REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2006

CALL MEETING TO ORDER:

The Regular Meeting of the Bowie City Council was held on Tuesday, September 5, 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, Councilmembers Brady, Conroy, Jenkins, Kroemer, Lyles and Turner; City Manager Deutsch, Assistant City Manager Fitzwater, City Attorney Robert Levan, 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. Mr. Eugene Kiley, 3621 Melfa Lane, spoke about stressing the importance of earth-friendly energy. His statement is attached.

B. Mr. Mark Ibrahim, 8014 River Field Court, spoke about the perception of the lack of police presence on Race Track Road. He asked that this be addressed when the Council considers approval of the Police Services Contract.

C. Mr. John Scoulios, 4404 Blackwalnut Way, spoke about the Melford property and the plan for 866 townhomes. He also spoke about the traffic light on Governor Bridge Road.

D. Ms. Debbie Sell, 2705 Birdseye Lane, also spoke about the Melford property. She said she felt strongly, that if the Council was going to look at the covenants, that any changes should be done in an open session.

E. Mr. Jesse Chittams, 17121 Aspen Leaf Drive, presented a petition to the Council against residential development at Melford.

F. Mr. Darrell Carrington, 6007 Hillmeade Road, urged elected officials to make sure any discussion about the Melford property and residential development at the site be done in open fashion.

G. Mr. Bruce Pletsch, 16520 Abbey Drive, also spoke on the Melford property and said the covenants should remain in place.

H. Mr. Mark Watson, 16908 Aspen Leaf Court, said he supported previous speakers with regard to development at the Melford site.

CITY BOARDS AND COMMITTEES:

A. Councilman Conroy moved the appointment of Glenda Wilson as a member of the Public Safety Committee. Mayor Pro Tem Brady seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

B. Councilman Turner moved the appointment of Whitney Williams, Sr. as a member of the Public Safety Committee. Councilman Jenkins seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

C. Councilman Jenkins moved the appointment of Leonard Lucchi as a member of the Public Safety Committee. Mayor Pro Tem Brady seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

D. Councilman Jenkins moved the appointment of Judith Sachwald as a member of the Public Safety Committee. Mayor Pro Tem Brady seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

E. Mayor Pro Tem Brady moved the appointment of Kelly Anderson as a member of the Public Safety Committee. Councilman Turner seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

F. Mayor Pro Tem Brady moved the appointment of Delmer Billings as a member of the Public Safety Committee. Councilman Lyles seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

G. Councilman Kroemer moved the appointment of Monica James as a member of the Public Safety Committee. Mayor Pro Tem Brady seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

H. Councilman Lyles moved the appointment of Ronald Gill, Jr. as a member of the Public Safety Committee. Councilman Turner seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

I. Mayor Robinson swore into office the appointed members who were present in accordance with Section 92A of the City Charter.

COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

A. Mayor Robinson introduced Dr. Mickey Burnim, the newly appointed President of Bowie State University. Dr. Burnim said he was pleased to be part of the Bowie community.

B. Mayor Robinson thanked the staff members who volunteered to go to Bowie’s adopted city of D’Iberville, Mississippi to assist with the damage from Hurricane Katrina. City Manager Deutsch reported that Council authorized staff to send the volunteers to lend a hand in the rebuilding efforts.

Una Cooper, Communications Coordinator, provided a report on the trip and said the City of Bowie adopted D’Iberville in early 2006; the city made some very good decisions early on in how the recovery would be addressed; they closed their borders to try to take care of their own people first; the D’Iberville Volunteer Foundation is working to rebuild the homes and lives of the residents. Ms. Cooper then gave an overview of the rebuilding process as well as the contributions that have been made, including computers donated by the City of Bowie. She concluded her report by saying that it was an honor to work with the volunteers from Bowie who she felt were the most dedicated people one could ask to work with to do a special job.

Mayor Robinson presented Certificates of Commendation to Jerry Barber, Steve Colandrea, Sherman Garland, John Newman, Alan Creveling, Una Cooper, Patricia Cooper, Mark Patterson, and Yvonne Scott.

C. Mayor Robinson announced that there is a patriotic concert scheduled for Sunday, September 10 at Allen Pond Park.

CITY MANAGER’S REPORT:

City Manager Deutsch reported on the following items: 1) Because of the recent storm, the standard regulations for tree limbs and debris will be relaxed; 2) The swearing in ceremony for Chief Perez is scheduled for September 18; staff is working diligently to move forward with temporary facilities and will provide a report next week about the anticipated cost; space has been created for the Chief when she comes on board on September 11.

