MML Summary Report 2009 Summer Convention

 

The following is a comprehensive listing of the convention activities in which the City of Cumberland staff and elected officials participated. 

 

 

The “Smart Site Awards,” presented by Governor O’Malley on Sunday, June 28, 2009 in Cambridge, Maryland, are designed to encourage investment and revitalization for development plans that are “smart, green, and growing.”   Councilmen Hendershot and Grim and Councilwoman Pirolozzi represented the City of Cumberland at the award ceremony in which the new HRDC facility being built on Virginia Avenue using “green initiatives” was the recipient of a Smart Site Award. Courtney Thomas, Executive Director of Allegany County HRDC, received the award on behalf of the agency.

 

 

Bill Strickland author of Making the Impossible Possible and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation, provided opening comments. Mr. Bidwell’s corporation focuses on building partnerships that help the disadvantaged by providing training in a diversity of skill areas to those who want to change their lives. He offered a variety of insightful ideas on how to deal with people who face challenges every day and who carry great burdens with them throughout their daily lives. Mr. Strickland’s comments and his message about investing in the disadvantaged and how disadvantaged individuals often respond to such investment were found to be very inspiring.

 

Council has noted that Mr. Strickland recently spoke at a conference in Keyser, WV, hosted by Reverend Brubaker. Representatives from several companies, including ATK, Potomac State College, The Greater Cumberland Committee, and the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce, visited Mr. Strickland’s operation in Pittsburgh in June and many attended the Keyser event, as well. It is felt that ventures such as Mr. Strickland’s, where strong partnerships are formed with businesses, agencies and non-profit organizations to operate such a center, are worth pursuing along with funding opportunities through business such as Hewlett Packard, Verizon, etc.

 

Mayor Kathleen Novak, National League of Cities (NLC) President, spoke during the opening session on various programs that could be of benefit to the municipalities. Council asked for staff follow-up on the NLC Community Purchasing Program in which participating cities can save an average of 18% on purchases, and on the NLC Prescription Drug Program through which participating cities can receive a 20% discount on prescription drug purchases.

 

The City of Cumberland had Council representation on the MML Convention Planning Committee this past year and therefore participated in the selection of the keynote speaker, workshop topics, social events, and menu items. The City also participated in the annual Parade of Municipal Flags which opened the session.

 

 

 

Information was provided during this session on programs that are now active throughout Maryland as well as several interesting concepts from the State of Kentucky. These included:

 

Project Citizen – a program for middle and high school students in which the students define local problems and develop ideas and solutions. This program already exists in Maryland.

 

Capitol Forum – an experimental civic education, state-wide program for teens that raises awareness of critical international issues and strives to encourage long term civic commitment. This program also currently exists in Maryland.

 

Kaleidoscope – a community-based youth development program that celebrates the value of young people and the power of love.   This program was created to bring about positive transformation by creating an environment where important issues are addressed through the arts and create a contribution back to society. Kaleidoscope is committed to 9 core values:

 

- Building positive and supportive relationships

- Pursuing social justice and active service to improve our society

- Encouraging diversity in experiences and relationships

- Examining our world and ourselves through critical reflection

- Approaching issues with creativity and imagination

- Valuing and empowering our youth by providing opportunities for leadership and participation

- Using the power of the arts for meaningful expression and personal, community and social transformation

 

Some of the programming includes Youth Art Teams, Community Outreach, Voices 4Justice, and Service Learning. 

 

A City partnership has been suggested with the Board of Education and the Neighborhood Association to develop a similar program, beginning with a Youth Council, in which our youth would identify local pertinent issues and then identify the strategies and programs to solve the related problems.

 

 

Quite often, locating the owner of a nuisance property and the subsequent notification of issues or violations to that owner becomes a very difficult, time-consuming process for staff and a bothersome one for neighbors in close proximity.  Additionally, the rise in home foreclosures has also created an impact on code enforcement programs.  Mortgage companies have proposed several collective efforts that cities and other appropriate parties can engage in to preserve properties or, at the very least, make contact with owners to be able to identify compliance and stabilization remedies. The City obtained information from one such company called Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems (MERS) that assists with vacated property issues and this information was shared with the City’s code enforcement staff.

