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Minutes March 19, 2020 · 7 page(s)

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Town Council of Centreville
March 19, 2020
7:00 p.m.
M I N U T E S
The March 19, 2020 Town Council meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by President Jeffrey C. Morgan at the
Liberty Building located at 107 N. Liberty Street, 2nd floor meeting room. The following members and staff were
present: Jeffrey C. Morgan, President; Timothy E. McCluskey, Vice President; Joshua E. Shonts, Member; Steve
Walls, Town Manager; Chief Kenneth N. Rhodes, Centreville Police Department; Karen Luffman, Finance Officer;
Ashley Russ, Finance Specialist; Sharon VanEmburgh, Town Attorney; and Carolyn Brinkley, Town Clerk.
 The Town Council thanked An Optical Galleria for sponsoring the video recording of the next six Town
Council meetings.
 Following the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence, Mr. McCluskey made a motion to approve the
February 20, 2020 meeting minutes, as amended. Mr. Morgan seconded the motion. The motion passed
with Mr. McCluskey and Mr. Morgan voting yes and Mr. Shonts abstaining.
 Mr. McCluskey made a motion to approve the March 12, 2020 reorganization meeting minutes, as presented.
Mr. Shonts seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
Closed Session Statement
(i) The Town Council met in closed session on Thursday, March 19, 2020 at 6:15 p.m. at the Liberty Building, 107
N. Liberty Street, 2nd floor meeting room to consult with counsel and discuss personnel in accordance with the
Maryland Open Meetings Act. (ii) Two 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 topics:
 Consult with counsel – discussed the potential sale of Town property and counsel advice on two legal
matters.
 Personnel – discussed appointments of boards and commissions.
Actions: No actions taken.
The following members and staff were present: Timothy E. McCluskey, Vice President; Joshua E. Shonts, Member;
Steve Walls, Town Manager; Sharon VanEmburgh, Town Attorney; and Jeffrey C. Morgan recused himself for a
portion of the meeting based on advice of counsel.
The meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m.
Citizens Comments
 Due to the circumstances of COVID-19, the public is not permitted to enter the building therefore, the Town
Council has asked citizens to submit comments via email to Carolyn Brinkley, Town Clerk, by 6:00 p.m.
prior to the meeting. The Town Council stated that responses to these comments will be made via email.
 Mr. McCluskey read emails from Niki Pino, Caroline Huddleston, and Anne McCauley.
Old Business
a. Resolution 01-2020 – Charter Amendment – Amending Section 201 – Revise Number of Council Members
 Ms. VanEmburgh read Resolution 01-2020 for the purpose of amending the Town Charter to revise the
number of council members; selection; and term and matters generally related thereto.
b. Resolution 02-2020 - Charter Amendment – Amending Section 202 – Qualifications
 Ms. VanEmburgh read Resolution 02-2020 for the purpose of amending the Town Charter to revise the
qualifications of council members and matters generally related thereto.
 Mr. McCluskey stated that he was hesitant about the language “or ceases to be a registered voter of the
town” being added to this resolution. He felt there was a potential for problems in the future.
 After some discussion, Mr. McCluskey made a motion, for the purpose of advertising, to remove “or
ceases to be a registered voter of the town” from Resolution 02-2020. Mr. Shonts seconded the motion,
which passed unanimously.
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c. Resolution 03-2020 – Charter Amendment – Amending Section 209 – Number of Votes for Emergency
Ordinance
 Ms. VanEmburgh read Resolution 03-2020 for the purpose of amending the Town Charter to revise the
number of affirmative votes required for the suspension of the ordinance requirements for an emergency
ordinance and matters generally related thereto.
d. Resolution 04-2020 – Charter Amendment – Amending Section 409 – Provisions for the Election of Council
Members
 Ms. VanEmburgh read Resolution 04-2020 for the purpose of amending the Town Charter to revise the
provisions related to the election of Council Members and matters generally related thereto.
e. Resolution 05-2020 – Charter Amendment – Amending Section 412 – Provisions for Vote Count
 Ms. VanEmburgh read Resolution 05-2020 for the purpose of amending the Town Charter to revise the
provisions related to vote count and matters generally related thereto.
f. Resolution 06-2020 – Charter Amendment – Amending Section 419 – Provisions for Uncontested Elections
 Ms. VanEmburgh read Resolution 06-2020 for the purpose of amending the Town Charter to revise the
provisions related to uncontested elections and matters generally related thereto.
g. Resolution 07-2020 – Charter Amendment – Amending Section 420 – Provisions for Tie Votes
 Ms. VanEmburgh read Resolution 07-2020 for the purpose of amending the Town Charter to revise the
provisions related to tie votes and matters generally related thereto.
 Mr. McCluskey made a motion to approve Resolutions 01-2020, 03-2020, 04-2020, 05-2020, 06-2020, and
07-2020 for the purpose of advertising. Mr. Shonts seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
h. Fireworks
 Ms. Brinkley reported that the rides for the July 2nd family fun day and fireworks have been reserved.
She stated that if the event needed to be rescheduled, the deposit used would be transferred to the new
date.
i. North Brook Discolored Water
 Mr. Walls stated that at this time there is no new information regarding North Brook’s discolored water.
