Dear Neighbors:
This week’s City Council meeting will be conducted remotely. Residents who wish to speak in the public comment period should sign up in advance: (Link - Sign up for public comments will be open until 5:00 PM on the day of the meeting.)
The Council will start at 6:00 PM with an executive (non-public) session with the City Attorney to receive advice and updates on several legal matters. The regular meeting, which begins at 7:30 PM, will begin with a proclamation on Hispanic Heritage Month, followed by a presentation on the Public Art Projects Plan. We’ll then have votes on the resolution establishing a task force on reimagining public safety, and on a contract with Habitat for Humanity relating to the development of affordable housing units. Finally, in the Work Session, we’ll be discussing resident committee issues, appointments to the Tree Commission, and this fall’s local election. There’s more information on these topics below, and through this link to the meeting agenda: https://takomaparkmd.gov/meeting_agendas/city-council-meeting-agenda-september-23-2020/
After this week’s meeting, the Council is scheduled to meet four more times before the election, with the last meeting on October 21. We’re not expected to meet on October 28, which is the week before the election. Among the key topics we’ll likely see on the agenda in our remaining meetings in September and October are: next steps on our Racial Equity policy; principles of Council compensation; a proposal on use of the Dorothy’s Woods basketball area; planning for the 2021 Maryland State legislative session; an update on the City’s response to COVID-19; next steps on our climate change framework; the City staff collective bargaining agreements; and our fall election (that last one will probably be discussed in all the remaining meetings). It’s possible some of these issues will fall off the agenda, and others may be added. And I would note that certain topics on the above list may only be the subject of Council discussion and not voted on, at least in the short term. I’ll provide more details on future agendas as they become available.
UPDATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Updated Takoma Park COVID Dashboard. On Friday, September 18 Deputy City Manager Jessica Clarke provided a link to the updated COVID-19 Dashboard, with data current as of that date. She noted the following highlights:
· There are 15 new cases reported since the previous Friday, for a cumulative total of 642 cases Citywide.
· The updated infection rate is 3.6% compared to the County rate of 2%.
· No new deaths reported.
· Out of the cases where race/ethnicity is identified (479 cases), 42% of those infected are Hispanic, and 19% are Black.
· The 30-39 age group shows the highest number of cases.
The schedule and sign-up details for County COVID testing can be found here: https://montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/testing.html.
Ward One Community Discussion -- Tuesday, September 29, 7:00 - 8:30 PM. I’ll be hosting another virtual discussion. Participants are welcome to raise any issues. Use this link to register in advance for the meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwsfuqqqDgvHNWiDVkhAnCKdHQY-_wbmCCz. Since it’s challenging to hold traditional office hours during the pandemic, anyone with an individual matter they’d prefer not to discuss in a group can reach out to me via email or phone to schedule a separate one-on-one exchange.
City Manager Comments from September 16 Council Meeting. https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-manager/city-manager-comments/2020/City%20Manager%20Comments%20_%2009.16.2020.pdf. Suzanne Ludlow’s official comments last week include a large number of issues that may be of interest to residents. Among those I’d recommend taking a look at was the budget update she provided (see below).
Update 2021 Budget Information. https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/finance/budgets-and-financial-documents/adopted-budget/FinalFY21_AdoptedBudget.pdf. This document is the “adopted” budget, which reflects the version of the budget approved by the City Council in mid-May taking into account the amendments that were made during Council debate. This of course means that it’s different in a number of areas as compared to the original proposed budget that was submitted by the City Manager in early April. For those who are interested in the budget, I suggest reading the explanation provided by the City Manager in her comments (see above), which includes a recommendation to start with the Reader’s Guide that appears on page 30.
More on the recent rain storm. I participated in a call with several WSSC representatives and a North Takoma resident on Wednesday of last week to gain a better understanding of what factors (beyond the heavy rain itself) let to so many cases of flooding in North Takoma, and elsewhere in Ward One and other parts of the City. WSSC has just completed the field work on a study of the problems with their infrastructure specifically in North Takoma, and they will be reporting back to us once they have had an opportunity to review the data (a process that could take a couple of months). WSSC’s initial feedback was that a major exacerbating factor -- especially in North Takoma -- is the relatively high number of external drains that are connected directly to sewer lines. These often date back several decades, and aren’t allowed under current laws and regulations. In heavy rains these drains can contribute to sewage entering people’s basements.
That’s far from the only factor that caused flooding, and some of what residents experienced was simply related to heavy stormwater flowing from one yard or area into another. All these problems can be very costly to address, and if intense rain storms will be our “new normal” as a result of climate change, we’ll need to undertake a more focused look into possible solutions. I’m glad the climate change framework the Council approved earlier this year includes addressing stormwater as a priority area for the City to take action. I’m urging that we start working on that issue as soon as possible, and I’ll report back when I have more information from WSSC or concerning City efforts to delve more deeply into these issues.
