Dear Neighbors:
In addition to our regular City Council meeting this week, there is also a special session at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, July 13, at which the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force will present its recommendations. You can see more about that session and their recommendations via this link: https://takomaparkmd.gov/meeting_agendas/city-council-special-meeting-tuesday-july-13-2021/.
Meanwhile, here’s the link to the agenda for the regular Council meeting on July 14: https://takomaparkmd.gov/meeting_agendas/city-council-meeting-agenda-wednesday-july-14-2021/. It starts with a presentation at 6:00 PM from Montgomery Housing Partnership on the Hillwood Manor project. Then the regular meeting begins at 7:30 PM. There’s one vote: on a contract for a re-districting consultant. In our work session, we’ll continue our discussion from last week on proposed amendments to the City’s Purchasing Code, and there will also be discussions on a Garland Avenue subdivision; our State legislative priorities for next year’s session in Annapolis; a budget amendment; and a compensation agreement for City staff who are in Local 400 as well as staff who aren’t covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement. For details on the agenda items see below.
Sign-up for public comments is open until 5:00 PM on Wednesday: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7jg8PotzSRq_GCMzvpAu7g. You can view the meeting on City TV (RCN – 13, HD 1060; Comcast/xfinity – 13, HD 997; Verizon Fios – 28); on the City Council Video Page of the City Website; on YouTube; or on Facebook.
COVID UPDATE
The City’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard has yet to be updated since the July 1 update: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=42a594afc3ad4c59ba7b1ca9965b7837. More current data will be added soon. Meanwhile, for County vaccines use this site: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/vaccine/. You can also register at the State Vaccine Website, which has details on where to get vaccinated without an appointment. For testing options see the Montgomery County Testing Sites.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Office Hours, Wednesday July 14, Noon - 2:00 PM: I’ll be in the public area of the Laurel Ave. Streetery to meet with residents. No appointments necessary and all topics are welcome.
Coffee With a Cop, Thursday, July 15, 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM: Drop by to mingle informally with representatives of Takoma Park’s Police Department at Takoma Bevco, 6917 Laurel Ave.
UPDATE FROM LAST WEEK’S COUNCIL MEETING
Vote on New Hampshire Avenue Development Grant Application. https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210707-1-rev2.pdf. The Council voted 6 - 0, with one abstention, to go forward with this grant application. I voted yes.
Vote on Minor Master Plan Boundaries. https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20120707-2.pdf. The Council voted 7 - 0 in favor of a resolution expressing our support of the proposed boundaries to the County Planning Board, with recommendations that the Board include within the plan boundary the commercial center at Erie and Flower Avenues, as well as the City’s Public Works Department complex. In addition we called for enhanced public engagement as the Minor Master Plan process unfolds in the coming months. You can see the proposed boundaries here: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/Documents/Boundaries-for-the-Minor-Master-Plan-Presentation.pdf.
Election Options. https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210707-3.pdf. The Council heard last week from the Board of Elections, which recommended a vote by mail system in the 2022 local elections. You can read about the options the Board considered and why they recommend vote by mail in the report attached to the agenda material above. While I have some regrets about moving away from in-person voting -- given the loss of person-to-person discussions at voting locations on Election Day -- I agree that vote by mail is probably the best option on balance. You can see the Board’s presentation and the Council discussion starting at the 2:14:30 mark here: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210707-3.pdf
Potential Council-Appointed Committee Changes. The Council has held a series of discussions over the last several months, led by a working group composed of Councilmembers Dyballa, Kostiuk and Searcy, on potential changes to our Council-appointed committees, boards and commissions, with the goal of having them operate more effectively and better reflect the diversity of our City. This past week’s discussion was focused on options for comunity engagement aimed at more diverse committee membership. As part of that effort, we tentatively agreed to provide modest stipends to committee members. You can view the working group’s presentation and the Council discussion starting at the 3:02 mark here: https://takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/meetings-and-documents/city-council-video/
In addition to proposing a number of steps such as standardizing membership numbers and procedures and establishing term limits, the working group has also recommended retaining, phasing out or modifying the existing panels. This is something we will be voting on before long, so I encourage residents to consider the proposals and let me know your views. You can see the recommendations in the above presentation. Here’s a summary of the working group proposal:
Retaining the following committees: Board of Elections; Commission on Landlord-Tenant Affairs; Ethics Commission; Police Pension Board; Tree Commission; Arts and Humanities Commission; Emergency Preparedness Committee; Grants Review Committee; Recreation Committee (perhaps with a new name); and the Youth Council.
