Dear Neighbors:
Here’s a link for the January 19, 2022 City Council meeting agenda: https://takomaparkmd.gov/meeting_agendas/city-council-meeting-agenda-wednesday-january-19-2022/. The meeting will kick off with a presentation and discussion on Ward redistricting, based on two maps developed by our outside consultant. In addition, we have votes on the revised Council procedures document, and on the ordinance to formalize the recent agreement on staff compensation. In the work session we’ll discuss staff recommendations for spending the City’s ARPA funds, and we may also discuss a budget amendment (though no details are available yet). There will also be a Youth Council update.
You can sign up to make public comments by 5:00 PM on Wednesday here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6hDA207wQYSEt8yqhbfIbQ. 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.
This week there will also be a Community Meeting on the staff ARPA proposal on Tuesday evening, and a Ward One discussion on redistricting on Thursday evening. See below for details.
COVID UPDATE
Per City staff, there’s still no update to the COVID-19 Data Dashboard, due to the continuing effects of the hack of the Maryland Department of Public Health. Here’s a link to the Dashboard: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=42a594afc3ad4c59ba7b1ca9965b7837. Staff plan to update it as soon as the County is able to provide updated data. For the County and the 20912 zip code (not all of the zip code is within City borders and vice versa), staff notes the following:
· In the last week, there were 346 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the 20912 zip code, a 51.8% increase in new cases since the previous week.
· In Montgomery County, daily new cases are up 17% over the last 14 days at 2,886 per day on January 13. Hospitalizations are up 161% in the last 14 days, and the 7-day average positivity rate is 23.2%. Hospital-bed usage in County hospitals is low at 76% and ICU usage moderate at 89.1%, but the percentage of hospital beds occupied by patients with COVID-19 is high at 36.4%.
· As of January 12, the at-least first dose vaccination rate for the 20912 zip code was 74.2% (a 0.7% increase from last week), and the fully-vaccinated rate was 64.8% (a 0.4% increase).
· There were no new deaths due to COVID-19 reported in the 20912 zip code since last week, leaving the zip-code's total at 42 since the pandemic's start.
The Montgomery County Library system is continuing to make rapid test kits available for free: https://montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/testing/rapid-tests.html
Other Important COVID resources: Vaccines for children ages 5 - 11: https://takomaparkmd.gov/news-alert/covid-19-vaccines-are-now-available-for-children-aged-5-11/; vaccines for those who are 12 and older: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/vaccine/ or State Vaccine Website; Testing: Montgomery County Testing Sites; Food aid: Submit an online request for help with food resources or call 240-777-0311.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
ARPA Community Meeting: https://takomaparkmd.gov/news-alert/arpa-opportunity-for-discussion-and-public-comments-register/. The Community Meeting on the City staff ARPA spending proposal is on Tuesday, January 19 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM. Registration information and the proposal can be accessed from the above link.
Ward One Redistricting Discussion -- January 20, 7:30 - 9:00 PM: I’ll be hosting a Zoom discussion for Ward One residents on redistricting options. To sign up: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85671816217?pwd=SVVjQmJtdSsyY1ZMQitEY3BURDc1Zz09
Rescheduled MLK Day Takoma Woods Cleanup, Saturday, January 22, 1:00 - 3:00 PM: For this event, organized by the local MLK Jr. Commemoration Committee, volunteers will gather in the parking lot at the end of Darwin Avenue. Trash bags will be supplied, but bring your own gloves and wear a mask. Eligible students can earn SSL credit. This is a County site, and the County requires participants to be vaccinated, so you’ll need to fill out a wavier form in advance via this link: Covid Waiver - All Volunteers
Takoma Junction Development on January 27 County Planning Board Agenda: https://montgomeryplanningboard.org/agenda-item/january-27-2022/. This had been scheduled for the Board’s January 20 meeting, but the date was subsequently pushed back by a week.
