Staff Report
Minutes of 9/8/09 Meeting

REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2009

CALL MEETING TO ORDER:

The Regular Meeting of the Bowie City Council was held on Tuesday, September 8, 2009 in the Council Chambers at City Hall.  Mayor Robinson called the meeting to order at 8:00 p.m. 

QUORUM:

In attendance were Mayor Robinson, Mayor Pro Tem Turner, Councilmembers Brady Marcos, Polangin, Trouth and Valentino-Smith; City Manager Deutsch, Assistant City Manager Fitzwater, City Attorney Elissa Levan,  City Clerk Fleming, Members of the Staff, the Press and the Public. 

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG:

The Council led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION:

A.  Ms. Lisa Russell, 2923 Blueberry Lane, spoke about a code compliance issue.

CITY BOARDS AND COMMITTEES:

A.  Appointments/Reappointments/Swearings-in - Councilman Brady moved the appointment of Ms. Veda Pryor and Ms. Michelle Hudson as members of the Bowie Ethics Commission.   Councilman Trouth seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

B.  Mayor Robinson swore Ms. Pryor and Ms. Hudson into office in accordance with Sec. 92A of the City Charter.

PRESENTATIONS:

A.  Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting - Mayor Pro Tem Turner presented the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Report which is awarded by the Government Finance Officer's Association for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2008 to Finance Director Rob Patrick and Asst. Finance Director Byron Matthews.  He congratulated Messrs. Patrick and Matthews on behalf of the entire Council.

COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Mayor Robinson recognized Boy Scouts Robert and Chris Moore who were attending the Council meeting to earn credit towards a merit badge.

                            
CITY MANAGER’S REPORT:

A. City Manager David Deutsch reported on the following: 1) Race Track Road Traffic Signal - The signal which is being constructed at the intersection of Idlewild Drive and Race Track Road is almost ready; a few more details such as tree trimming, installation of signs, etc. need to be completed; the County estimates completion in two weeks; the City Council allocated $150,000 in the budget for this project.   2)  H1N1 Virus - Staff is continuing to monitor the situation in conjunction with the County, State, COG and the Center for Disease Control; staff have set up work groups on how to manage if there is a significant effect on the work force; plans are to bring in University of Maryland provided training for continuity of training (COOP) which will focus on critical issues for keeping the Water Plant running for example. 

CONSENT AGENDA:

A.  Mayor Pro Tem Turner moved approval of the following Consent Agenda:  A) Approval of Minutes of July 6, 2009 Council Meeting; B) Approval of Minutes of August 3, 2009 Council Meeting; C) Approval of Proclamation P-11-09, Declaring the Week of September 17-23, 2009 As Constitution Week in Bowie; D) Approval of Proclamation P-12-2009, Recognizing Bowie State University's American Marketing Association and the Students in Free Enterprise Team; E.  Approval of Resolution R-56-09, Allowing for the Reduction of the Performance Security Guaranteeing Construction of Streets and Appurtenances at Ashleigh Station II Under Permit P-1-0607; F. Approval of Resolution R-57-09, Adopting the Recommendations of the Bowie Advisory Planning Board in the Case of #BD-03-09; G. Approval of Resolution R-58-09, Awarding a Contract for Replacement of the Steel Exterior Stairs at the Bowie Railroad Museum Tower to Earn Contractors, Inc.; and H. Introduction of Ordinance O-8-09, Amending Chapter 12, "Cable Communications" of the City of Bowie to Delete Those Provisions of Section 12-2, "Definitions and Word Usage", and Section 12-11, "Rate Regulation; Enforcement of Consumer Protection, Customer Service Standards", That Relate to the Establishment of the City Cable Regulation Commission.  Councilmember Brady seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

NEW BUSINESS:

A.  Legislative Priorities - Mayor Pro Tem Turner announced that he is recusing himself from discussion on this subject.

Since there were no persons signed up to speak, Mayor Robinson declared the public hearing to have been held.

Councilmember Valentino-Smith moved to request that the three Members of the House of Delegates representing Legislative District 23 introduce the four legislative proposals as local bills before the Prince George’s and Montgomery County House Delegations for the 2010 Session of the Maryland General Assembly.  Councilmember Trouth seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

B.  FY10 Budget - Impact of State Budget Cuts - City Manager Deutsch summarized the staff report dated September 1, 2009, a copy of which is on file at City Hall.  He said that the Board of Public Works endorsed a series of reductions in the State budget that affected counties and cities; there is a 90% across the board cut in the Highway User Revenue, which equates to a revenue loss $2,084,076 for Bowie.  He further reported that the State is also cutting approximately 17% from the Police Aid allocations, but the State was using a higher number as their starting point which works out to the City's advantage.   Mr. Deutsch further summarized the staff report and said there is continued good news on the new City Hall project and the AAA bond rating received from Standard & Poors contributed significantly to a very competitive bond issue sale; a 3.58% interest rate was received on the bonds.  He said that Council has a range of options in order to make some decisions if Council so chooses; the budget for the resurfacing program was a reduction from FY '09 which was at 1.3 million dollars; Council endorsed a budget of 1 million dollars, the bid came in lower and Council agreed to spend up to budget and added a couple of streets to the program; the program is on hold waiting for Council's decision as to whether the scope should be for the full program or a modification be made.  Mr. Deutsch then added that a reduction in Travel and Training costs can be achieved; the Police Chief is working on a modified work schedule that could help curtail some additional overtime; some of the commercial façade program can be suspended until FY 2011.   He concluded by saying that the most immediate decision needed from Council is on the resurfacing program.

Since there were no persons signed up to speak, Mayor Robinson declared the public hearing to have been held.

Following discussion, Mayor Pro Tem Turner moved to direct staff to continue the street resurfacing project as included in the budget, be prepared to transfer adequate resources from savings generated by the City Hall project, do a monthly summary and have another look at mid-year budget time.   Councilmember Brady seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

ADJOURNMENT:

Mayor Pro Tem Turner moved to adjourn the meeting in an Executive Session for the purpose of discussing a legal matter.  Councilmember Trouth seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.  The meeting was adjourned at 8:53 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

 

Pamela A. Fleming, MMC
City Clerk