We summarize dense updates from our councilmembers, pull out the key takeaways, and analyze their policy framing and factual accuracy. In the interest of transparency, we note affiliations with CVT (Community Vision for Takoma).
Landman explicitly invokes the "Edifice Complex" label to attack a $30,000 custom front desk replacement and casts suspicion on the architectural firm contracted for the Atrium buildout and Public Works facility upgrade, echoing CVT’s long-standing talking points characterizing municipal facility repairs and modernization as extravagant. Furthermore, she asserts that because the City spent little of its FY26 emergency contingency reserves, "our fiscal house did not end 2026 in any danger." This minimizes the City’s documented structural deficit—where baseline operational expenditures consistently outpace recurring revenues—by conflating one-time emergency reserves with balanced ongoing budgeting. In previewing MHP's Edinburgh House presentation, Landman also leads with neighborhood impact concerns ("traffic, parking, stormwater, tree cover and pedestrian safety issues") rather than celebrating the addition of 100 net new affordable homes in Ward 1, consistent with CVT’s pattern of scrutinizing multifamily housing through a lens of neighborhood opposition. Finally, Landman inadvertently pasted the link to the Transgender Resolution across three unrelated items (the resolution itself, the "Municipal Equity Index," and the MHP presentation).
"Bear in mind as you read this document that the City set aside a significant amount of money in an emergency reserve fund in FY 2026 to be prepared for any Administration-triggered catastrophes, and we spent very little of that, so our fiscal house did not end 2026 in any danger."
While FY26 closed without exhausting contingency reserves, the City's audited year-end financial reports and FY27 budget presentations explicitly document a persistent structural deficit in the General Fund, where ongoing operational expenditures exceed recurring tax revenues. Relying on unspent emergency reserves provides a temporary cushion against unanticipated shocks but does not eliminate the structural deficit, which required extensive budget rebalancing and tax rate discussions throughout the FY27 cycle. Describing the City's fiscal condition as "not in any danger" is misleading because it conflates one-time reserve balances with balanced ongoing operations.
"The budget amendment that generated the most discussion was the expenditure of $30,000.00 to rebuild a desk for the Rec Department in the middle of the Community Center... One commenter with a background in construction said that he could buy a readymade unit for about 1/6th the cost. The City staff explained that the desk we are installing was designed by the architect under contract to the City, and will be custom built for the space... it is important that we not get carried away with our Edifice Complex – especially because this same architectural firm is going to be used for the Atrium buildout and the Public Works Department renovation/upgrade."
According to the City Manager and Public Works/Recreation staff presentation during the FY27 Budget Amendment #2 work session, the Community Center lobby reception desk functions as a multi-departmental security checkpoint, customer service counter, point-of-sale terminal, and integrated data/cabling hub for lobby operations. It must comply with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for both transaction counters and staff workstations, as well as commercial durability standards for continuous public access. An off-the-shelf commercial or residential desk does not meet ADA accessibility mandates, security requirements, or integrated electrical/IT needs.
Hello Ward One neighbors, At last week’s City Council meeting we took a first vote on our second budget amendment for this (FY27) year’s budget, and a final vote spelling out the rules and details for the upcoming local election. We then had a work session to discuss the proposed transitioning of the much beloved volunteer-run *Takoma Park Neighborhood Youth Soccer League to the City’s Recreation Department*, which was initiated by the volunteers who have been running the program for the last 40 years or so, and now wish to pass the baton – or should I say the ball? You can see the presentation about the proposal here <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8940/Soccer-Presentation-FINAL---Sept-2026>. (Apologies for including the wrong link last week.) Finally, we began a discussion about a draft Resolution <https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8937/agenda-item-202060923-Trans-gender-resolution> expressing support for transgender and gender diverse residents; the Resolution will be voted on next week. I have no problems with this resolution, which lays the groundwork for the City staff to bring some information back to the Council to determine if we are doing enough to protect City data that could impact such residents and their families, and to determine the feasibility of using the Municipal Equity Index <https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8937/agenda-item-202060923-Trans-gender-resolution> to evaluate city practices and measure our performance in this area. *Deeper dive:* Youth Soccer League Transition: The Council asked many questions about the staffing, price-point decisions, availability of local SSL and other youth employment opportunities, etc. I think that the Rec Department has done a good job of attempting to predict the level of participation by both players and volunteer coaches, and in planning to move the league over to the ActiveNet sign-up system the City has in place already for other rec programs. The staff believes that they can undertake this task at a budget-neutral level, once some initial investments in equipment are made. They recommend hiring a full-time coordinator, and predict that the level of participation will be in the neighborhood of 5,000 signups/year, including repeats from season to season (along with indoor futsal in winter). They also estimate (although hard data have not been collected in the past) that 2/3 of the program’s participants are not TkPk residents. The iconic t-shirts will continue, have no fear! But there remain some unknowns that will need to be sorted out in the first season if this proposal is finalized. I certainly hope we can make it work, because I know from my own family’s experience how valuable the youth soccer program has been. TPNYSL alums owe a big thank-you to Howard Kohn and Andrew Partan for their volunteer leadership over the past multiple decades! *Deeper dive:* *Budget amendment:* The budget amendment that generated the most discussion was the expenditure of $30,000.00 to rebuild a desk for the Rec Department in the middle of the Community Center, where the old desk was damaged beyond repair in the 2025 flood. One commenter with a background in construction said that he could buy a readymade unit for about 1/6th the cost. The City staff explained that the desk we are installing was designed by the architect under contract to the City, and will be custom built for the space and needs of the Rec and Public Works departments. I am troubled that the staff who sit at this spot were apparently never consulted about the new desk’s design, and want the Council to have a chance to see the proposed design (which we also paid the architecture firm to create) before approving this seemingly outsized expenditure. It is not a huge amount of money but it is important that we not get carried away with our Edifice Complex – especially because this same architectural firm is going to be used for the Atrium buildout and the Public Works Department renovation/upgrade. *Next Wednesday’s meeting*: On September 30th we will have a presentation by Montgomery Housing Partnership <https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8937/agenda-item-202060923-Trans-gender-resolution> (MHP) about the plans to redevelop the Edinburgh House on Grant Ave @ Maple Ave. They will discuss the redevelopment of the building and the plans to temporarily relocate the current residents and to return them to the redeveloped Edinburgh House two years later, and I anticipate that they will address the traffic, parking, stormwater, tree cover and pedestrian safety issues that have been raised at the previous community meetings that the MHP has held. If you have questions about this proposed development project (which will bring approximately 100 new affordable housing units to our City) you should plan to attend in person or virtually. We will also have a presentation on our final Quarterly Financial Report for FY 2026 <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8953/agenda-item-FY26-Q4-Financial-Report>; for true budget nerds here is the detailed report <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8953/agenda-item-FY26-Q4-Financial-Report>. There are no bombshells here, but the detailed report (especially since it is the final quarter of the year) enables you to see the overall picture of where our City tax dollars go. Bear in mind as you read this document that the City set aside a significant amount of money in an emergency reserve fund in FY 2026 to be prepared for any Administration-triggered catastrophes, and we spent very little of that, so our fiscal house did not end 2026 in any danger. As noted above, we will also vote on the gender diversity Resolution, and will have a work session on authorizing the spending of grants funds (already secured) to help defray the costs of the renovation of the historic Bank building – most recently a Bank of America branch – currently being transformed into the Sangfroid Distillery and tasting room. I was lucky to get a glimpse at the inside of the old bank, and it’s looking gorgeous! (It’s terrific that the State is granting $150K to this project, and our City staff plus Old Town Business Association deserve credit for helping to make that happen.) Finally, we will hear about the recommended appointees to the Youth Council <https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8947/agenda-Item-20260930-Youth-Council-Recommendations>. The list is not posted yet but I am very happy to see that there are two Ward One candidates! *Events and community news:* Next Sunday October 4th is the Tk Pk Street Festival. There will be a vaccination table sponsored by Small Things Matter, probably set up near the entrance to Trattoria Da Lina. You should bring an ID and an insurance card, if you have insurance, to find out if you are eligible for free flu and/or Covid vaccines. October 7th is Walk and Roll to school day! I would like to provide you with details but, search as I might, I cannot find up to date details on the City website or Facebook posts. If anyone out there knows the details, please share them! Ward One Council Candidates Forum/Debate: October 15, 6:30 PM, at the Community Center Auditorium. It will be live streamed as well as recorded. Spread the word! The Mayoral debate forum is on October 8th at 8 PM – same place, and same arrangements for streaming and recorded versions. Please check these out, and please vote! All the best, Jessica *Jessica C. Landman* *City **Council Member, **Ward One * 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 *Email:* jessical@takomaparkmd.gov *Phone:* 240-997-2422 *Please Note: *This communication may be subject to Maryland’s Public Information Act.
In summarizing the Edinburgh House redevelopment, Landman emphasizes physical dimensions ("less tall but wider") and the demolition of the existing 45 units. Highlighting building footprint and demolition taps into longstanding CVT sensitivities regarding physical neighborhood scale and bulk, even for 100% affordable developments.
"More information for tomorrow evening is now available regarding the proposal to transition the community-run Takoma Park Neighborhood Youth Soccer League to the City's rec department..."
In providing the link for the youth soccer league transition proposal, Landman mistakenly linked to the City's Traffic Calming and Sidewalks page rather than the City Council agenda item or soccer presentation document. (She acknowledged and corrected this mismatch in her subsequent September 27 newsletter).
Hello Ward One neighbors, Here are some time sensitive reminders and updates for the next few days/weeks: City Council meeting tomorrow: Please see my note from last week for an update on that meeting and on the agenda <https://takomaparkmd.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09232026-677>for tomorrow night. More information for tomorrow evening is now available regarding the proposal to transition <https://takomaparkmd.gov/267/Traffic-Calming-Sidewalk-Requests>the community-run Takoma Park Neighborhood Youth Soccer League to the City's rec department, with the upcoming retirement of the nearly indefatigable program leadership of this hallowed institution. And here is the Draft Resolution <https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8937/agenda-item-202060923-Trans-gender-resolution> we will consider on Wednesday regarding protection and support for our transgender and gender diverse community members. Comments on either of these topics would be welcome, so please feel free to contact me. *Edinburgh House:* Thursday September 24, 6:30 PM - community meeting with Montgomery Housing Partnership (MHP) to discuss details of their plans to demolish and replace the *Edinburgh House*, which currently has 45 apartment units, with a new building that is less tall but wider and would have about 140 housing units (including a number of 2 and 3 br apts). The meeting will be in the Azalea Room in the Community Center, 7500 Maple Ave. More details <https://takomaparkmd.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/456> Community meeting on the *Rent Stabilization Policy Review: *City Staff will hold a Rent Stabilization Policy Review Public Meeting on Mon. October 12 at 6:30 PM at the Takoma Park Community Center Auditorium. This meeting will include a brief progress update with an overview of potential policy updates currently under consideration. You can also register here to participate virtually via Zoom <https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__Efx-yKDTduxswg-2KC9kg#/registration> . *Candidates Debate/Forum for Ward 1 City Council candidates*: Save the date, evening of October 15th, for the City-sponsored candidates forum for the Ward One City Council candidates Shana Fulcher and Doug Glynn. More details will be circulated as soon as they become available. *The Traffic Calming and Sidewalks Request Period* is now open, until October 31st. You can learn more about this opportunity to request hyper local traffic safety measures on the City's website here <https://takomaparkmd.gov/267/Traffic-Calming-Sidewalk-Requests> Hope to see you at the meetings and forums that are relevant to you and your neighbors, Jessica *Jessica C. Landman* *City **Council Member, **Ward One * 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 *Email:* jessical@takomaparkmd.gov *Phone:* 240-997-2422 *Please Note: *This communication may be subject to Maryland’s Public Information Act.
In promoting the October 12 Rent Stabilization meeting, Landman frames it as a superior venue because it is "far more interactive than the Council meeting where only the council can ask questions," echoing CVT’s recurring tactic of organizing constituent turnout at public forums to lobby against modifying Takoma Park's rent stabilization ordinance. Her focus on whether municipal reserve systems "adequately plan ahead for significant maintenance costs" also aligns with CVT's emphasis on fiscal critiques of city staff and capital expenditure planning.
"There has been a 48% decrease in violations across all deployments since the program began; the pilot program is working as intended to change driver behavior."
Takoma Park Police Department automated stop sign camera pilot deployment data presented to Council confirmed an aggregate 48% drop in stop sign infractions across the initial pilot locations, prompting camera redeployments to other neighborhood intersections based on safety criteria.
