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Town Meeting

Submitted on December 18, 2023 - 5:25pm
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Date: 
Wednesday, November 8, 2023 - 7:00pm


Town Meeting Minutes
Town Council Chambers 
November 8, 2023| 7:00 p.m.

Due to a quorum being convened late, Mr. Ethan Sweep gave an announcement prior to the call to order about an upcoming webinar for Community Project Funding (CPF) and invited Council to attend a webinar on December 4th to learn more about this federal appropriations process.  
  
Call to Order
Mayor Jodie Kulpa-Eddy called the meeting to order at 7:19PM.  Also present was Mayor Pro Tem Chris Brittan-Powell with Councilmember Jason Papanikolas joining remotely.  Staff present were Town Manager Kyle Snyder and Town Clerk Melanie Friesen.  Residents of the Town of Berwyn Heights were present.  Councilmembers Shinita Hemby and Faustino Menjivar had excused absences. 

Pledge of Allegiance
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

Public Hearing: Ordinance 109 Election Procedures
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy gave background on the amended ordinance  and a summary of the updates to the ordinance.  The hearing was opened at 7:22pm.  Resident David Wolfinger on Ruatan Street expressed his support of moving the election to the second Tuesday in May, placing it after Berwyn Heights Day.  
With no further comments, Mayor Kulpa-Eddy closed the hearing at 7:24PM.  

1. Announcements 
a. National Native American Heritage Month Proclamation: Mayor Kulpa-Eddy read the Native American Heritage Month Proclamation. 
b. National Veterans and Military Families Month Proclamation: Mayor Kulpa-Eddy read the National Veterans and Military Families Month Proclamation. 
c. Municipal Government Works Proclamation: Mayor Kulpa-Eddy read the Municipal Government Works Month Proclamation. 

2. Approval of Agenda 
MPT Brittan-Powell moved to approve the agenda.  CM Papanikolas seconded.  With no discussion, the motion passed unanimously. 

3. Consent
MPT Brittan-Powell moved to approve the consent agenda.  CM Papanikolas seconded.  In discussion, MPT Brittan-Powell asked about adding information about the new employee for Administration.  This will be included under Councilmember reports.  With no amendments, the consent agenda passed unanimously.

4. Mayor & Councilmember Reports
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy reviewed that Cpl. Ruffino has resigned from the Town and wished her the best in her new endeavors.  MPT Brittan-Powell shared that this is a true loss, and she was well a  respected addition to the community.  Mayor Kulpa-Eddy also shared about the Cannabis Reform Act public opinion survey.  She mentioned her activities since the last Town Meeting, highlighting the MML Fall Conference, a virtual meeting of the PGCMA focused on the Town’s state legislative priorities (stormwater management and noise and stop sign cameras), the Four Cities meeting, and a meeting with County Emergency Management and CSX to discuss the train derailment in Hyattsville along with protocol and response roles. 
MPT Brittan-Powell asked about the need to for authorization from the State for stop sign/noise cameras, stating that if it were from data collection only no authorization would be required, but that authorization would be required for enforcement.  He shared resident feedback that Council hasn’t done enough during the term.  He added that there has been a lot of hard work done in the background and that residents should be looking to see progress in the near future.  He thanked staff for their direct contact with residents to move grants forward and for building up staff in Administration.  Mayor Kulpa-Eddy confirmed that the only permanent staff member will be the Assistant to the Town Manager/Office Coordinator, with other positions being ARPA funded. 
CM Papanikolas had no report. 

5. Committee Reports
a. Green Team: Genevieve de Messiers from the Green Team called in to report that during their October meeting they met with TM Snyder to discuss priorities that the Green Team and Town can collaborate on together, such as stormwater mitigation and arborist advice for residents, and mitigating the heat island at the new Aldi.  She also reviewed the University of Maryland’s Good Neighbor Day and the results with the pollinator garden being striking at the BH Elementary School.   
b. Historical Committee: Debby Steele-Snyder reviewed their fall event and guided walking tour, which focused on houses that are a little less well known in Town. It was a gorgeous day, with about two dozen participants. She shared that the November and December meetings will move to November 15th and December 20th so as to not be in conflict with the holidays. There was some discussion on how much work has been done on historical homes in Town.    
c. Neighborhood Watch/ Emergency Preparedness: Mayor Kulpa-Eddy provided a debrief on Halloween events.  She noted that there were no signs at any entrance to Town indicating the presence of trick-or-treaters.  Some dark areas of Town were noted and work will be done to see about resolving those with improved lighting.  Shorter hours will be recommended for next Halloween. The trailer cleanout was completed with the help of Public Works.  The Committee is close to finalizing dates for AED/CPR and Narcan training. 
d. Recreation Council: David Wolfinger reviewed the October events of “Trunk or Treat”, a Sensory-Friendly Halloween party which went well, and the Day of the Dead remembrance on November 2.  December 2nd will be the craft fair from 11am-4pm with the Tree Lighting Party in the evening.  Mayor Kulpa-Eddy added that Town offices will be closed on November 10, but that there will be a trivia event that evening and a Veterans Day Brunch on November 11th at 10:30AM.   

6. Old Business 
a. Ordinance 109 adoption:
CM Papanikolas moved to adopt Ordinance 109.  MPT Brittan-Powell seconded.  CM Papanikolas asked for clarification on the 20% voter minimum for referendum petitions, which has been resolved to conform with the Town Charter.  MPT Brittan-Powell encouraged residents to consider running for Council. Mayor Kulpa-Eddy noted that election judge recruitment will begin in December.  With no further discussion, the motion passed unanimously. 


7. New Business
a. 2024 Town Council Calendar Approval
Mayor Kulpa-Eddy reviewed the calendar and MPT Brittan-Powell moved to adopt Resolution 11-2023.  CM Papanikolas seconded.  TC Friesen read the resolution.  With no further discussion, the motion passed unanimously.  

8. Resident & Community Comments
There were no resident comments. 
  
9.    Adjournment
MPT Brittan-Powell moved to adjourn the meeting. CM Papanikolas seconded. With no discussion, the motion passed unanimously, and the meeting adjourned at 8:11PM.