WORK SESSION of the Greenbelt City Council held Monday, August 20, 2007, for the purpose of conducting a City Goals Planning Session.

Mayor Davis started the meeting at 8:06 p.m. It was held in the Council Room of the Municipal Building.

PRESENT WERE: Councilmembers Konrad E. Herling, Leta M. Mach, Edward V.J. Putens, Rodney M. Roberts, and Mayor Judith F. Davis.

STAFF PRESENT WERE: Michael P. McLaughlin, City Manager, and David E. Moran, Assistant City Manager.

ALSO PRESENT WERE: Bill Orleans; and Brian St. George, News Review

Mayor Davis began by stating that Council had been planning to revisit its goals and that these had not been looked at since 2002. She also noted that there had been discussion of holding a community visioning process. Mayor Davis indicated that she and Ms. Mach had been interested in the topic of performance measurement. Mayor Davis asked how Council wanted to proceed.

Mr. Herling asked about the 2002 goals process and if it included a visioning process. Mayor Davis responded that Council had wanted to do a community visioning process, but for a variety of reasons this never materialized.

Mr. Putens wanted to make sure the entire community was included. He also expressed a desire to include senior staff and the City Manager in the process. Then, after these steps, City Council would set the final goals. He expressed a desire to hear from the community first.

Ms. Mach liked the format from a recent MNCPPC “zoning” session. She wanted more community involvement in the process and suggested involving key community contacts such as civic association leaders. She also believed a multi-day process was needed and liked the idea of community input first.

Mayor Davis expressed a desire to hold community visioning sessions in all three sections of the City.

Mr. Roberts asked if the Council would be setting some core issues or would it be a “free for all.” Mayor Davis believed the Council needed to present some background information such as past goals and action steps previously accomplished.

Mr. Putens stressed that Council needed to involve the community first. Mr. Herling also liked community involvement as a first step. He referenced a 1988 session involving Council and advisory groups.

Mr. Roberts expressed reservation about councilmembers leading discussions. He believed Council should sit back and listen. Mr. Roberts favored using neutral facilitators for any community sessions.

There was consensus that the community process should be first with an initial information/background component. There would need to be three identical sessions in three parts of the City.

Mr. McLaughlin expressed concern about three two-day sessions and the workload impact this would create. Several councilmembers stated that the initial session could be one-day sessions.

Mayor Davis outlined a process for three one-day information/community input sessions. This would then be followed by staff and Council processing this information.

Mr. McLaughlin again referenced staff workload. He asked if Council should wait and see the outcome of the Greener Greenbelt Initiative (GGI). Mr. McLaughlin believed the community visioning process needed to be something broad based such as “Greenbelt 2020” He indicated there might be a conflict between the outcome of GGI versus the broader community process.

Mayor Davis indicated it was Council’s job to try and resolve any such conflicts. Mr. Herling noted there may even be conflict among the different sections of the City. Ms. Mach believed that Council needed to hear any conflicts and deal with them.

Mr. Roberts favored a more focused session. Mayor Davis believed that most of the goals would likely be the same. Mr. Herling asked if the goals had always been the same seven outlined in 2002. Mayor Davis noted that there were nine goals in 1998.

Mayor Davis suggested that the next Council could have a work session. Mr. McLaughlin believed the information/community input sessions could be conducted during the Saturdays in January.

Mr. McLaughlin noted that there would be some costs. He suggested the need for a facilitator.

Mr. Putens suggested that maybe a former Mayor or City Manager could act as a facilitator.

There was Council consensus that the three community sessions would be in January. Then Council and department heads would meet in February. The new Council would schedule a work session in December to look at whatever plan was in place for the January sessions.

Next, Council discussed performance measures. There was discussion of the value of the election survey as a performance measure.

 

Information Items

Ms. Mach reported on a recent conversation with the chair of National Agricultural Research Alliance and indicated that BARC’s critical need was for full funding. She noted that there was another person that she needed to talk with about the enhanced use leases. Ms. Mach announced she had attended a Berwyn Heights ACE meeting and reported on information about an International Baccalaureate program at Greenbelt Middle School.

Mr. McLaughlin asked if the City needed to attend the county Board of Education hearing on capital projects. Council believed both members of Council and of ACE should attend.

Mayor Davis reported that Jay Remenick with the Greenbelt Volunteer Fire Department had contacted her about the extra $20,000 contribution that the Council had added in FY 2007 but had not granted in FY 2008. Councilmembers noted that this issue had been discussed during the FY 2008 budget process and that the increase in FY 2007 had been one-time money.

 There was discussion about participating in an amicus brief on the ICC. Mayor Davis noted Mr. Manzi’s conflict due to his representation of Laurel, which favors the ICC. Mr. Roberts believed that Mr. Manzi should be able to represent the City in an amicus brief.

 The meeting ended at 9:45 p.m.

 Respectfully submitted,

David E. Moran
Assistant City Manager

 

 

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