This article focuses on the September 14 City Council discussion of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the county, funding of recognition groups and a clarification of authority in managing the city’s relationships with local homeowners’ associations (HOAs). Another story in the October 1 issue discussed city reports and other actions for this council meeting.
Protests against ICE
During the petitions and requests segment, Christine Wilkin of the Greenbelt Resistance Network urged council to send a strong letter to County Executive Aisha Braveboy requesting the county take a firm stand against ICE. A major concern was the proposed expansion of ICE offices at 6505 Belcrest Road in Hyattsville in a building that also contains social services offices and a campus of Prince George’s Community College — both frequented by Greenbelters and others who might be discouraged from seeking services due to the presence of ICE and a potential detention facility. Wilkin wanted council to be sure to vote that evening on the motion before them.
Resident Bill Phelan followed her to point out that Maryland governments have failed to follow the example of other states by standing against ICE activities. He noted the presence of ICE in Greenbelt and nearby. He felt that Maryland police forces should stand between ICE and its victims — pointing out that Governor Wes Moore has said nothing and in Frederick recently, the local police stood by as victims were beaten by ICE. He also urged the city to weigh in.
The consent agenda that included the letter passed unanimously, and the letter will be sent to Braveboy.
Peace Month
Mayor Emmett Jordan presented a Peace Month proclamation to representatives of the Peace and Justice Coalition, after which resident Daniel Thies gave a short presentation on Peace Month activities. City Manager Josué Salmerón accepted an offer to the city from Frank Gervasi, associated with a Utopia Film Festival screening, of seeds from trees that survived the Hiroshima bombing of World War II.
Recognition Group Policy
In-kind and financial requests from city organizations for city support now exceed the amount in the budget and have more than doubled in recent years.
Salmerón has suggested a new budget, and city Arts Director Nicole DeWald and Recreation Director Greg Varda wish to update the policies and practices around awards. Opening the door for discussion, Councilmember Jenni Pompi moved that council adopt the updated Recognition Group Policy draft as submitted.
DeWald stated that she had based the draft on recent data and designed it to support consistency and a fair, transparent method to allow for funding requests. She wished to establish a cap of $25,000 on operating grants, with smaller organizations allowed a higher percentage of their operating costs. She proposed a division between groups that have their own space and those that do not.
Another change would bar groups not currently funded (62 groups) from applying and impose restrictions on use, so that spending ultimately reflects the mission. The draft suggests disbanding the current review panel and instead having other standing review panels consider applications relevant to their charters.
When Jordan suggested having recognition groups comment on the draft, Councilmember Silke Pope was opposed, saying it was up to council, considering the 212 percent increase in requests, to make policy on what it was willing to spend and how the funds would be assigned. Councilmember Jenni Pompi agreed with Pope and felt that it had been considered enough in a prior worksession.
Councilmember Kristen Weaver asked how the amounts would be allocated between the two groups suggested by DeWald, who replied that a division would be pre-set but could be flexible, depending on requests and volume by type.
Jordan noted that some organizations are very dependent on continued support and wondered if there were advisory boards that would fit the different organizations. DeWald assured him there were boards with the perspective.
Councilmember Danielle McKinney wondered if there should be a more precise definition of “significant participation and benefit to the community” when the activity serves a limited population either by number or by city area or other criteria. DeWald said that the criteria and metrics would be in the “evaluation rubric,” the sheets given to groups and evaluators.
Council, after some discussion on postponing the vote, voted 6 to 1 to approve the draft, with Jordan the only holdout.
Landscaping Not What It Seems
Salmerón offered a resolution on how the city oversees landscaping (e.g. traffic circles, sidewalks, trees, etc.) and the memoranda of understanding (MOUs) associated with condominium HOAs and cooperative housing associations. This currently affects only three HOA properties where city landscaping services are utilized but could affect more.
Pope agreed with Salmerón saying that “we need to get a grip on that.” She also wanted better oversight of costs and contractor choice, for example, whether city crews could do the work or use an existing city contractor of proven capability and known cost. Councilmembers voiced a variety of opinions on related subjects which Salmerón listened to carefully.
But after several minutes of Q&A, a question from Weaver spurred Salmerón to give council his real point, which was about council and city staff boundaries.
Staff Authority
Salmerón stated firmly that, “Staff should [be] the ones negotiating these agreements and having the conversations, they should be staff-led, and if council is needed, then they come in.” He continued to say, “I’ll be straight — there is a perception that councilmembers have been critical in the development of the MOUs and I want to get away from the perception that the councilmember has negotiated this with the HOA — it needs to be staff. That’s how this item got on the agenda.”
To its credit, once council understood the real issue, that the MOUs should be recognized as a staff responsibility, the resolution passed unanimously.
In connection to the mowing issue, a resident pointed out a disparity among landscaping companies used in Greenbelt as to whether or not they pick up trash prior to mowing or simply shred it in passing. He felt strongly that shredding trash was an “ecological disaster” and that any contracts should reflect a requirement for pre-pickup ahead of mowing. Salmerón replied that the city exerts quality control on its contractors and that this problem was likely the property owner’s issue.
Sister Cities Working Group
Weaver requested the indulgence of an extra five minutes to discuss appointing a contact person for potential sister cities — specifically in South Korea, which is requesting the relationship. Councilmember Amy Knesel noted there was a quick-start guide available for establishing such contacts. Weaver volunteered to take on the role initially and the motion passed rapidly as the meeting deadline approached.