The Takoma Park City Council last month voted to adopt the 2025 fiscal budget—beginning on July 1, 2024.

“I’m very pleased to announce that on May 15, the city council approved the fiscal year 2025 budget,” said Takoma Park Finance Director Susan Cheung. “The city will maintain the real property tax rate at 0.5522.”

The theme of the upcoming budget is “A Bridge Forward” to recognize “transitioning and evolving forward as we contend with challenges and with an eye to the future,” according to the proposed budget proposal released by City Manager Robert DiSpirito in early April.

In the Fiscal Year 25 budget, the General Fund revenue is $30.6 million, with the remainder of other fund revenue being $7.8 million, for a total revenue of $38.4 million. That total is also supplemented by the use of $206,997 in bond reserve, $1.4 million from the other reserves, and $2.6 million other fund balances, for a consolidated total revenue of $42.7 million.

The total General Fund expenditure is $32.2 million, and all other funds expenditure is $10.4 million for a total expenditure of $42.7 million. As a result, the total consolidated revenue and total consolidated expenditure maintain the same balance of $42.7 million. Department expenditures with be $4,797,487 or 1.5% less than in 2024 due to a $287,003 decrease in operating expenses.

Some of the financial challenges the city faces in the coming year are related to higher inflationary expenses, the dwindling balance remaining in the city’s account containing the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, and increased costs of employee compensation.

Staffing in the city should remain level, as no additional full-time positions have been proposed.

While the majority of the city’s $17.5 million in ARPA funds have been allocated, DiSpirito has proposed using the remainder as a bridge to address ongoing mayor and council priorities. The city manager proposed using $6,980,140 in remaining ARPA funds for projects including street rehabilitation, sidewalk design and construction, continuing support for library construction, the community center atrium renovation project, mental health crisis counselors, expanding public safety critical police dispatch, a food insecurity program, and a community connectors program.

Other mayor and council initiatives that will be addressed with the General Fund include

• Funding for emergency rental assistance

• Funding for small business grants

• Increased funding of the Equipment Replacement Reserve by $900,000 (compared to $550,000 in FY2024)

• Continued funding of $142,000 for the City’s local supplement to State Homeowner Property Tax Credit Program

• Contribution of $600,000 to fund the Library Construction Contingency Reserve

• Contribution for Community Events Grants of $60,000

• Various Quality of Life grants

• Recreational scholarships

• The Housing Reserve Fund

• Emergency Tree Removal

• Summer Enrichment program, Community Play, and Farmers Market grants

• Stormwater Capital Improvement expenditures

Funds will also be used for police funding for bike patrol unit equipment, field radio equipment, mobile computers, and overtime for designated and additional patrols, as well as funding for a traffic study.

There is also $4.2 million in Special Reserve Funds for projects including grants for the New Hampshire Avenue Bikeway ($350,000), the Maple Avenue Connectivity Project ($240,000), the Metropolitan Branch Trail Project ($425,000), Program Open Space to add to the Capital Acquisition Fund ($60,000), and CDBG Neighborhood Improvements for the Houston Court Biofiltration Project ($91,000). Those funds will also be allocated for CityTV equipment and temporary relocation.

“Despite the fiscal restraints that we face, this FY2025 proposed budget intends to continue programs and services that help renters, small business owners, immigrants, young people, and seniors as we strive to create a livable community for all,” DiSpirito said.

The fully adopted budget book will be available in mid-August as the city’s finance department works to compile numbers and coordinate with the city’s various departments. The city will then send the budget to the Government Finance Officers Association for consideration for its Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, which it has won over the past five years.

Cheung said there are four main highlights in next year’s budget, including keeping the real property tax rate level.

“We were able to reach the unassigned reserve balance targets,” Cheung said, in reference to city funds that have not been assigned to other areas. “This is one of the most significant achievements in the budget with the city reaching our target in the General Fund at $5.2 million, which represents 17% of the total revenue. This is important to our city’s financial health and future stability.”

The city was also able to reduce its expenditures from $36.4 million in 2024 to $32 million in 2025.

