Call this April second meeting of the Frederick City Council to order.

We will start with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Before we start on the um agenda, just a couple of things since there's a lot of folks here.

Um to address the public comments.

So there'll be two opportunities to uh give public comments.

One right here in the beginning of the meeting.

Generally, that's for general public comment.

Anything that you want to um bring forth in f uh to the council.

Um and then after each individual item, there'll be an opportunity to uh to speak then.

So if you want to speak in general, you can do it at the first one if you want to address a specific item in the agenda.

Um there'll be public comments before we take a vote on every single item.

So just wanted to clear that up.

Um so first order of business is approval of the March nineteenth, twenty twenty-six regular public meeting minutes.

Motion by Councilmember Bram.

Second.

Second.

Councilmember Taylor, all in favor.

I six zero.

Umbers to make any comments.

We'll start on this end with Councilmember Hempler Running.

So thank you.

Okay, that'll you can do that when we bring that up.

Thank you.

I do come in support of the resolution to approve a community-wide climate and energy action plan and also the ordinance concerning the City of Frederick Values and immigration enforcement activities.

And I wanted to urge related to Frederick Values a broader resolution as well, insisting that our Federal Government obey the law.

Not selectively, not when convenient, but always.

Article 6 of the Constitution makes treaties the supreme law of the land.

Yet our President told the New York Times recently, I don't need international law.

And last night we heard him say that he would bomb Iran into the Stone Age.

We're a nation that cannot go forward without legal restraint.

And we're a nation of immigrants.

Yet families are torn apart through detention, arrest, and deportation.

Under Obama, we had almost two and a half million people deported.

Under Biden, over one million, and under Trump's first term, about uh 1.5 million.

Different presidents, different language, too often, the same fear, the same disruption, the same human cost.

We should also be honest about what drives migration.

More than one-third of humanity lives under crushing sanctions.

Many are imposed by the United States.

Many are widely condemned as unlawful under international law.

Many are compounded by wars and interventions backed by the United States.

We should not be surprised when people flee violence, instability, and despair, and seek safety elsewhere.

And this is not limited to one party.

The devastation of Gaza and throughout Palestine has continued under both the Biden and Trump administrations.

Different rhetoric, similar consequences, horrific and unnecessary suffering.

When our federal government acts unlawfully abroad and unjustly at home, communities like Frederick bear the cost.

We feel it budgetarily, with neglect neglected needs, fear within immigrant communities, and growing distrust that speaking honestly will be met with fairness, with without fairness and protection.

I urge you to pass a general resolution insisting on inheritance, adherence rather, to domestic and international law.

It is time to act.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Laurel Beaman.

I was going to speak on the City Values Act.

Okay.

Janile Rivas.

I'm speaking on the Act, but I have to step out, so you can speak now.

Absolutely.

Okay.

Hello.

Um, my name is Janile Rivas.

I reside off Alessandra Court.

Although I'm not a city resident resident, I'm a county resident and I'm in the city on a weekly basis.

Yesterday, my brother-in-law, a Frederick County resident, returned home after 85 days in an ICE interment camp.

He was detained near the Sheets on executive way and subsequently sent to the South Texas detention facility.

He was detained a mere 3.5 miles from this very city hall.

The reality is that this administration will continue their reign of terror.

They will continue to cause irreparable damage and trauma that will last generations to families and people like me.

I won't ever forget these 85 days, and neither will my brother-in-law.

I developed panic attacks and have more frequent PTSD episodes because of what happened.

I understand you can't control the federal government, but you do have power.

You have power over this city that we don't, that I don't.

You have the power to listen to your constituents and make an intentional decision to protect us.

If you vote no no on this act, I want you to know that you will have stamped your voice in Frederick City's history as an official in a position of power that chose to do nothing.

Now is the time to use your power to protect your residents and thousands of visitors to the city.

Choose humanity over popularity, choose empathy over harm.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Nicole Reals.

You speak on the Courtney Haynes.

Okay.

And David.

Okay.

That's it for the list.

Anyone else wants to speak in general who did not sign up or if you want to speak for a specific item, just wait till then.

Anybody want to come up now?

Okay.

We'll get back to the list later.

All right.

