On Apr 23, 2025, at 8:27?AM, Bill via groups.io <billvaldez777@...> wrote:

Respectfully disagree, Randy.? Awful and divisive names are a form of environmental pollution and the sooner they are gone the better.? This hateful legacy of the past can’t go away fast enuf IMHO.

?

Bill

Walnut Avenue

?

From:?[email protected]?<[email protected]>?On Behalf Of?Randall David Marks via?
Sent:?Tuesday, April 22, 2025 11:45 PM
To:?WACO <[email protected]>
Subject:?Re: [wacorganization] Ward 3 update: Final budget work (Zoom format tomorrow); Pinecrest and Lincoln details; big decisions left; other news.

?

Roger

?

With respect, I strongly disagree with the idea that we would pay $90,000 for street renaming solely because the legislature just authorized it. ?The names have been awful for many years and the City would be ok for another year or two. ?It’s this kind of thinking that that puts emotion over logic (spend only what’s absolutely necessary given our difficult situation) that has made our fiscal situation unsustainable. I thought you are stronger than that. It’s most disappointing position you’ve stated. ?

?

Randy on Allegheny?

On Apr 22, 2025, at 11:14?PM, Rick Weiss via??<rickweiss99@...> wrote:

?Thanks for this, Roger. Fwiw, re the atrium, I support option 3. Basically back to Square One. ?I’m certain we can do this smarter. ?

Rick on Pine

?

On Apr 22, 2025, at 10:14?PM, Roger Schlegel, Ward 3 Council Member via??<RogerS@...> wrote:

?

Good evening Ward 3 neighbors,

?

This update concerns?tomorrow’s City Council meeting?(including a closed session on the recent legal settlement, Piney Branch ES, Council compensation);?Budget Reconciliation so far: areas of agreement last night,?Pinecrest and Lincoln Avenue unresolved items,?budget items still to be discussed on Wednesday night,?more onthe “Atrium” Renovation project,?and?other short updates

?

Tomorrow’s City Council meeting?()?

?

1. The meeting will again be?conducted via Zoom?due to a continuing power outage affecting the Auditorium lights.?.

?

2.????????????The Council will convene at 6:30 pm and immediately vote to go into?closed session?to receive a confidential briefing and discuss the?recent settlement in the case of Cooper v. City of Takoma Park.?This matter is of deep concern to me, and I have many questions. Thanks to everyone who has sent me comments and questions about this matter. I have compiled them all (names withheld) and will share them with colleagues. I will try to ensure that all questions are addressed in the session and will report out afterwards.

?

3.????????????Our regular session will begin with Mayoral Proclamations for National Infertility Awareness Week and Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, followed by?Public Comments?– this will be your last chance to comment on what you wish to see included in the FY26 budget. This will be followed by Council and Manager comments.?

?

4.????????????Next is a?presentation about the?.?If you take an interest in PBES and questions related to its renovation or expansion to meet growing needs, this segment of the evening is set to last 60 minutes.

?

5.????????????Next, we’ll finalize?plans for forming a??as required by City Code. This committee is to be established every four years to review compensation for City Council members and make recommendations to take effect in the next term if adopted by the current Council. This discussion is expected to take about 20 minutes.?I’m advocating for care in ensuring that the selection process leads to an independent committee with a variety of knowledge, expertise, and resident perspectives.?

?

6.????????????We’ll spend the rest of the evening on?final budget reconciliation. (The agenda link above contains a link to an Excel spreadsheet.) In a series of discussions and hand votes, we’ll decide which items from the proposed budget we wish to reconcile (change). This work will inform the drafting of a Fiscal Year 2026 budget resolution. Final votes on the property tax and stormwater fee rates will be taken in May.

?

Budget Reconciliation so far: areas of agreement last night

?

Last night the Council held an additional work session on Zoom to do preliminary work on budget reconciliation. With Mayor Searcy managing the workflow, we discussed perhaps three-quarters of the reconciliation items and took hand-votes on many of the “easy” ones. Here are the main outcomes:

?

- We held hand-votes indicating unanimous acceptance of most of the?reconciliation items proposed by City staff?– generally accounting corrections or changes in projections.?

?

- Also, we tentatively approved 7-0 the City Manager’s proposal to?not hire a Communications Specialist?as a way of compensating for the addition of a new web manager position.

?

- We had 7-0 votes in favor of each one in a set of?sidewalk and traffic-calming proposals?that we had discussed last week.?I was clear in campaigning last fall that I would make safe, safely-connected streets (including pedestrian routes) a priority; so I am comfortable with the hand votes taken last night.

?

- We all hand-voted in favor of?increases in property tax relief funds?(so more cash-strapped homeowners can benefit via a City match associated with a recent County expansion of eligibility).?

?

- We had a tentative hand-vote in favor of?doubling funds for Community Quality of Life grants?to be aimed at helping people most affected by current political and economic instability. We may need to revisit this allocation tomorrow evening if final budget decisions are tight.

?

- We discussed a reconciliation item adding $90,000 total to speed the process of?removing racist restrictive covenant language?from all deeds to real property in Takoma Park. This estimated expense is likely to be significantly lower; $40,000 would be for a temporary assistant and up to $50,000 would be for required four-week public advertising of the changes – although it may be that we could post blanket advertisements of an across-the-board change rather than needing to advertise separately for each address.?I agree with colleagues that this effort, only made possible a couple of weeks ago via a bill passed in the General Assembly, should be pursued. Given Trump administration actions to roll back civil rights protections, it could be that removing restrictive covenants from deeds is more than a symbolic gesture or correction of an “historic” wrong.??That being said, $90,000 is a lot to add, so I will seek to offset it with budget reductions elsewhere.?

?

- We agreed to?increase the tax rate for utility-owned property?from $1.57 to $1.75, which will result in a modest revenue increase of about $10,000, with a dispersed impact of about 3 cents per customer given the large number of utility customers in the state.?I had proposed this item because coordination with utilities, particularly around repaving of streets, does take an inordinate amount of City staff follow-up time.

?

Pinecrest and Lincoln Avenue unresolved items

?

- Additionally, we had preliminary agreement on adding funding ($5,000) for a?speed hump on Orchard Avenue, although it appears that this will be revoted on tomorrow evening.Orchard Avenue residents: If you have thoughts for or against the construction of one speed hump in the townhome block, please consider submitting a comment to the City Council via an email to?jessiec@...?or by signing up to make a Public Comment via Zoom (see above).

?

-?Lincoln Avenue?residents, please take note: Councilmember Dyballa (Ward 2) had proposed that additional funding be included for a traffic study of Lincoln Avenue in Ward 2. (She compensated for this additional item by proposing to postpone sidewalk design work on some streets in the northern part of Ward 2.)?I asked that if such a study were to be done, it also include the 300 block of Lincoln Avenue in Ward 3. It appears that we have agreement on making that extension of the study. However, things are up in the air in terms of whether we should budget for such a traffic study in FY26. With two other traffic studies already in the queue (in New Hampshire Gardens and on lower Flower Avenue, a Lincoln Avenue study would be unlikely to get underway until near the very end of FY26. In the interests of keeping about $50,000 out of the FY26, I am comfortable with getting a general agreement among colleagues that a Lincoln Avenue traffic study would be funded in FY27 and get going right away.?Lincoln Avenue residents especially, and Ward residents in general,?please let me know?if you’re comfortable with my thinking on this.

?

Still to be discussed on Wednesday night

?

- Question: whether to move unspent funding of $150,000 for the?Community Connectors?program into FY26. These funds, originally to be covered by ARPA money, would go toward the first year of a two-year contract with a local non-profit (to be determined) that would work to help Takoma Park residents get better connected to available social services and other forms of assistance.?I hand-voted against this item along with Councilmember Landman (Ward 1). I would like to see the extent to which the recently opened non-profit social services center in Ward 6 is reaching the same population targeted in the Community Connectors program proposal.

?

- Question: whether to move $85,000 in funds for any?rent stabilization study?(“housing ordinance review”) to unassigned reserves pending a Council discussion of the objectives of such a study.?I support this based on my priority of protecting residents from displacement.

?

- Question; whether to cut funding for the Manager’s proposed?Financial Review study?($50,000) on the grounds that such evaluation can be done in-house.?I proposed this based on my priority of living within our means.

?

- Question: whether to reduce the?contribution to the Equipment Replacement Reserve?by $222,000 with an eye toward hoped-for operational changes, extended vehicle lifetimes, or leasing arrangements that could reduce vehicle costs.?I proposed this, have received more information and perspectives from staff and colleagues, and am still considering it as a responsible move in a tight year and given our imperative of reducing greenhouse gas emissions rapidly over the next few years.

?

- I had proposed that the Manager find one additional full-time-equivalent (FTE) vacancy to freeze hiring on, but all vacancies are in active search processes; last night, the Manager generously agreed to search for additional small cuts in many cost areas that could sum to the equivalent of a full-time salaried position. We will find out that amount and vote on such changes tomorrow evening.?I will most likely support what additional savings the Manager can identify on the principles of living within our means and of transparency and accountability.

?

