The Takoma Park City Council is seeking an adult volunteer to serve as the Advisor to the Takoma Park Youth Council. The Youth Council Advisor will work directly with the Youth Council to plan and coordinate meetings, guide and help prepare the Youth Council in its activities, encourage and empower Youth Council members in building their communication and leadership skills, and to facilitate their decision-making processes without controlling their decisions. The Youth Council Advisor will attend all meetings of the Youth Council.

Application to serve as Youth Council Advisor

Read more about the Youth Council

The City Council is seeking three residents to serve on the Legal Services Advisory Group to: 1) review and document the City’s legal service needs currently and what we expect in the near future, the manner in which those needs are currently being met, advantages and disadvantages of the existing structure and processes, and 2) provide recommendations to the City Council for how to meet the City’s legal service needs in the future.

Application deadline: September 5.

View additional information

Application for Appointment

Notice is hereby given that the City of Takoma Park intends to acquire ±11,296 square feet of land “outside of the fence line” on the south side of the former John Nevins Andrew School site, 117 Elm Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912, from the Potomac Conference of Seventh Day Adventists. The land being acquired (Section 1 on the survey plat) will be added to Spring Park, a City park.

Notice is further given that the City of Takoma Park intends to convey a total of ±11,495 square feet of land (Section 2A, consisting of ±9,914 square feet, and Section 2B, consisting of ±1,581 square feet on the survey plat) to the Potomac Conference of Seventh Day Adventists. The land being conveyed is owned by the City (part of Spring Park), but has been used by the Potomac Conference for parking and screening for the former John Nevins Andrew School, 117 Elm Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912.

This is a land exchange between the City of Takoma Park and the Potomac Conference of Seventh Day Adventists for the purpose of correcting the boundaries of Spring Park and of the former John Nevins Andrew School site, 117 Elm Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912.

View a survey plat showing the Property to be acquired by the City (Section 1) for Spring Park and the Property to be conveyed by the City (Sections 2A and 2B).

The City Council will hold two public hearings on Wednesday, April 25, at 6:30 PM in the Community Center Auditorium. The first will be a hearing on the FY 2019 proposed property tax rate. The second will be a hearing on the FY 2019 proposed budget.

All interested residents should attend the hearings and sign up to speak. Written comments may be submitted to the City Clerk for distribution to the City Council. Email clerk@takomaparkmd.gov.

Note the early start time for the public hearings. They will begin at 6:30 PM. The proposed budget is available for review online.

CITY OF TAKOMA PARK NOTICE OF A PROPOSED
REAL PROPERTY TAX INCREASE AND PUBLIC HEARING

The City Council of the City of Takoma Park proposes to increase real property taxes.

1. For the tax year beginning July 1, 2018, the estimated real property assessable base will increase by 5.38%, from $2,269,258,527 to $2,391,297,820.
2. If the City of Takoma Park maintains the current tax rate of $0.5348 per $100 of assessment, real property tax revenues will increase by 5.38% resulting in $652,666 of new real property tax revenues.
3. In order to fully offset the effect of increasing assessments, the real property tax rate should be reduced to $0.5075, the constant yield tax rate.
4. The City of Takoma Park is considering not reducing its real property tax rate enough to fully offset increasing assessments. The City of Takoma Park proposes to adopt a real property tax rate of $0.545 per $100 of assessment. This tax rate is 7.39% higher than the constant yield tax rate and will generate $896,578 in additional property tax revenues.
A public hearing on the proposed real property tax rate increase will be held at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, April 25 in the Takoma Park Community Center Auditorium, 7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, Maryland.
The hearing is open to the public, and public testimony is encouraged.
Persons with questions regarding this hearing may call 301-891-7267 for further information.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE FY 2019 PROPOSED BUDGET

Immediately after the public hearing on the real property tax rate, the City Council will hold a public hearing to receive comments on the FY 2019 Proposed Budget.  The proposed budget may be viewed online.

The City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed FY 2019 Budget on Wednesday, April 11, at 7:30 PM in the Auditorium of the Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Avenue. Interested persons should attend the public hearing and sign up to speak.

Comments may also be submitted online:

Comment Form for FY 2019 Budget

Link to Proposed FY 2019 Budget and City Manager’s Budget Presentation

Notice of Proposed Administrative Regulation for the Implementation and Enforcement of Takoma Park Code, Chapter 8.16, Sale of Food and Drink, Section 8.16.090 Outdoor Cafes on Public Sidewalks

An Administrative Regulation is being proposed for the implementation and enforcement of Chapter 8.16, Section 8.16.090 Outdoor Cafes on Public Sidewalks (see Ordinance 2018-8). The regulation addresses permit modifications, renewal and revocation procedures, application fees, annual permit fees, calculation of annual fee increases, right-of-way lease terms and conditions, insurance and indemnification requirements, City approval of alcohol sales, City- imposed limitations on the hours, additional permit criteria and standards, and prohibited activities.

Pursuant to the requirements of the “Administrative Regulations Ordinance” (Authority: Chapter 2.12 “Administrative Regulations,” of the Takoma Park Code), notice of the City’s intention to adopt an administrative regulation must be publicly noted, allowing for the opportunity to comment on the proposal.

Review the Proposed Regulation

CLICK HERE TO COMMENT

Ordinance 2018-8 Amending the City Code Chapter 8.16, Sale of Food and Drink, to Allow for Outdoor Cafe Seating in the Public Right-of-Way

To obtain further information about the proposed regulation, contact Sara Anne Daines, Director, Housing and Community Development Department, 7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912, 301-891-7224, SaraD@takomaparkmd.gov.

Although the Commemoration Commission public hearing comment period has ended, comments may still be submitted for the City Council’s consideration.  Please submit your comments via this online form.

Background Information

The City Council held a work session discussion on September 13, 2017 about names of City streets and parks that are associated with Civil War figures. Some options under consideration by the Council include the following:

1) seek authority from the Montgomery County Planning Department to change the street names;

2) rely on the procedure already in place for residences and businesses on a street to petition the Montgomery County Planning Department for a street name change, or;

3) maintain the current street names but add commemorative names or markers to the streets to provide a historical context.

Any of these options would require a community process to ensure that the decision reflects the views of the residents on the streets in question.

The Commemoration Commission held a public hearing to gather comments and suggestions from residents, especially those living on the streets potentially named for Civil War generals: Grant Avenue, Hancock Avenue, Lee Avenue, Sheridan Avenue, and Sherman Avenue.

Comments and suggestions were requested on the following options:

1) pursue renaming of the street(s) through the formal process with Montgomery County;

2) maintain the street names but add a commemorative name and signage to provide historic context for the existing names; or,

3) make no change.

The public hearing took place on January 29, 2018.  View the video.