Greenbelt City Council met on June 3, with two primary issues raised during Petitions and Requests. One was council’s previous decision to grant Assistant City Manager Tim George a bonus for his outstanding service performed as interim city manager during Covid and until council chose Josué Salmerón to assume the position permanently. Whereas Mayor Emmett Jordan, advised by the city’s attorney, felt that council had the authority to approve the bonus in closed session, Councilmember Rodney Roberts and resident Bill Orleans argued that the city charter requires all decisions about city employee compensation be made in open sessions. In addition, resident Mary Johnson, Greenbelt’s retired director of human resources, complained that she has repeatedly sought information since March 22 about the decision to eliminate a position on the city manager’s staff that will result in this employee’s termination as of the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. Jordan said this is a personnel and legal matter, while Johnson argued it was a procedural matter and said it became a legal matter as of two weeks ago. Council previously said they would respond to Johnson’s requests but were advised they cannot comment any further than the public comments already made. Salmerón will send Johnson a letter documenting what they’ve been able to say publicly.
Budget Approved
Next, after nine earlier open worksessions, council voted 6-1, with Councilmember Rodney Roberts opposed, to approve the city’s budget of over $43 million for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. It did so after approving the budgets for nine individual departments and special grants or funds that included six amendments to its March 25 estimates. The General Government budget did not change from its original $5,108,600 nor did Planning-Community Development from $1,393,100. Because of a $60,000 increase in the Axon contract for city police on-body cameras, Public Safety rose by $20,400 to $12,233,200. Public Works decreased by $11,000 to $4,699,800 and Greenbelt CARES increased $20,000 to $1,922,400 to continue the Greenbelt Assistance in Living program’s service coordinator program. Recreation and Parks rose to $8,149,900 due to a $76,000 increase in its recreation programs budget and Miscellaneous-Grants & Contributions increased $2,000 to $432,700. The Non-Departmental budget rose to $1,537,300 because of a $25,000 increase to $75,000 for Greenbelt Cinema. Total Fund Transfers remained unchanged from its March 25 estimate of $2,534,000. The budget for FY 2025 came, then, to $38,016,000 after another $5k was added for repairs to public art. Council also approved allocations totaling more than $5 million made to ensure Greenbelt’s fiscal health, which brought the grand total to $43,812,700. One of those special funds will, for example, pay $1,400,000 on the city’s current $8,850,372 debt.
After suspending the rule requiring a delay between 1st and 2nd readings, council voted to adopt the budget and then passed the ordinance appropriating those funds and levying taxes and other charges to pay for it. Estimated revenue includes $23,569,100 from home and business property taxes, $1,820,800 from personal property taxes, $4,710,400 from other local taxes, $2,259,400 from service charges, $694,000 from fines and forfeitures, with the final estimate for all revenues being $38,031,200. The additional funds are financed in a variety of ways.
Council broke into applause to celebrate its success. Jordan noted that the largest expense across the budget came from personnel expenditures and council’s desire to treat city employees fairly. With $22 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds ending this year, council succeeded in maintaining some of the positions that ARPA made possible, such as that in Greenbelt CARES. Salmerón received “heartfelt thanks” for his lead in creating the new budget, and he in turn acknowledged his staff while noting that together they had overcome an initial $3 million deficit. City Treasurer Bertha Gaymon agreed that success required a group effort with council.
Next, council approved spending $13,125 to extend the contract for Laserfiche, a document management system, for one year as city government transitions toward more integrated and efficient platforms. Council also briefly discussed the 10-year renewal of its agreement with Comcast approved through an ordinance passed in 2022. The franchise fee remains at five percent and PEG (Public, Educational and Governmental) support at three percent of Comcast’s and Verizon’s gross revenues from charges collected in this area. Extension buildouts will make service available to new communities, and high-quality upgrades to PEG channels will ensure improved delivery. Annual PEG fees from Comcast and Verizon have decreased from $174,000 to $106,000 since 2019. President Frank Gervasi of GATe (Greenbelt Access Television, Inc.) explained that subscribers are switching increasingly from cable to internet streaming, a change he would have liked to see addressed more forthrightly in the renewal. Council also authorized that $227,990 saved from funds allocated for asphalt paving be used prior to the end of FY 2024 to repair sidewalks largely but not entirely in the Greenspring community in Greenbelt East.