[14:43] My son is a senior.

[14:50] I think

[15:12] » We'll call this uh meeting of the mayor

[15:14] and council to order. As a courtesy to

[15:17] everyone, please take a moment and

[15:19] silence any devices that may interrupt

[15:22] me. Do that myself.

[15:32] » Good evening and welcome to this meeting

[15:33] of the mayor and common council of

[15:35] Westminster incorporated on February

[15:37] 5th, 1819. We're gathered here at

[15:40] historic city hall, originally an estate

[15:42] built in 1842 by Colonel John K.

[15:44] Longwell. The city acquired this

[15:46] building in 1939 and it has since been

[15:49] the venue where the mayor and council

[15:52] conducts the city business city's

[15:54] business. Now we'll begin as we do every

[15:57] meeting the pledge of allegiance

[15:59] followed by a moment of silence. That is

[16:02] in the back of the room

[16:06] to the flag of the United States of

[16:08] America and to the republic for which it

[16:10] stands. One nation under God,

[16:14] indivisible, and liberty and forible.

[16:21] » Thank you very much.

[16:25] One interesting fact about Westminster

[16:27] is Carol County sat on a crossroads

[16:30] during an era of slavery bordered by

[16:33] free state of the north and deeply tied

[16:36] to Maryland's divided loyalists. While

[16:39] firm documentary evidence of organized

[16:41] underground railroad stations here are

[16:44] elusive, as was by design, the entire

[16:48] network operated in secrecy. The

[16:51] historical record suggests that freedom

[16:53] seekers passed through this county on

[16:56] their way north and that some residents

[16:58] quietly aided them. The Historic Society

[17:01] of Carroll County has noted the presence

[17:03] of abolitionist Quakers in Union Bridge

[17:06] as evidence of some of the local

[17:08] residence that some local residents may

[17:11] have sheltered freedom seekers. A

[17:13] striking episode was recorded in 1859 in

[17:16] the Carol County newspaper. A man named

[17:19] William Boyd was arrested near New

[17:21] Windsor while transporting an enslave an

[17:23] enslaved husband hidden in a secret

[17:26] compartment behind a black curtain in

[17:28] his wagon. Boyd had been passing through

[17:31] the area passing through the area

[17:33] multiple times before and witnesses

[17:35] noted he deliberately traveled through

[17:37] rough terrain rather than main roads to

[17:40] avoid detection. He was charged with

[17:42] abduction of enslaved people and was

[17:44] taken to Javal in Washington DC. That

[17:48] single incident hints at a broader

[17:50] hidden history. Maryland as a whole was

[17:52] the most active state act active state

[17:56] for self-emancipation

[17:58] and Carol County positioned just miles

[18:00] from the Pennsylvania border was almost

[18:02] certainly part of that story. Even

[18:05] though the foroot remains buried in

[18:07] careful silences of those who risk their

[18:09] lives to keep it secret. Moving on,

[18:13] council typically convenes on the second

[18:15] and fourth Monday each month. Please

[18:17] note that these meetings are open to the

[18:19] public here at city hall and are also

[18:21] streamed live on the city's YouTube page

[18:23] as well as the community media center

[18:25] channel and website. We extend our

[18:27] gratitude to the media center for their

[18:29] partnership and ensuring public access

[18:31] to these meetings. Copies of tonight's

[18:33] agenda and the entire information packet

[18:36] that the council will be using are

[18:37] available online at the city's website.

[18:39] Hard copies of the agenda are available

[18:42] here in the filling room for those in

[18:44] attendance. Our first order of business

[18:48] this evening is a note about a mayoral

[18:51] proclamation honoring 50 years of Govas

[18:53] to go and 20 years serving in the

[18:56] Westminster community. The mayor and I

[18:58] and possibly some other council members

[19:00] will be attending their celebration on

[19:03] Sunday and will actually read the full

[19:05] proclamation at that time. We will not

[19:07] be reading it this evening. Next up, as

[19:10] it has been the tradition for a number

[19:12] of years now under the leadership of

[19:14] President Jaskin, McDaniel has since a

[19:16] representative to our council meetings

[19:18] during a year of Florida a close and

[19:21] meaningful relationship with the city.

[19:23] This evening we welcome David Sears, the

[19:25] vice president of institutional

[19:27] advancement from Michigan Seers.

[19:31] » How are you?

[19:31] » It is institutional advancement, right?

[19:33] That

[19:33] » Is correct.

[19:34] » Thank you. uh I can give you the uh top

[19:37] nine things that have been happening at

[19:38] the uh college. So first of all u great

[19:42] news the college received an upgrade for

[19:44] its S&P bond rating. Um that means that

[19:47] the S&P uh bond raers believe that uh

[19:50] McDaniel is strong financially has been

[19:52] using its resources well our enrollment

[19:55] has been steady and our philanthropy has

[19:58] been phenomenal. So um we are very

[20:00] pleased to note that only Lyola and

[20:02] John's Hopkins universities in Maryland

[20:05] have a better rating than McAdam.

[20:08] » Slightly more notorious and bigger

[20:11] institutions

[20:12] » Just slightly. Um enrollment is at 500

[20:15] undergraduate and transfer students uh

[20:18] new students for this year. Uh today was

[20:20] the first day of classes. So uh you may

[20:22] see an increase in students uh in the

[20:24] downtown area. Now, um, our nursing

[20:28] program, uh, is now at Carol Hospital.

