Town Council Meeting #19-04
October 21, 2004
Council
President Norman Pinder convened meeting #19-04 at
7:00pm
in Town Hall. Donna Turner,
Council Vice-President, Mary McCarthy, Council Member, Stephen Kehoe,
Town Attorney, Police Chief Ben Cohey and Deana Ashley, Clerk, were also
present.
Welcome:
Citizens and guests were welcomed to the meeting.
Review
of Minutes from Previous Meetings:
Meeting minutes for the following dates were reviewed and
approved as presented:
September 13, 2004
Work Session
September 16, 2004
Council Meeting
September 20, 2004
Closed Work Session
September 27, 2004
Closed Work Session
October 6, 2004
Council Meeting
October 15, 2004
WWTP Bid Meeting
October 15, 2004
Work Session
October 18, 2004
Work Session
Mrs.
Turner made a motion to accept the minutes; Mrs. McCarthy seconded the
motion. A vote was taken, members voted in the affirmative, and the
minutes were approved unanimously. (3 ayes)
Appearances:
-
Mr.
Mark Freestate, Town Insurance Coverage Report – Mr. Freestate
appeared before the Council to review insurance coverage.
He reviewed the new additions required for the wastewater
treatment plant and the assistance received by agencies and Mr.
Powell in determining its valuation. Mr. Freestate also reviewed the
coverage for the Zoning Inspector (currently not covered for
professional liability) and stated that it should be reasonable in
cost. Mr. Pinder inquired if the security fencing proposal would
affect the coverage? Mr.
Freesate noted that it would reduce coverage costs.
Mrs. McCarthy noted that the position was not insured as he
is a contractor, not an employee.
The Council thanked him for his presentation.
Business:
1.
Mrs. Donna Turner,
Discussion of “County Declared Sanitary Districts” – Mrs.
Turner deferred her discussion as the Council is scheduled to meet with
other municipalities on Monday, October 25 at
7pm
at
Queenstown
Town Hall
in regards to the matter.
2.
Discussion of Truck
Traffic Ordinance – Mrs. McCarthy reported that the Council had
received a draft of a proposed truck traffic ordinance. Town Council
members had been asked to submit their revisions to the Town Attorney in
order to discuss the draft. Mrs.
Turner stated that she would prefer to continue meetings with citizens
and await the results of the SHA origin/destination study.
The
Council then discussed with the citizens the release of the draft; Mr.
Pinder stated he was opposed to its release as it included only general
language and required input from the Council and SHA before its release;
Mrs. Turner concurred. Mr.
Kehoe suggested the current draft be forwarded to SHA for its review.
There was also a discussion amongst the Council and Mr. Kehoe regarding
noise ordinances as it relates to the prohibition of trash pick-up
during early morning hours. The
Council requested Mr. Kehoe research similar legislation in surrounding
areas.
Maryland
Municipal League:
Mr. Pinder reported that Mr. Powell was currently attending
the fall MML Conference in
Cumberland
,
MD.
QAC Municipal League:
Mrs. Turner stated the league would meet on October 25,
7pm
, at
Queenstown
Town Hall
.
Announcements
and Correspondence: Mr.
Pinder read the announcements and correspondence into the record.
Report
of Department Heads:
Town
Clerk – Ms. Ashley
reported the following:
·
The
audit is scheduled to be completed by mid November.
As a result of new reporting requirements, a detailed and current
fixed asset schedule is now maintained.
·
Water meters were
read through
October 18, 2004
and bills will be mailed by
October 22, 2004
. The town now has one full
year of historical water meter usage data available for reporting and
fee analysis.
Chief of Police –
·
The Chief’s report was included in the Council’s books
for their review. There was
nothing unusual to report.
·
Chief Cohey discussed the crime statistics for the first
nine months of the year. The
statistics are available in his report for review.
·
The department has been awarded approximately $15,000 in
grant monies for the purchase of mobile data terminals by the
Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention.
·
Officer Conley gave a Halloween safety talk at
Kennard
Elementary School
for approximately 470 students. She
will also give a similar presentation to Centreville Elementary on
October 23. She is also a
mentor to two students at Kennard; the Chief wanted to acknowledge her
efforts.
Town Manager – None.
Citizens
Forum:
·
Mr. Sveinn Storm,
Commerce St
– Mr. Storm asked if the Chief had contacted Chief Johnson in
Annapolis
about the effectiveness of their loitering ordinance?
The Chief reported that he had not; there was a general
discussion about the enforcement of such legislation.
·
Mrs. Mary Roby,
Lurgan Ave
– Mrs. Roby asked about restricting electric scooters usage on
streets? Mrs. McCarthy
stated she would not support such legislation since many of the children
in the neighborhood have these scooters.
·
Mr. Storm – Mr.
Storm questioned the Council about the recent bid process and award of
the operations contract for the new wastewater treatment plant.
He noted that MES had been contacted on September 7 to tour the
plant and discussed the costs of the contract vs. in-house staffing.
Mr.
Pinder responded that the Council had instructed Mr. Powell to research
operation bids as a result of allegations made during the August 28
spill.
Mr. Pinder also stated the contract is for one-year and may be
terminated in 30 days without cause.
Mrs. McCarthy stated that she voted against the bid; it was not
made available to the Council prior to the meeting for their review and
the original proposal was drafted as a one year contract without a
30-day escape clause.
Mr.
Kehoe stated the process was legitimate; the Town had a need so that
there was no lapse of coverage in an urgent situation.
He noted that the contract was not necessarily intended as a
long-term solution.
Mr.
Pinder stated he had signed the contract with MES and that the only
revision was to include language regarding the 30-day termination
notice.
·
Mrs. Aileen Minor,
Liberty St
– Mrs. Minor stated the Council has a fiduciary responsibility to the
citizens and for their health and safety.
She asked why the Council would not release the draft if they had
publicly stated their approval of a draft ordinance?
Mr. Pinder responded the draft is not valid if not approved by
the SHA. After further
discussion, he approved the release of the draft to the public for their
review.
·
Mrs. Kathleen
Kennedy,
Liberty St
– Mrs. Kennedy discussed the narrowing of 213 and concern for truck
traffic/speed at her residence/business.
·
Mr. Doug Anderson,
Commerce St
– Mr. Anderson stated that he did not believe SHA was omnipotent and
suggested that the language from Frostburg and Upper Marlboro
legislation be utilized. He
also noted that the Centreville study should not be linked with
Chestertown and that bypass alternatives should be developed for the
work required to the Town’s infrastructure.
·
Mr. Storm – He
inquired what the status of the MDE investigation and its impact on the
credibility of the plant flow information reported by Miller
Environmental on the Town’s behalf?
Mr. Kehoe responded the Council is awaiting a response from MDE.
·
Mrs. Judith Suling,
Liberty St – Mrs. Suling noted her concerns of trucks at 80,000 pounds
of every industry traveling on Centreville roads;
through her participation on the Streetscape project, she and SHA
are aware of the status of the water infrastructure.
·
Mr. Storm – He
inquired the status of the outstanding developer fees report?
Mr. Pinder stated the report was not yet available.
Motion to Adjourn:
There being nothing
further to discuss, the Council voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting
at
8:35pm
.
Respectfully Submitted,
Deana Ashley, Clerk
