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Town Meeting Minutes
December 12, 2007
The meeting was called to order
at 8:00 p.m. Present were Mayor Calvo, Mayor pro Tem
(MPT) Jewitt, CMs Dennison and Lofgren. CM Gourley
had an excused absence. Also present were Town
Administrator Murphy, Chief of Police Murphy,
Treasurer Lape, Clerk Harper, Officer Amir Johnson
as well as Chair of the Neighborhood Watch/Emergency
Preparedness (NW/EP) Mike Attick and citizens.
Mayor Calvo led the Pledge of
Allegiance.
1. Swearing-in
Mayor Calvo swore in Police
Officer Amir Johnson. By way of introduction, Chief
Murphy said that Officer Johnson previously worked
for Seat Pleasant Police and served with the U.S.
Marines and Air Force. Apart from English, he speaks
Arabic, Russian and German. He lives in Hyattsville
and will be the first Berwyn Heights officer to
benefit from locality pay.
Officer Johnson thanked the
Council for the opportunity to work for the Town of
Berwyn Heights and its citizens. He particularly
likes community policing and looks forward to close
interaction with residents.
2. Minutes
Clerk Harper read a summary of
the November 14 Town meeting minutes. On a motion by
MPT Jewitt, and second by CM Dennison, the minutes
were approved 4 to 0 with corrections.
3. Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Lape gave the
Treasurer's report for the month of November.
4. Mayor’s Report
Mayor Calvo reported on the
legislative dinner with State Senator Pinsky and
Delegates Gaines and Healey. The principle item of
discussion was legislation to permit Berwyn Heights
to join the Maryland State Pension System at 1/3 of
prior years' service, which the Delegates agreed to
support. Also discussed were Maryland Municipal
League (MML) and Prince George's County Municipal
Association (PGCMA) legislative priorities on
speeding cameras, McMansions and panhandling and the
outcomes of the recent special session of the
Assembly.
In other news, the Safe Streets
Committee will meet on December 20 to discuss the
traffic engineer's report and make recommendations
on which traffic improvements should receive funding
for further study. Discussions between the Town and
WSSC continue regarding the quality of the recently
resurfaced Seminole Street and the planned
renovation of Seminole and Ruatan Streets next
summer. At its November 5 worksession, the Council
approved two variances and at the November 19
worksession, it held an executive session regarding
a personnel matter.
Mayor Calvo then reviewed the
Town's financial situation. He said that the recent
downturn in the real estate market has affected
local governments' finances and in some cases caused
substantial budget deficits. However, Berwyn
Heights residents can be rest assured that this Town
is not at risk of running into financial
difficulties. The Council has been careful to set
money aside for large capital expenditures and to
make accurate projections of revenues and expenses
for the upcoming years.
Mayor Calvo continued that it
is important for residents to know that Berwyn
Heights is in a healthy financial condition while
planning to join the Maryland State Pension System,
a large financial commitment. Having discussed the
issue for almost a year, the Council is in agreement
to move forward. Bond counsel has been hired to
assist with the adoption of a Charter amendment that
allows the Town to sell bonds in the private
financial market and to help with the sale of a bond
issue itself. However, a decision on how to amend
the Charter has not been reached. It can be done in
accordance with standard practice, which would
require the Council to 1) pass a resolution adopting
the amendment, 2) notify the public in a paper of
general circulation four weeks in a row and 3) file
the amendment with the Maryland Department of
Legislative Services if no petition to referendum
has been filed. Or it can be done by putting the
Charter amendment on the ballot in next year's
municipal election. Residents will be asked to give
input on how the Town should amend its Charter. The
amendment and options for adoption will be explained
in the January Bulletin. The public can give input
at a hearing scheduled for the January Town meeting.
Personally, he is inclined to forgo a referendum if
public input on this issue is low.
5. Department Reports
Administration:
Mayor Calvo reported for CM Gourley, who was
absent. He reminded residents that current
recycling rules allow for the mixing of paper,
plastic, glass and aluminum. However, plastic bags
are not accepted. Residents were also requested to
report broken street lights to the Town office.
Code Enforcement:
MPT Jewitt wished everyone Happy Holidays. He then
announced that the Code Department is seeking a
part-time code enforcement assistant. The position
is for 4 hours per week, which are flexible, and
pays $10.00 – $11.50 per hour depending on
qualifications. Duties are mostly clerical in nature
and include filing documents, scheduling rental
inspections and making phone calls to follow up on
code matters. Applicants must be computer literate
and be able to communicate clearly in verbal and
written form. Resumes can be mailed or e-mailed to
Code Director Solomon at the Town office. MPT Jewitt
concluded with a report on code violations.
