OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Frederick Mayor and Board of Aldermen Public Meeting - July 18, 2024

City Council — Thursday, July 18, 2024
BodyFrederick, Maryland
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, July 18, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:18

I'll just ask everyone to just please bear with us this evening.

0:21

We need one more alderman to come into the room before we can actually gavel the meeting to order and have a quorum.

0:27

So we are expecting them.

0:28

So to just stand by patiently.

0:32

Here we go.

0:34

He was just waiting to make the entrance.

1:14

Good evening and welcome to the mayor and board of alderman meeting for the 18th of July.

1:18

We begin with the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:23

I pledge to the flag of the United States of America.

1:30

One nation under individual liberty and justice for all.

1:41

We have minutes to approve June 20th, 2024 regular public meeting.

1:46

So moved.

1:49

Second.

1:50

Motion by Alderman Shackelberg, second by Alderman Russell.

1:53

All those in favor.

1:54

That is 3-0.

1:55

Alder Woman Nash indicated that she would be unavailable this evening attending a conference out of the area.

2:01

Alderman Gazemchek would have liked to have been here, but is under the weather.

2:05

We have minutes to approve June 20th, 24 closed session.

2:08

So moved.

2:10

Second.

2:11

Motion by Alderman Shackelford, second by Alderman Russell.

2:14

All those in favor.

2:15

Then motion passes 3-0.

2:17

Thank you very much.

2:17

We have several appointments this evening.

2:19

We have an appointment of Natasha Valencia to a five-year term on the planning commission of June 19th, 2024 to July 18th of 2029.

2:30

Move for approval.

2:31

Second.

2:31

Motion by Alderman Russell, seconded by Alderman Shackleford.

2:34

All those in favor.

2:35

That is 3-0.

2:37

Thank you very much.

2:38

Congratulations.

2:54

Move to approve.

2:56

Second.

2:57

Motion by Alderman Shackleford, second by Alderman McShane.

3:00

All those in favor, that is 3-0.

3:02

Appointment of Denise Hicks Brown to a term of July 19th, 2024 to June 30th, 2027.

3:09

Move to approve.

3:10

Second.

3:11

Motion by Alderman Shackelford, second by Alderman McShane.

3:14

All those in favor, that is 3-0.

3:16

Appointment of Darren Sheffield to a term of July 19, 2024 to June 30th, 2027.

3:21

Move to approve.

3:22

Second.

3:23

Motion by Alderman Shackerford, second by Alderman McShane.

3:25

All those in favor, that is 3-0.

3:27

And finally, an appointment of Yewande Ola Deende to a term of July 19th, 2024 to June 30th, 2027.

3:35

Move for approval.

3:37

Motion by Alderman McShane, second by Alderman Shackelford.

3:40

Thank you very much.

3:40

All those in favor, that is 3-0.

3:44

Mayor's comments.

3:46

We uh Alderman Russell and I just returned from the sort of grand opening of Maryland's Edge, which is the relocated Frederick Innovative Technology Center facility located on Ballinger Creek Drive in Frederick.

4:03

It is a relocation of incubator currently located on Metropolitan Court in Frederick.

4:08

It's been a partnership of the state, the city, and the county, and uh obviously the private sector to bring uh the incubator that's been located just outside of the city back into the city of Frederick, and it's a really important economic development opportunity for the City of Frederick.

4:24

These are a lot of small businesses, most of them, but not exclusively in the technology or sciences realm.

4:32

And so in small ways, they're creating economic development and job opportunities.

4:37

Several Fitzie graduates have gone on to acquire larger space within the city and the county to expand their operations, and we're extraordinarily proud of the efforts that have gone into creating this biosciences life sciences at small business incubator uh ecosystem in Frederick, which is really driving a lot of really positive economic development for our community.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Immigration Policy███████████████████████████27%
Public Comment██████████████14%
Procedural█████████████13%
Water And Wastewater Management█████████9%
Public Art█████████9%
Parks and Recreation██████6%
Airport Management██████6%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%
Economic Development████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Frederick Mayor and Board of Aldermen Public Meeting - July 18, 2024

