AGENDA CITY OF WESTMINSTER Mayor and Common Council Meeting Monday, May 11, 2020 at 7 pm https://www.facebook.com/westminstermd/ 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A) Mayor and Common Council Meeting of April 27, 2020 3. PRESENTATIONS A) Mayoral Proclamation, declaring May 17 – 23, 2020 as National Public Works Week B) FY 2019 Financial Reports – Wanda Lynn and Ashley Hershey of Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz C) Quarterly Update – Westminster Fiber Network Project – Ms. Matthews and Val Giovagnoni of Ting Internet 4. REPORT FROM THE MAYOR 5. COVID-19 PANDEMIC UPDATE 6. REPORTS FROM STANDING COMMITTEES A) Arts Council B) Economic and Community Development Committee C) Finance Committee D) Personnel Committee E) Public Safety Committee F) Public Works Committee G) Recreation and Parks Committee 7. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND DISCUSSION 1 8. ORDINANCES & RESOLUTIONS A) Adoption of Ordinance No. 922 – An Ordinance of the Mayor and Common Council of Westminster, Maryland Approving and Adopting a Budget for the Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2020 and Ending June 30, 2021 – Ms. Palmer B) Approval of Resolution No. 20-03 – Approving and Adopting Plan Documents for the City’s Cafeteria Benefits Plan Including Its Flexible Spending Account – Ms. Childs C) Adoption of Emergency Ordinance No. 923 – An Ordinance Deferring the Effective Date of the City’s Plastic Bag Distribution Restrictions – Ms. Matthews 9. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 10. NEW BUSINESS 11. DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS 12. CITIZEN COMMENTS Please submit comments to Shannon Visocsky, City Clerk, at [email protected]. If you would like your comments to be submitted as part of the record, please provide your full name and address. The Council President will read submitted comments that include the required information during the meeting, and they will be reflected in the meeting minutes. 13. ADJOURNMENT 2 MINUTES CITY OF WESTMINSTER Mayor and Common Council Meeting Monday, April 27, 2020 at 7 pm https://www.facebook.com/westminstermd/ CALL TO ORDER Elected Officials Present: Councilmember Chiavacci, Councilmember Dayhoff, Mayor Dominick, Councilmember Gilbert, President Pecoraro, and Councilmember Yingling. Staff Present: Director of Human Resources Childs, Director of Community Planning and Development Depo, Comprehensive Planner Gerhard, Director of Public Works Glass, Police Chief Ledwell, City Attorney Levan, City Administrator Matthews, Assistant Director of Recreation and Parks Mullendore, Director of Finance and Administrative Services Palmer, Director of Housing Services Valenzisi, and City Clerk Visocsky. Guests: Graham Dodge, Executive Director of Mid-Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory (MAGIC); and Kelly Shaffer Miller, Attorney of Shaffer & Shaffer, LLP. APPROVAL OF MINUTES President Pecoraro requested a motion to approve the minutes of the Mayor and Common Council Meeting of April 14, 2020. Councilmember Chiavacci moved, seconded by Councilmember Dayhoff, to approve the minutes of April 14, 2020. VOTE AYES: President Pecoraro, Councilmember Chiavacci, Councilmember Dayhoff, Councilmember Gilbert, and Councilmember Yingling. NAYS: None. PRESENTATIONS Mayoral Proclamations Mayor Dominick presented Mayoral Proclamations, declaring the following: • May as National Preservation Month; • May 3 – 9, 2020 as Public Service Recognition Week; and, • May 10 – 16, 2020 as National Police Week. Quarterly Progress Report – Mid-Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory (MAGIC) Mr. Dodge, Executive Director of MAGIC, provided his quarterly update. A copy of Mr. Dodge’s presentation is attached to these minutes and incorporated herein by reference. President Pecoraro thanked Mr. Dodge for his presentation. Councilmember Yingling asked Mr. Dodge to elaborate on the potential grant opportunities cited during the presentation; Mr. Dodge replied that MAGIC had applied for two grants, totaling approximately $90,000. 3 During the presentation, Mr. Dodge stated that MAGIC envisioned Westminster to be the next technology hub to emerge in the United States, following in the footsteps of Mountain View, California, Boulder, Colorado, and Austin, Texas. MAGIC has titled its project Silicon Main Street. In response to Councilmember Chiavacci’s inquiry concerning what MAGIC needed from the City, Mr. Dodge responded an executable economic development plan. Mr. Dodge added that such a plan would include promotion of the City’s existing opportunity zone and the leveraging of the Town Center Corporation, with the goal of providing a return on investment to the City. Councilmember Chiavacci stated that he would like the City to assist in promoting MAGIC, adding that Main Street Manager Sandy Anderson regularly communicates with the downtown businesses. Councilmember Chiavacci encouraged Mr. Dodge to speak with Ms. Anderson about how the City could support MAGIC’s efforts. Mayor Dominick noted that the redesign of the City’s website, which he is working on with City staff, provided an opportunity to highlight the Westminster Fiber Network more prominently. He added that the discussion