REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2006

CALL MEETING TO ORDER:

The Regular Meeting of the Bowie City Council was held on Monday, February 6, 2006 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 Brady, Councilmembers Conroy, Jenkins, Kroemer, Lyles and Turner; City Manager Deutsch, Asst. City Manager Fitzwater, City Attorney Robert Levan, Members of the Staff, the Press and the Public.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG:

The City Council led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION:

A. Mr. Jarnot Troyer, 2606 Felter Lane, spoke about the Bowie Relay for Life and asked for participation in the event which is scheduled for June 2 at Bowie State University.

B. Ms. Janice Hagey, 14005 Gullivers Trail, spoke about legislation being considered in Annapolis which she felt will impact the ability of Bowie residents to have a voice in determining School Board policy in the future. She said she has communicated with the 23rd Legislative Delegation; the current School Board law provides for return of an elected Board in the Fall of 2006 and all members of the School Board would be elected by an at-large process even though 5 members could run from districts. Ms. Hagey referred to District 5 of which Bowie is a part, and described the length and depth of the district, which she felt was too large. She urged the Council to contact the 23rd Legislative Delegation to ask them to lead the effort to change the map so Bowie’s voice will be heard.

C. Mr. Richard Padgett, 2910 Tallow Lane, spoke about the selection of a Chief of Police and a plan to attract, train and keep officers. He said the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center is the law enforcement equivalent of the National Board for Master Teacher Certification. He suggested the Council use the Center for recruitment.

Mayor Robinson said that FLETC offers comparable training, but the standard in Maryland is the Maryland Police Training Commission established by the Legislature and FLETC is not certified.

D. Mr. Russ Ideo, 16403 Pointer Ridge Drive, President of the Citizens Association of South Bowie, spoke about a recent traffic accident at the intersection of Pointer Ridge Drive and Rte. 301; even though red light cameras are in use, it is still a very dangerous intersection. He said the Association is concerned that the Old Line Bank building will be constructed soon and the entrances and exits will present problems on Rte. 301 South. He asked that the City contact the State Highway Administration to ask them to place a channelized left lane that will stop the traffic coming out of the exit and then weave across two lanes of traffic; and to ask the owner of the bank building to post signs in the parking lot requesting vehicles make a left turn onto Pointer Ridge Place. Mr. Ideo added the Association is still opposed to the Amber Ridge Shopping Center using Pointer Ridge Place.

E. Mr. Fran Sweet, 1402 Port Echo Lane, also spoke about the bank building and concurred with Mr. Ideo’s position.

F. Ms. Mary Nusser, 3631 Majestic Lane, representing Bowie High School, spoke about their request for a cooperative effort to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. She reported that the school has already collected many supplies, which have been shipped and they stand ready to assist the City in its efforts in adopting a town in Mississippi.

CITY BOARDS AND COMMITTEES:

A. Councilman Jenkins moved to appoint Ms. Fawn Pettigrew as a member of the Financial Advisory Committee. Mayor Pro Tem Brady seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

B. Mayor Pro Tem Jenkins moved to appoint Ronald Skotz as Chairman of the Bowie Advisory Planning Board. Councilman Turner seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

C. Councilman Conroy moved to appoint Katina Stapleton as a member of the Community Outreach Committee. Councilman Jenkins seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

D. Councilman Conroy moved to appoint Mr. Dale Grant as Chairman of the Community Outreach Committee for another two-year term. Mayor Pro Tem Brady seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

E. Mayor Pro Tem Brady moved to appoint Ms. Katherine Parker as Chairman of the Arts Committee for another two-year term. Councilman Turner seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

F. Councilman Kroemer moved to appoint Mr. David Taft as Chairman of the Heritage Committee. Mayor Pro Tem Brady seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

G. Councilman Kroemer moved to appoint Ms. Pat Dolan as Chairman of the Education committee. Councilman Jenkins seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

H. Councilman Turner moved to appoint Mr. Emerson DeWitt Ruth as a member of the Board of Personnel Appeals. Mayor Pro Tem Brady seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

I. Mayor Robinson swore Ms. Pettigrew and Mr. Ruth into office in accordance with Sec. 92A of the City Charter. Ms. Stapleton was not present.

