The Frederick City Council held a regularly scheduled public meeting on February 20, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. The agenda included routine consent items, public hearings on contracts for sidewalk assessment, a catwalk at the Monocacy Basin Water Plant, and paving repairs, as well as second readings of ordinances on legislative redistricting and elected official compensation, and introduction of a tax credit for disabled veterans. Several members of the public spoke during public comment on the Gaza ceasefire and the city's redistricting process. All votes were 5-0 except for one abstention on a budget amendment.
Good evening and welcome to the February twentieth City Council regular public meeting. We will begin with the Pledge of Allegiance. Good evening. You are welcome to tonight's regularly scheduled meeting of the City of Frederick City Council. If you wish to offer public comment, please be aware of the following guidelines. Each speaker will be allotted three minutes to share their comments. When it is your turn to speak, please begin by stating your name and if applicable, a general address. To ensure that you have an uninterrupted opportunity to speak, this will be your time. So that means that members of the city council will not be answering any questions nor engage in discussion. We are often willing to answer questions after the meeting, and you can always email us at citycouncil at cityofreck md.gov. Also, if you have written materials to accompany your remarks, we encourage you to email those as well. Those who have signed up will speak first, depending on our agenda. The city council uses rules of procedure, which was most recently passed by resolution twenty-four-twenty-seven, and we have also posted our code of civil civility in this boardroom. Please take note of the exits for your safety and silence all electronic devices. Thank you for being here this evening. So move. Second. We have a first and second. All in favor. It's five zero. So move. Second. We have a first and second. All in favor? That's five zero. Thank you very much. Uh oh, sorry. Sorry, Councilmember. Uh, so four zero. One abstention. Um so we will begin with council comments. Um, I'll start uh down on my left, Councilmember McShane. No, thank you. Councilmember Russell. No, thank you. Council Vice President Shackelfeld. No comments, thank you. And Council President or Council, yeah, whatever. Um and uh for me, I'll reserve mine till the end. Um okay, we'll begin with public comment. Do we have anybody signed up to speak, my dear? Thank you, dear. All right. Um temporary that's 42 days ceasefire has been declared in Gaza. And um with some notable exceptions is being followed. However, I want to also remind you that the Frederick ceasefire now's resolution calls for a permanent and lasting ceasefire. So we're not out of the woods. And neither are the Palestinians who our president has declared uh he is going to move out of Palestine. Uh uh turn their land into a um uh something similar to the French Riviera of Hyatt Vacation Spot. A something similar to the French Riviera of high-end vacation spot to which Palestinians will be banned.