OpenPublica

Accountability starts with access.

© 2026 · Filed for the public record

Use casesAboutAPIPrivacyTermsLinkedIn
Home/Greenbelt, Maryland/City Council
OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Greenbelt City Council Regular Meeting - June 8, 2026

City Council — Monday, June 8, 2026
BodyGreenbelt, Maryland
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, June 8, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:22:32

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:59

Recording

Speaker 2

1:00

stopped.

1:00

Petitions and requests.

1:04

Recording in

Speaker 3

1:05

progress.

Speaker 4

1:09

We can use that.

1:11

Probably this one is easier.

Speaker 1

1:14

Well, yeah, we need to get will that one work?

1:16

Okay.

1:16

Does that one come separate?

Speaker 2

1:23

Good evening.

1:24

I call this meeting of the Greenbelt City Council to order.

1:26

Madam Clerk, can you call the roll, please?

1:28

Good

Speaker 5

1:29

evening.

1:29

Councilmember Fritz.

1:31

Present.

1:32

Councilmember Niesel.

Speaker 4

1:33

Here.

Speaker 5

1:33

Councilmember McKinney.

1:35

Councilmember Poppy?

Speaker 6

1:37

Here.

Speaker 5

1:37

Councilmember Pope.

1:38

Here.

1:38

Mayor Pro Tem Weaver?

1:40

Here.

Speaker 2

1:40

Mayor Jordan.

1:42

I'm here.

1:43

Please please join us in a moment of silent reflection as we remember and think about uh Greenbelt residents and others who have passed away since the last uh council meeting.

1:53

And tonight, uh Joyce Krieger.

1:56

Let's uh pause.

Unassigned speaker

2:08

Thank

Speaker 2

2:08

you very much.

2:09

Uh Mayor Pro Tim, will you lead us in the pledge?

Speaker 1

2:15

Pledge allegiance.

Speaker 7

2:16

To the flag of the United States of America.

2:19

And to the Republic for which it stands.

2:22

One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Speaker 2

2:31

Thank you very much.

2:32

Thank you.

2:33

And the Greenbelt Pledge, the strength of Greenbelt is diverse people living together in a spirit of cooperation.

2:38

We celebrate all people.

2:40

By sharing together, we're all enriched.

2:42

We strive to be a respectful, welcoming community that is open, accessible, safe, and fair.

2:50

Okay.

2:51

So

Unassigned speaker

2:54

let

Speaker 2

2:55

me just say this.

3:31

If you are on Zoom, uh you can use the QA feature at the bottom of the screen to submit a written question, or you can raise your virtual hand.

3:38

And uh once again, you'll need to submit uh your name and address.

3:42

We we don't accept anonymous comments online.

3:45

And finally, if you're watching remotely on cable TV or z uh one of the other uh streaming services, uh and you'd like to submit a comment, uh the best thing to do is just to send us an email.

3:55

The email address is

Unassigned speaker

3:57

uh

Speaker 2

3:57

questions at Greenbelt MD.gov.

4:00

Please limit your remarks uh during the meeting to three minutes, uh five minutes during petitions and requests, and we ask all speakers to uh address the matter currently being discussed by council, remain respectful and avoid personal attacks or questioning the motives of others.

4:16

So before we begin our formal agenda, as always, we hear a petitions and requests from the public.

4:22

Uh this uh portion of the meeting allows residents to uh bring new matters to the attention of city council, including requests for city action or concerns uh not listed on tonight's agenda.

4:33

Uh speakers may address council for up to five minutes.

4:37

And uh we we receive these comments and we do not respond generally, we do not respond immediately on petitions and requests.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation███████████████15%
Public Engagement███████████████15%
Technology and Innovation███████████11%
Labor Relations██████████10%
Procedural█████████9%
Economic Development████████8%
Public Safety██████6%
Budget Equity Analysis█████5%
Community Engagement█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Greenbelt City Council Regular Meeting - June 8, 2026

The Greenbelt City Council held a regular meeting on June 8, 2026, beginning at 7:30 PM. Mayor Emmett V. Jordan presided over the meeting, which included all seven council members (Frankie S. Fritz, Amy E. Knesel, Danielle P. McKinney, Jenni A. Pompi, Silke I. Pope, Mayor Pro Tem Kristen L.K. Weaver, and the Mayor). City Manager Josué Salmerón and Acting Planning Director Jaime Fearer also presented. The council unanimously approved a charter amendment authorizing collective bargaining, approved FY2027 Program Open Space funding, and discussed significant updates to the city labor code.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent agenda was approved unanimously (7-0), including minutes from several work sessions and regular meetings held between April 29 and June 1, 2026.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • County Council Member Tim Adams reported securing over $1.65 million in the County's FY2027 budget for Greenbelt priorities, including support for Buddy Attick Park, Schrom Hills Park lighting, Greenbelt Museum rehabilitation, and aquatic center maintenance.
  • Lore Rosenthal (Resident) petitioned for increased cleaning of compost toters at Buddy Attick Park, citing unsanitary conditions.
  • Claudia Jones (Resident) expressed concerns about an illegal dumping incident at a storm drain, stating that the resident who reported it did not receive a timely response from the city. City Manager Salmerón noted he personally inspected the site.
  • Public Hearing for Charter Amendment: No members of the public offered comments.
  • John Barry (UFCW 1994 MCGEO) spoke in support of the charter amendment on collective bargaining.
  • A resident spoke in support of the charter amendment but noted concerns about the subsequent labor code discussion.

