Dear Neighbors:
Here’s a link to the agenda for the November 10, 2021 City Council meeting: https://takomaparkmd.gov/meeting_agendas/city-council-meeting-agenda-wednesday-november-10-2021/. We have votes scheduled on these proposals: purchase of a loader for the Public Works Department; Council compensation increase; apartment building window guard requirement; and contracts for studies on workforce needs and risk assessment, and on City staff compensation. All are “first reading” votes -- a second vote is needed in next week’s meeting to officially enact them. In the work session we’ll be discussing Ward redistricting. There will also be a presentation on the New Ave Bikeway. For details on all these agenda items see below.
Sign up for Public Comments by 5:00 PM on Wednesday: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_S1MoWNOwSO-1rlt8HpgpXQ. The meeting can be viewed 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.
The Council will meet again on November 17, and then in a special session on December 1 with our District 20 State legislative delegation to discuss 2022 priorities. We will then take a break from formal meetings until January.
COVID UPDATE
The Takoma Park COVID-19 Data Dashboard has been updated with data through November 5: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=42a594afc3ad4c59ba7b1ca9965b7837. Key data points noted by City staff:
▪ There were 11 new cases of COVID-19 reported among Takoma Park residents since last week, as the City's rate of new cases remained steady. Last week, we shared that Montgomery County had suspended its indoor mask mandate after the County's COVID-19 transmission rate reached "moderate" levels for 7 straight days. The County's transmission rate is "substantial” today. However, the County has said it will not reinstate the mandate unless there are 7 straight days of "substantial" transmission (there were 5 consecutive days of substantial transmission from last Saturday to Wednesday, but the rate dropped to "moderate" again on Thursday before rising to "substantial" again today). Hospitalizations are down 19% in the County over the last 14 days. [Note these details were written up Friday; the transmission rate may continue to change.]
▪ There were no new deaths due to COVID-19 in the 20912 zip code since last week, leaving the zip code's total at 42 since the pandemic's start.
▪ The 20912 zip code's share of fully vaccinated residents increased 0.39% since last week to 59.6%, and the share of at least partially vaccinated residents increased 0.28% to 65.7%.
Vaccines are now available for children ages 5 - 11: https://takomaparkmd.gov/news-alert/covid-19-vaccines-are-now-available-for-children-aged-5-11/. Other COVID resources: Vaccines: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/vaccine/ or State Vaccine Website; Testing: Montgomery County Testing Sites; Tenants having trouble paying rent: https://montgomerycountymd.gov/HHS-Program/SNHS/rent-relief.html or https://takomaparkmd.gov/government/housing-and-community-development/contact-us/; Food aid: Submit an online request for help with food resources or call 240-777-0311.
NEW AVE BIKEWAY PRESENTATION: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20211110-1.pdf. The presentation will be an update on this project, which is aimed at enabling safer bicycling along New Hampshire Avenue. The project is now at the 60 percent design phase.
KEY UPDATES FROM LAST WEEK
Legislative Priorities Resolution: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20211103-1.pdf. We unanimously approved this resolution. Every year the Council lays out the City’s legislative priorities for the upcoming session in Annapolis. For 2022, the priorities emphasize in particular pandemic response, affordable housing, climate change, and public safety reform. The document will help frame the December 1 discussion with our State legislative delegation mentioned above. Prior to the vote I offered an amendment (which was approved unanimously) clarifying that the rental assistance for which we express support in the resolution covers tenants as well as landlords and property owners.
Committee Appointments: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20211103-2-rev2.pdf
The Council unanimously approved appointments to the remaining 6 resident committees: the Arts and Humanities Committee; the Emergency Preparedness Committee; the Grants Review Committee; the Recreation and Community Engagement Committee; the Sustainable Maryland Committee; and the Sustainable Investment and Banking Task Force. We approved the rosters for the other committees on October 20.
I’m pleased overall membership diversity has been improved. However, as detailed in the second link above, there’s still plenty of work needed to get us to a point where our resident committees are truly representative of our population. One positive point worth noting: although Wards 1, 2, and 3 combined are still over-represented in terms of both applicants and appointments compared to Wards 4, 5 and 6, I was pleased to see that the appointment numbers for Wards 1, 5, and 6 were more or less the same. So that’s some progress on distributing the appointments more equitably from a geographical perspective, and I hope we can continue building on it.
Public Safety Task Force Recommendations: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20211103-3-rev.pdf
The Council heard from City staff with their reactions to the Task Force recommendations. With some 50 recommendations, there’s a lot discuss. I’d like to see a detailed discussion (ideally in a January Council meeting) on what I view as some of the core recommendations, including: establishing a Community Assistance Office and a Community Safety Team; making the Task Force (or one like it) permanent; developing a rapid response system for mental health or other emergencies that may not require Police involvement; adding social workers to the existing City staff; retraining dispatchers to better understand when non-police responses may be appropriate; and providing more housing and other community services to under-served parts of our City.
