to return to this issue in the future, but it don’t think we should be looking at a Councilmember salary increase this year.
Stormwater Fee Structure. The agenda material was not available at press time. However, this topic was most recently considered in February of this year, so here’s an excerpt from my February 26 blog on the subject, which provides relevant details:
“https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20200219-1.pdf The new stormwater data enables the City for the first time to measure the impervious area in each single family property. That in turn allows for a more fine grained calculation of the extent to which each property contributes to our stormwater flow (we’re required by the State to move toward treating the flow from at least 20 percent of the impervious area City-wide). Based on this new data, City staff proposes a tiered approach in which homeowners with greater amounts of impervious areas would pay correspondingly higher stormwater fees. You can see how your property would be affected via the map accessible through the link above.
“I agree that a tiered approach is more fair, but if we go in that direction we need to ensure first that there’s a good system for residents who wish to challenge their fees because for example their driveway is composed of porous material or their stormwater is being treated in some other way not captured through the Lidar and GIS data collection process. In addition, I think there should be some type of phase-in for the larger fee increases. And finally, I’d like to explore whether we can develop some change in the way at least a portion of our stormwater funds are used so that those who pay substantially higher fees receive some benefit from that.”
This is a complex area, and in part because of the Coronavirus emergency, we haven’t had the opportunity to fully explore potential options on how best to proceed. My preference at this point is to keep the current flat fee structure for the coming year, and consider potential changes for the following year.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Update on Former Washington Adventist Hospital for Covid-19 Treatment. Governor Hogan announced yesterday that as part of the State’s hospital surge efforts (which aim to increase capacity by 6,000 beds) the WAH site will be converted in partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers into a facility to serve COVID-19 patients. Previous plans had called for the facility to be used for patients who didn’t have the virus. We should have further information on the schedule, safety protocols and other aspects of this change in the near future. You can see yesterday’s announcement by the Governor on this and other Coronavirus topics here: https://governor.maryland.gov/2020/04/15/governor-hogan-plans-gradual-rollout-of-recovery-phase-amid-very-real-reasons-for-hope-and-optimism/
State Unemployment Insurance Hiring. The Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Unemployment Insurance announced this past week it’s accepting applications from qualified candidates for Unemployment Insurance Professional positions. This recruitment will be used to fill current and future vacancies. All candidates must meet the minimum and selective qualifications during the time they apply. The resulting eligible list will be maintained for one year after the closing date of the announcement. I believe they are looking for over 100 people. More information here: https://www.jobapscloud.com/MD/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1=20&R2=001150&R3=0001
County Updates on Multi-Family Coronavirus Guidance. The City has continued to press for more specificity on guidelines for apartment building landlords and tenants. Here’s a link to the latest updates: https://montgomerycountymd.gov/DHCA/dhca_cares.html#Information%20for%20landlords
County Small Business Coronavirus Emergency Grants. The County Council has appropriated $20 million for emergency grants to small businesses. The application went live on April 15: https://montgomerycountymd.gov/biz-resources/pheg/.
Reforest Montgomery: https://montgomeryplanning.org/montgomery-planning-invites-residents-to-participate-in-its-reforest-montgomery-initiative/. The County Planning Department is launching its Reforest Montgomery Initiative that aims to plant trees throughout Montgomery County. The program -- supported by the County’s Forest Conservation Fund -- was developed to coordinate reforestation programs for parkland and the Agricultural Reserve. It also offers property owners a variety of incentives to plant trees on their properties such as free shade trees for urban areas and discounts on native trees.
Please feel free to be in touch with me if you have questions or comments about any of the matters discussed above.
Peter Kovar, Takoma Park City Council, Ward One
240-319-6281; www.councilmemberkovar.com
(He, Him, His)
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