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Primary Season is Upon Us!
CRG
held an open meeting at Café 611 (THANKS TO R. JONES FOR THE FACILITY!)
on Tuesday, February 20 for Q&A with Prince George’s County
Executive, Angela Alsobrooks, a candidate for US Senate from Maryland.
Alsobrooks provided detail of her background to the 60+ attendees and
then addressed several general local-to-national issues that a US
Senator might address. A lively exchange occurred with many residents
posing follow-up queries to Ms. Alsobrooks. CRG seeks to hold similar
events with the other major Senate candidates in the coming weeks, so
stay tuned and join in!
City Charter Review
On
Wednesday, February 21, the Mayor and Board of Aldermen (BoA) held a
workshop on the Charter Review recommendations submitted to the City
last December (https://cityoffrederick.granicus.com/player/clip/5845?view_id=45&redirect=true).
There was contentious discussion among Board of Aldermen (BoA) members,
the mayor, and staff on a schedule and steps to move the
recommendations forward for possible adoption in a new, revised Charter.
A subsequent workshop was held on February 28, focusing on recommendations #1, 2, and 5 (view the meeting at https://cityoffrederick.granicus.com/player/clip/5855?view_id=47&redirect=true). These recommendations cover: (#1) City Structure Change with a separate executive (Mayor) and legislative branch (City Council); (#2) Legislative Body Name: The City’s legislative body shall be known as the City Council; and (#3) President of City Council:
The President of the City Council shall be determined by vote of the
members of the City Council and the position shall be held for the
length of the term. There was general agreement that these
recommendations as well as those to be discussed in upcoming legislative
workshops be presented by staff in charter language form for
presentation and vote (yea or nay for each recommendation) at
to-be-scheduled workshops.
We believe the final outcome is that City staff will draft Charter
language for each of the 19 recommendations and the BoA members will
vote yes or no on adoption. Several members urged moving quickly so that
several election-related recommendations, if adopted by the BoA in
workshops and hearings with public comment, can be included in the 2025
election. See the complete list of Charter Review Recommendations at the
end of this newsletter grouped according to the schedule set for
Aldermanic/staff discussion and public input.
Urban School Update
CRG
has developed a factsheet outlining possibilities for building schools
in the City. Proposed developments in the City will dramatically
increase the need for seats for our children. Thus it is imperative to
develop new designs and revise and revise zoning to allow construction
of schools on small sites. Fortunately, County Council and Board of
Aldermen members continue to meet to discuss options on ensuring
adequate capacities for our students in the coming years. CRG applauds
this effort and encourages the City to use fees it collects from
developers opting to not build schools to be used to partner with the
County to construct schools that fit within City borders.
You can download the Urban Schools factsheet by clicking here.
South Frederick Corridor Small Area Plan
Workshops
for the small area plan (SAP) for the South Frederick Corridor (the
area between Routes 85 and 355) have begun with the first held on
Tuesday, February 20. The design of the area will be governed by
form-based code, described in at least 3 previous County Planning
Department presentations before the Planning Commission and County
Council. CRG applauds the Planning staff for its thorough vetting of the
SAP and anticipates that implementation of the plan will revitalize the
area that focuses on public transportation-centered development amid
large open parkland.
To learn more and download the Plan: https://frederickcountymd.gov/8141/South-Frederick-Corridors-Plan
Data Centers: Uncertainties Ahead
Data
centers are coming to southwestern Frederick County with multiple
concerns remaining. Following months of deliberations and substantial
input from residents and numerous organizations, the County’s Data
Center Work Group has submitted its recommendations to the County
Executive for review. The governor has proposed exempting centers and
large industry complexes from oversight by the Public Service
Commission, a major blow to checks and balances on data center
operations.
Fortunately, several local legislators have offered reasonable
amendments to the governor’s proposal as well as sponsoring several
bills focusing on renewable power, emissions, and revenues from future
center corporations. Some recommendations may limit the public’s
financial burden that will accompany data center new transmission lines,
power generating facilities, water consumption and treatment, and local
air quality associated with elevated greenhouse gas emissions.
A major concern is whether projected revenues from the data centers will
be adequate for needed County infrastructure and education or likely
consumed to address future problems arising from data center activities.
CRG remains deeply concerned that 1) projected revenues (~$41M/yr) are
inadequate for in-County needs associated with the fastest growing
population in the state and 2) costs for expanded electricity and water
demand will be unreasonably passed on to County residents. An in-depth
cost-benefit analysis should be undertaken to best address these
concerns.
Click here to download the Frederick County Data Center Workgroup's recommendations, released on March 1.
West Side Library
Plans
for a library on the west side of town are slowly moving forward. The
County will soon announce the results of a feasibility study for the
proposed Hillcrest site indicating the site is both positive and
suitable. One last hurdle to overcome is for the BoA to officially
approve the City’s donation of the land to the County. It is important
to note that there is still work to be done on the eventual design along
with critical infrastructure improvements, one of which is the review
of traffic and pedestrian crossings to ensure street safety.
