Government Operations Committee Meeting - March 6, 2025
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Government Operations Committee Meeting - March 6, 2025
The Government Operations Committee met on March 6, 2025, at 2:00 PM to discuss the 2025 municipal election procedures, an amendment to the disabled veterans tax credit, and a workshop on the impact of newly created council districts on city operations and council member responsibilities. The meeting began with the approval of the February 20, 2025 committee minutes.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the February 20, 2025, committee meeting were approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Kevin Sellner (Frederick resident) urged the committee not to delay decisions on the Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) program, suggesting that the current council move forward with recommendations and allow the next council to amend as needed. He also noted that the Land Management Code (LMC) requires developer meetings with each NAC, not a single community outreach meeting, and that small area plans should consider overlapping district boundaries to include affected residents.
- Peter Brand (Frederick resident) emphasized that NACs should remain a function of the city and be aligned with new council districts to improve communication and accountability. He recommended that NAC coordinator selection originate with NAC members and be approved by the city council, rather than the mayor’s office.
Discussion Items
- Resolution 25-03: 2025 Municipal Election: Elections Administrator Phyllis Hane presented the resolution, which largely follows the 2021 process: mail-in ballots with postage-paid return envelopes, drop boxes (at least one per district), and in-person voting at Trinity Recreation Center. Early voting dates are August 22–23 for the primary and October 24–25 for the general election, with hours from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Board of Supervisors supported the plan. Councilmembers discussed drop box distribution and turnout trends. The committee expressed support, and the resolution will be forwarded to the full council.
- Ordinance G-25-07: Disabled Veterans Tax Credit Amendment: Councilmember Kelly Russell introduced the ordinance to amend Section 8-10.3 of the City Code to align the city’s disabled veterans tax credit with state law and the county program (which administers the credit). The committee voted to move the ordinance to a public hearing.
- Workshop: District Impact Discussion: Council President Katie Nash led a brainstorming session on how new council districts may affect various city functions. Key topics included:
- NAC Program Realignment: Possible changes to NAC boundaries, number of NACs, and their relationship with district elected officials. The ad hoc advisory committee’s recommendations were discussed; some councilmembers preferred deferring major decisions to the next council to avoid politicization. There was agreement to gather more staff input and set a timeline.
- Council Liaisons to Boards and Commissions: Discussion on whether the city should continue formally assigning liaisons. Councilmembers expressed differing views—some saw value in the role, while others argued it is often ineffective and that councilmembers can participate voluntarily. The committee noted that many liaison assignments stem from ordinances or MOUs that may need review.
- Small Area Plans and District Boundaries: Councilmembers generally agreed that small area plans should not be forced to align with district boundaries, as they are based on the comprehensive plan and geography, not voting districts. However, overlapping areas should still ensure resident input.
- Department of Public Works (DPW) and Frederick Police Department (FPD) Operations: DPW Director Zach Kirchner confirmed that voting districts have no direct impact on city services, but changing NAC boundaries might require adjustments in service area division. Councilmembers saw no need to realign operational districts with political districts.
- Responsibilities of At-Large vs. District Council Members: The committee explored whether formal responsibilities differ. Most agreed that while at-large members have a broader citywide perspective, there are no codified differences beyond the President and Vice President roles. The discussion touched on potential workload differences and the importance of collaboration.
Key Outcomes
- The committee unanimously approved the February 20, 2025 meeting minutes.
- Ordinance G-25-07 was moved to a public hearing (date to be set).
- Resolution 25-03 received committee support and will be forwarded to the full city council for consideration.
- No formal decisions were made on district impact topics; the committee agreed to continue discussions with more staff input and to consider deferring major NAC changes to the next council term.
Meeting Transcript
Call to order the government operations committee meeting for Thursday, March the sixth. Let us stand for the Pedge of these planning states of America. Approval of our minutes for Thursday, February twenty, two thousand and twenty-five. So moved. Second. Motion carries. Today on our agendas two items for review for recommendation. One is resolution twenty-five dash zero three concerning the municipal the two thousand twenty-five municipal elections. Good afternoon. As you know, Article Five of the City Code requires that the council approve um polling places, voting centers, we're calling them now, and um may approve early voting dates. Um, doing the planning preparations of again the processes. Um, and the resolution before you reflect some of that. They met again this past Tuesday for a final review of the resolution and expressed their support of it as presented. It would largely follow the process that we did in 2021, um, which would involve mailing a ballot to every registered voter, which they can return either um in the postage paid envelope provided through the mail, or can drop in a number of drop boxes. We um haven't really reached out for specific locations for drop boxes yet. My plan, we envision having at least one in each district. Um really looking looking back at what where I replaced them in 2021, they pretty much were one in each district. I think I have a little bit of tweaking to do, but they were pretty well distributed. Um and then for in-person voting, recognizing that some people just really prefer to vote in person. Uh the Board of Supervisors has proposed one um voting center at Trinity Recreation Center, which again is is where it was in 2021, and using that same location for early voting as well. Um early voting dates for the September 9th primary would be August 22nd and 23rd, and for the November 4th general election would be October 24th and 25th. So two days for each with hours from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. That would be the most significant change from what we did in 2021. There was a longer early voting period, the turnout was extremely low. Um it was generally felt not to be a good use of resources, and I know in at least one case it kind of threatened voter anonymity. There was a voter who told me they realized looking at the results that on the day they early voted, they were the only person in their precinct that early voted. So if you knew they voted that day, you could look at the results and see who they voted for. So that's a little extreme, but anyway. So that's why we thought we didn't need to spread that out that far this year. So I could say that's the general outline. Uh the Board of Supervisors felt like this is a good way to make voting as accessible as possible to everyone, whether they refer to mail, drop box, in-person, or early vote. Happy to answer any questions. Questions um so uh I'm completely supporting this. Um when we're looking at the maps and when we're looking at places to vote. Um, interestingly enough, my precinct? Is that right? District. I my district is kind of the only one that's all over. Um it surrounds Clover Hill, right? Right. Right, and so I would request that, especially in that district. We look at having at least two drop boxes because we're not talking about a central central. You can't really find a central location in that one. So yeah, I was looking at the map with the board of supervisors a little bit um on Tuesday, and it's sort of like if we can get one further north in wait, what's the district right under it? Is that four? I can't get the I'll learn that. So I'll be able to do that. Five's over top five's over top of that. Yeah, so and then one sort of more in the eastern part, I guess east of Clover Hill.
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