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Regular Session Recap: September 27th, 2011
9/29/2011
City Roads and after-school programs were in the spotlight of Hagerstown’s Mayor and City Council meeting Tuesday night.
Pavement preservation and patching on several City streets will be completed in the next two months after Mayor and City Council approved using unspent bond proceeds to fund the 2011 Pavement Preservation Program. City Engineer Rodney Tissue proposed using the bond proceeds on September 13, 2011 to complete the entire 2011 Pavement Preservation Program when bids exceeded the original project budget. The reprogramming of $131,000 allows for the Engineering Department to move forward in the pavement maintenance for all originally planned projects.
Mayor and Council also approved funding for the Parkside Community Center after school programs hosted by the Hagerstown Housing Authority. The funding is a continuation of existing school programs that allow for Kindergarten through 3rd grade students to meet Monday through Thursday for supervised character building and life skills sessions opportunities, as well as homework assistance. The more than $18,000 in funds, which were already factored into the current budget, support a program lead and three support staff, as well as supplies and special activities for the year. An after school dance program at the Community Center will also receive up to $3,000 in funding. The program allows for 20 young students to take dance classes free of charge and to participate in an end of the year recital. The class has been a part of the CSAFE Youth Prevention element since its inception in 1999.
Mayor and City Council also introduced a campaign finance reporting ordinance with amendments to current City code. The approval comes after Mayor and Council expressed a desire in June to adopt the Maryland State Election Law regarding Campaign Finance Reporting. The amendments to the law reflect the importance of transparency and standards for campaign finance reporting by candidates for City elected office. The City Clerk will receive and review all campaign financing reports with other staff members. Mayor and Council will consider the adoption of the ordinance at the next regular session meeting.
The City of Hagerstown also threw its support behind the Miss Maryland Scholarship Organization again for at least the next five years. Mayor and Council voted to use $8,000 from hotel motel tax revenue to support the rental contract with the Maryland Theatre for the state program to have its presence in Hagerstown through at least 2016.
Mayor and City Council began their regular session meeting by appointing two new members of the Board of Traffic Appeals and Parking. Lynda Evans and Percy Wright will have a four-year board term to end in September of 2015. Boy Scouts from the Paramount area were also recognized in attendance at Tuesday night's meeting.
The next meeting of the Mayor and Council is scheduled for October 4th at 4:00 p.m.
