Mhm.
» Mhm.
» And work.
Are we good, Rick?
All right.
We'll call the meeting to order. As a
courtesy to everyone, please take a
moment and
silence any devices that might interrupt
the meeting. I'm going to do the same
thing myself.
Thank you. Good evening and welcome to
the meeting. This meeting of the Mayor
and Common Council of Westminster
Incorporated on February 5th,
[clears throat] 1819.
We are gathered here at historic City
Hall, originally state built in 1842 by
Colonel John K. Longwell. City acquired
this building in 1939 and has since been
the venue where the Mayor and the
Council conducts the city business.
Now, we'll begin as we do every meeting
with the Pledge of Allegiance followed
by a moment of silence.
All right, as you were.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America
and to the republic for which it stands,
one nation under God, indivisible, with
liberty and justice for all.
Thank you very much.
One interesting fact about Westminster
is the Sherwood Distilling Company. It
began operations here during World War
II era, housed in a striking red brick
plant along Railroad Avenue with large
glass window window mash drying sheds.
After producing Sherwood Straight Rye,
its license expired around 1970 and the
decades of distilling. However, the tall
brick smoke stack remains a prominent
local landmark. Today, the former barrel
house is the location of Paradiso
Restaurant and the main building serves
as Carroll County Citizen Service
Center, ensuring Sherwood's legacy
endures in Westminster's architecture
and community life.
Moving on, the council typically
convenes on the second and fourth Monday
of each month. Please note that these
meetings are open to the public here at
City Hall and are also streamed live on
the city's YouTube page as well as the
community media center channel and
website. We extend our gratitude to the
Community Media Center for its
partnership in ensuring public access to
these meetings. Copies of tonight's
agenda and the entire information packet
that the council will be using are
available online at the city's website.
Hard copies of the agenda are available
here in the front of the room for those
in attendance.
First order of business is a closed
session statement. A statement for the
record, a closed meeting was held on
Monday, April 20th, 2026 in accordance
with the general provisions of Article
Section 3-306C2
of the Annotated Code of Maryland and
without objection, it is noted that the
minutes of tonight's meeting reflect the
Common Council met in a closed meeting
on Monday, October 20th, 2026 at 5 uh
5:50 p.m. pursuant to General Article
Section 3-305B7
to consult with counsel to obtain legal
advice and B8 to consult with staff,
consultants, or other individuals about
pending or potential litigation.
Note for the record, Councilmember Huff
was not present during the vote that was
taken for the closed meeting and note
for the record, Councilmember remember
Bayer left the meeting at 6:15 p.m. The
city administrator
Inhols and city attorney Whitworth were
both in attendance. The Common Council
took no official action during the
meeting. The closed session was
adjourned at 6:35 p.m. Next order of
business will be a public hearing on
annexation resolution 2603 and in the
city of Westminster, public hearings are
conducted by the mayor. So, Madam Mayor,
the gavel is yours.
Very much. Call this public hearing to
order at 7:00 p.m.
p.m.
This is resolution number 26-03,
annexation 72. A resolution enlarging
the corporate boundaries of the city of
Westminster by annexing into the city
certain property containing plus or
minus 2.9443
acres continuous and adjoining to the
city's existing corporate boundaries
consisting of real property located at
10 Salt Box Road, Westminster, Maryland
21157,
also identified as tax account number
07-048408,
map 0039,
grid 0013,
parcel 0752,
and comprising of plus or minus 1.4983
acres and plus or minus 1.446
acres of right-of-way containing a
portion of College View Boulevard,
Maryland Route 140, Maryland Route 97,
belonging to the Maryland Department of
Transportation State Highway
Administration.
Anyone like to make any
comments during the public hearing? If
so, please state your name and address
for the record.
Or should
Mr. DePuy, do you want to give any
Sorry.
Mr. DePuy, do you want to give any
information first? If I If I could.
That makes sense. So, quickly, um,
Adamy LLC, the petitioners requesting
that the Mayor and Common Council annex
property containing approximately 2.9443
acres into corporate limits and
subscribed by the Mayor.
Uh, the Mayor and Common Council may
enlarge the boundaries of the city of
Westminster as provided in Annotated
Code of Maryland.
The property is located outside city
limits, but inside the water and sewer
service area
and it's eligible for annexation under
state law.
The property is currently being served
by public water and sewer.
The annexation area is zoned C-2
commercial medium intensity district
under the zoning laws of Carroll County.
The petitioner is requesting the
property be zoned B business zone
under the city zoning ordinance.
Developing in the development in the B
business zone is substantially similar
to development in the C-2 commercial
medium intensity district.
The petitioner has constructed a Sheets
convenience convenience store and gas
pumps at the property. This was all part
of an annexation agreement between the
petitioner and the city, whereby
development was able to move forward
and the the petitioner was then supposed
to annex the property, hence tonight's
meeting.
Or in February the 9th, 2026, annexation
resolution 2603
or annexation 72 was introduced to the
Mayor and Common Council, allowing the
process to begin.
On February 10, 2026, annexation
resolution 2603, along with an
annexation plan pursuant to state code,
was emailed to Carroll County and the
Maryland Department of Planning.
On April 16, 2026, the Planning Zoning
Commission held a public hearing on
annexation resolution 2603
including the annexation plan.
The Planning Zoning Commission forwarded
annexation resolution 2603 to the City
of Westminster Mayor and Common Council
with a favorable recommendation.
The annexation petition submitted by the
petitioners meets the requirements for
annexation under state code.
The Mayor and Common Council notice of
public hearing for the resolution was
advertised on Monday, March 30, 2026
and Monday, April 6, 2026 in the Carroll
County Times in conformance with state
code.
And that completes my report.
Thank you.
Yes. Please state your name and address
for the record. Well, of course I will
say that the state and the county have
the right to speak first at this
hearing. I I'm going to assume that
they're not here to speak. Correct.
Uh thank you, Madam Mayor. My name is
John Maguire.
Uh I'm the attorney for Sheets, Inc.
Uh which is the tenant and operator of
the property.
Had Amy, LLC is the owner and the
landlord.
Uh and we more or less represented them
in this. Under the lease, the
understanding was that Sheets would
prosecute this civil and site plan and
set up its business.
Um
So, that's kind of where I fit. Uh
I'm going to assume that the record of
this hearing
uh
con- is constituted by what's been
placed on the website, what's been
advertised. That is the record that we
start with.
Um
In addition, uh for the record, I want
to state uh that the petitions and
materials that were filed by the
petitioner in this proceeding are still
correct and accurate as of the date
hereof.
The proposed annexation is consistent
with the terms and conditions of the
annexation agreement between the city
and the landowner dated July 12, 2021
and recorded against the property
in the land records of Carroll County in
book 10375
8154.
I also want to acknowledge that the
staff provided the uh statutory notice
under local government article 4-406
speaking one
involving assessment and fee
information, and that was given by the
staff and received by the petitioner.