Hello Ward One neighbors, *Nominating Caucus:* On Tuesday September 15 the City held *its biannual nominating caucus *for people to nominate candidates for Council and Mayoral races. The event was very well attended (see photo below) and a real living example of democracy in action. Two candidates were nominated for Ward One, and two for the Mayoral race. Here is a link to the YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1gTerok7Uk&t=382s> recording of the caucus. In order to keep these Council reports neutral, I will not discuss the campaign here; anyone who wishes to hear my views or share theirs, please email me on my personal email, jlandman@mulland.net, and I will be happy to communicate with you about the election! *Sept. 16th City Council meeting: * At Wednesday’s meeting we approved a contract amendment allowing for the City’s acceptance of a $32.5K grant for conducting energy audits at small multifamily buildings, and took a first (of 2) vote on approving the ordinance spelling out the details for our upcoming local elections. We also approved the calendar for the budget process for FY 2028, which will kick off right after the election, even before the new Council members are sworn in. Keep an eye out for a *community budget forum, to be held Monday Nov. 6th at 7 PM* at the community center, and the *community budget survey, to be released Nov. 16th*, both of which will enable you to tell City staff and Council about your priorities! Finally, we had a work session about some modest amendments (amendment #2) to the FY 27 budget. We are going to need to spend more than we’d hoped to fix the roof over the community center, so an additional $60,000 was proposed to be added to the budget. And we will be spending some additional funds to replace the welcome desk of the Rec Department inside the Community Center, which was damaged beyond repair in a flood over a year ago. These amendments prompted an interesting exchange about how we currently plan ahead for expenditures on *both *equipment replacement *and* facilities maintenance; after the discussion, the staff were asked to consider whether the current system adequately plans ahead for significant maintenance costs. I anticipate that the next Council may refine the current system a bit. But meanwhile, we need to fix the roof and replace the welcome desk -- and we have adequate funds on hand. *At next week’s meeting *we will take a second and final vote on the November elections ordinance and a first vote on the budget amendment discussed above. Then we will have work sessions on (1) a proposed Recreation Department soccer program and (2) a Resolution on the protection and support of transgender and gender diverse residents. Council Member Amy Wesolek (W6) has the lead on that Resolution, and she encourages anyone who has questions or suggestions to please be in touch: Amyw@takomaparkmd.gov. *Community events:* *Takoma After Dark Night Market, Friday Sept 18, 5 – 9 PM*. Shop local and enjoy live music and mask making! Info <https://mainstreettakoma.org/event/takoma-after-dark-night-market/> *Free film screening* of “Las Muertes Más Bellas del Mundo,” 7:30 - 9:30 PM @ Community Center (English with Spanish subtitles). Info <https://takomaparkmd.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/453> *A Community Meeting with MHP to further discuss the rebuilding of Edinburgh House *will be held on *September 24th at 6:30 PM in the Azalea Room* of the Community Center. This meeting is your opportunity to see the draft design, hear about the plans for tenants and for the neighborhood, and to pose your questions to MHP! (There will also be a presentation to the City Council on September 30 but residents will not have a Q&A opportunity at that meeting.) *Old Town Takoma will be the location of Coffee with a Cop* @Bev Co on Saturday September 26, 9-11 AM. (Note: this usually means free coffee – and souvenir coffee mugs -- for participants! Just saying …) *Orientation meeting for new Mayoral and Council candidates *will be held at 6:30 PM on Monday September 28 in the Community Center Auditorium. All candidates and campaign teams are encouraged to attend! Among other topics – such as election rules and yard sign rules – there will be a briefing on the budget process for which newly elected Council members will need to be ready on Day One. *Public meeting on Rent Stabilization: There will be a public meeting to discuss the rent stabilization study now being conducted for the City, on October 12th at 6:30 PM* at the Community Center Auditorium (virtual attendance will also be possible); this meeting will be the community’s opportunity to ask questions and make comments, far more interactive than the Council meeting where only the council can ask questions. So, all are encouraged to attend! Meeting details here <https://takomaparkmd.gov/2485/Rent-Stabilization-Policy-Review>; sign up here <https://takomaparkmd.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=7eeebe001a5959260ff9ae083&id=f158569cc7> to be kept posted about developments on this policy review *Other community news: * *Spaces remain available for after school *programs with the Rec Department both at the Community Center and the Rec Center! (And income-based scholarships, up to free participation, are available, too.) Info on registration is here <https://takomaparkmd.gov/372/Ways-to-Register>. *Now is the time to submit requests for traffic calming and sidewalk installations, until October 31: *If you would like to see traffic calming or new sidewalks installed in your neighborhood, here is the application <https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/c3c9ac69ee7d4cd3ab5c78f98a594959> to submit a request. [Note: TkPk cannot do this on State Highways (numbered roads) or Park Service roads (like Sligo Creek Parkway)]. The Public Works department reviews requests and scores them using a set of criteria that you can also see on the website. *Automated stop sign camera enforcement*: Effective September 16, some of the stop sign enforcement cameras were moved to new locations as compliance improved at the initial deployment sites. (There has been a 48% decrease in violations across all deployments since the program began; the pilot program is working as intended to change driver behavior.) The following cameras locations were *taken out of service*, based on fewer violations and improved compliance by drivers: · Maple Ave, NE at Lincoln Ave · Maple Ave, SW at Lincoln Ave · Lincoln Ave, NW at Maple Ave · Takoma Ave, NE at New York Ave · Takoma Ave, SW at Fenton St · Anne Street at Hammond Ave NE · Anne Street at Hammond Ave SW · Flower Ave, NE at Jackson Ave · Flower Avenue, SE at Jackson Avenue · Erskine Street EB at 13th Place These are the locations that are *now active*: · Flower Avenue NB at Houston Avenue · Fenton Street, SE and Takoma Avenue · Glenside Drive, SE at Jackson Avenue · Erskine Street WB at 13th Place · Glenside Drive NWB at Anne St · Wildwood Drive and Jackson Ave NW · Lincoln Avenue at Jackson Ave NW · Ethan Allen Avenue (MD-410) – Southeast at Jackson Avenue · Carroll Avenue (MD-195) – Northeast at Lincoln Avenue · Carroll Avenue (MD-195) – Southwest at Lincoln Avenue · Philadelphia Avenue (MD-410) – Southeast at Holly Avenue · Maple Avenue – Southeast at Sherman Avenue · Maple Avenue – Northwest at Sherman Avenue · Maple Avenue – Northbound at Ritchie Avenue · Maple Avenue – Southbound at Ritchie Avenue · Maple Avenue – Southeast at Grant Avenue · Maple Avenue – Northwest at Grant Avenue · Sligo Mill Road at Orchard Ave NE All the best, Jessica P.S. A pretty full house at the nominating caucus! (Many thanks to City Clerk Jessie Carpenter and the Elections Board for making this happen so smoothly.) [image: Screenshot 2026-09-17 at 2.25.16___PM (1).png] *Jessica C. Landman* *City **Council Member, **Ward One * 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 *Email:* jessical@takomaparkmd.gov *Phone:* 240-997-2422 *Please Note: *This communication may be subject to Maryland’s Public Information Act.
In listing "What still remains for this Council to do?", Landman prioritizes "an ordinance strengthening tenant protections" alongside skepticism of multifamily redevelopment and surveillance data privacy. This mirrors CVT’s platform prioritizing strict tenant regulations and scrutiny of development, while omitting broader regional housing supply or housing production strategies. Furthermore, framing the Edinburgh House redevelopment around resident concerns over demolishing the existing building to construct a denser complex with "substantially more affordable housing units" reflects CVT's persistent wariness toward replacing older low-density structures even when the replacement provides significant net additions to deed-restricted affordable housing.
"effective today, September 9th, as explained by the Immigrant Rights Collective, 'Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvador is scheduled to terminate. Thousands of workers are losing their ability to support their families... The status change will be felt deeply across our cities and towns, and we must prepare to stand in solidarity with our community members.'"
While September 9, 2026, was the scheduled expiration date under previous federal register notices, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and USCIS confirmed that existing TPS protections, legal status, and work authorizations for Salvadoran beneficiaries remain in effect while federal administrative reviews and legal proceedings continue. Beneficiaries with timely filed extension applications or existing Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) retain work authorization, meaning workers did not abruptly lose legal protection or the ability to support their families on September 9.
Hello Ward One Neighbors, I hope everyone had a pleasant and meaningful Labor Day. The City Council resumes its meeting schedule this evening, September 9th. We will have a work session to discuss making an amendment to the budget <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8843/agenda-item-20260909-Zerodraft-Energy-Audit-Contract-Renewal> to enable us to take on board a $32K grant to support building energy audits (kudos to our grants and DHCD staff!), and discuss the budget calendar <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8842/agenda-item-20260909-budget-calendar> for the next fiscal year of 2028, which will begin in July 2027. Then we will review an election ordinance <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8841/agenda-item-20260909-election-ordinance> Resolution, which basically will spell out the dates and procedures for the upcoming City election. I do not expect any of these items to be controversial. *Next Tuesday September 15th* (before the Council meets again) at 7:30 is *the City Nominating Caucus* for the upcoming Council and Mayoral elections. The Caucus meets in the CC Auditorium, and everyone is welcome (encouraged) to attend; you can also attend virtually. Want to know who the declared candidates are? Go here <https://takomaparkmd.gov/2534/City-Election-2026> to see who has registered thus far. *It’s not too late for you to decide to run! *In several wards there are no candidates registered thus far, and in others (including Ward One) there is only one candidate. *What still remains for this Council to do? * Issues still to be taken up (I hope!) before the end of this session on the City Council include an ordinance strengthening tenant protections; an in-depth discussion of data security and the City – including the security and privacy of data from license plate readers and data from the traffic enforcement systems, and a follow up session with Montgomery Housing Partnership updating the council on the status of the proposed redevelopment of the Edinburgh House apartments. *Other community news:* *The demolition of the Washington Adventist Hospital* buildings is proceeding. WAH has posted information about the status of this project here: https://www.adventisthealthcare.com/app/files/public/ffd6a277-3cf2-48f5-aee9-b29e4be47552/WAH-CampusUpdate-FAQ.pdf *Community meetings to discuss the Edinburgh House redevelopment: *Many folks who live in or near the Edinburgh House, on the corner of Grant and Maple Avenues, have questions about the plans to demolish and replace the current structure with a new building that will have substantially more affordable housing units. MHP has responded to community requests and arranged with City staff to hold two public meetings ‘where members of the public will be able to meet with MHP and learn more about the planned redevelopment at 7513 Maple Avenue to add additional affordable housing.’ Dates and times: · Thursday, September 10th at 6:30pm in the Azalea Room (7500 Maple Ave, 2nd floor) · Thursday, September 24th at 6:30pm in the Azalea Room (7500 Maple Ave, 2nd floor) The tentative plan is for City TV to tape MHP’s introductory explanations and descriptions, and then for MHP staff to meet informally and share drawings and conversations with attendees. Those unable to attend would be able to see the recorded MHP presentations. I hope that interested residents of Ward One will be able to attend and have their questions answered, but if not they should be able at a minimum to view MHP’s presentations on the City's website. *El Salvador in our Thoughts Today. *This is an especially poignant moment for our Salvadoran community, because *effective today, September 9th*, as explained by the Immigrant Rights Collective, *“**Temporary Protected Status <https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/temporary-protected-status-tps-overview/> (TPS) for El Salvador is scheduled to terminate*. Thousands of workers are losing their ability to support their families. The DC metro area includes the second largest community of Salvadorans in the US, and Salvadoran TPS holders alone contribute an estimated $965 million to our local economy. Montgomery County is home to 75,000 Salvadorans, and in Langley Park on the PG-MoCo border, one in every three residents is Salvadoran. The status change will be felt deeply across our cities and towns, and we must prepare to stand in solidarity with our community members.” * I agree: Takoma Park welcomes, and stands with, our residents from El Salvador -- and all nations!* *Free Film screening about El Salvador on Friday, Sept. 18 at 7:30 PM at Community Center Auditorium*, 7500 Maple Ave., *Doors open at 7 and film begins at 7:30. Donations welcome but not required. *The documentary film *Las Muertes Más Bellas del Mundo* (“The Most Beautiful Deaths in the World”), is in English with Spanish subtitles. It’s about the Salvadoran community in D.C., sharing their struggles and humanity through the eyes of artists. *Let’s Play – and dine – Takoma Park!* *Today, you can DINE FOR PLAY* at the Olive Lounge & Grill, 7006 Carroll Ave, from 11:30 a.m.–9:00 p.m. Dine in or order takeout, and a percentage of the day’s sales will benefit Let’s Play America <https://letsplayamerica.org/> and help support future community play events. Spealing of which, *Sunday September 13th **from 1:00–5:00 PM will be Takoma Park’s 18th Annual Play Day*, at Piney Branch Elementary School, 7510 Maple Ave. This event is FREE and open to everyone! *Next Friends of Takoma Park Library Fixit Clinic* is *Sunday, September 20, 3 - 5 PM at the Library's Program Room *(101 Philadelphia Ave). Fixit Clinics are free and do-it-together: Bring your torn or broken small appliances, bikes, clothing, etc. to the clinic, and Volunteer Fixit coaches will work with you to troubleshoot and fix the items. The clinic is free, but please register ahead so that volunteers can prepare. Registration link: https://tinyurl.com/5c8x39bn. Questions? Fixittakoma@gmail.com. All the best, Jessica P.S. *Happy birthday, Montgomery County!* We turn 250 years old this month. According to Montgomery History <https://montgomeryhistory.org/>, “Montgomery County was founded in 1776 when Dr. Thomas Sprigg Wootton, a member of the Maryland Constitutional Convention, introduced a bill to the Maryland General Assembly to divide a much-larger Frederick County into three smaller counties: Frederick, Washington, and Montgomery. The bill passed on September 6, 1776. Montgomery County was named for General Richard Montgomery, a Revolutionary War hero who died in action in 1775 fighting for the Continental Army in Quebec. Montgomery and Washington counties (the latter named for George Washington) were *the first in the nation established by elected representatives*, and the first in Maryland named for popular Americans as opposed to old world aristocracy. Though the bill to enact the county's founding was passed on September 6, it did not go into effect until October 1, 1776, so technically Montgomery County could have two birthdays!” *Jessica C. Landman* *City **Council Member, **Ward One * 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 *Email:* jessical@takomaparkmd.gov *Phone:* 240-997-2422 *Please Note: *This communication may be subject to Maryland’s Public Information Act.
