Town of Berwyn Heights

Town Meeting Minutes

January 10, 2007

The meeting was called to order at 8:00 p.m. Present were Mayor Calvo, Mayor Pro Tem (MPT) Jewitt and CMs Dennison, Gourley and Lofgren. Also present were Town Administrator Murphy, Chief of Police Murphy, Officer Daniel Unger, Treasurer Lape, Clerk Harper, as well as Chair of the Education Advisory Committee (EAC) Ann Harris Davidson, Chair of the Historical Committee (BHHC) Cheryl Jewitt, Chair of the Neighborhood Watch/Emergency Preparedness (NW/EP) Mike Attick and citizens.

Mayor Calvo led the Pledge of Allegiance.

1. Swearing-in of Police Officer

Mayor Calvo swore in new police officer Daniel Unger of Westminster, Maryland. Mr. Unger joined the Berwyn Heights Police Department on January 2, 2007. He previously served with the University of Maryland Police in College Park and as a corrections officer in Pennsylvania.

2. Minutes

Clerk Harper read a summary of the December 13 Town meeting minutes. On a motion by CM Gourley and second by CM Dennison, the minutes were approved 5 to 0 with corrections.

3. Treasurer’s Report

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

4. Mayor’s Report

Mayor Calvo gave a report on the state of the Town. He said that the Town is in excellent fiscal condition and has been able to maintain a high level of service while making steady improvements. The FY 2006 audit shows a budget surplus of $166,000, one of the largest in Berwyn Heights history. The surplus is largely due to 1) money not spent, especially in the Public Works Department, 2) strong revenues from income and real property taxes, and 3) increased interest income from investments.

In this fiscal year, the surplus is not expected to be as large because the Council has undertaken the implementation of a position classification and pay plan, which will raise salaries across the board so as to make them more competitive. Police officer salaries have seen the largest increases, as surrounding municipalities are in the process of establishing their own police forces and are offering higher salaries. Employee pension benefits have been augmented as well, with 401 (a) contributions going up from 5% to 6%.

The Council has continued to save for its infrastructure fund, set up in response to Berwyn Heights becoming ineligible for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) funds. The Council has discussed the goal of allocating all highway user revenue (HUR) to it as well as the annual surpluses. Similarly, progress has been made in the vehicle replacement program. The Town was able to purchase a new trash truck and dump truck outright by setting money aside rather than financing these with a lease purchase. For FY 2008, the Council may attempt to return to the one-per-year purchase of police cars.

On the revenue side, the Council will consider tax relief for residents in the upcoming budget as Berwyn Heights property values have doubled with the recent assessment. While there are caps on increasing property taxes (a 10% cap by the State and a 4% cap by the County), property tax increases will be substantial in the coming years. The budget process will begin at the February 5 worksession and run through March and April until adoption of the FY 2008 budget in May. Residents' input is encouraged.

Mayor Calvo continued with updates on the development of Greenbelt West. Metroland developers will soon begin construction of the Greenbelt Road Connector bridge over Branchville Road, the main entrance into the development. Allstar Utility has cleared out and all vehicles have been removed from the property. Plans for the redevelopment of Springhill Lake, which calls for the doubling of housing units, is also moving forward. Springhill Lake developer AIMCO has reached an agreement with Greenbelt that postpones resolving issues of public infrastructure adequacy until the rebuilding of housing exceeds the current capacity of 2,900 units. Finally, Beltway Plaza Mall is considering a renovation, which may add over a thousand new housing units there.

Impact from the Greenbelt West development will be substantial with respect to traffic, schools and public safety and will affect Berwyn Heights directly. To mitigate these impacts, Berwyn Heights has asked for representation on a task force that will examine school capacity and has set up a Safe Streets Committee to recommend solutions for mitigating through traffic. The Town may also seek assistance from AIMCO in funding of a new ladder truck.

Lastly, the Council has had several presentations from Commerce Bank, which plans to open a branch office on Greenbelt Road between 58^th and 59^th Avenue. Plans include a proposal to close 59^th Avenue and build a turnaround. In early January, the Council gave tentative approval to close the road and move forward with the public notification and hearing process.

