You can view or download the Adopted Fiscal 2021 budget document here.  We recognize the collective effort of Director Susan Cheung, Human Resources Director Tracy Smith, and Budget & Accounting Manager Ronnel Kawaley to finalize the Fiscal 2021 Adopted Budget during this unusual budget year.

What sets this Budget Book apart from previous books, you might ask? First, it highlights how the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic shaped the City’s budget decisions. City Council’s budget consideration process occurred during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic amidst the nationwide shutdown. Many adjustments were made to the City Manager’s Proposed Budget to estimate the potential impacts of the pandemic and to adapt City services to the new public health landscape. You will notice blue boxes throughout the Budget Book Department summaries that identify major COVID-19 related impacts on Departments or services.  For instance, hiring for many vacant positions was put on hold to increase funds in the City’s unassigned reserves.  COVID-19 related budget actions are explained in each section.

Second, City staff added new features to provide greater transparency and to make the Budget Book more user-friendly and easier to understand.  To start, if you flip to page 30, there is a new Reader’s Guide to the Budget Book that explains what the various sections of the budget document include, defines the budget table column headings, outlines spending categories, and summarizes changes to the budget book from previous years.  The Reader’s Guide will help you navigate the rest of the book.

In addition, the Fiscal 2021 Adopted Budget Book contains more detail on personnel costs and historical financial information than ever before.  Each department now has an organizational chart and expanded personnel schedules showing full-time salaries by pay grade and position.  There are new data visuals in the introductory sections showing personnel diversity and the types of personnel expenditures Citywide. In each budget chart, we added a change column showing the numerical difference between the previous year amount and the Adopted Fiscal 2021 Budget amount.  In addition, we added ten-year tracking information for many revenue categories and other explanatory information, such as new program descriptions in the Non-Departmental section.

Thanks to these new features, we hope you find this year’s Budget Book to be an improved document that more clearly communicates financial information for residents and for City Council.

Comments on what works well and any additional improvements that may be considered for future budget documents are welcome. Please submit your comments to Deputy City Manager Jessica Clarke at JessicaC@takomaparkmd.gov.

Today a posting went out about Remembering 9/11 from the Takoma Park Police Department, as is done each year. The message is one that has been used in the past, however, the impact of the full message was not considered before it was posted. I apologize that the message was not reviewed and edited before posting. The message did not promote the shared values of our community.

9/11 is an emotional day for many. Many lives were lost and the blame for the 9/11 attacks was unfairly placed on Muslims as a group. Many were targeted and continue to face discrimination and hateful words and actions against them. The pain continues. Our message should have been one to build community and togetherness in remembering the tragedy and its aftermath. We understand the negative impact the message had on the community. Again, I am sorry for the pain the message caused and commit to more careful scrutiny of our messages in the future.

Sign Information:

It is election season and yard signs are appearing around the City of Takoma Park. In past years, posting signs in the right of way (generally the area that includes a street, median, tree lawn, sidewalk, and/or other areas not part of a property lot) was prohibited. This year, the City Council has passed Ordinance 2020-19, an ordinance that suspends the law banning the posting of signs in the City right of way. There are some exceptions related to this ordinance and there are some courtesies we encourage all to practice.

1. City staff has the authority to move or remove any sign that obscures blocks or otherwise interferes with a traffic sign, a vehicle sightline, or a sign put in place by a unit of government.
2. Signs that damage any building, structure, or fixture, shall not be permitted.
3. Signs may not be placed on private property unless the owner has given permission. Signs on private property may not be removed by others.
4. Signs may not be placed on City property that is not right of way. So, unless specifically allowed at a polling place on Election Day, no signs will be permitted in the following locations:

• On the Takoma Park Community Center property.

• On the Takoma Park Recreation Center property

• Within any City park

5. 5. Signs in the rights of way along City roads may be placed by anyone and removed by anyone. For that reason, I suggest a few courtesies:

• Please don’t post a sign in front of someone’s home without asking them if it is okay. Note that if someone posts a sign in the right of way in front of your home, you do not need to leave it there – you are free to remove it. If you are supportive of a candidate or point of view and wish to post a sign near your home, it is better to post the sign on your private property than in the right of way.

• Please be thoughtful when posting signs in or removing signs from the City right of way in places other than in front of your own home or business. These right of way locations include Laurel Avenue and Anne Street, which traditionally host farmers markets and may host other special community activities. In past years there was a great deal of frustration and anger about sign posting and removal. In this very difficult time, please be considerate of each other and work to reduce tensions here in Takoma Park.So, please let signs stay posted unless they are in front of your home or are causing a problem.

• When the election is over, please remove the signs. Signs cause clutter and can get into the stormwater system. If they are reusable, it’s nice to return them to the applicable candidate.

5. 5. 6. While City staff will not proactively remove signs from the right of way unless they violate Ordinance 2020-19, Public Works staff may move or remove signs in an area of the right of way they are required to mow or maintain. If there are a number of signs in the way of maintenance work, the signs will be stacked nearby and candidates can collect them and repost them if they wish.
      7. A number of rights of way in the City of Takoma Park are State Highway rights of way, such as along New Hampshire Avenue, Carroll Avenue, Philadelphia Avenue, Ethan Allen Avenue, East-West Highway, University Boulevard, and Piney Branch Road. Pursuant to State law, signs are not to be placed in State Highway rights of way. City of Takoma Park staff will not enforce this, however, unless the signs block sightlines or cause other problems as identified above.
      8. Please be aware that other governmental, institutional or utility company staff may remove signs from their property or rights of way. For example, State officials may remove signs from State Highway rights of way, school or college staff may remove signs adjacent to school or college properties, County parks staff may remove signs from County parks, Pepco staff may remove signs from their utility poles, etc. Ordinance 2020-19 only pertains to signposting on rights of way owned by the City of Takoma Park.

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Sign Information