Parks and Recreation,
Education and Civic Affairs: CM Dennison
wished residents Happy Holidays and thanked everyone
who helped with last weekend's Tree Lighting. Mayor
Calvo switched on the lights, guests sang carols to
Mr. Phil Ventura's musical accompaniment and the
Seniors Club hosted snacks and crafts. Residents
were reminded that a Holiday Decorating Contest will
take place on December 21 with winners announced at
the January Town meeting. Berwyn Heights Elementary
School Principal Karen Singer has agreed to judge.
Prizes will be awarded for Best Decorated House,
Best Decorated Yard and Best Overall.
Further, CM Dennison announced
that the Council will discuss plans to renovate the
Pontiac Street Field at its next worksession; that
committee chairs are encouraged to submit project
funding requests before the next budget season; and
that Maryland's presidential primaries will be held
on February 21. Lastly, CM Dennison asked residents
to make volunteering for the Town part of their New
Year's Resolution.
Public Health and Safety:
Chief Murphy gave the police activities report for
the previous month. There were 10 Part I offenses in
November, which is lower than the 5 year average of
11.2. The year-to-date total stands at 115, which is
below the 5 year average of 130. There were also an
unusually high amount of thefts from parked
vehicles. Residents are urged to lock their cars and
purchase steering wheel locks, which are available
at the Berwyn Heights Police Department. He
concluded with press releases.
Public Works: CM
Lofgren reported that the Public Works Department
crew has been busy with trash and leaf pickup, which
last week was hampered by winter weather. The night
of the storm, Public Works employees worked until 1
a.m. to plow and salt the streets. Another winter
storm is predicted for the coming weekend. Residents
are asked to be patient with clean-up efforts, which
can be complicated by the unpredictability of the
weather. A few degrees difference in temperatures
can make a big difference in road conditions. The
small Public Works crew will do their best to keep
the roads open.
Mayor Calvo announced that the
Council agreed in private consultations to cancel
the December 17 worksession. TA Murphy and Director
Coleman will present the Pontiac Street Field
improvement plan at the first worksession in
January.
6. Committee Reports
Education Advisory
Committee: CM Dennison reported for Chair
Ann Harris Davidson, who was unable to come. Ms.
Davidson gave a presentation at last night's Berwyn
Heights Education Advisory Committee meeting about
the ramifications of the Dr. Deasy's preK-8 plans
for Berwyn Heights Elementary School (BHES). Berwyn
Heights is the first community to receive Dr.
Deasy's position paper on preK-8 schools. The EAC
will continue to provide updates on the plan to the
community.
Historical Committee:
CM Dennison, reporting for Chair Cheryl Jewitt,
stated that the Historical Committee received a
private tour of the Greenbelt Museum on December 9
and had a discussion with its curator about what it
takes to run a small museum. It became clear that it
will be a longer process to set up a museum than was
originally thought. In February, some members may
attend a convention about small museums in Ocean
City.
CM Dennison continued that the
Chair of the Anacostia Trails Heritage Association
(ATHA) attended the last committee meeting and
discussed the ATHA grant program and possible
projects. Committee members will also meet with CM
Dennison regarding next year's budget requests.
Neighborhood
Watch/Emergency Preparedness: Chair Mike
Attick reported that the Neighborhood
Watch/Emergency Preparedness Committee (NW/EP) is
working with the Police Department to draft a policy
on NW/EP patrolling. He thanked Chief Murphy for
furnishing NW/EP with a copy of the police activity
report. In response to Mayor Calvo, he said that the
NW/EP can assist with reporting broken street
lights. PEPCO tends to respond faster when there are
outages of street lights.
Recreation Council:
CM Dennison reported that the next meeting of the
Recreation Council is on January 3, which is likely
to focus on setting up a Berwyn Heights marching
band. BHES music teacher Darelyn Fung is in the
process of recruiting students at the school to join
the band. An adult coordinator is needed. Interested
residents can call CM Dennison at home.
7. Unfinished Business
There was none.
8. New Business
There was none.
9. Citizens Discussion
Mike Attick of 62nd Avenue
asked how many residents would have to comment on
the proposed Charter amendment to show that there is
sufficient interest in a referendum. He sees no
reason not to let residents vote on the matter,
particularly, as the Town is still paying down the
debt on its last bond issue. Should the Town not be
able to meet payments on the proposed pension bond,
tax payers would have to pay higher taxes. Mr.
Attick also commented on pickup fees for white
goods, recyclables not picked up, untimely street
sweeping, and plowing of a church parking lot. He
praised the Public Works crew for quickly clearing
and salting the roads after last week's snow storm.
The meeting was adjourned at
9:13 p.m.
Kerstin Harper, Town Clerk
Copyright © Town of Berwyn Heights.
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