Greenbelt City Council Regular Meeting - October 27, 2025

The Greenbelt City Council met Monday, October 27, 2025, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:14 p.m., with Mayor Emmett V. Jordan presiding and all seven councilmembers present. Acting City Manager Liz Park stood in for City Manager Josuê Salmerón. The Council approved consent items, adopted an arts grant ordinance, transmitted comments on the state transportation program, discussed a rental-license renewal proposal, and approved public statements on ICE activity and hateful flyers.

Consent Calendar

• The consent agenda was approved 7-0 after Council removed Meetings from it and added it as agenda item #15.
• Approved meeting minutes of March 24, April 14, and April 28, 2025, and the stakeholder list.
• Adopted Standard Operating Procedures for Advisory Boards and Commissions and approved changes to the application for interest and reappointment application process.
• Authorized the City Manager to purchase a replacement mower at a cost of $25,500. Agenda materials described the identified mower as a 2019 John Deere 7200A Precision Cut reel mower with 13 engine hours, while the minutes describe the authorized replacement as Unit #443 - 2014 Kubota Zero Turn Mower; the record is inconsistent.
• Accepted Greenbelt Arts Advisory Board Report #26-1, granting Poetry in the Garden Recognition Group status.
• Accepted Park and Recreation Advisory Board Report #25-2, granting the Greenbelt Badminton Club Basic Certification status.
• Accepted a resignation item from the Advisory Committee on Education. The agenda states Janet Mirsky submitted an email resignation for Michael Burchik; the minutes state the Council accepted the resignations of Janet Mirsky and Michael Burchik, a discrepancy not discussed in the meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Christine Wilkin, a Greenbelt resident, asked the Council and police to investigate a sign on a bench that read ICE is coming for you, Latinos leave now, calling it hateful and divisive. She said a second sign had been found and that photos were sent to the Greenbelt Resistance Network.
• Laura Rosenthal, a resident, said residents had not received closure on an earlier issue involving Greenbelt National Park and that Ann Healy's bystander training had received insufficient city publicity; she said it took nine days for an email to go out and it was not posted on the city Facebook page.
• During CTP discussion, a public speaker said the Transportation Planning Board had answered no to a proposed Virginia Southside tolled lanes project but implied a future yes, and urged Greenbelt to request an emphatic no from state officials at the November 4 tour.
• During discussion of the ICE statement, Michael Hartman proposed adding language about businesses creating private safe-haven spaces, Frankie Fritz explained that hate speech alone is generally not criminal but can be tracked as a hate-bias incident, and Laura Rosenthal asked for public copies of follow-up communications to Congressman Ivey and the District 22 delegation.

Presentations & Proclamations

• Mayor Jordan proclaimed October 2025 as Cooperative Month. Representatives from Greenbelt's seven cooperatives accepted the proclamation and described cooperative events. The proclamation cited more than 40,000 cooperative businesses nationwide, more than two million jobs, and annual sales of more than $652 billion.
• The Council approved the Statement of Record for the closed session held October 15, 2025, at 6:35 p.m. in the Municipal Building Library for legal advice. The roll-call motion passed 7-0.

Legislation

• Ordinance No. 1407, authorizing a supplemental appropriation to the General Fund for Arts Program Support from the Maryland State Arts Council FY26 grant, was adopted 7-0. The agenda states the ordinance increased the FY26 arts grant-funded expenditure line by $27,401 to $30,701, a figure that conflicts with the agenda's stated final grant award of $78,101 and initially expected revenue of $50,700. The ordinance was declared adopted and filed.

Discussion Items

• Draft FY 2026-2031 Maryland Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP): Planning Director Terri Hruby presented the staff-drafted letter. Staff attended the October 21 pre-tour meeting and planned to attend the November 4 county tour. The agenda described the draft CTP as an $18.9 billion six-year capital budget and also as a $300 million increase from the $21.2 billion Final FY 2025-2030 CTP, figures that are inconsistent as written; the increase was attributed to new or increased state transportation fees and taxes. Councilmembers Roberts, Pope, and McKinney supported adding language voicing concern about the burden of these fees and taxes; Councilmember Weaver cautioned that MDOT may not be the right audience. Hruby said she would revise the letter and recirculate it within two days. The Council approved the motion 7-0 to transmit the letter requesting that the MD 193 Greenbelt Road Streetscape Improvement project be added to the CTP with planning and engineering funding, that funding be programmed for Segments 1-4 of the Greenbelt East Trail, and that the City's opposition to I-495 widening alternatives be restated, along with support for US 1/Baltimore Avenue reconstruction, the I-495 Greenbelt Metro interchange, zero-emission buses and transit initiatives, and bicycle/pedestrian programs.
• HOA/Condominium Rental License Renewal Amendment: Mayor Jordan presented a draft proposal that would require HOA or condo association approval before an annual residential rental license renewal is granted. He described it as addressing nuisance issues and a perceived loophole in the City Code. Councilmember Pope supported the concept but urged safeguards and consultation with HOA/condo boards and management companies; Mayor Pro Tem Weaver suggested meeting with HOAs and COAs before finalizing. Planning Director Hruby noted the code currently has no such requirement and that HOAs may lack authority in their governing documents; she also noted roughly 770 single-family and condo units in the city have rental licenses. The item was informational and no vote was taken.

Other Business & Special Orders

• The Council voted 7-0 to special-order agenda item #16, Press Release/Public Comment Draft Letter, before Council Reports.
• ICE Activities Press Release: The Council approved a public statement responding to reported ICE and U.S. Park Police operations along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. The statement said the city has no authority over federal agencies but is committed to protecting residents' rights and dignity, condemned racial profiling and pretextual stops, and highlighted Know Your Rights trainings and legal clinics with CASA, including the CASA hotline 1-855-678-2272. The motion passed 7-0.
• Hateful Flyers Response: Councilmember Pompi presented a draft letter condemning flyers circulating in the community that told Latinos to leave. Council edited the draft to avoid repeating the hateful phrase and to name solidarity with Latino neighbors. The motion to issue the response statement carried on a voice vote.
• Meeting Schedule: The Council agreed to cancel the December 3, 2025 work session because of the December 1 meet-and-greet, December 2 legislative dinner, and December 6 retreat.

Council Reports & Activities

• Councilmembers reported attending many community events between October 15 and 27, including the Utopia Film Festival, Greenbelt CARES GED Graduation, Diwali Celebration, Beltway Plaza Trunk or Treat, Pumpkin Walk, and District 22 bystander intervention training.
• Mayor Jordan noted this was the final regular meeting of the two-year term, thanked Council and staff, and wished everyone well in the upcoming election.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda approved 7-0 as amended.
• Agenda approved 7-0 as amended, adding items #15 and #16.
• Closed-session Statement of Record approved 7-0.
• Ordinance No. 1407 adopted 7-0.
• CTP letter approved 7-0; staff to recirculate revised draft within two days.
• ICE press release approved 7-0.
• Hateful flyers response statement approved by voice vote after edits.
• No work session on December 3, 2025.
• HOA/condo rental license renewal amendment referred for further staff and legal review, with future input from HOA/condo boards and management companies contemplated.

The meeting adjourned at 9:14 p.m.