In addition, on these kinds of recommendations it’s important to explore how they would potentially mesh with County services, what the budgetary impact to the City would be, whether federal ARPA dollars can be used, if we should consider implementing any of them as pilot projects for limited periods of time, and investigating the possibility of outside contractors being used for some of these ideas. If we can reach a consensus on those topics relatively early in the coming year, we’ll be able to factor them into our budget discussions, as we continue reviewing the other recommendations. Please let me know what you think.
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
State Highway Administration Meeting, Tuesday, November 9, 1:00 - 2:30 PM: The City Council meets periodically with SHA to discuss safety and other issues connected to the State managed roadways in the City (Route 410/Philadelphia Avenue/East-West Highway, Piney Branch Road, Carroll Avenue, University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue). Residents will be able to observe the meeting electronically -- use this link for registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hoX4v7x8TsaQ0LOMmuCWsA
New Business Ribbon Cuttings -- Saturday, November 13: https://mainstreettakoma.org/event/ribbon-cuttings-with-mayor-stewart/. The Old Takoma Business Association will be coordinating a series of ribbon cuttings to recognize a number of new businesses established recently in the City. The ribbon cuttings in Old Town will start around 1:30 PM.
Fall Leaf Collection Starts November 15: https://takomaparkmd.gov/public-notices/2021-fall-leaf-collection-schedule-mon-nov-15-through-friday-dec-17/.
Peter’s Office Hours -- November 16, Noon - 2:00 PM: I’ll be available in the public area of the Laurel Avenue Streetery to meet with residents. All topics welcome and no appointments necessary. If it’s too cold we can try moving indoors to Takoma Bevco for those who are willing.
Emergency Care Packages for Victims of Domestic Violence: https://takomaparkmd.gov/government/police/services-and-programs/emergency-care-packages-for-victims-families-of-domestic-violence/. Through November 30, in partnership with the Montgomery County Family Justice Center Foundation, the City’s Police Department will collect care packages to meet the immediate, critical needs that impact the safety, wellness, and/or healing of victims of domestic violence and/or their children.
Redistricting Community Meeting, December 2 at 6:30 PM: https://takomaparkmd.gov/news/participate-in-ward-redistricting-meetings/. Takoma Park will be redrawing the boundaries of its six Wards, based on population determined in the 2020 Census. Residents can learn more about the process at this public event. The Council will discuss redistricting and review draft maps in this week’s work session (see below).
Electrification and Energy Efficiency Grants: https://takomaparkmd.gov/public-notices/new-electrification-and-energy-efficiency-grants-available-in-takoma-park/. The first round of applications for these grants closes on December 8. Homeowners, small businesses, commercial property owners, multi-family building owners and property managers can apply. The link above provides details on grant amounts, income eligibility limits, etc.
2022 Community Police Academy -- Dec. 17 Application Deadline, Space is Limited:
The Academy will begin on January 4, 2022. Masks will be required. This is a 14-week program consisting of a weekly class on Tuesdays from 7:00 pm to 9:30 PM. The classes will cover topics such as patrol, traffic enforcement, use of force, criminal investigations, canine, firearms, crisis negotiation, etc. It includes hands-on learning through equipment demonstrations, practical scenarios, field trips and ride-alongs with patrol officers. The Academy is free, with seats limited to the first 25 applicants on a first come/first served basis. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, live or work in Takoma Park, and not have any serious misdemeanor or any felony offenses. Applications are available at the Department offices or online: https://takomapark.seamlessdocs.com/f/kb2evbr4rbj7/prepare.
Winter Coat Drive: The Police Department, in partnership with Adventist Church, the Takoma Park Volunteer Fire Department, and others, is collecting clean, gently used warm coats in sizes from infant to adult. They will also accept clean, gently used gloves/mittens and scarves. Drop off in the Police Department lobby through December 17 at 4:00 PM.
Takoma Park Invasive Vine Removal: https://www.mobilize.us/ccanactionfund/event/381094/. If you’d like to help protect the health of the City’s tree canopy consider participating in the weekly invasive vine removal effort led by Chesapeake Climate Action Network. This past Saturday I joined in, and it was a great way to contribute to saving our trees, get a bit of exercise, and spend time with committed folks from our area.
Montgomery County Rental Assistance: https://takomaparkmd.gov/public-notices/montgomery-county-residents-can-get-up-to-12000-for-rental-assistance/. Up to $12,000 may be available. The link includes details on this program and other County resources for those who maybe facing challenges in paying their rent and/or facing eviction.
