Dear Neighbors:
Here’s a link to the agenda for the March 11 City Council meeting: https://takomaparkmd.gov/meeting_agendas/city-council-meeting-agenda-wednesday-march-11-2020/. We’ll have an important discussion on the projected costs of the Library renovation during our work session. In addition, there will be votes on a community engagement contract for the New Hampshire Avenue Recreation Center project; a budget amendment; and two proposed appointments to resident committees. We’ll also have a presentation of the Police Department annual report. More details on all of these agenda items are below. Prior to the regular meeting, from 6:00 - 7:15 PM there will be presentation from representatives of Ride On, with an opportunity for questions from residents.
UPDATES FROM LAST WEEK’S COUNCIL MEETING
Climate Change Resolution. The Council approved the climate resolution on a 5 - 2 vote (I was one of the yes votes). I was a strong supporter of our decision last year declaring a climate emergency and calling on City staff to develop proposals to help move the City toward a net 100 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2035. However, in my view the initial staff draft resolution released this past January needed substantial revisions, in particular because it was presented as a set of proposed requirements that would go into effect at more or less pre-determined times over the following years.
While none of those requirements could have actually become law without separate implementing votes by this or a future City Council, I thought it was important to make it more clear that the resolution was meant to be made up of proposals rather than mandates, and to also spell out in more detail the need for robust public engagement and cost analyses before there would be votes on any specific proposals. In addition, as I noted shortly after the initial draft came out, it didn’t emphasize sufficiently the reality that some of the proposed strategies would tend to make more sense if they were taken on at the County, State or regional level rather than at our municipal level. I also felt it was important for the resolution to more clearly connect with the work already underway in the City in such areas as our racial equity initiative, our housing strategic plan, our tree protection efforts, our Public Space Management Plan, etc.
Since January I worked closely with my Council colleagues to re-shape the resolution. In addition, as part of our last week’s Council session, we debated a long series of amendments to the resolution over a period of two-plus hours. I believe the final version we adopted (https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/resolutions/2020/resolution-2020-06.pdf) lays out a much improved approach through which the community and the Council can consider potential actions to help us reach our greenhouse gas emission goal over the next 15 years. The final version of the resolution is a framework for further discussion, consideration and debate as opposed to a series of mandates that we’d be adopting now. It doesn’t require anyone to remove their existing heating systems or give up cooking with natural gas, nor does it ban gasoline stations inside our borders. It does call for serious discussions in the future on options for phasing out our use of fossil fuels. And it’s possible that as part of those discussions a future Council might decide -- as a number or other cities have recently done -- to call for non-natural gas heating systems for newly constructed homes or when heating systems in older homes are ready to be replaced. But under the resolution, even a requirement along those lines wouldn’t become law without the public engagement and cost analysis mentioned above.
I would add that with Montgomery County calling for a 100 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 and the State of Maryland requiring 50 percent of its energy to be from renewable sources by 2030, it’s likely the energy market will be shifting substantially toward renewable energy over the course of the next 15 years. If the State adopts the Community Choice Energy legislation sponsored by State Delegate Charkoudian (a bill that’s mentioned in the resolution and which Takoma Park is lobbying for in Annapolis), that will also help move the energy sector in a positive direction, especially if the County takes advantage of the bill to move rapidly toward a heavy emphasis on renewables. I don’t mean to imply that it will be easy, but I do think other levels of government are heading in a positive direction that can help Takoma Park achieve its goals.
In my view the version of the resolution we passed gives us a workable structure for figuring out meaningful, affordable steps on climate change that make sense for us at our local level, while also allowing us to collaborate effectively with other levels of government. It’s my sense that having a series of focused public discussions to go along with City Council consideration aimed at deciding which strategies to move forward on seems like the right approach for Takoma Park. It will be hard work, but to me it’s important work if we want to do our part to address what amounts to an existential crisis. And to the degree that the resolution and potential future steps that flow from it help stimulate other communities (which we’re already seeing), that’s an added plus.
For residents who are interested or have concerns or questions, I would recommend reading through the resolution, and I’d also be glad to answer questions about any aspect of the resolution. Meanwhile, I wanted to highlight a few key sections of the resolution:
· The fifth and ninth resolved clauses, which are focused on establishing a fund to assist residents with costs that may be associated with potential implementation of climate change strategies in the resolution, as well as a requirement that the City consider disproportionate impacts of any strategies on residents and develop financial and other means of addressing them.
· The sixth resolved clause which lists a range of factors for the staff and Council to consider in making determinations about new policies or climate change strategies, including relevant legal authority; estimated emissions impacts and benefits; costs for residents and businesses as well as City budget impacts; financial assistance, exemptions, etc. for affected residents and businesses; robust community engagement including outreach to key stakeholders such as local businesses, landlords, renters, communities of color, immigrants, seniors and others on fixed incomes, homeowners, and residents with disabilities; racial equity impacts; changes in technology and the renewable energy sector; and actual changes to the climate.
· The tenth resolved clause, which is focused on adaptation and resilience through such initiatives as our ongoing work to develop urban forest policies and tree canopy goals, improve stormwater management, and strengthen emergency preparedness.