Up next is uh one item.

Yeah.

On the consent agenda.

All items included under the consent agenda are considered to be routine by the council.

They will be approved by one motion without separate discussion of each item, unless a person presents present requests an item or items to be removed from the consent agenda.

Any item removed from the consent agenda will be considered separately at the end of the consent agenda.

If you would like any of the items below considered separately, please say so when the council president announces each category.

And our category today is a special ordinance approval of special ordinance 263 to amend the FY2026 budget to include revenue and associated expenditures for an FY 2026 law enforcement training scholarship grant for the Governor's Office of Crime Control Prevention and Policy.

Looking for a motion second.

Move by Councilmember Schackerfort, second by Councilmember Atkins.

All in favor.

I pass 6-0.

All right.

Our first uh public hearing item is the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

Tracy Coleman coming up.

Tonight I am seeking approval from you for two different items.

Um approval of a lease amendment with the National Museum of Civil War Medicine for the property at 48 East Street, East Patrick Street, sorry, um, and approval to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the museum to manage and oversee projects identified in our CIP.

Um CIP project number 12014 rehabilitation of 48 East Patrick Street.

Um we first discussed the First Amendment of the lease and the memorandum of understanding at the March 23rd Government Operations Committee last week.

Um I will provide a brief overview of the information that I provided and both documents for your consideration.

With respect to the lease, um the museum uh established its permanent presence in in downtown Frederick in the late 1990s when it began leasing the Cardi building from the City of Frederick.

The original lease was executed in 1998 and included a 10-year term starting in 1995 and uh two 10-year renewal options, both of which were exercised by the museum.

The lease term and options ended in October of 2025.

Since then, the museum has continued in the lease on a month-to-month basis.

It included an option to purchase the building, ref reflecting the long-standing intention of both the museum and the city for the museum to eventually own the property.

The first amendment of the lease that is included in the packet now updates the process for transferring ownership.

It adds a reversionary clause if for some reason the museum were to vacate the building within 10 years.

And it simplifies um property management terms specifically related to utilities.

Um it has also been updated since we met last week at the request of the government operations committee to include language demonstrating the museum's intent to purchase the building within the term of the First Amendment of the lease.

The museum's intent is to exercise that option upon completion of improvements identified in the CIP and another grant fund that the city obtained with the city.

The museum obtained with the city.

With respect to the MOU, the MOU designates the museum as the project manager to oversee the execution and construction of all items identified in the city's capital improvement program for the building, um, along with projects from the museum's own capital um improvements program.

As we discussed at the committee meeting, the MOU allows the museum to contribute additional funds from its own capital campaign to expand the scope or accelerate the timeline of CIP improvements and museum improvements.

All work will be coordinated through the museum as the project manager, um, all in collaboration with the city.

The city does have final approval of vendors working on CIP-related projects and final approval of invoices that will result from those.

Um in the executive summary, I included additional background on the museum.

I'm not going to read through that.

It's available.

If you have any questions on it, um I'd be happy to answer.

Umcluded with the packet is the draft amendment of the lease, the original lease with the museum.

Um, a property acquisition exhibit.

Um as we discussed at the um committee meeting, the property actually was purchased in order to per in order to build the Carroll Creek parking deck.

Um there's also some information on contribution and investments in the building made by other non-city public and private investors.

And then the draft MOU is also attached.

Um with me here tonight uh is David Price, the executive director of the museum.

Lily Leonard, founder of Black Dog Philanthropic Consulting, and Danny Severn with Warner Commercial.

All have worked with me and uh the other city staff to put these documents together.

And with that, I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Thank you.

Any questions from council members?

No.

Okay.

Thank you.

Any public any public comments?

All right.

Um looking for a motion.

Motion from Councilmember Brenn for a second.

Second.

Second by Councilmember Hempel Rani.

All in favor?

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, seven, zero.

Thank you all very much.

Oh, those two things.

I was all right, sorry about that.

Thanks, so that was for the first one.

Thanks, Ms.

Phyllis.

Uh so I need a motion for the MOU approval.

Motion to approve the MOU.

Motion by Councilmember Brenn, second by Councilmember Taylor.

All in favor.

Uh one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

All right.

