SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOWIE CITY COUNCIL
MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2008
CALL MEETING TO ORDER
The Special Meeting of the Bowie City Council was held on Monday, April 14, 2008 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, Marcos, Polangin, Trouth, Turner, and Valentino-Smith, City Manager Deutsch, Assistant City Manager Fitzwater, the Press, and the Public.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
The Council led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
NEW BUSINESS:
A. Introduction of Ordinance O-1-08 – Approving and Adopting a Budget for the 2009-2010 Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2008 and Ending June 30, 2009 – Mayor Pro Tem Turner moved the introduction of Ordinance O-1-08. Councilmember Brady seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
B. Introduction of Resolution R-21-08 – Adopting a Capital Improvement Program for the Fiscal Years 2009-2014 - Mayor Pro Tem Turner moved the introduction of Resolution R-21-08. Councilmember Brady seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
Mayor Robinson gave a
brief overview and said residents can view the budget document on the City’s
web site; the draft budget is balanced and includes a proposed City tax increase
of
$.028 that is combined with a reduction in
County tax of $.05, a result of the negotiated differential between the City
and the County that recognizes that the City provides which would otherwise
be provided by the County; the Park and Planning tax remains constant at $.28.
Councilmember Trouth said that he would like to see several items added to
the budget funding for a new gymnasium; would like to talk about traffic
calming measures that will be done city-wide; would like the Bowie Playhouse
renovations money moved to FY 2009.
Councilmember Polangin said she also was concerned about the Bowie Playhouse renovations and she supported a new position in the Planning Department.
Councilmember Marcos spoke about the Community Development Block Grant and moving it in a new direction, but keeping it in Old Town Bowie; would like to keep moving forward on a Master Plan for Old Town Bowie; and continue to look at the sewer issues and traffic in Old Town Bowie.
Councilmember Valentino-Smith provided the following items with regard to the budget: 1) personal property tax as a tool to help craft the type of community the Council is looking for, i.e. incentives for police, teachers, and volunteer firemen to live in the community; 2) see if any need to dedicate more resources toward a new approach to seeking health related development and entities; 3) look at what it would entail to begin initiating some form of traffic calming in all four districts; 4) services – is there a need for another survey, and developing a summit for the seniors to understand what the needs are for seniors; 5) capital projects – a) discussion on how far reserves will go down by 2011 and what the contingency plans are for the future; b) providing turf at Mitchellville fields and combining with other government matching funding; 6) revitalization – look at initiatives to evaluate lighting, signs, gateway in the Belair Section of the City; 7) need for new indoor recreational structure.
Mayor Pro Tem Turner provided the following items with regard to the budget: 1) an additional gymnasium; 2) business incubator program; 3) police department – more coordinated information sharing, i.e. crimes that are occurring, response times, etc. 4) support for the Bowie Food Pantry with increased funding; 5) providing support in establishing matching grant program for organizations based in Bowie that have capital needs to improve their facilities, i.e. swim clubs, Boys & Girls Clubs.
Councilmember Brady noted that this was the 15th budget he had worked on and commended staff for their hard work and the details contained in the budget. A copy of Mr. Brady’s complete statement is attached.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Pro Tem Turner moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Brady and carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:31 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Pamela A. Fleming, CMC
City Clerk