Focus: The “Atrium” Renovation project

?

- The biggest unresolved budget reconciliation issue is the “Atrium Project” - which is shorthand for the?long-planned renovations to portions of the Community Center, mainly related to the Police Department, that would involve decking over the main floor opening in the Atrium, at a currently estimated cost of $1.685 million.?We will have three possible reconciliation items, all of which I’ve proposed, to vote on tomorrow night related to this project:

1. Reducing the project budget by $285,000, which is the additional amount requested last month by the Manager as a reconciliation item to account for construction management fees, architectural fees, and contingencies.
2. Reducing the project by an additional $200,000, which is the amount not covered by original ARPA funds or a grant of $200k received with the help of Congressman Raskin.
3. Moving all of the money for this project into General Fund unassigned reserves pending a review to see whether all of the essential objectives can be met more affordably.

?

I made a presentation last night to make the case that the Atrium project, especially since $285,000 was recently added, appears to be too expensive.?I calculate that the cost of the new functional area gained by the project is about $985 per square foot, far above typical estimates for the cost-per-square-foot of commercial or office building renovations. In my view, there’s a strong possibility that if the decking-over of the atrium is eliminated and underutilized spaces on the third floor are incorporated into the project, and if existing restrooms can be upgraded in place rather than relocated, all of the important needs identified by staff and advocated for by union members can be met.?Please see the attached PDF of my short presentation.?In my view, even if my colleagues want to see this whole project go forward as designed, it is still wise to place a pause on any expenditures to allow time for Council oversight. Specifically, I think that the Council needs to find out, on behalf of the residents as well as staff, how this project came to a place where the cost per square foot of new functional space is so high.?

?

The FY26 budget that is coming into focus will have unassigned reserves well in excess of the required 17% (two months’ worth) of operating funds. I wrote?incorrectly?a few weeks ago that Manager DiSpirito had reduced the excess unassigned reserves; in fact, he?subdivided the excess unassigned reserves?to show how they are keeping pots of money safe for various possibilities including a drop in income tax receipts, unexpectedly low revenue from the new red light cameras, and clawbacks or other unforeseen losses of intergovernmental funds.?

?

In response to a question I asked,?Manager DiSpirito pledged?last week that if circumstances go better than worst-case scenarios, and the unassigned reserves remain plentiful as FY26 proceeds, he will “not spend a penny” of those reserves on other, new expenditures. I am really happy to hear this since it opens up the possibility of convincing the Council to return some carried-over excess funds to property taxpayers in the form of a reduced FY27 property tax rate.?

?

Overall, I feel that while there have been persistent differences of opinion around some budget issues, there has been?lots of consensus and goodwill?among our seven-member team. Once we get through the bulk of the process, I’ll offer an overall reflection.?

?

Other short updates

?

1. This weekend is Takoma Park’s?. The main event is on?Saturday, April 26 from 10 am to 2 pm?near the playground located at Sligo Creek and the bottom of Houston and Kennebec Avenues. There are also opportunities for stargazing at the Montgomery College Planetarium. If you pass along other information about events, and I’ll amplify it.

?

2.?Purple Line work-related closures ended?at the New Hampshire Avenue/ University Boulevard intersection last week ahead of schedule; normal traffic flow has been restored.

?

3. I attended the?Interjurisdictional Public Safety Summit?last week hosted by our Police Department. My?three major takeaways?from the evening: (1) thefts from vehicles and porches, as well as car thefts, are often being perpetrated by juveniles, who are not at high risk for arrest or prosecution and who are also adept at moving back and forth between jurisdictions. As a result, (2) everything that communities can do to help young people find enjoyable, constructive activities is helpful, as is taking common-sense precautions to discourage thefts. (3) There is still room for improvement in the coordination and collaboration among neighboring police jurisdictions.

?

4. In mentioning the passing of Jackie Frazier last week, I spoke of her influential role in the?Lunch and Learn Program?based at Essex House. My apologies for an error I made: former Councilmember?Jarrett Smith?(Ward 5) was the founder of that program.

?

5. Please find attached PDFs of flyers about:

City?Housing Resources

City?Food Resources

City?Emergency Shelter Resources.

?

6. The?Takoma Park Community Band?will have a?free concert?at the Community Center on Saturday, May 3 at 3 pm. (See attached flyer.)

?

7.?Adult Play Day?(age 21+) will be coming up on June 8, 5:30 - 7:30 pm at Busboys and Poets. (See attached flyer.)

?

8. Adriana Elefante, Vincent Verweij, Randy Gibson, and I had a really nice 3-hour walkabout to take stock of the?woods and waters of Ward 3?(plus nearby Forest Park and Opal Daniels Park). We are going to try to develop some nice opportunities and invitations for people to experience these special places according to their own schedules, speed, and stamina. More to come.

?

9. City Manager DiSpirito is in receipt of concerns expressed by WACO residents about?parking enforcement and related issues on Westmoreland Avenue. He is investigating what actions have been taken by staff and will respond with information that I’ll then share with the WACO listserv.

?

10. I’m working to set up a meeting with the District DOT community engagement specialist so that I advocate strongly for a four-way stop sign at Walnut and Eastern.

?

11. I know that the backups and congestion at the?Fire Station signal, uncertainty around parking and deliveries at the?City-owned lot, and noise/vibration from the?Co-op’s new condenser unit?are ongoing matters of concern, Please know that I’m working on these issues and hope to have more time to double down on them as the budget season moves past its peak.

12. If you've read all the way to here, I'm amazed. Here's a fun idea: if you've had a recent?Ward 3 wildlife sighting?and a?photo?to share, please send it my way, and I'll include it in an upcoming update.

?

I hope you’re enjoying the spring green and surviving the pollen!

?

Best regards,

Roger

?

?

--?

Roger Schlegel

City?Council Member,?Ward Three?

7500 Maple Avenue

Takoma Park, MD 20912
Email:?RogerS@...
Phone:?240-997-3041

Please note that all City emails can potentially be public.

<_Reimagining the Atrium Area Renovation_ Analysis Slides.pdf>

<Trifold_Emergency Shelters & Resources_2025_ENG.pdf>

<Trifold_FoodResources_2025_ENG.pdf>

<Trifold_Housing Resources_2025_ENG.pdf>

<Flyer Musical Montage.pdf>

<Adult-Play-Day-1-1.png>

?

?Thanks for this, Roger. Fwiw, re the atrium, I support option 3. Basically back to Square One. ?I’m certain we can do this smarter. ?

Rick on Pine

?

On Apr 22, 2025, at 10:14?PM, Roger Schlegel, Ward 3 Council Member via groups.io <RogerS@...> wrote:

?

Good evening Ward 3 neighbors,

?

This update concerns tomorrow’s City Council meeting (including a closed session on the recent legal settlement, Piney Branch ES, Council compensation); Budget Reconciliation so far: areas of agreement last night, Pinecrest and Lincoln Avenue unresolved items, budget items still to be discussed on Wednesday night, more on the “Atrium” Renovation project, and other short updates

?

Tomorrow’s City Council meeting ()?

?

1. The meeting will again be conducted via Zoom due to a continuing power outage affecting the Auditorium lights. .

?

2.??????????? The Council will convene at 6:30 pm and immediately vote to go into closed session to receive a confidential briefing and discuss the recent settlement in the case of Cooper v. City of Takoma Park. This matter is of deep concern to me, and I have many questions. Thanks to everyone who has sent me comments and questions about this matter. I have compiled them all (names withheld) and will share them with colleagues. I will try to ensure that all questions are addressed in the session and will report out afterwards.

?

3.??????????? Our regular session will begin with Mayoral Proclamations for National Infertility Awareness Week and Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, followed by Public Comments – this will be your last chance to comment on what you wish to see included in the FY26 budget. This will be followed by Council and Manager comments.?

?

4.??????????? Next is a presentation about the . If you take an interest in PBES and questions related to its renovation or expansion to meet growing needs, this segment of the evening is set to last 60 minutes.

?

5.??????????? Next, we’ll finalize plans for forming a as required by City Code. This committee is to be established every four years to review compensation for City Council members and make recommendations to take effect in the next term if adopted by the current Council. This discussion is expected to take about 20 minutes. I’m advocating for care in ensuring that the selection process leads to an independent committee with a variety of knowledge, expertise, and resident perspectives.?

?

6.??????????? We’ll spend the rest of the evening on final budget reconciliation. (The agenda link above contains a link to an Excel spreadsheet.) In a series of discussions and hand votes, we’ll decide which items from the proposed budget we wish to reconcile (change). This work will inform the drafting of a Fiscal Year 2026 budget resolution. Final votes on the property tax and stormwater fee rates will be taken in May.

?

Budget Reconciliation so far: areas of agreement last night

?

Last night the Council held an additional work session on Zoom to do preliminary work on budget reconciliation. With Mayor Searcy managing the workflow, we discussed perhaps three-quarters of the reconciliation items and took hand-votes on many of the “easy” ones. Here are the main outcomes:

?

- We held hand-votes indicating unanimous acceptance of most of the reconciliation items proposed by City staff – generally accounting corrections or changes in projections.?