Thank you very much for the first time.

Thank you.

Thanks, Phyllis.

All right.

Up next, approval of resolution 266 to adopt the community-wide climate and energy action plan.

Good evening, Jenny Willoughby, sustainability manager for the city.

Uh the climate and energy action plan uh has been before you on March 12th for our workshop.

So uh hopefully all your questions were answered there.

Just as a reminder, there um the plan has adaptation, mitigation, and resilience measures.

And they are going off of the goals set as in the 2020 climate emergency resolution.

And that was the beginning, and then we went on to the um uh mobilize Frederick, which is now become mobilized Frederick, but the climate emergency mobilization work group.

That's what they became.

They developed a report, and then from there we've been moving on, and this includes all sorts of other plans in it.

It incorporates all of those goals.

And what we're setting aside to do now is continue our community work.

We had a lot of information sessions with the public.

Uh we had a lot of survey responses, and we had some technical advisory group meetings to come up with this plan.

So we're gonna continue uh building those partnerships, and we are developing a climate dashboard at this moment to highlight all of the items that are in this plan.

And we are excited to keep working on those climate goals.

We are gonna focus a lot on transportation and buildings because those are our two major components for greenhouse gas emissions.

We will work on other things as well, but those are gonna be big components moving forward.

So I'll open up to questions.

Thank you.

And thank you for the presentation that you did a couple weeks ago.

That was very detailed.

We have that plan again, and it was good to have that to look through.

Um any questions from council members?

Yes, council.

Jenny, just real quick.

Um we did work with the county on this, right?

Correct.

Yeah, we did.

It was a partnership with uh Frederick County, DOEE and uh Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

Right.

And with this plan among other policy things, this will help us get grants, you know, to show that we are serious about what we're doing.

Can you repeat that?

I'm sorry.

Uh this will help us get grants.

I believe it will, yes.

And we're it will continue our partnership with COG and through COG, we have actually gotten several grants for for this kind of work.

Thank you.

Any other questions from council members?

No.

Any public comments?

Kevin Sellnery, Sith Street.

So as a editor and co-author of the very first climate report that the city and the county we requested.

Um I've been in here several times to ask the former board, and now I'm gonna ask the council again.

Each executive summary that is put forward to the city on a policy of development, et cetera, should have in it specifics to the SEP.

In other words, the CEP outlines all of the efficiency standards that could be met, it outlines uh uh essentially water needs, everything is there.

And so I encourage the council to insert that small single phrase that the departments will weigh in on any policy or decision that is moving forward and the relevance of that decision for the SEP recommendations.

So it's a fairly straightforward whether the staff across all departments weigh in on that or poor Jen has to do it herself.

We need to know that in fact development in the city uh is uh meeting the requirements outlined in the C program.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Any other public comments?

Looking for a motion to approve.

And a second.

I'll second.

Uh motion made by Councilmember Shacklefort, second by Councilmember Hempel Rani.

All in favor?

1345670.

Thank you.

Right.

Next, approval of ordinance G 261 concerning the City of Frederick Values and Immigration Enforcement Activities.

So that that one's me.

Um the City Values Act, as we were calling it, uh we present I presented that to the council a few weeks ago at a workshop.

We have some good comments back from council members and members of the public.

Some minor changes from that version to the one that was published online that we're considering today.

Um we changed where specifically mentioned ICE enforcement.

We changed that to immigration enforcement to cover multiple agencies that do immigration enforcement.

We added uh strengthened the language around reporting.

So we are asking for a quarterly report to the city council uh for any known activity, immigration enforcement activity on city property, and an annual report.

And then we also added some sections around um signs that was from council members.

We also received, after this version was posted, we received text for another section, which will be an amendment, which I'm proposing today.

You should all have that um from the clerk.

The purpose is to recover costs that the city might incur as a result of federal immigration enforcement activities.

I'll read I'll read the whole thing once we make a motion.

But we've had multiple cases where federal immigration enforcement has taken actions and they've left and left damages in their wake.

So that is a new section uh which would be an amendment today.

Any questions or comments from council members?

Yes.

So has this been vetted by the police?

Have they had a chance to look at it?

