Worksession
Work Session Minutes
October 16, 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 Faustino Menjivar, and Councilmember Jason Papanikolas. Councilmember Shinita Hemby had an excused absence. Staff present were Town Manager Kyle Snyder, Chief Kenneth Antolik, Lieutenant Dan Unger and Town Clerk Melanie Friesen. Also present were residents of the Town of Berwyn Heights.
Approval of the Agenda
CM Menjivar moved to approve the agenda. MPT Brittan-Powell seconded. With no discussion, the motion passed unanimously 4:0.
1. Mayor
a. Announcements
There were no announcements.
b. Calendar
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy reviewed the October and November calendars, highlighting an upcoming PGCMA meeting for Town Council, Good Neighbor Day on October 21st and Greenbelt Electronics recycling on October 28th. She added that the Town does not sponsor Halloween, but that October 31 trick-or-treating usually runs from 6-9PM and to please turn off your porch lights if you are not participating. CM Papanikolas reviewed the upcoming Rec Council events including “Trunk or Treat” and the Sensory-Friendly Glow Party.
c. BHPD Presentation
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy reviewed that, instead of reading their monthly reports at the Town Meetings, the directors of Town Departments will be invited to come in once a quarter on a rotating basis (beginning with the Police Department) to present on department activities. Lt. Unger shared a PowerPoint presentation that included the broad scope of duties of the BHPD. As traffic concerns have been discussed recently, he shared data from the three data-collecting speed signs in Town. These showed that the majority of drivers are driving at or below the speed limit with only around one quarter exceeding the speed limits, and very few reaching speeds that would be ticketed. Chief Antolik stated that he will be in discussion with TM Snyder on ways to purchase more of these signs. Lt. Unger shared about HB619 which would present the possibility of adding 24/7 speed cameras in Town. MPT Brittan-Powell asked about handheld technology that could issue a ticket at below the 12mph limit for a speed camera. Chief Antolik shared that frequently tickets issued for speeds in this range are thrown out in court when challenged, as they not considered to be “serious”. MPT Brittan-Powell asked if there was a special designation that some streets could be given to make it less likely tickets would be thrown out if the tickets were given for speeds under 12mph over the speed limit. Chief Antolik stated there is not, that it would be dependent on the testimony of the officer to justify the ticket. Lt. Unger shared there are essentially 5 patrol officers and 300 stop signs in Town. With crime on the rise across the county, officers are not necessarily available to do traffic enforcement. CM Papanikolas asked about the number of hours of training that are required for officers annually. Lt. Unger estimated that between 2-3 weeks of training are required and recommended annually. He advised that engineering is going to be more effective than enforcement for reducing speeding in Town. He also shared tips on preventing carjacking, auto theft and theft from autos. He highlighted that Kia and Hyundai are the most vulnerable vehicles to steal. MPT Brittan-Powell asked about adding security cameras in Town. Chief Antolik shared that in the early 2000s, the question of security cameras had been presented to Council and they had decided that they did not want to have “big brother” cameras in Town at that time, but the subject could be discussed again. Lt Unger also reviewed some of the changes in Maryland law that present challenges when investigating juveniles. Lt. Unger closed his presentation with a video made from actual BHPD body camera footage, showing some of the day-to-day situations faced by the officers. Chief Antolik highlighted that retention and recruitment is salary focused for younger officers.
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy opened the floor for questions from residents. Resident Dave Wolfinger of Ruatan Street stated he has said before that while he sees a slight uptick in enforcement for traffic violations, he has also seen an increase in violations. He said he understands the staffing and funding issues, but would like to see the police focus on a single area for a period of time and then move to another area. He added that stop sign enforcement needs to happen for cyclists as well as motorists. Lt. Unger stated there has been an increase in traffic violations over time and that there has also been an overall decline in respecting the law since Covid. Mayor Kulpa-Eddy suggested that a traffic study would need to happen to evaluate where engineered solutions might be most effective in assisting enforcement. Chief Antolik encouraged Mr. Wolfinger to do a ride-along with police officers to show where he feels enforcement needs to take place as well as to see what happens on a daily basis. MPT Brittan-Powell emphasized that overall, these are pretty nice problems to have in Town. There was a larger discussion on traffic studies and the aspects of engineered enforcement that would require input from stakeholders.
