REGULAR MEETING OF THE GREENBELT CITY COUNCIL
held August 14, 2006.

Mayor Davis called the meeting to order at 8:03 p.m.

ROLL CALL was answered by Councilmembers Konrad E. Herling, Leta M. Mach, Rodney M. Roberts, and Mayor Judith F. Davis. Councilmember Edward V. J. Putens arrived at 8:08.

ALSO PRESENT were Michael P. McLaughlin, City Manager; Robert A. Manzi, City Solicitor; David E. Moran, Assistant City Manager; and Kathleen Gallagher, City Clerk.

Mayor Davis asked that everyone observe a moment of silence in honor of resident Basil Charles Pavlish and former residents Ottilie Van Allen and Avis King. She then led the pledge of allegiance to the flag.

CONSENT AGENDA: Mayor Davis asked to remove the minutes of July 31 work session. It was moved by Mr. Herling and seconded by Ms. Mach that the consent agenda be approved as amended. The motion passed 4-0.

Council thereby took the following actions:

MINUTES OF COUNCIL MEETINGS

- Regular Meeting, July 10, 2006
- Work Session, July 12, 2006
- Work Session, July 17, 2006
- Work Session, July 24, 2006
Approved as presented.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA: It was moved by Ms. Mach and seconded by Mr. Herling that the agenda be approved as presented. The motion passed 4-0.

PRESENTATIONS

Introduction of Animal Control Officer: Celia Craze, Director, Planning and Community Development, introduced Allan Corman, the new animal control officer, to the City Council. Mr. Corman, who previously worked for Prince George’s County, was welcomed by Council.

Report on CALEA Panel Review: Mayor Davis introduced Chief James Craze for a report on the status of the Police Department’s accreditation review by the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). She said that last week, as one of the last steps in the process, the department was evaluated by a CALEA on-site assessment team. Chief Craze said the department had a good week, since they also learned that MPO Scott Kaiser had been named Officer of the Year by the Maryland Chiefs of Police. He thanked both Council and the community for all the support the department received, which he believed enabled them to move much more quickly through the accreditation process than many other jurisdictions have. He credited Sgt. Carl Schinner with accomplishing much of the work. Sgt. Schinner thanked Mr. Roberts and Mr. McLaughlin for participating in the site visit, and Mayor Davis thanked the citizens for coming out to support the department at the public hearing.

PETITIONS AND REQUESTS: None.

MINUTES OF COUNCIL MEETINGS

Work Session, July 31, 2006: Mayor Davis asked to have the minutes reflect that she had been out of town at the time of the meeting. With that addition, Mr. Herling moved and Mr. Putens seconded approval of the minutes as amended. The motion passed 5-0.

Executive Session, July 10, 2006: Mr. Roberts moved that the minutes of the executive session of the City Council held Monday, July 10, 2006, be approved as presented. He further requested that the minutes of this meeting reflect that the Council met in executive session at 10:15 p.m. in the Library of the Municipal Building. Council held this closed meeting in accordance with Section 10-508 (a)(7) of the State Government Article of the Annotated Code of Public General Laws of Maryland to consult with counsel on legal matters related to action taken by the District Council on the conceptual site plan for the north core of Greenbelt Station. Mr. Putens seconded the motion.

ROLL CALL: Mr. Herling - yes
Ms. Mach - yes
Mr. Putens - yes
Mr. Roberts - yes
Mayor Davis - yes

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS: The following items and events were mentioned:

Mr. McLaughlin: State Highway Administration approval of a traffic light at Greenbelt Road and Frankfort Drive; initiation of work on the skateboard park; approval of funding by the Board of Public Works for Phase II of the Community Center windows project; confirmation that the newly annexed South Core of Greenbelt Station will have the 20770 Greenbelt zip code; and scheduling of the opening of the new post office at 1 p.m. on August 27. Mr. McLaughlin said the postal service had asked for permission to use the City logo on an announcement and the design from the City flag on a hand-cancellation. Mr. Putens moved and Ms. Mach seconded that this request be added to the agenda as item #17. The motion passed 5-0.

Mr. Putens: swearing-in of resident Silke Pope as a U.S. citizen; a county towing task force public hearing.

Ms. Mach: Artful Afternoon; a COG Air Quality Committee meeting.

Mr. Herling: the Washington Area Housing Partnership (WAHP) presentation on affordable housing; a Friends of Roosevelt Center meeting; the international cultural festival planned for November 4.

Mayor Davis: a statewide emergency preparedness meeting in Laurel; a planning meeting for the WAHP presentation; the 30th anniversary celebration of Three Brothers in Beltway Plaza; appointment of David Moran to the ICMA Government Affairs and Policy Committee.

LEGISLATION

A Resolution to Authorize the Negotiated Purchase of Certain Goods and Services from Various Vendors as Enumerated Herein When Total Fiscal Year Purchases from Each Vendor Exceed Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000)

Mayor Davis read the agenda comments. Mr. Putens introduced the resolution for second reading and moved that it be adopted. Mr. Herling seconded the motion.