Um no, this doesn't specify this specifically does not um include anything that would affect their um operations.

Okay.

Um and then just it's really more semantics than anything else, but going on to page two uh subsection B.

Uh we talk about uh law enforcement officers, and that's not defined because I think we um define uh law enforcement uh pardon me, that one thing is defined.

Um in Section B.

Uh I wasn't too sure when it says uh shall forward it to employees designated supervisor for law enforcement inspection.

Is that for legal sufficiency or I I don't know what that means?

Yeah, the the point of that section was there's warrants, administrative warrants that immigration enforcement uses and judicial warrants that are signed by a judge.

And we didn't want to put city employees in a position to make that decision.

So if they receive a warrant, they'll forward it to their supervisor who can then contact the city attorney to if they need assistance in deciding if it's a law and a judicial warrant or just an administrative warrant.

So that's just for legal review, then.

Okay.

Um then going on the same page.

Um when you get down to uh use of city property, I understand that.

And then you get down to exceptions, and it says any portion of a city facility open to the general public.

I mean, parking lots and parks are considered open to so are you saying that ICE or ICE agents can gather there?

Yes.

So if an area is open to the general public, normally law enforcement officers do not need a warrant to be there.

Okay.

So perfect.

We can't stop them.

Yep.

Uh going on to page three.

Um 33-7 under guidance.

Uh you talk about Federal Immigration Authorities, and then down on 339.

Uh, or no, that's it, uh 33 337.

Um we talking about law enforcement agents again, or are we talking because it's not defined, that's the only thing.

Which section did you mean?

Uh section 337a.

It says inquiries or actions by Federal Immigration Authorities.

And typically throughout the document, you have used law enforcement agent or agents.

Yeah, I think the Federal Immigration Authorities is part of the definition, so I think it's considered to be the same language.

I don't see that.

I I didn't see the definition for uh Federal Immigration Authorities, but if you say it's there, that's fine.

And I think that's it.

Thank you.

Okay.

Any other comments from council members?

Council President, I'd like to move the amendment before we continue on with discussion, just for process.

I'd like to move to adopt the amendment.

Uh sure.

Yeah.

Okay.

Would you like to second it?

Or would you?

And just call all in favor real quick.

I'm sorry.

Just say all in favor.

Oh, yeah.

So all in favor of that of the amendment?

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

Okay.

Thank you, Councilman.

Thank you.

Any other comments from Councilmembers?

No.

Okay.

Um.

This is a bill that I brought forth.

It's something that's very uh important to me.

Um last night we started a budget process for the city.

And a large part of that budget is for services that we provide to the residents of the city.

We provide those services to everyone because there are our city's value says that we provide our services to everyone equally.

We don't ask where you're from or how you got here.

If you're here, you're part of our city.

Sadly, due to actions from the federal government, many in our city are afraid to use some of those services.

They're afraid to take advantage of everything that we have to offer.

This ordinance is Frederick's way to say you can feel safe in our buildings.

You can feel safe in our health centers.

You can enjoy our pools.

You can come into this building and tell the city council what you think.

And you can feel safe in those spaces because you are part of the city.

That's my comment.

Open it up for public comments.

Where's my list?

We'll start with the list again.

First, Robert Cornett.

My name is Robert Cornett.

I live on East Third Street in District 3 of Frederick.

And I'm a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick's Democracy Action Team.

I support the City Values Act because it reflects a basic principle.

Everyone in Frederick should be able to seek help from their local government without fear that doing so will expose them or their family to civil immigration enforcement, as we just heard from Cesar.

When people feel safe reporting crime, asking for emergency assistance, are accessing city services.

That strengthens safety and trust for all of us, regardless of immigration status.

What I appreciate about this ordinance is that it pursues that goal in careful, limited ways.

It requires a judicial warrant or a genuine emergency before city staff can grant access to non-public areas or to city records, information or equipment for immigration enforcement.

It also limits the use of city property for surveillance, staging, processing, detention, or vehicle storage for immigration purposes, while still allowing the use of public areas and responses to real threats to public safeties.

These are measured steps that protect vulnerable residents and still respect federal law.

I'm also encouraged by the focus on implementation.

