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Minutes February 17, 2022 · 7 page(s)

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Town Council of Centreville
February 17, 2022
7:00 p.m.
M I N U T E S
The February 17, 2022 Town Council meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by President Steven K. Kline at the
Liberty Building located at 107 N. Liberty Street, 2nd floor meeting room. The following members and staff were
present: Steven K. Kline, President; Jeffrey D. Kiel, Vice President; Shelby C. Anania, Eric B. Johnson, Jr., and
Ashley H. Kaiser, Members; Charles (Chip) Koogle, Town Manager; Sharon VanEmburgh, Town Attorney; Clifford
(Kip) Matthews, Director of Public Works; Chief Joe Saboury, Centreville Police Department; Karen Luffman,
Finance Officer; Jenial Turner, Project Manager; and Carolyn Brinkley, Town Clerk.
 Following the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence, Ms. Kaiser made a motion to approve the
February 3, 2022 meeting minutes, as presented. Ms. Anania seconded the motion, which passed
unanimously.
Closed Session Statement
(i) The Town Council met in closed session on Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 6:15 p.m. at the Liberty Building,
107 N. Liberty Street, 2nd floor meeting room to discuss personnel 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 topics:
 Personnel – discussed evaluation of employee
 Consult with counsel – discussed potential litigation
 Land acquisition – discussed the acquisition of a piece of property
Actions: Authorized counsel to proceed with matter involving litigation. No other actions taken.
The following members and staff were present: Steven K. Kline, President; Jeffrey D. Kiel, Vice President; Shelby
C. Anania, Eric Johnson, Jr., and Ashley H. Kaiser, Members; Charles (Chip) Koogle, Town Manager; Sharon
VanEmburgh, Town Attorney; and Clifford Matthews, Director of Public Works and Carolyn Brinkley, Town Clerk
were present for a portion of the meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m.
Citizens Comments
No citizens offered comments.
Appearances
a. Jenial Turner, Program Manager
 Mr. Koogle introduced Ms. Jenial Turner as the new Project Manager with the Town of Centreville who
will be focusing on projects within the Department of Public Works.
 Ms. Turner stated that she is very happy to be with the Town and is looking forward to working with all
the staff and Town Council.
 The Town Council is pleased to have Ms. Turner onboard.
Public Hearing: Resolution 01-2022 – Charter Amendment: Section 523
 The public hearing began at 7:05 p.m. for Resolution 01-2022 for the purpose of amending the Town Charter
to repeal and replace Section 523 of the Town Charter.
 Mr. Koogle stated that Town staff were returning to the Town Council for approval of every purchase that
had already been approved in the budget process. He stated this slows the speed with which Town staff is
able to execute projects and the budget.
 Ms. Brinkley verified that the notice of hearing was publicized in a newspaper circulated in Queen Anne’s
County.
 There being no legal matters relating to the jurisdiction of the Town Council of Centreville nor any
objections in regards to the Notice of Public Hearing, Mr. Kline asked for comments from anyone in favor of
proposed Resolution 01-2022.
 No one spoke in favor.
 Mr. Kline asked for comments from anyone opposed to Resolution 01-2022.
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 No one spoke in opposition.
 Mr. Johnson made a motion to adjourn the public hearing. Ms. Kaiser seconded the motion, which passed
unanimously. The public hearing for Resolution 01-2022 adjourned at 7:09 p.m.
Public Hearing: Ordinance 01-2022 – Purchases and Contracts
 The public hearing began at 7:09 p.m. for Ordinance 01-2022 for the purpose of adding a new Chapter 105 of
the Town Code to establish the procedures and requirements for the consideration and execution of purchases
and contracts and matters generally related thereto.
 Mr. Koogle stated that Ordinance 01-2022 sets the limitations for the execution of purchases and contracts by
the Town Manager and Town Council. Expenditure limits up to $50,000 can be executed and approved by
the Town Manager; expenses below $100,000 must be sent out to bid and can be approved by the Town
Manager as long as those expenditures have been budgeted; any expenses over $100,000 must be bid and
requires the approval of the Town Council, no matter if they were budgeted or not. Staff will also keep
Town Council apprised of purchases made at a respective Council meeting.
 Ms. Brinkley verified that the notice of hearing was publicized in a newspaper circulated in Queen Anne’s
County.
 There being no legal matters relating to the jurisdiction of the Town Council of Centreville nor any
objections in regards to the Notice of Public Hearing, Mr. Kline asked for comments from anyone in favor of
proposed Ordinance 01-2022.
 No one spoke in favor.
 Mr. Kline asked for comments from anyone opposed to Ordinance 01-2022.
 No one spoke in opposition.