?

- Also, we tentatively approved 7-0 the City Manager’s proposal to not hire a Communications Specialist as a way of compensating for the addition of a new web manager position.

?

- We had 7-0 votes in favor of each one in a set of sidewalk and traffic-calming proposals that we had discussed last week. I was clear in campaigning last fall that I would make safe, safely-connected streets (including pedestrian routes) a priority; so I am comfortable with the hand votes taken last night.

?

- We all hand-voted in favor of increases in property tax relief funds (so more cash-strapped homeowners can benefit via a City match associated with a recent County expansion of eligibility).?

?

- We had a tentative hand-vote in favor of doubling funds for Community Quality of Life grants to be aimed at helping people most affected by current political and economic instability. We may need to revisit this allocation tomorrow evening if final budget decisions are tight.

?

- We discussed a reconciliation item adding $90,000 total to speed the process of removing racist restrictive covenant language from all deeds to real property in Takoma Park. This estimated expense is likely to be significantly lower; $40,000 would be for a temporary assistant and up to $50,000 would be for required four-week public advertising of the changes – although it may be that we could post blanket advertisements of an across-the-board change rather than needing to advertise separately for each address. I agree with colleagues that this effort, only made possible a couple of weeks ago via a bill passed in the General Assembly, should be pursued. Given Trump administration actions to roll back civil rights protections, it could be that removing restrictive covenants from deeds is more than a symbolic gesture or correction of an “historic” wrong. ?That being said, $90,000 is a lot to add, so I will seek to offset it with budget reductions elsewhere.?

?

- We agreed to increase the tax rate for utility-owned property from $1.57 to $1.75, which will result in a modest revenue increase of about $10,000, with a dispersed impact of about 3 cents per customer given the large number of utility customers in the state. I had proposed this item because coordination with utilities, particularly around repaving of streets, does take an inordinate amount of City staff follow-up time.

?

Pinecrest and Lincoln Avenue unresolved items

?

- Additionally, we had preliminary agreement on adding funding ($5,000) for a speed hump on Orchard Avenue, although it appears that this will be revoted on tomorrow evening. Orchard Avenue residents: If you have thoughts for or against the construction of one speed hump in the townhome block, please consider submitting a comment to the City Council via an email to jessiec@... or by signing up to make a Public Comment via Zoom (see above).

?

- Lincoln Avenue residents, please take note: Councilmember Dyballa (Ward 2) had proposed that additional funding be included for a traffic study of Lincoln Avenue in Ward 2. (She compensated for this additional item by proposing to postpone sidewalk design work on some streets in the northern part of Ward 2.) I asked that if such a study were to be done, it also include the 300 block of Lincoln Avenue in Ward 3. It appears that we have agreement on making that extension of the study. However, things are up in the air in terms of whether we should budget for such a traffic study in FY26. With two other traffic studies already in the queue (in New Hampshire Gardens and on lower Flower Avenue, a Lincoln Avenue study would be unlikely to get underway until near the very end of FY26. In the interests of keeping about $50,000 out of the FY26, I am comfortable with getting a general agreement among colleagues that a Lincoln Avenue traffic study would be funded in FY27 and get going right away. Lincoln Avenue residents especially, and Ward residents in general, please let me know if you’re comfortable with my thinking on this.

?

Still to be discussed on Wednesday night

?

- Question: whether to move unspent funding of $150,000 for the Community Connectors program into FY26. These funds, originally to be covered by ARPA money, would go toward the first year of a two-year contract with a local non-profit (to be determined) that would work to help Takoma Park residents get better connected to available social services and other forms of assistance. I hand-voted against this item along with Councilmember Landman (Ward 1). I would like to see the extent to which the recently opened non-profit social services center in Ward 6 is reaching the same population targeted in the Community Connectors program proposal.

?

- Question: whether to move $85,000 in funds for any rent stabilization study (“housing ordinance review”) to unassigned reserves pending a Council discussion of the objectives of such a study. I support this based on my priority of protecting residents from displacement.

?

- Question; whether to cut funding for the Manager’s proposed Financial Review study ($50,000) on the grounds that such evaluation can be done in-house. I proposed this based on my priority of living within our means.

?

- Question: whether to reduce the contribution to the Equipment Replacement Reserve by $222,000 with an eye toward hoped-for operational changes, extended vehicle lifetimes, or leasing arrangements that could reduce vehicle costs. I proposed this, have received more information and perspectives from staff and colleagues, and am still considering it as a responsible move in a tight year and given our imperative of reducing greenhouse gas emissions rapidly over the next few years.

?

- I had proposed that the Manager find one additional full-time-equivalent (FTE) vacancy to freeze hiring on, but all vacancies are in active search processes; last night, the Manager generously agreed to search for additional small cuts in many cost areas that could sum to the equivalent of a full-time salaried position. We will find out that amount and vote on such changes tomorrow evening. I will most likely support what additional savings the Manager can identify on the principles of living within our means and of transparency and accountability.

?

Focus: The “Atrium” Renovation project

?

- The biggest unresolved budget reconciliation issue is the “Atrium Project” - which is shorthand for the long-planned renovations to portions of the Community Center, mainly related to the Police Department, that would involve decking over the main floor opening in the Atrium, at a currently estimated cost of $1.685 million. We will have three possible reconciliation items, all of which I’ve proposed, to vote on tomorrow night related to this project:

1. Reducing the project budget by $285,000, which is the additional amount requested last month by the Manager as a reconciliation item to account for construction management fees, architectural fees, and contingencies.
2. Reducing the project by an additional $200,000, which is the amount not covered by original ARPA funds or a grant of $200k received with the help of Congressman Raskin.
3. Moving all of the money for this project into General Fund unassigned reserves pending a review to see whether all of the essential objectives can be met more affordably.

?

I made a presentation last night to make the case that the Atrium project, especially since $285,000 was recently added, appears to be too expensive. I calculate that the cost of the new functional area gained by the project is about $985 per square foot, far above typical estimates for the cost-per-square-foot of commercial or office building renovations. In my view, there’s a strong possibility that if the decking-over of the atrium is eliminated and underutilized spaces on the third floor are incorporated into the project, and if existing restrooms can be upgraded in place rather than relocated, all of the important needs identified by staff and advocated for by union members can be met. Please see the attached PDF of my short presentation. In my view, even if my colleagues want to see this whole project go forward as designed, it is still wise to place a pause on any expenditures to allow time for Council oversight. Specifically, I think that the Council needs to find out, on behalf of the residents as well as staff, how this project came to a place where the cost per square foot of new functional space is so high.?

?

The FY26 budget that is coming into focus will have unassigned reserves well in excess of the required 17% (two months’ worth) of operating funds. I wrote incorrectly a few weeks ago that Manager DiSpirito had reduced the excess unassigned reserves; in fact, he subdivided the excess unassigned reserves to show how they are keeping pots of money safe for various possibilities including a drop in income tax receipts, unexpectedly low revenue from the new red light cameras, and clawbacks or other unforeseen losses of intergovernmental funds.?

?

In response to a question I asked, Manager DiSpirito pledged last week that if circumstances go better than worst-case scenarios, and the unassigned reserves remain plentiful as FY26 proceeds, he will “not spend a penny” of those reserves on other, new expenditures. I am really happy to hear this since it opens up the possibility of convincing the Council to return some carried-over excess funds to property taxpayers in the form of a reduced FY27 property tax rate.?

?

Overall, I feel that while there have been persistent differences of opinion around some budget issues, there has been lots of consensus and goodwill among our seven-member team. Once we get through the bulk of the process, I’ll offer an overall reflection.?

?

Other short updates

?

1. This weekend is Takoma Park’s . The main event is on Saturday, April 26 from 10 am to 2 pm near the playground located at Sligo Creek and the bottom of Houston and Kennebec Avenues. There are also opportunities for stargazing at the Montgomery College Planetarium. If you pass along other information about events, and I’ll amplify it.

?

2. Purple Line work-related closures ended at the New Hampshire Avenue/ University Boulevard intersection last week ahead of schedule; normal traffic flow has been restored.

?

3. I attended the Interjurisdictional Public Safety Summit last week hosted by our Police Department. My three major takeaways from the evening: (1) thefts from vehicles and porches, as well as car thefts, are often being perpetrated by juveniles, who are not at high risk for arrest or prosecution and who are also adept at moving back and forth between jurisdictions. As a result, (2) everything that communities can do to help young people find enjoyable, constructive activities is helpful, as is taking common-sense precautions to discourage thefts. (3) There is still room for improvement in the coordination and collaboration among neighboring police jurisdictions.

?

4. In mentioning the passing of Jackie Frazier last week, I spoke of her influential role in the Lunch and Learn Program based at Essex House. My apologies for an error I made: former Councilmember Jarrett Smith (Ward 5) was the founder of that program.

?

5. Please find attached PDFs of flyers about:

City Housing Resources

City Food Resources

City Emergency Shelter Resources.

?

6. The Takoma Park Community Band will have a free concert at the Community Center on Saturday, May 3 at 3 pm. (See attached flyer.)