The Act directs the legal department to give clear guidance to staff, requires departments to define and mark non-public areas, and calls for regular reporting to the council.

That structure supports city employees and gives you as policymakers a transparent picture of how often these situations arise and how they're handled.

In my justice work here in Frederick, largely through UUCF, I've heard how fewer of immigration enforcement keeps neighbors in the shadows.

The City Values Act is a reasonable, reasonable, meaningful way to say that in city spaces, people will be treated first as neighbors seeking help, not as targets.

I urge you all to vote yes.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Mr.

O'Reilly, did you want to come back up or earlier I spoke more generally about uh Frederick values, and I think that we need to have that more holistic approach as well as a more atomistic approach in this case, but very important to have that localized approach.

I think that the notion of being able to be welcoming, be free to speak without negative repercussions, it's very important.

I wanted to share with you though that again, unless we deal with the lawlessness of the federal government, that people will still be afraid to speak.

I know in talking to people in the past who have come before this body to testify that uh a number of them are here legally, but are afraid to even attend a hearing, much less speak at a hearing.

Um, and of course it's recorded, which is good because it's a public forum, but we need to be mindful that it's not enough to only be welcoming on a local level.

We have to be welcoming as a nation.

And you have powers as a local government, you have decided to join the National League of Cities.

I ask you and urge you to use that forum.

It helps to govern policy on a federal level.

So I don't know how many of you are involved with it or want to get involved with it, but unless we do, we're not going to be able to stem this tide because we're all needing to stand together.

These are not ordinary times.

We can't look at them and say, well, we'll the bombing hasn't reached Frederick, Maryland yet.

We can't wait for that.

If any of our people abroad are being injured, it comes back to us.

So would urge you to look at the atomistic, the localized, at the same time that you're looking at the holistic approach, because without both, we will not succeed in having the community that we need and deserve.

Because without both, we will not succeed in having the community that we need and deserve.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I failed to mention at the beginning.

We do have Spanish interpreter available, so anybody who wants to make public comments who uh wants an interpreter, we just step up, say something, and we'll get them set up to help you out.

Next up, Laurel Beaven.

Hi, my name is Laurel Bevan.

I live at 802 Stratford Way in Frederick, District 4.

Um I'll keep this really short.

Uh I'm one of the co-leads of the immigrants' rights working group in the Frederick chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Um I support the City Values Act because I believe that it truly reflects our values as a community.

We need to be really looking out for one another and protecting our neighbors now more than ever.

Passing the City Values Act will let our community members know that we stand with them and we will act if we see injustice.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I think Ms.

Rivas spoke earlier and had to step out.

Uh Nicole Rios.

Hello.

President Diaz and members of the Frederick City Council.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony and strong support of the City Values Act.

My name is Nicole Rios.

I'm the political director for Congressman David Trone.

The Congressman apologizes for not being here today, but has asked me to express his full support of this legislation.

The City Values Act is a necessary step towards protecting the rights and safety of all Frederick residents, regardless of status, by codifying the principles of equity, inclusiveness, and justice into city code to ensure city services remain protected.

When residents fear that a visit to a library or a call for an emergency could lead to immigration enforcement, their trust erodes and public service can break down.

This ordinance ensures that city employees are focused on their primary mission, serving the community.

We have seen that informal local collaboration often leads to the detention of individuals with no criminal history, and in some cases, even U.S.

citizens, our safety is collective.

While recent federal laws have expanded mandatory detentions, the City of Frederick is not required to use its own local resources to facilitate civil immigration enforcement.

This legislation establishes safeguards by protecting, by prohibiting, excuse me, city employees from assisting with immigration enforcement in non-public facilities or records without assigned judicial warrant.

It ensures that city property and databases, including those used for public health, housing and libraries, cannot be used for immigration surveillance, staging, or detention.

While federal authorities maintain their own jurisdiction and access to federal systems, this ordinate ordinance mandates that Frederick City uphold due process by appropriately restricting invasive inquiries into resident citizenship, country of origin, or nationality.

We applaud the Council President for his introduction of the proposed City Values Act and affirm our support of Frederick's commitment to being a welcoming and inclusive city.

Passing this legislation is about codifying the city's stated values of equity and justice as operative legal standards and ensuring that city services remain accessible without fear of immigration enforcement.