CONSENT AGENDA:

Councilman Lyles moved the approval of the following items: A. Approval of Minutes of July 3, 2006 Council Meeting; B. Approval of Minutes of August 1, 2006 Council Meeting; C. Approval of Proclamation P-16-06, Proclaiming the Month of September as Youth Soccer Month in Bowie; D. Approval of Resolution R-70-06, Accepting a Bid Proposal for the Preparation of a Business Incubator Facility Feasibility Study; E. Approval of Resolution R-71-06, Accepting Bid Proposal for Personal Computers, Servers, Projectors and Monitors; F. Approval of Resolution R-72-06, Accepting Bid Proposal for Computer Printer; G. Approval of Resolution R-73-06, Accepting Bid Proposal for Mobile Network Security System; H. Approval of Resolution R-74-06, Accepting Bid Proposal for Microsoft Office 2003; I. Approval of Resolution R-75-06, Accepting Bid Proposal for Crystal Reports Server XI; J. Approval of Resolution R-76-06, Accepting Bid Proposal for Electrical Upgrade at Pump #4; and K. Approval of Resolution R-77-06, Awarding a Contract for the Installation of a Heat Pump and Air Conditioning Units to Kelly HVAC. Councilman Jenkins seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

NEW BUSINESS:

A. ALERT BOWIE - Emergency Alert System - Ms. Una Cooper, Communications Coordinator, summarized the staff report dated August 31, 2006, a copy of which is on file at City Hall. She explained how Roam Secure functions and the benefits and use of the system.

B. Rural Tier Sectional Map Amendment (SMA) - Ms. Elizabeth Chaisson, City Planning staff, summarized the staff report dated August 25, 2006, a copy of which is on file at City Hall. She reported that the County Council approved the initiation of a Rural Tier Sectional Map Amendment in CR-47-2006 for the purpose of initiating zoning map revisions to the 5-acre minimum O-S (Open Space) zone; the objective was to downzone land in the Rural Tier that is currently zoned O-S to a newly proposed 25-acre minimum lot size zone with a significantly restricted list of uses. She then reviewed Items 1-8 and the corresponding staff recommendation as listed on Pages 5 and 6 of the staff report. Ms. Chaisson referred to a letter from the Bowie Montessori Children’s House, copy attached.

Public Hearing:

1. Mr. William Snyder, 2404 Mill Branch Road, Mitchellville, said he supported the City staff conclusion that no property in the Rural Tier should be upzoned to higher density than currently zoned.

2. Ms. Raquel Hill, 17410 Central Avenue, spoke in opposition to downzoning.

3. Ms. Jan Martin, 17620 Central Avenue, felt that downzoning would greatly effect their retirement income and what they will have to live on.

4. Mr. Ray Glasgow, 17930 Central Avenue, said he supports keeping the O-S zone.

5. Mr. Michael Nagy, Rifkin, Livingston, Levitan & Silver, 6305 Ivy Lane, Greenbelt, said he represented the owner of property that was being downzoned. He asked that this item be tabled until such time the County Council acts on CB-85-2006.

Following discussion by the City Council, Mayor Pro Tem Brady moved to table this item for the following reasons: It is premature to act on zoning changes that do not exist at this time; notification of the properties effected had not been sent. Councilman Conroy seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

Mayor Pro Tem Brady asked that staff communicate to the County and the Park and Planning Commission that the issue is premature and that the City requests a presentation be made to the Council in a timely fashion. Council concurred.

C. Resolution R-78-06 - Approval Police Services Contract Between Prince George’s County and the City of Bowie - City Manager Deutsch summarized the staff report dated August 31, 2006, a copy of which is on file at City Hall. He reported that staff recommends retaining 6 Contract Police through 2006-07 and 2008, reduce to 3 officers in 2009 and phase out in 2010. He said staff recommends Council approve Resolution R-78-06.

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

Following discussion between the Council and City Manager Deutsch, Mayor Pro Tem Brady moved approval of Resolution R-78-06. Councilman Conroy seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

ADJOURNMENT:

Mayor Pro Tem Brady moved to adjourn the meeting. Councilman Jenkins seconded the motion and it carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 10:03 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Pamela A. Fleming, CMC
City Clerk