Dear Neighbors:
Here’s a link to the agenda for the March 17, 2021 City Council meeting: https://takomaparkmd.gov/meeting_agendas/city-council-meeting-agenda-wednesday-march-17-2021/. We’ll have votes on the traffic calming measures for Darwin Avenue and Wildwood Drive, and on the stormwater resolution and the new stormwater fee structure. There may also be a vote on an affordable housing opportunity, though it’s only a tentative agenda item at the moment, and no details are yet available. In the work session, Police Chief DeVaul will present the Department’s annual report, and we’ll continue our discussion on reforms to Council-appointed committees. See below for more details on these agenda items. The meeting will start with a proclamation on March 20 as MeatOut Day. In order to speak during the public comment period, please sign up by 5:00 PM on the day of the meeting: link to sign up for public comments. The public may view the meeting 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.
MeatOut Day Proclamation: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/mayoral-proclamations/2021/pr20210317-MeatOutDay.pdf
COVID UPDATE
The Takoma Park Data Dashboard has been updated with data through March 15, 2021. Per City staff, weekly changes in cases should be treated with caution for this update because case-numbers are reported as of today (March 15) rather than last Friday (March 12) as is typical, meaning more than a week has passed between the previous March 5 update and this one. However, unlike the case data, reported vaccine data are current only through March 12.
· Between Friday, March 5 and Friday, March 12, 680 more Takoma Park residents received their first vaccine dose and 394 more residents were fully vaccinated. This brings the total residents receiving their first dose to 3215 and the total fully vaccinated residents to 1475, for a percentage of fully-vaccinated residents of 8.3%.
· After a couple of weeks of small spikes in the City's seven-day moving average of new cases, the moving average appeared to stabilize. Twenty-eight residents have contracted COVID-19 in March so far, bringing the City's total since the start of the pandemic to 1,548.
· After several weeks of no reported deaths, two more deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in the 20912 zip code since the last update, bringing the zip code's total to 35 since the start of the pandemic.
Testing at the Recreation Center continues every Saturday, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM. For other Montgomery County testing locations, visit this link. You can pre-register for vaccinations through the County vaccine page: https://montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/vaccine/. Or you can call 240-777-2982. You can also sign up for vaccines through the Maryland Vaccine Website: https://coronavirus.maryland.gov/pages/vaccine.
KEY UPDATES FROM LAST WEEK’S COUNCIL MEETING
Budget Hold List: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210310-4rev.pdf. I explained in last week’s blog that I had concerns about releasing significant amounts of on-hold funding without having a clearer idea of our future COVID needs and estimated revenue receipts. However, with the Congressional movement toward passage of the massive COVID relief bill, I had fewer qualms about doing so. And in fact by the time we met on Wednesday, the U.S. House had followed along with the Senate in passing the relief bill, which of course President Biden has since signed into law. Under that bill, the exact amount of funding the City may receive hasn’t been finalized, but it could be as large as $14 million. Even if it’s lower than that, we will still be in line for a substantial federal payment, and I’m comfortable moving forward with the proposal to release the budget hold funds. As a result, I joined all of my Council colleagues in voting 7 - 0 to release the funds.
Tax Duplication Resolution: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/resolutions/2021/resolution-2021-8.pdf. I’m pleased the Council approved this resolution unanimously. The final version was modified to shift some of the historical background to a separate addendum, and to include an amendment offered by Mayor Stewart to emphasize the complementary nature of the City and County work. During our discussion I brought up the idea of grassroots lobbying of the County Council by residents of Takoma Park in support of addressing tax duplication, a point that was endorsed by other Councilmembers and the City Manager. I anticipate there will be more discussion and information on how best to undertake that effort in the near future.
City Manager Comments: You can read City Manager Suzanne Ludlow’s official comments from last week’s meeting here: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-manager/city-manager-comments/2021/cm-comments-20210310.pdf
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Reimagining Public Safety Task Force. https://takomaparkmd.gov/initiatives/project-directory/reimagining-public-safety/. Takoma Park’s Reimagining Public Safety Task Force will have its first meeting, which will be held virtually, on Tuesday, March 16, from 6:30 - 8:00 PM. To observe this meeting on Zoom, register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Uxhi0r0cTxGLr82hRrdw5A.
Recreation Center Survey. https://takomaparkmd.gov/news-alert/input-needed-take-the-takoma-park-recreation-center-community-survey/. The City plans to redevelop the Recreation Center on New Hampshire Avenue into an improved community resource. Residents can offer their opinions on the project through a community survey, with a deadline of March 31. Participants will have a chance to win one of several gift cards from local Takoma Park businesses. Click here to fill out the survey online, which is available in four languages. Paper copies are also available on-site at these locations:
· Takoma Park Police Department – 7500 Maple Ave.
· Hampshire Tower Apartments – 7401 New Hampshire Ave.
· Takoma Overlook - 7333 New Hampshire Ave.
City Manager Survey. https://takomaparkmd.gov/government/human-resources/careers-with-takoma-park/city-manager-search/?utm_source=Takoma+Insider&utm_campaign. With current City Manager Suzanne Ludlow scheduled to retire at the end of June, the City is conducting a search for her replacement. I urge residents to participate in the City survey to express their views on important qualities for the next City Manager and the priorities they should focus on.
All Things Trees. https://takomaparkmd.gov/government/public-works/tree-care-and-resources/?utm_source=Takoma+Insider&utm_campaign. The City is offering another round of e-workshops this spring to enable residents to learn more about trees. Workshop content has been developed by Maryland Sustainable Ecologies and will be presented by Master Arborist Richard Jones. Sessions will be held using Zoom and will last 30 minutes with a Q & A period. There’s a 25 participant limit and sign-ups will be accepted on a rolling basis.
