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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Frederick City Council Public Meeting - April 17, 2025

City Council — Thursday, April 17, 2025

BodyFrederick, Maryland

SessionCity Council

DateThursday, April 17, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 27:40

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:02

Good evening and welcome to the April 17th City Council Regular Public Meeting.

0:06

We will begin with a Pledge of Allegiance.

0:31

We have approval of the minutes for March 21st.

0:36

Move for approval.

0:39

People first and second.

0:40

All in favor.

0:41

That's five zero.

0:43

Thank you very much.

0:45

Let's see.

0:46

Okay, up here.

0:48

Um councilmember McShane.

0:50

Any comments?

0:51

No, thank you.

0:52

Councilmember Russell.

0:55

Just a reminder that May 15th is Bike to Work Day.

0:58

You can register at Bike2Work Metro DC.org.

1:03

Please join us.

1:06

Councilmember Casseman.

1:09

And Councilvice President?

1:10

I'll just say uh to my colleague on the right.

1:13

I hope you have a very work successful weekend.

1:15

How about that?

1:18

So high holy holiday for some of us who practice.

1:21

Um, so on to public comment.

1:24

Uh you you are welcome to tonight's public comment.

1:28

We are glad to have you here.

1:29

Please beware of the following guidelines.

1:31

Each speaker will be allotted three minutes to share your comments.

1:34

When it is your turn to speak, please begin by stating your name and if applicable, your general address to ensure that you have uninterrupted opportunity to speak.

1:42

This will be your time, so that means that uh members of the council will not be answering any questions or engage in a back and forth discussion.

1:49

If you'd like to email your comments, we do encourage you to do so.

1:52

That's city council at cityoffredricmd.gov, city council at city of FrederickMD.gov.

2:00

Um for those who have signed up, you will speak first, and then um our agenda's pretty good tonight, so uh we'll just resume public comment at the end of those who have signed up.

2:09

We have uh a rules procedure that we follow that's most recently passed resolution 24-27, and we also have our code of civility pass or posted in this boardroom.

2:19

Please take note of your exits for your safety and silence electronic devices.

2:23

We'll begin this evening with uh Tina Meadows Are and then it will be Grady, Christian, then Will.

2:40

It's pretty inspiring.

2:44

Um I wanted to say that um I see elected officials as people who exhibit a highly tuned moral compass.

3:03

And I don't think that that's actually shared across our country these days.

3:12

Um it seems like uh morality in our public sphere.

3:23

Uh has taken quite the back seat.

3:28

Other things.

3:30

Uh political expeditiousness has definitely uh surpassed that moral criteria.

3:46

And I think that's grievous.

3:52

I think you folks have an opportunity to demonstrate an extraordinary moral compass by actually embracing and proclaiming the Frederick for justice in Palestine resolution.

4:18

If you need a reminder, basically, our mission is three-part.

4:35

To educate Frederick residents about the impacts of colonialism, racism, militarism, materialism, and ecological destruction on US policy regarding the Israeli Palestinian conflict.

5:00

And three, our mission is to build meaningful connections and engage with city, county, state, and national organizations to recognize and address the intersectionality of human suffering.

5:22

It's a big word, but I think it's a good one to help guide our actions in 2025.

5:36

Our world is getting smaller, not larger.

5:41

We're recognizing injustice in one place as having an effect throughout the larger world.

5:57

And I want to encourage you to do exactly that.

6:03

Thank you very much.

6:05

Thank you.

6:05

Grady Arbeir?

6:18

My name is Grady O'Rear, and uh I also live in the city of Frederick.

6:24

Um I come here today to strongly urge you to endorse a ceasefire resolution for justice in Palestine.

6:34

We're aware of the devastation that continues every day.

6:38

Um certainly some of your constituents, though, may oppose a ceasefire, just as some opposed your recent and courageous stand in support of transgender rights.

6:54

But justice for Palestinians is no less a human rights issue, and human rights should never be sacrificed for political convenience.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Human Rights████████████████████████████████████████40%

Procedural██████████████14%

Public Comment█████████████13%

Healthcare Services█████████████13%

Water And Wastewater Management████████8%

Budget Equity Analysis███████7%

Voting Methods█████5%

Summary of Proceedings

Frederick City Council Public Meeting - April 17, 2025

The Frederick City Council held a regular public meeting on April 17, 2025, at 6:00 PM in City Hall. The meeting included approval of minutes from March 21, 2025, council comments, public testimony, a consent agenda, a public hearing on a health insurance agreement, a resolution on water and sewer rates, and introduction of several fiscal year 2026 ordinances.

Consent Calendar

Approved unanimously (5-0) four requests to serve alcohol on city property: Celebrate Frederick's "In the Streets" event (September 13, 2025), Celebrate Frederick's "Frederick's 4th" Independence Day celebration (July 4, 2025), the Frederick Center's Frederick Pride Celebration (June 28, 2025), and the Asian American Center of Frederick's Asia on the Creek and Thai New Year Water Festivals (May 3 and June 14, 2025).

