REGULAR MEETING OF THE GREENBELT CITY COUNCIL
Held January 10, 2005

Mayor Davis called the meeting to order at 8:10 p.m.

ROLL CALL was answered by Councilmembers Konrad E. Herling, Leta M. Mach, Edward V.J. Putens, Rodney M. Roberts, and Mayor Judith F. Davis.

ALSO PRESENT were Michael P. McLaughlin, City Manager; John F. Shay, Jr., City Solicitor; David E. Moran, Assistant City Manager; and Kathleen Gallagher, City Clerk.

Mayor Davis asked for a moment of silence in honor of resident Vincent Gittles, former resident Thomas Pacl, Jr., former Hyattsville Mayor Mary Genevieve Prangley, and the victims of the recent Asian tsunamis. The Mayor then led the pledge of allegiance to the flag.

CONSENT AGENDA: Mayor Davis asked to remove the minutes of the regular meeting of December 13, 2004. It was then moved by Mr. Putens and seconded by Mr. Herling that the consent agenda be approved as amended. The motion passed 5-0.

Council thereby took the following actions:

MINUTES OF COUNCIL MEETINGS

- Work Session, December 8, 2004

- Interview, December 13, 2004

- Legislative Dinner, December 15, 2004

- Work Session, December 20, 2004

Approved as presented.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Advisory Committee on Education, Report #06-2004 and Public Safety Advisory Committee, Report #2004-003 (Referrals on Crosswalk Study): Council accepted these two reports and referred them to staff for review and incorporation into the study, with the understanding that if there are any significant implications for the plan already approved by Council, the study will be brought back on a future agenda.

Board of Elections, Report #05-01 (Voting Machines and Services for 2005 City Election): Council accepted this report.

Public Safety Advisory Committee, Report #2004-002 (Window Guards): Council received this report and agreed to refer it to staff for review and consider it on the agenda of a future meeting.

GREENBELT BOARD OF APPEALS RESOLUTION FOR VARIANCE NO. 04-003-V: Council adopted Board of Appeals Resolution for Variance No. 04-003-V.

APPLICATIONS FOR TRANSFER OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE LICENSES: Council agreed to take a position of “no position” on the applications and direct staff to convey that to the board.

EXTENSION OF DISABILITY LEAVE: Council approved extension of disability leave for Carmen Davino through March 31, 2005.

RESIGNATION FROM ADVISORY GROUP: Council accepted with regret the resignation of Helen Geller from the Senior Citizens Advisory Committee.

REAPPOINTMENTS TO ADVISORY GROUP: Council reappointed the following to the Senior Citizens Advisory Committee: James A. Bowles, Bunny Fitzgerald, and Leonie Penney.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Mr. Putens asked to add “Towing Bill” to the agenda as item #19. It was moved by Ms. Mach and seconded by Mr. Putens that the agenda be approved as amended. The motion carried 5-0.

PRESENTATIONS: Mayor Davis read the agenda comments. Beverly Palau, Public Information and Communications Coordinator, showed a videotape about Greenbelt that was narrated by resident Jesse Goldberg-Strassler and submitted to the Oprah Winfrey Show in the category of “great small towns to visit.” Council congratulated Ms. Palau on the excellent production, which covered all the facets of the community, and praised the performance of Mr. Goldberg-Strassler.

PETITIONS AND REQUESTS: Chris Shuman, 1-E Gardenway, updated Council on the condition of the park area near the underpass at the Mobil station. He said although there had been many improvements, there were some ongoing erosion and landscaping problems. The Mayor said the City was aware of some problems in that area and thanked him for bringing photographs. Mr. McLaughlin added that staff was aware that some of the previous work might create new problems, and he said the area would be looked at again. Regarding illegal behaviors in the vicinity of the underpass, Capt. Thomas Kemp commented that this problem receives police attention and that progress is made but that as a particular area or underpass is cleared, the individuals move on to the next underpass or location.

At the Mayor’s invitation, Peter Lomax, Boy Scout Troop 746, introduced himself and said he was present as part of his work to qualify for a merit badge for citizenship in the community.

MINUTES OF COUNCIL MEETINGS - December 13, 2004: Regarding the playground agreement, Mayor Davis asked to clarify that she, Ms. Mach, and Mr. Putens had disagreed with the position taken by Mr. Roberts that the draft agreement was unfair in not requiring incoming equipment to be compliant with current standards. It was moved by Mr. Putens and seconded by Ms. Mach that the minutes be approved with that correction. The motion passed 5-0.