Presentations & Proclamations

  • LGBTQ+ Pride Month: Mayor Jordan proclaimed June 2026 as Emerald City Pride. Pride organizer Seymar Higgs and Xander accepted the proclamation, highlighting upcoming community events.
  • Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week: Mayor Jordan proclaimed June 6-14 as Chesapeake Bay Week. Councilmember Pompi, chair of the COG Chesapeake Bay Water and Policy Resource Committee, accepted.
  • National Gun Violence Awareness Month: Mayor Jordan proclaimed June 2026 as National Gun Violence Awareness Month. Representatives from Moms Demand Action (Edith Beecham) and Everytown for Gun Safety spoke, emphasizing safe storage and local prevention efforts.

Administrative Reports

  • City Manager Salmerón provided an update on cell phone towers, reporting that T-Mobile has been responsive to signal issues, while Verizon remains unresponsive. Consequently, the city has transitioned police vehicle hotspots from Verizon to T-Mobile. Other updates included the upcoming Business Expo (June 24), a new economic development manager starting June 15, the expansion of the facade improvement program to $300,000, road resurfacing starting July 1, and the anticipated activation of EV chargers at the library.

Legislation

  • Charter Amendment (Collective Bargaining): The council held a second reading and unanimously adopted (7-0) a resolution amending the City Charter to authorize collective bargaining with eligible non-exempt, non-managerial, and non-confidential city employees. City Manager Salmerón noted a 45-day public challenge period for the charter amendment before it takes effect.

Discussion Items (Other Business)

  • FY2027 Program Open Space (POS) Funding: Acting Planning Director Fearer presented the annual request. Council approved (7-0) a single project request for the Springhill Lake Recreation Center Expansion, seeking $2,700,000 in POS funding with a $300,000 city match. Council discussed holding a community meeting to update residents on project designs.
  • Indian Creek Park Master Plan Update: Council accepted (7-0) the update memo on the feasibility of the Indian Creek Park project.
  • Greenbelt Station/WMATA Trail: Council authorized (7-0) the City Manager to execute a $92,300 contract addendum with Dewberry Engineers Inc. for trail design and engineering.
  • Labor Code Amendment Discussion: Attorney Blaine Taylor presented proposed updates to the Labor Code. Council discussed inconsistencies in the draft documents. Councilmember Pompi moved to proceed with the June 8 version of the code amendment. City Manager Salmerón expressed concerns about the administrative burden of managing multiple collective bargaining units. The motion passed 6-1, with Councilmember Pope opposed.
  • Council Finance Working Group: Councilmember Pompi proposed the group. The discussion was tabled for further consideration at an upcoming Wednesday work session. The City Manager noted the FY2028 budget would face a $700,000 pressure from an under-budgeted abatement expense.
  • Council Liaison to Greenbelt Cinema: Councilmember Pompi was appointed as the council liaison to the Greenbelt Cinema (motion passed 7-0).

Key Outcomes

  • Charter Amendment Authorizing Collective Bargaining: Passed unanimously (7-0) on second reading.
  • FY2027 POS Funding: Approved (7-0) for the Springhill Lake Recreation Center Expansion ($2.7M request).
  • Labor Code Amendment: Council voted (6-1) to proceed with the June 8 draft of the code amendment.
  • Greenbelt Cinema Liaison: Councilmember Pompi appointed (7-0).
  • Contract Award: Dewberry contract for trail design authorized (7-0).
  • Finance Working Group: Concept tabled for a future work session.

Meeting Transcript

Recording stopped. Petitions and requests. Recording in progress. We can use that. Probably this one is easier. Well, yeah, we need to get will that one work? Okay. Does that one come separate? Good evening. I call this meeting of the Greenbelt City Council to order. Madam Clerk, can you call the roll, please? Good evening. Councilmember Fritz. Present. Councilmember Niesel. Here. Councilmember McKinney. Councilmember Poppy? Here. Councilmember Pope. Here. Mayor Pro Tem Weaver? Here. Mayor Jordan. I'm here. Please please join us in a moment of silent reflection as we remember and think about uh Greenbelt residents and others who have passed away since the last uh council meeting. And tonight, uh Joyce Krieger. Let's uh pause. Thank you very much. Uh Mayor Pro Tim, will you lead us in the pledge? Pledge allegiance. To the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you very much. Thank you. And the Greenbelt Pledge, the strength of Greenbelt is diverse people living together in a spirit of cooperation. We celebrate all people. By sharing together, we're all enriched. We strive to be a respectful, welcoming community that is open, accessible, safe, and fair. Okay. So let me just say this. If you are on Zoom, uh you can use the QA feature at the bottom of the screen to submit a written question, or you can raise your virtual hand. And uh once again, you'll need to submit uh your name and address.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com