TOWN OF EASTON, MARYLAND
December 20, 2004
Councilmember Maureen Scott-Taylor
Also in attendance were the Town Attorney Mr. Kehoe, Chief Blue, Town Engineer Mr. Glass, Town Planner Mr. Hamilton, and Mr. Karge, the Town Clerk.
At 7:00 p.m., the President of the Council called the meeting to order. Mr. Wendowski opened the meeting with prayer and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF DECEMBER 6, 2004 MEETINGS
Upon motion by Mr. Wendowski seconded by Ms. Scott-Taylor and carried unanimously, minutes of the December 6, 2004 meetings were approved.
EASTON VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT
Mr. Jamie McNeal wished everyone a safe and prosperous holiday. He distributed the November report. Mr. McNeal stated that they will be well into 800 total calls for the year. He invited the public to view the holiday lighting around the Firehouse. Mr. McNeal distributed fire safety tips.
LETTER FROM EASTON VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT, INC. ASKING APPROVAL OF THE ELECTION OF JAMES T. KNOTTS TO THE OFFICE OF CHIEF FOR THE YEAR 2005
Upon motion by Mr. Jensen seconded by Mr. Wendowski and carried unanimously, the election of James T. Knotts to the office of chief for the year 2005 was approved.
COMMENTS BY MAYOR WILLEY
Mayor Willey discussed the Mid Shore Community Foundation and the part they may play in the affordable housing issues and the Housing Trust Fund. Mayor Willey stated that Mid Shore will manage monies, they will distribute per instructions and they will provide accounting for those functions. He stated that they will not get into the actual administration of the housing. Mayor Willey wished everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
ITEMS BY CHIEF OF POLICE
Chief Blue stated that there are two officers graduating today from the Academy. He stated that they will be assigned to field training. Chief Blue stated that once on board, he will be assigning an officer to the Task Force sometime in March.
Chief Blue asked for approval of a public assembly permit for First Night Talbot. They are requesting a street closure of Harrison Street from Dover Street to Glenwood Avenue from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. for the dropping of a crab at midnight.
Upon motion by Mr. Jensen seconded by Mr. Wendowski and carried unanimously, approval was granted for First Night Talbot.
Mr. Jensen asked if the officer involved in the recent accident is okay.
Chief Blue stated that he went to the hospital for observation and is fine.
ITEMS BY THE TOWN ENGINEER
The Town Engineer discussed the holiday schedule changes for garbage collection. He stated that beginning January 3, Christmas trees will be picked up for disposal.
Mr. Glass extended a warm wish for the holiday season.
Mr. Wendowski stated that the Public Works crew did a nice job on the streets recently following the snow.
ITEMS FROM THE TOWN PLANNER
Mr. Hamilton stated that the next Planning Commission meeting will be held January 20. He stated that they will review the Historic District expansion at that meeting.
The President of the Council asked the Town Planner about the status of the Draft Zoning Ordinance. He stated that their department is working on it.
Ms. Jackson-Amis arrived at 7:15 p.m.
ITEMS BY THE TOWN ATTORNEY
Mr. Kehoe wished everyone a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for a Happy New Year.
Mr. Kehoe stated that the Town Council’s decision to close Adkins Avenue to allow for the hospital’s expansion has been appealed by the South Easton Neighborhood Association. The Town Attorney stated that the Town will have our argument in this case and a decision to be rendered shortly thereafter.
RESOLUTION NO. 5846 AUTHORIZING THE EMPLOYER MATCH TO THE TOWN OF EASTON SECTION 457 DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN
Upon motion by Mr. Jensen seconded by Ms. Scott-Taylor and carried, Resolution No. 5846 was approved unanimously following a roll call vote.
RESOLUTION NO. 5847 AUTHORIZING A TRANSFER FROM THE CURRENT POLICE OPERATING BUDGET TO THE CURRENT POLICE CAPITAL BUDGET
Upon motion by Ms. Scott-Taylor seconded by Mr. Jensen and carried; Resolution No. 5847 was approved unanimously following a roll call vote.