Um and the only other I have no other
comment uh for the record other than
introduce Gary Kilfeather. Gary's been
the project manager on this project
almost from the beginning. The staff has
gotten to know Gary and uh
Gary's here tonight.
You have any questions about the
operations, Gary can answer those.
Thank you. Thank you.
Any questions?
Um would anyone else like to make any
public comment?
Hearing none, we'll close the hearing at
7:10.
Madam Mayor,
back up.
And now we'll go on to presentations. We
have two presentations this evening. The
first one is the Mayoral Proclamation,
uh Municipal City Week, May 3rd through
9th, 2026.
That's Mayor.
Oh, did I say clerk or did I say? City.
Oh, sorry.
Municipal Clerk Municipal Clerk
Municipal Dog Week It's Dog Week. Dog
Week. I would ask our phenomenal City
Clerk, Mr. Doug Barber, to please come
up and join me.
He'll probably bring me something to
sign.
» [laughter]
» All right. Um so this is a Mayoral
Proclamation. This is the 57th Annual
Professional Municipal Clerks Week,
which is held May 3rd through the 9th,
2026.
Whereas the office of the Professional
Municipal Clerk, a time-honored and
vital part of local government, exists
throughout the world.
And the office of the Professional
Municipal Clerk is the oldest profession
among public servants.
The office of the Professional Municipal
Clerk provides a professional link
between the citizens, the local
governing bodies, and agencies of
government at other levels.
And the Professional Municipal Clerks
have pledged to be ever mindful of the
neutrality and impartiality, rendering
equal service to all. And the
professional municipal clerk serves as
the information center on functions of
local government and community.
And professional municipal clerks
continually strive to enhance
professional development through
participation in education programs,
seminars, workshops, and the annual
meeting of their state, county, and
international professional
organizations.
And it is most appropriate that we
recognize the accomplishments of the
office of the professional municipal
clerk. And now, therefore, I, Dr. Monir
Badr, mayor of the city of Westminster,
on behalf of the common council,
recognize the week of May 3rd, 2026
through May 9th, 2026, to be
Professional Municipal Clerk Week in
Westminster, and further extend
appreciation to our professional
municipal clerk, Doug Douglas Barber,
and to [laughter] all the professional
municipal clerks for the vital services
they perform and their exemplary
dedication to the communities they
represent. Adopted this 27th day
of April. Thank you.
Would you like to say anything? No,
ma'am.
Um
we could not run the city the way we do
without our
professional municipal clerk.
Yes.
And he's still doing his job.
He's getting an award.
Nice job there, Doug Douglas. Thank you.
» [clears throat]
» Okay.
Uh and with that, we will move on to our
second presentation this evening. It's a
important presentation and that would be
the fiscal year budget presentation by
our city administrator,
Mr. Moss.
Thank you, sir.
We're going to start tonight. Go ahead
to next slide. As we always do, with the
origin of the budget, right? The
budget's telling a story about how the
mayor and council
make their decisions, what's important
to the city. And we start off with our
vision statement, which I'm going to
read. Westminster is a safe, healthy,
and engaged community where new ideas
and sustainable innovation enhance the
community's quality of life and create
economic opportunities for today's
residents and for future generations.
And you'll see, Mayor and Council, all
of the items that are located in the
budget all relate to that original
vision statement.
Then we move on to the strategic plan
critical success factors. The Mayor and
Council, sometimes annually, sometimes
on a multiple year basis, outline the
critical success factors that the budget
and all of the items that the city does
should go through. And they include the
following: strong partnerships and
engaged communities, water and sewer
capacity for future generations,
economic activity and growth,
responsible stewardship of city
resources, and a safe and livable
community. These are the factors that
drive all of the budget decisions that
we've made in this year's budget and in
most of the decisions that we make
moving forward. Next slide.
An opportunity to educate the public and
remind everybody of the structure of our
budget. We have 1 2 3 4 5 6 funds
that we pull all of all of our various
fund monies from in order to pay for all
of the activities within the budget. And
that includes the general fund, which is
the city's core services and
administrative functions. The public
housing fund,
which is the public housing authority
for housing choice voucher program.
My favorite, the capital project fund,
which accounts for for all of our
capital improvement programs. We call
those CIP, and we'll be referring to
that later in the day, CIP activities.
And then of course we have our
enterprise funds, our water, sewer, and
fiber funds. The water fund helps us pay
for production, treatment, and
distribution of all potable water, clean
water.
The sewer fund helps pay for the
collection and delivery of sewage for
treatment and disposal, very important.
And our fiber fund of course pays for
the construction and operation of the
Westminster fiber network with our
partners in at Ting. Next slide.
This is what everyone's most excited
about, our fiscal year 2027 property
taxes.
Um,
of course in Westminster and all of
Maryland is on a 3-year assessment
cycle. Westminster is in its third year
of the assessment cycle. So in January
of 2026 there'll be new assessments for
this area.
The city's net net assessable base
increased by approximately $156
million
or 6.4% from the prior fiscal year.
This increase is a result of higher
assessments from the reassessment cycle,
as well as new properties that we've
added to the tax roll through
annexations.
Budget drivers. So there is
no change in the real property tax. This
is what everyone is most excited about.
For the 14th year in a row we're able to
say,
uh, thanks to the mayor and council that
the fiscal year 2027 real property tax
rate is 56 cents per $100 assessed
value, which is the same that it has
been again for 14 years, the last 14
years.
The water sewer rates will see
um small increases, 5.75%
increase in the water rate, 5% increase
in the sewer rates.
And just as a reminder, one of the
budget drivers is CPI, the consumer
price index, that has increased 2.4%
from January uh '25 to January '26.
Next slide.
Mayor and Council, this is the outline
of the revenues and expenditures by
fund,
which
I'll just outline. The general fund is
20 The expenditures are 21.7 million,
and the revenues are 23.8
million.
I'm going to leave the rest of them up
there for everyone to see. We'll discuss
this a slightly more in the budget uh
ordinance later on today.
Unless anyone has any questions right
now.
Mr. President, you don't want me to read
those out, do you? No. Okay.
Next slide.
The budget includes some fixed costs,
and those are benefit and insurance
costs. We can't really do anything about
those, um but we do have some good news
to share in this particular arena. Our
health insurance has a small increase of
3.4%,
which we are very excited about because
last year it increased 11.5% and the
year before it increased 13.6%.
Those are funds that are really hard to
find once you get to double-digit
increases. So, we are excited to see
that that's only a 3.4% increase in this
upcoming year.
The pension contribution rate for
non-sworn staff, otherwise known as
civilian staff, has been increased from
13.28%
to 13.52% of salaries, which is a 24%
increase.
The LEOS contribution rate, which is the
pension plan for the sworn officers or
the law enforcement staff, has decreased
from 39.64 to 39.56, or an 8% decrease.
There's no change in the rates provision
short-term disability. We're still
waiting on the dental rates.
Uh there's a 5% increase on the
long-term disability and a 10% increase
on our base life.
