Council Explores Ranked Choice Voting with Board of Elections
On September 23, the Greenbelt City Council resumed its discussion with the city’s Board of Elections (BOE) on the implementation of ranked choice voting (RCV) for city elections. Representing BOE were: Nicole Shyong, chair; Steve Gilbert, co-chair; and members Edith Beauchamp, Katy Collin and Michael Hartman. BOE presented a comprehensive report on their recommendations regarding […]
City Council Discusses Greenbelt Cinema’s Fiscal Needs, Outlook
At a worksession on August 12, Greenbelt City Council discussed the funding of Greenbelt Cinema. Caitlin McGrath was present in her role as its executive director. McGrath stated that while the Cinema has made a healthy financial recovery from the pandemic, it still faces serious uncertainty as it deals with both inflation and the vicissitudes […]
Election 2026: Board of Elections Updates Council on Past City Election
The city Board of Elections (BOE) provided the Greenbelt City Council with a summation of the events and the workings of the past city election at a worksession on June 3. Representing the board were Chair Steve Gilbert along with members Nicole Shyong, Edith Beauchamp and Beth Terry. The 2025 election saw 3,255 votes out […]
Community Organizations Face Coming Financial Challenges
Representatives of Greenbelt CARES, Greenbelt Assistance in Living (GAIL), Meals on Wheels of College Park and the Greenbelt Cinema met with the Greenbelt City Council for a budget worksession on Monday, April 20 to provide an update of their status and efforts, as well as the major challenges they currently are facing. CARES Update For […]
City Council Revisits Collective Bargaining for All City Employees
On March 2, the Greenbelt City Council continued its deliberations at a worksession on expanding collective bargaining rights to the entirety of its non-managerial and non-classified workforce. Currently, the city has a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). The Public Works department (PW) is in the midst of its selection […]
Council Gets First Look at Budget, Meets with Legislative Consultants
The Greenbelt City Council worksession on December 17 began with a first look at the upcoming budget with new City Treasurer Ron Covington. On December 8, the city received a report from the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) that listed the city’s taxable assets, with the information included in this initial budget presentation. […]
New City Council Conducts Its First Worksession, Legislative Planning
On November 12, the new City Council held its first worksession, focused mainly on administrative and legislative matters. Legislative Priorities On December 2, council planned to attend the third annual meeting of District 22 municipalities with the state senator and delegates. This is an opportunity to share legislative priorities and bond bill requests. Priorities like […]
Council Reviews Armory Concepts For Redevelopment or Demolition
On September 15, the Greenbelt City Council met with Taylora Imes-Thomas, project manager for the AMAR Group, who presented her company’s recommendations for the city’s Armory building in response to a request for proposals from the city. Three scenarios were offered, which were informed both by council and four community engagement meetings that provided a […]
Council Addresses Financial Scenarios, Admin Processes
At the Greenbelt City Council worksession on August 6, a draft of a staff letter to be included in the city’s final budget book as well as in response to a Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) requirement was presented to council by City Manager Josué Salmerón. It specifies two possible five-year financial scenarios. Both acknowledge […]
Advisory Groups Talk Processes, Referral Tracking, Absences, More
At the June 9 Greenbelt City Council worksession, after an update from all of the city’s advisory groups (see article on page 6), there was a discussion about the operating process of these groups and how the city could best aid them to enhance their efficiency in providing the valuable guidance each one offers both […]