Plant a Tree application. https://takomaparkmd.gov/news-alert/plant-a-tree-order-form-is-now-available-submit-by-friday-march-26/. Residents can purchase trees at reduced prices until April 20, and have them installed by City staff.
Recreation Department Scholarships. https://takomaparkmd.gov/uncategorized/time-to-renew-the-takoma-park-recreation-department-scholarship-program/. The program is designed to assist individuals and families participating in City programs by providing an opportunity to apply for a lesser fee than the published amounts. Scholarship applications are valid on a calendar-year basis, and all applications will need to be resubmitted every year. You can review the FAQ section for further information.
College & Graduate School Scholarships. The State makes college and graduate school scholarships available to residents of District 20 (our Maryland legislative district) who are attending a Maryland institution. Applications are due by May 15: APPLY ONLINE.
Free Tax Preparation. The AARP Tax-Aide Program can provide free Federal and Maryland tax preparation services for low to moderate income taxpayers who live or work in Montgomery County. The Takoma Park Community Center is as a designated drop-off location. To schedule an appointment to drop off your tax paperwork, call the scheduling telephone line at 240-777-2577.
Sign up for alerts: You can sign up to receive updates and alerts from the Police Department, the Takoma Insider, the Office of Sustainability, Takoma Park Arts and more: https://takomaparkmd.gov/sign-up/. You can also register with WSSC to be notified when they are planning local water/sewer work near your home: https://member.everbridge.net/1332612387831877/login. And finally, you can sign up to receive my blog directly instead of through your neighborhood email list: http://www.councilmemberkovar.com/.
VOTING SESSION
Traffic Calming: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210317-1-2.pdf. On first reading votes in last week’s meeting the Council unanimously approved the traffic calming proposals for Darwin Avenue and Wildwood Drive. I’ll be voting yes on final passage this week.
Stormwater Resolution and Fee Structure: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210317-3-4.pdf. The Council has discussed a number of times over the past two years adopting a new single family property stormwater fee structure tied to the amount of impervious surface on each property, instead of the current flat rate of $92. Commercial, industrial and multi-family apartment properties already pay a variable fee depending on their amount of impervious surface. Under the proposed new structure, approximately 20% of residents would pay less than the current fee, around 24% would pay $100, and 55% would pay more than that (in some cases well more than double the current $92 rate). See this link for a map showing the amount that each property would be required to pay under the proposed fee structure: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/public-works/stormwater-projects/Stormwater-Fee-Map-Alternate-Colors.pdf
I agree a tiered system based on a property’s contribution to the overall amount of untreated stormwater in the City would be fairer. However, I don’t support going forward with the new fee structure unless we also take steps to begin to address the broader problem of stormwater costs connected to more intense rain storms as a result of climate change. In addition, there are other aspects of the fee proposal that need more attention, including the details on how a property owner would be able to appeal the impervious calculation for their property.
On the first point, I’m pleased that, through the resolution we’ll be voting on this week prior to the vote on the fee structure, we’re making an initial commitment to setting aside some funds to address the broader stormwater challenges we’re facing here in Takoma Park. If we stick with that idea in this year’s budget, I’d like to see us conduct a study of the major stormwater problem areas in the City, develop some recommendations on how best to address them, and start doing so. I’ll be pushing for that in the budget.
Meanwhile, there’s one outstanding issue with the resolution, which comes at the end of it. Should we should specifically mention the possibility of a Climate Resilience Fund as a way of allocating funds for a response to the broader stormwater problems or should we simply call for the topic to be addressed in some fashion in the budget? I prefer going with the more specific language, and I’ll be pushing for that alternative.
With regard to the ordinance, I agree with the idea included in the draft revisions to cap the fee amount in the first year at $275. But even with that cap, it’s a significant increase, and allowing even higher fees for some residents in future years could be problematic, unless at a minimum the appeal process is carefully constructed. So I would like to improve the appeal process to make it clear that it wouldn’t be necessary to hire an engineer or a land surveyor to appeal the amount of impervious surface on one’s property. Similarly, I think there’s a need for some clarification in the proposed language relating to credits for stormwater controls installed by residents. I’ll be exploring possible amendments to address both of those points.
Resolution Authorizing Use of Housing Reserve Funds for Housing Opportunity: As noted above, the details on this proposal weren’t available at blog-post time.
WORK SESSION
Police Department Annual Report: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210317-6.pdf
https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/police/Annual%20Reports/2020_ANNUALREPORT_031221.pdf
I look forward to hearing from the Chief on public safety trends in the City, and I encourage residents to review the report. Among the areas covered by the report on which I plan to seek further details are Internal Affairs investigations, use of force, and pedestrian safety. In addition, with the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force about to begin its formal meetings, it will be valuable to hear the Chief’s thoughts on how the information in the report may apply to the work of the Task Force.
Discussion on Council Appointed Committees: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210317-7.pdf. The Council has put on hold for several months the votes on most applications for membership on resident committees while we conduct a comprehensive review of all the committees and their procedures, as well as consider strategies for increasing membership diversity. A working group composed of three Councilmembers has been coordinating that process, and they will be leading this week’s discussion.
Please be in touch with questions or comments about any of the matters in this blog.
Peter Kovar, Takoma Park City Council, Ward One
240-319-6281; www.councilmemberkovar.com
(He, Him, His)
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