Even in her retirement announcement, Landman frames the Rent Stabilization Policy Review not as a complex balance between tenant stability and necessary housing supply and maintenance, but as a moral test: "Will this City stay committed to its economically and racially diverse identity and to racial equity and inclusion for all?" This binary rhetoric mirrors CVT’s platform, asserting that any modernisation of rent stabilization constitutes a betrayal of diversity and equity.
"In the next session of the Council beginning in November 2026, several important issues remain to be resolved. Will this City stay committed to its economically and racially diverse identity and to racial equity and inclusion for all? That question will be on the table as the Rent Stabilization Policy Review is concluded in the next term."
The City Council’s Rent Stabilization Policy Review was commissioned to address documented housing challenges—including aging building infrastructure, landlord underinvestment, and a near-total lack of new multifamily housing construction—while keeping strong protections against unreasonable rent spikes. Reviewing capital improvement recovery formulas and new-construction exemption lengths is intended to preserve existing housing stock and incentivize new supply, not to abandon the City’s commitment to diversity or racial equity.
Many neighbors have asked whether I plan to run again in November. For personal reasons, I have decided not to seek reelection. Over the course of this Council term I have heard from many of you: many have been in touch to say that they support the positions that I have taken, and a smaller number of you also took the time and trouble to let me know when you disagreed with me, too. Granted, those who agree may have been more likely to get in touch! But my impression is that, for the most part, I have been faithfully representing the views of the majority of Ward One residents. And agree or disagree, I have always appreciated receiving feedback! In the next session of the Council beginning in November 2026, several important issues remain to be resolved. Will this City stay committed to its economically and racially diverse identity and to racial equity and inclusion for all? That question will be on the table as the Rent Stabilization Policy Review is concluded in the next term. The issue of two- versus four-year Council terms will also be on the table. Efforts to provide fulsome oversight of public safety practices through creation of a standing Public Safety Committee remains to be addressed. And how we manage the City's finances -- from spending priorities to our unfulfilled commitment to bank with an institution that does not invest in nuclear weapons -- represents an ongoing challenge. We made some headway this term, but there is much more to do! I would be happy to talk with any individual interested in running for the Ward One seat. The work has been both challenging and rewarding. (Candidly, given the high degree of engagement of Ward One residents, and the volume of materials that Council Members need to review, I would not recommend the job to someone who is employed elsewhere full time.) The Nominating Caucus is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15. You have until then to decide! Meanwhile, thank you to everyone who has honored me with your support and kind words. I intend to make the most of my remaining time in office, and to continue to represent you to the best of my ability. All the best, Jessica Landman *Jessica C. Landman* *City **Council Member, **Ward One * 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 *Email:* jessical@takomaparkmd.gov *Phone:* 240-997-2422 *Please Note: *This communication may be subject to Maryland’s Public Information Act.
This memorandum is an archetype of CVT’s housing narrative: automatically asserting that expanding new-construction exemptions will lead to mass demolition and displacement; conflating 100% subsidized non-profit housing (Edinburgh House, Grace Church) with private multifamily housing to argue that the market is functioning; and dismissing the findings of the City’s independent consultant (RSG) that the 5-year exemption severely restricts commercial financing and new supply.
"The JNA School property at 117 Elm Avenue is under contract to a developer. This is a 2.82-acre site that could support a broad range of potential uses. The current R-60 zoning is for single-family houses; the developer can apply for zoning exceptions (now re-named 'conditional uses') to allow for, e.g., multifamily garden apartments, condos, or senior housing."
Under the Montgomery County Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 59, Section 59.3.1.6 Use Table), standard multifamily garden apartments and condominiums are prohibited in the R-60 (Residential Detached) zone, both by right and as a conditional use. Conditional uses in R-60 are strictly limited to specialized institutional uses (such as religious institutions or residential care facilities for more than 9 persons). A developer cannot obtain a conditional use to build standard multifamily apartments or condos on Elm Avenue; doing so would require a comprehensive legislative rezoning by the County Council.
"New affordable and market rate housing units are visible on the near-term horizon... New affordable housing plans under way: Edinburgh House redevelopment (over 100 new units), Grace Church senior housing development (approximately 75 new units)... So there is no reason to weaken existing rental protections at this juncture, because we do not appear to be sacrificing new housing development by retaining the current 5-year exemption."
Both Edinburgh House (Montgomery Housing Partnership) and Grace Church are 100% subsidized, mission-driven affordable developments funded by government subsidies, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), and the County Housing Initiative Fund (HIF). By municipal law (Takoma Park Code § 6.16.040), deed-restricted non-profit housing is already exempt from rent stabilization caps. These non-profit subsidized developments do not demonstrate that private, unsubsidized market-rate multifamily housing is viable under a 5-year exemption—a sector where Takoma Park has seen zero net new development for nearly 50 years.
"There has been little new housing construction in Takoma Park for decades (with the exception of some single-family units). The RSG study did not find this attributable to the rent stabilization (RS) law, but to a suite of factors, of which RS was only one."
While RSG acknowledged multiple factors impacting housing development (such as limited vacant land and regional financing costs), the RSG Rent Stabilization Study explicitly noted that Takoma Park's 5-year exemption period is among the shortest in the country and presents a substantial impediment to securing commercial debt and equity financing. RSG specifically advised the City to explore extending the exemption period to 15–20 years to align with regional standards (e.g., Montgomery County’s 23-year exemption) and make multifamily development feasible.
Racial Equity Impacts of Changing the Rent Stabilization Exemption Period for New Rental Housing
Units in Takoma Park
Backdrop: Takoma Park is reviewing its rent stabilization policy, to make it more ‘effective’. Consulting
firm RSG was asked to analyze the current policy and to offer policy reform options, but was not asked to
consider racial equity implications of the reform options they identified; their instructions were framed
in economic rather than racial equity terms. Their initial review yielded a series of possible issue areas to
consider for reform, including changes to the length of exemptions for newly-constructed rental units.
Council action: At its July 8, 2026 meeting, the Takoma Park City Council voted 4-2, with one abstention,
not to ask staff or consulting firm RSG to undertake a racial equity analysis of the different policy options
under consideration, including the proposal to consider extending the current 5-year exemption period
for new rental properties to 10 or 15 years. The rationales that were articulated were that it was too
costly or difficult (Mayor Searcy, Housing Director McNally). Councilmember Dyballa said that it was
‘obvious’ that changes would affect people of color, but it was not worth spending a lot of money to
‘prove the obvious.’ The Mayor said that we should spend money to do a racial equity evaluation only
when we have narrowed in on which policy we want to pursue.
Need for more information: In my opinion we cannot make an informed policy choice about altering the
current 5-year exemption unless we can consider the racial equity implications of the options we are
choosing among based on data and analysis. We should not ‘shoot first, ask questions later’.
Unfortunately, this argument did not persuade the majority of the Council.
Since it was concluded that it would be too costly to ask the consultants or staff to do a detailed analysis,
I have undertaken a ‘back of the envelope’ analysis using the Montgomery County Office of Legislative
Oversight’s set of Racial Equity and Social Justice impact assessment tools. The County planning
department has also developed a way to delineate areas of the County as Equity Focus Areas (EFAs),
areas with high numbers of vulnerable and non-white residents. This information, in the Montgomery
EFA framework and Story Map Tool, helped me to determine where in our City the demographic and
equity impacts of changing our rent stabilization exemption period would be most strongly felt.
Key take-aways from my (admittedly not professional) analysis:
● Takoma Park’s rent-stabilized multifamily rental building corridors – Maple Ave (predominantly
Black and/or immigrant tenants) and Flower/Piney Branch Ave (predominantly Latinx and
immigrant tenants) closely overlap with the County Equity Focus Areas identified in the EFA
Framework and map (see p. 56).
● County-wide Census Bureau data shows sharp racial disparities in rent and cost burden (i.e.,
spending more than 30% of household income on rent): 66.4% of Hispanic/Latino renters and
1
59.8% of Black renters face cost burdens, compared to only 43.4% of White renters. This
indicates that non-white renters have thinner financial cushions to absorb rent increases.
● The city’s data show that 83 or 84% of Takoma Park renters are non-white, and roughly 45% of
these households earn under $50,000. This means that almost any policy that weakens renter
protections will disproportionately impact non-white households. And a large number of those
tenants live in the Equity Focus Areas (EFAs).
● Lengthening the exemption period from 5 to 10 or 15 years (or creating exemptions of these
lengths for newly renovated buildings such as the County has done)*1 would weaken protections
against rent increases most impactfully in the transit-adjacent, highly-vulnerable corridors
identified in the County’s mapping exercise – especially where they are close to the Purple Line –
risking accelerated, racially disparate displacement.
● Maintaining the current 5-year threshold aligns better with the County’s racial equity framework,
and with racial equity generally, and that is evident without having undertaken a potentially
costly micro analysis of census data for Takoma Park.
● According to an analysis of racial equity in housing in Montgomery County, high-density areas
near public infrastructure projects are highly vulnerable to gentrification when rent regulations
are weakened. Transit-adjacent EFAs (such as the Flower Avenue corridor near upcoming Purple
Line transit expansions) can expect to face rapid price increases, pricing out the very immigrant
and working-class families who rely on local transit networks to reach their workplaces. (This
study and the County’s OLO Report recommended strengthening rent stabilization policies in
advance of the opening of the Purple Line.)
Comparing Impacts of 3 policy scenarios: Current 5 years, 10-year exemption and 15-year exemption
The combination of Takoma Park’s tax holiday for new units, plus a longer period of exemption from
rent increase caps, would incentivize the demolition of older buildings that are 100% ‘naturally
occurring’ affordable (displacing all current residents), to be replaced by larger buildings having only
12-15% Moderately Priced Dwelling Units (MPDUs) as required by Montgomery County, with the
remainder of units at market rate. The longer that rents can continue to rise in new buildings exempt
from rent stabilization caps, the greater the disparity will become between stabilized rents in existing
buildings and those in the newer housing stock.
Policy Mapped Structural Projected Impact on Tenant Empirical RESJ Equity Risk
Scenario Mechanism Demographics Assessment
Current Law: 5 years of market rates; Maximizes multi-year stability; Baseline Protection: Protects
5 Years followed by CPI-linked caps shields lower-income cohorts existing multi-ethnic renter
(3.0% for 2026–2027). from unpredictable increases. communities.
1* Adding a renovation-triggered exemption (like MoCo has done) would be a wholly new mechanism that would
give owners of aging violation-prone buildings a strong financial incentive to re-set the rent stabilization clock,
which could accelerate turnover in the neighborhoods most at risk for displacement, such as the Purple Line
corridor.
2
10 years of uncapped, Gradual demographic filtering; Introduces high-income
Proposed: 10 market-rate price minority tenants priced out segregation into largely
Years adjustments. during natural turnover. minority areas with
inequitable results.