[20:31] On September 17th, we'll have a event

[20:33] recognizing the Coll Foundation for

[20:35] their philanthropy to make that, uh,

[20:38] nursing, uh, center possible.

[20:42] We have a new provost, Caroline Sherman.

[20:44] Uh, she has degrees from Harvard and

[20:46] Princeton, and she came to us from

[20:48] academic leadership at Catholic univers

[20:51] uh, Catholic University of America. We

[20:53] also have a new dean. Uh this dean will

[20:56] be uh creating our new school of

[20:58] business and technology. It'll be the

[21:00] first school that McDaniel has ever had.

[21:02] Uh his name is Dr. Leonard Arby and he

[21:05] was the chair of finance at Salsbury

[21:07] University. So a great gift uh for

[21:09] McDaniel.

[21:11] Uh note that the college has partnered

[21:13] with Frederick County Public Schools on

[21:15] a grant to provide debt-free

[21:17] certifications for special ed teachers

[21:19] which are desperately needed. We have a

[21:22] new men's basketball coach. Uh sadly

[21:24] Kevin Curley had passed away uh in the

[21:26] spring and uh his successor is TJ Jordan

[21:30] who was the basketball coach at Notredam

[21:32] of Maryland University. And finally,

[21:35] since I'm the head of advancement, I

[21:36] have to let you know how our

[21:37] philanthropy is going. Our campaign has

[21:40] now exceeded 54.7 million uh two years

[21:43] ahead of schedule and exceeding our $50

[21:46] million goal. Our focus now is funding

[21:49] the school of business and technology,

[21:51] residence hall renovations,

[21:53] scholarships, and experiential learning

[21:54] for our students.

[21:56] » Thank you.

[21:57] » Need a little job security. That's nice.

[22:00] » Absolutely. That's great. Thank you very

[22:03] much.

[22:04] » Welcome.

[22:05] » Anyone have any questions for the

[22:07] college?

[22:10] Um, now we'll consider the approval of

[22:12] previous meeting minutes. We have one

[22:14] set of minutes to approve this evening.

[22:18] Minutes from the mayor and council

[22:19] meeting of August 10th, 2026. May I have

[22:23] a motion to approve the minutes? Motion

[22:25] to approve. Thank you, Mr. Day. Officer

[22:28] second.

[22:28] » Second.

[22:29] » Thank you, Mr. Bayer. Is there any

[22:30] discussion related to the approval of

[22:32] these minutes? Hearing none. All those

[22:35] in favor of approval, please signify by

[22:37] saying I.

[22:39] » Any opposed? The eyes have it and the

[22:41] minutes are approved. We have five items

[22:44] on the consent calendar this evening. Is

[22:46] there a motion to approve the consent

[22:48] calendar? So moved.

[22:49] » Thank you, Mr. Bayer. Thank you very

[22:51] much for that second, Mr. Petro.

[22:54] All those in favor of approval of the

[22:57] consent calendar, please signify by

[22:59] saying I.

[23:00] » I.

[23:01] » Any opposed? The eyes have it. And the

[23:03] consent calendar is approved. Now we'll

[23:06] move on to a report from the mayor.

[23:08] Madame Mayor.

[23:09] » Uh, thank you, Mr. President. I just

[23:11] have a few things, excuse me, to comment

[23:13] on. Um, on Friday, August 14th, um,

[23:17] along with several members of the

[23:18] council, I attended the movie Fresh,

[23:20] which was at the Carol Arts Center as a

[23:22] fundraiser for Carol County Food

[23:24] Sunday's veggie voucher program. Um, the

[23:27] movie was about where our food comes

[23:29] from, where it's sourced from. Uh and it

[23:32] was followed by a panel discussion um

[23:34] who discussed and answered several

[23:36] questions from the audience um

[23:38] concerning where our theme comes from.

[23:41] On Sunday, August 16th, uh Billy Live

[23:44] and Find Your Purpose held their annual

[23:46] back to school drive. Uh this is a

[23:49] little bit more than a back to school

[23:50] drive. Um again, Carol County Food

[23:52] Sunday is represented there. They

[23:54] provide haircuts

[23:56] um for the uh school students who come.

[23:59] Uh the weather moved the event inside

[24:01] the Boys and Girls Club. Normally this

[24:03] is held in the city park. Um it was a

[24:06] little bit more crowded in the Boys and

[24:08] Girls Club. I think council member

[24:09] Dehoff can also attest to that. Um the

[24:12] line stretched around the corner down

[24:14] onto Longwell. Um but it was a really

[24:17] great event as that always is. On

[24:20] Tuesday, August 18th, the city hosted

[24:22] the Estonian violin group, uh, Match

[24:25] Springs, prior to their concert at the

[24:27] Arts Center later that evening. Uh, if

[24:29] you were able to attend the concert, you

[24:31] were treated to an absolutely amazing

[24:34] evening of traditional Estonian music,

[24:36] classical music, jazz, that was one of

[24:39] my favorite pieces of the evening, and

[24:41] pop music. Uh and then Saturday we

[24:45] welcomed about 500 first year students

[24:47] to Westminster in the Westminster

[24:49] welcome. Uh this event is popular with

[24:52] our downtown merchants. Students arrived

[24:54] to the library lawn around 10:00 a.m. I

[24:57] think most of us met on the council met

[25:00] the um students along with President

[25:02] Jasin

[25:04] uh at Genie Birds on that block. Um, and

[25:07] so we got to the library lawn around

[25:09] 10:00 a.m. There were a few comments and

[25:11] students were still on Main Street by

[25:14] two 12:30 when I left. Um, I think one

[25:18] of the things with this event that has

[25:20] been popular is that the city provides

[25:22] every student with a $10 voucher uh in

[25:25] their swag bag that they get that day.