In other news, the Town sent a letter to M-NCPPC Planning Department Chair Sam Parker to request better cooperation regarding maintenance of ball fields at Sports Park and Indian Creek. Mayor Calvo and CM Dennison also met with County Councilmember Olson, Delegate Gaines and Boys & Girls Club about the matter. Upon the convening of the newly elected State Legislature, Delegate Gaines was appointed Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation & Environment, Delegate Healey Chair of the Subcommittee on Executive Regulations and Delegate Ross will serve as Chief Deputy Majority Whip. Governor elect O'Malley, on the other hand, faces a $400 million budget deficit and may not be able to make good on some of his campaign promises, such as full funding of the Thornton Commission. Additionally, local and county governments may be asked to make up some of the shortfall.

5. Department Reports

Administration: CM Gourley reported last month’s revenues: $22,000 in income taxes, $8,600 in license and permit fees, $38,000 in Intergovernmental revenues, $4,400 in fines and forfeitures and $1,600 in miscellaneous revenues. Further, Administration plans to paint and install new carpeting in the Town office while the Council will discuss the renovation of the Council chamber at the next worksession.

Code Enforcement: MPT Jewitt noted that some changes were made recently to make the Council chamber look more professional. He then reminded residents to obtain permits for any spring home improvement projects. The Code Department stands ready to help with information and advice. In particular, there is a $25 fee for obtaining a dumpster permit and an additional $250 deposit is required for placing a dumpster in the roadway. MPT Jewitt concluded with a report of code violations.

Parks and Recreation, Education and Civic Affairs: CM Dennison wished everyone a happy New Year and announced the winners of the Best Decorated Home and Yard contest:

Best Overall: Nylsa and Shleldon Ryan - 8900 58^th Ave.; Runner up: 8802 58^th Ave.

Best House: Brian Cirillo - 8723 63^rd Ave.; Runner up: 8807 56^th Ave.

Best Yard: George and Debra Miller - 8612 Edmonston Rd.; Runner up: 8906 56^th Ave.

CM Dennison further announced that a Berwyn Heights Day planning meeting will be held on February 1 and asked all Town organizations to send a representative. She, Delegate Gaines and Margeret Schlosnagle, a former Boys & Girls Club officer, met on December 1 to discuss Boys & Girls Club matters. Later, she and Mayor Calvo met with Delegate Gaines and County Councilmember Olson to discuss how to improve ball field maintenance by the Prince George's Park and Recreation Department. A follow up letter was sent to M-NCPPC Chair Sam Parker. The Boys & Girls Club sent a letter to thank the Town Council for its support, which CM Dennison read. Lastly, CM Dennison noted that she is gearing up for the budget process and is seeking input from all Town groups.

Public Health and Safety: Chief Murphy gave the police activities report for the previous month. Serious crime was at a low with a total of only 5 Part I offenses. This compares favorably to a 5 year average of 12.8 Part I offenses. There were a total of 131 Part I offenses in FY 2006, less than the 5-year average of 137. The performance of Berwyn Heights officers was strong in comparison to previous years and continued to produce lower crime rates. In December, a new police officer, Daniel Unger, was hired but Officer Hartnett resigned and the Department will again be seeking applicants. Chief Murphy concluded with highlights of press releases.

Public Works: CM Lofgren reported that loose leave pickup was completed in December. A total of 147 tons of leaves were picked up and disposed of at a cost of $7,500. The Public Works Department was called upon to assist with the handling of 2 water main breaks on Greenbelt Road. Two surplussed Public Works vehicles continue to be up for bid.

6. Committee Reports

Education Advisory Committee: Chair Ann Harris Davidson announced that the annual election of officers will take place at the February 13 meeting. Nominations can be filed for 3 officer positions: chair, vice chair and recording secretary. Any Berwyn Heights resident can file a nomination. The Washington Post carried an article on a small schools initiative that has been launched by PGCPS CEO Dr. Deasy. This entails the establishment of smaller specialized academies within larger schools. At DuVal High School an addition will be completed by summer and provide an extra 400 seats next year. However, no boundary changes are planned as yet.

Ms. Davidson continued with an update on yesterday's CIP meeting of the Board of Education regarding the Springhill Lake redevelopment proposal. The Senior Vice President of AIMCO gave a presentation on the plans for a new Greenbelt Educational Complex, featuring a 1,800 seat K-8 school that would be built next to the current Greenbelt Middle School. AIMCO has offered to advance $20 million to the City of Greenbelt to build the school sooner rather than later instead of paying the applicable surcharge fees. In exchange, Prince George's Public Schools (PGCPS) would transfer to AIMCO the 14 acres of land on which the current Springhill Lake Elementary school sits.