Um
which is the first time we've had that
in a while. So, we were not entirely
surprised by that. Our workers' comp
renewal rate is 5.8% last less than it
was last year. And I just want to take a
quick moment to talk about that. Um
those rates are entirely driven by
decisions that we're making at the staff
level, at the council level,
um in order to make sure our workers are
operating um in a safer manner. Examples
of that are a few years ago this council
authorized um mowers that were remote
controlled so that we could mow some of
the very steep banks, making sure that
our employees are not injured in the
process. We're seeing we're starting to
reap the benefits of some of those
decisions that the council made at the
capital level, and then some very
specific decisions that the chief is
making, and public works department is
making as well. That those are we're
realizing those in a very um exciting
way with a 5.8% less increase in our
premiums for workers' comp. So, just
want to take a moment to thank all of
the staff for all their hard work on
that.
And then our general insurance rates are
still pending, but we've budgeted for a
13.3 increase over fiscal year 2026
actual costs. And that's based on an
estimate that we have from the carrier.
Next slide.
The CIP budget um
we're excited for. These are just a few
of the many many many projects we have
in the CIP, including Wakefield Valley
Trail upgrades. The construction should
start in this upcoming fiscal year. Rock
Park equipment and a brand new restroom
building at Rock Park, so we'll no
longer need the portable restroom we had
out there that's at the Hubble Farms.
Of course, um we're excited to hopefully
be able to purchase and install bocce
ball courts this year at City Park.
We've got some much-needed family
fitness center building improvements, as
well as new equipment, which we purchase
every year.
Hopefully, we're finally going to get
the HVAC upgrades completed at uh my
buildings um
well, this says 40 City Hall.
Both buildings, actually, City Hall and
City Administration Building at 45 West.
We've got pavement management, as as we
always do, as well as inflow
infiltration and inflow. It's a project
we call I&I, very important in the sewer
department, to make sure that the storm
water doesn't infiltrate um the sewer
plants. We'll have ongoing projects at
the sewer plant, the enhanced nutrient
removal project, which I'm very hopeful
will close up in this next fiscal year.
Not promising, but hopeful.
Um and finally, and most excitingly,
we've got the Pure Water Westminster,
our water reuse facility, which is still
under construction, and will be
completed by February of 2027, which is
this upcoming budget year.
Next slide.
I'll take a quick moment to thank the
staff.
Um
Ms. Rogers has put in an unbelievable
number of hours on the budget, um and
the finance committee, as well, who's
had several meetings, some very
thoughtful discussion. Um we are
partners in this budget process, and we
really appreciate that. President, that
concludes the report. I'm happy to
answer any questions.
Thank you, Ms. Imholz. Um
I'll open it up for questions in a
minute, but I did want to make one quick
comment, just for clarity for public uh
consumption, for the viewers who are
watching.
This, by no means, is our only uh touch
in terms of this budget prior to it
coming before us. This is just the
introduction, um which we'll do
officially in a little bit, but we'll
have multiple meetings with the entire
body, um and we take a very deep dive
into the budget. Finance Committee has
already spent a lot of time to do this
year. The entire body will spend a lot
more time going through it.
You know, now what is appropriate, what
may or may not be appropriate, and then
we'll bring back a final budget for
approval. So, I just want to make sure
everyone is
crystal clear that this is just a very
high-level,
um, overview, um, for public
consumption, and we'll be spending a lot
more time with this over the next 5
months. So, to that, I've opened up for
any other questions about the
presentation at this point.
Mr. Mayor, go ahead.
No questions. I just want to
make a couple of comments if I could, as
chair of Finance Committee.
First, you know, to to give, you know,
my thank my thanks to Ms. Imholz, and
Ms. Rodgers, and Kristen Gardner, who
have all
you know, offered staff, uh, you know,
assistance for, uh, financial planning.
Um,
and the rest of the team, terrific job
once again in putting together this
budget, you know, working with the
Finance Committee.
Um,
you know,
it's not every municipality that's able
to not only avoid a property tax
increase for 14 years in a row with
rising costs,
and doing as much as we're doing.
But, also, and I think this is an
important point, continuing to only ask
moderate moderate increases
in water and sewer rates. We see
surrounding municipalities,
other jurisdictions, seeing
significantly larger increases in water
and sewer. And that's because, I think,
we've looked ahead
on these issues
for years now, and we we've
taken actions, understood the
consequences of the actions we were
taking, to make sure that we don't have
those kind of major offsets, you know,
and and wild swings in what we have to
ask of of the citizens of Westminster.
And that's really critical. Another
important thing that we've done, and I'm
I'm really proud of the entire team, you
know, my colleagues on the council as
well as the staff.
I think there's probably no community in
Maryland, and I don't want to brag
beyond that, but certainly no community
in Maryland that has made a better use
of the IIJA funds.
You know, these these were these were
funds that we received in the wake of
the pandemic from the federal
government. Westminster received a
significant amount, $18 million roughly,
and whatever you think. And as soon as
that money was announced, we began
planning. We got together and we said,
"We're not going to waste this
opportunity. This is an incredible
opportunity to to fund a lot of
important things we need to get done in
Westminster. We're not going to waste
it. We're not going to spend it on
frivolous things. We'll be very serious
and very thoughtful about how we're
spending this money, and we're going to
make sure that every dollar we spend of
that money, we're able to use that to
leverage city money to do even
And we began that process. Miss Hallsten
executed it in a tremendously skillful
spending skillful manner. Always support
from finance team and the public works
team and everybody else. And I couldn't
be prouder of how we've done this. I
think because of that we've been able to
bring the citizens of Westminster so
much more in terms of public works
projects and other we other things than,
you know, other communities have been
able to do with the person.
So, that's that's I just wanted to say
that. Thank you.
I I think you're [clears throat] being
slightly modest in only in that you were
probably the loudest champion when we
realized how much money we were going to
get in terms of insisting that we
plan well ahead and and handle it right.
And we watched other other
municipalities, other counties fritter
away a lot of that money and frankly
they wasted some of it and had to give
it back. And I think because of your
guidance in particular early on
that went a long way in helping us be
where we're at with the town in terms of
how we utilize those funds. Anyone else?
Mr. President.
» Yes, Mr. Hall.
The only other thing I will mention
is, you know, I I since I've been on the
this council for the past 5 years, I
really think we have done a tremendous
job of working with our federal, state,
county partners
to help bring additional funds for all
of our capital
needs in the city. And I really
compliment everybody's effort up here
with that. But especially with staff's
effort,
especially with working with some of the
federal stuff, we have done really well
regarding that. And it allows us to
accomplish a lot of great things for the
city. So, besides the ARPA money, I just
want to highlight that too. But I think
we've done a
tremendous job in the past 5 years that
I've been here.
Thank you, Mr. Hall. Anyone else?
Okay.
» [clears throat]
» We'll be moving on. We will now move on
to a appointment by the mayor. Mayor
Backus. Thank you, Mr. President.
I would like to bring forward Dr. Robert
Wax
to be considered to fill the vacancy on
the City of Westminster's Planning and
Zoning Commission.