?

7. Adult Play Day (age 21+) will be coming up on June 8, 5:30 - 7:30 pm at Busboys and Poets. (See attached flyer.)

?

8. Adriana Elefante, Vincent Verweij, Randy Gibson, and I had a really nice 3-hour walkabout to take stock of the woods and waters of Ward 3 (plus nearby Forest Park and Opal Daniels Park). We are going to try to develop some nice opportunities and invitations for people to experience these special places according to their own schedules, speed, and stamina. More to come.

?

9. City Manager DiSpirito is in receipt of concerns expressed by WACO residents about parking enforcement and related issues on Westmoreland Avenue. He is investigating what actions have been taken by staff and will respond with information that I’ll then share with the WACO listserv.

?

10. I’m working to set up a meeting with the District DOT community engagement specialist so that I advocate strongly for a four-way stop sign at Walnut and Eastern.

?

11. I know that the backups and congestion at the Fire Station signal, uncertainty around parking and deliveries at the City-owned lot, and noise/vibration from the Co-op’s new condenser unit are ongoing matters of concern, Please know that I’m working on these issues and hope to have more time to double down on them as the budget season moves past its peak.

12. If you've read all the way to here, I'm amazed. Here's a fun idea: if you've had a recent Ward 3 wildlife sighting and a photo to share, please send it my way, and I'll include it in an upcoming update.

?

I hope you’re enjoying the spring green and surviving the pollen!

?

Best regards,

Roger

?

?

--

Roger Schlegel

City?Council Member,?Ward Three?

7500 Maple Avenue

Takoma Park, MD 20912
Email:?RogerS@...
Phone:?240-997-3041

Please note that all City emails can potentially be public.

<_Reimagining the Atrium Area Renovation_ Analysis Slides.pdf>

<Trifold_Emergency Shelters & Resources_2025_ENG.pdf>

<Trifold_FoodResources_2025_ENG.pdf>

<Trifold_Housing Resources_2025_ENG.pdf>

<Flyer Musical Montage.pdf>

<Adult-Play-Day-1-1.png>

On Apr 22, 2025, at 11:14?PM, Rick Weiss via groups.io <rickweiss99@...> wrote:

?Thanks for this, Roger. Fwiw, re the atrium, I support option 3. Basically back to Square One. ?I’m certain we can do this smarter. ?

Rick on Pine

On Apr 22, 2025, at 10:14?PM, Roger Schlegel, Ward 3 Council Member via groups.io <RogerS@...> wrote:

?

Good evening Ward 3 neighbors,

This update concerns tomorrow’s City Council meeting (including a closed session on the recent legal settlement, Piney Branch ES, Council compensation); Budget Reconciliation so far: areas of agreement last night, Pinecrest and Lincoln Avenue unresolved items, budget items still to be discussed on Wednesday night, more on the “Atrium” Renovation project, and other short updates

Tomorrow’s City Council meeting ()?

1. The meeting will again be conducted via Zoom due to a continuing power outage affecting the Auditorium lights. .

2. The Council will convene at 6:30 pm and immediately vote to go into closed session to receive a confidential briefing and discuss the recent settlement in the case of Cooper v. City of Takoma Park. This matter is of deep concern to me, and I have many questions. Thanks to everyone who has sent me comments and questions about this matter. I have compiled them all (names withheld) and will share them with colleagues. I will try to ensure that all questions are addressed in the session and will report out afterwards.

3. Our regular session will begin with Mayoral Proclamations for National Infertility Awareness Week and Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, followed by Public Comments – this will be your last chance to comment on what you wish to see included in the FY26 budget. This will be followed by Council and Manager comments.?

4. Next is a presentation about the . If you take an interest in PBES and questions related to its renovation or expansion to meet growing needs, this segment of the evening is set to last 60 minutes.

5. Next, we’ll finalize plans for forming a as required by City Code. This committee is to be established every four years to review compensation for City Council members and make recommendations to take effect in the next term if adopted by the current Council. This discussion is expected to take about 20 minutes. I’m advocating for care in ensuring that the selection process leads to an independent committee with a variety of knowledge, expertise, and resident perspectives.?

6. We’ll spend the rest of the evening on final budget reconciliation. (The agenda link above contains a link to an Excel spreadsheet.) In a series of discussions and hand votes, we’ll decide which items from the proposed budget we wish to reconcile (change). This work will inform the drafting of a Fiscal Year 2026 budget resolution. Final votes on the property tax and stormwater fee rates will be taken in May.

Budget Reconciliation so far: areas of agreement last night

Last night the Council held an additional work session on Zoom to do preliminary work on budget reconciliation. With Mayor Searcy managing the workflow, we discussed perhaps three-quarters of the reconciliation items and took hand-votes on many of the “easy” ones. Here are the main outcomes:

- We held hand-votes indicating unanimous acceptance of most of the reconciliation items proposed by City staff – generally accounting corrections or changes in projections.?

- Also, we tentatively approved 7-0 the City Manager’s proposal to not hire a Communications Specialist as a way of compensating for the addition of a new web manager position.

- We had 7-0 votes in favor of each one in a set of sidewalk and traffic-calming proposals that we had discussed last week. I was clear in campaigning last fall that I would make safe, safely-connected streets (including pedestrian routes) a priority; so I am comfortable with the hand votes taken last night.

- We all hand-voted in favor of increases in property tax relief funds (so more cash-strapped homeowners can benefit via a City match associated with a recent County expansion of eligibility).?

- We had a tentative hand-vote in favor of doubling funds for Community Quality of Life grants to be aimed at helping people most affected by current political and economic instability. We may need to revisit this allocation tomorrow evening if final budget decisions are tight.

- We discussed a reconciliation item adding $90,000 total to speed the process of removing racist restrictive covenant language from all deeds to real property in Takoma Park. This estimated expense is likely to be significantly lower; $40,000 would be for a temporary assistant and up to $50,000 would be for required four-week public advertising of the changes – although it may be that we could post blanket advertisements of an across-the-board change rather than needing to advertise separately for each address. I agree with colleagues that this effort, only made possible a couple of weeks ago via a bill passed in the General Assembly, should be pursued. Given Trump administration actions to roll back civil rights protections, it could be that removing restrictive covenants from deeds is more than a symbolic gesture or correction of an “historic” wrong. ?That being said, $90,000 is a lot to add, so I will seek to offset it with budget reductions elsewhere.?

- We agreed to increase the tax rate for utility-owned property from $1.57 to $1.75, which will result in a modest revenue increase of about $10,000, with a dispersed impact of about 3 cents per customer given the large number of utility customers in the state. I had proposed this item because coordination with utilities, particularly around repaving of streets, does take an inordinate amount of City staff follow-up time.

Pinecrest and Lincoln Avenue unresolved items

- Additionally, we had preliminary agreement on adding funding ($5,000) for a speed hump on Orchard Avenue, although it appears that this will be revoted on tomorrow evening. Orchard Avenue residents: If you have thoughts for or against the construction of one speed hump in the townhome block, please consider submitting a comment to the City Council via an email to jessiec@... or by signing up to make a Public Comment via Zoom (see above).

- Lincoln Avenue residents, please take note: Councilmember Dyballa (Ward 2) had proposed that additional funding be included for a traffic study of Lincoln Avenue in Ward 2. (She compensated for this additional item by proposing to postpone sidewalk design work on some streets in the northern part of Ward 2.) I asked that if such a study were to be done, it also include the 300 block of Lincoln Avenue in Ward 3. It appears that we have agreement on making that extension of the study. However, things are up in the air in terms of whether we should budget for such a traffic study in FY26. With two other traffic studies already in the queue (in New Hampshire Gardens and on lower Flower Avenue, a Lincoln Avenue study would be unlikely to get underway until near the very end of FY26. In the interests of keeping about $50,000 out of the FY26, I am comfortable with getting a general agreement among colleagues that a Lincoln Avenue traffic study would be funded in FY27 and get going right away. Lincoln Avenue residents especially, and Ward residents in general, please let me know if you’re comfortable with my thinking on this.

Still to be discussed on Wednesday night

- Question: whether to move unspent funding of $150,000 for the Community Connectors program into FY26. These funds, originally to be covered by ARPA money, would go toward the first year of a two-year contract with a local non-profit (to be determined) that would work to help Takoma Park residents get better connected to available social services and other forms of assistance. I hand-voted against this item along with Councilmember Landman (Ward 1). I would like to see the extent to which the recently opened non-profit social services center in Ward 6 is reaching the same population targeted in the Community Connectors program proposal.

- Question: whether to move $85,000 in funds for any rent stabilization study (“housing ordinance review”) to unassigned reserves pending a Council discussion of the objectives of such a study. I support this based on my priority of protecting residents from displacement.

- Question; whether to cut funding for the Manager’s proposed Financial Review study ($50,000) on the grounds that such evaluation can be done in-house. I proposed this based on my priority of living within our means.

- Question: whether to reduce the contribution to the Equipment Replacement Reserve by $222,000 with an eye toward hoped-for operational changes, extended vehicle lifetimes, or leasing arrangements that could reduce vehicle costs. I proposed this, have received more information and perspectives from staff and colleagues, and am still considering it as a responsible move in a tight year and given our imperative of reducing greenhouse gas emissions rapidly over the next few years.