[25:28] And so they can use them for lunch. Uh,

[25:30] in fact, they're encouraged to have

[25:31] lunch in town that day. They can use

[25:33] them in any of the retail shops on Main

[25:35] Street. And I know the farmers market

[25:37] was packed because they also take them

[25:39] at the farmers market. Um, this event

[25:41] has just grown in popularity each year

[25:44] and conversations with the downtown

[25:46] merchants on Saturday um just

[25:49] continually um

[25:52] proves that. Thank you. Um we also held

[25:55] I won't thank Council Member Day Hall

[25:57] for this. Um I also hosted a uh

[26:00] Wakefield Valley Trail preview. um at

[26:03] the Wakefield uh Valley Event Center.

[26:05] This over this event went over the plans

[26:10] for the trails that are being renovated

[26:12] this year. Um it's about a 15 to 18month

[26:15] project. Um and hopefully uh will begin

[26:20] shortly in the fall. And then finally,

[26:23] yesterday I attended my favorite event

[26:25] of the late summer, which is the uh

[26:28] Westminster Municipal Band concert in

[26:30] Belgrove Square. Uh there was a great

[26:32] crowd for it. The weather was perfect

[26:34] and the band as always is just

[26:37] phenomenal. And they're doing a

[26:39] documentary on the Westminster Municipal

[26:41] Band. Um a couple who retired from

[26:43] Maryland Public Television through the

[26:46] Carol Media Center. So um be on the

[26:49] lookout to see them at the future

[26:50] events. That's all, Mr. President.

[26:53] » Thank you very much, Madame Mayor. I

[26:54] appreciate that. Of course, we're just

[26:56] going to continue right on with you

[26:57] because now we're moving on to committee

[26:58] reports and yours is the first one for

[27:00] the arts council.

[27:01] » Uh I have no report from the arts

[27:03] council.

[27:03] » Thank you very much. Mr. Huff is not

[27:05] present from economic and community

[27:07] development. Mr. Pepper, do we have

[27:10] anything in his absence? I don't.

[27:13] » We had a had a good good meeting the

[27:14] other day. Good conversation about

[27:16] future planning opportunities

[27:20] conversations.

[27:22] » Great. Thank you. Uh finance committee,

[27:24] Mr. Guerrero.

[27:25] » Uh the finance committee has not met

[27:27] since uh the last meeting.

[27:28] » Thank you very much. Personnel

[27:30] » Brother is personnel

[27:31] » Busy

[27:33] » Public safety. I do have a report. Over

[27:35] the past two weeks, our newest K9 team

[27:37] PF PFC Brandon O'Neal and K9 Odin have

[27:41] assisted with nine investigations,

[27:43] including eight vehicle scans and an

[27:45] assist to the Hamstead Police

[27:47] Department. These operations resulted in

[27:50] the recovery of illegal narcotics and

[27:52] several arrests. Odin has already is

[27:55] already demonstrating his value not only

[27:57] as an asset to the Westminster Police

[27:59] Department, but as a regional resource

[28:02] supporting our law enforcement partners

[28:04] throughout Carol County. Also, this past

[28:06] week, our criminal investigation bureau

[28:09] has identified a suspect responsible for

[28:12] multiple fraud check fraud cases

[28:14] involving two victims in the city. The

[28:17] suspect attempted to defraud the victims

[28:20] of a combined $19,000 to a checkwashing

[28:23] scheme. Although the subject is a

[28:26] Florida residence, our detectives were

[28:28] able to identify the individual through

[28:30] solid traditional investigated work.

[28:33] Criminal tropics are pending and the

[28:35] investigation remains ongoing. So, we're

[28:38] very proud of them. That's uh often

[28:41] those types of crimes go almost

[28:43] unattended to or certainly not closed

[28:46] and it sounds like they did some

[28:48] wonderful work there. Um now we'll move

[28:50] on to public works, Mr. Bayer.

[28:52] » Um I don't have nothing to report but we

[28:55] have a meeting later this month.

[28:56] » Thank you very much.

[28:57] » Or in September, excuse me.

[28:59] » Thank you, sir. Recreation and parks. I

[29:01] do not have a report this evening.

[29:03] Technology committee, Mr. Deha,

[29:05] » No report, sir. Thank you. And

[29:08] intergovernmental Mr. Huff again not

[29:10] able to be with us this evening by the

[29:12] way. He's feeling a little un

[29:15] nothing too bad. Um Mr. Temporar have

[29:17] anything for intergovernmental? Sorry.

[29:20] » Thank you very much. Now we'll move on

[29:21] council comments and discussion

[29:23] temporarily.

[29:24] » I have nothing.

[29:26] » Thank you Mr. Dehoff.

[29:28] » Um I visited the mural project the other

[29:30] day at a lot and it's coming along and

[29:33] we're really excited about it. As a

[29:35] matter of fact, um, Mr. Bear told me

[29:38] about possible locations for some

[29:41] edition

[29:43] murals. Perhaps he could fill this in at

[29:46] a later point in time as our discussion.

[29:49] Uh, that'll be all my report, sir. Thank

[29:51] you.