I forwarded Mr. Dr. Wax's
application and resume to everyone on
the council. And I'm sure you have had
time to consider
um
this appointment up to the
Planning and Zoning Commission.
Thank you, Madam Mayor. I was real glad
you sent that along cuz you know, I
really didn't know the guy. I only saw
him at the time.
Jog your memory there.
» Yeah, exactly. So, may I have a motion
to approve the mayor's appointment of
Dr. Wac to the Planning and Zoning
Commission. Mr. President, I will make a
motion to approve said appointment.
» Thank you, Mr. Hoff. And I believe Mr.
Bayer had the second.
I'll open it up for any discussion prior
to the vote.
Any discussion? Just one comment. I
don't think that the mayor could have
picked a better person to step into this
role.
Dr. Wac's knowledgeable
from serving on this council, but from
also being a activist citizen in the
community. So, I know that he'll
represent the folks well. So, great
choice. Thank you, Mr. Bayer. Anyone
else?
I agree.
» [laughter]
» Okay.
All those in favor of approving the
mayor's appointment of Dr. Wac to the
Planning and Zoning Commission, please
signify by saying I. I. Please note for
the record that I vote voted in the
affirmative as well. Done on that.
Any opposed?
The eyes have it, and congratulations,
Madam Mayor. Dr. Wac is appointed to the
Planning and Zoning Commission.
Thank you very much.
Okay. Now, we will move on. I don't
believe our attorney is here. Okay,
we will move on to approval of minutes.
We have three sets of minutes to approve
for this meeting. We have minutes from
the Mayor and Common Council Work
Session Meeting of April 20th, 2026,
special Mayor and Common Council Meeting
Minutes of April 20th, 2026,
and the Mayor and Common Council Closed
Meeting Minutes of April 20th, 2026.
Is there a motion to approve the
minutes? So moved, Mr. President. Thank
you, Mr. Pecoraro. May I have a second?
Second. Thank you, Mr. Bayer. Is there
any discussion regarding the motion?
Hearing none, all those in favor, please
signify by saying I. I. The I Any nays?
The eyes have it, and the minutes are
approved. We'll now move on to the
consent calendar. We have three items on
the consent calendar this evening. Is
there a motion to approve the consent
calendar? Mr. President, I'll make a
motion to approve the
» Thank you, Mr. Pop. May I have a second?
Second. Thank [clears throat] you very
much, Mr. Pecoraro.
All those in favor of approving the
consent calendar, please signify by
saying I. I. Any opposed? The eyes have
it, and the consent calendar is
approved. We'll now move on to the
report from the mayor. Madam Mayor.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Um, on Wednesday, April 15th, myself
along with members of of the council
attended the annual Westminster Police
Department award ceremony at the new
event center at Wakefield Valley. The
ceremony is always a memorable
experience witnessing the dedication,
integrity, and the courage of the
officers honored. The Westminster Police
Department is truly something special.
The professional professionalism,
compassion, and commitment shown by its
members reflect not only their duty to
protect, but their genuine care for the
people that they serve. It's evident
that this department goes above and
beyond building trust and making
Westminster a stronger, safer place.
Thank you.
Um, I've been busy in the community for
the last 2 weeks. On Sunday, April 19th,
a new Patriot Trail marker was unveiled
at the historic Westminster Cemetery.
This plaque honors Henry Neff, Caleb
Stansbury, and William Winchester, three
Revolutionary War Patriots buried in the
Westminster Cemetery. The marker is one
of 187 installed along the Patriots
Trail and the very first to be placed in
Maryland.
The plaque was provided by the William
Pomeroy Foundation and made possible
through the efforts of the Westminster
Chapter of the Maryland Society, Sons of
American Revolution. As you enter the
cemetery from North Church Street,
proceed along the drive, and the Patriot
marker is just a few 100 a few hundred
feet in along the right-hand side.
Last Sunday uh evening, I attended a
reception for 11 high school guidance
counselors that McDaniel College invited
to Westminster for a three-day event.
This event was geared to showcase not
only the college, but also the city as a
wonderful place for new students to come
to learn
and hopefully stay in the area. Along
with Council member Hoff, we had a
really nice evening of chatting and
learning about the schools the guidance
counselors were visiting from and
telling them how wonderful the city of
Westminster is.
I want to thank everyone who came out to
X on a mission commons at the
Westminster Public Library for the
mayor's community meetings last Thursday
regarding the update to Westminster's
historic district. There were about 40
individuals in attendance and I believe
by the end of the evening all the
questions were answered if residents had
concerns. There were also residents at
the meeting who were interested in
contributing stories and information and
I look forward to a future update on the
progress of the project.
While I was out of town during the wine
stroll, I wanted to congratulate the
staff for making the decision to move
the start time of the wine stroll up a
few hours to accommodate the inclement
weather that was moving into Westminster
in the afternoon.
I heard it was chilly during the stroll,
but I gathered from the pictures that it
was still well attended and everyone had
had a good time. Given the circumstances
with uncertain weather in April, I think
that the best decision was made to shift
the start time of the stroll and I hope
that we are out of the stroll weather
window for the rest of the year. So so.
I hope so. I also wanted to take a
minute to congratulate the town of
Sykesville as one of the three winners
of the Great American Main Street Award
for 2026.
The award was presented to Sykesville
for their preservation-based
revitalization in their historic
downtown. And then just finally, later
this evening
Miss Imholte
gave a quick presentation on the budget,
but later this evening we will introduce
the fiscal year '22 budget. The process
of putting a budget together isn't
glamorous, it's tedious, and takes a lot
of attention to detail, but it's the
most important legislative task an
organization does, and I look forward to
sharing the budget with you and some
more information later in the meeting.
Mr. President, back to you. Thank you
very much, Madam Mayor. And now we'll
move on to reports committee and right
back at you. There is no report from the
external services committee. Thank you
very much. Economic and community
development, Mr. Huff. No report
tonight, sir. Thank you, Mr. Huff.
Finance committee, Mr. Perreira. Thank
you, Mr. President. I think on behalf of
the finance committee we'll be spending
a bit of time on the budget tonight and
in the future nights, so that's all I
have on that. Thank you, Mr. Perreira.
Personnel, Mr. Bayer. That's me, Mr.
President.
Oh,
sorry. I apologize. Mr. Bayer, that's
you. I apologize. So, Mr. Bayer,
Thank you very much.
I do have a report for public safety. On
April 15th, the Westminster Police
Department's strategic enforcement unit
and canine unit assisted Carroll County
Sheriff's Office with a traffic stop on
the 1800 block of Baltimore Boulevard.
As a result of the stop, officers
recovered 14 g of crack cocaine and
approximately 37 g of fentanyl. It's a
very small amount. This incident
highlights the strong collaboration
between our agencies and our continued
focus on proactive enforcement efforts
to remove these dangerous narcotics from
our community. On April 22nd, the
Westminster Police Department patrol
units responded to a report of retail
theft at Dick's Sporting Goods on North
Center Street. Officers quickly located
the suspect's vehicle as it was leaving
the area and were able to take the
individual into custody. During the
investigations investigation, officers
recovered $1,000 in stolen merchandise
and determined the vehicle had been
reported stolen out of Baltimore County.