· The eleventh resolved clause which has detailed priority strategies and potential policy changes to be considered by the Council in four areas: energy efficiency in buildings, transportation, renewable energy, and the idea of moving toward a fossil-fuel free community.
One last point: I suggested to my colleagues during our debate on the resolution that we consider establishing an advisory council composed of environmental experts within our community who can assist City staff in developing and figuring out how best to implement the climate strategies we undertake pursuant to the resolution. I think that will work better if it’s separate from the resolution, because I see it as more of a staff supplement than, say, a new resident committee that the Council would have to establish and which would be required to meet monthly, have votes before taking formal positions, etc. I hope we’ll be able to take the necessary steps to establish an advisory panel along these lines in the near future
City Manager Comments. https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-manager/city-manager-comments/2020/cm-comments-20200304.pdf
ANNOUNCEMENTS
WSSC Re-paving of Philadelphia Avenue. Some residents will have noticed that work has begun on repaving the portion of Philadelphia Avenue starting at Takoma Avenue and continuing into Silver Spring. Per City staff, the milling and repaving will likely take in the range of three weeks, depending on the weather (though it’s unlikely work will take place every day, as the milling and paving are two distinct operations).
Police Department Stuffed Animal Program. I was delighted to learn that the Takoma Park Police, through a partnership with IKEA, will now be able to make stuffed animals available to children during the course of the Department’s interaction with families in the community. Here’s the text of the Department’s announcement of this donation earlier this month:
“Thank you to @IKEAUSA who generously donated over 60 stuffed dogs to TPPD for our officers to give to children in times of need. Thank you to our Chief’s Advisory Board member, [Ward One’s own] Elizabeth Wallace, for spearheading this initiative!”
VOTING SESSION
Recreation Center Community Engagement Contract: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20200311-1.pdf. As part of the planning for renovation of the Recreation Center, the City will be contracting with an outside consultant to coordinate a community engagement process aimed at ensuring that a full range of residents are able to offer their views and provide input on the project. I’m pleased that the firm recommended by City staff has personnel who speak French, Spanish and Amharic, which should help make the engagement process effective. I plan to vote in favor of the contract.
Budget Amendment: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20200311-2.pdf. This is a group of changes to our budget, including transfers between accounts, to reflect such factors as delays in the availability of State funds, staff vacancies, or slower than anticipated movement on projects and initiatives. I will be voting yes on the amendment.
Board of Elections Appointment: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20200311-3a.pdf. I’ll be voting in favor of the appointment.
Parking Management Task Force Appointment: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20200311-3b.pdf. The Task Force is in the early stages of its work, and there are currently no formal parking policy changes under active consideration by the Council. And I don’t anticipate the Council voting on major parking changes this year, even if the Task Force does submit recommendations. While I don’t object to the resident who has applied for appointment, I do think we should look at opening up the Task Force to additional membership instead of just adding one member. While there are several members of the Task Force from Ward One, there aren’t any from North Takoma, a neighborhood that may be significantly affected if there are future changes to the City’s parking policies. With at least one new member now being considered for the Task Force, I’d like to explore the idea of adding someone from North Takoma (and potentially other neighborhoods that may not be represented on the Task Force).
WORK SESSION
Police Department Annual Report: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20200311-4.pdf
Police Chief DeVaul annually presents a report to the Council on the Department’s activities for the previous year.
Library Renovation Project: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20200311-5.pdf. I see the Library as one of Takoma Park’s key resources which plays a very valuable role in the community. I’m a strong supporter of renovating it to help ensure that it remains a viable facility for future generations. However, the renovation has to be done in a way that’s financially responsible and well aligned with our initial plans for the project’s cost. The estimates have increased since the project was initially mapped out several years ago, in part because construction costs generally go up over time, and also owing to the recent international trade disputes (which have affected the price of steel, among other materials) and the historically low unemployment rate. We’re at a point in the design process where we have the flexibility to make modifications to the design in order to help reduce the overall cost, and I look forward to discussing options for achieving that goal.
As outlined in the agenda background information, the City has available for the project $7 million that we borrowed through State of Maryland bonding authority, plus $300,000 in direct State assistance we’ve secured, and potentially up to $2.8 million in cable television funds. We’ll be considering in this week’s discussion how close the available funds may come to the anticipated actual cost of the project, and again whether there are changes that can be made to bring down the cost of the project. I’m inclined toward the idea of removing the Recreation Department improvements (which are estimated to cost about $500,000) and perhaps segmenting out the additional space that’s proposed in the current design to be added above the Police Department entrance which is located in the lower level of the Community Center parking lot.
The week’s meeting will focus on determining whether those and other ideas along similar lines make sense, and understanding how much money they would save, as well as getting clear information on any other unaccounted-for costs we would need to cover.
Please feel free to be in touch with questions or comments about any of the issues outlined in this message.
Peter Kovar, Takoma Park City Council, Ward One
240-319-6281; www.councilmemberkovar.com
(He, Him, His)
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