15-year carve-out; matches Rapid gentrification; removes Causes systemic
Proposed: 15 county patterns of "soft" local protective safety nets for a displacement near critical
Years rent control. generation of students. transit links with highly
inequitable impacts.
Shifting from 5 Years to 10 Years: Attrition takes hold: Extending the stabilization carve-out to a decade
would delay inflation-indexed protections during a building's primary lifecycle. In the DC region, overall
rent increases have been outpacing wage increases in 2023-2024. In Montgomery County, the United
Way found that rent increased 3.74% whereas wages increased only 2.96%. Because regional income
disparities track along racial lines, cost-burdened Black and Latinx renters can less readily absorb
consecutive years of un-capped market adjustments, which would be legal during the 5 additional
non-stabilized years. Over that 10-year horizon, 5 more years of unregulated rent increases would result
in lower-income families being driven out of the non-regulated newer housing and replaced by
higher-income in-migrants – i.e., gentrification.
Shifting from 5 Years to 15 Years: Generational Displacement: A 15-year exemption would constitute a
systemic rollback of the city's protective housing framework. A 15-year window would span the duration
of a childhood, reducing housing and educational security. This would worsen the economic divide in
racial equality in Takoma Park, trapping low-income renters of color in older, declining housing stock
while higher-income, predominantly white residents moved into newer developments and continued to
predominate in single-family neighborhoods.
Lengthening the exemption period would run counter to the purposes of the Montgomery County Racial
Equity and Social Justice Act. It would place a higher priority on real estate capital maximization than on
the housing security of historically marginalized communities.
Wider context: Why would we take this action in our City right now? There has been little new housing
construction in Takoma Park for decades (with the exception of some single-family units). The RSG study
did not find this attributable to the rent stabilization (RS) law, but to a suite of factors, of which RS was
only one.
But there is evidence that the long hiatus in multifamily housing construction is beginning to change.
Several of the (very) limited number of developable parcels are already in the process of transformation.
New affordable and market rate housing units are visible on the near-term horizon. Our premiere
location near Metro and the coming Purple Line and overall desirability of the close-in suburban locale
and the community are working to incentivize development. So there is no reason to weaken existing
rental protections at this juncture, because we do not appear to be sacrificing new housing development
by retaining the current 5-year exemption.
3
New affordable housing plans under way:
● Edinburgh House redevelopment (over 100 new units)
● Grace Church senior housing development (approximately 75 new units)
New Market Rate or Mixed housing plans under way:
● The JNA School property at 117 Elm Avenue is under contract to a developer. This is a 2.82-acre
site that could support a broad range of potential uses. The current R-60 zoning is for
single-family houses; the developer can apply for zoning exceptions (now re-named ‘conditional
uses’) to allow for, e.g., multifamily garden apartments, condos, or senior housing.
● The Washington Adventist Hospital (WAH) Site: Demolition of the old hospital structures will
take roughly 14 months. Even if we make a conservative assumption about the percentage of the
permissible units that could be built under the recent re-zoning of the area by using a typical real
estate projection of a ‘realization rate’ of 30-50% of the up to 3,500 units anticipated in the
Master Plan (p.63), we could see over 1000 or more units of housing on that site over the next
10-15 years.
Takoma Park has already sent sufficient signals that it welcomes new housing, and need not do more
on the backs of lower income tenants.
● The recently adopted Minor Master Plan Amendment for the Maple Ave corridor and the WAH
site have already opened the door to major new high-density housing development on Maple
Ave and on the WAH site.
● Re-zoning that is underway in the Flower Ave/Long Branch area adjacent to Takoma Park,
incentivized by the Purple Line, will be another housing construction factor.
● The City’s tax holiday enacted in 2024, offering zero incremental taxes for 10 years and phased in
taxes for another 5 for new multifamily property owners, already serves up enough of a financial
benefit for housing developers without additionally squeezing of tenants’ pocketbooks.
Recommendation: In order to live up to its commitment to racial equity, the City Council should reject
both the 10-year and 15-year extension proposals in order to prevent the displacement and
gentrification that such a change would promote. The current 5-year exemption baseline should be
maintained to ensure that new housing supply contributes to our community without negatively
impacting housing stability for lower income residents, nurturing our continued economic and racial
diversity.
Jessica Landman
Council Member, Ward One
City of Takoma Park, MD
August 5, 2026
4Landman’s criticism of the civility resolution and the Council chamber rules directly mirrors CVT’s persistent campaign against meeting decorum standards. CVT has framed standard parliamentary rules (such as asking the gallery to refrain from organized shouting, applause, or waving placards) as "intimidation" and attempts to silence dissent, rather than standard municipal measures to ensure a safe, accessible environment for all attendees.
"Some Council Members argued that when audience members applaud for some but not all speakers it is intimidating, and for that reason we need to take some action of this kind. But to my mind – and in my own experience as a resident rather than a Council Member -- limiting respectful public expression is itself a form of intimidation, and it further alienates those who already feel that their views are not being heeded by their representatives."
The Dignified Discourse Resolution and the City Council’s meeting rules of procedure do not restrict public testimony, sign-up opportunities, or spoken criticism of city policy. Rather, they reflect model civility frameworks from the National League of Cities and Maryland municipal charters designed to ensure the council chamber remains a non-hostile forum. When organized groups dominate public hearings through coordinated clapping or jeering, it can dissuade unorganized residents with differing views from participating. Establishing neutral decorum rules protects broad democratic access rather than "intimidating" residents.
Hello Ward One Neighbors, At our final City Council meeting before the summer break last Wednesday, we had an annual update <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8686/agenda-item-20260729-public-safety-task-force-annual-report> on the implementation of the recommendations that were made by the Task Force on Reimagining Public Safety. One major recommendation they made has not yet been addressed: creation of a standing committee to monitor the TPPD and its relationship with the community. I very much hope that we will make progress on this recommendation before the term is up. We voted to proceed with the proposal <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8715/agenda-item-20260729-restrictive-covenants> to remove racially restrictive covenants from deeds of properties in Takoma Park (choosing the reasonably priced option). We are lucky to have Historic Takoma, who did much of the work uncovering the extent of this stain on our City’s history, lined up to carry out the project. We also took final votes to amend the City budget and stormwater budget to align with spending from Q1 of this fiscal year. We voted on an amended Resolution <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8716/agenda-item-20260729-assessing-impact-four-year-terms> on further evaluating the benefits and costs of moving from 2-year to 4-year Council terms. The biased language of the earlier draft was revised, so I voted for this proposal. It postpones any decision until the next Council term, which means that the public will have a full opportunity to evaluate the options, and to ask potential Council candidates where they stand. (I remain personally opposed to 4-year terms because it impacts people’s willingness to run, and because it would reduce public accountability.) We appointed people to the Grants Review and recreation committees. Thank you, Ward One residents who have stepped up to serve the City! P.S.: We need young people from Ward One to serve on the Youth Council: applications are now open - details here <https://takomaparkmd.gov/m/NewsFlash/Home/Detail/440>. And we had a Council discussion about the ‘Resolution Committing to Respectful, Constructive and Dignified Discourse <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8709/agenda-item-20260729-dignified-discourse>. I did *not* support this resolution, although I voted to abstain rather than oppose it. (CM Schlegel was absent due to illness; the vote was 5 in favor, with one abstention.) This ‘dignity’ Resolution may have been well-intentioned (especially on the part of CM Dyballa, who has been a consistent proponent of using the Dignity Index <https://www.dignity.us/index>) but I felt strongly that this measure was very poorly timed, coming as it did on the heels of the prohibition on clapping, sign-holding or gesturing that was announced by the Mayor a few Council meetings previously. To me, it felt like a slap on the wrist to our civically-engaged residents who sometimes speak with passion, but generally do so respectfully. One outlier hurled profanities and verbal threats at the Council; that individual will not be swayed by such a Resolution, and his disorderly conduct was a violation of existing Council rules. Some Council Members argued that when audience members applaud for some but not all speakers it is intimidating, and for that reason we need to take some action of this kind. But to my mind – and in my own experience as a resident rather than a Council Member -- limiting respectful public expression is itself a form of intimidation, and it further alienates those who already feel that their views are not being heeded by their representatives. Finally, we had a preliminary discussion about how we can increase the community’s support for Trans and Non-binary people living in our community, who feel increasingly threatened by actions being taken by the Trump administration. I support this initiative (being led by CM Wesolek) and would welcome any feedback or suggestions from Ward 1 about how you think the City can be helpful. *Still to come*: You will soon receive my analysis of the racial equity implications of the policy options that the Mayor put on the table to increase the exemption period for new multiple unit rental housing units in Takoma Park from its current 5 years to 10 or 15 years – i.e., the analysis that the majority of the Council voted *not *to pay the staff and consultants to undertake. It will be a lay person’s attempt, but I hope it will be useful. The Council is now adjourned until Wednesday, September 9th. I have vacation plans, so my responses will be less prompt. Please text or call (rather than email) if you have an urgent matter! All the best, Jessica *Jessica C. Landman* *City **Council Member, **Ward One * 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 *Email:* jessical@takomaparkmd.gov *Phone:* 240-997-2422 *Please Note: *This communication may be subject to Maryland’s Public Information Act.
Landman's explicit skepticism toward the proposed Dignified Discourse resolution mirrors CVT’s platform opposing meeting decorum enforcement. CVT frequently frames rules restricting audience reactions (applause, signs, interruptions) as attempts to stifle grassroots advocacy rather than routine meeting governance.
Hello Ward One neighbors, Here are a couple of updates for this evening’s City Council meeting. 1. Resolution ‘Committing to Respectful, Constructive, and Dignified Discourse’: Here is a link to this draft Resolution, which has now been posted on the City Council website: https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8709/agenda-item-20260729-dignified-discourse. (Thank you to the residents who responded to my comments expressing skepticism about this Resolution. I have read your comments carefully, and respect your views, while remaining unconvinced that this Resolution serves a useful purpose.) 2. Work session on ensuring protection for Trans and Nonbinary individuals: Forgive me for failing to note this item on the agenda when writing earlier this week. The relevant materials are now available: this presentation will be made by Council Member Amy Wesolek (Ward 6) explaining the rationale for this initiative, being undertaken because our country faces a negative trend in protection of the rights of our trans and nonbinary families, friends and neighbors. CM Wesolek invites anyone who would like to discuss the initiative to reach out to her directly: amyw@takomaparkmd.gov. This work will begin this evening and resume after the summer break. Thanks for your attention, Jessica Jessica C. Landman City Council Member, Ward One 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 Email: jessical@takomaparkmd.gov Phone: 240-997-2422
Landman's critique of the Dignified Discourse resolution directly echoes CVT's platform, which resists formal civility guidelines by framing them as anti-democratic restrictions on public outcry. Her preference to avoid new administrative hiring for the Community Connectors program also aligns with CVT's messaging around limiting city staffing expansion.
"While the country as a whole has grown coarser... I think that Takoma Park has a long and storied history of welcoming robust debate... and that we already have rules against interruptions or disruptions that strike the right balance. This Resolution... risks being seen in a very different light by people who feel that their right to express themselves respectfully has recently been curtailed in Council meetings."
The proposed resolution references National League of Cities model guidelines intended to encourage courteous public engagement without altering public comment rights, speaker time limits, or voting rules. Existing Resolution 2022-2 outlines rules of order for council proceedings, while the draft resolution serves as a non-binding commitment to civil discourse rather than a restriction on speech.
