Town Meeting
Town Meeting Minutes
Town Council Chambers
October 11, 2023| 7:00 p.m.
Call to Order
Mayor Jodie Kulpa-Eddy called the meeting to order at 7:01PM. Present were Councilmember Shinita Hemby and Councilmember Jason Papanikolas. Councilmember Faustino Menjivar had an excused absence. Also present were Town Manager Kyle Snyder, Town Clerk Melanie Friesen and residents of the Town of Berwyn Heights.
Pledge of Allegiance
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Public Hearing: Ordinance 189A: 18 Month ARPA Budget Amendment
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy reviewed the ARPA budget amendment, both the history of the process as well as the itemized list of the projects to be funded by the amendment. She then opened the Public Hearing at 7:05PM.
Resident Dave Wolfinger of Ruatan Street asked about the arborist consultant and wanted to know why they were being hired. TM Snyder replied that the consultant was doing a study of the tree canopy in the public right-of-way. They were also noting trees on private property that might affect the right-of-way. Mr. Wolfinger asked if there would be any aid in helping residents with these trees. TM Snyder stated that it was not a part of this project, but there may be grants to pursue that could help individual residents.
With no other comments, the Public Hearing closed at 7:09PM.
1. Announcements
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy reviewed that CM Menjivar had an excused absence.
Mayor Pro Tem Chris Brittan-Powell arrived at 7:10PM.
2. Approval of Agenda
CM Papanikolas moved to approve the agenda. CM Hemby seconded. After no discussion the motion passed unanimously.
3. Consent
CM Papanikolas move to accept the consent agenda. CM Hemby seconded. In discussion Mayor Kulpa-Eddy reviewed the contents of the consent agenda. The motion passed unanimously.
4. Mayor & Councilmember Reports
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy announced that this is Fire Prevention Week. She stated this year’s theme is cooking safety and she shared a few kitchen fire safety tips. A Hispanic Heritage Celebration will be held at the Berwyn Heights Elementary School on October 12th, and the event is open to the public. The BH Police Department’s Multicultural event has been cancelled due to predicted high winds and heavy rain but will be rescheduled for April 20, 2024. She also shared about her meeting with State Delegate Alonzo Washington, attending the “Hello Huskies” night, and the Prince George’s County Municipal Association meeting. She and TM Snyder met with Greenbelt regarding the joint initiative for an aging-in-place program and resources for seniors. She also reviewed attending a webinar that covered the changes to the County’s municipal tax differential rate proposal, which will be covered in greater detail at the next worksession.
MPT Brittan-Powell asked Mayor Kulpa-Eddy to share more of the resources that would be available through the joint program with Greenbelt. She reviewed the pamphlet about the program which includes resources on nutrition, memory care, adaptive equipment, and much more.
MPT Brittan-Powell highlighted the availability of positions in the Town, noting that all the job advertisements are on the website. He reviewed the open positions, including a grant writer, a community outreach person, and the assistant to the Town Manager/Office Coordinator. TM Snyder also gave a brief description of each posting. MPT Brittan-Powell and TM Snyder reviewed the status of the Stormwater Engineer search. They also reviewed the replacement Electric Vehicle chargers, WSSC’s non-invasive sewer line work, and the ARPA relief programs. TM Snyder stated that word-of-mouth is the best way to let residents know about the relief programs, and that there is ongoing information in the Bulletin about these.
CM Hemby thanked TM Snyder for reaching out to residents who lost things in the storm of last summer and letting them know about these programs. She asked about the license for the commercial kitchen in the Town Center. TM Snyder shared that the permit process is underway, as is a capacity certificate for the upstairs space. CM Hemby asked residents to be kind to their neighbors and communicate when you host a party.
CM Papanikolas asked that people remember Berwyn Heights has a significant Jewish and Palestinian population and to be considerate during the unrest occurring elsewhere. He shared that it is Disability Employment Awareness month. There are many resources available and CM Papanikolas is happy to share those with residents who reach out to him.
