Town of Berwyn Heights

Town Meeting Minutes

March 8, 2006

The meeting was called to order at 8:00 p.m. Present were Mayor Calvo, CMs Dennison, Gourley, and Laughlin. CM McNulty had an excused absence. Also present were Town Administrator Murphy, Chief of Police Murphy, Treasurer Lape, Clerk Harper, as well as Chair of the Education Advisory Committee (EAC) Ann Davidson, Chair of the Neighborhood Watch/Emergency Preparedness (NW/EP) Ron Shane, Gazette reporter Michael Zimmerman and citizens.

Mayor Calvo led the Pledge of Allegiance.

1. Swearing In of Election Judges

Mayor Calvo swore in Edward Grosskurth, Wallace Rossmiller, Shirley Sorenson and Robin Walukonis as members of the Board of Election Supervisors for the upcoming municipal election.

2. Minutes

Clerk Harper read a summary of the January 11 Town meeting minutes. CM Dennison moved to adopt the minutes. CM Laughlin seconded. The minutes were approved 4 to 0 with corrections.

3. Treasurer’s Report

Treasurer Lape gave the Treasurer's report for the month of January.

4. Mayor’s Report

Mayor Calvo said he is sorry to have missed the last worksession at which Chief Murphy and Chair of the Neighborhood Watch/Emergency Preparedness Ron Shane presented their FY 2007 budget requests and thanked CM McNulty for presiding. He then outlined the main issues he expects the Council to address during the budget process as part of a long-term fiscal plan:

Hiring an 8th police officer using the revenues from the Public Safety Taxing District;
Additional funding for the infrastructure fund;
Establishing a vehicle replacement fund;
Addressing employee health and retirement benefits.

Mayor Calvo elaborated. The Berwyn Heights Special Public Safety Taxing District was established in June 2005 comprising of both the commercial and industrial zones of the Town. This year, $24,000 in special taxes was billed and must be spent on enhancing public safety services. Mayor Calvo believes hiring an 8th officer is the best way to enhance public safety as it would allow for 2 officers to be regularly on duty. Secondly, he regards building up the infrastructure fund as a high priority. The fund was established during the last budget process to pay for road repairs in the absence of Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). All highway user fees - $180,000 this year – should be set aside in the infrastructure fund plus a portion of the surplus. The goal is save enough money over several years to pay for road repairs up front rather than with bonds. Similarly, the creation of a vehicle replacement fund planned for this budget aims to save money to pay for large and expensive vehicles outright.

Mayor Calvo continued that he believes the Town, as a public sector agency, needs to set up defined employee retirement and retiree health benefit plans as opposed to defined contribution plans the Town currently offers. He has talked to other municipalities to determine what options are available. Regardless of the options, retirement benefits are very expensive and would have to be implemented over a number of years. The $1 million Metroland compensation might become part of a down payment for the establishment of a retirement plan. Disagreement between Councilmembers on how to achieve these goals can be expected and it is hoped that citizens give input on it.

Further, Mayor Calvo gave an update on Metroland-related concerns. He talked to residents on 56th Avenue who are regularly at risk of flooding and informed them about available flood insurance programs. The City of Greenbelt has reached an agreement with Metroland developers on the conceptual site plan with 59 conditions. College Park has expressed concerns about flooding along Narragansett Run in Hollywood and is negotiating an agreement with the developers. Lastly, Mayor Calvo reported that the Town Council, at its last worksession, supported legislation that would reduce the boundaries of a zone that exempts University of Maryland student housing from Prince George’s County school surcharge fees.

5. Department Reports

Administration: Mayor Calvo reported that Town Services will be closed on February 20 in observance of Presidents' Day. Trash collection will be changed accordingly. Town elections are scheduled for May 2; Candidate Petition filing deadline is March 7; Town voter registration deadline is March 31; absentee ballot request deadline is April 25; and Candidate's Night is April 26. A new Administrative Assistant and graduate of Towson University, Carrie Bacon, began working as administrative assistant in the Town Office. Applications for scholarships from the District 22 Delegation are now being accepted. The Town's cash balance currently stands at $828,000 with an operating reserve of $500,000 and surplus of $330,000.

Code Enforcement: CM Laughlin said that a number of residents have reported problems with home improvement contractors. Residents are advised to check references with friends and neighbors and the Better Business Bureau as well as asking certain questions before hiring a contractor and obtaining a clear written contract.

Parks and Recreation, Education and Civic Affairs: CM Dennison reported that a February 2 Berwyn Heights Day planning meeting was well attended. Volunteers are still needed, however. The Boys and Girls Club registration will take place on February 11 at the Community Center Gym. Questions can be directed at Tom Reynolds at 301-474-2481. The Historical Committee has selected Keleher Avenue, now Ruatan Street, for the next street marker. The Town Council is keeping abreast of legislation relating to an elected school board. All residents are urged to register and vote in the upcoming Town elections. For information residents can call the Town Office. In the Parks and Recreation budget money for the seeding of the Pontiac Street fields and improvements at Pop's Park have been set aside.