 Ms. Anania made a motion to adjourn the public hearing. Mr. Kiel seconded the motion, which passed
unanimously. The public hearing for Ordinance 01-2022 adjourned at 7:12 p.m.
Old Business
a. Resolution 01-2022 – Charter Amendment – Repeal Section 523 – Consideration
 Mr. Kline read Resolution 01-2022 for the purpose of amending the Town Charter to repeal and replace
Section 523 of the Town Charter.
 Ms. Kaiser made a motion to approve Resolution 01-2022. Mr. Johnson seconded the motion, which
passed unanimously.
b. Ordinance 01-2022 – Purchases and Contracts – Consideration
 Mr. Kline read Ordinance 01-2022 for the purpose of adding a new Chapter 105 to the Town Code to
establish the procedures and requirements for the consideration and execution of purchases and contracts
and matters generally related thereto.
 Mr. Kiel made a motion to approve Ordinance 01-2022. Ms. Kaiser seconded the motion, which passed
unanimously.
c. Parking Meters – Discussion
 Mr. Koogle reported that the current meters as they exist will be costly to update and maintain. At the
Council’s request, staff looked at alternatives. Kiosks were considered which would cost approximately
$500 per month, per kiosk to lease and then enforcement on top of that. Solar meters were also
considered and would cost approximately $3,000 for a refurbished solar meter.
 Mr. Koogle stated staff recommended replacing half of the meters with refurbished digital, solar powered
meters and hire a part-time parking enforcement position with a total cost of $105,000 in FY23. It would
be 3 to 5 years before reporting in a net gain for parking meters. He also stated that he spoke with the
current code enforcement officer who indicated they would be willing to put in additional hours to
monitor parking in cooperation with the police department.
 Mr. Kline stated he is seeking to address the turn over and not necessarily make money off of the meters
and would it be more productive to remove the meters and hire a part-time parking enforcement position
to enforce one- or two-hour parking.
 Ms. Kaiser stated she is not in favor of asking the code enforcement officer to spend extra time on
parking when there are so many code violations around town. She is also not in favor of purchasing
meters but is in favor of spending it on enforcement.
 Mr. Koogle stated there are other options to explore such as parking apps. Ms. Kaiser requested if the
Town went the way of a parking app that there should still be a mechanism in place for people to pay
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with coins and is not in favor of fully automated parking meters. She stated that enforcement of the
parking spaces seems the best use of money. Ms. Anania agreed.
 Mr. Kline stated, at the moment, there seems to be a parking issue downtown. It was staved off last year
due to COVID and traffic has returned. He asked what the status is of 105 N. Liberty Street and parking.
Mr. Koogle stated that Town owns 101 N. Liberty Street, which could be sold and put back on the tax
rolls and then take that money and do a full pave of 105 N. Liberty to allow for extra parking.
 Mr. Johnson stated that he hoped the Town could contact the Maryland Municipal League to find out
what other municipalities are doing with parking and no matter which way parking goes, he stated he
would not feel comfortable without having the enforcement piece planned. He also stated that he spoke
with business owners, particularly restaurants, who are very frustrated by the lack of parking and by the
people who park their car in one spot all day long.
 Mr. Kiel suggested that the bags be removed from the meters until a solution has been agreed upon. Mr.
Kline and Mr. Johnson both agreed.
 By consensus, the Town Council agreed to remove the bags from all parking meters at this time.
 Mr. Koogle stated it may take a week to two weeks to complete this to allow the Police Department time
to determine which meters are still working, replace batteries, etc. Mr. Kiel suggested for any meter that
is not working, to keep the bag on the meter until it can be fixed. Mr. Kline suggested taking meters
from another part of town and replacing them with meters that are not working in high-traffic areas.
 Mr. Johnson asked for clarification if the Town Council is asking the Town Manager and Chief of Police
to layout the three-to-five-year net gain would be. He requested that be available at the March 17th
meeting. There was discussion regarding kiosks and to look at kiosks that allow cash payment, app
payment, and electronic payment.
 Mr. Koogle stated that by the mid-March staff should be able to provide quotes and an initial layout of
the 3-to-5-year plan. Ms. Kaiser stated that if staff are providing quotes for refurbished equipment, she
would like to see the cost of new equipment as well.
 Mr. Johnson questioned if there is anything in the Town Charter or Code that would require us to change
the way we enforce parking.
 Mr. Kline requested a quote be included that give the cost of replacing the current traditional meters with
new traditional, coin operated meters.
 The cost to replace the current meters is approximately $3,500 per meter; the cost for new solar powered
meters is $7,000-$8,000 per meter.
