23 March 2009 | Approved: 13 April 2009
Mayor Anderson called the regular meeting of the Town Council to order at 7:34 p.m. In attendance were Councilors Charlie Challstrom, Georgette Cole, John Compton, and Kathie Evans. Also in attendance were Treasurer Mary Challstrom, Maintenance Supervisor Jim Fletcher and residents Sheldon Bierman, Ann Briggs, Larry French, Birgit Henninger, Don Henninger, Tom Land, Paula Puglisi, Bruce Rothrock and John Tomlin.
Approval of the Agenda
Charlie Challstrom moved to approve the agenda. Georgette Cole seconded the motion. Mayor Anderson added a discussion about the trash contract as #7.
Vote: 4-0.
Maintenance Report
Mayor Anderson asked for questions. There was a brief mention of the items remaining on Jim’s “Winter List”. The Mayor noted that the sight line at Grove Road and Railroad Street was improving. John Compton suggested that another 3 – 4 feet are necessary to complete the job. Jim announced that Jack Leng would be hired to help with the installation of the new piece for the sliding board. There was a brief discussion about monthly playground inspection. LGIT (Town insurance carrier) would like to see a twelve inch deep mulch bed around all of the playground equipment. Mary Challstrom asked about a long-standing brush pile at the entrance to Town at Grove Road & Brown Street.
Ordinance 2008-07 – Modifying Building Coverage Standards for Residential Zones and Maximum Height Standard for Accessory Buildings
Charlie Challstrom gave a brief review stating that this ordinance in now being considered in the original form that was presented in October 2008. He went on to say that he believed that the HPC and the PC have come to a meeting of the minds on this and that this document was a rational first step. A joint meeting between the Planning Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission is tentatively scheduled for April 8th. David Neumann presented a document from the Historic Preservation Commission for the record.
Kathie Evans moved to approve Ordinance 2008-07. Georgette Cole seconded the motion. A lengthy discussion ensued. The discussion included; mansionization, lot sizes, RR-1 & RR-2 restrictions, equalizing, height restrictions vs. footprint restrictions, vertical building potential, consistent application, BZA restrictions & standards, renovation potential, interpretation of the HPC document, appropriate notice to residents, the potential effects of this legislation and the original intent. Kathie Evans withdrew her motion and Georgette Cole withdrew the second.
John Compton moved to defer action on this ordinance until after the joint work session between the Historic Preservation Commission and the Planning Commission. Georgette Cole seconded the motion. Charlie Challstrom stated that the delay this would be counter-productive. There was additional discussion. Vote: 4-0.
Woodward Park Fencing Options – Continued Discussion
Mayor Anderson stated that the first step should be to determine whether or not to have any barriers at all in Woodward Park. If the answer is “yes”, then what type? John Compton moved that, given the sense of the Council, no barriers be installed in Woodward Park. Georgette Cole seconded the motion. Vote: 4-0.
John Compton added that someone should monitor the soccer field to see how well or how poorly it recovers from this type of damage.
Code Inspector
Charlie Challstrom moved to renew the Code Inspector’s contract for the current and coming fiscal years. Kathie Evans seconded the motion. Vote: 4-0.
Revisit Trash Contract
Mayor Anderson reviewed the situation and the problems encountered in contacting the company for a list of references. A discussion about references, process, company responsibility, the importance of service, the size of the trucks and asking the proper questions when checking the references ensued. Mayor Anderson stated that he would write a letter asking for references by April 1, 2009. It will be sent to the CEO and the Director of Business Development via U.S. Mail, registered/return receipt.
Council Reports
see attached.
John Tomlin asked if anyone had gotten a chance to look at the damage done to the barrier at the end of Ridge Road. Georgette Cole has seen the barrier and documented the damage by taking pictures.
Mayor’s Announcements
- LOS Condemnation Update – Mayor Anderson reported that the Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the inclusion of M-NCPPC in the condemnation lawsuit. A discussion ensued. Mayor Anderson stated that the next step will be to schedule an executive session with the attorneys and then call a Special Town Meeting. This will be done before the annual Town Meeting which is scheduled for May 9, 2009.
- Deer Park Bridge – A meeting is scheduled for April 3, 2009. It would appear that Montgomery County has given up on the large bridge replacement and that they will repair the current bridge.
- Casey 6 & 7 – nothing to report.
Budget Work Session
Treasurer Mary Challstrom explained that this first draft budget used the same tax rate as last year which means that there is a slight hike in taxes because of the increase in assessments. She also stated that the dwelling tax is down because of the low bid for our refuse and recycling collection. There was a lengthy discussion about the budget. Some changes were made. Treasurer Challstrom will prepare a second draft for consideration at the next meeting.
New Business
There was no new business.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:10 p.m.