[29:52] » Thank you very much, sir. Mr. Mayor,

[29:54] » Just a couple things. I wanted to follow

[29:56] up. The mayor talked about magical

[29:57] strings and she forgot Alba and Elvis.

[30:01] » I did forget Alba. You're right. But u

[30:03] they did like a medley of songs and of

[30:05] course they were very good and um they

[30:08] were only in town about 24 hours but

[30:11] they had dinner with the mayor council.

[30:13] They did two concerts both at um the

[30:16] Carol Theater as well as Carol lives in

[30:18] village and they loved it just as much

[30:21] as the mayor did when she went to the to

[30:23] the concert. Um, the one thing that the

[30:26] mayor didn't touch on, uh, and I'll just

[30:28] say something here that the kindness

[30:30] stroll kicked off the other day and the

[30:32] mayor made remarks. I made some remarks

[30:34] there and, um, I think they have

[30:39] 40 to 50 different locations in in

[30:41] Westminster where people can look at the

[30:43] signs and people have kids have made and

[30:46] can vote on it. So, you can go online

[30:48] and find that. I know the mayor's posted

[30:50] the map.

[30:51] » Um, and take stroll the street and and

[30:55] check it out. Um, I did I did say

[30:59] something at the meeting. You know, when

[31:01] I first got involved with Tina and Eric

[31:05] Miller, I thought be kind was just about

[31:08] a sign and they invited me to a workshop

[31:11] that I ended up sponsoring and I

[31:13] realized quickly that it was really much

[31:16] more than signs. But over time, be kind

[31:20] has become like an icon in the city just

[31:23] much like city hall, Huffman's Ice

[31:26] Cream, the clock tower, McDaniel

[31:28] College. And wherever you go, you

[31:31] realize that. So the one thing I I did

[31:33] challenge the group that um a great

[31:37] mural would be a be kind mural in

[31:39] Westminster. I said, I don't know where.

[31:42] I don't know how it will get done, but

[31:43] I'll help be the first sponsor to make

[31:46] that happen. So, uh, I'm going with Eric

[31:49] this week to go look at, um, the one

[31:52] they did in Union Bridge, Mr. Mystic

[31:54] Brainstorm. So, that's something that's

[31:56] kind of, uh, kind of kicking around. Um,

[32:00] at, um, Saturday at the McDaniel was,

[32:03] the first time I attended as council

[32:05] member, I had so much fun talking to the

[32:09] kids, walking around. you go to town on

[32:12] Bay Page, I could just see kids just

[32:15] going in the store constantly. So,

[32:17] everybody was happy as far as the

[32:19] business community went. And then one

[32:21] final comment because Tony was talking

[32:23] about the Underground Railroad. Of

[32:25] course, we know that the person that

[32:27] organized that was Harriet Tubman from

[32:29] Maryland. What a lot of people don't

[32:31] know about Harriet Tubman is that she

[32:33] also served during the Civil War down in

[32:36] the South kind of like an MI capacity.

[32:38] She was never officially in the

[32:41] military, but she performed very

[32:43] important functions. And a couple years

[32:45] ago, the legislature

[32:48] uh changed the law and allowed um

[32:51] citizens to be able to be given a a

[32:54] military rank, a Maryland military rank.

[32:57] So that law passed and here within the

[32:59] last year or so Harriet Tublin was made

[33:02] a honorary brigadier general in the

[33:04] Maryland National Guard to recognize the

[33:07] the great service she did. So that's all

[33:09] I have to say. Sir,

[33:11] » Did she give her did she get that rank

[33:13] in intelligence?

[33:15] » No, it's just a it wasn't not no branch.

[33:18] Okay. It was just um of course to

[33:21] recognize everything she's done, but

[33:23] » I couldn't have picked a better person

[33:25] to be the first one.

[33:28] Thank you very much, Mr. B. Thanks for

[33:30] that add-on to the history bid. I have

[33:33] no comments, so we'll move on to

[33:35] ordinances and resolutions. We have two

[33:37] this evening. Our first ordinance, I'm

[33:41] sorry, resolution this evening is

[33:42] resolution 2614,

[33:44] Whitworth.

[33:45] » Good evening, Mr. President. The first

[33:47] ordinance for your consideration is the

[33:49] adoption of resolution 26-14,

[33:52] a resolution of the mayor and common

[33:54] council of Westminster, honoring the

[33:56] life and legacy of Kenneth Allen Yoan,

[33:59] 84, May 3rd, 1942

[34:03] to August 10th, 2026, who served as the

[34:06] Westminster mayor from 1994 to 2001.

[34:09] » Thank you very much, Mr. Woodworth.

[34:11] Let's go ahead and uh get this uh on the

[34:14] floor and then I know some of my

[34:16] colleagues who knew former mayor and I

[34:20] did not. Um I'm sure we'll want to make

[34:22] some comments. Um so I have a motion to

[34:25] approve this resolution.

[34:27] » So thank you Mr. Mayor. Second and Mr.

[34:30] Peekarero. Thank you for the second. Now

[34:32] that it's on the floor, I want to go

[34:33] ahead and open it up and allow my

[34:35] colleagues to make comments. So we'll

[34:37] start off. Mr. Peerro, I'll show you

[34:39] first. So, thank you very much, Mr.

[34:42] President. I um you know, first I want

[34:45] to say, you know, it's it's wonderful to

[34:46] have, you know, Mayor Yan's grandson.