Hello Ward One neighbors, Last Wednesday: We heard a presentation about the very impressive work of our Youth Council over the last year, given by the City’s Youth Council Advisor/Staff Liaison Christine Heidebrecht. Their accomplishments were numerous. We heard both about their successes and about several ambitious projects that did not quite make it over the finish line – which says to me that they are setting challenging goals, for which they should be congratulated! See the report here https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8639/agenda-item-20260722-youth-council-report. Note: Ward One is currently under-represented on the Youth Council, so I urge any interested youth from grades 7 to 12 to consider applying to join! Learn more here https://takomaparkmd.gov/1590/Youth-Council about the Youth Council, its mission and the requirements for service. Email Christine to learn about how to apply: christineh@takomaparkmd.gov. You can serve for multiple years – many students do so – or just for one. We took noncontroversial unanimous first votes to approve budget amendments for the City budget https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8641/agenda-item-20260722-fy27-budget-amdt-1-rev and the stormwater budget. We also had a work session about how best to move forward with our effort to remove racially restrictive covenants https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8643/Restrictive-Covenants-Restrictions-Presentation-72026-rev from property deeds in the City, and I anticipate that we will adopt an implementing Resolution this coming week. We had a follow up conversation about the Community Connectors program https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8651/Community-Connectors-Presentation-rev--7-22-26-FINAL, and how to advance this effort within the budget and staffing constraints set by the Council. We came closer to a mutual understanding with the staff about how to proceed, in a way that strengthens the focus on capacity building for permanent City staff to enhance connections with individuals and civic groups or all kinds, rather than having a permanent new hire to be the outward facing liaison for the City as a whole. Then we had a work session regarding the proposal to adopt a Resolution ‘Committing to Respectful, Constructive and Dignified Discourse.’ I am apparently in the minority on the Council in feeling that this resolution is not a good use of our time and resources, for the reasons I laid out last week. While the country as a whole has grown coarser and more divisive in the way that it engages in civic affairs, and the National League of Cities has called on cities to adopt local ‘civility pledges’ to strengthen respectful local discourse, I think that Takoma Park has a long and storied history of welcoming robust debate and even disagreement – and that we already have rules against interruptions or disruptions that strike the right balance. This Resolution may have been offered in the spirit of advancing dignity, but because of the local context it risks being seen in a very different light by people who feel that their right to express themselves respectfully has recently been curtailed in Council meetings. The Upcoming Meeting: On Wednesday the 29th we will hear the annual report https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8686/agenda-item-20260729-public-safety-task-force-annual-report from the TPPD on progress in implementation of the recommendations from the Task Force on Reimagining Public Safety. The City staff is seeking feedback from the Council about a few remaining recommendations, including whether to establish an ongoing City Committee that would provide community oversight of the TPPD and could make updated recommendations for ways to enhance public safety and resident–police department relations. We will vote on the Resolution https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8682/agenda-item-20260729-restrictive-covenants regarding removal of racially restrictive covenants, which I anticipate will be adopted, to enable us to move forward with this project. Similarly, we will vote on a Resolution https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8677/agenda-item-20260729-community-connectors about proceeding with the Community Connectors proposal discussed above, which I also expect will pass. And we will take the 2nd votes on budget amendments for the City and Stormwater budgets, which passed unanimously at first reading. The issue of whether to adopt 4-year terms was discussed earlier this month. As I noted then, the decision will not be put to a vote during this Council’s term. A draft Resolution that was proposed earlier was not even-handed in its wording; the Mayor promised to revise it in order to address concerns raised by me and other Council members. The new version of this ‘resolution regarding city council’s approach to examining the risks and benefits of changing to four-year terms’ is not yet available. There is also a work session on the agenda to take up again the ‘Resolution Committing to Respectful, Constructive, and Dignified Discourse During Public Meetings.’ My thoughts on this effort were spelled out above. We will vote on appointments https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8680/agenda-item-20260729-committee-appointments to the Grants Review and Recreation and Community Engagement Committees – many thanks to the Ward One residents who have stepped forward to join or rejoin these Committees! Last but definitely not least, we will adopt a resolution https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8681/agenda-item-20260729-recess to set dates for our summer recess. I will support it enthusiastically! This will be our final meeting before the recess, which will run until September 8th. Other news: National Night Out: August 4: 6-9 PM, at Piney Branch Elementary School along Maple Ave. A summertime fun gathering for the entire family, sponsored by the TPPD and Let’s Play America, with games, food, music and fun for the whole family. Edinburgh House renovation/reconstruction: Residents of Ward One who live near the Edinburgh House (an affordable apartment building that the owners, Montgomery Housing Partnership, have proposed to demolish and replace with a new building with more units) have asked for a meeting with the developers to pose questions and share views about the proposal. MHP is happy to hold this meeting, but has asked that we postpone it until September to give them more time for some preliminary planning. This will work better for families who are away for summer break, too, I think. So stay tuned for an announcement in September. Sick and tired of non-working electric vehicle chargers? You are not alone. The City is working on addressing this ongoing problem. These units were installed by outside vendors who have had their problems with this relatively new technology. It’s frustrating! We ask for patience... All the best, Jessica Jessica C. Landman City Council Member, Ward One 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 Email: jessical@takomaparkmd.gov Phone: 240-997-2422
Landman’s strong resistance to 4-year council terms reflects CVT's core platform of preserving 2-year term cycles to maximize electoral pressure on elected officials. Her framing of the extended Rent Stabilization review schedule as a victory over "rushed action" mirrors CVT’s strategy of advocating for prolonged study periods to defer policy changes.
"The issue of whether we need to revise our rent stabilization policy remains to be resolved. But let me draw your attention to the timeline for determining what to do because it has been changed. The issue is no longer slated to be rushed through before the upcoming election. The City’s web page now includes a timeline that calls for the Final Report to be presented in Jan/Feb 2027 and adopted in March 2027."
The City's Rent Stabilization Policy Review schedule was established by city staff and independent consultants to accommodate data collection, economic analysis, equity reviews, and public engagement sessions spanning fall 2026, rather than as a decision to delay policy action past the election cycle.
Hello Ward One neighbors, Last Week’s Meeting: We took a couple of unanimous votes (1) to renew our contract with Casey Trees for tree planting, and (2) to revise our police pension ordinance to align with new contract terms for the TPPD. City Vehicles: We had a very interesting report from Matrix Consulting about whether it is more economical to lease or to purchase City vehicles. They made a convincing case that we save money by purchasing vehicles, so long as we plan ahead and stick to an appropriate replacement schedule that is evidence driven. This appears to be the case even while we continue with our efforts to electrify the City’s fleet. (They also noted the need to continue to invest in our EV charging infrastructure along with the vehicles themselves.) Read their full report here https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8613/Municipal-Fleet-Lease-Analysis-20260715. Community Connectors: We had a work session to delve into the staff’s proposal that we hire a contract employee for two years (at $75,000/year) to set up a Community Connectors program in order to carry out our goal of enhancing the connections between under-represented residents who are not currently engaged with civic life. There was support on the Council for the goal but I sensed considerable skepticism that a temporary employee (paid modestly for a senior position) was the right way to go about this effort. (I am one of the skeptics: if we need new staff to accomplish this mission, we should find a way to hire for it by economizing elsewhere. For example, I look forward to the City Manager achieving his stated efficiency goals in HR and then perhaps someone in that department can be reassigned to this important set of tasks.) We will hear back shortly from staff to see if they can address the concerns expressed by Council members. Budget update: We also had a briefing on some Q1 budget amendments, mostly re-appropriating $ that were not spent in Q1 and revising the budget to account for new grants obtained by City staff (kudos to them for their continuing success in obtaining these funds!). Term lengths? We discussed the next steps in community engagement on the issue of whether we should have 4-years rather than 2-year Council terms. (I had hoped that this issue had been put to bed: public opinions shared with me ran 15 to 1 against 4-year terms.) Rather than try to get to a vote on this proposal in the current Council term, the Mayor put forward a Resolution that calls for additional back and forth with the public and the Elections Board, with a vote in 2027 (the next Council). The draft Resolution https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8621/agenda-item-20260715-term-length-resolution to accomplish this was not even handed: it cited arguments in favor of 4-year terms mentioned in the Elections Board’s report, but was silent on their arguments against longer terms. So I offered an amendment to better balance the Resolution with a clause setting out those down-sides; others suggested simply striking the one-sided language. (That would also work, IMO.) The mayor said she’d come back with a revised version for future consideration, so stay tuned! Upcoming Wednesday meeting: On July 22 nd we will receive the annual report from the Youth Council https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8639/agenda-item-20260722-youth-council-report, which I look forward to hearing (their PPT has some tantalizing elements!). We will also continue our conversation about the Community Connectors Program discussed above, and we will hear about the status of the City’s efforts to remove racial restrictive covenants https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8638/agenda-item-20260722-restrictive-covenants-modifications from about 1200 property deeds of parcels in Takoma Park. (We have been working towards an affordable and effective approach to tackling this commitment, and I think we are close. We will also finalize our list of appointments to City boards and committees. 'Respectful' Council meetings? Finally, the Mayor has indicated that she plans to offer a Resolution ‘committing to respectful, constructive, and dignified discourse during public meetings.’ Unfortunately, we have not seen this Resolution and it is not available as of noon today (Monday). While it's hard to comment on this document sight unseen, in principle I am not sure why this Resolution is considered useful. I have been unhappy with the recent comments from the chair saying that the public should not be allowed to clap, cheer, hold signs or otherwise react to public comments or Council comments. (Nor have these admonitions been consistently enforced.) We can have courteous and non-disruptive public reactions, as the First Amendment protects our right to do. And we already have decorum procedures for City Council meetings (see Resolution 2022-2 https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/resolutions/2022/resolution-2022-2-.pdf, adopted January 2022) specifying that ‘Those present at Council meetings shall respectfully permit speakers to express their opinions without interruption.’ So I remain to be persuaded that additional measures are needed. Deeper Dive: Status of Rent Stabilization Ordinance review: The issue of whether we need to revise our rent stabilization policy remains to be resolved. But let me draw your attention to the timeline for determining what to do because it has been changed. The issue is no longer slated to be rushed through before the upcoming election. The City’s web page https://takomaparkmd.gov/2485/Rent-Stabilization-Policy-Review now includes a timeline that calls for the Final Report to be presented in Jan/Feb 2027 and adopted in March 2027. This is good news: the timeline allows for further public outreach this fall, and less-hasty action to adopt any final report. All the best, Jessica Jessica C. Landman City Council Member, Ward One 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 Email: jessical@takomaparkmd.gov Phone: 240-997-2422
Landman’s newsletter frames the Council majority's defeat of her racial equity amendment as a refusal to apply a racial equity lens to policy development. This framing strongly aligns with CVT's platform, which frequently utilizes procedural mandates (such as requiring exhaustive equity, environmental, or administrative studies upfront) to delay or block modifications to rent control. She also supports maintaining the current CPI rent cap over "floor-and-ceiling" models, echoing CVT's opposition to any reforms that could adjust tenant regulations. Additionally, her opposition to 4-year term lengths aligns with CVT's preference for frequent 2-year election cycles to maximize direct public pressure on elected officials.
"The Mayor and staff advocated that racial equity analyses be postponed until we have made our policy selection, in order to save staff time and consultant fees."
While the Council majority voted down Landman's amendment to analyze equity impacts for all policy options upfront, they did not advocate for postponing racial equity considerations altogether. Instead, Mayor Searcy and staff proposed a staged approach: narrowing the wide array of potential options to a realistic subset first to ensure the consultant's analysis is targeted and cost-effective, rather than spending public funds to study options lacking Council support. Additionally, Councilmember Dyballa pointed out that applying the equity lens is ultimately the Council's own legislative responsibility under Resolution 2017-28 rather than a task to be delegated to paid consultants, and argued that the core correlation (that housing policies disproportionately impact low-income residents of color) is already clear and does not require an expensive consultant study to prove.
