Frederick City Council Meeting - April 2, 2026: Climate Plan & City Values Act
Frederick City Council Meeting - April 2, 2026
The Frederick City Council convened on April 2, 2026, to address a range of items including the approval of the community-wide climate and energy action plan, a lease amendment with the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, and the ordinance concerning City of Frederick Values and immigration enforcement activities. The meeting featured extensive public comment, particularly on the immigration enforcement ordinance, which ultimately passed unanimously.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes of the March 19, 2026 regular public meeting (motion by Councilmember Bram, second by Councilmember Taylor, vote 6-0).
- Approved Special Ordinance 263 amending the FY2026 budget to include revenue and expenditures for a law enforcement training scholarship grant (motion by Councilmember Schackerfort, second by Councilmember Atkins, vote 6-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- O'Reilly: Spoke in support of both the climate plan and the City Values Act, urging the council to also pass a broader resolution insisting the federal government obey domestic and international law. Cited statistics on deportations under Obama (2.5 million), Biden (1 million), and Trump (1.5 million).
- Janile Rivas: Shared a personal story of her brother-in-law's 85-day detention in an ICE camp, urged the council to vote yes on the City Values Act, stating a 'no' vote would be choosing popularity over humanity.
- Laurel Beavan: Expressed support for the City Values Act, stating it truly reflects community values and the need to protect neighbors.
- Nicole Rios: Political director for Congressman David Trone, expressed full support for the City Values Act, emphasizing it protects resident rights and safety regardless of status.
- Tiffany Grant: African American woman and downtown resident, expressed support for the City Values Act, drawing parallels between historical profiling of Black communities and current fears among immigrant families. She noted a Frederick News Post article from March 23 reporting immigration enforcement was scouting for office space.
- Christian Benford: Latino resident, spoke in support of the City Values Act, sharing experiences of being made to feel like an outsider. He cited statistics: 46 deaths in immigration enforcement custody since 2025 and 9 people shot and killed by ICE/border patrol, including U.S. citizens.
- Tatiana Santos: Representing Indivisible Frederick, urged passage of the City Values Act, stating it provides clear guidelines for city employee interactions with federal law enforcement.
- David Walinsky: A county resident, expressed support for the City Values Act, urging the council to strengthen protections and questioning their readiness for future challenges.
Discussion Items
National Museum of Civil War Medicine Lease Amendment & MOU
- Tracy Coleman presented two items: a first amendment to the lease for 48 East Patrick Street, updating the transfer of ownership process and adding a reversionary clause, and a memorandum of understanding designating the museum as project manager for CIP improvements. The museum intends to exercise its purchase option after completing improvements. Both items were approved 7-0.
Community-wide Climate and Energy Action Plan
- Jenny Willoughby, sustainability manager, presented the plan, which incorporates adaptation, mitigation, and resilience measures aligned with the 2020 climate emergency resolution. A public commenter urged that all city policy executive summaries include references to the plan's efficiency standards. The plan was approved 7-0.
City of Frederick Values and Immigration Enforcement Activities Ordinance (City Values Act)
- Council President Atkins introduced the ordinance, which had been refined since a previous workshop. Changes include replacing 'ICE enforcement' with 'immigration enforcement', strengthening reporting requirements (quarterly and annual reports), and adding a section on recovering costs from federal immigration enforcement activities. Councilmember Taylor asked about police review and definitions; Atkins clarified the ordinance does not affect police operations and that 'Federal Immigration Authorities' is defined. Atkins stated the ordinance is about ensuring residents feel safe accessing city services. An amendment to add a cost recovery section passed 7-0.
Key Outcomes
- National Museum of Civil War Medicine Lease Amendment: Approved 7-0.
- National Museum of Civil War Medicine MOU: Approved 7-0.
- Community-wide Climate and Energy Action Plan (Resolution 266): Approved 7-0.
- City Values Act (Ordinance G 261): Approved 7-0. Councilmember Atkins was praised by colleagues for his leadership.
- Announced (for future hearing): Amendments to the land management code regarding mixed-use development, convenience stores with gas sales, and single room occupancy units.
Meeting Transcript
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.
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