|
Worksession Minutes
April 20, 2009
The meeting was called to order
at 7:30 p.m. Present were Mayor Calvo, Mayor Pro Tem
(MPT) Lofgren, CMs Ahrens, Dennison and Gourley.
Also present were Town Administrator (TA) Murphy,
Clerk Harper and Gazette Reporter Jordan Attebury.
1. Mayor
Announcements:
President Obama tomorrow will come to the SEED
public charter school in Anacostia, where Mayor
Calvo works, to sign the Edward Kennedy National
Service Act. The ceremony will be carried live on
CSPAN. New Berwyn Heights welcome banners have been
ordered and will be put up along Greenbelt Road.
Calendar: No
changes were made.
Minutes: On a
motion by CM Gourley and second by CM Ahrens, the
March 30 budget worksession minutes were approved 5
to 0. On a motion by CM Dennison and second by CM
Ahrens, the April 6 worksession minutes were
approved 5 to 0. The April 8 Town meeting minutes
will be reviewed and adopted at the May Town
meeting.
Department reports:
CM Dennison reported that Berwyn Heights Day
planning continues. A special planning meeting has
been scheduled for April 23. CM Ahrens reported that
a $100 nuisance fine has been levied on a student
rental home. He also had a conversation with the
Code Director about salary adjustments. CM Gourley
reported that TA Murphy has spent considerable time
on providing information to the Police Department
for a COPS grant application and on revising the
budget. Mayor Calvo reported that he swore in the
newly hired officer, Paul Roberson, last Thursday.
Officer Roberson has experience as a County officer
and lives in Greenbelt. He qualifies for locality
pay. Mayor Calvo is pushing his department to work
more closely with the Code Department in preventing
nuisance violations, such as noisy parties.
Residents are requested to report problem parties to
the police when in progress.
Citizen comments:
CM Dennison received a comment about the vacant home
on 58th Avenue and what the status on its demolition
is. Mayor Calvo said that he spoke to Department of
Environmental Resources (DER) Acting Deputy
Director, Dennis Bigley, last week and was told that
the home has been sold at auction. However, it is
not clear if the title to the property has been
transferred. If so, the court order for demolition
would have to be flagged. Mr. Bigley said that he
will try to find out the details. Mayor Calvo told
him that the failure of the County to follow through
on abating this problem has become a symbol of the
County's dysfunction. TA Murphy added that he spoke
to the property manager of the bank that owns the
property about the auction sale. The manager was not
aware of it but said that he will follow up. TA
Murphy also told the manager that the Town has
scheduled an abatement of the property and the cost
of the abatement.
MPT Lofgren received a comment
about recycling paper. He raised the issue of how
shredded paper should be recycled. TA Murphy said
that, with the inception of single-stream recycling,
shredded paper can be thrown out in plastic bags.
Mayor Calvo received a comment about a recently
subdivided property at 8506 60th Avenue, with one
half offered for sale. The new lot is thought not to
be the required minimum width of 50 feet. TA Murphy
was asked to look into it. Mayor Calvo was also
contacted about mediating a dispute among several
neighbors.
Employee appreciation
lunch: This item was tabled until TA Murphy
will have obtained dates when the Varsity Grill can
accommodate the staff.
Four Cities agenda:
Mayor Calvo said that he would like to discuss a
multi-jurisdictional fining process for illegally
posted signs and get input on what the Four Cities
are planning to do with the recently passed speed
camera legislation. CM Dennison requested updates on
various developments in the area, many of which are
now on hold. MPT Lofgren requested an update on
PGCMA legislative priorities, e.g. municipal zoning
authority. Mayor Calvo said that Berwyn Heights
already supported it.
Engineering Seminole
and Ruatan Streets: Mayor Calvo said that
the Council should make a decision to move forward
now if the renovation of Ruatan and Seminole Streets
is to be completed this summer. Prices have come
down during the last year. TA Murphy explained that
the Town needs to have bid specifications before
going to bid. Normally, they include profile maps,
descriptions of existing conditions and maps of the
finished project. In this case, they should also
require an on-site walk-through with the contractor.
AB Consultants, the Town engineers, can complete the
specs in 2 to 3 months. This means they would not be
available before the end of July, the height of
construction season. TA Murphy advised to wait until
mid-November or early December with going to bid,
when more contractors are looking for work and
prices are lower.
Mayor Calvo said that the
timing of going to bid need not affect the timing of
when to order the bid specifications. He would like
to have them in hand so that the Town can go to bid
as soon as possible. TA Murphy noted that he
provided other information in the background
documentation including 1) revised cost estimates
from AB Consultants for the Seminole/Ruatan project,
2) a request to Prince George's County to include
this project as well as the renovation of the
Kenilworth Avenue/Pontiac Street intersection in an
application for stimulus funds, and 3)
correspondence from WSSC's contract manager Jeff
Andrews outlining WSSC's participation in the
Seminole/Ruatan project ($31,000) and the Osage
Street renovation ($100,000). TA Murphy did not get
a definitive answer on whether Berwyn Heights could
piggy back onto a WSSC contract for the
Seminole/Ruatan project.
Mayor Calvo said that if the
Council asks AB Consultants to produce the bid
specifications, the expense would have to be
included in the budget amendment as a withdrawal
from the infrastructure reserve. The Town should
make sure that the specs will be valid if the Town
goes to bid later in the year. CM Gourley moved to
authorize spending $30,000 to pay AB Consultants for
producing engineering plans and bid specifications.