[34:49] Good with Stephen B to hear this. Um I

[34:52] had the opportunity to serve on the

[34:54] council. Uh Clint Ken first became

[34:57] mayor. Um he council president uh was

[35:01] elevated to being mayor on the election

[35:03] of mayor as uh may then mayor Brown as

[35:06] county commissioner and then proceed to

[35:09] you know serve the remainder of that

[35:10] term as well as a full term after that.

[35:14] Um I took Ken's seat on the council um

[35:18] you know when he when he moved up and uh

[35:20] it was a great honor to serve on him. I

[35:23] think it's fair to say that if you look

[35:25] at Westminster before, you know, Ken's

[35:28] years on the council, you know, city

[35:31] government was very different. You know,

[35:32] city government was very different. You

[35:34] know, the voter pool very small. You had

[35:38] there were like, I think about 300

[35:39] people who were registered to vote in

[35:41] the city and you had to be, you know,

[35:43] you had to show up on the second Tuesday

[35:44] of the month when the moon was full and

[35:46] hope that the city clerk was in his

[35:48] office and got registered to vote. And

[35:50] then the state passed a law changing it

[35:52] to, you know, universal registration. If

[35:54] you registered in state elections, you

[35:56] would be registered in city elections

[35:59] all over the state as well. And and a

[36:02] real sea change happened in Westminster

[36:03] because that and a whole new group of

[36:05] people got elected to the council, Ken

[36:08] amongst them.

[36:10] » And and I think that that really set the

[36:12] city on an entirely different path. U

[36:16] the path I think we're still on today.

[36:18] Those are those council members who came

[36:20] on then subsequent mayors and councils

[36:23] have shared a vision of the city you

[36:24] know of a of a progressive community

[36:27] that tries to meet people's people

[36:28] people's needs and anticipate what's

[36:30] going on in the in society and you know

[36:34] generally improve the quality of life

[36:36] here in the city and I think there's

[36:38] nobody that played a bigger role that

[36:40] happened during those years there so

[36:44] it's honor to serve with him you He was

[36:48] a friend and a mentor as well as a

[36:50] colleague and you know we are very sad

[36:54] to hear his pass you know thank you very

[36:57] much for coming want you to know that

[36:59] your family to know how high

[37:03] » Thank you Mr. President

[37:04] » Thank you Mr. Before we move on, can you

[37:07] introduce yourself? I'm sorry. I've

[37:10] Yeah.

[37:11] » Yeah. I'm Mike Yens. Uh Ken's grandson,

[37:15] » Right?

[37:16] » This is my wife, Sarah.

[37:18] » That's what I figured. You better

[37:19] introduce your wife. Yeah. Right.

[37:22] » Thank you for being here. So, uh uh Mr.

[37:26] Day off.

[37:27] » Well, Mr. Mayor, you go with

[37:29] » Okay,

[37:29] » That's okay.

[37:30] » That's fine with me. You're just more

[37:32] senior on counsel on me. I'll I I'll

[37:35] yield my time to Mr. Bay.

[37:38] » So, uh my situation is a little bit

[37:40] different because I didn't serve with

[37:42] him. I actually worked for him.

[37:44] » It's true.

[37:44] » I served as the planning and public

[37:47] works director at the time and um I'm

[37:51] probably the only one that served with

[37:53] him as a council member, as a council

[37:56] president, and as mayor. And I'll say

[38:00] that, and this is really to follow up a

[38:02] little bit of what Greg said about

[38:04] vision. When he came back from Hawaii,

[38:07] he was on a he worked for John Hopkins

[38:09] Applied Physics Lab and he came back and

[38:13] he immediately got involved in Flynn

[38:15] because he was a council member before

[38:17] he went to Hawaii. Then he had a break

[38:20] in service. He came back and he was

[38:23] appointed to head a revitalization

[38:26] committee in West Mitchell.

[38:28] And you know sometimes you get on

[38:30] committees and and there's some great

[38:33] report nothing happens. Well there

[38:35] couple things that to this day we talk

[38:38] about and the first one was

[38:42] they wanted one of the recommendations

[38:44] was a a center for the performing and

[38:46] visual arts. What that led to was cow

[38:50] art center

[38:52] and he was instrumental in in that.

[38:56] The second one was looking at the future

[38:58] in Ruth 27 quarter that was identified

[39:02] as a very critical element looking at it

[39:04] from land going out. They maybe had a

[39:08] bigger vision but nevertheless even back

[39:11] then people saw that that was very

[39:12] critical. Um there was a lot of for

[39:16] those who've been around a lot of

[39:17] conration about parking. We didn't have

[39:19] enough parking. We didn't have any

[39:21] decks. People were complaining all the

[39:23] time. to put in place this plan for

[39:25] parking. Now, you very seldom hear about

[39:28] parking, do you? It's just not an issue

[39:30] like it was. And finally, um, uh, the,

[39:35] uh, wastewater treatment plan, the BNR

[39:38] project, which was a predecessor for the

[39:40] one that we're doing now. And I was

[39:43] telling his grandson, his funny story.

[39:46] Um, somebody had, he did the 496 Lakes

[39:49] Court, which is an Aenddale run. and a

[39:53] resident was complaining about the odor

[39:55] from the wastewater plant

[39:57] and Penn says, "I live closer than you

[40:00] and I don't smell anything and I'm there

[40:03] every day." And it was like it was

[40:06] really it was kind of really funny at

[40:09] the time, but um he brought

[40:13] like Councilman Peekarero said great

[40:15] harmony. There was a lot of of things

[40:19] that happened in the late 80s that um

[40:22] when Ken came on the council, he was a a

[40:26] person that brought some harmony to the

[40:28] group where people began working

[40:30] together and figuring things out in in a

[40:33] proper way. And that was really to work

[40:35] here that was really important. Believe

[40:36] me, nothing worse than when you have

[40:39] everybody going in different directions.