Dissolving or phasing out these committees: Personnel Appeals Commission; Façade Advisory Board; Commemoration Commission; and the Nuclear Free Committee.
Changing the focus of these committees: Noise Control Board (giving it a new focus tied to reform of our code enforcement process and the Reimagining Public Safety work); Committee on the Environment (connecting the committee’s work more directly to our sustainability efforts); and the Complete Safe Streets Committee (enhancing the focus on pedestrian safety).
I think a lot of these changes make sense, but my preference on the Nuclear Free Committee, rather than phasing it out, would be to shift its focus to researching best practices to move the City to a sustainable banking structure, without nuclear weapons or fossil fuel investments.
VOTING SESSION
Redistricting Contract Resolution: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210714-2.pdf. With updated Census Bureau data available in the fall, the Council will be reviewing current Ward boundaries and determining whether any changes are necessary. Following an RFP solicitation, City staff recommended we hire FLO Analytics to assist the City in considering potential changes to the boundaries, and we’ll be considering a resolution authorizing a contract with them. I’m reviewing that recommendation.
WORK SESSION
Garland Avenue Subdivision: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210714-3.pdf
The City previously approved funding for this partnership with Habitat for Humanity, aimed at creating two affordable housing units at 7402 Garland Avenue. Since the project would involve a sub-division of the existing lot, the County Planning Board has to approve it, and the Council has the option of passing a resolution expressing our position on the planned changes. I support the project, so I think adopting the resolution is a good idea.
State Legislative Priorities: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210714-4.pdf. Each summer Takoma Park -- along with other Maryland cities and towns -- can recommend to the Maryland Municipal League up to three legislative proposals or initiatives which we would like MML to designate as priorities for the next legislative session in Annapolis. The recommendations to MML are due by July 30, and later in the year the organization will formally select its priorities. The City is free to advocate on its own for other priorities as well. The above information includes a listing of the City’s recommendations in recent years and MML’s ultimate choices.
Among the priorities I’d like us to consider recommending are affordable housing/protection of renters, climate change legislation, giving municipalities more flexibility in raising revenue, and strengthening local control over cell tower placement. I’ve urged several times in the past for us to include more local control over utility work within our borders, and MML has previously identified that issue as a priority. But here has never been significant movement on the issue in Annapolis, and I’m reluctant to suggest if again, given that track record. I’d love to hear residents’ thoughts on issues for us to consider including in our list.
Purchasing Code Amendments: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210714-5.pdf. The Council began discussing a series of changes to our existing purchasing code, which has seen only minimal changes since the year 2000. We’ll be continuing those discussions this week, with a vote on potential changes likely to take place later this month. Among the key changes we’ll be considering are proposals to increase the purchase amounts above which Council approval and/or senior staff sign-off would be required, as well as incorporating social equity factors as considerations for procurement specifications.
The proposed amendments would raise from $5,000 or $10,000 to $50,000 the purchase amount that would trigger a Council vote, with the City Manager required to sign off on purchases above $30,000. I agree the amount should be increased, but I’m not convinced it should go as high as $50,000. Setting the amount for Council approval at $30,000 would be more in line with where other communities of around our size in the region have set their thresholds. I’ll be looking more closely at the data here in the City in the lead-up to the vote. I’d add that a possible trade-off on having a higher threshold would be more frequent reporting to the Council on purchases. Separately, I agree on incorporating social equity into our purchasing procedures. But I’d like to explore strengthening the current proposals to make the inclusion of social equity more automatic, and explicitly adding racial equity.
You can see the staff presentation and the Council discussion from last week’s meeting on the proposed purchasing code changes starting at the 3:30 mark in this link: https://takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/meetings-and-documents/city-council-video/
Budget Amendment: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210714-6r.pdf. The City periodically makes adjustments to the annual budget to take into account delays in program expenditures and other financial changes, sometimes due to staff departures, slowdowns in funds from other levels of government, contractor complications, etc. This year, the pandemic also played a role. There are often a number of budget changes after the end of the fiscal year on June 30, which carry over the relevant funds to the next fiscal year. That’s the case for the bulk of the items in this budget amendment. We’ll have a more significant amendment in the fall, once we’re in receipt of the funds from the Federal ARPA legislation for COVID relief and related actions.
Discussion of Local 400 Agreement and Wages of Non-Union Staff: Background information was not available as of blog-post time.
Please be in touch with questions or comments about any of the topics covered in this blog.
Peter Kovar, Takoma Park City Council, Ward One
240-319-6281; www.councilmemberkovar.com
(He, Him, His)
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