New Business
a. Current Debt – Discussion
 Ms. Luffman presented the following memo:
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b. Fireworks
 Ms. Brinkley stated typically the Town has held the Family Fun Event and Fireworks the Saturday prior
to July 4th. The Town has also held it on a Friday (last year) and a Sunday. The Council felt the Friday
event last year worked out really well.
 Mr. Johnson requested additional food vendors to help with the long lines during the event.
 Ms. Brinkley stated it has always been the decision to only allow non-profit vendors to participate in the
event to allow them the opportunity to raise money for their organization. She stated she would be
thrilled with additional non-profit vendors to come forward and participate and if there are none, she will
look into using for-profit vendors as well that could provide different food than what is being offered by
the non-profits.
 By consensus, the Town Council agreed to hold the Family Fun Event and Fireworks on Friday, July 1st.
c. Ordinance 02-2022
 Ms. Kaiser asked if this Ordinance had been sponsored by a Council Member.
 Ms. VanEmburgh stated that this ordinance needs to be reviewed more comprehensively to make
additional changes before it is considered by the Town Council.
 Mr. Kline stated that he feels the Town needs to consider hiring a full-time zoning administrator and
feels the Town is not getting the kind of attention it should for Planning & Zoning administration.
 Ms. Kaiser requested this ordinance been tabled for Council sponsorship.
d. Grant Writer - Discussion
 Mr. Koogle stated he would like to look at hiring a grant writer to focus on the overall needs of the Town
and not just focus on items it would be nice to have. He stated this position would not be full-time or
part-time but would be hired at a certain rate for a certain number of hours per quarter to research, draft,
submit, and manage grants.
 Ms. Kaiser stated typically grant writers do not manage grants and feels that should still be managed by
existing Town staff.
Reports of Boards and Commissions
a. Maryland Municipal League
 Ms. Kaiser stated she attended the Maryland Municipal League Young Municipal Leaders meeting.
b. Economic Development
 Mr. Johnson stated he attended the QAC Historical Society’s annual meeting with Page Tilghman,
Economic Development Manager.
c. Park Advisory Board
 Ms. Anania reported that the pavilions at the Centreville Wharf Park are now being constructed and
members of the Park Advisory Board have requested a ribbon cutting ceremony when they are complete.
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d. Council of Governments
 Mr. Kiel reported that the QAC COG met on February 9th and discussed tax off-set. The meeting with
the County, collectively with the towns, will take place at the March 9th COG meeting. The County has
requested that the towns send in how we want the tax differential/tax set-off distributed.
e. Centreville Planning Commission
 Mr. Kline reported that the Planning Commission was supposed to have a public hearing the previous
evening but was cancelled. The developers of Carter Farm as supposed to hold a public meeting for
anyone interested in the project. Mr. Koogle stated the developer is planning on holding an open house
at Town Hall on March 10th or 11th and will be an all-day event to allow participants the opportunity to
attend when it is most convenient for them. The Technical Advisory Committee is meeting on February
21st and then will meet with the Carter Farm developers later in the week.
 After some discussion, the Town Council stated the developers should be handling the public meeting on
their own and it should not be held at Town Hall. They should be responsible for scheduling the
meeting, mailing out the flyers, and finding a location.
 There was discussion regarding a delay of the project and after some additional discussion, Mr. Kline
asked Ms. VanEmburgh to look at drafting a moratorium ordinance for development.
 The Town Council requested a flowchart of the process of the Carter Farm development and Ms.
VanEmburgh stated she and Chris Jakubiak discussed having a work session with the Town Council
about what to expect through the process.
 Ms. Brinkley stated that when she worked for Kent County Planning & Zoning, developers were
required to complete a citizen participation plan as part of their project. She asked the Council if they
would be interested in adding this to the process for developers. By consensus, the Town Council agreed
to look into this and develop a plan for review.
Reports of Department Heads
 Town Manager:
 Mr. Koogle reported the following:
o Reached out to the Maryland Department of the Environment regarding the Town’s application for
funding. Draft scoring will take place in May; final scoring will take place in July; and funds would
be available in October, if approved.
If approved, MDE would fund 100% of the cost of planning and design for the expansion of the

wastewater treatment plant.
o Reached out to Todd Mohn, County Administrator for Queen Anne’s County, regarding the Police
Oversight and Advisory Board, requesting the Centreville Police Department have a seat on this
Board. Ms. VanEmburgh stated there is proposed legislation forthcoming allowing municipalities to
have a Police Oversight Committee.
o Was contacted by the Maryland Department of Human Services regarding potential funding to help
low-income families with their utility bills. This would be a one-time payment on their behalf. He
stated the Finance Office is looking into this and applying for the program.
b. Chief of Police
 Chief Saboury presented the January monthly report.
