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february 1 2024 town council meeting minutes

Minutes February 1, 2024 · 3 page(s)

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Town Council of Centreville
February 1, 2024
7:00 p.m.
M I N U T E S
The February 1, 2024 Town Council meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. by President Ashley H. Kaiser at the
Liberty Building located at 107 North Liberty Street, 2nd floor meeting room. The following members and staff
were present: Ashley H. Kaiser, President; Eric B. Johnson, Jr., Vice President; Jim A. Beauchamp, Daniel B.
Worth, and Jeffrey D. Kiel, Members; Carolyn M. Brinkley, Town Manager; Sharon VanEmburgh, Town Attorney;
Krystel Ebaugh, Human Resources Manager; Karen Luffman, Finance Officer; Ashley Russ, Finance Specialist;
Chief Robert Hobbs, Centreville Police Department; and Betty Jean Hall, A/Town Clerk.
• Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Mr. Worth made a motion to approve the January 18, 2024
meeting minutes, as presented. Mr. Johnson seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
Closed Session Statement
(i) The Town Council met in closed session on Thursday, January 25, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. via Zoom to discuss
the acquisition of real property in accordance with the Maryland Open Meetings Act. (ii) Five members of the
Town Council voted to close the session. (iii) The authority to close the session is found in Section 3-305 of the
General Provisions Article.
(iv) The Town Council discussed the following topic:
Acquisition of real property – discussed acquiring a piece of property in town.
The following members and staff were present: Ashley H. Kaiser, President; Eric B. Johnson, Jr., Vice
President; Daniel B. Worth, Jim A. Beauchamp and Jeffrey D. Kiel, Members; Sharon VanEmburgh, Town
Attorney; and Carolyn Brinkley, Town Manager.
The meeting adjourned at 12:14 p.m.
Citizens Comments
No citizens offered comments.
New Business
a. Resolution 03-2024 – Amend Flexible Spending Agreement Plan
• Ms. Ebaugh introduced Resolution 03-2024 stating it is to amend the current flexible spending plan by
increasing the annual maximum election to the amount allowable by the Internal Revenue Service.
• Mr. Beauchamp made a motion to approve Resolution 03-2024 – Amend Flexible Agreement Plan as
presented. Mr. Johnson seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
Council Member Yes No Abstain Absent
Council Member Beauchamp X
Vice President Johnson X
President Kaiser X
Council Member Worth X
Council Member Kiel X
b. FY2024 Mid-Year Update
• Ms. Luffman presented the following memo:
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• Ms. Luffman also stated the Town is transferring their utility billing software to Munibilling which
offers a customer portal where residents can sign up for e-billing if desired, make payments, see their
water usage, account payment and billing history. There is currently a study being conducted to
determine if monthly billing will be feasible.
c. Resolution 04-2024 – Travel Policy
• Ms. Russ introduced Resolution 04-2024 stating it is a travel policy for town employees. It establishes
guidelines of expenses which are and are not reimbursable and sets specific guidelines for per diems.
Per diems are based on the U.S. General Services Administration.
• Mr. Johnson made a motion to adopt Resolution 04-2024 – Travel Policy as presented. Mr. Worth
seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
Council Member Yes No Abstain Absent
Council Member Beauchamp X
Vice President Johnson X
President Kaiser X
Council Member Worth X
Council Member Kiel X
d. Park Advisory Board 2023 Annual Report
• Mr. Whitehill, Chair of the Centreville Parks Advisory Board (PAB) presented a synopsis of their 2023
Annual Report.
• There has been a grant submitted to finish the band shell, parking lot and some other features to
complete the project at the Wharf Park.
• The existing pavilion at Millstream Park needs replacement and the thought of adding a second has
been discussed.
• A new sensory garden for each of the parks is proposed as well as benches along the trail.
• The Fishing Derby/Movie Night was formally made an annual event. PAB members will be contacting
vendors early this year to plan ahead. The 2023 event was a successful one where everyone had an
excellent experience even though the movie showing was cancelled due to a fast-moving storm.
• Pop Taylor Park will be receiving a facelift this spring.
• Mr. Whitehill advised that a Request for Proposal (RFP) will be published seeking a planner to create a
master plan to revise Millstream Park and its trails. This plan will include the entrance to Millstream
Park to make it more appealing. After a plan is agreed upon by Council, the Town would apply for
grant funding to accomplish the proposed plan.
e. Ordinance 01-2024 – Purchase of Map 44C, Parcel 1086
• Ms. Kaiser presented Ordinance 01-2024 stating it is related to purchasing land from Maryland State
Highway Administration using primarily Program Open Space Funds. This is the land across from
Millstream Park, near Citgo.
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• A public hearing on Ordinance 01-2024 will be held on March 7.
Reports of Board and Commissions
a. Maryland Municipal League
• Mr. Beauchamp reported that the Maryland Municipal Legislative Committee is in high gear. On their
website there is a summary listing of all the bills MML has considered and the position the Legislative
Committee has deemed MML should take.
b. Economic Development
• Mr. Johnson stated the launch of the private non-profit group Centreville Reaching for Economic
Development Enterprise (CREDE) will be Wednesday, February 21st at 5:30 pm.
c. Planning Commission
• Mr. Worth stated the next meeting of the Planning Commission will be held on February 21.
Reports of Department Heads
a. Town Manager
• A conditional offer has been extended to an individual for the position of Town Clerk.
• A meeting was held with Town staff and Maryland Department of the Environment concerning the
wastewater treatment plant and stream discharge. There was a lot of support for the Town’s interest in
stream discharge. A meeting with Shore Rivers regarding the upgrade to the treatment plant has been
scheduled.
• Staff continue to prepare the budget for the Council’s upcoming budget work sessions.
b. Finance Officer
• Ms. Luffman stated she and Ms. Ebaugh have been collaborating on the Human Resources system CBIZ
that is currently in use. A demonstration of their payroll system showed a more user-friendly software
than Accufund and at a lower cost.
Citizen Comments:
No citizens offered comments.
Council Roundtable
a. Mr. Johnson stated during a telephone conversation with Ernie Sota, regarding Carter Farm, he requested a
brief one slide update at the next meeting of the Town Council in two weeks.
Motion to Adjourn
There being no further business, Mr. Kiel made a motion to adjourn. The meeting was adjourned at 7:46 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Betty Jean Hall
A/Town Clerk
Council Action Items:
1. Approved the meeting minutes of January 18, 2024.
2. Approved Resolution 03-2024 – Amend Flexible Spending Agreement Plan
3. Approved Resolution 04-2024 – Travel Policy
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