He stated the engineer had to deal with some personal matters and Mr. Matthews was out sick this day
therefore, there was no update at this time.
 The public hearing originally scheduled for Ordinance 01-2020 will be rescheduled at a later date. Mr.
McCluskey asked for Ordinance 01-2020 to be tabled indefinitely. Mr. Morgan and Mr. Shonts felt a public
hearing should be held at a later date when the public was able to attend.
New Business
a. FY2021 Draft Operating and Capital Budget
 Ms. Luffman presented the Town Council with the FY2021 draft operating and capital budgets for their
review. She stated that the first scheduled budget work session is April 2nd at 6:00 p.m.
b. FY2021 Budget Timeline
 Ms. Luffman reviewed the budget timeline for consensus on availability: Thursday, April 2nd at 6:00
p.m.; Thursday, April 16th at 6:00 p.m.; and Thursday, April 23rd at 6:00 p.m. All members were
available for the scheduled budget work sessions.
c. Purchase Request – Police Station Generator
 Mr. Walls presented the following memo on behalf of Mr. Matthews.
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 Mr. McCluskey made a motion to approve the purchase of a 37kw Kohler generator package including
the ATS in the amount of $27,237.40. Mr. Shonts seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
d. Department Head 2019 Accomplishments
 Mr. Walls provided highlights of the Department Head accomplishments for 2019:
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 Mr. Morgan requested a discussion topic be placed on the April 2nd Town Council meeting agenda for water
and sewer bills during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Correspondence
 Mr. McCluskey read a letter received from the Chesterfield Cemetery Advisory Committee requesting the
Town Council keep in mind the many projects that are needed at the cemetery when deciding on this year’s
budget.
Reports of Department Heads
a. Town Manager
 Mr. Walls reported the following:
o Liberty/Commerce Street project is completed with the exception of a few punch list items
o SHA completed the installation of new drain pipes and inlets on Liberty Street
o working on budgets with department heads
o working on zoning and other matters
b. Chief of Police
 Chief Rhodes provided the February 2020 statistical report for the Council and staff.
 Chief Rhodes provided highlights of the Police Department accomplishments for 2019:
o Overall crime decreased by 3%
o Received five (5) grants in excess of $50,000
o Criminal arrests increased by 69%
 Due to the COVID-19 crisis, a shortage in personal protective equipment (PPE) has occurred. Chief
Rhodes reported that masks were available at Shore Lumber in Centreville and EP Cronshaw donated
their entire stock to the Centreville Police Department.
 A new policy has been instituted for the police department that limits contact, as much as possible with
the public. Calls are being screened first to determine if issues can be dealt with over the phone.
c. Town Attorney
 Ms. VanEmburgh stated that State law does allow municipalities to pass their own state of emergencies.
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d. Town Clerk
 Ms. Brinkley, on behalf of Carol D’Agostino, Main Street Manager, asked the Town Council consider
the following request:
o Centreville Main Street is developing ways to support our businesses during this State of Emergency.
The first sector that has been hit hard are our restaurants. Main Street has compiled a detailed list of
amended hours and services provided and is sharing that on Facebook and working with our
restaurants to do some digital and print advertising or other projects to help them. Monies previously
earmarked in the Main Street budget for a spring/summer event rack card will be used for this effort
($500.00).
o However, we know that most, if not all, of our small businesses will be affected. We need to engage
our businesses to find out what they need and support them as best we can. Ms. D’Agostino
respectfully requests that funds not used during the Barksgiving/Small Business Saturday be
reserved for this purpose ($1,995).
 By consensus, the Town Council were in favor of Ms. D’Agostino reallocating these funds to help
promote Centreville’s small businesses during this crisis.
Citizens Forum
The Town Council reminded everyone that a written response would be sent to each person who sent in questions.
Council Roundtable
 Mr. Shonts thanked everyone for trying to help through this crisis. He thanked Ms. D’Agostino for using
additional monies to help the small businesses; thanked EP Cronshaw for his help to the police department;
and thanked the police department for their service.
 Mr. McCluskey will be attending the County Commissioners meeting on March 24th regarding the tax
differential. He thanked An Optical Galleria for sponsoring the video recording of Town Council meetings
over the next three months. Mr. McCluskey asked everyone to stay safe.
 Mr. Morgan said he reiterates what Mr. Shonts and Mr. McCluskey said and thanked the businesses who are
still open.
Motion to Adjourn
There being no further business, Mr. McCluskey made a motion to adjourn the March 19, 2020 Town Council
meeting. Mr. Shonts seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn M. Brinkley
Town Clerk
Council Action Items:
1. Approved the February 20, 2020 meeting minutes, as amended, and the March 12, 2020 reorganization
meeting minutes, as presented.
2. Approved, for the purpose of advertising, to remove “or ceases to be a registered voter of the town” from
Resolution 02-2020.
3. Approved Resolutions 01-2020, 03-2020, 04-2020, 05-2020, 06-2020, and 07-2020 for the purpose of
advertising.
4. Approved the purchase of a 37kw Kohler generator package including the ATS in the amount of $27,237.40.
5. By consensus, the Town Council were in favor of Ms. D’Agostino reallocating funds to help promote
Centreville’s small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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