 Reached out to the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office regarding their experience with the Cross
Island Trail. He presented that information to the Town Council.
 Chief Saboury discussed the purchase of prisoner transport partitions. He has ordered two (2) partitions
at this time. Mr. Johnson stated he would like to see more bought. Ms. Kaiser recommended contacting
GOCCP (Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention) to inquire if they have any ARPA funding
available for this expense.
 Chief Saboury presented the following memo:
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 Ms. Kaiser made a motion to approve the purchase of a single purpose narcotics canine for the
Centreville Police Department at a cost of $9,100. Mr. Johnson seconded the motion, which passed
unanimously.
c. Finance Officer
 Ms. Luffman reported that the Town has an account with BB&T, now Truist. Due to the fees associated
with this one account, she requested the Council’s consideration closing the account.
 By consensus, the Town Council agreed to close the BB&T/Truist account.
d. Director of Public Works:
 Mr. Matthews reported the following:
 The motor pump at the south pump station failed and new one is being purchased at a cost of
$36,879. Mr. Matthews stated the final cost may change based on the amount of wire needed. The
old one will be refurbished and placed on the shelf as a back-up.
 The well pump at North Brook has had electrical issues in the past with a short-term life span. Mr.
Matthews had a technician come in who was able to trace the voltage spikes done in milliseconds
and isolate the problem.
e. Human Resources Manager
 Mr. Koogle presented the following memo:
 Mr. Johnson made a motion to approve a mid-year 3% COLA increase for employees effective March
1, 2022. Ms. Kaiser seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
f. Town Clerk
 Ms. Brinkley reported the following:
 As of March, the Town’s website is no longer supported by our current web developer. She will be
going out to bid, not just for cost, but to try and receive a variety of proposals geared towards
municipal government.
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 Ms. D’Agostino requested at a previous Council meeting to set the dates for Drink Maryland:
Centreville and Centreville Day in order to start promoting the corporate sponsorships. For the first
time, the event received a platinum sponsorship in the amount of $1,250 from Ed Beres of Beres
Group @RE/MAX Executives. She also plans to streamline vendor applications to complete on-line
and submit directly.
 Staff are looking at the possibility of looking in to create a registration for vacant properties as a
mechanism to protect residential and commercial neighborhoods from becoming blighted through
lack of maintenance. Ms. Brinkley stated she has signed up for the Maryland Foreclosure
Registration System to access the contact information for a property in foreclosure.
 Staff would also like to look at implementing a rental property registration and licensing to help
when tenants move out and leave trash/furniture on the sidewalk as well as when there are property
maintenance issues. This would also include an inspection of the properties on a yearly basis and/or
when tenants move out.
 Ms. Kaiser stated that the Town of Denton has a very good rental property program that Centreville
could look in to.
Citizens Forum
Joe Brown, Concerto Avenue offered comments regarding the Budget Advisory Committee, parking meters, rental
registration, and a Zoning Administrator.
Council Roundtable
 Ms. Kaiser stated the Farmers’ Market is looking for volunteers for the Friends of the Farmers’ Market
group. She requested the cheat sheet for code enforcement be completed.
 Mr. Johnson stated he will begin to scheduled meetings for Council in the Community and is requested two
Council Members attend each of the meetings in different sections of town.
 Ms. Anania had nothing to report.
 Mr. Kiel had nothing to report.
 Mr. Kline had nothing to report.
Motion to Adjourn
There being no further business, Mr. Johnson made a motion to adjourn the February 17, 2022 Town Council
meeting. Ms. Anania seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:21 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn M. Brinkley
Town Clerk
Council Action Items:
1. Approved the February 3, 2022 meeting minutes, as presented.
2. Approved Resolution 01-2022 for the purpose of amending the Town Charter to repeal and replace Section
523 of the Town Charter.
3. Approved Ordinance 01-2022 for the purpose of adding a new Chapter 105 to the Town Code to establish the
procedures and requirements for the consideration and execution of purchases and contracts and matters
generally related thereto.
4. By consensus, the Town Council agreed to remove the bags from all parking meters at this time.
5. By consensus, the Town Council agreed to hold the Family Fun Event and Fireworks on Friday, July 1st.
6. By consensus, the Town Council agreed to look into developing a Citizen Participation Plan for
developments and develop a plan for review.
7. Approved the purchase of a single purpose narcotics canine for the Centreville Police Department at a cost of
$9,100.
8. By consensus, the Town Council agreed to close the BB&T/Truist account.
9. Approved a mid-year 3% COLA increase for employees effective March 1, 2022.
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