Dear Neighbors:
Here’s a link to the agenda for the April 14, 2021 City Council meeting: https://takomaparkmd.gov/meeting_agendas/city-council-meeting-agenda-wednesday-april-14-2021/. There are no votes scheduled in this week’s meeting. We’ll have a public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year 2022 municipal budget, followed by a work session on the Takoma Junction development. The meeting will wrap up with a continuation of our discussion on Council-appointed committees. For details on these agenda items, see below.
Sign up for public comments will be open until 5:00 PM on the day of the meeting.) Please note: requests to share slides, video, or photos during the meeting must also be sent to the Mayor at least 24 hours in advance. 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 of the City Website; on YouTube, or on Facebook.
Arrest in Shootings by Off-duty Pentagon Security Officer: I’m heartened that City Police moved quickly to make an arrest in this horrific crime, and that they have also filed additional charges against the perpetrator based on video footage of the earlier incident that recently came to light. Some patience will be required as the judicial process moves forward, but I’m hopeful we’ll see justice before long given that the case appears to involve an unjustified attack against two people who didn’t represent direct threats of any kind. For those who missed it, here’s Mayor Stewart’s statement on the incident: https://takomaparkmd.gov/news-alert/a-message-from-mayor-stewart-on-the-recent-shooting-and-arrest-in-our-community/
Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Hearing: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210414-1.pdf. Our annual budget season formally began last week with the presentation of the City Manager’s recommended budget for the fiscal year starting on July 1. You can see her presentation here: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/Documents/FY22-Proposed-Budget-Presentation.pdf. There’s a great deal to absorb concerning the budget, and I’m still in the early stages of doing so. But here are a few key points to consider:
The proposed budget calls for aggregate staffing levels to decline slightly, by .24 full-time equivalents. Last year, given the financial pressures of COVID, personnel costs increases were limited to 1.5 percent. Our Collective Bargaining Agreements allow for some upward adjustment this year, so we’ll have to monitor that process carefully as we -- hopefully -- move toward a firmer financial condition with the vaccines taking hold.
The proposed budget also sets aside $300,000 for undefined Council priorities. While I would prefer not to start with such an open-ended approach, these dollars could be used to begin to address the increasing economic burden on property owners of heavier stormwater flow caused by more intense rain storms due to climate change. That’s something I’ve emphasized. On the other hand, the City is in line to receive more than $14 million from the recently enacted federal COVID relief legislation, and the funds (which must be spent by the end of 2024) can be used for water and sewer infrastructure. So there may be more than one source of funds for stormwater initiatives. Those federal funds, which of course are primarily to assist residents and businesses negatively affected by the pandemic and also to help fill any revenue holes caused by the virus, will be released in two tranches. This means we won’t have full access to the funds at the time we adopt our budget. So we’ll inevitably have to make some adjustments during the course of the upcoming fiscal year as we did in the current year owing to the pandemic.
The City Manager has proposed a property tax increase of approximately one cent per $100 of property value, from the current rate of .5397 to a rate of .5500. The Constant Yield rate (the level at which the State estimates we’d realize the same overall amount of revenue from the property tax next year as this year) is .5295. So there’s about a two cent spread between Constant Yield and the proposed rate increase, with the current rate sandwiched in between. Constant Yield plus the Economic Cost Index (which measures labor cost increases) would be .5417. For these calculations, in this year’s budget one cent equals $257,870. So the difference in a budget pegged at Constant Yield or set at the amount in the proposed budget is slightly more than twice that, or $528,635. If the proposed budget were reduced by $257,870, the rate could stay at the current level. If the budget is cut by $528,635, the rate would drop to Constant Yield. For illustration purposes, a resident whose home is assessed at $500,000 would owe $2,699 under the current rate and $2,750 if we adopted the rate in the recommended budget, a difference of $51.
While that amount may not be huge, there are plenty of homeowners -- in particular older residents who purchased their home years ago and now live on fixed incomes -- for whom an increase may be challenging. In addition, for those whose assessments may have risen significantly, the impact could be more pronounced. Furthermore, many residents will see their annual stormwater fees rise under the new fee structure. So as the budget process unfolds, as I work to secure additional funds to address our climate change related stormwater challenges, I’ll be seeking to bring the proposed rate down, ideally below the current rate.