CONSENT AGENDA:

Councilman Jenkins moved the approval of Consent Agenda Items: A) Approval of Minutes of January 3, 2006 Council Meeting; B. Approval of Minutes of January 17, 2006 Council Meeting; C. Approval of Resolution R-7-06, Authorizing the Purchase of an Historic Wardrobe for the Belair Mansion Owned by the Ogle Family; D. Approval of resolution R-8-06 Endorsing Regional Affordable Housing Targets; E. Approval of Proclamation P-1-06, Recognizing February as “Black History Month”; and F. Introduction of Ordinance O-1-06, Amending Chapter 21B, “Stormwater Management Control” of the Code of the City of Bowie to Conform to Current State Regulations. Councilman Brady seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

OLD BUSINESS:

A. Resolution R-1-06 - Amending Chapter 14, Amending Chapter 14 of the Bowie City Code - Enlarging the Corporate Boundaries of the City of Bowie by Annexing Certain Residential Property and a Portion of the W.B.&A. Trail Parcel, Contiguous and Adjoining to the City’s Existing Corporate Boundaries, Known as the Colt’s Neck Subdivision, Consisting of approximately 54.381 Acres of Land Located on the South Side of Race Track Road, at its Intersection With Jericho Park Road Into the Corporate Limits of the City of Bowie - City Attorney Levan summarized the resolution and reported that the property has been approved for a residential subdivision and is programmed to contain 84 single-family detached homes; the City, as part of an Annexation Agreement which proceeded this hearing, has agreed to support the development of the property; it also approved the Detailed Site Plan 04006; the only significant part of the agreement is that the City has agreed to a tax exemption of the tax differential between the amount of money collected under the current taxing status and the amount which would be collected as additional Bowie taxes until such time as settlement either occurs on the sale of the lots on the property or seven years, whichever comes first. Mr. Levan said the resolution was introduced on December 5, 2005, the January 17 public hearing was continued to this date, and is now before Council for action.

City Manager Deutsch reported that there is one modification from the report given by Mr. Levan. When the resolution was initially introduced it was expected that there would be 84 lots; however, as the Master Plan process matured, this property was one of several that was down-zoned to Open Space; the number of lots has been reduced to a maximum of 10 lots.

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

Councilman Kroemer moved the adoption of Resolution R-1-06. Mayor Pro Tem Brady seconded the motion and it carried with a vote of 5-2 (Conroy, Jenkins).

NEW BUSINESS:

A. Adopt a City Proposal/Katrina Relief - Ms. Una Cooper, Public Communications Coordinator, summarized the staff report dated February 2, 2006, a copy of which is attached. She said staff is recommending that Council endorse the approach to assisting D’Iberville, MS as outlined in the staff report; this approach involves involving the Bowie community in the effort; the level of assistance provided would be dependent on the extent of community involvement.

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

Mayor Pro Tem Brady moved to endorse the staff recommendation. Councilman Conroy seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

COUNCIL COMMENTS:

A. Councilman Conroy moved to reinstate the Public Safety Committee. Councilman Jenkins seconded the motion and it carried unanimously; staff was directed to prepare a resolution for approval on a future agenda.

B. Councilman Turner commented on the following: 1) Asked for consensus to direct staff to write a letter to the State Highway Administration regarding the Pointer Ridge and Rte. 301 intersection. Council concurred. 2) A meeting is scheduled for February 7 at the Bowie Library on the South Bowie High School; 3) A meeting of the Hall Road Advisory Group is scheduled on February 15 at the Collington Station Community Center.

ADJOURNMENT:

Mayor Pro Tem Brady moved that the meeting be adjourned into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing contract negotiations with counsel. Councilman Conroy seconded the motion and it carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Pamela A. Fleming, CMC
City Clerk