They're places of acceptance.

This was literally always the point of these spaces.

Today's conversation is to pass an ordinance to protect our very own.

It's about giving clear guidance of what this community will and will not represent.

I'm not going to speak about the negative to you.

There's kind of too much of that in the world.

I'm going to speak about the positive.

We have a community where no matter where you are and what you believe or what your political affiliation is, we have a community made up of diversity.

We have all these people who come together to celebrate and participate in so many planned activities downtown.

We have so many.

As someone who has studied and still works in the place of urban planning and overall economic mobility, this is a win for us.

And to be clear, we're not defending something new, we're defending what we have.

We need real accountability and rules to ensure that our very good city employees can do their jobs.

We have real accountability to all of our citizens to be active community members, to be there for one another, and to be a safe place to live, work, visit, grow up and grow old.

If we don't establish some clear guidelines and set expectations, you end up blurring some lines where no one feels safe and no one feels sure what to do.

With this act, we have an opportunity to do that, to set some rules of engagement, and the ultimate reward is to ensure that we continue being a community that shows up in support and not in fear.

Protect what you have built, protect who we are, and make the blurred lines into something real.

This is an act of protection, and I encourage you to be bold, and as this ordinance was perfectly named, act on your values.

Some say that us the immigrants are criminals.

They will grow up thinking about what happened to them.

With um hardness in their hearts and sadness.

And that's gonna create delinquency in total países.

All around the country maybe we it's not going to be possible to make a lot within the whole country.

But in our city I believe that each one of you can do the best for the families that trust in each one of you.

I brought my children here with me.

And I understand that they don't know what is happening.

But my eldest son asks me why is I acting like we all are criminals con mascaras with masks de los carrosses of cars.

To all citizens that is not justice.

And we don't want that for our children.

I don't want that for my children.

And I know that a lot of people here tonight as well as you all of you don't want that for their own children.

Yeah so I am glad that I am speaking not just for me or the other Hispanic families in our city but everyone in the country from any ethnicity city with peace.

We want the parks in our city that our children can go and play in peace in Los Parques in the parks automobiles and also in the parking lots or parking spots that we can feel at peaceas in our churches in paz we all of can feel at peace and that's in your hands.

And I know that peace will come thank you very much.

Right now many of our neighbors are afraid to access basic services like health care, housing support and even emergency assistance because they worry that even doing so could expose them or their family members to immigration enforcement that fear doesn't just harm immigrant families it weakens our entire community when people are too afraid to call for help to report report harm or to access services everyone is less less safe.

This ordinance does something simple and important.

It says that city resources, city spaces, and city workers should be focused on serving the public, not facilitating deportation.

It protects access, it protects trust, and it reflects the values Frederick claims to stand for dignity, safety, and inclusion.

As a parent, I'm also thinking about what my children learn from this moment.

They are watching whether we choose fear or community, whether we decide that some of our neighbors deserve protection and others don't.

I want them to grow up in a city that chooses to protect people, all people.

So I'm asking you, please pass the City Values Act.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening, City Council.

My name is Christian Benford.

I live in I live on 750 Carroll Parkway.

I am proud to be Latino.

While in my younger days, I was made to feel disgusted or embarrassed by it.

I wear the label proudly.

I speak to my dad and neighbors in Mexican Spanish.

I blast banda and saw stuff in my car.

I wear my brown skin every day and proudly call myself the son of immigrants.

I also do these as an act of resistance.

As a citizen of this country with a name like mine, I also understand I may not be the target of immigration enforcement like many of my neighbors.

Still I fear speaking the wrong language at the wrong time or being brown while existing.

In fact, recently I was made to feel like an outsider or other by nativist comments, and even the party that I help represent stayed silent.

I know my neighbors, the over 20% that are uh that are born outside the United States and reside in the city deserve to feel protected by their government.

And for them, I will never stay silent.

My cries for their rights will be louder than any silence.

To these neighbors, I say you are not outsiders.

You are part of the most beautiful mosaic that is the city of Frederick.

