WORK SESSION

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 2023

6:00 PM

VIRTUAL ZOOM MEETING

MEETING MINUTES

            The meeting convened virtually via Zoom at approximately 6:00 pm with Council President Pro-tem James Kole presiding. The following members were also present: Councilman Martin Mitchell, Councilman Keith R. Sydnor and Craig A. Moe, Mayor. Council President Brencis D. Smith and Councilman Carl DeWalt were absent from the meeting.

            The following staff members were also present: Christian L Pulley, CPM, City Administrator, Joanne Barr, Deputy City Administrator, Sara A. Green, CMC, City Clerk, Ana Navarro, Executive Assistant to the Mayor, Bill Bailey, Director, Department of Parks and Recreation, Audrey Barnes, Director, Department of Communications, James Cornwell-Shiel, Director, Department of Information Technology, Brian K. Lee, Director, Department of Public Works, Robert Love, Director, Department of Economic and Community Development, Deputy Chief Mark Plazinksi, LPD, S. Michele Saylor, Director, Department of Budget and Personnel Services, Danny Selby, Director, Office of the Fire Marshal and Permit Services, Larry Taub, City Solicitor, and Chrissy Cornwell, Emergency Manager. There was one (1) member of the public in attendance.  

            Agenda Item No. 2 was a bid recommendation for a fleet acquisition of the Department of Public Works for the purchase of a Ford 2020 Transit Van for the Department of Parks and Recreation Senior Van Service. Mr. Brian K. Lee, Director, Department of Public Works presented the bid recommendation stating that Vehicle #754, a 2004 transport van would be replaced with the new van and recommended approval of the bid to Academy Ford of Laurel in the amount of $49,935.00. Councilman Mitchell asked if the van that was being replaced would be sold or what would the City do with it. Mr. Lee said that if it was determined that the old van was not going to be useful as a reserve vehicle, it would likely be sold. The Council agreed to award the contract at the April 10, 2023 Mayor and City Council meeting.

            Agenda Item No. 3 was a bid recommendation for the Econolite Video Detection System. Director Brian K. Lee, Director, Department of Public Works presented the bid stating that the recommendation was a Sole Source Purchase and would allow for a total of eleven (11) vision video detection cameras that would be installed at the intersections of Cherry Lane and Fourth Street, Cherry Lane at Ashford Boulevard, and Van Dusen Road at Killbarron Drive/Olive Branch Way. The total amount of the bid recommendation was $95,041.25. Councilman Sydnor asked Mr. Lee to confirm that the cameras were not redlight cameras and were for traffic safety. Mr. Lee said that Councilman Sydnor was correct, the cameras were not redlight cameras. President Pro-tem Kole said that Mr. Lee indicated in his presentation that the cameras would be able to tell the difference between a pedestrian, a vehicle and a bicycle and asked if the cameras would have Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in them. Mr. Lee said that he was not sure and would find out and let Councilman Kole know what he found out. The Council agreed to award the bid at the April 10, 2023 meeting.

            Agenda Item No. 4 was a bid recommendation for Radio Grant Purchase of Twenty-seven (27) Motorola Next Generation N70 Public Safety Radios. Director James Cornwell-Shiel, Department of Information Technology, presented the recommendation stating that funding for the radios was granted to the City through the efforts of Senator Chris Van Hollen and the Justice Byrne Justice Assistance Grant. The Department of Information Technology worked with the Laurel Police Department to develop the plan to purchase the Motorola Next Generation N70 public safety radios that would provide mission critical communications and real time information utilizing Wi-Fi and cellular communications via AT&T FirstNet first responder network. The total recommended purchase in the amount of $199,919.08 would be awarded to Motorola Solutions in Beltsville, Maryland. Councilman Sydnor asked if the radios would be installed on vehicles or if they would be portable radios. Mr. Cornwell-Shiel said that the radios would be portable. The Council agreed to award the bid at the April 10, 2023 meeting.

