Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Good afternoon, everyone. It's September 17th, and we're starting our planning board meeting. Our first item is a closed session. According to the Maryland Annotated Code General Provisions Article 3-305B7 to consult and counsel to obtain legal advice, the topic is requests for reconsideration. Is there a motion to go into closed session? Move for closed session. Second. All in favor?

Aye. The ayes have it. Thank you. We will now go into closed session, and... We'll come back in the open session as soon as we finish. Thank you. Welcome back, everyone. We're on item number 2C of the preliminary matters. The first item is request for consideration, followed by Aaron E. Girard, Popular Grove Preliminary Plan Amendment Number 1, 2019-004C, regarding resolution dated August 5th, 2026, hearing date July 9th, 2026. So is there a motion for reconsideration of specifically only of I believe it was condition number 19 that addresses the traffic signal and of that reconsideration that

Aye. The ayes have it 5-0. We're going to go to the next item, which is a fair let in.

Thank you for that information and clarification. So now we're on item number two, Fairland-Briggs-Cheney Implementation Advisory Committee member appointments, where staff is recommending that the Planning Board appoint selected candidates to fill vacancies on the Fairland-Briggs-Cheney Implementation Advisory Committee. And I see that the staff is recommending that they appoint three candidates candidates to fill three vacancies on that committee for three-year terms, as stated in the committee bylaws. Those are Charlene Brooks, Earl H. Brooks, and Kimuel Chavez, and that they also recommend

Maybe you could just mention the recent accomplishments or whatever so that the board loves to hear about accomplishments. If you don't, my fellow board members, you're open to that? We are open. OK.

So can I ask you that how long this implementation advisory committee continue to meet on a monthly basis? And does it include any planning staff also, or county staff?

Are they indefinite meetings? Is it a Ending time, or is it just indefinite?

Any other questions or comments from the board? Hearing none, thank you for your presentation. And is there a motion to approve the members to the Fairland and Brooks Cheney Implementation Advisory Committee as presented?

Aye. The ayes have it, 5-0. Thank you so much. And we'll go into the minutes, approval of minutes. We have two this afternoon, the minutes of July 30th, 2026, where all commissioners can vote. So why don't we all go on that one. There's a motion to approve the minutes of July 30th, 2026. Second. Yes. Great. All in favor? Aye. Aye. The ayes have it. And there is a motion to approve the minutes of August 18th, 2026, where Commissioner Linden can vote. I'll move to approve the minutes from August 18th. All in favor? Aye. Aye. The ayes have it, 4-0-1. Thank you. And we're going to Record Platts.

Okay, so I'm sorry. Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. Yeah. So is there a motion to approve corrected resolution for 7749 Old Georgetown Road site plan number 820240090 MCPB number 25-015.

Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. The ayes have it, 5-0. We're going to our two record plats. There's a subdivision plat for Willerbaum Acres, and there's a subdivision plat for Greenwich Forest, where staff is recommending approval of these two record plats. Do I have a motion to approve the record plats?

Aye. The ayes have it, 5-0. We're going on to regulatory extension requests. We have one this afternoon, the Woodland Estates Preliminary Plan Amendment and Forest Conservation Plan, the fourth request, where staff is recommending approval of the extension request. There is a motion to approve this extension request. I'll move to approve the extension request.

Aye. The ayes have it, 5-0. And we're now on to our director's report, around-the-table discussion with Director Mr. Jason Sartori. I'm sorry. Long day, Mr. Sartori.

Yeah. Director Sartori, I just wanted to thank you for reaching out with the Prince George's planning team and building on that collaboration. That's really important for the commission. And I love that you highlighted the new employees, the full-time, and also the interns. It's so amazing, as you said, to see the talent that we were able to attract. So thank you.

We could get you up, get a quick photo and then we'll be done. And Paul, thank you for organizing this. This is wonderful. It just shows also the creativity of the staff not only at their jobs, but outside. So thank you. I know it took time to do it, but it's so appreciative. Thank you. And thank you to the winners. Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome back. We're on item number six, the 2026 fall semiannual outline, where the directors Sartori and Figueredo will outline what they expect to provide to the council soon. So I'll have both directors present what they are suggesting. Thank you.

How much is that? Could you refresh my memory?

Any questions or comments from the board? Please.

I totally agree with Midi that especially for the Parks Department, this is or time to be able to highlight our parks. So I totally agree with the goal and items that you have put in here. I think it would be good also if there are any kind of, and I don't know if it has been there, any kind of achievement, big achievement that we have had this past year to include that or anything that has had a lot of public, you know, questions or controversial among the public that our council people have heard from their constituents. That's our chance that we can clearly provide our side of of what we ar

Any other questions or comments? I have just, thank you both for presenting. I think they always, you always give great presentations to council, and I think the topics you highlight will be great for them. And the piece about honoring the council members, I think they would, especially the outgoing one, I think that would be great for them. One of the things that, maybe alluding to what Commissioner Petum said, I think a key accomplishment that your team did during this year, especially in order to maybe pushing economic development, was this, you know, and it's also honoring the council memb

Can I just add, while we are at it, the expedited review, I will shine on that. Because a lot of them have come in front of us. And I know that that's not easy. I think that we just may want to just push some information inside.

We appreciate you bringing this to us. I look forward to this happening soon. Thank you. We're going to just take a couple minute break and then go with our next item, which is the fiscal year 28 operating budget overview. And Ms. Charles will be here to do that. OK, thank you. We'll be right back. Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome back. We're on item number seven, fiscal year 28 operating budget overview. And we have presenting our executive director, Mr. Bill Spencer, and Terry Charles, our budget director. Welcome.