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS

Mr. McLaughlin said Greenbelt New Year was once again a success. The count was somewhat down from last year, but last year’s attendance had been exceptionally high. He said the City would be providing 14 police officers to the force required for Inauguration Day on January 20. He also reported on having attended the first meeting for this year on the County Executive’s Livable Communities program and asked to receive any suggestions for projects

Ms. Mach reported on attending the Livable Communities Initiative Municipal Officials Workshop on Codes, Licenses, and Permits sponsored by the County and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, with representatives from the Department of Environmental Resources on January 5.

Mr. Herling said the Recycling & Environment Advisory Committee intends to support and will seek Council’s support on a bottle bill that has been proposed. It was not clear whether this was legislation that has already been introduced or not. He also said that Greenbelt Access Television (GATE) has decided that it wants to hold a four-day film festival at the Old Greenbelt Theatre the second weekend in November, which is the weekend following Veterans Day. Mr. McLaughlin said staff was looking into this.

Mayor Davis reported on attending: a meeting of the Community Advisory Council of the Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable on December 14; the Concert Band’s holiday concert on December 19; the County Executive’s press conference on his legislative agenda on January 5; and the dedication of the new Town Hall in La Plata on January 7. She also thanked Patti Brothers and the Recreation Department for the successful Greenbelt New Year’s and Mr. Moran for arranging the Legislative Dinner, which was attended by all Council and the City’s county and state delegation on December 15.

Mayor Davis said she and Ms. Mach wished to ask the Board of Elections to consider instituting early voting to encourage greater voter participation and make it less necessary to vote absentee. She suggested piloting this in at least one precinct. Mr. Putens suggested the model of voting by mail early rather than having to come in and use machines.

Mayor Davis also asked Councilmember Bob Catlin from College Park to introduce himself. He briefly discussed local efforts in the training of emergency response teams through the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, a federal program administered by the Prince George’s County Department of Emergency Preparedness. The program is open to all county residents. Mayor Davis suggested giving the information to the Public Safety Advisory Committee in case any of the committee members were interested.

LEGISLATION: None.

FOLLOW-UP TO PUBLIC HEARING ON INTERCOUNTY CONNECTOR: Mayor Davis read the agenda comments. She said she, Mr. Roberts, and Ms. Mach had spoken at the hearing; Mr. Putens had a work commitment. Mr. Herling said he arrived late because of attending a GATE board meeting, but he gave his impressions of the hearing and stressed that despite the feeling of inevitability attached to the project, with public support it is still possible to oppose and defeat it. He also emphasized the need for the state to make a more aggressive effort to develop a coordinated public transportation system for the region. Mayor Davis added that written comments would continue to be received until February 15, and she encouraged Mr. Herling and any interested citizens who had not spoken at the hearing to send their comments in. Mr. McLaughlin added that Delegate Gaines had suggested there might not be support in the House Appropriations Committee for commitment of 30 years’ worth of funding for this project. He suggested this might be a target or focus for comments.

COUNTY HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT: The Mayor read the agenda comments. Chief Jim Craze noted the great value of having defibrillators in police cars, since the police are usually the first responders. Mr. Putens made a motion that Council approve the grant application. Mr. Herling seconded the motion, which carried 5-0.

AWARD OF PURCHASE – POLICE DEPARTMENT VEHICLES: Mayor Davis read the agenda comments. Chief Craze said the need for the four-wheel drive vehicles was because the Police Department comes to a standstill in bad weather. Mr. McLaughlin said that the City would get these vehicles at the same cost as police cruisers. Chief Craze added that they get better mileage than the police cruisers. It was moved by Mr. Herling and seconded by Mr. Putens that Council approve the purchase of three Chevy Trailblazer SUVs from Criswell Chevrolet of Gaithersburg, at a total cost of $67,908. The motion passed 5-0.

COUNTY TOWING BILL: Mr. Putens said a report would be coming shortly from the Public Safety Advisory Committee asking for Council’s support on a towing bill to be introduced to the County Council. He moved, with a second from Mr. Herling, that Council convey its support for the bill; after some discussion, the motion was amended to say Council support for the bill was contingent upon its being essentially the same as last year’s bill (CB-096-2004). The motion passed 5-0

MEETINGS: Council reviewed the schedule of upcoming meetings. A Planning Department staff briefing for Council on Springhill Lake plans was added to the list of meetings to be scheduled, as well as stakeholder meetings with the civic associations and the County Executive.

ADJOURNMENT: A motion to adjourn was made by Ms. Mach and seconded by Mr. Herling. The motion carried 5-0. The Mayor adjourned the regular meeting of January 10, 2005, at 9:40 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathleen Gallagher

City Clerk

"I hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct report of the regular meeting of the City Council of Greenbelt, Maryland, held January 10, 2005.@

Judith F. Davis

Mayor

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