[40:40] Right, Sarah?

[40:44] So finally, you know, his passing

[40:46] saddened me a lot when I heard it. Uh I

[40:48] wish uh Joy, his wife, I had a chance to

[40:52] to meet uh when I was, you know, when

[40:54] she they were still here and the family

[40:56] all the best. They lost the same great

[40:59] man that we did as the city of

[41:01] Westminster and uh our deepest sympathy

[41:05] to the Yan family.

[41:07] » Thank you, Mr. David.

[41:10] Thank you, Mr. President. Um I want to

[41:12] echo the remarks um about a sea change

[41:14] in Westminster government that Mr.

[41:16] Preerero uh delineated. Um but there was

[41:19] a great emphasis and one of the things

[41:21] he was proudest um

[41:25] was that the amount of civility that

[41:28] came back to the city city government as

[41:31] a result of Kenyan's presence. Um

[41:36] Ken Yoan as perhaps you know was on a

[41:39] 24-hour clock and I'm on a 24-hour clock

[41:41] also. So, uh, with problem solving, it

[41:46] was it was not unusual to get a phone

[41:48] call from Kenyo at 12 2:00 in the

[41:51] morning. I've got an idea. I' I know how

[41:53] we can solve this. And he was perhaps as

[41:56] a result of his work with come Sunac.

[41:59] Um, he was extremely critical of binary

[42:02] problem solving, binary thinking. He was

[42:05] always out of the box and he would say,

[42:06] "Behoff, I want you to come up with five

[42:08] solutions to this problem." and we would

[42:11] go back and forth and back and forth

[42:13] till all hours of the night. Some of the

[42:15] other directors we would get together um

[42:17] over in his office. I just have the

[42:21] fondest memories working with Ken Gill.

[42:25] He he must have had a genius level IQ.

[42:28] Um it was just uh and and his his um his

[42:33] critical thinking about Westminster

[42:34] government changes that we needed to

[42:37] make.

[42:39] It was just an incredible experience and

[42:41] a lot of the a lot of the things that I

[42:44] learned from Kenya and I still use those

[42:47] lessons.

[42:49] Thank you. Um, give our best to joy, our

[42:53] best to your family. Thank you for

[42:55] coming. That'll be my remarks.

[42:59] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Did you want to

[43:00] say anything?

[43:01] » I would just like to offer my

[43:03] condolences uh to the family. I

[43:05] personally did not know uh Mr. Yoan, but

[43:08] um Mr. Mike Yoan, I just want to say

[43:10] thank you so much for reaching out to me

[43:13] um to let me know of uh his passing so I

[43:16] could pass that on to the rest of the

[43:17] council and we could adopt this

[43:19] resolution this evening in honor of him.

[43:24] » Like the mayor, I did not know him.

[43:26] Fortunately, it sounds like I miss a

[43:28] pretty good guy. I'm probably going to

[43:30] learn quite a bit from him. So, I'm

[43:32] sorry for either of us as well, but I'm

[43:34] glad we're able to honor him this

[43:35] evening. Sounds like he certainly

[43:37] deserves it. I don't know if you noticed

[43:38] through all the flags uh here in the

[43:40] city or flying at half mass as we walk

[43:42] down this evening. My wife always walked

[43:44] me to the meeting. She said, "Why are

[43:45] the flags at half mass?" And I explained

[43:47] to him um now I can even give her some

[43:50] more detail now that I know more about

[43:52] him. So, thank you for being here this

[43:54] evening. Thanks for bringing to our

[43:56] attention. With that, we'll go ahead and

[43:59] call the question. All those in favor of

[44:02] approval of resolution 2614, please

[44:05] signify by saying I.

[44:08] » I.

[44:09] » Any opposed? The eyes have it. And the

[44:12] resolutions passed. Mr. Clerk, please

[44:14] note that I did vote on this.

[44:22] » Great idea. Two things. One, um, now

[44:26] it's passed. It's already been signed

[44:27] because we were pretty sure we were

[44:28] going to pass it anyway. We have a copy

[44:31] of the full resolution which is quite

[44:33] lengthy. I'm not going to read it this

[44:35] evening, but I'm sure take it back and

[44:37] read it with your family. Would you like

[44:39] to say anything?

[44:41] » Not that you have to put you on the

[44:42] spot.

[44:46] Thank you.

[44:50] Uh well, when my grandfather retired, I

[44:53] was little kid uh I think between the

[44:55] ages of four and 11.

[44:58] And as a kid, I just thought it was

[45:00] really cool. And I didn't quite

[45:03] understand it, but I I came I was here a

[45:05] lot with them. I spent a lot of time

[45:06] with them

[45:07] » Here in this building.

[45:08] » In this building, I go down the basement

[45:10] to the the old jail cell.

[45:14] Yes.

[45:14] » And I know when they broke ground for

[45:17] the parking lot, I was parking garage. I

[45:19] was there for that.

[45:21] Um what I didn't know at the time is is

[45:23] that he was making a a better community

[45:26] for myself and my family.

[45:30] So

[45:32] yeah, I have a lot of respect for him,

[45:34] what he did, and a lot of respect for

[45:37] for this and why all are good right now.