It is why I'm here in support of the City Values Act, which would limit public employee cooperation with ICE and uh CVP, prevent immigration enforcement staging and surveillance on city owned property, and have city agencies and departments create reporting methods.

This legislation is incredibly important, especially while we live under the Trump regime.

Since 2025, 46 people have died under immigration enforcement's custody.

Nine people have been shot and killed by ICE in border patrol.

This includes American citizens.

Individuals have had their documentation stripped from them because of the Trump regime.

We have heard that if these people were just following the law and complying with orders, nothing bad would happen.

That doesn't sound like a country built on freedom, that sounds like one that is holding you hostage.

Mr.

City Council President, thank you for introducing this important piece of legislation.

While this may not stop all immigration enforcement tactics, it does send a strong message that we will not let them act with liberty.

I advise that future policies start to reflect better public safety measures as well, such as banning surveillance equipment.

To the City Council, please pass this favorably and have it signed by the mayor.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next.

My name is David Walinsky.

I live in between Braddock Heights and a trailer park, which is outside of the city limits, but tells you something about the county that we live in.

And I'm thrilled about the City's Values City Values Act, but I want you to remember that because it may not sound like it for the next two minutes and twenty seconds.

First of all, thank you, Mr.

Atkins, because us teachers love it when people give things a close reading.

It brings out some things that aren't intended, and it also brings out the fact that other people don't do their homework.

My job is to find out what y'all are made of.

I spent two years, or more than that, actually, in front of the County Council and the City Council, and I'll tell you something.

My wife says don't do this because all politicians are dirty.

She comes from a country where everybody, most of the time, with the support of the United States was running a banana republic.

It is a banana republic, Ecuador, and I'm a buelo local, even though I don't speak Spanish.

But I have to find out in person, and I unfortunately found out in person that being on a city council and a county council, which I thought was a little bit closer to home, and maybe it is, still destroys that.

This is a cut.

Cut fast.

Take what Mr.

Atkins did, which was necessary, and take what the gentleman who spoke in Spanish did.

And then you'll understand why cities don't have values, but people do.

Okay, and why y'all don't hear that kind of talk too much, and what the City Values Act is going to do good for is mostly these characters who are all not the same, not in how they look, not in their organization.

Some of them are churches, some of them are socialists, but it's going to help them do the work that y'all most of the time will not do, and which I heard 20,000 times on every level, up to the State and to our U.S.

Congress is not in your purview.

Okay, so Cesar's resolution is an attempt to break that open.

Now, one more thing in my last seconds.

Imagine that stuff gets really bad here, that what Grady said about Minneapolis is not about the thousands of miles, but actually where we all are going, regardless of whatever good resolutions we pass.

And then imagine what your job really is then, which is not what it's been in the fastest growing, most prosperous growing county in Maryland, but in a country whose democracy is threatened at its very gut in a way that you've never seen, and I only can think about when I think about my people who got exterminated, my mother's family in Europe just before I was born.

Try to imagine that as what your job might be next week, next month, or next year.

I don't care which, because the vector where it's going is not business as usual and not what you're going to spend 95 percent of every meeting except ones like this on.

Hi.

My name is Tatiana Santos, and I'm here representing Indivisible Frederick Ford.

As part of my advocacy work, I hear stories from many of our immigrant neighbors every week about the fear that they feel doing normal things you and I take for granted, things like going to the library, going to the grocery store, just taking a walk outside.

We have the ability to minimize that fear with the City Values Act.

As many have stated today, the City Values Act seeks to provide city employees with clear, reasonable guidelines on how they interact with federal law enforcement.

It would implement common sense rules that clear up ambiguity on when and how city employees can act upon immigration enforcement requests.

By doing so, it protects the city from being involved in unlawful actions and provides additional protections for our immigrant neighbors who may simply be trying to utilize city services without fear of being reported to immigration enforcement.

It allows our neighbors to feel safe in the city that we all love so much.

It's imperative that each of you use your power to uphold our values of being a welcoming community.

Don't hesitate to vote favorably for the City Values Act.

Please pass it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening, everyone.

My name is Tiffany Grant.

I'm a resident of downtown Frederick, a neighbor, and an African American woman.