- I had proposed that the Manager find one additional full-time-equivalent (FTE) vacancy to freeze hiring on, but all vacancies are in active search processes; last night, the Manager generously agreed to search for additional small cuts in many cost areas that could sum to the equivalent of a full-time salaried position. We will find out that amount and vote on such changes tomorrow evening. I will most likely support what additional savings the Manager can identify on the principles of living within our means and of transparency and accountability.

Focus: The “Atrium” Renovation project

- The biggest unresolved budget reconciliation issue is the “Atrium Project” - which is shorthand for the long-planned renovations to portions of the Community Center, mainly related to the Police Department, that would involve decking over the main floor opening in the Atrium, at a currently estimated cost of $1.685 million. We will have three possible reconciliation items, all of which I’ve proposed, to vote on tomorrow night related to this project:

1. Reducing the project budget by $285,000, which is the additional amount requested last month by the Manager as a reconciliation item to account for construction management fees, architectural fees, and contingencies.

2. Reducing the project by an additional $200,000, which is the amount not covered by original ARPA funds or a grant of $200k received with the help of Congressman Raskin.

3. Moving all of the money for this project into General Fund unassigned reserves pending a review to see whether all of the essential objectives can be met more affordably.

I made a presentation last night to make the case that the Atrium project, especially since $285,000 was recently added, appears to be too expensive. I calculate that the cost of the new functional area gained by the project is about $985 per square foot, far above typical estimates for the cost-per-square-foot of commercial or office building renovations. In my view, there’s a strong possibility that if the decking-over of the atrium is eliminated and underutilized spaces on the third floor are incorporated into the project, and if existing restrooms can be upgraded in place rather than relocated, all of the important needs identified by staff and advocated for by union members can be met. Please see the attached PDF of my short presentation. In my view, even if my colleagues want to see this whole project go forward as designed, it is still wise to place a pause on any expenditures to allow time for Council oversight. Specifically, I think that the Council needs to find out, on behalf of the residents as well as staff, how this project came to a place where the cost per square foot of new functional space is so high.?

The FY26 budget that is coming into focus will have unassigned reserves well in excess of the required 17% (two months’ worth) of operating funds. I wrote incorrectly a few weeks ago that Manager DiSpirito had reduced the excess unassigned reserves; in fact, he subdivided the excess unassigned reserves to show how they are keeping pots of money safe for various possibilities including a drop in income tax receipts, unexpectedly low revenue from the new red light cameras, and clawbacks or other unforeseen losses of intergovernmental funds.?

In response to a question I asked, Manager DiSpirito pledged last week that if circumstances go better than worst-case scenarios, and the unassigned reserves remain plentiful as FY26 proceeds, he will “not spend a penny” of those reserves on other, new expenditures. I am really happy to hear this since it opens up the possibility of convincing the Council to return some carried-over excess funds to property taxpayers in the form of a reduced FY27 property tax rate.?

Overall, I feel that while there have been persistent differences of opinion around some budget issues, there has been lots of consensus and goodwill among our seven-member team. Once we get through the bulk of the process, I’ll offer an overall reflection.?

Other short updates

1. This weekend is Takoma Park’s . The main event is on Saturday, April 26 from 10 am to 2 pm near the playground located at Sligo Creek and the bottom of Houston and Kennebec Avenues. There are also opportunities for stargazing at the Montgomery College Planetarium. If you pass along other information about events, and I’ll amplify it.

2. Purple Line work-related closures ended at the New Hampshire Avenue/ University Boulevard intersection last week ahead of schedule; normal traffic flow has been restored.

3. I attended the Interjurisdictional Public Safety Summit last week hosted by our Police Department. My three major takeaways from the evening: (1) thefts from vehicles and porches, as well as car thefts, are often being perpetrated by juveniles, who are not at high risk for arrest or prosecution and who are also adept at moving back and forth between jurisdictions. As a result, (2) everything that communities can do to help young people find enjoyable, constructive activities is helpful, as is taking common-sense precautions to discourage thefts. (3) There is still room for improvement in the coordination and collaboration among neighboring police jurisdictions.

4. In mentioning the passing of Jackie Frazier last week, I spoke of her influential role in the Lunch and Learn Program based at Essex House. My apologies for an error I made: former Councilmember Jarrett Smith (Ward 5) was the founder of that program.

5. Please find attached PDFs of flyers about:

City Housing Resources

City Food Resources

City Emergency Shelter Resources.

6. The Takoma Park Community Band will have a free concert at the Community Center on Saturday, May 3 at 3 pm. (See attached flyer.)

7. Adult Play Day (age 21+) will be coming up on June 8, 5:30 - 7:30 pm at Busboys and Poets. (See attached flyer.)

8. Adriana Elefante, Vincent Verweij, Randy Gibson, and I had a really nice 3-hour walkabout to take stock of the woods and waters of Ward 3 (plus nearby Forest Park and Opal Daniels Park). We are going to try to develop some nice opportunities and invitations for people to experience these special places according to their own schedules, speed, and stamina. More to come.

9. City Manager DiSpirito is in receipt of concerns expressed by WACO residents about parking enforcement and related issues on Westmoreland Avenue. He is investigating what actions have been taken by staff and will respond with information that I’ll then share with the WACO listserv.

10. I’m working to set up a meeting with the District DOT community engagement specialist so that I advocate strongly for a four-way stop sign at Walnut and Eastern.

11. I know that the backups and congestion at the Fire Station signal, uncertainty around parking and deliveries at the City-owned lot, and noise/vibration from the Co-op’s new condenser unit are ongoing matters of concern, Please know that I’m working on these issues and hope to have more time to double down on them as the budget season moves past its peak.

12. If you've read all the way to here, I'm amazed. Here's a fun idea: if you've had a recent Ward 3 wildlife sighting and a photo to share, please send it my way, and I'll include it in an upcoming update.

I hope you’re enjoying the spring green and surviving the pollen!

Best regards,

Roger

--

Roger Schlegel

City?Council Member,?Ward Three?

7500 Maple Avenue

Takoma Park, MD 20912
Email:?RogerS@...
Phone:?240-997-3041

Please note that all City emails can potentially be public.

<_Reimagining the Atrium Area Renovation_ Analysis Slides.pdf>

<Trifold_Emergency Shelters & Resources_2025_ENG.pdf>

<Trifold_FoodResources_2025_ENG.pdf>

<Trifold_Housing Resources_2025_ENG.pdf>

<Flyer Musical Montage.pdf>

<Adult-Play-Day-1-1.png>

On Apr 22, 2025, at 10:14?PM, Roger Schlegel, Ward 3 Council Member via groups.io <RogerS@...> wrote:

?

Good evening Ward 3 neighbors,

This update concerns tomorrow’s City Council meeting (including a closed session on the recent legal settlement, Piney Branch ES, Council compensation); Budget Reconciliation so far: areas of agreement last night, Pinecrest and Lincoln Avenue unresolved items, budget items still to be discussed on Wednesday night, more on the “Atrium” Renovation project, and other short updates

Tomorrow’s City Council meeting ()?

1. The meeting will again be conducted via Zoom due to a continuing power outage affecting the Auditorium lights. .

2. The Council will convene at 6:30 pm and immediately vote to go into closed session to receive a confidential briefing and discuss the recent settlement in the case of Cooper v. City of Takoma Park. This matter is of deep concern to me, and I have many questions. Thanks to everyone who has sent me comments and questions about this matter. I have compiled them all (names withheld) and will share them with colleagues. I will try to ensure that all questions are addressed in the session and will report out afterwards.

3. Our regular session will begin with Mayoral Proclamations for National Infertility Awareness Week and Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, followed by Public Comments – this will be your last chance to comment on what you wish to see included in the FY26 budget. This will be followed by Council and Manager comments.?

4. Next is a presentation about the . If you take an interest in PBES and questions related to its renovation or expansion to meet growing needs, this segment of the evening is set to last 60 minutes.

5. Next, we’ll finalize plans for forming a as required by City Code. This committee is to be established every four years to review compensation for City Council members and make recommendations to take effect in the next term if adopted by the current Council. This discussion is expected to take about 20 minutes. I’m advocating for care in ensuring that the selection process leads to an independent committee with a variety of knowledge, expertise, and resident perspectives.?

6. We’ll spend the rest of the evening on final budget reconciliation. (The agenda link above contains a link to an Excel spreadsheet.) In a series of discussions and hand votes, we’ll decide which items from the proposed budget we wish to reconcile (change). This work will inform the drafting of a Fiscal Year 2026 budget resolution. Final votes on the property tax and stormwater fee rates will be taken in May.

Budget Reconciliation so far: areas of agreement last night

Last night the Council held an additional work session on Zoom to do preliminary work on budget reconciliation. With Mayor Searcy managing the workflow, we discussed perhaps three-quarters of the reconciliation items and took hand-votes on many of the “easy” ones. Here are the main outcomes:

- We held hand-votes indicating unanimous acceptance of most of the reconciliation items proposed by City staff – generally accounting corrections or changes in projections.?

