Dear Neighbors:
This week, in addition to the regular City Council meeting on Wednesday at 7:30 PM, the Council will also meet at 5:30 PM in a closed session to obtain legal advice regarding the Takoma Junction Redevelopment Project and to consult with the City Attorney about the pending litigation. As is normally the case following the final votes on the budget, the Council isn’t scheduled to meet next week.
Here’s a link to the agenda for this week’s meeting: https://takomaparkmd.gov/meeting_agendas/city-council-meeting-agenda-wednesday-may-19-2021/. There are three key votes: on the Fiscal Year 2022 municipal budget, on the property tax rate, and on the stormwater management budget. We will also be voting on the closure of Laurel Avenue for several hours on Friday, May 28 for a Washington Opera performance. In our work session we’ll hear from the Urban Forest Manager on tree policy proposals, and there will be a discussion on the proposed purchase of Police Department field radios, plus a continuation of our discussions on reform of Council-appointed committees. The meeting will also include a presentation from our Annapolis legislative advocate on the Maryland General Assembly session from earlier this year, proclamations on Foster Care Recognition Month, Bike to Work Day, and thanking the 20th District Delegation to the Maryland General Assembly for its Efforts in the 2021 Legislative Session, as well as a presentation from the Youth Council. For more details on the meeting agenda items see below.
Sign-up for public comments is open until 5:00 PM on Wednesday: Sign up link. You can 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 Facebook.
PROCLAMATIONS
Foster Care Recognition Month: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/mayoral-proclamations/2021/pr-20210519_Foster-care-recognition.pdf
Bike to Work Week (May 21): https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/proclamation-bike-to-work-2021.pdf. Register for a time slot at one of three pit stop locations hosted by the City of Takoma Park: Takoma Bicycle, the intersection of New Hampshire and Sligo Creek Parkway, or the Gazebo. At your pit stop, pick up a free Bike to Work Day 2021 t-shirt and a cycling swag bag.
PRESENTATION
Report on 2021 State Legislative Session: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210519-1.pdf
The Council will receive a briefing from Ann Ciekot, with Public Policy Partners, the firm which represents the City on State legislative matters. Despite the challenges connected to legislating during a pandemic, several pieces of legislation important to the City in such areas as climate change, police reform, Purple Line mitigation, pedestrian safety, and COVID relief, were approved in Annapolis.
TAKOMA JUNCTION UPDATE
As mentioned above, the Council will be meeting in a closed session to discuss the situation relating to the Takoma Junction development litigation. I circulated the following message on this topic several days ago:
As many of you are already aware, the Montgomery County judge in the case involving the Co-op and NDC yesterday granted the Co-op’s motion for a preliminary injunction. This enables the Co-op to continue using the City lot for now, as the case moves forward.
The City issued the following statement yesterday:
“The City welcomes the Circuit Court for Montgomery County’s decision today permitting the Co-op to continue to use the Takoma Junction lot for its deliveries and parking for the present time. The City continues to work with NDC and the Co-op in an effort to assist both parties in resolving differences.”
As I have noted previously, I regret that in light of the pending litigation I’m unable at the moment to share more information.
COVID UPDATE
The Takoma Park COVID-19 Data Dashboard has been updated with data through May 13, 2021. Key data points noted by City staff:
· The County continues to inquire with the state about quality-issues with vaccine data, and has paused providing updated vaccine-data until they have an explanation for inconsistencies in the data. We will provide further updates once we hear back from the County.
· There were 10 new COVID-19 cases reported in Takoma Park in the last week as the 7-day rolling average of new cases remained stable, bringing the City's total to 1,703.
· There was one new death due to COVID-19 reported in the 20912 zip code for the second consecutive week, bringing the zip code total to 38.