 

 

This workshop provided a greater appreciation for the major challenges facing many communities relative to water and sewer issues, the Bay Restoration Project, and the inherent conflicts between municipalities and counties. Information obtained from this presentation was forwarded to the City planning staff. 

 

Council provided moderation for this workshop that included 3 panelists: the Chief of Police of Gaithersburg, a representative from Opto Traffic (a supplier of the speed cameras), and an attorney who has been involved with the legislation and potential issues for Montgomery County, where a pilot program for residential speed cameras was already in use prior to the adoption of this year’s legislation. 

 

The new law allows cities and towns to place speed cameras in school and work zones from 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Municipalities must adopt legislation authorizing the use of cameras in specific areas and must also provide signage identifying these areas. The maximum fine for a violation is capped at $40, no points may be assessed, and a speed tolerance of 12 mph over the posted speed limit will be allowed before a citation is issued. During discussion, questions were raised about the accuracy of the equipment as well as some legalities of the issue.      

 

Based on their experiences in Montgomery County, the workshop speakers were able to provide direction that will save the City of Cumberland many hours of research should a move be made in that direction. Information obtained from this session will allow for an informed recommendation and decision to be made by Council and staff concerning the installation of speed cameras in the City. Workshop materials were also passed on to the City Solicitor.

 

 

This workshop provided additional insight into the civil liability attached to nearly every official decision made by a municipal official. The information presented underscored the importance of consultation with legal counsel under certain circumstances, especially in relation to personnel matters.

 

 

 

Interesting correlations could be drawn by comparison of Cumberland’s residential housing program with the presenting jurisdictions. Cumberland limits the number of non-family members in a residential housing unit in a similar fashion to other communities in Maryland, though College Park and Frederick do not define a “family.” It was noted that the presenting communities that have a licensing program actually license the landlord rather than the unit.  In comparison, it was discovered that Cumberland utilizes similar approaches to controlling overcrowding. Follow-up ideas include a discussion amongst Community Development Staff on the idea of licensing landlords and charging them based on the number of units they have rather than licensing individual units.

 

 

During this session, tips on preparing and adjusting for future revenue shortages were provided. Presenters at this session recommended that the smaller a community is, the higher the percentage of reserve funds should be. For communities of 10,000 to 40,000 residents, a 10-15% reserve level was recommended when compared to total annual operating funds. For larger communities, a smaller percentage is recommended as a greater flexibility exists to divert funding due to the larger size. The presenters also recommended a reserve level greater than 15% for communities smaller than 10,000. Full multi-year operating and capital budgets were recommended that show all expenses and revenues. It was also noted that, with regard to policing levels, jurisdictions should not use “officer per thousand” as a method of determining staff levels. They recommendation was made for staffing  that would achieve a metric to allow officers 1/3 time on administrative issues, 1/3 time on proactive policing, and 1/3 time on dispatch for service (responding to assistance calls). Using this metric, a police department must staff to achieve this level or make adjustments to achieve this metric level. Key points in this presentation were shared with other management staff.

 

 

Information regarding the advantages of single stream recycling and the challenges it presents was offered. There was significant discussion regarding the current state of recycling, recycling markets, and disposal trends and emphasis given to the need to implement a comprehensive, single-course recycling program.   While the hard reality of recycling costs was driven home, so was the need to recycle and the potential long-term savings of diverting trash from landfills through community recycling efforts. Frederick County provided an overview of their recycling efforts noting that yard waste is allowed to be dropped off free of charge and their commitment to provide active guidance to businesses through the county, although recycling services are not provided on commercial accounts. Working with the schools was encouraged to make young students aware of recycling in the hope that they will adopt it as part of their culture for the long-term. 

 

Council noted that this session accentuated the need to recycle and the need to implement single-source curbside recycling efforts in Cumberland, even if such a program must start out in a pilot neighborhood.  Key points of this presentation and information gathered will be presented to the City’s Environmental Technician.

