Mayor and Board of Aldermen Public Meeting - March 16, 2023

The Mayor and Board of Aldermen of Frederick, Maryland held a public meeting on March 16, 2023, at 7:00 PM. The meeting included a proclamation for Irish Heritage Month, approval of a consent agenda, public comments on reparations and a park, and five public hearing items covering custodial services, water treatment residuals removal, small business and minority/women-owned enterprise program changes, employee handbook revisions, and the purchase of a mobile medical unit. All votes were 4-0, with Alderwoman Kazemchak absent due to illness.

Consent Calendar

• Alcohol on City Properties: Approved a consent agenda item with 10 requests for alcohol sales and service at various events on city property in 2023, including the Maryland Craft Beer Festival, Alive @ Five events, Battle of the Bands, Gran Fondo bicycle race, church picnic, Frederick's 4th celebration, In the Streets, Key City Foundation Oktoberfest 5K, and Frederick Pride Event. The motion was made by Alderman Shackleford and seconded by Alderman Russell.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Watu (Sons of Reawakening): Called for the creation of a restorative reparations commission to address historical injustices from slavery and discriminatory policies, citing displacement from Hills Half Acre (now Baker Park) and exclusion from programs like the GI Bill. He urged the city to join other states like California, Maine, and Illinois in pursuing reparations.
• Malik (Sons of Reawakening): Echoed the call for reparations and highlighted the organization's efforts to improve Mullinex Park, including a request for a stage and better accommodations for Juneteenth celebrations. He noted a petition with hundreds of signatures and asked for a serious discussion with the mayor and aldermen.

Discussion Items

• Custodial Cleaning Services Contract (Item 1): Facilities Manager Mark Lawrence presented a contract with Absolute Service Industries, LLC for $117,744, selected from five applicants. No public comment. Approved.
• Residuals Removal from Linganore Decant Pond (Item 2): Superintendent Craig Lambert presented a $76,000 multi-year contract with Denali Water Solutions for silt and residual removal from water treatment. Approved.
• Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Program Changes (Item 3): Director Katie Barkdahl, Purchasing Manager Keisha Brown, and Equity and Inclusion Manager Rebecca DeSantis-Randall proposed expanding the MWBE subcontracting program beyond construction contracts over $250,000 to any contract with subcontracting, and raising the small business size standard from 25% to 100% of the SBA standard. They also proposed exempting vehicles, industrial equipment, chemicals, and software from the small business reserve program, and adding an emergency or undue fiscal burden exemption. Alderman McShane expressed concern about the subjective nature of the fiscal burden exemption, suggesting a percentage threshold. Staff agreed to track data for future policy refinement. Public commenter Aaron Henry questioned why the size standard was raised to 100% rather than a middle value. The motion passed 4-0.
• Employee Handbook Revisions (Item 4): Director Karen Paulson presented three separate resolutions: (a) Educational Assistance – allowing advance payments for courses; (b) Health and Welfare – increasing city-paid life insurance from 1x to 2x salary, extending coverage to part-time employees working 1,040+ hours, and adding vision coverage; (c) Summary of Benefits – conforming changes. The projected fiscal impact for life insurance expansion is ~$66,000 for FY24. All three resolutions passed unanimously.
• Mobile Medical Unit Purchase (Item 5): Director Romenta Cottrell and Medical Director Dr. Carmen Bailey proposed purchasing a mobile medical unit for $450,852 using HRSA grant funds to expand services on the west side of Frederick, address immediate needs, and explore a future brick-and-mortar clinic. They discussed partnerships with the health department and hospital, and potential locations. Aldermen noted the unit would not replace the need for a permanent west-side clinic, but would serve as a bridge and data-gathering tool. Approved.

Key Outcomes

• All five public hearing items were approved unanimously (4-0), with the MWBE policy changes to be tracked for future refinement of the fiscal burden exemption.
• The board directed staff to track dollar amounts and percentages for undue fiscal burden exemptions to inform a future policy standard.
• The mayor noted that the state highway administration committed to installing a guard rail on Route 15 northbound from Rosemont Avenue to the existing guard rail, following a community meeting about a recent vehicle crash.