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Highlights of the June 14 Mayor and Council Meeting

The Mayor and Council met on Monday, June 14, at City Hall. The agenda included the authorization to recognize city delegates to Jiaxing, China, a presentation on responses to a Request for Information on RedGate Golf Course, discussion about the Mayor and Council vision and more.

The following items outline many of the decisions that were made and discussions that were held.

District 17 Representatives Give Updates
The District 17 delegation, which includes state Sen. Jennie M. Forehand and Dels. Kumar Barve, Luiz Simmons and James Gilchrist, spoke before the Mayor and Council to highlight the 2010 General Assembly session and discuss proposed legislative priorities for the 2011 session.

Rockville’s 2010 legislative priorities were as follows:

• Negligent Homicide Legislation (failed)
• Statewide Stormwater Management Utility (failed)
• Rockville Senior Fitness Expansion - City received $100,000 from the House and $20,000 from the Senate for a total of $120,000.
• Preserve Municipal Revenues – The legislature adopted an FY11 budget that extends into FY11 and FY12 the more than 90 percent in reductions to municipal Highway User Revenue (HUR) and the 35 percent in reductions in Police Aid made by the Board of Public Works last August.
• Program Open Space – The City received $757,112 for completed projects with encumbered funds, including the Thomas Farm Community Center ($270,000) and Mattie Stepanek Park ($487,112).
  

The City is requesting that the Maryland Municipal League consider the following legislative priorities for the 2011 General Assembly session:

• Negligent Homicide Bill
• Statewide Stormwater Management Utility
• Restore Highway User Revenues in FY12

Sister City Members Receive Delegate Status
The Mayor and Council approved unanimously to authorize as City delegates six members of the Sister City Corporation who will travel to Jiaxing, China.

Rockville Sister City Corporation is sending six members to Jiaxing, July 5-20. The members are now granted official recognition as City delegates. They are former Mayor Jim Coyle, former councilmember James Marrinan, as well as James McConkey, president of Rockville Sister City Corporation, Ying Chen Wang, director of Jiaxing operations for Rockville Sister City Corporation, Lynn Mandujano, academic liaison for Rockville Sister City Corporation, and Bingjib Huang, representing the arts and cultural interests of Rockville Sister City Corporation.

On Sept. 14, 2009, during a visit from the Jiaxing delegation, which included representatives from the Mayor's office, the Rockville Mayor and Council signed an official "Friendly Relations Agreement" with Jiaxing, China.

Ordinance Introduced on Implementation for Proposed Development

The Mayor and Council introduced an ordinance on a zoning text amendment to extend the implementation period for approved development.

The change to the ordinance that was introduced extends the timeframe until June 30, 2012, for site plans, use permits, project plans and special exceptions. Eight people spoke during a public hearing on the amendment.

Last May the state passed legislation that extended existing development approvals, including building permits, site plans and use permits issued by a county or municipality.

The tolling period, in this instance defined as the suspension of the implementation period, runs from Jan. 1, 2008, until June 30, 2010. Therefore, any project that has had some form of permit approval is valid until June 30.

The ordinance is expected to be adopted at the June 21 Mayor and Council meeting.

RedGate Presentation Outlines Information on Contracting Out Course Management

The Mayor and Council scheduled a work session on RedGate Golf Course for July 19, after hearing details Monday of a Request For Information (RFI) that was issued to golf course management companies in March.

The purpose of the RFI was to gather information for the ongoing development of policy directives for the management and operation of RedGate Golf Course. Six responses were received, four of which were from gold course management companies.

Details of the report give specific information about the goals and challenges associated with the RFI, as well as a general overview about the companies.

On Monday, June 7, the Mayor and Council heard two proposals for alternate uses of the 130-acre RedGate Golf Course, located near the intersection of Gude Drive and Norbeck Road.

D&A Sports and Entertainment, LLC, presented a plan for a 6,500-seat civic arena and 2,500-space surface parking lot that would encompass three to five acres of the current course.

Opening Day Partners (OPD) also made a presentation for an alternate use for the city-owned course. The proposal is for a “Brooks Robinson Youth Learning Center,” banquet hall and minor league ballpark to be located on 40 acres, which would reduce the course to nine holes.

Mayor and Council Discuss City Vision
The Mayor and Council discussed a draft vision for the city. A new vision would replace the current Mayor and Council vision adopted in 2008. The vision is an overarching strategic policy statement expressing the Mayor and Council's consensus view of how Rockville should be in 10 years.

The Mayor and Council have not adopted the new vision, but have agreed to return at the June 21 meeting with edits from all Mayor and Council members.

City Manager’s Contract Extended
The Mayor and Council voted 3-2 to extend City Manager Scott Ullery’s contract for three years until December 2013. The current three-year agreement with the city manager expires on Dec. 2, 2010.

Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio and Councilmember Bridget Newton voted against the renewal of the contract.