MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION/LEGISLATIVE DINNER held Thursday, March 6, 2003, at Harry Brown's Restaurant in Annapolis, for the purpose of discussing legislative issues.

Mayor Davis convened the meeting at about 7:15 p.m.

PRESENT WERE Council members Edward V. J. Putens, Rodney M. Roberts, Alan Turnbull, Thomas X. White, and Mayor Judith F. Davis.

STAFF PRESENT WERE Michael P. McLaughlin, City Manager; Robert A. Manzi, City Solicitor; David E. Moran, Assistant to the City Manager; and Kathleen Gallagher, City Clerk.

ALSO PRESENT WERE State Senator Paul Pinsky; State Delegates Anne Healey, Tawanna Gaines, and Justin Ross; and County Councilmember Douglas Peters. Delegates Healey and Ross had to leave early.

Mayor Davis welcomed the legislators and thanked them for attending. The following legislative priorities were identified and discussed:

State Issues

- Bond Bill for Addition to Springhill Lake Recreation Center

- Protection of Municipal Funding Sources

- Allowing Municipalities to Lower Speed Limits on City Streets

Regarding the bond issue, it was noted that HB 995 had been introduced. Senator Pinsky said he thought his office had cross-filed, but that, regardless, he did not anticipate any bond bills to be acted upon in the Senate. There was discussion of the serious impact on municipalities of the Governor’s proposed cuts to transportation and Program Open Space. Mayor Davis informed the delegation that the municipalities would soon become more vocal on this subject. It was noted that the State Highway Administration has said it will take care of the speed limit issue without legislation. Council credited the legislation that was introduced for this change of direction on SHA’s part and thanked the delegation for their efforts.

Joint State/County Issue

- Opposition to Inter-County Connector/Support for Inner-Beltway Purple Line

- Full Planning and Zoning Authority for Municipalities

Mayor Davis pointed out that the original request for full planning and zoning authority had been reduced to a much smaller increment in MC/PG 108. She said the delegation’s support was extremely important, and she stressed to Delegate Ross that his support as a resident of Greenbelt was absolutely essential. Delegate Ross said he agreed that a revamping of M-NCPPC was needed, and he agreed that the revised bill before the bi-county committee was more palatable than the more comprehensive one, but he still did not think giving increased authority to municipalities was a good idea.

County Issues

- Overturn of CB-40

- Restoration of County Payment of COG Membership Dues

Councilmember Peters said he believed CB-40 would die, since the Hubbard bill removes the funding, and he expects the Hubbard bill to pass. There was discussion of the uncertainty regarding what happens to projects in the early part of the pipeline if the Hubbard bill passes. It was noted that County Executive Johnson was willing to consider restoring the county contribution toward the COG membership dues.

Information Items

The following were listed: the renovation of Greenbelt Middle School; the status of the Metroland development proposal; Beltway noise barriers; and the salt dome at Kenilworth and Cherrywood. Mayor Davis told the delegation that the chair of the Board of Education had sent a letter to the City saying the planning funding for the middle school was back in the proposed budget for 2004.

Other Issues of City Interest

The following were listed: car-sharing programs; funding for the Law Enforcement Equipment Fund; upgrading police communications systems and making them operable between agencies; banning items used as drug paraphernalia; and support for natural gas fast-fill fueling stations. Senator Pinsky said he needed additional cost data from the City very soon in order to continue pursuing the fast-fill stations since this item would require new funding.

Maryland Municipal League Legislative Program

The following were listed: Election 2002-Building State Government Relationships; Protecting Municipal Resources; and Hometown Safety and Security (including speed radar).

New Issues

The following were listed: Magnet School Funding and HB 142 (fee to be levied on rental vehicles). Mr. McLaughlin said the problem with the magnet school and TAG program funding was that the state is considering it as being part of the Thornton funding. With regard to HB 142, it was explained why programs for shared use of vehicles (e.g., car-share programs such as Zipcar) should be exempt from this fee on vehicle rentals.

The legislators thanked the City for its hospitality, and Council thanked them for coming.

The meeting was adjourned at about 8:25 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathleen Gallagher
City Clerk

City of Greenbelt, Maryland
City Offices, 25 Crescent Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770
Phone: 301-474-8000 FAX: 301-441-8248