ORDINANCE NO. 479, “AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF EASTON GRANTING THE APPLICATION OF PASSYN & PASSYN, LLC FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF A PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT (“PUD”) ZONING DISTRICT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE EASTON ZONING ORDINANCE
The President of the Council stated that there are revised Findings of Facts due to comments made at the last meeting and a discussion held with the applicant and the Mayor regarding financial contribution to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund in the amount of $1,500 per unit.
Richard Phillips, Esq., for Passyn & Passyn, LLC was present on behalf of the applicant. He thanked Mr. Kehoe for working closely with him on this document, Mayor Willey for taking the time to meet with the applicants and the Council to bringing this to a vote.
Mr. Phillips highlighted a few items. Mr. Phillips stated that there are a few references to the commercial space which don’t include a reference to the fact that it is a commercial space footprint but that is explained further in the document. He stated that there was some disagreement between some of the documents they had about the total acreage. The document reflects that there are 146.74 acres; but the actual number is 158.61. Mr. Phillips stated that there is another reference to 67.7 acres of R10A although they believe the number is actually 80 acres but it is a part of the 158 acres. There is one place on page 5 of the document where it references Section 510.6 which they believe should be 510.3. He stated that the other issue due to the Mayor’s participation, Passyn & Passyn, LLC has agreed to an addition to the $2,000 per lot that they have put towards the traffic problem, they have agreed to put $1,500 per lot as the lots are issued building permits to affordable housing over and above the affordable housing 10% standard that they were discussing last week. He stated that over the last week, Passyn & Passyn, LLC has put another $810,000 into affordable housing.
Mr. Ford stated that these funds are designated for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
Mr. Phillips stated that in addition, the language in the document which refers to the Veterans’ set aside; there has been discussion and they have agreed to go along with the language as stated in the document as far as the Veterans’ set aside that was requested.
Mr. Phillips stated that when they talked about what the affordability range would be, the numbers were between $120,000 and $130,000. He stated that they have also talked about the square footage on the current plans that have been submitted as part of the sketch plan. He stated that the two bedroom units which would be part of the affordable houses are designed at 1,280 square feet. He asked that page 9 of the Findings of Fact reflect that the $130,000 amount which is the higher end of the affordability index discussed which was before the $810,000 which has been put up to go into the Housing Trust Fund. He stated that they would like for the 1,250 square foot amount to be in there so they don’t have to go back in there and change those plats and plans in order to conform.
Mr. Phillips stated that with respect to the armed forces and Passyn & Passyn, LLC’s desire to provide them with housing opportunities, they ask that the Council consider on the Veterans’ set aside; including active duty and/or reservists so that they can also take advantage of this program as well.
Mr. Phillips stated that there was discussion about the contract which will confirm all this. He stated that the document reflects that this has been a long process for them and they want everyone to understand that they hope that this process does not turn into another set of negotiations. He stated that they feel strongly that this is a good project for Easton and will result in a wonderful thing for the town and a hallmark of smart growth. Mr. Phillips asked for the Council’s positive vote tonight.
Mr. Ford stated that the Ordinance and Findings of Fact before the Council tonight have the affordability base price listed at $120,000. He stated that the Passyns have asked the Council to change that to $130,000. He stated that the minimum square footage for affordable unit is listed in the Findings of Facts as 1,500 square feet. The applicant has asked that this be considered as 1,200 square feet as the minimum. Mr. Ford stated that the applicant has asked the council to consider language as active duty reservists as eligible in Section 4 for the Veterans’ preference.
Mr. Ford asked if there is any objection to the change in language.
Ms. Jackson-Amis stated that she objects to amending the ordinance any more. She stated that this is beyond the scope of what the Council should be doing. Ms. Jackson-Amis stated that the Findings of Facts as presented by the Town Attorney is what should be acted on this evening. She stated that she does not have an issue with the Veterans’ Preference.
Mr. Jensen made a motion to approve Ordinance No. 479 seconded by Ms. Scott-Taylor and carried with Mr. Wendowski and Ms. Jackson-Amis voting no.
Mr. Ford discussed his position prior to voting. He stated that the process has been burdensome to all those involved due to the scale of the project. Mr. Ford stated that he is going to suggest ways to improve the process in the future. He stated that this project has been troublesome with regards to the traffic impact that we are not quite ready for. He stated that he has heard and he sees the merit in the argument that if we are going to proceed in earnest with the east/west connector, we need a commitment of funds outside of impact fees and any other sources we can identify. Mr. Ford stated that the Passyns have offered in excess of one million dollars for that project. He discussed recent tours of plants in Easton and hearing consistent comments regarding affordable housing that middle income, working families can afford. He stated that this weighs heavily on him and he is going to support this ordinance and vote yes for the reasons he has stated.