CM Dennison seconded. MPT Lofgren asked whether the
Town needs to put out a bid for the engineering. TA
Murphy said that it does not because AB Consultants
is the Town engineer. The motion was approved 5 to
0.
Council member vacancy:
Mayor Calvo explained that when the Council
interviewed candidates in February to fill the
vacancy left by CM Attick, it identified James
Wilkinson as strong candidate to fill CM Gourley's
seat when he retires on May 14. He proposed
appointing James Wilkinson to the Council effective
May 15. MPT Lofgren so moved. CM Dennison seconded.
Mayor Calvo said Mr. Wilkinson could be sworn in at
the County in May and begin his tenure after that. A
formal swearing-in ceremony in Berwyn Heights could
be held at the June Town meeting. The motion passed
4 0 1 with CM Gourley abstaining.
2. Parks and Recreation
Nothing was discussed.
At 8:32 p.m., the Council took
a 10 minute break.
3. Public Safety
Red light camera system:
TA Murphy said that he met with the vendor of the
mobile red light camera system referenced by
Detective Antolik at a previous worksession. The
vendor's current camera units connected to the
traffic signal that they are monitoring. The
vendor's proposed units require electric power but
are not connected to traffic signal. In June new
units will become available that run on their own
power. The vendor provided a list of preferred
locations for red light cameras on Greenbelt Road.
TA Murphy also spoke to a State
Highway Administration (SHA) official about permits.
He was told that permits are only needed for
stationary cameras because they are attached to
traffic signals, not so for free-standing mobile
units. However, he was informed that a traffic study
is done before a camera is set up at a given
location. TA Murphy questioned the requirement as
there is a State law authorizing municipalities to
set up such cameras. He did not receive a definitive
answer on whether a permit is required to set up a
camera in the SHA right of way. He is waiting to
hear from another SHA official on the matter.
Mayor Calvo said that there
seem to be many unresolved issues about red light
cameras. He would prefer to postpone a decision
until TA Murphy has the answers. Two different
statutes apply with regard to speed cameras and red
light cameras. He personally believes that a
stronger case can be made for speed cameras, which
could be set up in the elementary school zone. He is
undecided about the use of red light cameras. The
exception is the traffic light at Pontiac Street and
Kenilworth Avenue, which would benefit from a red
light camera, but is outside Town limits.
TA Murphy said that the vendor
told him there already is a red light camera
operating at Greenbelt Road and Cherrywood Lane.
Mayor Calvo said, if that is the case, the issue
needs to be raised with the City of Greenbelt
because that camera is in Berwyn Heights. He asked
to verify whether a camera is or was operating at
that light. Mayor Calvo asked to table the matter
until outstanding questions are answered.
Council Rule 18
Purchasing: CM Gourley proposed raising the
spending limit when department heads and directors
need to get Council approval from $3,000 to $5,000.
The higher limit would make it easier to have
vehicles repaired quickly. For example, if a Public
Works trash truck needs a new compactor arm, the
vehicle may be out of commission for a few days if
two other Councilmembers have to located for
approval.
Mayor Calvo said that he is
opposed to making this change. The limit was raised
as recently as 2005 from $2,000 to $3,000. The
authority to purchase big ticket items applies not
only to Directors but to Department Heads as well.
The requirement to get 3 Councilmember signatures
for expenditures above $3,000 ensures that no one
Department Head or Director spends money
inappropriately. The signing off process has not
been a problem and works well enough. CM Dennison
also opposed the change, recalling that money was
spent inappropriately before. MPT Lofgren said he
feels comfortable with the current arrangement. If a
large repair expense comes up, he would want other
Councilmembers to know about it and have their
approval. In the current tight fiscal conditions,
stricter oversight of purchasing is warranted.
CM Gourley said that getting 2
more signatures may be difficult if a couple of
Councilmembers are on vacation. Mayor Calvo said
that approval can be given electronically without
physically signing the check. As there was no
support for the change, the issue was tabled.
6. Code Compliance
Bulletin outsourcing
(added item): CM Ahrens said that he has a
quote for outsourcing the Town Bulletin, as
requested by the Council at the previous
worksession. A contractor, who designs the
Westchester Park Bulletin, would charge $18 an hour
to put together the Bulletin, which amounts to $400
to $600 per month depending on the length of the
Bulletin, or approximately $6,000 per year.
Outsourcing would not affect the salary of the Code
Director, who currently performs this function.
Salary adjustments (added
item): Mayor Calvo said that he would like
to discuss adjusting the salary of two Code
Compliance employees, whose salaries are not
currently in the defined range for their position.
The cost of the adjustment in the FY 2010 budget
would be approximately $2,100. This could be
financed from savings of approximately $3,600 of
getting Internet service through the I-Net. CM
Gourley questioned the number. TA Murphy was asked
to provide a memo with cost estimates for the next
worksession. Other outstanding items include
Bulletin outsourcing, whether to establish a Health
Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA), and whether to set
up red light and speed cameras. These will be
discussed at the May 11 budget worksession, as
insurance premium quotes for the next fiscal will
not be available by April 27. The April 27 budget
worksession was canceled.
The meeting was adjourned at
9:05 p.m.
Signed:
Kerstin Harper, Town Clerk
Copyright © Town of Berwyn Heights.
|
