Worksession
Work Session Agenda
May 1, 2023| 7:00 p.m.
Council Chambers
Call to Order
Mayor Jodie Kulpa-Eddy called the meeting to order at 7:00pm. Present were Mayor Pro Tem Chris Brittan-Powell, Councilmember Shinita Hemby and Councilmember Faustino Menjivar. Councilmember Jason Papanikolas had an excused absence. Also present were staff members Interim Town Manager Peter Jones, Town Treasurer Mike Lightfield, and Town Clerk Melanie Friesen. Residents from the community were also present.
Approval of the Agenda
CM Hemby moved to approve the agenda. CM Menjivar seconded. In discussion, MPT Brittan-Powell asked about adding a conversation on a Town composting policy. He also asked about the structure of the agenda and asked if the discussion on the ARPA budget process should happen before the budget discussion, citing the ARPA supporting documents under Budget Discussion. Mayor Kulpa-Eddy stated that the Budget Discussion will be focused on the General Fund budget. TC Friesen explained that she was asked to post the documents but did not receive clarification on which of the two items they were intended for. The supporting documents will be moved to the ARPA Budget Process Discussion. MPT Brittan-Powell will address composting as part of his Administration report. With no further discussion the motion passed unanimously.
1. Mayor
a. Announcements
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy reminded all to speak into the microphone. CM Papanikolas has an excused absence but may try to join the meeting later if possible. She also asked all to wish MPT Brittan-Powell a happy birthday.
b. Calendar
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy asked if there was still interest in holding an executive session to meet with Department Directors. The consensus was that the executive session is still desired. Council discussed what format the meeting would take, with conversation between MPT Brittan-Powell and Mayor Kulpa-Eddy on the open portion of the meeting. CM Hemby asked if there could be an opportunity for residents to submit questions for the Council to ask the Department Directors. Council discussed if this meeting needed to happen prior to the May Town Meeting or if it could happen in June. There was discussion about the impact of a closed meeting on the budget and the proposed reorganization of Public Works. Mayor Kulpa-Eddy will send an administrative poll to determine when staff and Council are available. MPT Brittan-Powell expressed a desire to have a meeting to discuss ARPA only. There was discussion on a date, settling on sometime during the week of May 22-25.
c. Quantum Companies Discussion with David Sullivan
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy introduced Quantum Companies as the owner/developer of the former Staples building which is slated to become an Aldi grocery store, and shared the Council’s request for green infrastructure. Mr. Marc “Kap” Kapistan thanked the Council for their input and letter and expressed his appreciation for Town Staff. Mr. David Sullivan shared the architectural renderings of the front elevation and site plan. He highlighted that the parking lot will be straightened out with wider and more accessible parking spaces. He also answered Council questions, stating that while they haven’t had a long time to review the Council suggestions, some of them seem viable such as bike racks and sidewalk extensions. MPT Brittan-Powell asked about the installation of EV chargers. Mr. Sullivan replied that EV chargers are in the lease and can be installed when Aldi desires them. He added that Aldi has site plan approval, and all changes have to be approved by Aldi as well. Mayor Kulpa-Eddy stated that demonstration projects are part of the stormwater mitigation plan in ARPA and would encourage Aldi to consider being a demonstration site. MPT Brittan-Powell asked about incentives from the Town to encourage Aldi to include more green strategies on site. CM Hemby asked about hiring practices and if it would be possible to ask Aldi to give preferential hiring to Berwyn Heights residents. Mr. Sullivan stated that he can provide contacts with Aldi regarding that. Mr. Sullivan added that the anticipated opening for the Aldi will be late October. MPT Brittan-Powell asked Council again to consider incentives to encourage green development of the space and parking lot.
d. Stormwater Mitigation Grant
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy reviewed the stormwater grant application stating that she reviewed and revised the application that ITM Jones had put together. She asked to clarify and remove portions of the application. CM Hemby asked for some revision on the wording to make the definitions and distinction clearer on what type of flooding is eligible for reimbursement. Mayor Kulpa-Eddy suggested adding a sample list of eligible projects. Council discussed if the portion on Historic Homes was necessary and affirmed that it is important to ensure that proper permitting has been done through the County. ITM Jones added that the Town Attorney had expressed some concern about the sliding scale reimbursement, and it was concluded to remove the income questions and to set reimbursement at 50% of costs for all applicants. There was also discussion about increasing the maximum award from $5,000 to $7,500, which will be included in the version of the application that will be sent to the Town Attorney for final approval. Council also affirmed the need to have the application available in Spanish. MPT Brittan-Powell commented on the delay in getting this program launched for residents.
e. Budget Discussion
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy reiterated that the Council is only discussing finalizing the General Fund Budget, as it will need to be voted on at the May Town Meeting. She asked questions regarding some sources of revenue that she felt were not accurate. This included conversation on speed and red-light cameras as well as the possibility of adding more cameras along Greenbelt Road. MPT Brittan-Powell asked what the differences between the last version of the budget and the current version are. TT Lightfield reviewed the differences. MPT Brittan-Powell also asked about the enhancements that were requested by the Department Directors, wondering if they were in the General Fund budget. ITM Jones stated that these were currently in the ARPA budget proposal. There was discussion regarding the proposed Public Works reorganization. TC Friesen read an email sent by CM Papanikolas regarding his proposal for a three-year phase in for the reorganization. CM Menjivar stated that he respected CM Papanikolas’ position and the work he has done to understand the situation at Public Works but felt that it was unfair to keep Public Works in limbo for three years. Council discussed funding the reorganization in the FY24 budget so that they had the option to implement a form of the reorganization when they’ve had time to work on amending any ordinances that would need to be changed.
Council discussed areas of the Operating Budget that could possibly be cut to help balance the budget. There were some minor line-item adjustments. MPT Brittan-Powell asked about his proposed software upgrade to Microsoft Suite.