Ms. Jackson-Amis stated that she was very pleased with everything except the Town’s resolve to make sure that we have some financing in place that we are able to identify for this east/west connector road. She stated that she did not see any alternative in the Findings of Fact and it made her believe that the taxpayers will be left with a burden of financing this road. Ms. Jackson-Amis stated that the other thing that has been talked about is the traffic congestion and the burdensome number of homes being built. She stated that if there is no way to finance the east/west connector road, she wonders how the concerns will be satisfied about congestion and that is the reason after reviewing everything that she voted no. Ms. Jackson-Amis stated that she does not want the taxpayers saddled with this burden.
APPROVAL OF INVOICES TOTALING $761,885.81
Upon motion by Ms. Scott-Taylor seconded by Mr. Jensen and carried unanimously; invoices totaling $761,885.81 were approved for payment.
MAYOR’S COMMENTS REGARDING BUDGET
Mayor Willey discussed budget concerns to draw the Council’s attention to the constrained financial resources and the need to carefully consider all expenditures. He stated that he will periodically be going over where the Town stands with the cash. Mayor Willey stated that we have a little over four million dollars in the bank with $850,000 per month to operate. He stated that there is enough in the bank right now to carry the Town into May without any unforeseen expenditures. He discussed next year’s budget and stated that we need to watch our pennies.
COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL
Ms. Scott-Taylor wished everyone a Happy Holiday. She stated that we have our work cut out for us next year and have a road to build.
Mr. Jensen echoed Ms. Scott-Taylor’s comments. He discussed the Passyn project and stated that it was an extremely difficult project for the Town. Mr. Jensen discussed traffic on Goldsborough Street and stated that he thinks that this development is the only way to find a solution. He thanked everyone for their support and stated that he looks forward to a great New Year.
Mr. Wendowski continued wishes for a Happy Holiday. He discussed concerns related to building the road. He stated that he does not share the enthusiasm for this road and thinks that it is going to be a long time coming and we are imposing on the residents on Easton a horrendous traffic problem.
Ms. Jackson-Amis stated that she was late due to the fact that she was without heat which was just recently repaired.
Ms. Jackson-Amis shared that her father celebrated his 90th birthday on Friday.
Ms. Jackson-Amis stated that she has information that she would like to share regarding the Family Support Center which was on December 6 agenda.
Ms. Jackson-Amis thanked the Mayor, staff and colleagues for this year. She stated that she thinks it was a great year.
Ms. Jackson-Amis wished everyone listening the best New Year possible.
Mr. Ford stated that the Council does not always agree with one another but he finds it a tribute to everyone that in spite of everyone’s opinion, we have never lost respect for one another or different opinions which makes for a good healthy discussion and a good healthy council. He stated that he feels that the Council does the public’s business better because of that and appreciates working with everyone. He wished everyone a good holiday. Mr. Ford stated that the town staff is a real asset to the community.
FINDINGS OF FACTS FOR TWO OAKS
Mr. Kehoe stated that he will forward the Findings of Facts with the Two Oaks application for the Council’s signature. He asked for clarification regarding the purchase price for affordable housing as $120,000 and the minimum square footage as 1,500 square feet.
AUDIENCE COMMENTS
Ms. Carolyn Jaffe asked the Council to add First Night Talbot to their calendar from 6:00 p.m. to midnight, downtown Easton.
COMMUNITY KWANZAA CELEBRATION
Ms. Jackson-Amis stated that there will be Community Kwanzaa at Asbury United Methodist Church. She stated that Bethel A.M.E. will be celebrating this on the first day of Kwanzaa, December 26 at 3:30 p.m. She stated that it is open and invited everyone to bring a piece of fruit for the celebration.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, upon motion by Mr. Jensen seconded by Ms. Scott-Taylor and carried unanimously the President of the Council adjourned the regularly scheduled meeting at 7:45 p.m.
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Town Clerk