Is this increase, or is it just that OPEB is defined every year? There is no baseline budget for OPEB. I forgot.

So OPEB usually funds the retirees' health and also compensation. The compensation doesn't come from OPEB, correct?

Does that mean you've included the time to care funds that's loaded with that and the pension increase? Yes.

OK, great. Great. Thank you for sharing great news. No, but I would rather have the news than no news. So a couple of questions I have.

The county's numbers, they're also budgeting for their own portion of the Time to Care Act, right?

Are we factoring in a half year or a whole year? But even though our budget is a fiscal year You're starting, so we have to start paying in January of 2028, right?

OK. We have to do what we have to do. What we had heard during the MAKO is that you have to start paying. If you form your own club, you don't need to start paying until 2028. So to save a half a year, I don't know. But you'll keep going. Also, we learned about the pension increase yesterday. I had also heard that even though this is because they're doing this experience study and you're going to big hit the first year, do you think that, and I heard it may go down the second, third? I mean, is there a way to, what do you call it, even that out? So we aren't taking such a big hit the first yea

Any other questions or comments from the board? And thank you.

I just have a question about the family. And it's just lingering. Employees contribute to VODAT, correct?

So right now, the cost is all on employees. Because my understanding that the first time employer, that The idea for the state was that they start deducting a share from employee ahead of time to create funding. This is what I remember when they told us. I don't know. Maybe I don't remember it right. To create some pre-funding or buffer that they'd be able to pay the funding. But even if they're not going to do that, I think that it should be some kind of share of funding. I do not know who has the final approval on that, that it comes. It's something that comes to the planning board because t

And when are we going to make that decision? Because that impacts how much you have shown that, correct? How much it would be available.

So right now is the worst case? Correct. OK, thanks.

But you will have an answer before we submit the budget, the final budget, about who's the split.

OK. Thank you. Any other questions, comments? Thank you for presenting, and if we have any other questions, we'll get back to you. I appreciate you for coming this way. Thank you. All right, so we're going to take a two-minute break, and we'll end with our item number eight, Special Event Assistance Program, where staff is recommending approval of this Special Event Assistance Program. Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. We're on our last item of the planning board meeting. It's item eight, special event assistance program, where the park staff is recommending approval of the special event as

Well, thank you. Thank you for thinking ahead and creating a plan so that it's more transparent and it's easier to deal when you set aside a certain amount that you're going to allow when you do this. So thank you for thinking through that and bringing it to the board. Are there any questions or comments from the board members?

Could you please? Let's go to the previous slide. Okay, so the fee waiver is just for the ground fees, facility fees, or use of the amenities. You had a slide that showed the component of cost. Could you take it to that one? Are you talking about slides? The graph bar. Yeah. That you had the component. Okay, yeah, yeah. Go back here. So basically, if I want to circle here that what fees could be waived, it's the second one that is the ground fee. That's the total. So that's like about, for total, would be like $17,000. And it's the shelter, that is another 1027. Field court is another six. an

I think that is a fair and right thing to do. So that's put aside. Now I'm just thinking that I think this is going to be probably some people that are not going to be happy about it. And they're going to complain. What is the appeal process? And if someone says that, okay, I'm going to bring my own staff, I'm going to bring my own volunteer, I'm going to bring my own thing to do it, let me do it, because this could stop some of the people not to do the special event anymore. And, you know, I understand we don't want it, but I understand. So, What are the issues and how are we going to take ca

Yeah. I could see that the policy, if we approve that, there are certain things that clear cut. Staff cannot be included. So that's a clear cut for that. But then the part that you're going to decide is 20%, 30%, 40% or whatever.

I totally agree with you. That's what I said, that I support you 100%. But I'm expecting that some of the, you know, they're going to be, you know, appealing. I do not know if we are, well, I guess that we have to be ready for that, that So the idea is that this is it, and this decision is done and approved by the planning board, and this is how we proceed. And we may lose some of these, but hopefully we gain some more. We don't know.

I think it's going to the right way. I think that it's time to do that. And that would be helpful. I just could see that some people say that we're going to bring our own volunteers and let us do it. Just be ready.

Yeah, that's to reduce the number of our staff. That's a good thing. That would be something that maybe we could look into that they could bring volunteers that do some of the work that I know that we cannot not have our staff there. They have to be there, totally supported. But maybe we could make it a little bit less that the cost can come down.

Thank you. A couple questions. One is that this now you'll see if people plan ahead because you have two and maybe after a year or two you can figure out do you need a third one or a fourth but it'll give you some feedback on will people plan ahead like you want. And the other is do you have a Because you're going to do this twice a year, like you say, okay, I'm going to give $50,000 in fees a year. I don't know. Is there a cutoff where you're going to divide it between two? How is that going to work? Have you thought through your budget?

Great. I'm very supportive of the program. Let's get it going and see how it is. And any other? Commissioner Linden.

So if someone misses, so they still can't have the event. They're not just going to get the waiver. So it's on them to be late. All the waivers, they have application. Nobody's going to stop them to come to the park and have it, but everybody can go as long as there is a space available and they pay the fee. They're all welcome to do it.

Well, you heard a lot of thank yous. So hearing no other questions or comments, is there a motion to approve of Montgomery Park's special events assistance program, proposed special assistance program?

And I second it because I used to be looking over that project.

All in favor? Aye. Aye. The ayes have it. 5-0. Thank you so much. We appreciate you coming. And it's been a great day. And this ends our planning board meeting. And we'll see you next Thursday. Thank you. And welcome Chief Robinson.