City Council Preview: January 23

Greenbelt City Council will hold a regular meeting Monday at 8 p.m. in the council room on the second floor of the .

Council plans to take up the following presentation, legislation and business items:

PRESENTATION

Electronic Agenda
Council will hear a presentation concerning a process to make the council agenda, agenda comments and backup documentation available electronically for the public. Beverly Palau, the city’s public information and communications coordinator, will give the presentation.

PETITIONS AND REQUESTS

A group of Greenbelt citizens has announced plans in Patch, Greenbelters Yahoo group, and the Greenbelt News Review to ask council to support a constitutional amendment revoking the Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. In Citizens United, the Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment gives corporations and unions the same political speech rights as individuals — and it opened the door for corporations and unions to use their general treasury funds to make election-related independent expenditures.

LEGISLATION

A Resolution to Negotiate the Purchase of Leasing Police Vehicles from ACME Auto Leasing, LLC. of North Haven, Conn.
City staff recommends a second reading and adoption tonight. Staff proposes to lease up to seven vehicles for the Metro Area Drug Task Force (MADTF) from Acme through the city. The bill would be paid by the city, and MADTF would reimburse the city.

BUSINESS

Advisory Committee on Education, Report #12-1 (ACE Grant Proposals)
The FY 2012 budget includes $7,000 for the Advisory Committee on Education (ACE) Grants to Educators program.

After review of the proposals submitted by six ACE core schools, ACE has recommended the following sixteen grant proposal be submitted to council for funding approval.  

1. Greenbelt Elementary School — Microscopes: Enriching Science and Exploratory Learning: $500
2. Greenbelt Elementary School — School Play: $500
3. Greenbelt Elementary School — Lively Tales with Chesapeake Children's Museum: $250
4. Greenbelt Middle School — Music Composition Camp: $450
5. Eleanor Roosevelt High School — Special Education Agenda Books, 2012 – 2013: $500
6. Greenbelt Middle School — Greenbelt Middle School Novels: $500
7. Greenbelt Middle School — Robotics Team: $290
8. Greenbelt Elementary School — Reading and Writing Non-Fiction Text Project: $500
9. Greenbelt Middle School — Day of Dance: $200
10. Greenbelt Elementary School — Character Development through Drawing & Illustration: $500
11. Greenbelt Middle School — Field Trip to the National Museum of Natural History: $500
12. Springhill Lake Elementary School — Garden Club: $500
13. Springhill Lake Elementary School — Cooking Class: $500
14. Greenbelt Elementary School — 1XL Math: $500
15. Greenbelt Middle School — Graphic Design Creative Suite Software: $500
16. Springhill Lake Elementary School — Exercise Instructors: $500

State Legislation: Street Lighting – Purchase by Local Governments
City staff recommends council support a state bill that would allow local governments to utilize a condemnation procedure to acquire street lights.  Delegate Carr has requested the city support the legislation again this year, as it has in the past.

Appointment of Council Members to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Policy Boards and Committees
At council's last regular meeting on Jan. 9, council voted to defer its liaison assignments to the the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) policy boards and committees until its Jan. 23 meeting. The decision on whether to approve Council Member Rodney Roberts reappointment to the Transportation Planning Board or to give that appointment to Mayor Pro-Tem Emmett Jordan was contested during the last regular meeting with no final vote.

Recognition Group Application – Greenstems, Inc.
City staff recommends council grant recognition group status to Greenstems, Inc.

Council will also take up organization, communication and meeting items, as well as minutes and reports and an appointment and a reappointment to city advisory groups.