MEETING NOTES: Ethics Code and Budget Changes

It was a short meeting Tuesday evening for the College Park Mayor and Council. In case you couldn’t make it to or tune in online, Patch has a summary of the votes.

The video from the meeting will be archived here.

Consent Agenda

The items of the consent agenda were passed unanimously, with Councilman Robert Catlin (Dist. 2) and Councilwoman Denise Mitchell (Dist. 4) absent.

• Ledo’s Lease

Council voted to amend the city’s lease with ., deferring some of the base rent due before June. Arrangements to repay the deferment are included in the amendment.

• Green Team

The city approved a resolution to appoint up to 14 members to a “Green Team” to help the city achieve Sustainable Maryland Certification.

• Stingers

The Maryland Stingers Women’s Rugby Club is permitted to use Duvall Field for an additional day, on March 17.

Action Items

• With a 6-0 vote, council amended the fiscal year 2012 budget, allowing two interfund transfers to provide additional funding for Capital Improvement Program projects. Councilman Marcus Afzali (Dist. 4) led the motion, with Councilman Monroe Dennis (Dist. 2) providing the second. $10,000 will be added to the Business Assistance Fund, for businesses to use to put up new signs, Afzali said. Another $10,000 will be added to the Homeownership Grant Program, which helps renters buy rented and foreclosed homes, Afzali said, who also noted that the motion originated with Catlin.

• Council moved to amend parts of the city’s code of ethics, which will put the issue before a public hearing. Among the changes: the removal of professional sporting event tickets from the list of permissible gifts to city officials or employees (Chapter 38, Article III, Section 38-11), and adjustments to the financial disclosure requirements for candidates (Article IV). Councilman Patrick Wojahn (Dist. 1) led the motion with a second from Afzali, which will put the amendment before a public hearing. Council will vote after the public hearing.

• In an item added to the agenda, Councilwoman Stephanie Stullich (Dist. 3) moved to send a letter of support for Maryland State Senate Bill 807, a bill with the purpose of helping with the construction of the , Stullich said. This would provide property owners, required to give up a portion of their property for the light rail, to have a tax exemption so they aren’t required to pay income tax for the value of that land, Stullich explained. Councilman Robert Day (Dist. 3) provided a second for the motion, which passed unanimously.

• Harry Pitt was reappointed to the , and Christine Nagle was appointed to the .

Editor's Note: This story has been corrected. Council did not actually vote on the budget update. Rather, they motioned to put it before a public hearing. A council vote will take place after the hearing.