City Offices and Facilities will be closed on Thursday, July 4, 2024, in observance of the Independence Day holiday.
Takoma Park Elections Will Take Place on Tuesday, November 5, 2024
The scheduling of demolition and construction timelines are pending weather.
Meet and Greet with Mayor Kate Stewart:
Crossroads Farmers Market, Wednesday, May 31, 11:00 a.m., at the Crossroads: Join us at the Farmers Market to meet and greet Mayor Kate Stewart! Mayor Stewart will be there to ring the opening bell. The event will be held at Anne Street (between University Boulevard and Hammond Avenue, across from the Rite Aid), Takoma Park, MD 20912. All are welcome!
The City of Takoma Park is excited to launch a 5 month-long competition to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and reduce the number of cars on the road.
The Takoma Park Car Free Challenge is open to anyone living or working in Takoma Park, Maryland and can be completed individually or on a team. Miles for any trip that would typically be taken by car such as going to work, school, grocery store, appointments, out to dinner, etc. all count toward the competition.
Monthly prizes will be awarded starting June 19 and may include items such as: gift cards to a local bike shop, gift card to a local shoe store for new walking shoes, smartrip cards, bikeshare gift certificates, new bike accessories like helmets, lights, tune-ups, and more!
Starting the Car Free Challenge is easy, follow these steps:
Takoma Park is committed to fostering a sustainable community for all. Do your part to help keep our city green and groovy for years to come!
We want to know, what’s your Takoma Park? Everyone’s experience is different, and we want to hear about yours!
The City of Takoma Park has contracted with the Cloudburst Group to develop a Housing and Economic Development Strategic Plan. As part of Cloudburst’s research into current conditions in housing and the economy of the area, this survey will supplement data analysis and interviews with local elected officials, staff, and stakeholders to provide a snapshot of current conditions..
Please take a few minutes to take the Takoma Park Housing and Economic Development Strategic Plan Survey. We appreciate your time and thank you for your participation!
If you are interested in obtaining information on this survey, please contact Sara Daines at 301.891.7224 or sarad@takomaparkmd.gov.
From Mayor Kate Stewart
“Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” – Joe Biden
The City Council has just concluded one of its most important functions – passing a budget. The City’s budget is a quantitative expression of our plans for the upcoming year. It embodies in dollars and cents the goals and priorities we are working toward.
Each year we look to improve the budget process. This year in addition to the scheduled meetings and work sessions we held an open house for residents to come and ask questions about the budget. The Council also passed a Resolution expressing its intent on specific items in the budget. This will help ensure we have an easily accessible record of why we made certain decisions as we discussed the budget.
Every year in early April, the City Manager submits a recommended budget to the City Council for the upcoming fiscal year beginning July 1. The Proposed Budget is considered by the City Council through a public process of hearings, Council work sessions, and final adoption in late May. The Adopted Budget sets the tax rates and guides the expenditure of funds by the City throughout the fiscal year, July 1 through June 30.
The foundation for our budget discussions began back in January when the Council established the 2017 Priorities. The Priorities document also provides a listing of major projects, initiatives, and ongoing activities that the Council and City staff will continue to work on and established a framework for the Council as it looked at the budget.
During our many discussions about the budget, we debated trade-offs and considered the best ways to address residents’ needs and priorities given the resources available.
The City’s main source of revenue is property taxes. And this year, after much deliberation, the Council set the rate at 53.48 cents (per $100 of assessed value). This is lower than last year’s rate of 56.75 cents. The current tax rate is also lower than the constant yield tax rate of 53.58 cents which means the City will have $22,397 less in property tax revenue than we had last fiscal year.
All of us on the Council understand that while we are setting the budget for the City, individuals and families are doing the same for their own households. Therefore, it was central to our discussions to ensure fiscal responsibility while delivering on the services residents rely on and have come to expect, and at the same time address the needs and priorities for the future.
A concern I raised during our budget discussions is the amount we have available in reserves. Reserves provide options for the City in case of the unexpected. Given the current federal context and likely cuts to funding and programs to help those most vulnerable in our community, I would have liked to have healthier reserves that are more in line with governmental standards which is why I voted against the tax rate but for our FY2018 budget. I am looking forward to a more in-depth discussion of reserves and establishing a formal policy this year.
So what is in the budget? In FY2018 the City is moving forward on three major projects: 1) Flower Avenue Streetscape, 2) Ethan Allen Gateway; and 3) Renovation of the library. More details on each of these projects can be found on the City’s project page.
