At its January 27 regular meeting, the Greenbelt City Council approved contracts to repair the indoor pool, modified and deferred proposed ethics legislation until the next meeting, agreed to support a coalition seeking to improve emergency services and took positions on several pieces of proposed state legislation.
Indoor Pool
Council approved legislation to transfer $1.7 million from the rainy-day fund to the Capital Projects Fund to cover urgently needed structural repairs to the indoor pool deck. City Manager Josué Salmerón said that the city has obtained $1.5 million in Program Open Space funds to cover most of the cost of the repairs. The city will need to provide matching funds to cover the remaining cost.
Open Space funding is provided on a reimbursement basis; that is, the city must first pay for the repairs, then submit requests for reimbursement. Salmerón said that the city would not need to wait until the project was complete before submitting reimbursement requests.
Council then approved contracts with C. A. Lindman, Inc. for $1.4 million to serve as general contractor and with CPJ for $111,700 for engineering quality assurance. Salmerón said that repairs will begin in April, and the project will be completed by the end of September. During that period, the fitness center will remain open but the indoor pool will be closed.
Councilmember Rodney Roberts opposed both measures. He did not comment on the legislation or explain his opposition, but in the January 22 pool worksession he questioned the use of Open Space funds for the project.
Ethics Ordinance
At its last meeting, council introduced legislation repealing and replacing the Article IV Ethics Provisions in the city code to align with state law. In an unusual move, council agreed to start the approval process, but to defer introducing the legislation for first reading until the February 10 council meeting at the urging of Mayor Emmett Jordan so that the city solicitor could vet the changes. Jordan had proposed and council had accepted adding a provision that council could waive fees for failure to file specified reports on time by a simple majority vote. Additional changes were proposed by Jordan and the ethics commission.
Legislative Update
Council also received an update from Darrell Carrington of Carrington and Associates, with whom the city has contracted to monitor state and county legislation affecting Greenbelt. He noted that the state faces a $3 billion projected deficit. Governor Wes Moore has proposed $2 billion in cuts, leaving the General Assembly to find another $1 billion in reductions.
One step is that state senators will get an allocation of just $400,000, down from $1 million in bond funds. He said that his company is still reviewing the president’s executive orders to examine their potential local impact.
Council moved to support proposed state legislation: 1) opposing maglev, 2) permitting civilian police personnel to review speed camera footage, 3) giving zoning authority to municipalities, 4) enabling municipalities to levy food and beverage fees and 5) imposing a deposit on cans and bottles.
Consent Agenda
As part of the consent agenda (actions approved without discussion), council:
‒ Agreed to support the Coalition for Prince George’s County Fire and Emergency Management Services. The coalition plans to send a letter to county executive candidates re-garding the reallocation of career firefighters. The letter says, in part, “A combination of foreseeable circumstances led to this emergency, which resulted in longer response times and multiple deaths. It doesn’t have to be this way.” The coalition has prepared a number of recommendations to address the problems. These include reducing barriers to volunteerism, funding 150 new Fire/EMS personnel, facility support for volunteer properties and apparatus and establishing a task force for efficiency and recruitment, among others.
‒ Reappointed members of several advisory boards, appointed former councilmember Judith Davis to the Advisory Planning Board and accepted the resignation of John Paul Schmidt from the Forest Preserve Advisory Board.
‒ As recommended by the Park and Recreation Advisory Board, approved four new recognition groups: French Conversation, Ukulele Ladies, Boys to Men and Greenbelt Book Club.