Minutes for Neighborhood Advisory Council Meeting on Nov. 12, 2007
7:00 pm at Monocacy Elementary School
Attendance:
NAC 3 Board Representatives: Connie Pryor, Beth Conny, Kathy Griffee
Residents from Amber Meadows and many residents from Clover Ridge
Welcome/Introductions
Connie opened the meeting at 7:05 with introductions
Cpl. Eric Stanley – Frederick City Police, Assistant Supervisor for the night shift (9 pm – 7am) in NAC 3
Stephanie Davis Ambush– Community Outreach Specialist for the City
Kip Koontz – Alderman for the City and guest speaker
Community Police Report
Contact info: emergency 911 non-emergency 301-600-2100
Corporal Stanley reported NAC 3 had 277 calls for service, some of which were self initiated by the officers, between Oct. 8-Nov. 12, 2007. Out of these calls there were only 6 arrests which consisted of domestic, DUI and assaults.
· Reminder: when requesting a response from an officer you are not required to leave your name, the police will respond regardless. NAC’s help citizens channel their questions to the police and the police can respond to citizens needs more effectively.
· Cloveridge – residents concerned about crime in their neighborhood. Cpl. Stanley said that neighborhoods not completed and still under development attract “opportunistic crimes” at the construction trailers, theft of building materials, kids on dirt bikes, etc.
· Cloveridge residents expressed concerns for solicitors going door to door. Cpl. Stanley and Alderman Koontz recommended that citizens ask to see their “permit to solicit” and if uneasy with the solicitors questions, call the police. Chief Dine’s “Know 5 Neighbors” works well so that residents can call neighbors to look out for each other when solicitors are in the neighborhood.
· Jeremy, the President of the Cloveridge HOA and representative for the Developer (HOA not turned over to the residents yet) had encouraged many of the attendees tonight to come and become familiar with the NAC as a problem solving avenue for the community. He requested that the Police be proactive in regards to speeding, cars disregarding stopped school buses when loading/unloading kids, and vehicle break ins in their neighborhood.
Discussion: Speeding is the #1 complaint in the City. Speed Boxes help reduce speed and gather info for the City but the City doesn’t have many. The City is considering cameras but they are expensive . Cpl. Stanley will have an officer look into the 8:30 am school bus pick up on Belford where there are numerous reports of vehicles passing the stopped school bus.
Stephanie Davis Ambush
Contact info: 301-600-1384 stephanie@cityoffrederick.com
· NAC 3 meets the 2nd Monday of each month. Stephanie will get email addresses from new attendees tonight so that they can receive the press releases the City sends out.
· Review of Old Business:
---Police are patrolling and shining a light in the Amber Meadows Park to discourage night time
activities.
---Kelly Russell had spoken last month on ”Abandoned Vehicles” on City streets – citizens are encouraged to email complaints about this issue or any other topic of concern. One or two emails don’t have the same impact as multiple emails from many citizens. Residents can also speak for 5 minutes at any of the Mayor and Board of Alderman meetings regarding a concern.
---Complaint from last month regarding the street sweeper – City was behind due to mechanical troubles but they are fixed now and should be back out doing the job.
· New Business
City Leaf Pickup at curbside about to start – citizens can rake leaves along curb; spread them out, don’t make one huge pile. Leaves can also be bagged in the recyclable bags and put out with yard waste. The Yard Waste Program is being extended for all year.
Overcrowding/Rental Licensing Program for the City of Frederick
Guest Speaker Alderman Kip Koontz
Contact info: Dkoontz@cityoffrederick.com
Alderman Koontz opened by saying that the City Officials have been getting many complaints about Overcrowding. A residence that was intended to have 4-6 occupants but currently houses 10-18 people creates nuisance crimes (parking, noise, trash, excessive use of water and other city services.) It creates safety concerns and a negative impact on the community. The mayor has appointed a committee to study this problem in hopes of coming up with solutions that would result in providing the tools/ordinances that the police and code enforcement need to address a growing problem. One option to control the overcrowding issue might be with a Rental Licensing Program
· A previous attempt at getting a rental licensing program started in Frederick failed a few years ago because the landlords viewed it as an attempt on the City’s part to make money and punish honest landlords.
· A rental licensing program would require all landlords to file paperwork on rental properties which would expedite responses to complaints. Approximately 45% of the housing units in Frederick are rental properties and many of the landlords are not in the area. The City does not currently have a way to contact an absentee landlord because the City doesn’t require homeowners who rent properties to provide the City with tenant information or who manages the property for them.
· Consideration for a rental licensing program stem from concerns for safety of the tenant, neighboring property owners and landlords. Inspections would make sure the properties meet City Codes and there aren’t 10 people living in a basement with no outside exit in case of fire. There is a Livability Code for Frederick City that states how many people can live in a residence based on square footage, number of bedrooms, etc. that has not been updated since the 1980’s. Right now the City does not have authority to gain entrance to a property except in the event of a crime or fire. There have been cases where partitions have been built in garages with cots put in them, tenants pay $400-$600/bed. Basements and garages have areas wired for cooking that were done without building permits or inspections
· Rental licensing would require inspections of properties that are currently being rented or properties owners plan to rent. There would be a nominal yearly fee to landlords to cover the cost for additional staff needed in the dept. of code enforcement in order to carry out the inspections and follow up on violations. Kip said the intention is not to punish the landlords or create another source of revenue for the City.
· Rose Thomas, who has been a Property Manager in the area since the 1980’s, is concerned that there might not be someone on the mayors appointed committee that will represent the landlord’s point of view. She expressed concerns that the City needs to provide more information regarding some of the current ordinances and said that it is all very confusing because different organizations have different requirements. Example: Section 8 (Subsidized Housing) is a Federal organization and has it’s own standards and contracts. She feels that in addition to providing more information the City needs to do more education for the landlords, property managers and the citizens.
· Kip encouraged everyone to provide input because the City wants “fair and balanced” responses. No matter what the issue is, an email from one or two people doesn’t make the same impact as 25 emails from citizens.
Adjournment at 8:20 after Connie had Kip pull the name for the raffle prize (a potted plant. ) Tonight’s winner was Michael Dickerson.
Next Meeting is Dec 10, 2007