February 2022 Town Council Meeting Minutes

Mayor Compton called the meeting of the Town Council to order at 7:32 p.m. In attendance were Councilors Darrell Anderson, David Cosson, Christine Dibble, Pat Klein, and Barbara Raimondo. Gray Yachup arrived at approximately 7:45 p.m. Also in attendance were Treasurer Jean Moyer and several residents.

Approval of Agenda

It was moved and seconded to approve the agenda as amended (PDF).
Action: Voted 6-0 to approve as amended.

Public Appearances

There were none.

Treasurer’s Report

It was moved and seconded to accept the January Treasurer’s Report (PDF).

• Treasurer Jean Moyer noted that the current budget was built Steve Werts’ time allocated to various expense departments, and since he retired in December the amounts will be reduced.  Action: Voted 6-0 to accept.
• It was moved and seconded to accept the FY21 Audit Report.  Action: Voted 6-0 to accept.
• The FY23 budget work session was scheduled for March 21, 2022 (note: since rescheduled to March 22).

Mayor’s Announcements

Kudos

Mayor Compton thanked Washington Grove Cares and Town Clerk Kathy Lehman for a successful distribution of COVID Test Kits.

Maryland State Legislative Bond Initiative Request

Mayor Compton reported that following an inquiry from Councilor Gray Yachup, our District 39 Delegate Kirill Reznik invited the Town to submit a bond initiative request to the Maryland Legislature for stormwater management in the West Woods. A request for $250,000 has been submitted and is being sponsored by Delegate Kirill Reznik and Senator Nancy King.

Snow Removal Update

Mayor Compton reported that recent snow removal was satisfactory with the exception of speed hump damage and lack of sand use. He explained the speed humps will be repaired by the contractor and for this season only salt will be used on certain intersections and slopes. Our contractor indicated that using sand/salt mixtures in some locations would be very labor intensive (confirmed by former Steve Werts) and they weren’t prepared to do this.

Letter Drafted by the Emergency Preparedness and Safety Committee

The letter addresses the recurring dangerous speeding on Railroad Street and on Washington Grove Lane. It has been transmitted to the appropriate office in Montgomery County Dept. of Transportation and requests an evaluation of these streets for placement of speed cameras.

Washington Grove Connector Report

The Liaison Committee submitted their first report to the Mayor (PDF). There was nothing of note in the report.

Status of County Evaluation of Railroad Street and Washington Grove Lane for Installation of Speed Cameras

Mayor Compton reported the letter was sent to the County and he received acknowledgement of same. The Montgomery County Police will look into this as time allows.

Public Hearing

Mayor Compton reported the Public Hearing for the Planning Commission Draft of the 2022 Comprehensive Plan will take place on February 16th.

Unfinished Business

Installation of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations / Proposed License Agreement with PEPCO – Discussion and Action

Mayor Compton reviewed the actions at the last Town Council meeting, and noted the Sustainability Group held an informational meeting, “Public Electric Vehicle Chargers in Washington Grove” on February 8th. Feedback from PEPCO is complete, and all material items have been addressed. The Mayor proposed the Town Council authorize him to negotiate and approve the license agreement based on the current draft (PDF), pending no material changes in the terms. He explained that the details of the site plan remain to be agreed to before the required Public Ways & Property Permit is issued, and the Planning Commission will make sure the design criteria are included in the PW&P permit.

Mayor Compton reviewed the motion with amendments. It was moved and seconded to approve the license agreement pending no material changes, review and approval of Exhibit A by the Town Council before it is finalized, and a review of the PW&P permit by the Planning Commission. There was additional discussion about the following:

• Language in paragraph 2 – “Use of the Town Property”
• Length of the Agreement; three-year vs. five-year
• Details included in the PW&P permit

The question was called.  Action: Vote 5-0 for approval of the motion, with one abstention (Klein).

New Business

Future Purchase of Streetlights – Proposed Use of Funds for Consultant Advising the Lighting Committee

At the request of the Mayor, Lighting Committee Chair Virginia Quesada reviewed the recent history of PEPCO streetlights in the Grove. In a tariff request rejected by the Public Services Commission, PEPCO had proposed installing new lights of their choosing and applying an additional monthly fee to local governments.

Action: The Mayor and Council agreed by consensus the Lighting Committee may use current funds for consulting fees and research.

Stormwater Management in Residential Areas

Gray Yachup has requested help from our state and county representatives to address the stormwater management issues in Town, paying particular attention to the West Woods.  The Mayor and Council discussed putting out a request for proposal to civil engineering firms for this project.  It was suggested the Town might piggy-back with another municipality on any current stormwater evaluation projects.

Establish Sustainability Committee

In order to become eligible for certification by the Sustainable Maryland program, the Town is required to create a committee responsible for coordination of Town sustainability programs. It was proposed the Sustainability Group be named such a Committee by the Town Council, with the Committee serving as the “Green Team” required by Sustainable Maryland. Noting previous Town Council approval for Sustainability Group member Ernie Kawasaki to represent the Town, Ernie explained by working with Sustainable Maryland the Town is getting valuable information from Montgomery County and the State of Maryland. It was moved and seconded to approve Resolution 2022-01 Resolution Creating the Sustainability Committee.
Action: Vote 6-0 to approve.

Landscaping and Maintenance RFP and Facilities Maintenance and Repair RFP

The Mayor and Council reviewed both proposed RFPs. The addition of leaf collection and tree watering were added to a more general statement, “other groundskeeping tasks as may be requested.”  It was moved and seconded to approve the Landscaping and Maintenance RFP (PDF) with proposed changes.
Action: Vote 6-0 to approve.

The Mayor and Council discussed the second RFP.  It was moved and seconded to approve the Facilities Maintenance and Repair RFP (PDF) as amended. Action: Vote 6-0 to approve.

Regular Business

Town Council Reports – Selected Matters of Note

• Lighting Committee support for the County and Municipal Street Light Investment Act (Dave Cosson) – See New Business
• MML State legislative activities (Darrell Anderson): support for changing the public notification requirements for Ordinances and Charter changes; and support for a bill facilitating municipal purchase of streetlights (see New Business).
• Discussion of improvements envisioned for Railroad Street and Washington Grove Lane to be held at the Border Committee meeting on March 10th (Pat Klein).

Action: Vote 6-0 to approve Council Reports for posting to the website.

Proposal to Include Martin Luther King Day as an Official Town Holiday

This item will be addressed at the next Town Council meeting.

Approval of Minutes

It was moved and seconded to approve the January 10, 2022 minutes of the Town Council (PDF).
Action: Vote 6-0 approved.

Adjournment

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:30 p.m.

Kathryn L. Lehman
Town Clerk

Use of Transcripts as Minutes / Accessibility (Barbara Raimondo)

to be added