- Also, we tentatively approved 7-0 the City Manager’s proposal to not hire a Communications Specialist as a way of compensating for the addition of a new web manager position.

- We had 7-0 votes in favor of each one in a set of sidewalk and traffic-calming proposals that we had discussed last week. I was clear in campaigning last fall that I would make safe, safely-connected streets (including pedestrian routes) a priority; so I am comfortable with the hand votes taken last night.

- We all hand-voted in favor of increases in property tax relief funds (so more cash-strapped homeowners can benefit via a City match associated with a recent County expansion of eligibility).?

- We had a tentative hand-vote in favor of doubling funds for Community Quality of Life grants to be aimed at helping people most affected by current political and economic instability. We may need to revisit this allocation tomorrow evening if final budget decisions are tight.

- We discussed a reconciliation item adding $90,000 total to speed the process of removing racist restrictive covenant language from all deeds to real property in Takoma Park. This estimated expense is likely to be significantly lower; $40,000 would be for a temporary assistant and up to $50,000 would be for required four-week public advertising of the changes – although it may be that we could post blanket advertisements of an across-the-board change rather than needing to advertise separately for each address. I agree with colleagues that this effort, only made possible a couple of weeks ago via a bill passed in the General Assembly, should be pursued. Given Trump administration actions to roll back civil rights protections, it could be that removing restrictive covenants from deeds is more than a symbolic gesture or correction of an “historic” wrong. ?That being said, $90,000 is a lot to add, so I will seek to offset it with budget reductions elsewhere.?

- We agreed to increase the tax rate for utility-owned property from $1.57 to $1.75, which will result in a modest revenue increase of about $10,000, with a dispersed impact of about 3 cents per customer given the large number of utility customers in the state. I had proposed this item because coordination with utilities, particularly around repaving of streets, does take an inordinate amount of City staff follow-up time.

Pinecrest and Lincoln Avenue unresolved items

- Additionally, we had preliminary agreement on adding funding ($5,000) for a speed hump on Orchard Avenue, although it appears that this will be revoted on tomorrow evening. Orchard Avenue residents: If you have thoughts for or against the construction of one speed hump in the townhome block, please consider submitting a comment to the City Council via an email to jessiec@... or by signing up to make a Public Comment via Zoom (see above).

- Lincoln Avenue residents, please take note: Councilmember Dyballa (Ward 2) had proposed that additional funding be included for a traffic study of Lincoln Avenue in Ward 2. (She compensated for this additional item by proposing to postpone sidewalk design work on some streets in the northern part of Ward 2.) I asked that if such a study were to be done, it also include the 300 block of Lincoln Avenue in Ward 3. It appears that we have agreement on making that extension of the study. However, things are up in the air in terms of whether we should budget for such a traffic study in FY26. With two other traffic studies already in the queue (in New Hampshire Gardens and on lower Flower Avenue, a Lincoln Avenue study would be unlikely to get underway until near the very end of FY26. In the interests of keeping about $50,000 out of the FY26, I am comfortable with getting a general agreement among colleagues that a Lincoln Avenue traffic study would be funded in FY27 and get going right away. Lincoln Avenue residents especially, and Ward residents in general, please let me know if you’re comfortable with my thinking on this.

Still to be discussed on Wednesday night

- Question: whether to move unspent funding of $150,000 for the Community Connectors program into FY26. These funds, originally to be covered by ARPA money, would go toward the first year of a two-year contract with a local non-profit (to be determined) that would work to help Takoma Park residents get better connected to available social services and other forms of assistance. I hand-voted against this item along with Councilmember Landman (Ward 1). I would like to see the extent to which the recently opened non-profit social services center in Ward 6 is reaching the same population targeted in the Community Connectors program proposal.

- Question: whether to move $85,000 in funds for any rent stabilization study (“housing ordinance review”) to unassigned reserves pending a Council discussion of the objectives of such a study. I support this based on my priority of protecting residents from displacement.

- Question; whether to cut funding for the Manager’s proposed Financial Review study ($50,000) on the grounds that such evaluation can be done in-house. I proposed this based on my priority of living within our means.

- Question: whether to reduce the contribution to the Equipment Replacement Reserve by $222,000 with an eye toward hoped-for operational changes, extended vehicle lifetimes, or leasing arrangements that could reduce vehicle costs. I proposed this, have received more information and perspectives from staff and colleagues, and am still considering it as a responsible move in a tight year and given our imperative of reducing greenhouse gas emissions rapidly over the next few years.

- I had proposed that the Manager find one additional full-time-equivalent (FTE) vacancy to freeze hiring on, but all vacancies are in active search processes; last night, the Manager generously agreed to search for additional small cuts in many cost areas that could sum to the equivalent of a full-time salaried position. We will find out that amount and vote on such changes tomorrow evening. I will most likely support what additional savings the Manager can identify on the principles of living within our means and of transparency and accountability.

Focus: The “Atrium” Renovation project

- The biggest unresolved budget reconciliation issue is the “Atrium Project” - which is shorthand for the long-planned renovations to portions of the Community Center, mainly related to the Police Department, that would involve decking over the main floor opening in the Atrium, at a currently estimated cost of $1.685 million. We will have three possible reconciliation items, all of which I’ve proposed, to vote on tomorrow night related to this project:

1. Reducing the project budget by $285,000, which is the additional amount requested last month by the Manager as a reconciliation item to account for construction management fees, architectural fees, and contingencies.

2. Reducing the project by an additional $200,000, which is the amount not covered by original ARPA funds or a grant of $200k received with the help of Congressman Raskin.

3. Moving all of the money for this project into General Fund unassigned reserves pending a review to see whether all of the essential objectives can be met more affordably.

I made a presentation last night to make the case that the Atrium project, especially since $285,000 was recently added, appears to be too expensive. I calculate that the cost of the new functional area gained by the project is about $985 per square foot, far above typical estimates for the cost-per-square-foot of commercial or office building renovations. In my view, there’s a strong possibility that if the decking-over of the atrium is eliminated and underutilized spaces on the third floor are incorporated into the project, and if existing restrooms can be upgraded in place rather than relocated, all of the important needs identified by staff and advocated for by union members can be met. Please see the attached PDF of my short presentation. In my view, even if my colleagues want to see this whole project go forward as designed, it is still wise to place a pause on any expenditures to allow time for Council oversight. Specifically, I think that the Council needs to find out, on behalf of the residents as well as staff, how this project came to a place where the cost per square foot of new functional space is so high.?

The FY26 budget that is coming into focus will have unassigned reserves well in excess of the required 17% (two months’ worth) of operating funds. I wrote incorrectly a few weeks ago that Manager DiSpirito had reduced the excess unassigned reserves; in fact, he subdivided the excess unassigned reserves to show how they are keeping pots of money safe for various possibilities including a drop in income tax receipts, unexpectedly low revenue from the new red light cameras, and clawbacks or other unforeseen losses of intergovernmental funds.?

In response to a question I asked, Manager DiSpirito pledged last week that if circumstances go better than worst-case scenarios, and the unassigned reserves remain plentiful as FY26 proceeds, he will “not spend a penny” of those reserves on other, new expenditures. I am really happy to hear this since it opens up the possibility of convincing the Council to return some carried-over excess funds to property taxpayers in the form of a reduced FY27 property tax rate.?

Overall, I feel that while there have been persistent differences of opinion around some budget issues, there has been lots of consensus and goodwill among our seven-member team. Once we get through the bulk of the process, I’ll offer an overall reflection.?

Other short updates

1. This weekend is Takoma Park’s . The main event is on Saturday, April 26 from 10 am to 2 pm near the playground located at Sligo Creek and the bottom of Houston and Kennebec Avenues. There are also opportunities for stargazing at the Montgomery College Planetarium. If you pass along other information about events, and I’ll amplify it.

2. Purple Line work-related closures ended at the New Hampshire Avenue/ University Boulevard intersection last week ahead of schedule; normal traffic flow has been restored.

3. I attended the Interjurisdictional Public Safety Summit last week hosted by our Police Department. My three major takeaways from the evening: (1) thefts from vehicles and porches, as well as car thefts, are often being perpetrated by juveniles, who are not at high risk for arrest or prosecution and who are also adept at moving back and forth between jurisdictions. As a result, (2) everything that communities can do to help young people find enjoyable, constructive activities is helpful, as is taking common-sense precautions to discourage thefts. (3) There is still room for improvement in the coordination and collaboration among neighboring police jurisdictions.

4. In mentioning the passing of Jackie Frazier last week, I spoke of her influential role in the Lunch and Learn Program based at Essex House. My apologies for an error I made: former Councilmember Jarrett Smith (Ward 5) was the founder of that program.

5. Please find attached PDFs of flyers about:

City Housing Resources

City Food Resources

City Emergency Shelter Resources.

6. The Takoma Park Community Band will have a free concert at the Community Center on Saturday, May 3 at 3 pm. (See attached flyer.)