AIMCO's presentation, however, glossed over several problems, including that the new school was supposed to be built on the current bus lot adjoining Greenbelt Middle School and would require PGCPS to finance its relocation. Further, the capacity of the new school would only accommodate the students currently accounted for, but not additional students that might be generated by the doubling of housing units. AIMCO's $20 million offer for a new school would be less than the $21 million in surcharge fees for the additional housing units it plans to build and much less than a possible $42 million in surcharge fees if the rebuilt housing is factored in. However, as there was no public participation at this meeting, AIMCO's statements could not be rebutted.

Ms. Davidson further reported that AIMCO's presentation was followed by a presentation by the PGCPS Director of Support Services Roosevelt Brown. He gave a detailed estimate of costs for the Greenbelt Educational Complex of $129 million. This includes the demolition cost for parts of Greenbelt Middle School ($11 million), relocation of the existing bus lot ($10 million), cost of a new combined elementary/middle school ($71 million), cost of renovating a swing space for students ($11 million), cost of building a second elementary school for increased enrollment ($26 million) and cost of land for a second elementary school ($1million). Despite the discrepancy between AIMCO's and PGCPS' cost estimates, the School Board voted 7 to 2 , with Ms. Hathaway Beck and Ms. Iliff opposed, to give AIMCO a letter of intent to transfer the old elementary school property to them. While the letter of intent, does not commit PGCPS to transfer the property, it allows AIMCO to proceed to the January 11 hearing of the preliminary plan of subdivision (PPS).

Ms Davidson editorialized that this will make it harder to oppose AIMCO plans down the line. Mayor Calvo questioned whether the School Board's vote in favor of a letter of intent was legal because the meeting was that of the CIP Subcommittee and should not have included the entire School Board. Regular School Board decisions require 1^st and 2^nd readings and public participation. Ms. Davidson agreed and said she is considering a legal challenge to the decision. Mayor Calvo said that the Council will take the matter up at another worksession.

Historical Committee: Chair Cheryl Jewitt reported that Historical Committee member David Williams applied for an Anacostia Trails Heritage Association (ATHA) grant for a colored walking tour brochure. Also, the Committee is doing research on Carrington Avenue, now Osage Street, in preparation for the dedication of the next historic street marker on Berwyn Heights Day. In response to CM Gourley, Ms. Jewitt said that the Committee will consider another Wine & Cheese party when planning its next community event.

Neighborhood Watch/Emergency Preparedness: Chair Mike Attick clarified that all Town personnel involved in emergency response, including elected officials, must have NIMS (National Incident Management Systems) training by the end of 2007. Federal funding will be tied to a community's level of NIMS training. At its next meeting, the Committee will plan another “shelter in place” event to be held in spring, which will inform residents about methods and equipment needed to weather a local emergency. Lastly, the Committee may switch to bi-monthly meetings due to a decline in attendance.

Recreation Council: Included under Department Reports.

7. Unfinished Business

There was none.

8. New Business

There was none.

9. Citizens Discussion

CM Gourley thanked the Public Works crew for helping reconfigure the Council Chamber.

Ann Harris Davidson of 58^th Avenue announced that School Board CIP chair Donna Hathaway Beck has set up a public hearing on the Greenbelt Educational Complex for January 17, 6:00 p.m.

Mike Attick of 63^rd Avenue said that the Council should not be surprised by the decision of the School Board to let AIMCO proceed with the preliminary plan of subdivision. Berwyn Heights citizens felt similarly steamrollered during the Metroland approval process. Council should continue to press developers for compensation for public safety and other impacts. Mr. Attick congratulated Council on the $166,000 surplus, but wondered why a police car was not purchased outright. He also believes that more money should have been appropriated for salary increases, especially for police officers, and thought that Chief Murphy downplayed increases in the overall crime rate of 11% and violent crime rate of 32% over last year.

Mayor Calvo replied that the Town's assets have gone up in recent years and the debt burden has gone down. As for police officer salaries, all have been brought into the competitive range laid out in the position classification and pay plan that was recently adopted. The loss of Officer Hartnett is regrettable, but Berwyn Heights could not offer him a sergeant position that was offered by another municipality.

CM Jewitt remarked that this year's crime rates, while above last year's, are consistent with those of the last 6 years. He does not wish for residents to get the impression that the police are not doing all that they can to reduce Berwyn Heights' crime rate.

CM Dennison noted that Berwyn Heights has not had any murders in many years and is in great shape compared to Prince George's County.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:40 p.m.

Kerstin Harper, Town Clerk