Dear Neighbors:
The following is a link to the agenda and information packet for the January 13 meeting of the Takoma Park City Council: http://documents.takomaparkmd.gov.s3.amazonaws.com/government/city-council/agendas/2016/packet-20160113.pdf
Please note that in the Preliminary Matters portion of the agenda, there will be a proclamation on the passing of former Takoma Park Mayor Stephen del Giudice.
There will be a single vote at this Council meeting, covering three items on the Consent Agenda, (which is reserved for non-controversial matters). The three items are: authorizing the execution of contracts for public art installation; authorizing the purchase of a replacement police car; and authorizing the award of 2016 grant funds to the organization M.A.N.U.P. (Making A New United People).
I support all three actions, but I will not be in attendance at this City Council meeting, because of a scheduling conflict relating to my personal travel. So I will not be able cast a vote on these consent agenda items.
The other items on the agenda will be a report from the Board of Elections, and a briefing on the Crossroads Farmers Market request for the closure of Anne Street.
With regard to the Board of Elections, while the focus of the report will be on the recent municipal election, this will be a valuable opportunity to begin public consideration of issues relating to the non-binding referendum that was passed in November calling for Takoma Park's elections to be synchronized with the State and Federal elections that take place in even years. The key purpose of that synchronization is promoting increased voted turnout, so the turnout data from the recent election, which will be part of the presentation (and which is included in the information packet), will be helpful in understanding the potential impact of shifting the election dates.
For those Ward One residents who are not familiar with the Crossroads Farmers Market, it operates on Wednesdays six months out of the year (it is closed in late fall and winter) on Anne Street, close to the Takoma/Langley Crossroads. A portion of the street is closed to vehicular traffic when the market is in operation.
Please feel free to email me with any comments or questions. Thanks.
Peter Kovar, Takoma Park City Council, Ward One