In addition to this week’s public hearing, on April 28 there will be a second budget hearing, and a hearing on the property tax rate. The Council will also have three special Monday sessions on the budget on April 19 and 26 and on May 3. We’ll make initial decisions on changes to the budget in the May 3 meeting, with final votes on May 12 and 19. I’ll also be hosting Ward One budget discussions on April 15 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM, and on April 29 from 7:30 - 9:00 PM. I’ll circulate the Zoom credentials via a separate email, and I can meet individually at other times.
COVID UPDATE
The Takoma Park COVID-19 Data Dashboard has been updated with data through April 9, 2021. Some key data points flagged by City staff:
· 1,304 more residents received first doses and 572 more residents became fully vaccinated since last week, for a total of 7,334 residents receiving at least a first dose and 3,480 being fully-vaccinated. This brings the percentage of the City's fully-vaccinated population to 19.7%.
· There were 15 new COVID-19 cases reported since last Friday to bring the City's total to 1617, as the City's 7-day moving average of new cases remained stable.
· The Takoma Park Recreation Center administered 99 tests for COVID-19 last Saturday, the most since February 20th. This brings the Recreation Center's total since December 5 to 3,436.
Testing at the Recreation Center continues every Saturday, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM. For other Montgomery County testing locations, visit this link.
The State of Maryland’s sites are now open for registration for anyone age 16 and over. You can pre-register for an appointment at a mass vaccination site by visiting covidvax.maryland.gov or calling 1-855-MD-GOVAX (1-855-634-6829). To Find the nearest vaccination site, input your ZIP code and schedule an appointment. Use vaccinefinder.org to see the nearest location with vaccines available. There’s a State mass site in Montgomery County in Germantown at Montgomery College. It’s also possible to try walk-up, no-appointment vaccinations.
You can sign up for Montgomery County vaccinations through their vaccine page: https://montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/vaccine/, or you can call 240-777-2982.
UPDATE ON KEY ISSUES FROM LAST WEEK’S COUNCIL MEETING
Recreation Center Public Engagement Presentation: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/Documents/recreation-presentation.pdf. We received a preliminary report from Brick & Story, the consulting firm handling community outreach on the planning process for the Recreation Center renovation. The key findings they presented included the following:
With 744 people responding to the City survey, the most important changes people would like to see in a new recreation facility are modified programming, more convenient hours of operation, and lower fees and costs. Other features residents favor include a community garden, better staff, wifi connection, gathering space, performance space, educational uses, more youth programming, language classes, a café, rentable space, and housing. While the survey respondents were weighted more heavily toward white residents and homeowners, Brick & Story also conducted focus groups for residents who have traditionally had less interaction with the City government, including those who speak languages other than English.
I look forward to the final report, but I think it’s worth noting that one of Brick & Story’s recommendations to improve community engagement, both with regard to the Rec Center and more broadly on other City efforts, is to utilize “ambassadors” with credibility in City neighborhoods to help solicit residents’ views and spread the word on municipal programs and initiatives. This is aligned with one of the concepts we included in our Council Priorities document this year: exploring the establishment of a pilot Community Ambassador or Navigator system to help assess residents’ needs and to help develop updated and improved systems to connect residents to services. I’d like to see us explore undertaking that pilot in this year’s budget if the funding is available.
Reimagining Public Safety Task Force: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210407-6.pdf. We had a brief update on the Task Force. Its members are focusing heavily on housing; mental health and social services; and data and transparency, and they’re creating subcommittees tied to these areas. They will also be establishing processes for public engagement, by both online input and via a real-time listening session. You can see more information about the Task Force, view videos of their past meetings, and register to observe tonight’s meeting here: https://takomaparkmd.gov/initiatives/project-directory/reimagining-public-safety/.