At CM Hemby’s request, TT Lightfield reviewed the reserve fund balances and explained the purpose and balance in each fund. ITM Jones expressed concern about running the Town with a structural budget deficit. MPT Brittan-Powell and CM Hemby reviewed this is only the plan for this year and that next fiscal year will see an increase in real estate tax revenue.
Action items from the meeting are:
* Fund the Public Works reorganization on a separate line item at $35,000.
* Move the funds for the decibel meters from Police Equipment to National Night Out.
* Adjust all building utilities for anticipated increases in cost.
* Fund the Pops Park refurbishment at $22,878.75.
* Move the Public Works pickup and “dingo” from the APRA budget to the General Fund.
* Move both proposed vehicles for the Police Department vehicles from the ARPA budget to the General Fund.
* Reduce the amount of backfilling the vehicle reserve fund by the cost of one vehicle for the Police Department (approx. $340,000 instead of $400,000).
* Move the Public Works building roof from the ARPA budget to the General Fund and use the Metroland reserve fund to pay for the repair.
f. Resident Comments
Resident Paul Kavanaugh thanked the Council for their serious deliberations. He shared that 40% of the Town is Hispanic as is 60% of the elementary school students. He shared his comments in both English and Spanish. He stated that he’s asked several times if the police are patrolling between the hours of 11PM-4AM and has not received a response. He added that he found it interesting to see what is in the ARPA budget and what was in the Town reserves. He stated that he’s offered several times to help the Town with grant writing and no one has taken him up on that offer, encouraging the Town to explore the Inflation Reduction Act which has billions of dollars for environmental projects. He suggested that if the Town purchases 100 cisterns at $1700 apiece, several million gallons of water would be removed from the storm drains. He added that the Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland would be interested in working with the Town to solve the Town’s environmental problems.
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy responded to Mr. Kavanaugh’s question about police patrols stating that she had spoken to the Chief. Chief Antolik let her know that they are temporarily short one patrol officer while she is in the Academy. While they are able to cover most shifts with overtime, there have been occasions when shifts have not been fully covered. The Chief will not advertise the shifts where there is short coverage. Mayor Kulpa-Eddy added that the Town is always covered by Prince George’s County Police Department.
2. Public Works
CM Menjivar shared that Public Works is counting down to Berwyn Heights Day. They’ve done a lot of prep work. The forecast looks good and it should be a good day. He added that the new garbage truck will be in the parade.
3. Administration
MPT Brittan-Powell noted that while this is a positive time of year, there is also a sadness due to residents leaving the community due to housing costs and aging-in-place issues. He asked Mayor Kulpa-Eddy to update the Council on the Town Manager search. Mayor Kulpa-Eddy responded that the recruiter is managing the advertisement and search. MPT Brittan-Powell asked about the status of the partnership with the UMD School of Public Health. ITM Jones shared that they had sent an update earlier in the day and would forward it to Council. MPT Brittan-Powell added that a composting program seems aligned with the sustainable purchasing policy and would like to pursue that.
a. ARPA Budget Process Group Discussion
MPT Brittan-Powell said that he would like to get a sense from the Council on how to move forward with the APRA budget. He would like to determine if Council would like to consider the budget in broad areas or if they would like to get into the fine details. He noted that CM Menjivar has stated the high priority of stormwater, but wondered if any Councilmember had plans that they would like to share. CM Hemby replied that she’s been focused on the General Fund and would like to address ARPA once that is concluded.
b. Stormwater Update
MPT Brittan-Powell stated that beyond the relationship with Campus Community Connections, Mr. Andrew Fellows is knowledgeable in stormwater management and would be happy to share his expertise with the Town. MPT Brittan-Powell asked if Mr. Fellows could be given time to present during the May 10 Town Meeting. Mayor Kulpa-Eddy stated that it is already a packed agenda and she would reach out to Mr. Fellows to determine his availability to meet at another time. MPT Brittan-Powell suggested that Mr. Fellows attend the ARPA focused meeting.
c. Community Development Decision Making Process
MPT Brittan-Powell reviewed that community development is one of the areas that he would like to see focused on during ARPA discussions and asked Council and residents to bring forward ideas on ways to advance community health.
4. Code Compliance
CM Hemby stated that “No-Mow April” has ended, and that Code will be less lenient in the coming weeks if the grass in your lawn is over 10 inches high. She also reminded residents who are doing renovation that they may need a permit. If you are unsure of what you need a permit to do, call Code Compliance or County DPIE. Code Compliance has seen an increase in driveway renovations and stated that any driveway renovation requires a permit. Code Compliance will be having a table at Berwyn Heights Day, and she would appreciate a Spanish speaking volunteer to help.
5. Parks, Recreation, Education, and Civic Affairs
There was no PRECA report.
6. Public Safety
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy shared that the Commercial District Management Authority (CDMA) met on April 27th and had a presentation from the police on public safety and from ITM Jones on the APRA business relief grant. The CDMA voted to accept the proposed PSTD tax increase. Mayor Kulpa-Eddy and MPT Brittan-Powell both attended the Four Cities Meeting, also on April 27th. She noted that University Park is looking to organize a Stormwater Consortium. She updated the status of the plastic bag legislation in College Park and Greenbelt, noting that the County is considering a plastic bag ban as well. She also reviewed the steps that Greenbelt is taking regarding crime at Franklin Park apartments. She also attended the Berwyn Heights Elementary School Health and Wellness fair and addressed residents’ complaints about noise coming from the concert at RFK stadium in DC.
7. Adjournment
MPT Brittan-Powell moved to adjourn the meeting. CM Hemby seconded. With no further discussion, the motion passed unanimously, and the meeting adjourned at 10:55pm.