For what it’s worth, WSSC said the Sligo/Takoma area, including specifically North Takoma, may have been the worst hit area in the region in the recent storm. They also said -- and this is challenging for obvious reasons -- it’s most helpful to them (for understanding where the problem areas are) if residents are able to call at the actual time they’re experiencing sewer backups, rather than later once they’ve stabilized the situation. I understand that may not be a realistic expectation.
Resident Survey on Public Space Management Plan. https://takomaparkmd.gov/news-alert/public-space-management-survey/. As part of City staff and Council work to update our plan for managing public and open space, residents are invited to participate in a short survey.
12th Annual Play Day -- September 26, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM: this time it’s virtual. https://www.letsplayamerica.org/upcomingevents/2020/4/13/12th-annual-play-day. You can sign up to participate remotely in this annual local favorite.
PUBLIC ART PROJECTS WORK PLAN PRESENTATION: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20200923-1.pdf. The Council put on hold the expenditure of $49,000 in public arts funding at the time of the COVID pandemic’s onset. Since then, City staff has developed a proposed plan for using the funds, focused on ensuring that public art is appropriately distributed among a range of areas and neighborhoods within the community. While I think the proposal is meritorious, particularly in its emphasis in equity, I would like to hear residents’ thoughts on going forward with the plan at this time.
VOTING SESSION
Resolution Establishing a Task Force on Reimagining Public Safety: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20200923-2.pdf. I think it’s crucial -- as part of our work to address systemic racism and ensure our Black and Brown neighbors are treated with respect -- that the community take a deep dive into how our Police Department operates, particularly in its interactions with people of color and its activities in less well-off parts of the community, and to also consider how our budget may need to be changed to better focus our public safety and social investment efforts. I agree with the idea of establishing a task force composed of stakeholders who would be empowered to develop recommendations on changes in these areas, and I’m pleased that Councilmembers Searcy and Seamens and Mayor Stewart have drafted a resolution to create such a task force.
I thought the initial draft of the resolution was well done, though there were a few areas where I thought improvements could be made. I’m pleased the new version on which we’ll be voting this week largely addresses those concerns. First off, with 10 - 15 members, including several City staff, I was concerned that there wouldn’t be sufficient space for non-expert residents. The new resolution helps address that concern by making the City staff non-voting ex-officio members of the task force, as well as now saying “up to 15” members instead of “10 - 15.” I may still want to explore whether we could go higher, but these are helpful improvements. I’m also pleased that among the stakeholder groups that should be included in the task force membership the resolution now says explicitly “Black and Brown youth”, which is a change I had argued for. Finally, the resolution has a more direct reference to the task force making budget recommendations, which is a change I also had wanted to see. I’ll be voting for the resolution.
Habitat for Humanity Contract: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20200923-3.pdf. The Council will have an opportunity to vote on a creative proposal to assist Habitat for Humanity in the purchase and renovation of a property on Garland Avenue to convert it from a three-unit rental property into two affordable for-sale units, which could be purchased at prices well below the median home purchase price in Takoma Park. The City’s share of the project would be $200,000, which would come from the existing Housing Reserve fund.
I’d like to hear more details about the proposal, but I will say that one of the purposes of the Housing Reserve is to help leverage efforts to produce “missing middle” housing opportunities (meaning homes that fall between the large, expensive single-family structures and rental units that are generally more affordable because of our rent stabilization law). This would help fill that gap, and also be aligned with a policy for which I’ve been a strong advocate: partnering with outside non-profits, foundations or financial institutions to broaden our reach on creation of affordable housing options. I look forward to learning more about whether this proposal may also be a good template for future collaborations of that sort.
WORK SESSION
The background materials on these topics were not yet available at the time I wrote this blog.
Discussion on Resident Committee Appointments: We’ll be discussing a range of issues connected to our Committees, Commissions and Boards, including in particular strategies for increasing membership diversity.
Tree Commission Appointments: The Commission currently has too few members to properly function, so we’ll be discussing appointments aimed at rectifying that problem.
Election Update: As described previously, this year’s local Takoma Park election will be primarily conducted by mail. All registered voters will receive ballots in the mail in October. Residents can either mail their ballots back to the City or drop them off in the drop box that will be placed at the Community Center. There will be limited Election Day in-person voting at the Community Center for those who don’t have ballots. This system is separate from the State ballot which includes the Presidential and Congressional elections, and for which ballots must be requested separately for those who don’t plan to vote in person in Silver Spring (the nearest voting center for the State elections). We’ll continue discussing pertinent local election issues this week. You can read a general explanation of our election plans from last week’s agenda information: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20201609-4.pdf
The public may view this week’s meeting in all the usual ways: on City TV (RCN -- 13, HD 1060; Comcast/xfinity -- 13, HD 997; Verizon Fios -- 28), on the City Council Video Page; on YouTube, or on Facebook.
As always, please be in touch with questions or comments about any of the issues covered in this blog.
Peter Kovar, Takoma Park City Council, Ward One
240-319-6281; www.councilmemberkovar.com
(He, Him, His)
Important Privacy Notice: All correspondence, including emails, to or from City of Takoma Park agencies, officials, and employees is subject to the Maryland Public Information Act and may be disclosed to the public.