Postponement of In-Person Recreation Dept. Classes and Programs Until January 24: https://takomaparkmd.gov/news-alert/city-manager-fox-suspends-postpone-all-in-person-recreation-classes-and-programs-until-january-24-2022/
Financial Assistance with Water, Gas, and Electric Bills:
The City is partnering with the Salvation Army to help residents with utility bills. Contact the Department of Housing and Community Development via email: housing @takomaparkmd.gov or call 301-891-7119. The Montgomery County Salvation Army can be reached at 301-515-5354.
State Property Tax Assessments: https://takomaparkmd.gov/government/finance/real-property-tax/. Residents should have received updated State property assessments, which will form the basis for City discussions on the local property tax rate. We’ll be reviewing these issues in more detail in the coming months, especially as part of our budget process in April and May. The above link includes interactive maps showing both the updated value for every property in the City and the percentage change from the last assessment. There are also details on how to appeal if you believe your assessment is inaccurate.
Spring Plant-A-Tree Orders Accepted Through February 21: https://takomaparkmd.gov/government/public-works/tree-care-and-resources/. The City offers discounted tree plantings for private property for the spring and fall planting seasons. This program is focused on native shade trees.
REDISTRICTING PRESENTATION & DISCUSSION: There are multiple redistricting links; access them from the overall agenda link at the top of this blog. Based on population changes determined by the US Census Bureau, the City revises its Ward boundaries every 10 years. As I’ve stated previously, I’d like to see Ward 1’s boundaries remain as close to what they currently are as possible. However, the boundaries WILL be changing, so please review the current draft map options and let me know what you think.
Note that the two maps which will be presented in this week’s Council meeting aren’t the only possible options. I encourage residents to test out the mapping tool included in the agenda information, which enables you to explore other options. The Council can also make its own revisions, but it’s vital that we hear from residents. In addition to this week’s meeting, I’ve scheduled a Ward 1 redistricting meeting for this Thursday evening at 7:30 PM (see “Announcements” above for details), and the Council will continue considering redistricting next month, with the final vote on a new Ward map scheduled for February 23.
One key point to be aware of is that our outside consultants’ draft maps have been prepared using Census Blocks, which are the smallest areas for which the Census Bureau has compiled data. This ensures we use the most accurate population and demographic information for the revised Wards. However, using Census Blocks means some larger streets like Carroll Avenue may be divided, with each side of the street in a different Ward. In addition, areas like the Old Town commercial district, which are already somewhat divided (the businesses on Westmoreland Avenue are in Ward 3), could be split further. And of particular note, in the Hodges Heights neighborhood, Darwin Avenue and 6 homes on the north side of lower Grant Avenue could be shifted from Ward 1 to Ward 4.
For the two maps prepared by the consultants, option A is aimed at keeping the boundaries fairly close to how they are now, whereas option B goes for a more compact approach. In both A and B, Darwin and the north side of lower Grant would be moved into Ward 4. I disagree with that proposed move, not only because Darwin and Grant are well established parts of Hodges Heights, but because they are not contiguous with any residential portion of Ward 4. They are divided from Ward 4’s residential areas by the Middle School and Lee Jordan Field, Takoma Piney Branch Park, Takoma Woods, Heffner Park, the Public Works facilities, Piney Branch Elementary School, and the Community Center and Library.
It’s not a knock on whoever represents Ward 4 in the future to see that it would be tough to bring the 18 or so homes on Darwin and the affected portion of Grant into the daily work of representing the Ward. So I plan to propose that we make an exception to the Census Block principle in this case to keep those residences in Ward 1, understanding there may be other such cases elsewhere in the City and attempting to rectify them all may be complicated or even impossible.
These are the changes in Options A and B as compared with the current Ward 1 boundaries:
Option A -- Ward 1 would lose Darwin and part of Grant; lose portions of Carroll Avenue (including mainly residences, plus Victory Tower and the Girl and the Vine); pick up areas around Takoma Junction including the West side of Carroll, along with parts of Grant, Lee, Sherman, and Hancock; and pick up parts of Westmoreland, Walnut, and Eastern.
