29 October 2007 | Approved: 12 November 2007
Mayor Compton called a regular meeting of the Town Council to order at 8:07 p.m. In attendance were Councilors Darrell Anderson, Charlie Challstrom, Georgette Cole, and David Stopak. Also present were Treasurer Mary Challstrom and Town residents David Neumann, Maureen Neumann, John Tomlin, Justin Matz, Don Henninger, Jenny Long, and Betsy Klinger.
Charlie Challstrom moved for Council enactment of Ordinance No. 2007-09: Penalties and Enforcement of Town Ordinances, with grammatical corrections and an amendment to Section 1.1, changing the time for imprisonment from six months to thirty days. Darrell Anderson seconded the motion. A discussion about County rules, enforcement, and consistency with State law ensued. The question was called. Vote: 1 for; 2 against; 1 abstention. The motion failed.
Darrell Anderson moved to approve Ordinance No. 2007-09; Penalties and Enforcement of Town Ordinances, as written and including grammatical corrections. David Stopak seconded the motion. Vote: 4-0.
Action on Ordinance No. 2007-07
Home Occupations in Principal Residences: Mayor Compton reviewed the issue of “principal residences”. Charlie Challstrom added that the Internal Revenue Code is used to determine “principal residence”. A discussion about part-time residency, full-time home occupations, and the issue of converting entire blocks of homes to professional offices ensued. Charlie Challstrom moved to approve Ordinance No. 2007-07. Georgette Cole seconded the motion. Vote: 4-0.
Ordinance No. 2007-10
David Stopak moved to introduce Ordinance No. 2007-10; Cavalier Telephone Cable Franchise. Charlie Challstrom seconded the motion. Vote: 4-0.
Charlie Challstrom moved to authorize attorney David Podolsky to represent the Town’s interest in a Cavalier Telephone Franchise agreement, as he did with the recent Verizon Cable Franchise agreement. David Stopak seconded the motion. Vote: 4-0.
Council Reports
Questions were asked about the following;
Maintenance
Mayor Compton asked Darrell Anderson to have Jim Fletcher complete the orange fencing along the Grove Road side of the athletic field.
Roads
Mayor Compton asked Georgette Cole to ask WSSC the reason behind the temporary road paving along Brown Street. He also asked that the Council consider doing more crack sealing on Town roads. Georgette will call about this. Town resident Justin Matz asked if 4th Avenue in front of his home could have more gravel.
Forestry
Georgette Cole reported that it was likely that next year’s Gypsy Moth spraying would have to be funded by the Town because the State spraying program would be concentrating in the Western Maryland area where there was far more damage. Darrell Anderson suggested that the Town consult with Town Forester Dan Landry while making this decision. The Council decided to discuss moving forward with the spraying at the next meeting.
Mayor’s Announcements
- Casey 6 & 7 – Mayor Compton reported that the preliminary plan for these properties was approved on October 18, 2007. The field behind Roberts’ Oxygen will be placed in a 20 month reservation for potential purchase by Park & Planning for future ballfields and park land. He also reported that the site plan for units across from the Shady Grove Giant shopping center is expected in mid-winter and that the Western Maintenance Facility for the Inter-County Connector will go on the Casey 6 property.
- Piedmont Crossing – Mayor Compton reported that the plan for this development will go before the Planning Board for approval on November 1, 2007. The Town still has concerns about the plan and Mayor Compton, along with other residents, will testify about the problems. Discussion…
- LOS Condemnation – M-NCPPC filed a motion to reconsider. Town Attorney Bil Chen filed a response.
- Mayor Compton also reported that the County Tax Duplication review continues and will probably be pushed in to January 2008 because of staffing issues.
Maureen Neumann asked about the Code Inspector and the process by which the Town engages his services. She was told that the Inspector will be used for substantial renovations from the beginning through the end of the project. Charlie Challstrom will ask the Planning Commission to provide concrete procedures and parameters for the use of a Code Inspector.
David Neumann asked that the Town Council, the Planning Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission have a joint meeting in the coming year. All agreed that this was a good idea.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:50 p.m.