of Silicon Main Street ties into a long-term discussion of the City’s staffing needs and new goals. Mayor Dominick stated that the City’s Main Street initiative has historically focused on restaurants and retail businesses. Mayor Dominick noted the inclusion of his picture and the reference to his company (Gauge Digital Media) in Mr. Dodge’s presentation. He clarified that his company provided support for the featured co- work space, but that the donation was unrelated to MAGIC or to his role with the City. Mayor Dominick then requested that Mr. Dodge refrain from any future use of Gauge Digital Media’s logo and his picture in future MAGIC presentations to avoid any potential promotion of his company or ethical concerns. Mayor Dominick then asked Mr. Dodge when MAGIC would learn whether its funding applications were approved, and whether the any awarded funding would be recurring. Mr. Graham responded that MAGIC should learn the status of its applications in the June/July 2020 timeframe; he added that one grant would likely provide one-time funding, but the other grant program had the potential to provide recurring funding. Councilmember Dayhoff echoed the comments of Councilmember Chiavacci and Mayor Dominick regarding opportunities for the City to cross-promote with MAGIC. He expressed his support for the Silicon Main Street initiative, adding that having a niche was a critical component of any economic development strategy. Councilmember Dayhoff concluded his comments by thanking Mr. Dodge for his excellent presentation. Councilmember Yingling stated that, when he joined the Common Council, he was advised that MAGIC’s focus was to bring economic development to the City, providing a return on the City’s investment in the organization. He advised his colleagues that he had reached out to Mr. Graham to invite him to a future meeting of the Economic and Community Development Committee so that these issues could be discussed. Councilmember Yingling stated that Mr. Dodge had accepted the invitation, and that a Committee meeting would be held in the near future. Proposed FY 2021 Budget Ms. Matthews presented the proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Budget. A copy of Ms. Matthew’s presentation is attached to these minutes and incorporated herein by reference. At the conclusion of Ms. Matthews’ presentation, President Pecoraro noted that there would be two budget work sessions, which would allow plenty of time for the Mayor and Common Council to discuss the budget proposal. 4 PUBLIC HEARING Constant Yield Tax Rate Mayor Dominick conducted a public hearing regarding the Constant Yield Tax Rate. Ms. Palmer stated that, pursuant to Maryland State Tax law, the constant yield tax rate is calculated by the Department of Assessment’s and Taxation for each taxing authority in the State. It represents the property tax rate for the coming tax year that will generate the same amount of revenue that was generated during the current tax year. She informed the Mayor and Common Council that the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 property tax rate was $0.56 per $100 of assessed real property. In accordance with the direction of the Mayor and members of the Common Council’s Finance Committee, the City Administrator’s proposed budget for FY 2021 assumes a continuation of this rate. She stated that the rate is 3% higher than the constant yield tax rate of $0.5425 per $100 of assessed real property and would generate $329,223 in new real property tax revenues. Ms. Palmer recommended that the Mayor and Common Council hold the public hearing to receive community input regarding the City’s FY 2021 real property tax rate. She added that the City adopted its tax rate as part of the overall budget, noting that Ordinance No. 922 adopting the FY 2021 budget was scheduled for introduction later in the meeting. Mayor Dominick asked Ms. Palmer to elaborate on the increase in revenues despite the tax rate staying the same. Ms. Palmer replied that the City would realize revenue growth due to the higher property values and growth. Councilmember Chiavacci inquired if similar advertising procedures would be required if property values decreased. Ms. Matthews stated that this had occurred during the late 200s recession, and there were no State requirements if the same tax rate yielded less revenue. Mayor Dominick asked staff for clarification regarding comments from the public. Ms. Matthews responded that, in the public hearing advertisement, interested parties were informed to provide their written comments to Ms. Visocsky prior to the meeting. No comments were received. President Pecoraro recommended that the public hearing record remain open until the close of business on May 1, 2020. With no further discussion by the Common Council, Mayor Dominick stated that the public hearing would remain open until May 1, 2020 to allow additional time for public comments to be submitted. CONSENT CALENDAR President Pecoraro requested a motion to approve the Consent Calendar consisting of the following: • Approval of March 2020 Departmental Operating Reports; • Approval – Deed of Easement for McDaniel College Storm Water Management Facility; and, • Approval of Good Cause Waivers 20-01 and 20-02.