5. Committee Reports
a. Green Team: CM Papanikolas reviewed that the Green Team is enthusiastically supportive of the curbside food scrap composting program. He also reviewed the pollinator garden planting will take place at the elementary school on October 21st. The Green Team expressed their belief that it should be a priority the Town hire a stormwater engineer.
b. Historical Committee: Historical Committee Chair Debby Steele-Snyder shared that at the last meeting she was re-elected as Chair, Lee Fuerst was re-elected as Vice Chair, and Brittany Jacoby was elected as Secretary. She reviewed the upcoming walking tour which will cover some of the lesser-known historic homes in Town, highlighting that no homes will be entered, just viewed from the street. The tour will be on October 29th at 2PM. She asked that people make sure to register. She stated the November and December meetings will be held on November 15th and December 20th to allow for the holidays.
c. Neighborhood Watch/ Emergency Preparedness: Mayor Kulpa-Eddy shared that the Police Department and the NW/EP team will be out on Halloween helping to ensure the safety of trick-or-treaters. There will be a trailer clean-out on October 28th with excess items being offered to the County and other emergency response teams. She added that they are still looking to reschedule the CPR and AED training class.
d. Recreation Council: Dave Wolfinger shared that he is the new treasurer for the Rec Council this year. He reviewed the elections results of Susan Jones as Chair, Angie Wolfinger as Co-chair, and Leslie Wolfinger as the Secretary. He also mentioned the cancellation of the Multicultural event. He reviewed the Trunk-or-Treat event as well as the Sensory-Friendly Halloween party. He shared information about the “Day of the Dead” presentation on November 2. The tree lighting ceremony is scheduled for December 2.
6. Old Business
a. Ordinance 189A: 18 Month ARPA Budget Amendment
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy reviewed the public hearing that happened earlier tonight. MPT Brittan-Powell moved to adopt 189A. CM Papanikolas seconded. MPT Brittan-Powell commended the Council for all the work that they did to get this done. Mayor Kulpa-Eddy shared that she had heard positive feedback from residents about the Aging-in-Place program. Mayor Kulpa-Eddy also shared that the Pollinator Program will not actually need any funding, as all the plants have been donated and the work will be done with volunteer help. There is a request from the BHES PTA for educational beautification. There was discussion about amending the $5000 pollinator funding to include the possibility of its use for other beautification projects at the Elementary School. MPT Brittan-Powell moved to amend the ordinance to repurpose the Account Category for “Educational and Environmental Beautification”. CM Papanikolas seconded. With no further discussion, the motion passed unanimously, and the ordinance was adopted as amended.
7. New Business
a. Swearing in of Town Manager Snyder:
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy swore in TM Snyder.
b. Introduce updated Ordinance 109
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy reviewed that the Council is introducing an updated Ordinance 109 which is the Election Ordinance. She reviewed the updates, including: aligning compensation for Election Judges to State law HB1200; allowing for early voting; adding a location on town property for election signs; and adding a section on non-binding ballot questions. She also stated there have been discussions on moving the election date to the second Tuesday in May, allowing for non-citizen voting, and reducing the voting age to 16 years old. While these other items are not included in the amended ordinance, they may appear as non-binding ballot questions next year.
CM Papanikolas moved to introduce and waive the first reading of amended Ordinance 109. MPT Brittan-Powell seconded. MPT Brittan-Powell asked about announcing the elections earlier to encourage more residents to consider running. TC Friesen reviewed that we begin advertising for Judges in December and Candidates in January. With no further discussion, the motion passed unanimously.
c. Resolution to Adopt Bulletin Policy:
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy stated it has been some time since any kind of Bulletin Policy has been reviewed.There is only limited guidance provided by the “Town Organization and Assemblies Resolution” and the goal is to provide standards for the Bulletin as well as to introduce a “Council Corner” feature. CM Hemby moved to adopt Resolution 10-2023. CM Papanikolas seconded. MPT Brittan-Powell asked about offering a more “newspaper” like paper but acknowledged that would be a future conversation. TC Friesen read the resolution and the motion passed unanimously.
8. Resident & Community Comments
Resident Dave Wolfinger shared that he has noticed a slight increase in stop sign violation enforcement but also a slight increase in violations. He stated that a couple of years ago he asked to have an open meeting with the Chief about the details of enforcement in Town. He also asked why the EV chargers are free. He noted that these vehicle don’t pay road tax and expressed concern about the Town giving away electricity, especially when the Town is not on 100% renewable energy.
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy shared that there will be a presentation at the next worksession by the Chief to discuss many of the issues that Mr. Wolfinger expressed concern about. She also stated that the EV chargers will be discussed at a future worksession to determine if they should remain free.
9. Adjournment
CM Papanikolas moved to adjourn. CM Hemby seconded. With no discussion, the motion passed unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 8:06PM.