City Manager Search Process: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210407-5.pdf. I was pleased to learn the City has received 58 applications for the City Manager position. The Council will have a closed session on Wednesday, April 21 for an initial discussion on handling the applications. Later in April and May the Council will have two day-long application review sessions.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Ward One Virtual Community Discussions: As mentioned above, I’m hosting two community discussions on the budget, this Thursday, April 15 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM, and on Thursday, April 29 from 7:30 - 9:00 PM. I’ve also scheduled two discussions on the Takoma Junction development: on Tuesday, April 20 from 7:30 - 9:00 PM, and on Saturday, April 24 from 1:00 - 3:00 PM. Again, I’ll circulate the Zoom credentials via separate emails. If you’d like to discuss either of these topics, but can’t make those meetings, let me know and we’ll find another time.
County Tax Duplication: https://takomaparkmd.gov/uncategorized/action-needed-to-ensure-fair-tax-duplication-payments/. Following passage of the City Council resolution calling on Montgomery County to include additional funds in its budget this year to address tax duplication, Mayor Stewart posted the above blog on the topic. It includes details on how residents can express their views to the County Council. It’s vital they hear from City residents about tax duplication, and I encourage residents to contact County Councilmembers.
Prescription Drug Take Back Day, April 24: https://takomaparkmd.gov/public-notices/nationwide-prescription-drug-take-back-day-on-april-24/. Although our City Police participate in this national event, residents can dispose of excess/expired prescription and over-the-counter medications any time (not just on April 24) in the permanent drop off location in the Community Center’s first floor lobby off the lower parking lot. The collection site is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Drugs can be dropped off with no questions asked. Items that CANNOT be left are liquids, inhalers, aerosol cans, regular household ointments/lotions, needles/sharps and/or thermometers.
WORK SESSION
Takoma Junction Development: https://takomaparkmd.gov/meeting_agendas/city-council-meeting-presentation-and-breakout-sessions-monday-april-12-2021/. Starting last night, the Council is conducting a series of meetings on the Junction project, culminating in a vote on May 5. After that vote, the County Planning Board will consider the project, taking into account the City’s views as expressed in the resolution we vote on in our May 5 meeting, along with input from residents, County staff, the Historic Preservation Board, the State Highway Administration and others. SHA’s statement on the lay-by remains the key item in this review process that’s still outstanding. In addition to Wednesday’s session, there will be a public hearing and work session on the development in our April 28 Council meeting. That meeting includes opportunities for community groups to make presentations on the project: https://takomaparkmd.gov/news-alert/opportunity-for-group-input-on-takoma-junction-redevelopment/. And, again, I’m hosting Ward One virtual meetings on the Junction, on April 20 and 24.
Last night’s meeting included presentations from the City’s Economic Development Manager Samira Cook Gaines and Planning Manager Roz Grigsby, plus Adrian Washington and Jingjing Liu from NDC, and Elza Hisel-McCoy, the DownCounty Planning Chief for the County Planning Office. The focus of these presentations was on how the project’s design has changed from earlier versions, and the extent to which key requirements in the 2018 City resolution approving the initial site plan and in the Development Agreement between the City and NDC are met in the new designs. After the presentations, residents, Councilmembers and staff participated in break-out sessions devoted to Stormwater, Trees and Sustainability; parking; and public space. I’m in the process of going through the relevant documents, and will be working to get any uncertainties about the new version of the design clarified. Please let me know what you think of the plan.
Committee Discussion: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210414-3.pdf. The Council working group (Councilmembers Dyballa, Kostiuk and Searcy) leading the efforts to reform Council-appointed committees to help make them more effective and more reflective of the City’s diversity, will lead another session on these topics. This discussion will pick up on last week’s, which included recommendations for the quasi-judicial committees: the Board of Elections; the Commission on Landlord-Tenant Affairs; the Ethics Commission; the Police Pension Board; the Tree Commission; the Façade Advisory Board, the Noise Control Board, and the Personnel Appeals Board.
The working group recommended retaining the first five panels on the above list, with some standardization. For the other three, they recommend eliminating the Personnel Board, potentially modifying the role of the Façade Board, and considering the mission of the Noise Control Board in the context of the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force’s work. I’m mostly supportive of these recommendations, though I’m not clear on whether a change to the Façade Board’s role is the way to go -- that’s an idea about which I’ll have to learn more.
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)
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