Greenbelt City Council Regular Meeting - January 28, 2026

The Greenbelt City Council held its regular meeting on January 28, 2026, at 7:30 PM. The meeting covered a range of topics including a presentation on the COG DMVMoves regional transit plan, proclamations for Black History Month and International Holocaust Remembrance Day, administrative reports on the recent snowstorm, authorization of a stop sign enforcement contract, discussion of state legislative bills, acceptance of the Council Retreat report, and adoption of the meeting schedule.

Consent Calendar

• Approved 7-0 the consent agenda including Advisory Planning Board Report #2026-01 on the Draft Prince George’s County Master Plan of Transportation.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Robert Goldberg-Strassler (resident) requested suspension of snow removal enforcement on sidewalks due to ice.
• Bill Orleans (resident) requested to see the City Manager's directive regarding prohibition of anti-union activities.
• Michael Hartman (2 Cork Garden Way) expressed concerns about lack of mention of MetroAccess/accessibility in the DMVMoves presentation and asked about transit to Annapolis.
• Bill Orleans commented that the DMVMoves task force meetings were not transparent and lacked minutes, and criticized the plan for not including dedicated funding or WMATA taxing authority.

Presentations

• COG DMVMoves Presentation: Tom Harrington, COG Multimodal Program Planning Director, presented on the DMVMoves plan to address WMATA's capital funding crisis (need for $460 million/year new capital funding, indexed at 3% annual growth) and improve regional transit integration. The plan includes a bus priority network with seven corridors, but none in Greenbelt currently. Discussion included concerns about service reductions in Greenbelt from Metro's Better Bus redesign and the need for better connection to Annapolis. Councilmembers asked about opportunities for input and accessibility.
• Black History Month Proclamation: Mayor Jordan proclaimed February 2026 as Black History Month. Dr. Lois Rosado of the Greenbelt Black History and Culture Committee accepted and listed upcoming events.
• International Holocaust Remembrance Day Proclamation: Mayor Jordan proclaimed January 27, 2026 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Robert Goldberg-Strassler accepted and recited the Kaddish.

Administrative Reports

• City Manager Josué Salmerón reported on: FY2027 budget preparations, loss of Economic Development Manager John Mason to Prince George’s EDC, Chick-a-Licious ribbon cutting, Resource Fair serving 150 individuals, façade improvement grant, Verizon meeting on cell signal issues, Community Center elevator project (completion July/August), EV charging station permit, Save-As-You-Throw program progress. Also detailed the snowstorm response: crews worked 20-hour shifts, roads cleared, city opened on two-hour delays. Sidewalk clearing enforcement: city works with residents with age/disability exemptions but encourages compliance. Communication efforts praised. Also noted the Elsa-from-Frozen advisory not to walk on frozen lakes.

Discussion Items

• Resolution to Endorse COG DMVMoves Funding Proposal (First Reading): Council received the presentation and discussed. The resolution was introduced for first reading and will come back for second reading at a future meeting.
• Authorization for City Manager to Approve Stop Sign Contract: The city issued an RFP and received five proposals. Staff recommended Obvio Inc. for the automated stop sign enforcement program in school zones. The cameras will be year-round, cost-neutral (monthly fee per camera + per violation fee), with a 30-day warning period before citations ($40 fine). Chief Bowers explained the selection process, privacy protections (data not shared without subpoena), and a 60% drop in violations seen in Berwyn Heights. The contract is one-year renewable.
• Discussion on Legislative Bills: Council reviewed the Week 1 legislative summary from Carrington and Associates. They discussed the process for tracking bills, prioritizing, and advocating. Councilmember Pompi noted the rapid progress of bill banning certain firearms (SB287). Council voted 7-0 to reaffirm support for SB342 (Beverage Container Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Program).
• Discussion and Acceptance of Council Retreat Report: The retreat was held December 10 and 15, 2025, facilitated by Tom Reynolds of MML. The report outlines strategic goals in public safety, youth engagement, economic development, transportation, environment, infrastructure, and communications. Council accepted the report 7-0 with an amendment to correct the spelling of Councilmember Weaver's name. They discussed next steps to turn it into an actionable strategic plan and possibly engage the community in a visioning process.

Meetings Schedule

• Council debated a proposed meeting schedule for budget work sessions. A motion to remove a requirement for written questions by a deadline failed 2-5. The original motion to adopt the schedule as presented passed 7-0. Amendments included moving the quarterly update to February 11 (due to snowstorm) and scheduling a meet-and-greet on March 2 or 4. The overall calendar as amended was adopted 7-0.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda approved 7-0.
• Resolution to endorse DMVMoves introduced for first reading (will return).
• Authorization for City Manager to enter into stop sign contract with Obvio Inc. approved 7-0.
• Support for SB342 (bottle bill) reaffirmed 7-0.
• Council Retreat Report accepted 7-0 with name correction.
• Meeting schedule adopted 7-0 after amendments.
• City Manager directed to check living wage compliance for stop sign subcontractors.