Lastly, I would like to compliment the
Westminster Police Department on their
response on the evening, I'm sorry, the
events of April 19th where we had a
tragic
occurrence
in what appears to be potentially a
murder-suicide. Call came in at 8:27
a.m. and our first unit arrived on scene
at 8:29, 2 minutes later.
Unfortunately, the tragedy had already
occurred, but it had been had it been an
evolving crime, that kind of response
time can and in many circumstances makes
the difference between life and death.
While we were all very saddened by this
event, it does point out what an amazing
job our police department does and how
[clears throat] your tax dollars are
well spent when it comes to what I
believe is our most important job as
elected officials
and that is public safety in our mission
statement that Ms. Semmel Hall read
earlier, the very first word is safe.
And I think our police department does a
wonderful job helping us meet that
mission. So, thank you, Chief.
» Thank you, sir. And that's my public
safety report. We'll move on to
recreation and parks. I have no report
for that this evening. Technology will
not have a report unless you do, Mr.
Bearinger. Mr. Whiteside,
no. And intergovernmental, Mr. Huff.
I just want to take a moment to thank
our friends in Annapolis and our local
delegation for their help related to um
receiving this additional funding in our
fiber project as well for our water
reuse project for the MDE.
Um so, I just want to again thank our
friends in Annapolis for that. Thank
you. Thank you, Mr. Huff. Now, we'll
move on to council comments and
discussion. Mr. Pecoraro. Um
nothing except that I did attend the one
stroll on Saturday and despite the fact
that St. Patrick's Day is on a Friday
night, we didn't drink a glass of wine.
I thought you know, the move was a was a
terrific idea.
The weather held off. I managed to get
my grass cut before the event over
there.
But yeah, I was so pleased when I got
there. See so many people following Main
Street,
having a good time, you know, visiting
Westminster businesses on Main Street as
well as all the vendors that we had out
on the street. So
good call. Ms. Gruber is not here, I
know, but good call to Ms. Gruber for
the impulse and everybody else involved
in that decision. I don't believe we
ever would have folded and had it be so
successful. That's all I have. Thank
you, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Hoff.
I was just going to note the same thing
with the wine stroll. Very impressed
with staff thinking ahead
with kind of changing things based on
the weather. And I think all things
considered the event went very very
well. And the timing as far as when it
started to rain was just about perfect.
So I would really
just commend staff thinking ahead and
kind of recalibrating at the last minute
to make the best of a
not so great situation from a weather
standpoint. So thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hoff. Yes, Mayor. Yes, I
had the opportunity last week to attend
an Arbor Day tree planting.
It was conducted by the ground staff
down in the playground. And what really
made it nice there was a group of kids
from the Boys and Girls Club that
actually did the planting and they just
had a great time doing it. Had a lot of
fun.
And
it really highlight trees in the city.
This is the 36th year in a row that
Westminster's a tree city.
And that's probably in the state going
to be near the top, I'm sure.
So that was a good event.
The other thing is just a quick note is
that our public works committee we now
have a regular meeting schedule set up
and we're all good to go with the mayor
and Mr. Huff. So, we're good.
Thank you very much. I have a couple
quick things. Number one, I'm going to
go back to the city clerk week that's
upcoming next week
and just make a quick comment. You know,
we have probably the preeminent clerk in
the state of Maryland that is honestly
as well as
» [clears throat]
» I have examined that uh
quite a few other municipal clerks
actually seek Doug's guidance out on a
very consistent basis. But, we miss him
all. It's not uncommon that folks will
come to him and ask him how to do their
job. And we're fortunate enough to have
the guru right here. And I'm really
fortunate because as you all have
witnessed on almost a a semi-monthly
basis, I'll foul some some
quite a few things up from time to time
and Doug keeps me on the straight and
narrow. So, I'm very grateful for that.
I did want to follow up with a comment
that the mayor made. She held a meeting
of the historic district group or
whatever that was called officially. And
it was really well done. My wife and I
attended it. I thought it was very
informative. A lot of good information.
I thought Mayor Becker, you did a nice
job. And although Councilman Huff was
not officially part of the event, I will
say he did a really nice job adding some
color.
As a matter of fact, I think a number of
people came to that meeting thinking it
was going to be about potentially
forcing them right into something. And
Councilman Huff assuaged some of those
concerns. And actually, as soon as he
did that, some of the people actually
left the meeting.
So, Dan, I want to compliment you as
well. Your your contributions during
that meeting while not planned were
pretty pretty good.
Thank you, sir. You're welcome. So,
we'll now move on to ordinances and
resolutions with four of them this
evening. So, we've got a busy evening.
So, Ramsey, I hope you took a glass of a
drink before we get started on this.
Deep breath at least.
We'll start off with adoption of
resolution 2604.
Mr. Whitworth. Thank you, Mr. President.
The first resolution for your
consideration is the adoption of
resolution 2604,
annexation 72. This is the annexation
plan for certain property containing
plus or minus 2.9443
acres contiguous and adjoining to the
city's existing corporate boundaries
consisting of real property located at
10 Sullivan Road, Westminster, Maryland
21157.
Also identified as tax account number
07- 048408,
map 0039,
grid 0013,
parcel 0752,
and comprising of plus or minus 1.4983
acres and plus or minus 1.446 acres of
right-of-way containing a portion of
College View Boulevard, Maryland Route
140, Maryland Route 97 belonging to the
Maryland Department of Transportation
State Highway Administration, which
property is the subject of a petition
for annexation submitted by the owners
of a portion of the subject property to
the Mayor and Common Council of
Westminster.
Mr. Whitworth, Mr. DePalo. Thank you.
Pursuant to the Annotated Code of
Maryland, in addition to, but not as
part of, an annexation resolution,
the legislative body of the municipality
shall adopt an annexation plan for the
area to be annexed.
The annexation plan was included with
the introduction of annexation
resolution 2603 for annexation number of
72 at the Mayor and Common Council
February 9th, 2026 meeting.
The annexation plan was sent to the
Maryland Department of Planning in
Carroll County pursuant to the annotated
code of Maryland along with annexation
2603.
And the annexation plan was included in
both the Planning and Zoning
Commission's public hearing on April
16th, 2026 and the Mayor and Common
Council's public hearing
uh held earlier tonight for annexation
resolution 2603 for annexation 72.
With that, the Department of Community
Planning and Development recommend that
the Mayor and Common Council adopt
annexation plan resolution 2604
approving the annexation plan for
annexation 72, Patame LLC.
Thank you, Mr. DePuy. May I have a
motion
uh for the adoption of resolution 2604?
So moved, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr.
Huff. May I have a second? Second. Thank
you very much, Mr. Bayard. Is there any
discussion related to the adoption of
resolution 2604? Mr. President.
» Yes, Mr. Huff. I just want to make a
comment cuz I think sometimes people
don't realize how long uh these process
this process can take.