Option B -- Generally the same as Option A, except Ward 1 would also lose the part of Carroll where Republic and Ace Hardware are located, as well as the commercial side of Laurel, and wouldn’t pick up Westmoreland, Walnut or Eastern.
Again, those two maps don’t have to be the only options, but they will be the starting points for our discussion. With the Darwin-Grant problem (and my hoped-for solution) the same in either case, I have a preference for A, since it would keep more of the Old Town commercial district in Ward 1 (though I recognize residents of Westmoreland, Walnut and Eastern may prefer to stay in Ward 3). In any case, I’ll be exploring other options beyond A and B. And again, I encourage residents who have concerns about the impact of redistricting to let me know your views.
VOTING SESSION
City Council Procedures: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2022/draft-council-procedures-revised-2022-01-12.pdf. The Council periodically reviews and revises its rules and procedures with the aim of helping make our meetings more effective and to bring about improved outcomes for the community. The last revisions were put in place about two years ago. I was part of a Council/staff sub-group which developed the initial draft of this new updated version. We went through the document in last week’s meeting and amended it to make a number of additional changes to the text, including:
· Setting an 11:00 PM target for ending Council meetings (the Mayor, staff and Council will consult on whether to continue beyond that time, or postpone further agenda items)
· Public Comments will be at the beginning of Council meetings
· Keeping Public Comments at 3 minutes, with the ability in some cases to add 1 or 2 additional minutes, but removing authorization for public comments beyond 5 minutes.
· Limiting opening Councilmember comments to 3 minutes.
· Emphasizing the idea of Councilmembers and/or staff acknowledging or providing responses -- to the extent possible -- to questions or issues raised in Public Comments
· Making it clear that residents can use or hold up visual aids during public comments
· Permitting (though not requiring) Public Comments in special Council meetings (e.g. budget sessions or Council priority-setting meetings)
· Enhanced translation services (I’d like to see us commit to further improvements in this area)
· Clarifying that Working Groups (like the one I was part of which developed the initial draft Council procedures document) don’t speak for or represent the entire Council.
I was generally supportive of these changes, though I would have preferred continuing to allow Public Comments in excess of 5 minutes with advance approval. I intend to vote in favor of the Council procedures document.
Budget Amendment on City Wages: This will be the final vote on an ordinance to effectuate the recent compensation agreement with City union employees, which also applies to non-union workers. The link to the background information for this agenda item was malfunctioning at the time I prepared this blog, but this link from last week’s agenda explains the details and includes the language of the ordinance: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2022/council-20220112-2-3rev.pdf. I’ll be voting in favor of it as I did when we took our initial vote on this ordinance in last week’s Council meeting.
WORK SESSION
Budget Amendment: It’s my understanding this agenda item is not related to ARPA, but no further details were available as of blog-post time.
Staff Proposed ARPA Spending Plan: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2022/supplemental-documents/ARPA-update-presentation.pdf. My current thinking is we should focus first on spending aimed at helping those with immediate COVID-related needs, or assistance that may be needed urgently (such as eviction prevention assistance). That approach would enable us to more deliberately vet other recommended uses which, though still important, may not have the same urgency. My concern is that if we try to analyze and decide on every proposed use of these funds in one large group, it will take longer, and may mean further delays in the most crucial aid being released.
In addition, some proposals -- while meritorious -- may take longer to flesh out, and I don’t want that to slow the delivery of urgent aid. On the other hand, if there are proposals which are somewhat less urgent, but developed enough to be ready to go, we may want to authorize them now. Among the points it will be important to better understand will be which projects are most fully realized, as well as how firm the estimated costs are. I look forward to getting more clarity on those points in this week’s meeting.
One area which I had hoped to have included in the ARPA plan is stormwater infrastructure, so I’ll be exploring how best to move forward on that issue. In addition, I still have questions about whether the proposal to fund projects like the Library renovation and facilities improvements in the Community Center would be eligible for ARPA funds. So I look forward to drilling down on those points as well. Please continue to share your thoughts about all of these topics, and consider joining tonight’s Community ARPA meeting (see above in “Announcements”).
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)
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