[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.