Hello Ward One neighbors, At last Wednesday’s meeting: we took some non-controversial unanimous votes on approving amendments to the City Code for police pensions (to implement the newly ratified TPPD union contract) and to appoint people to City boards, committees and commissions. Most of the meeting was devoted to further discussion about the Resolution directing staff and consultants what issues to investigate further for our review of Rent Stabilization policies. Public commenters had urged staff, consultants, and Council to get more information about the policy review process to the public farther in advance; to keep the current CPI annual rent adjustment rather than consider a “floor-and-ceiling” arrangement that could result in higher rent increases; to refocus on preserving affordable housing, protecting against displacement, and protecting the environment; and to require consultants and staff to consider City racial equity and climate commitments in further research. These are points with which I generally agree (although I want to learn more about the ceiling/floor issue). Although this draft version of the Resolution was revised since first introduced last week in ways that addressed some of my concerns, other changes I’d sought were not included. Amendments I offered on Wednesday were defeated. Notably, only Council Member Schlegel (Ward 3) supported my proposal to clarify that the staff and consultants should factor in the City’s Racial Equity Framework (Resolution 2017-28), which obligates us to consider policy reforms through a racial equity lens, in their analyses and recommendations. The Mayor and staff advocated that racial equity analyses be postponed until we have made our policy selection, in order to save staff time and consultant fees. But I believe that it is wrong not to analyze the implications of different options so that we can select among those options with our eyes open to their equity implications. One Council member said that it seems obvious that something that affects housing will affect people of color, but is it worth spending a lot of money to ‘prove the obvious?’ That’s not the way I want to approach this issue! For those interested in a breakdown of where Council Members stand, I have appended the summary of everyone's comments made during the debate that was prepared by CM Schlegel. I am working on my own more detailed evaluation of the issue – admittedly likely to be shallower than what the staff or expert consultants would have prepared – to try to fill the gap in equity analysis that was left in the Council resolution. Stay tuned. Next Wednesday: The agenda is busy. We will have a presentation from the consultants who analyzed vehicle fleet leasing alternatives to the purchasing of all City vehicles; the report and presentation make for interesting reading. Bottom line: it’s complicated! But now we can decide based on data and analysis. We will vote to approve a renewal of our tree planting contract with Casey Trees (free trees still available! Learn more and Sign up here) and take a final vote on the pension plan revisions for the TPPD. I will support both. Then there will be two work sessions, on the Community Connectors Program and on the first budget amendment of the new Fiscal Year (which looks routine). I have discussed the Community Connectors program ideas with the City Manager and staff; thus far I still need to be convinced that the proposal laid out in this presentation will achieve the desired results – but I will keep an open mind for Wednesday. Meanwhile, your feedback would be welcome! Finally, the Mayor has placed a ‘Resolution Regarding City Council Approach and Community Engagement on Transitioning Mayor and Councilmember Term Lengths from Two to Four Years’ on the agenda – but we have not yet seen her proposal. Apologies that there is nothing posted yet for you (or me) to review. You will recall that this idea was floated earlier in the session; a wide majority of Ward One voters who contacted me (although not 100%) opposed this change. I do not think switching to 4-year terms is a good idea, because it will make it more difficult to recruit candidates and will reduce elected officials’ accountability. We are anticipating more feedback from the City’s Board of Elections; perhaps they will have a compelling case to make on the basis of cost or feasibility? Some local news and events: Montgomery County has established a new reporting portal to assist with tracking immigration enforcement activity in the community. You are encouraged to go online to report sightings, including details about where the activity occurred and whether Federal agents were wearing masks. The eventual goal is to make this info and mapping available to the public, once data collection and verification details can be sorted out. Friday, July 17, 6 to 9 pm is Outdoor Movie Night at Flower Avenue Urban Park, in Long Branch! The movie starts at 7 pm. Bring a blanket or chair to sit on. Friday July 17, A masquerade themed night market, 5-9 PM on Laurel Ave: Shopping, live music, baked goods, and local makers's goods. Dress for the 'masquerade' theme, and enjoy! Thanks for reading all the way to the end! Stay cool, Jessica Appendix: STATEMENTS EXCERPTED FROM THE JULY 8 SESSION ON A RESOLUTION ABOUT FURTHER RENT-STABILIZATION REVIEW WORK [thanks to CM Schlegel for this summary] Or watch the mtg here. Mayor Searcy’s opening comments at the outset of the agenda item implied that she considers it an open question whether the City should keep having the current commitments to a racial equity framework and to a climate emergency response. She stated, “To then ask them [the consultants] to evaluate all of those various [rent stabilization policy] options based on all of the strategic documents [related to racial equity and climate emergency] that the City has put in place – and quite frankly hasn’t looked at in a minute to determine whether or not these are goals and things that we want to continue to keep – would just seem like extra work. In my view, it makes sense for us to whittle down things a bit in terms of which policy options we want to actually turn into a policy action by this action, and then require there to be additional analysis based on that smaller set.” Mayor Searcy invited Housing and Economic Development Director Devin McNally to weigh in at several points in the discussion; he underscored the difficulty of conducting analysis to project the racial equity impacts of various changes to rent stabilization policy: “The long and short of it is that there is some data out there, but it is not going to be a perfect crystal ball.” I [CM Schlegel] then raised the idea of using historical data from other cities’ policy changes as a way of conducting racial equity analysis, Director McNally said, “I see that as a great master’s thesis for an economics degree, or even … a PhD dissertation* depending on how deep it goes down.” When I asked, “Are you saying [that sort of analysis] is not possible?” Director McNally responded, “I’m trying to set expectations about the level of analysis. I understand there’s a desire for data, and certainly we can sit down with RSG and talk about that piece and come up with a [cost] number, but I also understand that … we all were here for the many hours of public comment, and people will look at the data and say, you know, that wasn’t enough. And staff is very acutely aware of that and so what we try to do is bring the best data we can forward, understanding that there are constraints in terms of the availability of the data, and then the level of analysis that we are going to be able to perform for the cost of that analysis.” Mayor Searcy, echoing Director McNally’s reference to the “dissertation”-scale time (and cost) associated with racial equity analyses, said, “I think everybody agrees that when we get to the point where we have a smaller set of specific policy interventions that we as a Council want to move forward, that then is the time to say, okay, let’s look at the potential impacts … Then it enables the consultants, it enables our staff to spend that limited time and spend that limited data in a more targeted way versus boiling the ocean, which is kind of what a lot of folks in research tend to do, which costs you a lot of money.” Councilmember Landman challenged the idea of postponing racial equity analysis: “I have a problem with the way it’s being presented, that what we should do is wait until we have the policy recommendations and then make the decision that we are going to apply the racial equity lens. The problem is that … [after] we narrow down where we want this to go, that is too late to ask this question. It’s not ‘This is our policy; what’s the racial equity implication of this policy?’ It is ‘These are the policy options; we need to know the racial equity implications of those different policy options to make a decision on which policy we want to pursue.’ … I object to the idea that we can do this [equity analysis] later and it will be equally effective.” Mayor Searcy maintained that racial equity analysis should be conducted only after the Council has reached consensus on policy options: “When you’re saying, ‘Hey, I want to know who would potentially be displaced and what potential income levels, and if we are considering five years [exemption period] vs. ten years vs. fifteen years,’ the people that are doing that analysis will need to be able to slice and dice that data, and the impacts will be different based on the options that we put before them. So that is why I’m saying that in terms of cost and just in terms of kind of making sure that … they’re not spending money, time, and energy into pursuing avenues that there isn’t Council consensus on, and that they can then focus on those areas where we know for sure from the best practices and the like [that] we want them to do additional work.” Councilmember Wesolek seemed to concur with Mayor Searcy’s rationale: “I’m opposed to this addition [of language about racial equity] because I’m feeling it really kind of expands and widens the scope of what we’re asking in this resolution in a way that I feel like we all couldn’t even be on the same page about. So to me, again, it is a resolution saying, ‘We want more information on these policy things, and if after that we have more questions in that regard about racial equity and other things, then maybe we ask then.’ Right now, we’re already asking for a lot of information. So what I would like is [to] just move forward and stick to that.” She added, “I think that both [racial equity and environment] are very important, and I would be opposed to adding either because of the same rationale.” Councilmember Dyballa shared very different reasons for voting against including racial equity language in the resolution. First, she objected to directing staff to be involved with racial equity analysis: “It is … the Council responsibility, not really the staff responsibility, to ensure that an equity lens [gets] look[ed] through. So I’m not comfortable with [directing staff to ensure that a racial equity lens is applied].” She also argued that the results of a racial equity analysis would be so obvious as to negate the need for such an analysis: “On some level, it seems really obvious that if 84% of the people who live in multifamily housing are people of color, and if half of them (I don’t have the numbers in front of me) are low-income, then anything that affects units will affect them. So do you need an analysis for that? She concurred with Mayor Searcy and Director McNally about prohibitive complexity and cost factors of a racial equity analysis: “Being around also in 2017 when the [racial equity] policy was adopted, the level of detail that we operate in in Takoma Park, literally building by building, is not reflected in the available data, and to do anything that fine-grain is highly expensive.” In conclusion, Councilmember Dyballa stated, “So I question whether we already know, and absolutely should consider and account for, as a Council, the impacts of these … policy options. But I question whether it’s worth spending what will be a lot of money to essentially prove the obvious. So I am not supportive of this [the inclusion of specific language about racial equity] for a number of reasons.” Jessica C. Landman City Council Member, Ward One 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 Email: jessical@takomaparkmd.gov Phone: 240-997-2422 Please Note: This communication may be subject to Maryland’s Public Information Act.
Landman’s "deeper dive" on housing policy aligns closely with CVT's platform of upzoning skepticism and opposition to developer incentives. She opposes extending the new-construction rent stabilization exemption beyond the current 5 years, framing a potential extension as "making it less protective of tenants." Additionally, she selectively cites findings from the RSG Rent Stabilization Study, celebrating findings on tenant stability while omitting or downplaying negative findings concerning property underinvestment, aging housing stock, and constrained housing choice. Landman also points to the City's 2024 property tax incentives to argue against further developer incentives, but fails to mention that the 2024 New Rental Housing Tax Credit has not actually been implemented due to a lack of approved administrative regulations.
"The rent stabilization policy we have, which kicks in after 5 years of market rate rents, does not appear to be a significant obstacle to the development of new housing in Takoma Park. RSG’s findings do not indicate that a longer exemption period is warranted..."
Historically, Takoma Park has seen virtually zero new market-rate multifamily housing constructed since its rent stabilization law was enacted in 1980. Standard developer and lender underwriting timelines typically require 10-to-15 years of market-rate operations to recoup high upfront capital costs and satisfy amortization criteria. A 5-year exemption is exceptionally short compared to regional peers (such as Montgomery County’s 23-year exemption and Prince George’s County’s exemption for all post-2000 construction), making new construction financially unfeasible and acting as a major barrier to supply.
"Significant property tax incentives were enacted in 2024 (allowing a full ten-year exemption from taxation of added assessed value for newly constructed rental units, and phased-in assessments for the next five years)... We do not need to offer massive financial incentives to court private developers."
While the City Council passed Ordinance 2024-36 in October 2024 to establish the New Rental Housing Tax Credit, this incentive is currently non-functional. Under Section 6.16.190(C), applications must be submitted on "a method and form set forth by the Department." The October 23, 2024 Council Agenda Memo explicitly noted that "forthcoming administrative regulations will flesh out [the program] into a full process." However, no administrative regulations have been proposed or adopted, leaving the credit currently unusable. Furthermore, a property tax credit does not address the independent financing barrier imposed by the short 5-year rent stabilization exemption.
Note on Administrative Regulations: While the tax credit was enacted in late 2024, the registry of administrative regulations shows no adopted implementation procedures for it.