            Agenda Item No. 5 was Ordinance No. 2009, an Ordinance of the Mayor and City Council of Laurel, Maryland Granting a Non-Exclusive Cable Television Franchise to Comcast of Maryland, LLC., to Construct, Operate and Maintain a Cable System within the City of Laurel, Maryland, Pursuant to the Provisions of Chapter 5 of the Laurel City Code, and to Approve a Cable Franchise Agreement. Director James Cornwell-Shiel, Department of Information Technology said that the long-awaited cable franchise agreement had been worked on by his predecessor Kevin Frost and the City’s telecommunications attorney. Mr. Lay, Esquire, Best, Best and Krieger, the City’s telecommunications attorney provided the Mayor and City Council with an overview of the proposed franchise agreement and Ordinance No. 2009. Councilman Sydnor asked Mr. Lay to explain the settlement that Comcast had previously reached with municipalities regarding the institutional network. Mr. Lay explained the settlement again. A brief discussion ensued regarding the City’s fiber network. Mayor Moe asked Mr. Lay about the fees and fines the City could impose on Comcast as stated in the agreement and Mr. Lay explained the process. Mayor Moe asked Mr. Lay if he thought the City should begin to prepare for the funding from PEG and other cable fees to go away sooner than later because so many people were moving away from cable and streaming more. Mr. Lay agreed that it would be wise for the City to plan for the revenue streams generated from those fees to decline sooner than later. There were no further questions from the Council and they agreed to introduce and hold the first public hearing on the ordinance at the April 10, 2023 meeting of the Mayor and City Council.

            Agenda Item No. 6 was Ordinance No. 2008, an Ordinance of the Mayor and City Council of Laurel, Maryland to Amend Chapter 9, “Miscellaneous Provisions and Offenses,” to Modify Article X, “Disposable Plastic Bags,” to Prohibit Disposable Plastic Bags from Being Provided to Customers in Retail Establishments at the Point of Sale, and to Provide for Penalties for the Violation of this Ordinance. Ms. Michele Blair, Environmental Programs Manager presented the proposed ordinance. Ms. Blair said that the City was the first municipality in Prince George’s County to ban plastic bags and it started a trend across the State for other municipalities to pass similar legislation. The proposed ordinance would fill in gaps, better define reusable bags, and aimed to reduce single use bags of all kinds including paper bags. There were no questions from the Council. Mayor Moe noted that he and the City Council received a letter from the Maryland Restaurant Association earlier in the day and that he would review it the following day and determine what the Association’s concerns were. Councilman Sydnor said that he read the Maryland Restaurant Association letter and asked Ms. Blair to explain what plastic bags were banned for restaurant use in the current legislation and what the proposed legislation would change. Ms. Blair provided a summary of the current and proposed changes and said that the current law allowed all retail establishments to provide customers with paper bags but the proposed legislation would require all retail establishments including restaurants to charge a $0.10 fee to the customer for the paper bag that would go back directly to the establishment and the Maryland Restaurant Association wanted to remove the requirement of charging customers for the bags or to give restaurants the option to request an exception to the law. Councilman Kole asked Ms. Blair how it was determined to use $0.10 as the fee and Ms. Blair said that the Sierra Club had completed an extensive study regarding the matter and determined that $0.10 per bag was the minimum fee that altered people’s behavior and they began using reusable bags on a much more frequent basis. Councilman Kole said that the City’s Environmental Affairs Committee had some suggestions on the draft ordinance and asked if the Council thought they should hold off on moving the ordinance forward until all of the kinks were worked out. Mayor Moe suggested to move forward with the introduction and first public hearing on the item at the April 10, 2023 meeting to allow the Council to hear from the Maryland Restaurant Association, Sierra Club, the Environmental Affairs Committee and all other parties and get everyone’s ideas and make amendments before moving beyond that. Councilman Kole asked that the Council submit any additional comments or questions to the Administration. The Council agreed to introduce and hold the first public hearing on the ordinance at the April 10, 2023 meeting.

            Agenda Item No. 7 was Ordinance No. 2010, an Ordinance of the Mayor and City Council of Laurel, Maryland to Amend Laurel City Code, Chapter 7 “Garbage, Waste, Weeds, Recycling, etc. to Include the Mandatory Diversion of Organics from the Waste Stream and Providing for an Effective Date. Ms. Michele Blair, Environmental Programs Manager, presented the proposed ordinance to the Mayor and City Council. Mayor Moe noted a correction was needed to the last page of the draft ordinance it said that the ordinance would take effect on the date of its passage, but the ordinance would not actually take effect until July 1, 2025 to allow for the roll out and education of residents by the City regarding the law well before it would take effect. Councilman Sydnor said that he had additional questions that he would send to the City Administrator. Councilman Kole said that he had additional questions/comments from the Environmental Affairs Committee that he would send to the City Administrator and asked Ms. Blair if the City’s current Organics Composting program was still considered a pilot or was it a full-fledged program. Ms. Blair said that it was a full-fledged program, but it was voluntary, and the proposed ordinance would make it mandatory. Councilman Kole asked the Council to send any additional questions or comments to the City Administrator and Council agreed to move the item forward for introduction and first public hearing at the April 10, 2023 meeting.

            There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 7:02 pm.

Approved:    Sara A. Green, CMC, City Clerk                                                                          Date:   June 12, 2023