Public Comments & Testimony

Tina Meadows urged the council to adopt a ceasefire resolution for justice in Palestine, emphasizing moral leadership and the resolution's three-part mission of education, connection, and addressing intersectional suffering.
Grady O'Rear strongly urged endorsement of a ceasefire resolution, arguing that human rights should not be sacrificed for political convenience, and noted that some residents now fear speaking before the council due to potential retaliation.
Christian Katan Roman, a Palestinian-American resident, called for a council resolution for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, sharing a personal experience of resigning from his job rather than remaining silent about a toxic environment, and framed the request as a moral imperative.
William Mahan, president of the NAACP, spoke in support of the ceasefire resolution and criticized the council for not expanding voting rights/redistricting, reminding the council (including specific members) of the civil rights struggle and the need to expand enfranchisement.

Discussion Items

Council Comments: Councilmember Russell reminded the public that May 15, 2025 is Bike to Work Day (register at Bike2Work Metro DC.org). Council Vice President made a lighthearted comment about a colleague's weekend.
Approval of Agreement with Cigna: Karen Paulson, Director of Human Resources, presented the agreement for group health insurance and prescription coverage effective July 1, 2026. After a formal RFP, Cigna received the highest rating. The one-year term (with renewal options) maintains current plan design with a 2.5% premium increase over current rates. Councilmember Russell raised concerns about potential federal changes to Medicare, but was assured active employees stay on the group plan until retirement. Councilmember Russell also requested data on the take rate for part-time employees who were extended benefits two years ago. The agreement was approved 5-0.
Resolution 25-01 – Water and Sewer Rates (FY 2026–2030): Continued from March 6, 2025 public hearing. Director Katie Barkedon presented the five-year rate schedule to replace the current one expiring June 30, 2025. Councilmember Casseman expressed that the vote should have been held alongside the budget vote, but acknowledged being in the minority. Councilmember inserted comments about rising costs and the desire to reduce costs for residents. The resolution was approved 4-1, with Councilmember Casseman casting the dissenting vote.
Introductions of Ordinances: Three ordinances were introduced without public comment:
- Ordinance G-25-13: establishes employee positions, grades, and salaries for FY 2026.
- Special Ordinance S-25-07: establishes property tax rates for FY 2026.
- Special Ordinance S-25-08: adopts the budget for FY 2026 (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026).

Key Outcomes

Consent agenda approved 5-0.
Cigna health insurance agreement approved 5-0, effective July 1, 2026, with a one-year term and renewal options.
Water and sewer rate resolution adopted 4-1, setting rates for FY 2026–2030.
Three ordinances introduced for FY 2026 budget, tax rates, and employee compensation; public hearings will follow.
The council took no action on the public requests for a ceasefire resolution; no item was on the agenda.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to the April 17th City Council Regular Public Meeting. We will begin with a Pledge of Allegiance. We have approval of the minutes for March 21st. Move for approval. People first and second. All in favor. That's five zero. Thank you very much. Let's see. Okay, up here. Um councilmember McShane. Any comments? No, thank you. Councilmember Russell. Just a reminder that May 15th is Bike to Work Day. You can register at Bike2Work Metro DC.org. Please join us. Councilmember Casseman. And Councilvice President? I'll just say uh to my colleague on the right. I hope you have a very work successful weekend. How about that? So high holy holiday for some of us who practice. Um, so on to public comment. Uh you you are welcome to tonight's public comment. We are glad to have you here. Please beware of the following guidelines. Each speaker will be allotted three minutes to share your comments. When it is your turn to speak, please begin by stating your name and if applicable, your general address to ensure that you have uninterrupted opportunity to speak. This will be your time, so that means that uh members of the council will not be answering any questions or engage in a back and forth discussion. If you'd like to email your comments, we do encourage you to do so. That's city council at cityoffredricmd.gov, city council at city of FrederickMD.gov. Um for those who have signed up, you will speak first, and then um our agenda's pretty good tonight, so uh we'll just resume public comment at the end of those who have signed up. We have uh a rules procedure that we follow that's most recently passed resolution 24-27, and we also have our code of civility pass or posted in this boardroom. Please take note of your exits for your safety and silence electronic devices. We'll begin this evening with uh Tina Meadows Are and then it will be Grady, Christian, then Will. It's pretty inspiring. Um I wanted to say that um I see elected officials as people who exhibit a highly tuned moral compass. And I don't think that that's actually shared across our country these days. Um it seems like uh morality in our public sphere. Uh has taken quite the back seat. Other things. Uh political expeditiousness has definitely uh surpassed that moral criteria. And I think that's grievous. I think you folks have an opportunity to demonstrate an extraordinary moral compass by actually embracing and proclaiming the Frederick for justice in Palestine resolution. If you need a reminder, basically, our mission is three-part. To educate Frederick residents about the impacts of colonialism, racism, militarism, materialism, and ecological destruction on US policy regarding the Israeli Palestinian conflict. And three, our mission is to build meaningful connections and engage with city, county, state, and national organizations to recognize and address the intersectionality of human suffering. It's a big word, but I think it's a good one to help guide our actions in 2025. Our world is getting smaller, not larger.

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