A special meeting of the city council, with City Manager Nicole Ard and city staff, was convened on Monday, March 30, to discuss the measures being taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To maintain social distancing, the meeting was held virtually with the phone lines open for public comment. Mayor Colin Byrd declared that Greenbelt is in the midst of unusual circumstances and in an unprecedented situation. The meeting ended with Ard, in her role as the city executive, reading the city’s own state of emergency into the record.
The first topic of discussion was how, in view of social distancing, council would honor the city charter, which requires a meeting twice a month and a budget to be submitted on or before the first meeting in April. With this novel virtual option now available, Councilmember Emmett Jordan said, “it is important to stick to the charter to make sure we are doing the business of the city as best as we can.”
According to Public Information and Communications Coordinator Beverly Palau, the proposed budget will be presented at a virtual meeting of the city council on Friday, April 24. After that, there will be several worksessions, all virtual. At this point, the worksession schedule is proposed, and has yet to be adopted. The city manager, assistant city manager and city treasurer are working on changes to the budget that will be presented. Many of these changes will be reflective of the estimated costs incurred by the economic shutdown and its toll on the city.
Ard emphasized that any revenue projections will be simply that, as the situation changes on a daily basis. She estimated that a complete economic recovery might not occur for 24 months after the virus has reached its culmination.
Councilmember Edward Putens said it is likely that any new budget will include a 20 to 25 percent decrease in revenues and a 15 percent rise in expenditures.
Ard said that she was focused on “continuity of government” and making sure all essential services, maintenance and cleanings are ensured. This would mean new procedures in many cases, especially services that have required in-person interactions, like deliveries to seniors. Enabling more teleworking for staff is a goal. She said that the city will be taking its lead on health measures from the county, state and federal government and, most importantly, from the Centers for Disease Control to which she advised all residents to refer.
Palau said that residents can refer daily to the city’s website and social media for updates on the health situation.
Public Works Director Jim Sterling noted that bus services, trash removal and cleaning services are active and at full staff. He said that while bus ridership is down, bus cleanliness is being practiced throughout the system. He said that the city is well-prepared with sanitation supplies for the next 60 days as the city was early in its efforts to stock up.
Police Chief Rick Bowers assured council that officers are being provided with necessary health protection equipment. He said that there is no curfew under the stay-at-home order and that residents seen outside would be stopped only on a case-by-case basis if required at all.
With the current frequent use of the city’s emergency relief fund, it was speculated that the fund could be augmented through a fundraiser, perhaps through the city Facebook page.
Councilmember Judith Davis said that the latest stimulus bills would not affect Greenbelt specifically but that some of that money could trickle down from the state or county. She speculated that future bills might be centered more on municipalities.
She also remarked that, while council is deeply concerned about the fate of small businesses in the city, she made clear that the first priority will be to ensure that city services continue. Businesses should probably begin looking at state, county and federal relief programs for the time being.
She also reminded residents to complete their census forms, as the city’s response numbers are low.
Prior to Ard’s reading the state of emergency statement into the record, there was a discussion about the appropriateness of a vote taken by council in addition to the adoption of the statement. Adoption is the final purview of Ard. Byrd held the vote after council agreed that the vote would be noted in the record as representing support only from council. In voting no, Putens and Councilmember Rodney Roberts expressed that they were “concerned about the precedent of seemingly requiring the city manager to get this type of executive declaration approved by the city,” echoing Byrd’s opinion, and not a disagreement with the substance of the declaration, with Byrd stating, “I can appreciate both sides though.”
Additional information on city services is included in the city ad and in other items throughout the newspaper.