[45:39] So

[45:40] » He must have seemed larger than life as

[45:42] an 11year-old. I can only imagine. He

[45:44] probably couldn't go anywhere without

[45:45] people commenting about you being his

[45:47] grandson. I'm sure

[45:48] » Came in the when I went to Friendship

[45:51] Valley, he came in and spoke to the

[45:53] class and read a story and I was a

[45:54] little kid.

[45:56] » I bet you were pretty proud.

[45:57] » Yeah.

[45:59] Yeah. Thank you.

[46:02] » Thank you, Mr.

[46:03] » Yes, sir. Paul,

[46:05] » Was he did he still work with computers

[46:08] constantly? Uh Mr. more would be

[46:10] fascinated to learn that we started we

[46:13] started we started the the city's uh

[46:16] experience with email and the internet

[46:19] with a server downstairs and he would

[46:23] call me up at 2 o'clock in the morning.

[46:25] You got to go over to city hall and and

[46:27] power cycle power cycle the server

[46:31] because the email was down. But but we

[46:35] started it downstairs in the basement at

[46:37] one point in time. we had it in in the

[46:39] in the jail cell um and and then we move

[46:43] moved it over when it expanded. Um it

[46:47] was just wonderful to work with. It it

[46:50] really was. Thank you, Mr. President.

[46:54] » Okay. Uh we will now move on to our next

[46:57] item of business, introduction of

[46:59] ordinance number 2608.

[47:02] Mr. Whit.

[47:03] » Yes. Thank you, Mr. President. Uh the

[47:04] next item is the introduction of

[47:06] ordinance number 2026-08

[47:09] PI planned industrial zone uses and

[47:11] development regulations text amendment

[47:14] an ordinance of the mayor and common

[47:15] council of Westminster amending chapter

[47:18] 164 zoning and subdivisions of land of

[47:21] the code of the city of Westminster

[47:24] article 12 PI planned industrial zone

[47:27] sections 164 to 68 building height

[47:31] 164-70

[47:33] off street parking and 164-75

[47:36] procedures to modify permitted uses,

[47:39] building height regulations, all street

[47:41] parking requirements, and retail and

[47:43] commercial development standards within

[47:45] the PI planned industrial zone.

[47:48] And uh if you're at the community

[47:49] planning and development, Mr. Deepo is

[47:51] speaking.

[47:52] » Thank you. As background, on July 28th,

[47:56] 2025, the mayor common council approved

[47:58] ordinance 202501,

[48:00] a text amendment primarily to add,

[48:02] delete, and modify automobile related

[48:04] uses in several zoning districts,

[48:06] including the PI zone. During the public

[48:09] hearings for ordinance 251, the majority

[48:12] of the public comments and discussions

[48:14] were related to the process and they

[48:16] allowed retail and commercial uses in

[48:18] the PI zone. In response to the public

[48:21] comments on December 8th, 2025, the

[48:24] mayor and common council approved

[48:26] ordinance 25 20250,

[48:29] a text amendment providing a more

[48:31] streamlined process and increasing the

[48:33] acreage limitation for local retail

[48:35] businesses and service shop uses in the

[48:38] PI zone.

[48:39] Ordinance 20268 being introduced tonight

[48:43] represents the third phase of PI zone

[48:46] amendments that collectively will expand

[48:48] the allowed uses, improve the

[48:50] development plan process, and modernize

[48:53] development standards within the PI

[48:55] zone. Generally, 20268

[48:58] increases the allowed height in

[49:00] buildings and structures from 20 ft to

[49:02] 30 ft, including the maximum height of

[49:04] four stories for hotels.

[49:07] Expands allowable parking standards for

[49:09] new and amended development plans to be

[49:11] applied to subsequent site plans.

[49:14] Add new and prohibit certain retail and

[49:17] commercial uses.

[49:19] Allow daycarees, schools, health clubs,

[49:22] gyms, and indoor recreation facilities

[49:24] not subject to the retail and commercial

[49:25] use calculations

[49:28] and maintains a minimum of 55% of the

[49:30] gross development plan area for

[49:32] industrial uses. At this time, staff is

[49:35] recommending that ordinance 202608

[49:38] be introduced for consideration by the

[49:40] mayor and common council and be referred

[49:42] to the planning and zoning commission

[49:43] for its review and recommendation to the

[49:45] mayor and common council. And that

[49:47] completes my report.

[49:49] » Thank you very much, Mr. Bo. Let's go

[49:51] ahead and get the item on the floor. I

[49:53] have uh a uh

[49:57] jeez, I'm struggling this evening. I

[49:59] apologize. Um, may I have a motion to

[50:02] introduce 2026-08,

[50:06] please?

[50:07] » So, Mr. President,

[50:08] » Thank you, Mr. Perero. May I have a

[50:10] second?

[50:10] » Second.

[50:10] » Thank you very much, Mr. Bay. Okay, it

[50:13] is on the floor. Any discussion related

[50:16] to the introduction of 20268?

[50:23] Hearing none. All those in favor of

[50:25] introduction of 20268,

[50:28] please signify by saying I.

[50:30] » I.

[50:30] » Any opposed? The eyes have it. And it is

[50:34] introduced. We'll now move on to

[50:36] unfinished business. I have no items of

[50:38] unfinished business that I'm aware of.

[50:40] Is there any unfinished business that

[50:42] I'm not aware of? Hearing none, we'll

[50:44] move on to new business. I have no new

[50:46] business. Does anyone have any new

[50:48] business?