The budget advances the following established priorities of the City Council:
A number of budget items help provide financial assistance to those in need in our community. These items include, but are not limited to, the following:
Ensuring we have programs like these for those who need it, will help keep Takoma Park the mixed-income, diverse community we value. For more details please see the City website’s Budget & Financial documents page.
This year the Council voted to raise the base Stormwater Management Fee from $55 to $92. This user fee is assessed to all property owners, whether they pay property taxes or not, and is used to finance all of the work done to clean and slow rainwater as it makes its way into Sligo Creek, Long Branch, the Anacostia Watershed, and the Chesapeake Bay. City staff requested the fee increase because the revenue generated in the past is no longer sufficient to pay for the work that is needed to be done.
The jump from $55 to $92 for owners of single-family properties is significant, but because nonprofit and commercial property owners are assessed based on the amount of impervious surface on their properties, nonprofits and commercial property owners pay about ten times the rate of single-family homeowners on average.
The Council did discuss that, instead of raising the stormwater fee, we supplement the Stormwater Management Budget with City tax revenue. However, that would mean that our community’s nonprofit property owners would not be contributing their fair share to the stormwater remediation that is needed and the City’s property tax rate would need to be increased, or more expenditure cuts made, to get the necessary funds.
The two largest accounts of our Stormwater Management Fee are Washington Adventist Hospital and Washington Adventist University. The amount that they pay equals the base fee for about 470 single family homes because of the large amount of impermeable surface they have on their properties, but they pay no property tax.
In the next fiscal year, we plan to conduct a survey to determine the proportion of individual properties that have impermeable surface. In general, the more impermeable surface, the more stormwater remediation is required. Under the current system, all households pay the same fee regardless of the proportion of impermeable surface in the future we look to change how the fee is assessed.
Council had in-depth discussions of the stormwater fee and not all the Councilmembers were in support of the increase this year. Some Councilmembers favored holding off on some projects and re-evaluating next year when we had the study completed. The final vote to increase the fee was 5 to 2.
While half of the City’s budget is paid for by real property taxes, 26% is paid for by intergovernmental sources, primarily from Montgomery County and the State of Maryland. Some examples:
Police Department. A case in point is the Takoma Park Police Department. Takoma Park tax revenue only pays for 36% of the Police Department budget. Revenue from the County pays for 39.7% and most of the rest comes from State and speed camera revenue.
Flower Avenue Green Street. Where we can, we use City funds to leverage funds from grants and other sources. For the wonderful Flower Avenue Green Street project, $1.2 million of City funds leverages $5.1 million in other funds. This project is remarkably complex, involving federal transportation funds, utility upgrades, County funds and other grant funds. The resulting “green street” will meet environmental and transit goals as well as provide an attractive gateway into Takoma Park. The mere fact that there will be good sidewalks on both sides of the street will be a major accomplishment for the neighborhood, and the low-impact stormwater facilities will be a major environmental improvement in a location built without any stormwater infrastructure. The project has received statewide attention already and will be a project for which I expect national attention once completed.
Library Renovation. The City was successful in securing a bond from the state for $150,000 toward the project. We hope to again request funding in the next legislative session.
County Budget. The City and residents were successful in lobbying the County Council for funding in the County’s FY2018 budget for a paramedic at our fire station.
I want to thank my colleagues on the Council for their hard work and thoughtfulness as we worked through the budget process, residents who provided valuable comments and input, and to our City Staff, especially the City Manager, Deputy City Manager and Finance Director who prepared the budget and answered Council and resident questions.
Wednesday, May 17, 2017, the national nonprofit KaBOOM announced that Takoma Park would be recognized as A Playful City USA for the ninth year in a row.
Playful City USA is a recognition program honoring cities and towns that ensure that kids in their communities, particularly kids from low-income families, get the balanced and active play they need to thrive.
Takoma Park is proud to stand with 257 honored communities who are making it easier for all kids to get balanced and active play in their neighborhoods and for pledging to integrate play as a solution to the challenges facing their communities.
Play on!
*UPDATE*: As of May 24, the real property taxes and charges owed by the Washington-McLaughlin property owner have been paid and the property has been removed from the Montgomery County Tax Sale. Information on the entity which made the tax payment is not public. The City will be receiving the taxes owed for Levy Years 2012-2016 (about $28,000).