“Our ability to meet the reserve target is largely due to the strategic expenditure reductions,” Cheung said. “Under the guidance of city manager and senior leadership team, we conducted several rounds of expenditure reviews and reductions before the proposed budget was announced. That significant reduction is mainly due to decreases in capital improvement expenditures that were budgeted at $1.4 million for 2025 down from $6.3 million in 2024. There’s a lot of reduction giving us excess funds to put into the reserve.”

These budget goals will help the city significantly as its long-term financial needs continue to be met, said Cheung.

“Maintaining the tax rate and reaching the 17% reserve were the key objectives in our long-term financial forecast,” she said. “Achieving these goals demonstrates the city’s adherence to prudent financial management.”

A new source of funding for the city’s police department, according to the budget documents, is a Red Light Camera Fund that is set to begin in July of this year. The anticipated revenue for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024 is about $1.3 million. The funds will go to a special revenue reserve fund in the police department—rather than the general fund— since the purpose is to address public safety.The funds are supplementing declining speed camera funds the resulted from improved driving behavior. DiSpirito hopes  to eventually use the money to fund a new transit planner position to address pedestrian and traffic safety.

Takoma Park’s budget process is a months-long endeavor involving every department in the city.

“I want to acknowledge and thank the city manager and two deputy city managers [Andrew Bolduc and David Eubanks] and all the city leadership team members,” Cheung said. “The city manager’s budget planning—together with the effective coordination of the council—has significantly enhanced the efficiency of the budget process. A special thanks goes to my team members, particularly our Budget & Accounting Manager, who managed to complete the budget book within a very tight timeline.”

DiSpirito also recognized the finance team in his budget proposal, writing: “I wish to thank the dedicated, hard-working, and professional City of Takoma Park staff who continue to deliver quality services to our residents. Special recognition goes to Finance Director Susan Cheung, Budget & Accounting Manager Ron Kawaley, and the rest of the award-winning Finance Department team, for all of their leadership, talent, and hard work.”

For continued updates on the city’s budget, visit  takomaparkmd.gov/government/finance.

This article appeared in the June Edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. Check out this article and more on the City webpage.

In May, Takoma Park celebrated Bike Month with a flurry of pedal-powered activities and community engagement. From school rides to workplace commutes, the city embraced the spirit of cycling in true Takoma Park fashion.

• Bike to School Day: Students from five local schools—East Silver Spring Elementary, Piney Branch Elementary, Rolling Terrace Elementary, Takoma Park Elementary, and Takoma Park Middle School—got the wheels turning by pedaling their way to school. Piney Branch and Rolling Terrace Elementary schools also held a week of bike safety classes.
• Adult Learn to Ride Class: With a remarkable interest in cycling, 80 individuals signed up to join our adult learn-to-ride class. There were only 15 spaces available, so we hope to offer more classes next year!
• Bike to Work Day: Takoma Park professionals ditched their cars and embraced eco-friendly commuting during Bike to Work Day. Three pit stops provided cyclists with refreshments and encouragement, fostering a sense of camaraderie and a love of biking among participants.
• Free Bike Repair Pop-ups: Keeping Takoma Park’s wheels turning smoothly, free bike repair pop-ups at the Takoma Park Farmers Market and Crossroads Farmers Market ensured that cyclists could ride with confidence.

A big thank you goes out to Rosalind Grisby, Ramon Sola, Ma’isah Bateman, Rich VanMetter for their vital support, along with the staff and PTSAs of our five Safe Routes to Schools. Your commitment to promoting cycling safety and accessibility in Takoma Park is inspiring.

Thanks as well to our local sponsors: Bike Werks, Takoma Bicycle, Takoma Langley Crossroads Development Authority, and Takoma Park Silver Spring Co-op.

Although Bike Month is at an end, Takoma Park reaffirms its commitment to building a more bike-friendly community, one pedal stroke at a time.

This article appeared in the June Edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. Check out this article and more on the City webpage.

With more than 40 years of experience between them, Takoma Park crossing guards Virina “Miss Liz” James and Pam “Miss Pam” Sprouse know what it takes to keep the city’s children safe while walking to school.

“The most important part of the job is the children; they’re so precious to us. I call them my babies,” says Miss Liz, who also goes by “Grandma Liz.” “My main thing is that I know the safety rules so I can teach them to the children and their parents.”