Public Health and Safety: Chief of Police Murphy gave the monthly police activities report. There were 12 Part I offenses, which is above the 5-year average of 7.6 for January. However, there were no homicides, rapes or car thefts. Over the last year, violent crimes in Berwyn Heights decreased 25%, as opposed to a 1% decrease in Maryland and a 4.1% increase in Prince George's County. Chief Murphy concluded with a synopsis of incidents involving Berwyn Heights police.

Public Works: CM Gourley reported that he asked the Town Administrator to write a letter to the utility companies asking them to replace poorly done temporary street patches in a timelier manner. However, Director Coleman in the meantime had many of these patches redone by the Public Works crew. Residents were reminded that trash collection will be moved back a day due to Town services being closed on Presidents' Day.

6. Committee Reports

Education Advisory Committee: Chair Ann Davidson thanked CM Dennison for her interest in and support of education issues. She also thanked Pete Toth for hosting the EAC list server for many years. A new list server was opened on a Yahoo group account. To sign up, residents can contact her at smwhite@wam.umd.edu. To improve communication on education issues regionally, a new list server for North County has been established. The Berwyn Heights EAC was instrumental in getting Greenbelt to re-negotiate provisions for educational facilities with Metroland and Springhill Lake developers.

Berwyn Heights Elementary School (BHES) sixth graders will remain at the school for at least the next school year. This was decided by the Prince George's school board at its last board meeting. The Music and Technology magnet program is still being evaluated but will also remain in place for the next two years. Lastly, the Committee continues to track PG 401-06 it supports, which provides for a 9 member school board elected from single member districts. EAC meetings continue to be held on the first Tuesday of every month

Historical Committee: Vice Chair Ann Davidson reported that Ruatan Street, formerly Keleher Street, has been selected for the next historic street marker. It was named after Timothy Keleher who, with James Waugh, was a member of the Charlton Heights Investment & Building Association (CHIBA) that sold real estate in the Town in the 1890s. Ms. Davidson is researching descendents of Keleher as well as families of other long-time Ruatan Street residents that might be invited to attend the dedication ceremony. Two sites under consideration for placement of the marker are at the corners of Ruatan and Berwyn Road and Ruatan and 58th Avenue. The Committee has set a regular date, the first Wednesday of each month, for conducting interviews for its oral histories program. The next interview is scheduled for March 6. Committee meetings are held on the 4th Tuesday of each month.

Neighborhood Watch/Emergency Preparedness: Chair Ron Shane reported that members of the Emergency Preparedness continue to attend meetings and workshops on disaster preparedness in the County and greater Washington area. Berwyn Heights CERT members were invited by the Prince George's Amateur Radio Association to participate in a free ham operators training. NBC's Channel 4 recently broadcast an interview on how to shelter in place, which reviewed measures individuals can take to prepare for disasters. The setting up of a sealable safe room with emergency rations of food and medicine was recommended. A transcript of the interview will be made available at the NW/EP Web site. Other sources for emergency information include the Committee's flyer on emergency preparedness as well as County and Homeland Security brochures. Links can be found on the Committee Web site bhemergency.com. Mr. Shane encouraged residents to attend the monthly meetings, held on the first Wednesday of each month, and join the Berwyn Heights Emergency Response Team.

Recreation Council: CM Dennison reported that the Recreation Council is in the process of selecting a band for Berwyn Heights Day and is requesting submission of sample CDs. Further, a volunteer to coordinate the Berwyn Heights Day photo contest is needed.

7. Unfinished Business

Ordinance No. 123 – Second Reading of CDMA Amendments: Mayor Calvo explained that the Resolution amends the Commercial District Management Authority (CDMA) Ordinance to include the Berwyn Heights industrial zone in the District and to appoint the CDMA Board of Directors as an Advisory Council. When the Council created a public safety taxing district last June, it was required to establish an Advisory Council to make recommendation on how the special public safety taxes would be spent.

Clerk Harper read Resolution 03-06 amending Ordinance No. 123. Mayor Calvo opened a public hearing at 9:32 p.m. There were no comments. Mayor Calvo closed the hearing at 9:33 p.m. CM Gourley moved to adopt the amendments. CM Dennison seconded. In a roll call vote, the motion was approved 4 to 0.

8. New Business

There was none.

9. Citizens Discussion

CM Laughlin announced that she would not seek re-election after serving 6 years on the Town Council. She has enjoyed her service, but decided to cut back on her commitments due to personal reasons.

There were no further comments.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:34 p.m.

Kerstin Harper, Town Clerk