ROLL CALL:

Mr. Herling - yes
Ms. Mach - yes
Mr. Putens - yes
Mr. Roberts - yes
Mayor Davis - yes

The resolution was declared adopted (Resolution No. 1008, Book 8).

An Ordinance to Make a Supplemental Appropriation in the General Fund for Fiscal Year 2007 by Increasing the Transfer to the Capital Projects Fund in the Amount of One Hundred Fifty-One Thousand Dollars ($151,000)

The Mayor read the agenda comments. Mr. Roberts introduced the ordinance for first reading.

An Ordinance to Amend the Capital Projects Budget for Fiscal Year 2007

The Mayor read the agenda comments and noted that some of the additional funding available for capital projects resulted from restoration by the state of highway user funds. Mr. Putens introduced the ordinance for first reading. Council directed staff to place a public hearing on the next agenda, preceding the second reading of the ordinance.

AWARD OF PURCHASE – ASPHALT ROLLER: Mayor Davis read the agenda comments. Mr. Putens moved that Council approve the purchase of an Ingersoll-Rand DD-16 asphalt roller from Washington Air Compressor Company of the District at a cost of $24,900, per a Town of Vienna bid. Ms. Mach seconded the motion. There was brief discussion of how much money had been saved and of the benefits of taking advantage of other jurisdictions’ bids. The motion carried 5-0.

COUNCIL VOTING PROCEDURES – QUORUM: The Mayor read the agenda comments. She asked Mr. Manzi if there were a way for a motion lost on a 2-1 vote to be reconsidered by the full Council at the next meeting. He said, pending what changes Council would decide to make, it could not be reconsidered by motion of anyone who voted for it. He said the better strategy would be for the Councilmembers present at the first meeting to remove it from the agenda, table it or postpone it.

Ms. Mach said she would favor allowing a majority of those present to vote to: take actions reaffirming positions previously agreed upon by a majority of the full Council; refer natters to staff or advisory groups for research or opinion; and approve such matters as the use of facilities and the use of the City logo. Mr. Putens suggested characterizing such matters as “administrative” and allowing a majority of those present to take those actions. Ms. Mach and Mayor Davis agreed that “administrative” would characterize what was meant. Mr. Manzi suggested using that terminology in the City Charter and then providing further detail on what this Council would include in that definition in its Standing Rules. It was agreed that planning and zoning matters were not administrative and would require approval of a majority of the full Council. Mr. Putens proposed that an item like the one on tonight’s agenda to approve the purchase of an asphalt roller could be considered administrative since it is confirmation of an expenditure previously agreed upon in the City budget, involves no new funding, and does not exceed the amount previously approved. In subsequent discussion, this was generally agreed to.

Mr. Roberts said he thought the matter to be clearly stated already in the City Charter. He opposed making any changes. Mayor Davis said that the language proposed by staff as alternative #3 essentially clarified the existing language without making any change. Mr. Roberts said he thought it was clear enough as it was. Mr. Herling said he would agree with allowing a majority of those present to approve matters that reaffirmed previously agreed-to policies or decisions but did not break significant new ground. In response to Mr. Roberts, Mayor Davis commented that historically the Greenbelt City Council had almost always dealt courteously and cooperatively with one another when there was a question of members having to miss votes but that it could not be assumed that this would always prevail. Ms. Mach added that a problem had been identified and that in her view it was now Council’s responsibility to fix it. There was general agreement among four Councilmembers in directing staff to modify the language in alternative #3 for the text to amend the City Charter.

POLICY AMENDMENTS TO THE NATIONAL MUNICIPAL POLICY: The Mayor read the agenda comments. Council agree not to propose any amendments to the policy this year.

APPROVAL OF USE OF CITY LOGO AND FLAG DESIGN: It was moved by Mr. Putens and seconded by Ms. Mach that the City Council approve the one-time uses requested by the U.S. Postal Service for use of the logo and flag design in conjunction with the opening of the new postal facility on Ora Glen Drive. The motion carried 5-0.

MEETINGS: Council reviewed the meeting schedule. Mr. Herling announced that the Greenbelt Arts Center would hold a reception for County Councilmember Douglas Peters from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. on Friday, September 29. It was also noted that a candidates’ forum for the District 4 Democratic candidates for County Council will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Greenbriar on August 23, and the second ACE forum for School Board candidates will held on September 26.

ADJOURNMENT: A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Ms. Mach and seconded by Mr. Putens. The motion carried 5-0. The Mayor adjourned the regular meeting of August 14, 2006, at 9:42 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathleen Gallagher
City Clerk

"I hereby the certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct report of the regular meeting of the City Council of Greenbelt, Maryland, held August 14, 2006.

 

Judith F. Davis
Mayor

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