 

 

Although the City has moved towards “regionalization” of our community parks, pocket parks of passive recreation areas could be an alternative in locations where the City has “slivers” of land or land that cannot be developed due to right-of-ways or utility easements. This subject will be discussed further with the Parks and Recreation staff, and areas will be reviewed for compatibility where this might enhance a neighborhood without adding cost to the City.

 

 

Richard Faust of the Local Government Insurance Trust (LGIT) provided a detailed breakdown of the benefits derived from a Risk Management program and ideas for organizing risk management efforts. Case studies were analyzed to highlight methods for identifying risk, types of exposure, risk evaluation, and risk control. Although the City has an effective risk management program currently in operation, this workshop provided two specific areas of insight that were found especially useful. A detailed review of Certificates of Insurance was provided and valuable information was gained on policy requirements to ensure validity of the Certificate, identify potential problems, and ensure that sufficient coverage for the City is provided. Additionally, issues pertaining to the importance of establishing comprehensive insurance listings for contractors’ equipment were discussed and several ideas were brought back to explore with the department of finance and public works to ensure the City remains current and fully covered on this issue.

 

Victor Tervala, Esq., with Funk and Bolton, presented a comprehensive overview of the rules that shape municipal and state relations. This workshop provided a clearer knowledge of municipal home rule, the manner in which municipal powers are shaped by individual charters and their relationship with State and Federal laws, and the various forms of municipal government detailing the strengths and weaknesses pertaining to each. The City Code and Charter are dealt with by staff on a daily basis, as well as the Annotated Code and state and federal regulations. The information provided will allow for a broader basis to work off of in terms of our daily decision making processes and understanding municipal powers and municipal limitations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Exhibit Hall provided interaction on a variety of topics from how other municipalities handle refuse collection and recycling to making the best use of neighborhood green space. A representative of the Department of Natural Resources took special note of Cumberland in recognizing the City’s efforts to improve the tree canopy and commented on the duplicating of Cumberland’s tree canopy efforts in other municipalities across the state. 

 

The City’s Economic Development Coordinator prepared and manned a booth in the “Municipal Main Street” portion of the Exhibit Hall and provided an engaging environment for attendees in an effort to generate ample foot traffic and discussion related to Cumberland’s success stories. A discussion was initiated with Secretary Skinner concerning Community Legacy Projects and with Secretary Johansson relative to his support and assistance with several of our larger development opportunities within the region. Governor O’Malley and his staff members were presented with Cumberland tote bags.

 

 

 

- City and Town Administrators Lunch Meeting

- Municipal Police Executives Association Breakfast

- Municipal Clerk’s Association Lunch Meeting

 

 

 

 

Attendees at the MML conference were briefed by Ocean City officials on the emerging issues involving the possession and / or selling of Salvia Divinorum on the boardwalk.  They provided information on this hallucinogenic that was being legally sold to both adults and juveniles in several shops in their area. Although this substance remains legal to sell elsewhere in the State, on August 3, 2009, the Ocean City Mayor and City Counsel passed an Emergency Ordinance making it illegal to sell or possess this substance within the city limits of Ocean City. This information is extremely valuable to Cumberland City officials should this national trend move in our direction.

 

Materials were collected from the Employee Wellness workshop and forwarded to Raquel Ketterman who continues to meet with our local Wellness Coalition in an attempt to plan and coordinate related activities. When implemented, these programs have been proven to reduce workers’ comp claims, to increase overall personal health, and can ultimately reduce health insurance premiums. 

 

Information was forwarded to John Chapman, Assistant Director of Public Works / Maintenance Division, on the MD T2 Center that provided course offerings through the University of Maryland on all aspects of Public Works including asphalt resurfacing, basic drainage, work zone traffic control, road surface management, etc.

 

Information was forwarded on the MML Parks and Recreation Department to Diane Johnson, Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Cumberland.

 

Information was forwarded on the Maryland Department of the Environment “Numbers to Know” program to relevant director-level staff.