“As a crossing guard and person, I feel like the children look up to me and see me as a trusted person,” says Miss Pam. “Kids are important, but being out on the street on a busy corner I also have to maintain some politeness with the drivers as well. I need to give them respect, so that they respect me.”

Miss Liz joined the Takoma Park crossing guards after working in the Clinton administration through the 1990s. She says she applied for the job after being asked by a city official, but had also applied for a job with Metro at the same time.

“My thought was that I was going to accept the first job that was offered to me,” she says. “And, as fate would have it, the crossing guard job accepted me first and Metro gave me an offer two hours later.”

Miss Liz has now been with the city for 25 years.

For Miss Pam, becoming a crossing guard also seemed like it was destined to happen. “I always looked up to the crossing guards growing up in Hyattsville,” she says.

Miss Pam was a stay-at-home mother until her husband had a health scare, and she decided to work with him as a paint technician. After about eight years working together, her husband saw an opening as a crossing guard in Takoma Park and she decided to apply for the job. She’s been protecting Takoma Park’s streets now for almost 16 years.

“They call me the neighborhood grandma,” says Miss Pam, who has a few grandchildren of her own in addition to the countless children who cross her streets near Piney Branch Elementary every school day. “They call out ‘Hey, Miss Pam’ and give hugs and tell me about losing their baby teeth.”

After all those years watching children grow, Miss Liz and Miss Pam have become a big part in the lives of the children who cross their streets.

“Some kids were crossing in kindergarten and now they’re out of college and still come to visit,” says Miss Liz. “They say, ‘Miss Liz, you haven’t changed,’ and I say, ‘I stay the same just for you.’”

Miss Liz says she had one young lady come to her recently asking her if she remembered telling the girl that if she graduated college, she would give her a gift.

“And she says, ‘Well I just graduated from Montgomery College and I’m going to send you some photos from graduation to enjoy and cherish,’” she says. “So I made sure to give her a little graduation cash and she gave me the biggest hug.”

For Miss Pam, the children in her life help keep her protected just as much as she does for them.

“One day, I was having a rough time and was really down, and there was a little boy— I’d call him honey and he called me sweetie— and one day he walked by and turned around and ran back and hugged me, and it was exactly what I needed,” she says. “All those hugs are priceless.”

The children also find ways to show their appreciation for Miss Liz, who has been guarding the corner of Maple and Sherman Avenues.

“I had a birthday and all these kids came by and hugged me and that’s when the waterworks came on,” she says. “Next thing I know, two other children had instruments and started playing. I told them I would always have a place in my heart for them, and it still touches me to this day.”

Of course, for them the job is always about safety, whether it’s teaching children the rules of pedestrian safety or working to keep drivers from driving dangerously.

Miss Pam said she had one little boy who would be running from his mother and generally not obeying the rules of street safety.

“The next day, the boy came back with his father to talk with me about being safe,” she says. “I told him, ‘This corner is my office, these sidewalks are my hallways, and you don’t run in the hallways at school, right?’ I had to put it in his terms and on his level so he understood.”

But it isn’t all about teaching children, drivers must also remember to be vigilant, especially in school zones.

“Please, please obey the signs and our crossing guards and when you see a school bus with the red lights flashing do not pass it,” says Miss Pam. “You never know when a little tiny child may dart off away from us. We’re there to help, and not to upset drivers.”

Miss Pam says making sure they have the respect of drivers is incredibly important in keeping the streets safe for pedestrians. She recalled a time when a Metro bus driver had moved into an intersection where people needed to cross, and she made them reverse out of it.

“The next day, he pulled up before the crosswalk and gave me the thumbs up,” she says. “You know you’ve earned their respect if they back out of an intersection and give you a thumbs up.”

“This is why they put cameras on the school buses,” says James. “People need to learn to obey the law and obey us. We are the grandmothers of our corners.”

If you’d like to say “Hi” to one of Takoma Park’s crossing guards, Along with Miss Liz and Miss Pam, they are Donna Warren at Philadelphia and Cedar, Emma Reyes at Philadelphia and Holly, Edward Welch at Takoma Junction at Ethan Allen; Carrol Jordan Bondo at Philadelphia and Maple; Harriet Saxton at Maple and Grant.

This article appeared in the June Edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. Check out this article and more on the City webpage.