7. Adult Play Day (age 21+) will be coming up on June 8, 5:30 - 7:30 pm at Busboys and Poets. (See attached flyer.)

8. Adriana Elefante, Vincent Verweij, Randy Gibson, and I had a really nice 3-hour walkabout to take stock of the woods and waters of Ward 3 (plus nearby Forest Park and Opal Daniels Park). We are going to try to develop some nice opportunities and invitations for people to experience these special places according to their own schedules, speed, and stamina. More to come.

9. City Manager DiSpirito is in receipt of concerns expressed by WACO residents about parking enforcement and related issues on Westmoreland Avenue. He is investigating what actions have been taken by staff and will respond with information that I’ll then share with the WACO listserv.

10. I’m working to set up a meeting with the District DOT community engagement specialist so that I advocate strongly for a four-way stop sign at Walnut and Eastern.

11. I know that the backups and congestion at the Fire Station signal, uncertainty around parking and deliveries at the City-owned lot, and noise/vibration from the Co-op’s new condenser unit are ongoing matters of concern, Please know that I’m working on these issues and hope to have more time to double down on them as the budget season moves past its peak.

12. If you've read all the way to here, I'm amazed. Here's a fun idea: if you've had a recent Ward 3 wildlife sighting and a photo to share, please send it my way, and I'll include it in an upcoming update.

I hope you’re enjoying the spring green and surviving the pollen!

Best regards,

Roger

--

Roger Schlegel

City?Council Member,?Ward Three?

7500 Maple Avenue

Takoma Park, MD 20912
Email:?RogerS@...
Phone:?240-997-3041

Please note that all City emails can potentially be public.

<_Reimagining the Atrium Area Renovation_ Analysis Slides.pdf>

<Trifold_Emergency Shelters & Resources_2025_ENG.pdf>

<Trifold_FoodResources_2025_ENG.pdf>

<Trifold_Housing Resources_2025_ENG.pdf>

<Flyer Musical Montage.pdf>

<Adult-Play-Day-1-1.png>

On Apr 22, 2025, at 10:26?AM, Steve Smith <steveintakoma@...> wrote:

?

The lack of enforcement is just mind-boggling. No one has to obey parking or traffic regulations in the city evidently.?

I think two way traffic suggestion for Laurel needs to be seriously looked at. We’re all just speculating, with the exception of a couple people who actually have some experience, and it would be good to know what the actual options are.

I’m sure that current “standard “regulations call for very wide streets as mentioned. Because all the current regulations are designed for suburbia. Very little in Takoma Park conforms to those standards. So I tend to think there may be a way around this. ?, our existing streets in this spot or quite narrow, so it may be possible to get an exemption. ?

But it’s hard to make a decision based on pure speculation, we need the city to seriously explore this. And as far as I know, all they want to do is close the street. It’s the easy option, and the only thing they seem to have seriously considered, and now that fire department has opposed it hopefully that option is dead.?

Steve

On Apr 22, 2025, at 12:42?AM, Alison Snyder via groups.io <amarie003@...> wrote:

?

I'd like to add few general observations/suggestions/questions about traffic.

?George, I'm so sorry to hear about so much damage. I think most folks, but clearly not all, have a driveway on that part of Westmoreland. My suggestion will be unpopular, but it seems that part of the answer of crowded streets should be incentivizing those with driveways on busy streets to fully use them. For example, the city could charge residents with driveways a heftier fee for their zoned parking sticker. The fee should be set at a level that makes tandem parking worth the hassle. While I often see one car in a driveway, I rarely see anyone tandem parked. This tells me that the fee isn't set at a level that incentivizes them to park their second car in their driveway.?

Roger, maybe I missed something, but if folks are looking for parking on Westmoreland before patronizing the downtown businesses, that seems odd. There is a gigantic public parking lot right there in the middle of downtown, free for the first hour. Maybe there need to be more signs telling visitors it exists? If circling is a problem, perhaps improving signage is a low-cost way to start.

Regarding rolling stops and the intersection of Elm and Pine, there is a parking/visibility issue at that corner and also at the corner of Elm and Allegheny. Folks park so close to the intersections that turning cars must turn into the oncoming traffic lane. While there are some parking prohibitions to prevent this on Elm, they are regularly disregarded. There aren't prohibitions on Allegheny, but there really should be. I think the first 50 feet need to be no parking zones so a turning car has the ability to turn into its own lane, with space to slow down so it doesn't run into a parked car.?

Lastly, for the 2 way traffic question on the north side of Laurel, can someone please clarify how much of the median folks expect to be removed under this proposal? For the record, I don't support this design idea, but my objection stems from what I am about to share below. I probably missed a detailed discussion on this, so please hear me out. A quick search of County street design regs seems to indicate that each travel lane would need to be 13 feet wide if there is no adjacent parking lane. Assuming the current layout conforms to the existing regs for such streets, we have an 11 foot wide travel lane and 8 foot parking lane at present. Is that accurate? If so, we are short 7 feet! Taking 7 feet out of the median pretty much destroys the median, including going into our clock tower. If someone has specific regulations to cite that explain why the regs I found aren't the right ones, I am certainly open to changing my mind! But if this is indeed the right math, bulldozing the majority of the median seems like an extreme option to me. Is that really what folks are suggesting we investigate?

As my neighbor Randy would say, thanks for listening.

Alison On Allegheny

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

-------- Original message --------

From: "Roger Schlegel, Ward 3 Council Member via groups.io" <RogerS@...>

Date: 4/21/25 4:17 PM (GMT-04:00)

To: rickweiss99@...

Cc: WACO List <[email protected]>

Subject: Re: [wacorganization] Traffic on Upper Westmoreland

Thanks, George et al, for these informative reports and observations. George, I'm really sorry about all the?damage you're getting.?

I agree with the seriousness of these issues. I would like to see investigation of opening Laurel Avenue to two-way traffic on the north side. What you're reporting also bolsters my strong opposition to allowing commercial patrons to look for parking along Westmoreland. More circling traffic would be generated with more hazards, volume, and chaos.?

City staff have said that requests to restrict access to streets (e.g. making them one-way, or prohibiting entry during certain times) would require a traffic study. If WACO-area residents would like consideration of a traffic study, that would be (to my understanding) something that would be a request brought forward anytime before mid-fall of this year, for consideration?in the next year's budget.?

Perhaps it is possible, however, to explore whether any turn restriction signs could be helpful, since it's my understanding that these signs don't require traffic studies. Regarding that Walnut-Westmoreland intersection, I would?like to see whether it's possible to move the stop line forward to improve visibility and discourage the "stops" that turn over time into "stop-and-creeps," then "drifts-without-stops," and then even "blow-throughs."

Roger

On Mon, Apr 21, 2025 at 2:24?PM Rick Weiss via <rickweiss99=[email protected]> wrote:

Carol’s mention of the stop sign at Elm and Pine (which, yes — people routinely roll through, barely slowing down) reminds me to ask: is that proposed TPPD electric motorcycle still on the budget? Because that seemed awfully unnecessary for our already over-sized and over-funded PD and sounded to me a lot more like a “fun to have” than a “must have”.?

I’m of the belief that if we are going to have such a big force for our medium-small community then I want to SEE them, sitting in their cars in places like Elm and Pine and handing out hundreds of warnings and then tickets for all the cars (and food delivery motorcycles) that are blowing through our streets knowing they’ll never have to worry about enforcement of stop signs, parking restrictions, obnoxiously modified exhaust systems, and other “minor” violations (like any lingering use of gas leaf blowers once the summer ban kicks in). Small things like this that make a real difference in quality of life (and that remind people in this trump era that there is such a thing as “rule of law” in our town) are the everyday ways to gain community support for a police dept. that wants more resources.?

Rick on Pine

On Apr 20, 2025, at 11:56?AM, CAROL CLAYTON via <carolclayton=[email protected]> wrote:

?

I fully agree there is a terrible traffic problem in our neighborhood, however, making Walnut and Westmoreland one way will throw even more traffic onto Elm/Pine.? I see people blow through that stop sign at Elm and Pine all the time, and then speed up Pine.? I understand that "it's been good for business" to make an outdoor dining spot.? It's been horrible for residential areas however.? If they want to keep the outdoor area, why not adopt Byrne's idea of making another lane by removing part of the median?? It would take away 5 parking spots, but it would keep the traffic where it belongs-on the main road through town.??

On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 9:44?AM Marlana Valdez via <valdez53=[email protected]> wrote:

I have my grandkids over here on Walnut and try to keep them out of the front yard because of the non stop traffic.?

I would be in favor of making walnut and westmoreland one way streets running in the opposite directions.?

The overwhelming amount of traffic dying rush hour in the evening terrifies me. Marlana on walnut

On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 9:39?AM George Kohl via <geokohl12=[email protected]> wrote:

I am in the process of filing my third insurance claim for three separate instances of cars or trucks traveling down Westmoreland hitting my parked car in front of 7000 Westmoreland. ??

The increased traffic volume, in both directions, on a street too narrow for a marked center lane has led to these three incidents in the last two years.?

In one case a truck took off my side view mirror.? A neighbor saw it but the truck kept on going.