All residents age 12 and up can now be vaccinated. You can register for appointments at the State Vaccine Website. It includes information on the many pharmacies, including all CVS stores, and other locations which are giving vaccinations without appointments. You can also try the Montgomery County webpage or call their number: 240-777-2982). In addition, there’s free COVID testing Saturdays in Takoma Park at the New Hampshire Avenue Recreation Center from 10:00 AM -- 5:00 PM. No identification, insurance, doctor’s note, or payment is required. For other testing options, please see the Montgomery County Testing Sites.
UPDATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
City Manager Interviews. The Council has continued its process of interviewing candidates for the City Manager position. We had earlier whittled down the 10 top candidates to 7, whom we interviewed remotely last week. Based on those interviews, we made a further cut down to the top 3. That final group was interviewed in person yesterday by the Council (though in my case, owing to some family obligations, I again participated remotely). I’m hopeful we’ll be able to get to a final decision soon.
City Manager Comments. https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-manager/city-manager-comments/2021/cm-comments-20210512.pdf. The City Manager’s official comments from last week’s Council meeting include information on COVID-19, County tax duplication, and funding the City is anticipating receiving under the American Rescue Plan Act (the huge federal pandemic relief bill signed into law recently by President Biden).
Tax Duplication. As detailed in the City Manager’s comments above, the Montgomery County Council is on track now to provide a significant amount of increased tax duplication funding to County municipalities including Takoma Park. If the full amount is kept in the County budget, the City is line to receive an additional $480,000. While this news is positive, it would still be helpful for residents to contact County Councilmembers to thank them for agreeing to provide funding and to urge them to make sure the maximum amount is included in the final budget. The details on how to contact the County Councilmembers are in the City Manager statement above.
TKPK5K. https://takomaparkmd.gov/news-alert/tkpk5k-getting-the-joy-back/. This year you can run any time from May 15 - 31 wherever you like as long as it’s safe. Proceeds from the event fund PTA activities focused on health, fitness, biking, and pedestrian safety at five local schools.
VOTING SESSION
Fiscal Year 2022 Municipal Budget: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210519-2-3-4.pdf. We gave initial approval in last week’s Council meeting to the property tax, City budget, and stormwater management budget, with final votes scheduled for this week. The property tax will remain the same for the third straight year, and the budget includes modest increased investments in such areas as stormwater impacts on private property, climate change, racial equity, community engagement, police reform, tree planting, and remote library technology. See my comments on the budget from last week’s blog for more details: http://www.councilmemberkovar.com/blog/2021/5/10/may-12-2021-city-council-agenda. I’ll be voting yes on all three proposals, as I did last week.
Property Tax Rate: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/Documents/Ordinance-2021-18-Tax%20Rate.pdf
Stormwater Management Budget: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/Documents/Ordinance-2021-19-stormwater-budget.pdf
City Budget: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/Documents/Ordinance-2021-20-budget.pdf
Laurel Avenue Closure on May 28: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210519-5.pdf. The City has received a request from the Old Takoma Business Association to close the west side of Laurel Ave. on Friday, May 28, from 4:00 - 9:00 PM to enable OTBA to host the Opera Truck for a 30-minute performance. The additional time is needed for set up and breakdown of a mini stage. I’ll be voting yes.
WORK SESSION
Urban Forest Manager Plans: When the Council adopted a major re-write of the City’s tree ordinance last summer, we also approved a resolution establishing urban forest policies and tree canopy goals: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/resolutions/2020/resolution-2020-15.pdf. The idea was to move away from using the tree permitting process as the primary tool for managing our forest, and instead implement proactive policies aimed at promoting a healthy tree canopy, expanding tree coverage in under-treed areas, and increasing biodiversity. Our Urban Forest Manager will present recommendations for implementation of the resolution.
Police Field Radios Purchase: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210519-7.pdf
Discussion on Council Appointed Committees: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2021/council-20210519-8-rev.pdf. The Council -- led by a working group comprised of Councilmembers Dyballa, Kostiuk, and Searcy -- will continue discussing reform of Council-appointed committees, boards and commissions, with the goal of making them more effective and more reflective of the diversity of our community’s population.
Please feel free to be in touch with comments or questions 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.