I remember being pulled into a meeting
uh with the developer cuz they were
processing through the county. They were
having some issues related to getting on
the agenda for the Carroll
[clears throat] County Planning and
Zoning Commission, which I used to be a
member of, for a special report
regarding traffic uh the traffic study,
I believe, and road improvements. That
was 3 and 1/2 years ago.
So, I just think for the benefit of uh
the general public, it's important to
know there is a lot that goes into these
projects
um and a lot of review and a lot of
effort uh that is undertaken
uh when someone goes builds something on
property.
Um and and just having been on council
for 5 years,
I'm starting to see some of these things
that I I
was involved in early on finally get to
the finish line.
Um and I think it's just important to
kind of have that understanding how much
work often goes into these type
projects. So, that's it, Mr. President.
Thank you, Mr. Hough. Anyone else?
Hearing no more discussion, we'll move
on to a vote. All those in favor of
adoption of resolution 2604, please
signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? The
eyes have it and 2604 is adopted. Now,
we'll move on to adoption of resolution
2603, Mr. Whitworth. Thank you, Mr.
President. This is adoption of
resolution number 2603,
annexation 72, enlarging the corporate
boundaries of the city of Westminster by
annexing into the city certain property
containing plus or minus 2.9443
acres contiguous and adjoining to the
city's existing corporate boundaries
consisting of real property located at
10 Sullivan Road, Westminster, Maryland
21157.
Also identified as tax account number
07-048408,
map 0039, grid 0013,
parcel 0752, and comprising of plus or
minus 1.4983
acres and plus or minus 1.446 acres of
right-of-way containing a portion of
College View Boulevard, Maryland Route
140, Maryland Route 97 belonging to the
Maryland Department of Transportation
State Highway Administration.
Thank you, Mr. Whitworth. Director
DePuy, do you have anything? I have no
additional information from the earlier
public hearing. And with that,
Department of Community Planning
Development recommend that the Mayor and
Common Council adopt annexation
resolution 2603
approving annexation 72.
Thank you very much, Mr. DePuy. Let's go
ahead and get it on the floor. May I
have a motion for the adoption of
resolution number 2603.
So moved, Mr. Thank you, Mr. Powell. Do
I have a second? Second. Thank you, Mr.
Bayer. Is there any discussion related
to the adoption of this resolution?
Hearing none, we'll move on to a vote.
All those in favor of adoption of
resolution 2603, please signify by
saying I. I. I. Any opposed? The eyes
have it, and the resolution is adopted.
We'll now move on to adoption of
ordinance number 202602,
Mr. Whitworth. Thank you, Mr. President.
Your first ordinance for your
consideration is the adoption of
ordinance number 202602,
an ordinance of the mayor and common
council of Westminster, Maryland,
amending the adopted budget for fiscal
year beginning July 1st, 2025,
and ending June 30th, 2026,
fiscal year 2026.
Thank you, Mr. Whitworth. Director
Rogers.
Thank you, and good evening.
Well, on April 13th 2026, the staff
The staff introduced ordinance number
2026-02
to amend the fiscal year 2026 budget
appropriations. Included in the
council's packet is a detailed listing
of the recommended new appropriations,
as well as the use of prior year
appropriations from the capital fund
fund balance that are included in
ordinance number 2026-02.
Since the introduction of this
ordinance, there have been no changes
made to the recommended appropriations
included in the ordinance number
2026-02.
Staff recommends the mayor and common
council adopt the budget appropriations
as detailed in ordinance number 2026-02.
Please let me know if I can answer any
questions. Thank you very much, Mr.
Rogers. Let's go ahead and get it on the
floor. May I have a motion to
for the adoption of ordinance number
202602.
So moved, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr.
Pecoraro. May I have a second? Second.
Thank you very much, Mr. President. Is
there any discussion related to 2026-02?
President. Yes, Mr. Pecoraro.
» Just to remind my colleagues that uh
those you know these are the compilation
of uh
series of actions we took during the
course of the year from the beginning
from when we enacted you know the
current fiscal year's budget originally.
Since that time, as we know, little
things have happened along the way.
We've had to spend a little more money
here. We've had to you know start
another project there and you know along
the way as we've been doing that, we've
always asked where does the money come
from? Ms. Imholte and Ms. Rogers always
identify what they expected funds source
to be. This is a compilation of all that
rolled up into a budget amendment so
that our budget itself will reflect all
the things that we've all the changes we
made during the course of the year in
terms of additional spending. So, none
of these are things that are new to us.
They're just things that we're wrapping
up in one document. Excellent. Thank you
very much, Mr. Pecoraro. Anyone else?
Hearing no more discussion, we'll move
on to a vote. All those in favor of
adoption of resolution 2026-02, please
signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Any
opposed? The ayes have it and the
resolution is adopted. We'll move on to
introduction of ordinance 2026-03,
Mr. Whitworth. Thank you, Mr. President.
This is the introduction of ordinance
2026-03,
an ordinance of the Mayor and Common
Council of Westminster, Maryland
approving and adopting a budget for the
City of Westminster for the fiscal year
beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June
30th, 2027, known as fiscal year 27, and
establishing the various city tax rates
for fiscal year 27.
Thank you, Mr. Whitworth. Director
Rogers, do you have anything else? Thank
you. Yes, sir.
On behalf of the city administrator and
myself, I am pleased to present a
proposed fiscal 27 operating budget and
capital improvement plan for the City of
Westminster.
The city's annual budget determines the
manner in which services will be
delivered to the community during the
coming year. And its adoption is the
most
important legislative action that the
common council takes each year.
As Ms. Imholz noted in her presentation,
several factors had a significant impact
on the development of this proposed
budget. First, for the 14th year in a
row, property tax rates stay the same at
.56 per $100 of assessed valuation, and
it's being held constant. In fiscal 27,
water rates will increase 5.75%
and sewer rates will increase by 5% over
fiscal 26 rates.
The CPI, or consumer price index, is the
US economy's primary inflation
indicator, and as Ms. Imholz noted, that
increased 2.4%
from January 25 to 26. Accordingly, the
fiscal 27 budget reflects increases in
costs for goods, such as supplies,
equipment, fuel,
and also various services, such as
utilities, insurance coverage, and
contractual services.
Across all of the city's funds, the
fiscal 27 proposed operating budget
totals 42.9 million, and the fiscal 27
proposed capital budget totals 26.4
million.
The fiscal 27 budget was designed to
advance the objectives of the city's
strategic plan. The plan's priority
initiatives are framed within critical
success factors, which were highlighted
in Ms. Imholz's presentation.
These critical success factors embody
the mayor and common council's long-term
vision for the city of Westminster.
A few of the initiatives included in the
fiscal 27 budget and the associated
critical success factors to which they
pertain include the following.
Strong partnerships and engaged
community. One item is the information
technology department is reviewing the
city's website to make recommendations
for overhauling it.
Under water and sewer capacity for fewer
generations, funding is included to
continue construction of the water reuse
project, which has an anticipated
completion date of February 27.