In the second case, shortly after the side view mirror was replaced, someone else hit the side mirror of the car again and didn't stop. ? And this week, a car going down the hill swiped the ?front end of my parked car as she tried to navigate by ?a car coming up the hill with a delivery truck double parked at a neighbor's house.

I'm not sure if our location in the middle of the block or the fact that there are driveways on both sides of our property which folks use to try to avoid oncoming traffic?are the fault or not.?

None the less, what's clear to me is that as traffic volumes have grown, the street is too narrow to contain it. ?

As far as solutions go, there's the longstanding conversation to make the street one way. ? The street is too narrow to carry its current load. ?

Perhaps, we need the orange safety cones just as utility workers place around parked cars and give drivers more visual help to avoid parked cars. Perhaps a can of red spray paint to mark a safety zone is the cheapest solution.? Perhaps, our Public Works Dept can?provide some other viable answer??

While this is not a crusade for me, it's?certainly aggravating, and costing?me time and money. So far I'm adding it to my tax bill and the cost of the pleasant city amenities.? But I'll add it to the building chorus of traffic issues for which we don't have an?adequate plan..

--

George Kohl

Mobile: 301-318-0258

--

Roger Schlegel

City?Council Member,?Ward Three?

7500 Maple Avenue

Takoma Park, MD 20912
Email:?RogerS@...
Phone:?240-997-3041

Please note that all City emails can potentially be public.

On Apr 22, 2025, at 12:42?AM, Alison Snyder via groups.io <amarie003@...> wrote:

?

I'd like to add few general observations/suggestions/questions about traffic.

?George, I'm so sorry to hear about so much damage. I think most folks, but clearly not all, have a driveway on that part of Westmoreland. My suggestion will be unpopular, but it seems that part of the answer of crowded streets should be incentivizing those with driveways on busy streets to fully use them. For example, the city could charge residents with driveways a heftier fee for their zoned parking sticker. The fee should be set at a level that makes tandem parking worth the hassle. While I often see one car in a driveway, I rarely see anyone tandem parked. This tells me that the fee isn't set at a level that incentivizes them to park their second car in their driveway.?

Roger, maybe I missed something, but if folks are looking for parking on Westmoreland before patronizing the downtown businesses, that seems odd. There is a gigantic public parking lot right there in the middle of downtown, free for the first hour. Maybe there need to be more signs telling visitors it exists? If circling is a problem, perhaps improving signage is a low-cost way to start.

Regarding rolling stops and the intersection of Elm and Pine, there is a parking/visibility issue at that corner and also at the corner of Elm and Allegheny. Folks park so close to the intersections that turning cars must turn into the oncoming traffic lane. While there are some parking prohibitions to prevent this on Elm, they are regularly disregarded. There aren't prohibitions on Allegheny, but there really should be. I think the first 50 feet need to be no parking zones so a turning car has the ability to turn into its own lane, with space to slow down so it doesn't run into a parked car.?

Lastly, for the 2 way traffic question on the north side of Laurel, can someone please clarify how much of the median folks expect to be removed under this proposal? For the record, I don't support this design idea, but my objection stems from what I am about to share below. I probably missed a detailed discussion on this, so please hear me out. A quick search of County street design regs seems to indicate that each travel lane would need to be 13 feet wide if there is no adjacent parking lane. Assuming the current layout conforms to the existing regs for such streets, we have an 11 foot wide travel lane and 8 foot parking lane at present. Is that accurate? If so, we are short 7 feet! Taking 7 feet out of the median pretty much destroys the median, including going into our clock tower. If someone has specific regulations to cite that explain why the regs I found aren't the right ones, I am certainly open to changing my mind! But if this is indeed the right math, bulldozing the majority of the median seems like an extreme option to me. Is that really what folks are suggesting we investigate?

As my neighbor Randy would say, thanks for listening.

Alison On Allegheny

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

-------- Original message --------

From: "Roger Schlegel, Ward 3 Council Member via groups.io" <RogerS@...>

Date: 4/21/25 4:17 PM (GMT-04:00)

To: rickweiss99@...

Cc: WACO List <[email protected]>

Subject: Re: [wacorganization] Traffic on Upper Westmoreland

Thanks, George et al, for these informative reports and observations. George, I'm really sorry about all the?damage you're getting.?

I agree with the seriousness of these issues. I would like to see investigation of opening Laurel Avenue to two-way traffic on the north side. What you're reporting also bolsters my strong opposition to allowing commercial patrons to look for parking along Westmoreland. More circling traffic would be generated with more hazards, volume, and chaos.?

City staff have said that requests to restrict access to streets (e.g. making them one-way, or prohibiting entry during certain times) would require a traffic study. If WACO-area residents would like consideration of a traffic study, that would be (to my understanding) something that would be a request brought forward anytime before mid-fall of this year, for consideration?in the next year's budget.?

Perhaps it is possible, however, to explore whether any turn restriction signs could be helpful, since it's my understanding that these signs don't require traffic studies. Regarding that Walnut-Westmoreland intersection, I would?like to see whether it's possible to move the stop line forward to improve visibility and discourage the "stops" that turn over time into "stop-and-creeps," then "drifts-without-stops," and then even "blow-throughs."

Roger

On Mon, Apr 21, 2025 at 2:24?PM Rick Weiss via <rickweiss99=[email protected]> wrote:

Carol’s mention of the stop sign at Elm and Pine (which, yes — people routinely roll through, barely slowing down) reminds me to ask: is that proposed TPPD electric motorcycle still on the budget? Because that seemed awfully unnecessary for our already over-sized and over-funded PD and sounded to me a lot more like a “fun to have” than a “must have”.?

I’m of the belief that if we are going to have such a big force for our medium-small community then I want to SEE them, sitting in their cars in places like Elm and Pine and handing out hundreds of warnings and then tickets for all the cars (and food delivery motorcycles) that are blowing through our streets knowing they’ll never have to worry about enforcement of stop signs, parking restrictions, obnoxiously modified exhaust systems, and other “minor” violations (like any lingering use of gas leaf blowers once the summer ban kicks in). Small things like this that make a real difference in quality of life (and that remind people in this trump era that there is such a thing as “rule of law” in our town) are the everyday ways to gain community support for a police dept. that wants more resources.?

Rick on Pine

On Apr 20, 2025, at 11:56?AM, CAROL CLAYTON via <carolclayton=[email protected]> wrote:

?

I fully agree there is a terrible traffic problem in our neighborhood, however, making Walnut and Westmoreland one way will throw even more traffic onto Elm/Pine.? I see people blow through that stop sign at Elm and Pine all the time, and then speed up Pine.? I understand that "it's been good for business" to make an outdoor dining spot.? It's been horrible for residential areas however.? If they want to keep the outdoor area, why not adopt Byrne's idea of making another lane by removing part of the median?? It would take away 5 parking spots, but it would keep the traffic where it belongs-on the main road through town.??

On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 9:44?AM Marlana Valdez via <valdez53=[email protected]> wrote:

I have my grandkids over here on Walnut and try to keep them out of the front yard because of the non stop traffic.?

I would be in favor of making walnut and westmoreland one way streets running in the opposite directions.?

The overwhelming amount of traffic dying rush hour in the evening terrifies me. Marlana on walnut

On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 9:39?AM George Kohl via <geokohl12=[email protected]> wrote:

I am in the process of filing my third insurance claim for three separate instances of cars or trucks traveling down Westmoreland hitting my parked car in front of 7000 Westmoreland. ??

The increased traffic volume, in both directions, on a street too narrow for a marked center lane has led to these three incidents in the last two years.?

In one case a truck took off my side view mirror.? A neighbor saw it but the truck kept on going.

In the second case, shortly after the side view mirror was replaced, someone else hit the side mirror of the car again and didn't stop. ? And this week, a car going down the hill swiped the ?front end of my parked car as she tried to navigate by ?a car coming up the hill with a delivery truck double parked at a neighbor's house.

I'm not sure if our location in the middle of the block or the fact that there are driveways on both sides of our property which folks use to try to avoid oncoming traffic?are the fault or not.?

None the less, what's clear to me is that as traffic volumes have grown, the street is too narrow to contain it. ?

As far as solutions go, there's the longstanding conversation to make the street one way. ? The street is too narrow to carry its current load. ?

Perhaps, we need the orange safety cones just as utility workers place around parked cars and give drivers more visual help to avoid parked cars. Perhaps a can of red spray paint to mark a safety zone is the cheapest solution.? Perhaps, our Public Works Dept can?provide some other viable answer??

While this is not a crusade for me, it's?certainly aggravating, and costing?me time and money. So far I'm adding it to my tax bill and the cost of the pleasant city amenities.? But I'll add it to the building chorus of traffic issues for which we don't have an?adequate plan..

--

George Kohl

Mobile: 301-318-0258

--

Roger Schlegel

City?Council Member,?Ward Three?

7500 Maple Avenue

Takoma Park, MD 20912
Email:?RogerS@...
Phone:?240-997-3041

Please note that all City emails can potentially be public.

?

[EXTERNAL EMAIL]