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

Many of Takoma Park’s rental properties are subject to the City’s rent stabilization law which limits the amount of rent that may be charged and how frequently the rent may be increased. If you live in Takoma Park and rent, please take a moment to complete the following questionnaire to find out if your building is rent stabilized and if you are paying more rent than is allowed by law at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RentProgramSurvey

Beginning Friday, July 13, residents will be able to follow, learn, and engage with their local government in a new exciting initiative called a #TkPkTweetAlong.

The City of Takoma Park is launching a new Twitter initiative to bring residents “along” to see what it’s like to work for Takoma Park. In their 2018 Council Priorities, the Takoma Park City Council encouraged Takoma Park to be an “engaged, responsive, and service-oriented government.” This campaign will help resident get to know their government in a way that traditional communication or a website will not.

The first tweet along happening at 8:00 p.m. on July 13, will be with the Takoma Park Police Department. Additional tweet alongs will be announced in the coming months and will give an in-depth look at other departments of the City including: Public Works, Library, Recreation, Housing and Community Development, and more!

To participate in the #TkPkTweetAlong:

• Step 1: Follow the City of Takoma Park on Twitter: @TakomaParkMD
• Step 2: Hop on Twitter at the scheduled time and search #TkPkTweetAlong
• Step 3: Tweet along with us, ask questions, and learn about the work that City staff do

We can’t wait to show you all the hard work that we do, and tweet along with you!

Missed the #TkPkTweetAlong? Don’t worry, we saved all the tweets for you: https://twitter.com/i/moments/1018844271959592960

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).

One-on-One Conversations with Councilmembers

The City Council invites residents to participate in a special meeting where there will be an opportunity to engage with up to three individual Councilmembers, “one-on-one” style, regarding the Takoma Junction redevelopment project. The event will be geared toward residents who have specific questions of councilmembers about the project, their perspectives on various elements of the site plan, and thoughts on what should be included in the draft resolution. The event is meant to supplement the open house and pop-up, and the many one-on-one meetings Councilmembers have held with residents throughout the process, and is in response to interest expressed by some residents to engage with Councilmembers in a forum of this nature.

This is not a town hall style meeting, nor an event designed for long, in-depth discussions. It is not an opportunity to ask specific technical questions that typically staff or consultants would need to answer (though some staff will be in attendance). Rather, as noted above, it is an opportunity to engage in an exchange with Councilmembers regarding their perspectives and those of participating residents.

The Council recognizes that, due to time constraints, there will be limitations to the duration of the exchanges as well as to the number of participants. That said, it is important to remember that residents are always welcome to reach out to individual Councilmembers to ask questions, share their thoughts, and try to find a time to meet or speak on the phone. Contact information for each of the Councilmembers is available on the City’s website: https://takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/contact-us/

Format and Signing Up to Participate

Councilmembers will be seated at tables with additional chairs for participants. There will be 12 rounds of 8 minute time-slots. (The limited window of time for each slot is to maximize the number of participants.) The event will begin with an introduction of the facilitator promptly at 7:15pm, with one-on-one meetings beginning at 7:30pm.

Residents must sign up to participate ahead of time and indicate, in priority order, up to three Councilmembers with whom they wish to speak. While we will do our best to match residents with one or more of their preferred Councilmembers, we want to ensure that all residents interested in participating have at least one opportunity to engage with a councilmember on their list of three, time-slots permitting.

Confirmation of time-slots and the corresponding Councilmembers will be emailed once the time-slot limit is reached.

Each Councilmember will have two time-slots reserved for walk-ins who may not have had an opportunity to sign up online.

Sign Up Here – BY 5:00PM ON THURSDAY JULY, 5.

The City offers a variety of housing services to the community. We would like to get your feedback on how you may have used these services. Please take a few minutes to answer these questions at https://tinyurl.com/tkpkhousing.  Your feedback will help us to improve or add additional services.

Takoma Park Residents and Businesses Can Now Switch to 100% Clean Power

Takoma Park, MD, May 18, 2018 –CleanChoice Energy, a renewable energy company providing 100% clean electricity to customers, has been chosen by the City of Takoma Park to supply residents and businesses with renewable energy on an opt-in basis. The new partnership reflects Takoma Park’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions citywide. Through the partnership, residents and businesses have the opportunity to support 100% Maryland-based clean energy furthering the regional benefits of clean air, water and jobs.

The City has long purchased 100% wind electricity through renewable energy credits for its own operations. In 2014 the City adopted a Sustainable Energy Action Plan with seventeen key strategies to reduce emissions. In 2016 the Mayor signed the Global Covenant of Mayors, and in 2017 pledged to uphold the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. Now, the City is helping local residents and businesses to reduce their own carbon footprint by making the switch to clean energy. Electricity use is responsible for approximately a third of the typical American household’s carbon footprint.

“CleanChoice Energy can help Takoma Park residents and businesses make the switch to clean energy simply and affordably,” said Kate Stewart, Takoma Park Mayor. “We’re proud of the efforts Takoma Park has taken to reduce our carbon pollution and be a national leader in sustainability. Helping our residents and businesses reduce their own footprint by choosing clean energy is the next logical step.”

“CleanChoice Energy’s goal is to make it easy and convenient to switch to clean energy,” said Tom Matzzie, Founder and CEO of CleanChoice Energy. “It will take Takoma Park residents and businesses only five minutes to get off dirty energy, but the impact they will be making is huge. The average family will be reducing their carbon pollution by thousands of pounds a year.”

The City of Takoma Park chose CleanChoice Energy based on an open RFP and by conducting research on rates, business reliability, and contract terms.

CleanChoice Energy offers only 100 percent renewable energy products to American homes and businesses. The company has made it easy for people to choose clean energy as-a-service instead of as a home construction project. CleanChoice customers have avoided more than 3 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions—the equivalent of not burning more than 1.6 billion pounds of coal.

CleanChoice has made social responsibility a core value and has provided over $1.5 million in support to more than 50 nonprofit environmental and social impact organizations. CleanChoice Energy’s giving has powered it to the highest level of B Corp certification, with a company score 50 percent higher than the required score for B Corp certified companies.

Takoma Park residents and businesses interested in making the switch to clean energy can sign up at CleanChoiceEnergy.com/go/Takoma or by calling 1-800-218-0113.

About CleanChoice Energy

CleanChoice Energy is a renewable energy company empowering utility customers to cut emissions and support clean energy. The company provides renewable electricity to customers by supporting regional wind and solar farms in markets where customers have an energy supply choice, and selling that clean power to homes and businesses. CleanChoice Energy makes it easy for customers to support local solar development by enabling them to participate in community solar markets. CleanChoice Energy is a Certified B Corporation, a member of the American Sustainable Business Council and the U.S. Green Building Council, and is certified with the highest available rating by Green America’s Green Business Network, the first and largest network of socially and environmentally responsible business. For more information or to become a customer, visit www.cleanchoiceenergy.com

Join Lori Hill Saturday, May 12, as she discusses tips for living a low waste life in Takoma Park! This FREE event takes place at 10:00 am in the Takoma Park Community Center Auditorium.

This workshop will include:

• door prizes
• easy tips for living low waste
• discounts from Earth-friendly companies
• details about Takoma Park’s Adopt-A-Spot program
• a FREE copy of The Sister Eden e-Book

For more information, visit: http://www.sistereden.com/lowwaste/.