Under economic growth activity and
growth, the capital fund includes
funding for the continuation of the
holiday lights on Main Street from Bond
John Street Bond Street to Center
Street.
Under responsible stewardship of city
resources, the city received an award of
state funding to cover the fiber debt
service in fiscal 2027. This is the
third year for that.
A safe and livable community. The city
has been awarded federal and state
funding for trail improvements and
linkages at Wakefield Valley Park. Trail
construction is funded in fiscal 2027.
And under safe and livable community,
community policing remains a priority
and the general fund supports those
activities.
The preparation of the annual budget is
a significant undertaking spanning many
months of work. It is by design that
every member of the city's management
team, as well as numerous other staff
members, contribute to the planning and
development of that budget because their
efforts are critical to successful
implementation of the adopted budget.
On behalf of Ms. Imholz and myself, I
extend my deepest gratitude to the staff
that contributed to the development of
the budget.
Director of Human Resources, Ms. Therese
Brown, Director of Housing Services, Mr.
Eric Brown, Director of Recreation
Parks, Ms. Abby Gruber,
Director of Planning and Community
Development, Mr. Mark DePalo,
Director of Technology Services, Mr.
Rick Moore, Chief of Police, Chief
Christopher Price,
the Water Department Superintendent, Mr.
Greg Howe, the Streets Department
Superintendent, Mr. Steve Strawsburg,
the Utilities Depart- Department
Superintendent, Mr. Corey Stauffer,
and the Sewer Department Superintendent,
Mr. Vance Summerhill,
Executive Assistant to the City
Administrator, Ms. Heather Cookner, City
Clerk, Mr. Don Barber,
and Miss Krista Gardner, CPA from SEK
CPAs and Advisors.
Please note, this is just a partial list
of the contributing staff, and we're
equally grateful to the many additional
staff members that contributed to and
participated in the development of the
fiscal 2027 budget.
We also wish to extend our gratitude to
Mayor Becker and the Finance Committee,
which includes Council members Greg
Pecoraro and Dan Koff. They devoted
considerable time reviewing the proposed
budget, providing guidance and
direction, as well as ensuring the
budget aligns with the city's strategic
plan.
On behalf of the city staff, we look
forward to working with the Mayor and
Common Council over the next few weeks
to finalize the budget for fiscal year
2027 that enhances the quality of life
in the Westminster community and
continues to advance the objectives of
the city's strategic plan.
Staff recommend the Mayor and Common
Council introduce Ordinance Number
2026-03
for approving and adopting a budget for
the City of Westminster for fiscal year
beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June
30, 2027 and establishing various city
tax rates for fiscal 27.
Please let me know if you have any
questions.
Thank you very much, Miss Rogers. Let's
go ahead and get it on the floor. May I
have a motion for the introduction of
Ordinance Number 2026-03?
So moved, Mr. President. Fitting. Thank
you, Mr. Pecoraro. May I have a second?
Second. Thank you very very much, Mr.
Bayer. Is there any discussion related
to 2026-03?
That's good. Yes, Madam Mayor. Um
I won't belabor points of my colleagues
from earlier in the meeting, but I do
want to mention that um
I'm incredibly proud and thankful,
um and I want to take a minute to
acknowledge the hard work of our City
Administrator, Miss Sarah Cokeley,
um our phenomenal Finance Director, Miss
Teresa Rogers, as well as our outsourced
CFO Krista Gardner of SEK. I'd also like
to thank the department heads for taking
the time to carefully consider what
their departments need for following
years. Ms. Rogers said this is a
Just like the events we do on Main
Street, this is a all hands-on-board
event. Um but uh
the most important thing that we do. Um
I'm incredibly proud to say that we
continue to demonstrate phenomenal
fiscal responsibility to the residents
of Westminster by presenting this
ballot.
I'm presenting this budget through
fiscal year '27.
Um and I'm looking forward to the
discussion with my colleagues over the
next weeks.
Thank you, Madam Mayor.
Any other discussion?
I'll make one comment. Ms. Rogers,
obviously, you do a wonderful job and
we're
very grateful [clears throat] to have
you aboard. But I have to say that was
one of the most well-prepared
statements relative to a piece of an
ordinance or resolution that we're
handling that I've heard in quite a
while. That was well done. And well, it
was thoughtful,
insightful, and I know you spent some
time working on that. I want you to know
how much I appreciate that. It was
really, really great. I love how you
named all the folks also within the
staff that you know, played a big role
in that. And maybe you've done that in
the past and I just don't remember, but
I was pretty impressed with that. Thank
you. Thank you. You're welcome. Yes, Mr.
Mayor. I was going to say that, you
know, when you think of a budget, you
only think of numbers.
But if you pick up the budget book and
you look at it, read it, you can really
understand everything that's happening
in the city. It's a
the the way the number part of the
budget and the and the other the rest of
the budget is linked together
makes it very understandable for a guy
like me that's only been on the council
for 2 weeks. But thank you very much. I
appreciate it.
Excellent. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Anyone
else?
Okay, hearing no more discussion, we'll
move on to a vote. All those in favor of
introduction of ordinance number 202603,
please signify by saying I. I. I. Any
opposed? The eyes have it, and the
ordinance is introduced. We'll move on
to unfinished business. I have no
unfinished business that I'm aware of.
Is there any unfinished business I'm not
aware of?
Okay, now we'll move on to new business.
I believe we have one item of new
business, Mr. Pectoral. Thank you, Mr.
President. I move that the Common
Council adjourn into a closed meeting
Monday, April 27th, 2026
at the conclusion of the regular meeting
in accordance with the general
provisions Article of the Annotated Code
of Maryland, Section 3-305B1,
to discuss the appointment, employment,
assignment, promotion, discipline,
demotion, and compensation, removal,
resignation, or performance evaluation
of appointees, employees, or officials
over whom this public body has
jurisdiction.
The other person or matter affects one
or more specific individuals.
Thank you, Mr. Pectoral. May I have a
second? Second. Thank you, Mr. Bayer.
Uh any discussion related to this item?
Hearing none, we'll move on to a vote.
Um
all those in favor of going into a
closed session at the conclusion of this
meeting of which we will not return to
open session, please signify by saying
I. I. I. I. Any opposed? The eyes have
it, and we will move into a closed
session after the conclusion of this
meeting. Um we'll now move on to
departmental reports, Ms. Innis. Thank
you, sir. I want to take a moment first
to thank the council for your adoption
of the budget amendment tonight. Um as
Council Member Pectoral mentioned, these
are all items that have come before you.
You could have easily told us to wait
until the next budget cycle. In some
cases, we couldn't, um but by not
waiting, it made sure that we were
delivering services in an efficient and
responsible way to the public. And I
just want to thank you for that ongoing
support. If we didn't have your support,
we would have to stop on those projects.
So, thank you again. It means so much to
all of us.
Um a second thing, uh
Council President, you mentioned,
rightfully so, our incredible City
Clerk. I just wanted to add on to that.