VOTING SESSION
Public Works Loader Purchase: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20211110-2.pdf. This purchase would replace a loader used by the Public Works Department since 2007, which has now reached the end of its useful life. The funds for the purchase were included in this year’s budget and will come from the Equipment Reserve account. I’ll be voting in favor of the purchase.
Council Compensation: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20211110-3.pdf. When we looked at Council compensation several years ago, I and others on the Council called on the resident committee reviewing the topic to consider whether the relatively low pay for the Mayor and Councilmember positions is a barrier to lower income or less well-off residents who might be interested in running for office. The committee recommended a compensation increase to help overcome that problem: a pay raise for Mayor and Councilmembers to $32,000 and $24,000 respectively (a link to their report is included in the agenda information above). The current levels are $15,413 and $11,857. I support the increase, and will be voting to approve it.
As I see it, it would be extremely challenging for a lower income person or a single parent to serve as a Councilmember -- a job that’s often more than full-time or close to it -- at the current levels of pay. During my tenure on the Council, it’s generally been the case that City elected officials (or their spouses) work in well compensated jobs, have job schedule flexibility that lower income positions rarely allow, or they are retired. It’s difficult for me to imagine that if we had more renters or lower and middle income people on the Council we’d see all the same results we do now. Beyond that, by keeping the pay as low as it is, we’re signaling to many of our neighbors that they shouldn’t consider serving in elected positions here. If we raise the Mayor and Council pay as proposed, will less wealthy residents decide to run? I don’t know, but I believe there’s a better chance it would happen.
To be clear, my support for this increase isn’t because I want or need a higher salary. As I’ve stated in the past, I’m fortunate in that I have a Federal pension and my wife worked in the private sector. So I have a reasonable level of financial security. I would have run for City Council even if it was purely voluntary with no pay. But that’s not true for everyone -- for some residents the change truly could make a substantial difference in whether they seek office. I’d add that this increase wouldn’t go into effect until after the next election. So this is something voters can take into account in deciding who to vote for. For me it’s a question of equity, especially given the reality that again the Council position -- at least in my experience -- really isn’t a part-time job anymore.
For further information, this earlier agenda background material includes at the very end a chart showing how much other area communities pay their elected officials: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20211020-6.pdf. As you’ll see, the change we’re contemplating would put our compensation higher than in many area communities. Most of those positions are part-time, but in cities where the jobs are also becoming increasingly full-time, perhaps our vote will spur them to make some changes as well.
Multi-family Building Window Guard Requirement: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20211110-4.pdf. I support this legislation, which aims at preventing young children from falling out of apartment windows (we’ve sadly had two such cases in recent years). It would require installation of window guards in multi-family apartments above the first floor if children 10 years of age or younger live in or will live in the dwelling. The legislation is similar to a bill adopted by Montgomery County in April. That law doesn’t apply to Takoma Park, so we have to pass our own version in order to have this important protection in the City. I‘ll be voting yes.
Workforce Study Contract: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20211110-5-rev2.pdf. I think the study envisioned in this contract would be beneficial to the City and could lead to valuable improvements in the organization of our municipal workforce. That said, since this proposal wasn’t included in the City budget for this year, I’d like to have a clearer understanding of the background to it before deciding how to vote.
Compensation Study: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20211110-6.pdf. The Collective Bargaining Agreement between Takoma Park and AFSCME requires the City to conduct a compensation study every three years to help maintain a competitive and sustainable compensation and benefits package for staff. I’ll be voting for the resolution awarding the contract for this study.
WORK SESSION
Redistricting (draft redistricting maps to be posted later on November 8). As outlined above, the City will be using updated Census data to determine changes to our Ward boundaries. The new boundaries will be in effect for the next 10 years, so I encourage residents to participate in the process, including by joining the December 2 community meeting referred to above. Initial draft maps will be presented at this week’s meeting by our outside consultant. The Ward boundaries are tentatively scheduled to be finalized in late January. Between now and then, I’ll be interested in hearing residents’ views on where the boundaries should be drawn.
I do want to highlight that current plans for City redistricting are based on Census tracts. However, the edges of Census tracts generally run along streets, meaning that one side of a tract boundary tends to include one side of a street, with the other side located in a different tract. For redistricting, this isn’t a concern in the interior of Wards. But along Ward borders it could mean streets are divided between Wards as opposed to lying entirely within single Wards, as is currently often the case. As we consider redistricting, it’s important for residents to be aware of this point, and to let the Council know what you think about it.
The City website includes a redistricting portal (with a scenario modeler for testing out various remapping options) and a survey: https://takomaparkmd.gov/initiatives/project-directory/redistricting/. The Council previously approved a resolution establishing our re-districting criteria: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210929-3.pdf
Please be in touch with questions or comments about any of the topics 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.