South Jefferson Street Accidents
In
response to a series of serious accidents along the South Jefferson
Street corridor, the City held a public meeting on February 27 to review
both short- and potential long-term solutions for the neighboring
community. Work will begin almost immediately on adding signage and a
stop sign along with physical in-road barriers to slow traffic. There
was substantial debate over the best long-term solutions as many
residents had the opportunity to offer input by speaking to the numerous
incidents they have experienced (with one homeowner reporting that his
house has been hit by vehicles 5 times in the last 6 years!). Street
calming and overall street safety for the residents are critical
concerns throughout the City and need to be constantly monitored and
addressed. The public meeting was a positive step forward; as always,
follow-through is key!
Upcoming Meetings and Events
March 5: County Council meeting, Winchester Hall, 5:30 PM. Knowledge Farms Mixed Use Development rezoning, Urbana and South Frederick Corridor workshop
March 13–May 22: Charter Review Schedule
Bi-Weekly, 1:00 pm, City Hall, Channel 99
(NOTE: The schedule below is finalized through March 13. Based on
discussion at the February 28 workshop, the schedule for discussing
recommendations beyond that point may change to regroup items. CRG will
send email blasts if/when such changes occur.)
March 13
- Recommendation 3: Size of City Council
— The City Council shall have seven elected members, some of whom shall
be elected from election districts and others at large.
- Recommendation 4: City Council Districting
— With appropriate study and input from election and demographics
experts, the Mayor and Board shall embark on developing a new process
for election of City Council members such that four of the members of
the Council shall be elected from election districts to be created and
three members of the Council shall be elected at large (City wide).
March 27
- Recommendation 6: Qualifications of Office
— The Mayor and members of the City Council shall satisfy the
qualifications for the office they hold for the entire time they are in
office. It is recommended that candidates for Mayor be at least 21 years
of age and be residents and registered voters in the City. Candidates
for City Council shall be at least 18 years of age and also be residents
and registered voters in the City. A mayoral candidate, before seeking
office, shall have been a resident of the City for 2 years and a
candidate for the City Council shall have resided in the City for 1
year.
- Recommendation 7: Term Limits
— The Charter shall be amended to provide that persons serving as Mayor
shall be limited to two four-year terms (whether consecutive or not)
and those serving as members of the City Council shall be limited to
three four-year terms.
April 10
- Recommendation 8: Timing of Elections
— The timing of City elections shall not be changed to coincide with
the presidential or gubernatorial elections but shall remain an
off-cycle City-focused separate election. To ensure maximum voter
turnout, the City shall send mail-in ballots to every eligible City
voter for all primary and general elections.
- Recommendation 9: Ranked Choice Voting
— The City shall give serious consideration to implementing Ranked
Choice Voting (RCV) in future City elections. The City’s Board of
Supervisors of Elections shall be consulted and shall assist leadership
of the City to determine the best approach for implementing RCV. The
City also shall advocate to State election officials and to the Maryland
Legislature that tools and/or legislation be created to permit
implementation of RCV.
- Recommendation 10: Primaries
— The City shall adopt a semi-open primary system. In this way,
registered voters not affiliated with any political party shall be
entitled to vote in City primary elections without having to declare an
affiliation with any particular party.
- Recommendation 11: Voting Rights
— The City shall extend voting rights to non-citizen City residents.
This will require the City to develop a separate voting roll of such
persons.
April 24
- Recommendation 12: Legislative Process
— The Charter shall contain an established process (with timelines) for
the introduction, consideration, public outreach and passage of
proposed legislation, the veto thereof, and the overriding of any veto.
- Recommendation 13: Compensation for Elected Officials
— The Charter shall provide for the appointment of a Compensation
Commission on an established schedule (at least every 4 years) that
would have the responsibility to evaluate and set the compensation paid
to the Mayor and to the members of the City Council. Implementation of
any change recommended by the Commission would not take effect until
after the next election.
May 8
- Recommendation 14: Mayoral Appointees
— The Mayor shall appoint, with the advice and consent of the City
Council, a Chief Administrative Officer who shall assist the Mayor in
running the day-to-day operations of the City.
- Recommendation 15: Mayoral Authority of City Employees
— The Mayor also shall appoint executives to the highest-level position
responsible for each of the following functions: Legal, Police, Public
Works, Budget and Administration, Economic Development, and Housing and
Human Services, but with the advice and consent of the City Council.
- Recommendation 16: City Council Authority of City Employees
— City Council members shall not be involved in the day-to-day
operations of running the City and, except as noted in the prior
recommendation and as to employees hired specifically to serve the
Council, shall not have responsibility for appointment, hiring or review
of City employees.
May 22
- Recommendation 17: Charter Review Schedule — The Charter shall contain a provision that requires a review of the Charter not less frequently than every eight years.
- Recommendation 18: Ethics Provision
— The Charter should be amended to recite that the City has an Ethics
Ordinance and that the provisions thereof shall apply not only to all
the employees of the City but to elected officials as well.
- Recommendation 19: Charter Language Revisions — Consideration that certain Charter Sections should be eliminated, moved to the City Code, and other language changes.
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