Hello Ward One neighbors, At Wednesday’s meeting we honored retiring TPES Principal, Dr. Zadia Gadsden, with a Proclamation <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8518/pr20260624_Honoring-Principal-Dr-Gadsden?> recognizing her huge contribution to the community over many years. We had a presentation <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8518/pr20260624_Honoring-Principal-Dr-Gadsden?> by Washington Adventist Health Care reps about the ongoing ‘deconstruction’ (they prefer this term to ‘demolition’) of the old hospital building and auxiliary structures. We heard their sediment control and particulate emission suppression plans (by using misting during the demolition/crushing process), and how they will (voluntarily) monitor air and water quality. They presented their timeline for this process, which will stretch through most of 2027. But they stopped short of explaining what happens once the old buildings are gone and the time has come for redevelopment of the ‘greenfield’ site they are creating. Many people have posed questions to me about this, as have I to the City Manager. I hope that we will soon have a contact person within the Adventist family to explain more clearly the process they plan to follow, and a link to Wednesday’s PPT. We then took 2nd votes on our 4th City and stormwater budget amendments, and on revising the Council compensation language in the City Code, and we voted to approve the quality of Life grant awards proposed by the staff and Committee. All were unanimous. We had a preliminary discussion about what our legislative priorities <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8519/agenda-item-20260624-MML-LAR> should be for the General Assembly for 2027, to submit our recommendations to the MD Municipal League for their consideration. (I asked that we press for better guardrails for any data centers and/or detention centers to give the State and local jurisdictions better ammunition in our fight to protect the environment and our neighbors.) language is being developed not for further discussion next week. And we had a staff presentation <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8501/agenda-item-20260619-FY28-SRP-Grant-Proposal> about two grant proposals for State money to support the rehabilitation of one multi-family building and to plan for the construction of another multi-unit building of affordable senior housing. Finally – and despite my repeated efforts to persuade the Mayor to do it earlier in the evening – we had a work session <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8506/agenda-item-20260624-rent-stabilization-policy-review> about next steps in review of the City’s Rent Stabilization program. The purpose of the discussion was to determine which areas of potential policy revision we want the staff and consultants to focus upon. A draft Resolution, *which should have been made available in advance*, was presented to the Council for the first time at 11:30 PM. It is still not posted on the City’s website so I cannot share it with you. I asked that the issue of impacts of the proposed revisions on racial equity be specifically added to the list of topics for further evaluation. Staff indicated that they can only tackle a limited number of topics given time and resource constraints. I remain hopeful that more members of the Council will weigh in to call for focusing on the improvement of the program’s processes (e.g. public education, applications for fair return accounting, rehabilitation financing, ‘troubled building’ repair incentives) rather than on making it less protective of tenants. Next week we will consider a Resolution ratifying the collective bargaining agreement with the Police union that is being voted on by them this week; we will continue working on our legislative recommendations, and we may conclude discussion of the Rent Stabilization resolution. We have work sessions scheduled to discuss extending the contract for our landlord certification training course, and for adjusting the language in the Police retirement Plan to align with the new contract. We may also discuss the long-delayed Community Connectors program, and possible appointments to City Boards and Commissions. *Deeper dive: my thoughts on rent stabilization and housing policy more generally, and **some takeaways from the City’s review of our rent stabilization rules, drawing heavily from comments by CM Schlegel (Ward 3):* 1. *Celebrate stability. *Takoma Park’s rent stabilization policy, centered on limiting annual rent increases to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate, has been very successful in providing renters with affordability and stability. On average, individuals and families live in the same places for far longer than elsewhere in the County and become more tightly connected to neighbors, community life, and schools. 2. *Five years for market rate pricing of new properties (our current policy) is a good place to be. *The rent stabilization policy we have, which kicks in after 5 years of market rate rents, does not appear to be a significant obstacle to the development of new housing in Takoma Park. RSG’s findings do not indicate that a longer exemption period is warranted, even though surrounding jurisdictions, like MoCo, have longer exemptions. 3. *Prioritize compliance. *The quality of rental housing (of all kinds) is a legitimate concern. RSG’s survey results showed some significant percentage of respondents rated their units’ condition as ‘poor’ (and further analysis showed that RS buildings had a higher rate of code violations than affordable housing buildings –generally the bigger buildings – where rent that is regulated under Federal deed restrictions rather than under our RS law). Rental properties in the City receive more code violation citations than in the County. (We also have more frequent inspections, so that could be why.) By adopting a policy like MoCo that forbids landlords of “troubled” properties (as measured by number of code violations) from raising rents until problems are fixed, Takoma Park could likely achieve a rapid reduction in code violations. Such a change is under consideration, and I will support it. 4. *Further evaluate quality concerns. *RSG found that only about 30% of our multifamily properties have sought major rehabilitation permits in the past 25 years, speculating that buildings without such permit histories may not be up to date. But major rehab permits do not tell the whole story; incremental upgrades may not warrant them. We need to gather more evidence to learn more and then to prioritize which building owners need City help – or nudging – to upgrade their units. 5. *Educate all RS participants. *Both landlords and tenants said they want a system that is easier to understand and work within. Knowledge gaps were large. 6. *Ease improvements and ‘fair return’ processes*. We may need to simplify processes for small landlords who make needed improvements to their properties, both to get financial or technical help on the front end and to simplify the process of proving that they have done work that justifies rent increases to cover their costs. This will also help to avoid sales/ condo conversions of smaller buildings. 7. *Track inventory. *We need to track the supply of rent-stabilized units in Takoma Park to understand how it may be changing over time. Sales of properties with rent-stabilized units, conversions of rentals to condominiums, or tear-downs of buildings could continue to chip away at the total number of rent-stabilized units in Takoma Park. Targets and measures are crucial. 8. *Think across decades. *Construction of new market-rate apartments would, after their 5-year exemption period, add new rent-stabilized units to the City’s supply. However, newer units would cost a lot more in monthly rent. We need to retain existing buildings even as we seek to increase the total number of housing units. Therefore, encouraging the construction of *affordable housing* (subject to deed restrictions that ensure low income tenants will receive low, stable rents) should also continue to be a big part of our overall strategy. 9. *Preserve buildings and make them more energy efficient and eco-friendly. *Revitalization of existing multifamily buildings should be a very high priority for the City for numerous policy reasons. The greenest building can be the one that is already built (and retrofitted, if need be). The City’s Housing Reserve, the Montgomery County Green Bank, Building Improvement Grants, and other funding mechanisms can be used to finance these projects. Kudos to City staff who already do this very effectively! 10. *Keep our cool when soliciting new developments. *We do not need to offer massive financial incentives to court private developers. Lots of potential catalysts for new construction exist. Significant property tax incentives were enacted in 2024 (allowing a full ten-year exemption from taxation of added assessed value for newly constructed rental units, and phased-in assessments for the next five years). The Purple Line will be operational by 2028. The hospital site is getting transformed into a clean slate for potential redevelopment. The John Nevins Andrews property is being sold and offers additional acreage for new construction. Let the market decide. 11. *Set targets. *I support adding more housing units in TkPk, while prioritizing the prevention of displacement, and while keeping a proportionate supply of affordable housing along with market rate housing. That said, how do we know when we have met our ‘more housing’ goals? We need to set targets: how many new rental and owner-occupied units do we aim to add? And how many existing units do we aim to restore and retain? What is the mix of single family, accessory or multifamily units that we want to add? We should be clear on the type, location, and price points we are working to incentivize, and *then* make policy reforms accordingly. In other words, clarity about what we want to achieve – and when we can declare success -- is crucial. And simply addressing RS in isolation is not smart. (Note: we are working on tenant protection reforms already, which is an important complement to the RS review.) 12. *Respect boundaries and be transparent. *The City should, of course, encourage responsible private developers as well as non-profit housing developers to invest in TkPk. We must do so while maintaining arms-length objectivity and ensuring that City actions always serve City values. Maximum transparency is also a key City value. These are painful lessons we learned from the Junction project. *SUM:* our rent stabilization policy has been very successful at creating stable, affordable rental housing for a large number of our community’s long-term residents, which I consider a big success. It can be improved upon by making it better understood by renters and landlords alike, and by making it easier for building owners (especially of small buildings) to recoup the costs of upgrades/investments to encourage good quality and code compliance. We also can incentivize code compliance through adoption of a ‘troubled buildings’ measure, like the one MoCo adopted. RS is just one part of an array of housing and economic policies. It should be considered holistically along with our tenant protection policies, our sustainability policies, and most important, our policy for equity and inclusion that aims to keep Takoma Park diverse and welcoming to all. *More info:* This City web page provides ongoing updates <https://takomaparkmd.gov/2485/Rent-Stabilization-Policy-Review> on the Rent Stabilization Policy Review, including the memo accompanying Wednesday's presentation <https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8419/agenda-item-20260610-rent-stabilization-study-presentation> and the presentation slide show <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8387/Takoma-Park-RSG-Presentation-1_Final>. (The draft Resolution is not yet posted.) *Now some news and events* *Renew expiring parking permits by June 30.* (Check your vehicle’s windshield or back window for the small rectangular expiration sticker, and i*f yours has an expiration of June 2026 or older, you need to renew.* To renew in person, bring a copy of your current vehicle registration and license to the window on the ground floor of the Community Center @ 7500 Maple Ave. You may also renew by mail. A decal and year sticker for each registered vehicle will be mailed back within three business days of receipt. Two visitor parking permits will be included for each address. Please add $1.00 for shipping and handling. Permit applications can be found on the City's website: https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/598/Parking-Permit-Application-PDF?bidId= <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/598/Parking-Permit-Application-PDF?bidId=> Friday (today!) @ 7:30 PM, *“Independents Day: A Night of Creative Vision*”: free, at the Community Center Auditorium, 7500 Maple Ave: Local poets and musicians celebrate a positive vision of America. Organizer TkPk Poet Laureate David Alberto Fernandez will be collecting voluntary donations to support FREE DC's work to gain voting representation for D.C. residents. More info: city website <https://takomaparkmd.gov/m/NewsFlash/home/detail/412>and Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/events/1596105494786938>. Saturday, June 27 @ 2 PM: *celebrate National Pollinator Week* at the Takoma Park Library, 101 Philadelphia Avenue, with *a free film for all ages, “The Extraordinary Caterpillar.” *Fun activities and info for kids and adults after the film. And check out the library’s books on caterpillars near the Children’s Room. (Thx to Pollinator Group of Climate Action Coffee, Friends of Native Trees in Takoma, Friends of Sligo Creek, and the Sustainability Committee of the City of Takoma Park!) Saturday June 27th @ 11 AM - 4 PM: *B&O Railroad Open House*, commemorating Mo Co Heritage Days <https://www.heritagemontgomery.org/things-to-do/heritage-days/>. ** 11 AM: Dedication of Silver Spring B&O Station Historical Marker: *commemorate the original 1878 and replacement 1946 Silver Spring RR station. More information <https://www.historicsilverspring.com/> here. ** 12:30 PM: Storyteller **Jane Dorfman *shares folk tales, fairy tales, and personal stories for all ages. Learn more about her on her website <https://www.janedorfman.me/> or YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN2s9-NJ7LCTsPzzwNR1QeQ>. Saturday July 14th @ 8 AM – 11 AM: *Coffee with a Cop* @ Spring Mill Bakery, 7300 Carroll Ave Saturday July 14th @ 11 AM – 1 PM: *Coffee with your Council Member* (me!) @ Spring Mill Bakery, 7300 Carroll Ave. Bring your questions, comments and concerns for an informal chat. Saturday July 11 @ 11:30 AM – 4:30 PM: *TkPk Blood Drive*, *Takoma Park Municipal Center, 7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, Maryland, Azalea Room, 2nd floor. D*onors get a free pair of sunglasses & case! (Thx to TkPk Police and Inova Blood Donor Services.) Your selfless act of donating blood can help save lives! More info: Email Catherine Tunis @ TakomaParkBloodDrive@gmail.com Register here: https://www.inovabloodsaves.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/36005. July 4: *Takoma Park Independence Day Parade and Evening Party*. Parade begins at around 10 AM, see details here <https://www.takomapark4th.org/when-and-where>. Evening party is on Maple Ave between Philadelphia Ave & Ritchie Ave, from 6 PM – 9 PM. More details here <https://www.takomapark4th.org/team-1>. Support our hometown celebration by buying raffle tickets, $2 each or three for $5. Prizes include restaurant and theatre gift certificates and other local items--learn more: https://www.takomapark4th.org/about-7. *In other news:* *Another local h**ousing project (across from Metro station) being sold at a foreclosure auction* The multifamily housing buildings, with street level retail, located at 300-308 Carroll St., NW (also 325 Vine St., NW – the backdoor of the same project) will be sold at a foreclosure auction on July 13, according to the Wash. Business Journal. This is the second property by the Metro to be sold via foreclosure auction: The Arbor at Takoma, 218 Cedar St. NW, was sold in late 2024. All the best, Jessica *Jessica C. Landman* *City **Council Member, **Ward One * 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 *Email:* jessical@takomaparkmd.gov *Phone:* 240-997-2422 *Please Note: *This communication may be subject to Maryland’s Public Information Act.
Landman's framing of the Rent Stabilization Study focus points aligns with CVT's platform of preserving the existing rent stabilization law with minimal changes. While she highlights the study's findings regarding tenant stability, she downplays or omits the study's negative findings, such as constrained housing choice and concerns about property quality and reinvestment. Furthermore, her explicit opposition to extending the new build exemption period beyond 5 years aligns with CVT's platform of upzoning skepticism and opposition to developer incentives. She frames the Mayor's suggestion to explore a 15-year exemption (intended to encourage housing supply and align with other regional standards) as an area of disagreement rather than a standard policy tool for housing development.
"some on the Council (including me) favor keeping our RS exemption period for new buildings, during which they can charge market rates for new units, at 5 years, whereas the Mayor said she would like to explore whether we should increase that time period to 15 years."
Takoma Park Code Section 6.20.030.A.3 indeed establishes a 5-year rent stabilization exemption for newly constructed rental facilities. In nearby jurisdictions, exemption periods are significantly longer (Montgomery County has a 23-year exemption under its 2024 law, and Prince George's County exempts all buildings constructed on or after Jan 1, 2000). The Mayor's suggestion to explore a 15-year exemption was proposed to incentivize new construction and align with regional standards.
"While imperfect, this study does clearly show the benefits of RS in maintaining stability for renters, and it highlights the areas where we may want to make some changes to current policy."
The RSG Rent Stabilization Study did find that rent stabilization provides strong tenant stability (with 57% of units stabilized and two-thirds of tenants residing in their homes for over 5 years). However, the study also notes that housing choice is "relatively constrained" and raised significant concerns about property quality, code violations, and whether the policy has discouraged landlords from reinvesting in building maintenance.
"There was a broad consensus that we should preserve RS but tweak the current program to address identified flaws..."
While there was consensus among the 35+ public commenters (mostly tenant advocates) to preserve the program, the broader stakeholder engagement conducted by RSG, Inc. showed significant disagreement. Property owners and housing providers raised major concerns about rising operating costs and the need for more substantial changes (such as vacancy decontrol or longer new build exemptions) to allow for capital improvement cost recovery. Thus, the "consensus" was limited to the public speakers that evening, not the community or stakeholders as a whole.
