Good afternoon and welcome to the Mayor and Board of Altamin Business Meeting Workshop for the 13th of March.

We begin with the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republican one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

We have minutes from February 28th, 2024.

So moved.

Second.

Motion by Alderman Shackleford, second by Alderman Russell.

All those in favor.

That is 4-0.

Thank you very much.

We have a business meeting agenda item today.

Items on the business meeting agenda are considered routine by the mayor and board and being heard at the workshop pursuant to the rules of procedure of the Board of Alderman.

Approved by one motion without separate discussion of each item unless any person present request that an item be removed from the agenda.

An item that is removed will be considered separately, either at the end of the business meeting or at a regular public meeting.

If you would like to have an item removed, please say so when I announce the category.

Category A is grants.

Move for approval.

Second.

Motion by Alderman Shackleford, second by Alderman Russell.

All those in favor.

Mayor, do you mind if I just jump in real quick with a disclosure?

Please.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Board.

Lieutenant Justin Thomas of the Frederick Police Department here to represent the police department in a matter that we brought before you back on May the 5th of 2023 when we began discussing the topic of automated enforcement, specifically red light cameras in the area of Route 26, both at Routeson's Way and Minoxy Boulevard.

At that time, I described to you the process of which uh we would get your general um thoughts on the project, which were positive at the time, and we would take that with the notice to proceed from the chief and explore these options, the options that exist right now.

The process was an independent study by our automated enforcement vendor, which conducted both speed and surveys of those both of those intersections, and then used Maryland uh Department of Transportation uh collision data reported by the Maryland State Police along with uh collision data reported by the Frederick Police Department.

That was all drafted into two large proposals that I included in the um supporting documents for you today to review.

Both are almost a hundred pages of information and data points on both of those intersections to include uh the things I just mentioned.

That those two separate proposals were submitted to the state highway administration, uh particularly district seven for review.

And through a process of back and forth, there was uh some revisions and questions that were answered by the vendor, but we got down to uh really the the issue at here today, and that was the approval of four approaches of the eight.

And an approach again, if you're looking at a four-way intersection is the direction that you come from toward the traffic control device, the light.

So uh imagine a four-way is four approaches, two intersections or eight approaches.

They approved four of those eight.

And specifically as I wrote in the uh the summary, they would be uh southbound Warman's Mill Road at Route 26, eastbound Route 26 at Routins Way, Southbound Minoxy Boulevard at Route 26, and westbound Route 26 at Minoxie Boulevard.

That was their interpretation based on the data of the collision reports and all that, that those areas supported a uh automated enforcement option to reduce collisions to improve pedestrian traffic in those areas and overall uh just highway safety for both the state highway and the city of Frederick.

When I received that uh notification that those proposals had been the four purchase had been approved, I went to uh the the mayor's office and and informed them of the approval and I was asked to come before workshop to monitor those four approaches.

The vendor has indicated that they would need five cameras, and those five cameras would again get the right-hand turn lanes straight lanes and left-hand turn lanes in the appropriate uh locations depending on the intersection.

Uh that of course is a increase to the automated enforcement budget, and uh at 4400 a month, five cameras uh would increase the total yearly budget for the automated enforcement uh budget line item by 264,000 dollars.

And so that being, of course, a significant number to any individual.

I did not want to move forward without presenting that to you uh in order to get your input and answer your questions.

Uh but at this time I do have the project uh change form approved through the chain and available to be submitted to the mayor's office as well as an updated notice to proceed.

And today I'm here just to answer any questions based on the the information I provided.

Thank you.

Are there questions for staff?

I I apologize.

I apologize for being late and I I had looked at this and I've got to go back.

I might, but it's not gonna be this very second.

I'm having a hard time signing into devices right now.

No problem, Alderman.

I'm here.

Is there anyone who wishes to make any uh public comment on this item?

So presumably what will happen is uh we'll prepare all of the appropriate documentation and this will come before the board at an upcoming public hearing to do a final approval.

If that's what you would like, Mayor, I can certainly do that.

The notice to proceed would uh incorporate uh your ultimate approval to move forward the project.

If you would like to go before public meeting, I can.

Uh I don't need a special ordinance.

Uh brand it through Katie Barktal based on the projected timeline of installation.

It would be June of this year, just prior to the fiscal year.

But because it's a uh when you do 4400 times five, it's not a large number, 22,000, that could be covered uh with the revenue of the program and then adopted formally into the fiscal uh 25 year budget without issue.

So there is no real uh step other than what I explained.