I'm here because I understand with all of my being what it feels like to navigate a world where safety is not guaranteed, where the very sight of a badge or a government vehicle can trigger a calculation of survival rather than a feeling of protection.

I know what it's like to be watched.

I know what it's like to be profiled.

And because I know that weight, I refuse to sit silent while that same weight is dropped onto the shoulders of our immigrant families and my community.

On March 23rd, the Frederick News Post reported that immigration enforcement is scouting our community for office space.

This is a clear invitation for intimidation.

We finally took a stand with the City Values Act, declaring that our local resources, our buildings, and our employees are not tools for federal for federal deportation machines.

But now federal overreach is knocking on our door, looking for a permanent seat at the table.

If we allow this office to be established, we aren't just giving them a desk.

We're giving them a platform to dismantle the trust we have fought so hard to build.

I'm here to advocate for the safety of families, not some families, all families.

Safety is not a zero-sum game.

When our immigrant neighbors live in the shadows of an ICE office, the entire community suffers.

Public health declines because people fear the clinic.

Crime goes unreported because victims fear the witness stand.

When we allow one segment of our population to be targeted, we surrender the justice we claim to uphold for everyone.

As a black woman, I see the parallels in these systems of surveillance and the disregard for the sanctity of the home.

I am here to tell you that an attack on the security of an immigrant family in Frederick is an attack on the soul of this city.

I want it written into the history of the city that when fear looked for a home in Frederick, we refused to be its landlord.

Use every act of your authority and your moral courage to make it clear that our community is not a staging ground for displacement.

You are hearing my voice today, but I am carrying the silence of thousands of families who are too afraid to stand where I'm standing.

Do not let their trust in this city be met with the federal office of intimidation.

Let the record show that we chose sanctuary over surveillance and families over fear.

I support the City Values Act.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Are there any other public comments?

In that case, I'm looking for a motion.

Motion to approve.

Second.

Motion by Councilmember Brown, second by Council Vice President Nash.

All in favor?

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

Pass 7-0.

All right, get out, people.

All right.

Last order of business.

The following ordinances are being announced only.

There will be no discussion or public comment at this time.

These items will be heard again at future planning commission or city council meetings, at which time public comment will be accepted.

An application, an application has been received for an ordinance to amend Section 838 of the land management code entitled Mixed Use Development Vertical, Section 604, Building and Urban Design Standards, and Section 1002 definitions to allow for residential uses on the first floor of a mixed-use building in the mixed use one MU1 and MU2 zones for establishing the applicable building and urban design standards for mixed-use building and for defining mixed use building.

Number two, an application has been received to amend Section 816 of the land management code concerning convenience stores with gas sales.

And last, Council Vice President Nash intends to submit an application for review by the Planning Commission for an ordinance to amend the land management code concerning single room occupancy units.

That's the last item of business.

Any closing comments from council members?

We'll start on this end, Councilmember Shackleford Congress.

Thank you.

Council Member Taylor.

Um I have a lot, but I don't know how to say them, but I'm very proud that we just passed our first bill, and that's it was the City's Values Act.

So thank you so much for introducing it and drafting it.

And thank you all for being here.

Vice President Nash.

I'll just add that in some of our faith traditions tonight is known as Monday Thursday, which essentially is the new commandment to love each other.

I can think of no better way to celebrate it.

I am so proud of the work of the Council President.

This was his work from beginning to end.

He deserves so much credit and so much praise for everything that he has done in the very short time that he has been serving our city, and we are so proud of him and his work.

Thank you for being here.

Councilmember Brad.

I can only echo my council member colleagues and thank you for your leadership.

Thank you.

Councilmember Ratkins.

Do we know if the county is following a similar path?

Uh we do not.

We could only hope.

Okay.

Councilmember Hemplerani.

I want to echo the sentiments of my colleagues as well, and thank you all for being here.

It you know, sometimes when we have a lot of public comment, it makes our meetings longer.

And I'm here for it.

Like I love that you all are here and that you're bringing your voices.

Um stay engaged.

This is amazing.

I want to thank everybody for uh for coming out and uh the support of all my council uh colleagues and uh the council staff, uh the city staff also for uh helping pass this.

So uh thank everyone for coming out here.

If there are no more comments, uh meeting is adjourned.