Town Council Meeting #20-04
November 04, 2004
Council President Norman
Pinder convened meeting #20-04 at
7:00pm
in Town Hall. Donna Turner,
Council Vice-President, Mary McCarthy, Council Member, Royden Powell,
Town Manager, 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: Minutes
for the meeting on
October 21, 2004
were reviewed and approved as presented.
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. James
Barton,
Front Street
– Mr. Barton appeared to discuss the traffic flow and
resurfacing project related to
Front Street
. He requested the
Council revise the flow to be one-way from
Corsica Neck Road
to the public landing and that it be implemented before the
improvement project. The
Council discussed the status of the design issues for the work and
asked Mr. Powell if the project could be completed soon?
He stated that it is possible to complete within this fiscal
year. The Council
thanked Mr. Barton for his presentation and Mr. Pinder noted they
would consider the direction of traffic at a future work session.
Business:
1.
Reading of
Proclamation for Veterans Day 2004 – Mr. Pinder stated that the
Council would recognize two Centreville veterans at the Courthouse
ceremony on
November 11, 2004
at
11am
.
2.
Contract with
Maryland
Environmental Service – Mr. Powell reported that the contract for
water and wastewater treatment operations with Maryland Environmental
Services (MES) had been revised, based on work session discussions, to
include language for:
a.
Indemnification
(Sec 3.03, pg 4) - Arbitration procedures; and
b.
Termination of Contract Services - 30 day notice without
future financial liability.
Mrs.
McCarthy consulted with Mr. Kehoe regarding her vote on the bid from MES
vs. the contract presented. Mr.
Kehoe noted that the language regarding termination of services had been
included in the contract per her previous objections. Her vote would be
based on the current language presented to the Council.
There
being no further discussion, Mrs. Turner made motion to vote on the
approval of the contract with MES; Mrs. McCarthy seconded the motion.
The Council voted unanimously to approve the contract (3 ayes).
Maryland
Municipal League:
Mr. Powell reported on his recent attendance at the Fall
MML Convention. He stated
that its purpose was to establish an agenda for the upcoming state
legislative session. He then
discussed the “flush tax” and its impact on local municipalities.
Mr. Pinder inquired when it could be implemented?
Mr. Powell responded that municipalities could start as early as January
2005.
QAC Municipal
League: Mrs.
Turner stated the league would meet on November 15,
7pm
, at
Centreville
Town Hall
to discuss matters of general concern.
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.
Once site work is completed, staff will draft budget reports in
different formats to present to the Council for their input and
approval.
·
Parade
preparations were underway and dignitary invitations will be mailed next
week.
Chief of Police –
·
The Chief’s report was included in the Council’s books
for their review. There was
nothing unusual to report.
·
All personnel have completed mandated firearms training
for 2004 and all have re-qualified and met MPTC standards.
·
The Chief reported that his department is moving forward
with plans to purchase mobile data terminals through grant funding in
partnership with the Queen Anne’ County Department of Emergency
Services.
·
Halloween was quiet; no unusual incidents to report.
Town Manager –
·
Mr. Powell
reported that the testing of the irrigation system for the new plant was
underway; leaks are being identified and addressed.
·
He noted that the
upgrades to the south pumping station were on schedule; the bypass of
that station will continue for the next 10 days.
·
Hydrant flushing
has begun, starting with the west end of town; the process will be
ongoing to include Northbrook and
Symphony
Village
.
·
Mr. Powell
presented the Council with illustrations of street lights for
installation in
Northbrook
. Based on his and Mr.
Porter’s recommendation, the Council approved the use of high pressure
sodium street lights.
·
The ad for the
bid/purchase of the dump truck will appear in local papers starting
November 5, 2004
.
·
Mr. Powell
received correspondence from Mr. Sydney Ashley,
Centreville
Plaza
, LLC, regarding sewage holding tanks at the site.
Mr. Ashley stated that he had received approval from Mr. John
Nickerson of QAC Environmental Health to install sewage holding tanks
while connections to the Town’ sewer system were not available.
He also discussed land opportunities with the Council.
Mr. Powell noted that interim relief from MDE may be available in
the near future. The Council
requested
Mr. Ashley’ presence at their next work session to discuss his offer.
·
He also reported
on the status of the INI tests; URS received maps and has started to
plot layouts. They would
soon begin the measuring phase of the work.
·
Mr. Powell noted
he had met with representatives from the meter equipment company. He is
considering purchasing another reader to be utilized by two staff
members along with more radio reads to expedite the process.
·
He stated that he
is working on review and allocation fees which are outstanding; he will
present the information to the auditors on Monday, November, 8.
Citizens Forum:
·
Mr. Sveinn Storm,
Commerce St
– Mr. Storm noted his concern for the permitting and review process
for peddlers with mobile food trucks.
The Council discussed the process with Mr. Kehoe who stated that
there is language within the Charter (95-9) which addresses the Town’s
role in regard to such permits.
Mr.
Storm discussed the purchase of a new dump truck.
He stated his worry that the existing truck is not maintained and
should not be replaced based on its current mileage and condition.
Mr. Powell noted that there are maintenance schedules for town
equipment and that they are followed by staff.
He
then talked with the Council about the bid process for water/wastewater
operations and its similarity to the one which resulted in hiring Miller
Environmental. Mr. Pinder
discussed the difference in contract costs and the additional
work/supplies included in the MES agreement.
Mr.
Storm described his understanding of the open space issues before the
Council in the spring and their instructions to the Town Attorney to
request an opinion of the Attorney General.
He stated that the Town received and paid invoices for open space
legislation when it was not relevant to Town business.
Mrs. Turner noted that the information had been forwarded to the
proper authorities for their review.
·
Mr. Luke Phipps,
Commerce St
– Mr. Phipps, on behalf of Ed Smith, requested permission to park a
World War II era jeep in front of the courthouse for the November 11
ceremony? The Council asked
the Chief of Police; he approved Mr. Phipps request.
·
Mr. Ed Novack,
Sonata Way
– Mr. Novack stated that the placement of the
Maryland
state flag and the
United States
flag were incorrect. The
Council thanked Mr. Novack for his recommendation.
·
Mrs. Dena
Anderson,
Commerce St
– Mrs. Anderson asked why residents were paying for streets which are
in gated community? Mrs.
McCarthy stated that the gate is for models only; residents and visitors
are not subject to the community gate.
Mrs.
Anderson stated her concern over higher than expected water consumption
on her water bill? Mr.
Powell stated that there are issues with the transmission of data from
the handheld to the accounting software and that he would inquire into
her bill and high consumption.
She
then noted that Mr. Pinder reported no correspondence to the Council in
his earlier report; Mrs. Anderson had submitted a letter to the Council
recently. Mrs. McCarthy stated that the Council was in receipt of her
letter, but that due to the increased volume of correspondence on a
number of issues, it would be prohibitive to read each letter at
meetings. The Council stated
that her letter was important and would receive proper consideration.
Motion to Adjourn
into Closed Session to discuss personnel issues: There being nothing further to discuss, the Council voted unanimously to
adjourn the meeting at
8:10pm
to go into closed session.
Respectfully Submitted,