The Mayor and Board of Aldermen held a public meeting on July 18, 2024, at 7:00 PM. The meeting was attended by Mayor (not named in transcript), Aldermen Russell, Shackleford, McShane, and O'Connor (presiding). Alderman Nash was absent due to a conference, and Alderman Gazemchek was absent due to illness. The meeting included approval of minutes, appointments to boards, consent agenda items, a public hearing on multiple agreements and purchases, and two rounds of public comments.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes from June 20, 2024 Regular Public Meeting and Closed Session (3-0).
  • Appointments: Natasha Valencia to Planning Commission (five-year term); Chantell Duckett, Denise Hicks-Brown, Darren Sheffield, and Yewande Oladeinde to the Board of Directors of Weinberg Center for the Arts, Inc. (each appointed 3-0).
  • Consent Agenda items approved en bloc:
    • Release of surreties (9 items for various development bonds).
    • Alcohol in City Parks: Stephen Palmer Electric, Inc. (Baker Park Bocce Tournament, Sept. 21, 2024) and Black Frederick Festival (Carroll Creek Linear Park, Aug. 24, 2024).
    • Acceptance of deed from W.M. Rickman Construction Company for 8.128 acres (Frederick Airport Park Outlot 3).
    • Grant agreement for $1,000,000 from Maryland DHCD Strategic Demolition Fund for Downtown Hotel and Conference Center site prep.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Non-Citizen Voting (First Public Comment Period):
    • Viviana Westbrook (Catholic Legal Immigration Network, RISE Coalition) expressed full support for allowing non-citizen residents to vote in city elections, arguing they contribute financially and deserve representation.
    • Dan Maluly (Frederick DSA) supported all-resident voting, citing injustice of taxing non-citizens without voting rights.
    • Josh Faust (resident, Jefferson Street) thanked the city for traffic calming improvements, urged against reallocating funds, and also supported non-citizen voting access.
    • Thomas Reina (Crater County Progressives) supported non-citizen voting as a pragmatic tool for immigrant integration and local input.
    • Milly Arcobo (non-citizen resident) urged that non-citizens be included in local elections, noting they pay taxes and contribute to the community.
    • Margarita Gallego (resident, El Salvador) spoke on behalf of immigrants, requesting the ability to vote despite being legal residents.
  • Ceasefire Resolution (Second Public Comment Period):
    • Gerald Bowen (resident, veteran) urged the council to pass a ceasefire resolution regarding Gaza, citing his personal experience and criticism of U.S. support for Israel.
    • Eric Musa (Frederick resident) supported a ceasefire resolution, called for discussion with Jewish community, and opposed use of tax dollars for war.

Public Hearing Items (Discussion and Votes)

  • Purchases:
    • Award of IFB 24-264 for water/wastewater treatment chemicals (total $1,049,384). Approved 3-0. (Staff: Craig Lambert, Zachary Schleif)
  • Agreements:
    • Cold Weather Shelter MOU: Agreement with Frederick County and Beyond Shelter for emergency shelter operations. The city's contribution was corrected from $50,000 to $75,000 (as approved in budget). Approved 3-0 with amended amount. (Staff: Rementa Catrell)
    • Sports Mural at Harry Grove Stadium: MOU with Community Arts Inc. (corrected from TGP Gives) for a freestanding sports mural. Approved 3-0. (Staff: Bob Smith; speakers: Tony Chiquia, Yemi)
    • Lindley Road Deferral Agreement: Agreement with SJP Monocacy Investors, LLC to defer dedication of right-of-way and construction of a portion of Lindley Road in EastPark subdivision. Approved 3-0. (Staff: Gabrielle Collar; applicant: Danny Seven)
    • Road Mitigation Agreement: Agreement with NWHAN Frederick Airport Park LLC for road improvements (Bowman Farm Road area) outside city limits, ensuring completion prior to occupancy. Approved 3-0. (Staff: Chair Even)
    • Fourth Amendment to Signature Aviation Lease: Amendment to accommodate electric aircraft charging infrastructure (by Beta Technologies) at Frederick Airport, aiming for medical/organ flights in 2025. Approved 3-0. (Staff: Andrew Moore)

Key Outcomes

  • All consent items and public hearing items were approved unanimously (3-0) with no dissenting votes.
  • The corrected contribution for the cold weather shelter MOU reflects the approved budget amount of $75,000 (instead of the originally listed $50,000).
  • The sports mural MOU was amended to name Community Arts Inc. as the lead nonprofit, not TGP Gives.
  • The city is seeking resident compliance with lead/copper service line inventory by July 31, 2024, as part of EPA rule compliance (deadline October 15, 2024).
  • No formal action was taken on public comments requesting non-citizen voting or a ceasefire resolution; the board acknowledged the comments but no vote occurred.
  • The meeting adjourned after the second public comment period.

Meeting Transcript

I'll just ask everyone to just please bear with us this evening. We need one more alderman to come into the room before we can actually gavel the meeting to order and have a quorum. So we are expecting them. So to just stand by patiently. Here we go. He was just waiting to make the entrance. Good evening and welcome to the mayor and board of alderman meeting for the 18th of July. We begin with the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge to the flag of the United States of America. One nation under individual liberty and justice for all. We have minutes to approve June 20th, 2024 regular public meeting. So moved. Second. Motion by Alderman Shackelberg, second by Alderman Russell. All those in favor. That is 3-0. Alder Woman Nash indicated that she would be unavailable this evening attending a conference out of the area. Alderman Gazemchek would have liked to have been here, but is under the weather. We have minutes to approve June 20th, 24 closed session. So moved. Second. Motion by Alderman Shackelford, second by Alderman Russell. All those in favor. Then motion passes 3-0. Thank you very much. We have several appointments this evening. We have an appointment of Natasha Valencia to a five-year term on the planning commission of June 19th, 2024 to July 18th of 2029. Move for approval. Second. Motion by Alderman Russell, seconded by Alderman Shackleford. All those in favor. That is 3-0. Thank you very much. Congratulations. Move to approve. Second. Motion by Alderman Shackleford, second by Alderman McShane. All those in favor, that is 3-0. Appointment of Denise Hicks Brown to a term of July 19th, 2024 to June 30th, 2027. Move to approve. Second. Motion by Alderman Shackelford, second by Alderman McShane. All those in favor, that is 3-0. Appointment of Darren Sheffield to a term of July 19, 2024 to June 30th, 2027. Move to approve. Second. Motion by Alderman Shackerford, second by Alderman McShane. All those in favor, that is 3-0. And finally, an appointment of Yewande Ola Deende to a term of July 19th, 2024 to June 30th, 2027. Move for approval.

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