In addition to being um
called on by his colleagues, he is the
official elections guru in the state of
Maryland. He trains all of the new
clerks on the elections. Uh all No one
holds an election without reaching out
to Doug first. Uh and many times in the
middle of the process, as well. But, of
course, as I mentioned before, in the
last um election cycle, Mr. Barr did not
take a single day off during the entire
election cycle just in case someone
needed him during that time period. Now,
he won't be doing that moving forward,
uh but he is a dedicated and a madly
dedicated
And he is recognized throughout the
state of Maryland. So, thank you so much
for recognizing him tonight, as well.
All right, we're missing a few
department heads, so let me give their
reports for you. Um
for recreation, I want to thank everyone
for their efforts on the Wine Stroll. In
particular, I want to thank um those who
had to pivot. So, the Main Street
businesses, the Wine Stroll vendors, and
the public in general. Um we always
thank the staff. We should. They put on
an enormous task. They get to work at
4:00 in the morning in order to put
these things on. But, it's a big pivot
for the Main Street businesses, some of
whom don't even open till 11:00, to
pivot to a 10:30 stroll. And the Wine
Stroll vendors, wine is more expensive
than some of the other vendors that come
in later in the year. Um and so, the the
Wine Stroll vendors pivoting to be able
to continue to offer an opportunity for
them to to sell their wares, sell their
wines. Um and then the public, of
course, who showed up in drones. Uh the
police chief is going to talk a little
bit more about that. I just want to take
a a to thank public for their
willingness to pivot um and to help make
this event happen in the first place.
Okay, I have some exciting news from the
public works department. We have
installed another solar crosswalk at
Carroll Street and Madison Street. We
have a few more of these in the budget.
We're going to try to install two a year
moving forward. These are the solar
crosswalks that you see going across the
main street at the library.
They're very exciting. I think they're
easier to see people when they're
crossing street. People seem to be using
them which lights it up for at least a
block. Those are the mid cross block
block crosswalks mid block crosswalks
cuz otherwise you could just cross with
the light at the at the intersection. So
we're excited about that. Are there any
questions for the recreation department
or public works department?
If there are none, we will move on to
the human resources department is Brian.
Good evening. I don't have a report for
us tonight. Thank you. Any questions for
human resources?
If there are none, we will move on to IT
is Jim Moore.
I'll just do a report that is very
quick. Nothing much up here.
If there are none, we will move on to
planning. I'm sure we're going to have a
report from Mr. DePue.
Yes, on May 5th, the Board of Zoning
Appeals is scheduled to review a
modification to the previously approved
special exception
for an automobile service station at
1030 1023 Baltimore Boulevard and this
is the site of the original Sheets, not
the one we talked about tonight, the
first one. They're proposing new EV
charging stations and that's a special
exception that is a change requiring a
modification before the Board of Zoning
Appeals.
And that completes my report. Are there
any questions for the planning director?
Moving on, we will move we will go over
to the finance department is Robert.
Thank you, Ms. Imholte. Thank you again
for the approval of the budget amendment
for fiscal 26. Echo your sentiments on
that. The only other thing I really want
to report on tonight is that while we're
busy
finishing up the budget as we talked
about quite a bit this evening. um The
finance department is getting ready to
wrap up our fiscal year end very soon.
Our auditor has reached out about
setting dates for the preliminary
budget.
So, we're quite busy and still working
on the
system upgrade. So, if you have any
questions, I'm happy to answer them.
Nothing on the AP AR payroll.
All those important [clears throat]
things.
All those important things. And we'll
say that the fiscal year 2027 budget
is slated for adoption on May 11th.
We'll open up that meeting on May 11th
with a public hearing on the budget when
you want to swing by.
Are there any other questions for Ms.
Rogers?
Hearing none, we'll move on to the
police department, Chief Ross. Great.
Good evening, everyone.
Obviously, it's been touched on the
lines for all by several people. I saw
several out there. I just wanted to say
that, you know, I was impressed with the
flexibility and how closely we are
working with recreation and park.
It was out of an abundance of caution
that,
you know, for both the attendees and our
staff that we adjusted the times. We
were very concerned about the weather
coming in.
But, the conversations were very
thoughtful and I thought we came up with
the best plan. And some of the other
safety improvements that we've put out
there with the barriers and things of
that nature.
It was, absolutely, my opinion the right
decision
from a public safety standpoint and it
worked out great.
The event was well attended even with
the time changes.
Even with the anticipated weather, we
anticipate that we or we estimate that
we had about 7,000 in attendance.
Which is great. I mean, from 10:30 on,
it was it was pretty packed. So,
and on that note, there weren't any
reported issues. We didn't have any
issues.
Everybody seemed to enjoy themselves.
All the officers are out there. They
were having fun engaging with the public
and it's just a a really good event. And
anytime you have the Reagan years, it's
probably going to be a good event.
So, um, you know, I just think it
reflects the the strong
interdepartmental collaboration that we
have going on. So, it was uh I I was
highly pleased. So, thank you. That's
all.
Those are killer decisions to make when
we're when we're looking at moving the
straw. Should we cancel it? Keep it as
is. You know, are the are we going to
have tents flying around? You know, are
animals and kids going to get hurt?
Killer decisions that are poured over
for days and days and days. And of
course, the weather
weather people, you know, change their
mind every other hour and and so does
the weather for that matter. So, um, we
stress about it for 48 straight hours
until we make that absolute last call
decision. And we just appreciate your
ongoing support when we make these tough
calls.
Are there any questions for the chief?
No question for the chief, but I
when when I was stationed at Fort Bliss
in El Paso, we had an air show there and
it was about 250,000 people attended it
every year. We never ever had to make
those decisions. Same weather all the
time. I mean, it was
it was so easy.
Not Maryland. We can't find water to
save our lives unless unless it's a
storm.
» [laughter]
» And I can
guarantee that we'll find all the water.
Don't ask me. Especially people. Yeah.
Uh, Mr. President, that concludes the
Department of Public Works.
Thank you, Miss Impulse. The uh we move
on to our final item on the agenda,
which is citizens' comments, during
which we invite the public to address
the mayor and council on any issues
related to tonight's agenda or other
city matters. For those not attending
this public meeting, we welcome your
comments via email at
comments@westminstermd.gov.
All email comments will be shared with
the mayor and council. Please include
your address and phone number with the
comments. We will now invite the
comments from those present this
evening. This is an opportunity for the
public to share their thoughts with the
mayor and council. Our role at this
point is to listen to your comments and
respond appropriately after consult
consulting with staff and each other. Is
there anyone here this evening that
wishes to be heard? If so, please state
your name and address for the record.
Yes, sir. Uh Richard Phelps, 8 Ridge
Road.
To all of you. Thank you.
Ignorance is bliss. You can say that.
Thank you. That's the best part of being
a lawyer.
» [laughter]
» Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
That concludes our agenda and the
meeting. Our next regular meeting will
be Monday, May 11th, 2026. And with that
and without objection, we are adjourned.