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The Montgomery County Department of Finance has posted information about the upcoming annual Tax Sale for Real Property, which will take place on June 12, 2017. The process and requirements are available on the County’s tax sale website. The list of tax sale properties, which was made publicly available on May 18, includes the Washington-McLaughlin School at 6501 Poplar Avenue, a property of particular interest to the community.
A “tax sale” is a sale of the tax lien on a property, not of the property itself. The property owner, or other person having an estate or interest in the property, can redeem the property tax lien at any time until the “right of redemption” is foreclosed by an order of the Circuit Court. During the redemption period, the property owner has the right to continue to possess or occupy the property and to exercise all rights of ownership until the right of redemption is finally foreclosed by an order of the Circuit Court.
For the first four months after the date of the tax sale, properties can be redeemed without payment of the expenses or legal fees of the tax sale certificate holder (the purchaser of the tax lien at the tax sale). After the expiration of six months from the date of the tax sale, the tax sale certificate holder can file a complaint in the Circuit Court to foreclose all rights of redemption in the property sold at the tax sale. If the court enters a final judgment foreclosing the right of redemption of the property, then title to the property will pass to the tax sale certificate holder. However, the property owner or other person having an estate or interest in the property can redeem the property by paying the delinquent taxes and all other charges –including interest, expenses, and legal fees –to the tax sale purchaser, at any time before the final judgment foreclosing the right of redemption is entered by the Circuit Court. This is when the tax sale purchaser will have to pay the balance of the tax sale purchase price, together with taxes and charges accruing subsequent to the tax sale. If an action to foreclose the right of redemption is not filed within two years after the date of the tax sale, then the tax sale certificate is void.
The Washington-McLaughlin property is currently zoned R-60. Generally, R-60 zoning is for moderate density residential uses. The predominant use in an R-60 zone is residential detached houses.
City Code Chapter 6.32, Tenant Opportunity to Purchase, and County Code, Chapter 53A, Tenant Displacement, apply only to sales or transfers of legal or equitable ownership of rental housing. Because the tax sale is not a sale of the property, but rather a sale of the tax lien on the property, neither would regulation would apply for properties listed in the tax sale.
Please join Mayor Kate Stewart and Councilmember Tim Male for a community conversation on Friday, May 19, 2017 from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. at Los Pollos Restaurant.
The Electric Vehicle Institute (EVI) has included Takoma Park as a grant recipient for a Level 3 fast charging unit. The fast charging unit, located in the parking lot behind the Community Center, is already being used regularly by members of our community.
In addition to the Level 3, there are 14 Level 2 stations throughout The City which are utilized by residents and visitors alike.
Takoma Park is committed to creating an environmentally sustainable community and this addition helps our City get one step closer to making that goal a reality.
Join us as we celebrate the vibrant cultural diversity that the City of Takoma Park and its residents have to offer at the 5th Annual Celebrate Takoma Festival on Saturday, May 20 on Maple Avenue from 4:00-7:00 p.m.
This family festival block party held in front of the Community Center will feature arts, crafts, entertainment, music, games and food from all over the world. Takoma Park is the true definition of a “melting pot” with residents form Ethiopia, El Salvador, and Guatemala, just to name a few. This event offers a social benefit to Takoma Park and brings the community together to celebrate the diversity the City is known for.
Celebrate Takoma fosters community pride, teaches people new things and strengthens relationships unbound by a resident’s place of birth. We hope to see you there!
For more information please contact John Webster at 301-891-7225 or JohnW@takomaparkmd.gov.
The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) has granted the City of Takoma Park a $90,000 grant for low-to-moderate income home energy efficiency renovations. The grant will assist approximately 10 energy efficient makeovers for qualifying low-to-moderate income homeowners within the City.
Upon completion of the required application, eligible applicants receive a free home energy audit and assessment. The assessment will identify which energy efficiency improvements would make the greatest impact. Possible energy upgrades include insulation improvements, draft reduction, heating and cooling equipment, appliances, and more. The average savings on electric and gas bills for participants is expected to be over $500 annually.
Residents can download an application or pick one up from Public Works at 31 Oswego Avenue M-F 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Grants will be awarded on a first come first served basis until funds are exhausted.
Takoma Park is committed to achieving an environmentally sustainable community, and this award puts the City one step closer in obtaining that goal.
For questions, please contact:
Gina Mathias
Sustainability Manager
Department of Public Works
ginam@takomaparkmd.gov
301-891-7623