d. Review Stormwater Engineer Proposals Received
TM Snyder reviewed that so far the Town has received only one proposal, but that others are expected shortly. The current proposal is from the Low Impact Development Center who has partnered with Charlie Griffith, formerly of the Prince George’s County Stormwater Division. There was discussion regarding the proposal and how it did not meet expectations. Mayor Kulpa-Eddy would like to review proposals side-by-side and it was determined that greater discussion would take place when more proposals could be reviewed.
e. PGCMA Legislative Request Survey
The Prince George’s County Municipal Association has distributed an online survey for municipalities to submit their legislative priorities. Mayor Kulpa-Eddy stated she plans to submit obtaining local authority to install both noise and stop sign cameras as priorities. She asked Council to let her know before October 25th if there are any additional priorities to be submitted.
f. Four Cities Agenda Items
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy asked Council for agenda items for the upcoming October 26th Four Cities meeting. She emphasized that if a Councilmember proposed an item, they needed to attend the meeting to present the item to the Coalition. She briefly reviewed the webinar she attended with TM Snyder on the County’s Municipal Tax Differential program and believed it should be discussed by the Four Cities. MPT Brittan-Powell asked about stormwater management and how what we do affects neighbors downstream. Mayor Kulpa-Eddy shared that a coordinating committee on that might be forthcoming from the PGC Mayors Association. CM Papanikolas suggested a discussion item about joint recreation possibilities for adults. He stated that he would work on it and let TC Friesen know.
g. Resident Comments
Resident Paul Kavanaugh of Berwyn Road came up to congratulate the Town on their “Sustainable Maryland” designation.
At 8:29pm, MPT Brittan-Powell read an email from CM Hemby stating that she was ill and would be missing the meeting.
Resident Dave Wolfinger asked about the stormwater studies that have been done in the past. He stated that it appears that each new administration does another study with a little bit of work done in between them. Mayor Kulpa-Eddy commented that each study has been building upon those done previously. She also highlighted that the previous studies were conducted by the County at no cost to the Town. Mr. Wolfinger commented that the results of the studies are not widely available and so it feels like the Town is always starting over.
2. Administration
TM Snyder shared that over 50 resumes have been received for the Assistant to the Town Manager/Office Coordinator position, and that he will begin working through those in a couple of days. He is also working on some facility issues at the Town Center.
3. Code Compliance
There was no Code Compliance report.
4. Parks, Recreation, Education, and Civic Affairs
There was no PRECA report.
a. Town Organizations Policy
TM Snyder shared that the goal is to bring every organization under a cohesive umbrella. He has been trying to reach out to every committee and organization. He reviewed the Staff Report. Mayor Kulpa-Eddy added that if the Council has appointment power for a Committee, then there needs to be a formalized process to do so. There needs to be clarity on the roles and responsibilities of the organizations’ officers, minutes, agenda, and similar items. TM Snyder reviewed his proposed timeline to revise Ordinance 113. CM Papanikolas added that we are not currently following the Ordinance, that we either need to update the ordinance or revise the organizations’ procedures to follow the ordinance.
5. Public Safety
There was no Public Safety report. Mayor Kulpa-Eddy noted that she is attending the Maryland Municipal League Fall Conference and it will wrap up tomorrow.
6. Public Works
CM Menjivar noted that curbside leaf pickup begins on November 6th. Compost containers have been ordered and should be arriving in November as well. He added that residents can sign up to receive a compost container even before they are delivered.
7. Adjournment
CM Papanikolas moved to adjourn. CM Menjivar seconded. With no discussion, the motion passed unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 8:50PM.