[50:49] Moving on, we'll move on to departmental

[50:51] reports. Miss Amholst asked me this

[50:53] evening to shift it to a little bit of

[50:55] an abbreviated session. Um, so it's only

[50:58] going to be a couple of the heads that

[51:00] are actually get work this evening. So,

[51:02] Miss Hally, floor is yours.

[51:05] » Thank you, sir. I just want to take a

[51:06] moment to thank the family of Mayor Yon

[51:09] when I was in College Park. Um, the

[51:12] College Park mayor said, "Once a mayor,

[51:14] always a mayor." So, we're going to say

[51:16] instead of former mayor, just mayor.

[51:18] Thank you.

[51:19] » Um, it takes this job, both the elected

[51:22] officials and the staff, takes a lot of

[51:24] time to do the job and it takes a lot of

[51:26] time to be away from your families. So,

[51:29] I just want to take a moment to

[51:30] recognize that um there's so many

[51:32] fingerprints that all of us staff and

[51:34] council have on micro decisions that are

[51:37] made in this in the city that are

[51:39] unnoticed by everyone except us.

[51:41] Sometimes sometimes that leads to the

[51:43] bigger things as council member Bayer

[51:45] mentioned. Um, and sometimes it never

[51:47] really reveals itself, but it's a lot of

[51:49] hard work um, and a lot of time and

[51:51] effort. So, I want to take a moment to

[51:52] thank family for the time that you gave

[51:54] to the city back then during um, a

[51:57] council council member time, a council

[52:00] president time, and a mayor's time. Um,

[52:03] and and wish you all the best during

[52:05] this time of grieving.

[52:07] Um, okay. So, moving on, just some last

[52:09] important things, but still important.

[52:10] Uh, September 7th is Labor Day. The city

[52:13] offices will be closed uh on Monday,

[52:15] September 7th, but we'll have a few

[52:17] department heads that are going to be

[52:18] out before and after that as well,

[52:20] trying to capitalize on that. We only

[52:22] have two reports for you as you

[52:24] mentioned, Mr. President, and we're

[52:25] going to start with planning department,

[52:26] Mr. Debo.

[52:27] » Thank you. On August 20th, the planning

[52:30] zoning commission was presented site

[52:31] development plan S2520 to construct a

[52:34] 43,971

[52:37] square foot public service building for

[52:39] the Carol County Sheriff's Office

[52:40] headquarters located at the intersection

[52:42] of Greenwood Avenue, Manchester Avenue.

[52:45] And this was simply for introduction in

[52:47] and informal review. The annexation of

[52:50] the properties associated with S2520

[52:52] must become effective before the site

[52:55] plan is brought before the commission

[52:56] for formal site plan review and action.

[52:59] Main zoning commission also held a

[53:01] public hearing on local map amendment

[53:03] LMA 2601 to superimpose the compatible

[53:06] neighborhood overlay zone over property

[53:08] zone RS7500

[53:10] residential zone to construct a mixeduse

[53:13] office building a mixeduse building

[53:15] containing 122bedroom market rate

[53:18] apartments and approximately 9,100 ft of

[53:21] ground floor commercial space known as

[53:23] village square at 102 Wymer Avenue. On

[53:27] September 1st, the board of zoning

[53:28] appeals will review its written decision

[53:30] approving case 2603.

[53:33] It's an expansion of a private indoor

[53:35] recreation facility special exception

[53:37] use at 1666 Airport Drive Boulevard or

[53:41] the Westminster gymnastics and

[53:43] cheerleading school. And that completes

[53:45] my report.

[53:46] » There any questions from the planning

[53:47] director? Hear none. We will move on to

[53:50] the police department next.

[53:52] » Thank you, m. I'm going to elongate it

[53:54] even more because I only had one thing

[53:55] to touch on and that was the uh

[53:57] Westminster or the I'm sorry the

[53:58] McDaniel College walk. I think the mayor

[54:01] did a great job of describing uh what a

[54:04] great event was but we were just happy

[54:05] to participate in it. So, thank you.

[54:09] » We're very busy closing out at the end

[54:10] of the year. The end of the fiscal year

[54:12] ends the wrapup is at the end of August.

[54:16] Uh so don't think that just because we

[54:17] don't have a lot to prepare tonight that

[54:19] we're not all doing many many things.

[54:21] Mr. President, that concludes the

[54:23] departmental reports.

[54:24] » Thank you, M. Impulse. Final item on our

[54:26] agenda this evening citiz comments

[54:27] during which we invite the public to

[54:29] address the mayor and council on any

[54:30] issues related to tonight's agenda or

[54:32] any other city matters. For those not

[54:34] attending this public meeting, we

[54:36] welcome your comments via email at

[54:39] commentswestminstermd.gov.

[54:42] All email comments will be shared with

[54:44] the mayor and council. Please include

[54:46] your address and phone number with your

[54:48] comments. We will now invite comments

[54:50] from those present this evening. This is

[54:53] an opportunity for the public to share

[54:54] their thoughts with the mayor and

[54:56] council. Our role at this point is to

[54:58] listen to your comments and respond

[55:00] appropriately after consulting with

[55:02] staff and each other. Is there anyone

[55:05] here this evening wishes to be heard?

[55:09] Hearing none. Uh that moves us to

[55:11] adjournment. That concludes the agenda

[55:13] and the meeting. Our next regular

[55:15] meeting will be Monday, September 14th.

Untitled meeting

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