Hello Ward One neighbors, *Last night’s meeting *drew a large and engaged crowd, to talk about the Rent Stabilization Study and the Quality of Life Grant program that were the two main topics of the session. There were over 35 public commenters, mostly residents from nearly every corner of TkPk, who spoke in support of retaining the City’s Rent Stabilization (RS) program. They want TkPk to continue our strong program, which provides stability and affordability to our diverse community. There was a broad consensus that we should preserve RS but tweak the current program to address identified flaws, notably to (1) address the lack of clarity in program coverage and rules for both renters and landlords, using outreach and education; (2) simplify the process for landlords to petition for rent increases to cover costs of building upkeep/repairs (‘fair return’ petitions), and (3) work with property owners to identify innovative financing methods and additional grant programs to fix up older properties and improve on the current, very high, number of violations identified by MoCo inspections, then (4) incentivize repairs with a moratorium on allowable rent increases for ‘troubled buildings’. After public comment we had a presentation about the RS study <https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8419/agenda-item-20260610-rent-stabilization-study-presentation> that the firm RSG has recently completed. While imperfect, this study does clearly show the benefits of RS in maintaining stability for renters, and it highlights the areas where we may want to make some changes to current policy. We held a brief discussion about additional questions for the consultants to explore, and we hope to get some additional info from them before we hold our larger work session on this topic on June 24th, our next Council meeting. One area of potential disagreement on the Council did emerge during this preliminary discussion: some on the Council (including me) favor keeping our RS exemption period for new buildings, during which they can charge market rates for new units, at 5 years, whereas the Mayor said she would like to explore whether we should increase that time period to 15 years. But the full policy discussion remains to be held. I encourage everyone to read the report for yourselves, and provide me with your feedback before the 24th. The second main topic of our meeting was to consider proposed City Quality of Life Grants in FY 2027, based on the recommendations of the Grants Review Committee. (Numerous proposed grant recipients also spoke during public comment, to thank the City for past support and/or explain the nature of the programs that they wish to pursue with TkPk’s support in FY 27.) The programs that applicants proposed are so deserving, and the need is so extensive – I am very grateful that we had the ability to increase significantly the level of our grant support in the upcoming FY. Here is the Committee’s report with their recommendations <https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8418/agenda-item-FY2027-community-grant-award-recommendtions>. (They received 30 proposals, and recommended full or partial funding for 27 of them.) So many dedicated volunteers in the area of food insecurity, arts education and immigrant support filled the room last night that it made all of us proud to be TkPkers. Finally, last night (well after midnight), we took first votes to adopt the Q4 budget amendment, fund the multifamily building improvement grants, and revise the code dealing with Council compensation to bring it up to date. *No Council meeting next week*. (I will be on vacation, although still reachable via email or phone/text.) *Next Council meeting will be June 24. *We will have a presentation from Adventist Health Care about their plans for demolition of the old hospital and other buildings on the site, and I hope we will learn more about their redevelopment plans. Then we will take second votes on the items described above. There will also be work sessions about rent stabilization and about the contents of a grant proposal to the National Capital Region for an economic development grant. Finally, we will discuss our legislative priorities for the next MD legislative session. (It’s too soon for any paperwork on these items. Go to the Agenda Center <https://takomaparkmd.gov/AgendaCenter/City-Council-2> in the days before the 24th to look for documents.) *Now some community news and events*: *This weekend: Local candidates’ preparatory session:* *Saturday, June 13, 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM* in the Hydrangea Room @ 7500 Maple Ave - Zoom link will be shared with registrants when available. If you are considering a run for City Council or Mayor, The Takoma Park Board of Elections invites you to attend an informational session to learn about the candidate filing process, election requirements, campaign considerations, and important election dates. This session is designed for residents who are considering becoming a candidate in the upcoming 2026 City election and would like to learn more about what is involved in serving the community as an elected official. *Reserve Your Spot! *To register, please call 301-891-7214 or email clerk@takomaparkmd.gov. *This Weekend: Hazardous Waste Drop Off at Public Works Department *10 AM to 2 PM at 31 Oswego Ave. see details here <https://takomaparkmd.gov/254/Household-Hazardous-Waste-Drop-off-Day>. *This Weekend: Flower Ave Together Block Party*, Sunday June 14, 2 PM – 5 PM, Flower Ave @ Erie Ave *Juneteenth Celebration, *Saturday June 20 Noon to 6 PM @ Takoma Park Middle School: The Maple Community Association and City of Takoma Park invite you to our 3rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration. A family-friendly event featuring live music, food, inspiring speakers, local vendors, and fun activities for all ages. Learn more here: Maple Community Association website <http://maplecommunityassociation.org/>. *‘Independents Day’ Night of Creative Expression*, Friday June 26 7:30 PM, Community Center Auditorium – Free, no reservations required. Local poets and musicians will share their talents to celebrate a poetic and positive vision of America that embraces autonomy, inclusivity, artistic freedom, and diverse voices. *National Pollinator Week** celebration, June 27 at 2pm at the Takoma Park Library, *101 Philadelphia Avenue. Watch the film “The Extraordinary Caterpillar". Fun activities and info after the film. The event is free and appropriate for all ages. Donations accepted. *July 4th Independence Day parade 10 AM – 11:30 AM, *and* evening celebration*, *6 PM – 9 PM* in front of Piney Branch Elementary School: Learn more here <https://www.takomapark4th.org/> re parade route, raffle tickets, etc. *Ward One Virtual Meeting with Takoma Park Police Department: Tuesday July 9 from 7-8:30 PM*. Many Ward One residents, especially in North Takoma, have noted questions and concerns they wish to discuss with the Police Department. Chief DeVaul kindly offered to set up a *zoom *link for a virtual meeting. Below is the zoom link – please plan to join in, and please email me in advance with questions or topics. Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84195401862?pwd=DRRbE1tBF1tbogMCeOhc8UxgbrioBb.1 Meeting ID: 841 9540 1862; Passcode: 491785 One tap mobile: +13017158592,,84195401862#,,,,*491785# US (Washington DC) Join instructions <https://us06web.zoom.us/meetings/84195401862/invitations?signature=N4LKXCYcjaNy0pA92Nmzqsa-i2viCs1MhLrDOtgSg5M> *National Night Out: August 4,* *6 PM-9 PM* @ PBES, 7510 Maple Ave. Free food, games, music, police cars and fire trucks, games, arts and crafts – fun for the whole family! All the best, Jessica PS Early voting has begun! Please cast your votes in MD primaries, now through June 23rd. *Jessica C. Landman* *City **Council Member, **Ward One * 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 *Email:* jessical@takomaparkmd.gov *Phone:* 240-997-2422 *Please Note: *This communication may be subject to Maryland’s Public Information Act.
Landman's focus on the Q4 budget overtime expenditures and fiscal transparency aligns with CVT's emphasis on fiscal scrutiny and oversight of city finances. However, she notes that vacancies, promotions, and retirements were reasons for the overtime, and she asks a valid question about how salary savings offset the overtime costs (the net budget impact). Her call to review the rent stabilization study aligns with CVT's platform focusing heavily on the preservation of rent stabilization.
"We have dipped below the recommended 17.5% unassigned reserve at this point in the financial year, but we did put aside $3 million for emergency expenditures last year and we are well within the safe zone even without that extra buffer."
The City of Takoma Park’s official General Fund policy specifies maintaining an Unassigned Reserve balance of 17% of General Fund revenues, not 17.5%. The $3 million assigned reserve for emergency expenditures was indeed established in the FY26 budget, which provides a safe financial cushion.
"They concluded that the actions of PEPCO were not negligent, and also that the repairs PEPCO has committed to carrying out should go far to fixing our problems. This means that efforts to recover damages from PEPCO will not be likely to succeed..."
The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) Consumer Affairs Division concluded that there was no evidence that Pepco violated applicable regulations or requirements during the outages and overvoltage event on April 21, 2025. While the PSC has no jurisdiction to award monetary damages, the City's claim for approximately $190,000 in damages was denied directly by Pepco in September 2025.
Hello Ward One neighbors, *At the June 3 City Council meeting* we heard a report about the proposed Q4 budget amendment, and had a work session to hear about the proposed awardees for multifamily building upgrade grants that will help the building owners to improve energy efficiency and quality of life for residents through system upgrades. *Deeper dive: Our City Budget*: We revise the City’s budget approximately quarterly, to re-align spending and revenue projections with realities. This quarter, there were significant adjustments to be made. Our discussion focused on the large price tag for Police Department overtime hours; at least 3 Council members posed questions.Several reasons were cited to explain why overtime costs were so large, including unexpected vacancies, promotions and retirements that left us shorter-staffed, thus incurring overtime costs. Council members (including me) sought more information about how we could better align budget projections with known or readily foreseeable vacancies and retirements, and about whether these costs are offset by savings due to lower employee costs (the ‘execution rate’): i.e., does saving on salaries due to vacancies offset overtime hours that are used to fill the staffing holes, and if so, to what degree? (My goal is to ensure that the true costs of our city services are presented as transparently as possible through project budget numbers that are accurate, and that we do not mask anticipated costs during budget season by not including foreseeable overtime costs in the proposal.) All this being said, as we approach the end of the fiscal year, spending numbers are not alarming. We have dipped below the recommended 17.5% unassigned reserve at this point in the financial year, but we did put aside $3 million for emergency expenditures last year and we are well within the safe zone even without that extra buffer. *Deeper Dive: Multifamily building improvement grants:* The proposed building improvement grants will go to small residential buildings: those with 3 to 30 units. Funds for this program come from a combination of state and county grant programs, not City tax dollars. Kudos to our staff who have done excellent work in obtaining this support! This highly commendable program is managed jointly by Sustainability and Housing staff. Upgrading electricity systems and windows, among other building improvements, help us to meet our City climate goals and also to improve the quality of life and maintain the affordability of these smaller buildings, which form a crucial component of our housing stock mix. *Next Week’s meeting*: when we meet on June 10, we will be voting on the Q 4 budget amendment and the multifamily building improvement grants discussed above; I plan to vote yes on both. We will also have a presentation on the community quality of life award recommendations from the Grants Committee, and a presentation on the much-discussed rent stabilization study. Please do read this study, and consider attending the City Council meeting to share your reactions to the study. Finally, next week we will have a work session covering a grant proposal for a National Capital Region Economic Development (NED) grant, and a session to review the 'Community Connectors' proposed work plan. (No documents are posted yet.) *No meeting June 17th*: The City Council will not meet the week of June 15-22 because of the Maryland Municipal League’s summer conference that week in Ocean City. Several members of the Council (not including me) will be there. *Correction from Last Week's announcements*: The vote on revisions to the Council Compensation ordinance was not taken; action is postponed while the City Attorney helps with drafting of revisions. *C**ommunity news and events*: ** PEPCO ‘surge’ update*: A number of residents in Hodges Heights whose homes were damaged by 2025 PEPCO outages and power surges have been awaiting word about the results of a Public Service Commission (PSC) audit that Takoma Park had formally requested. We have finally received the PSC’s findings. They concluded that the actions of PEPCO were not negligent, and also that the repairs PEPCO has committed to carrying out should go far to fixing our problems. This means that efforts to recover damages from PEPCO will not be likely to succeed, but it should also mean that we experience fewer damaging incidents in future. Here is a blog <https://takomaparkmd.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/413> by Deputy City Manager, David Eubanks regarding the outcome of the investigation. ** Parking permit renewals: *Permit holders, take note that many 2026 permits expire at the end of June, and the parking permit renewals are now available either in person or by mail. You will need proof of residence and car registration to obtain the new or renewed permits. Limit of two per household. Details here. <https://takomaparkmd.gov/m/NewsFlash/Home/Detail/410> ** Azalea Awards*: This Saturday June 6th, the Azalea awards ceremony will be held at 1 PM at the Heffner Center. Several City employees are nominated as are many other, very worthy civic contributors around town. I hope to see you there! ** Adult Play Day* is also this Saturday, June 6, from 4 to 7 PM at the VFW, *6420 Orchard Ave.* Funsters age 21 years and better are invited to enjoy music and food at the VFW, inside and in the back garden. ** Pride Celebrations*: On Sunday, June 7, join in the Takoma Park Pride <https://mainstreettakoma.org/featured-events/takoma-pride/> parade and street festival! The parade begins at 10 AM at the parking lot next to the co-op, and the festival will be at the end of the parade route on Laurel Ave.om 10-2. ** Free Hazardous Waste Drop off*: On Saturday, June 13, from 10 AM to 2 PM, Takoma Park residents can drop off hazardous waste at the annual hazardous waste drop off program thanks to our Department of Public Works, at the Public Works Yard, 31 Oswego Avenue. Please check the city website <https://takomaparkmd.gov/254/Household-Hazardous-Waste-Drop-off-Day> for details about the types of products that can be dropped off. ** Flower Ave Together Block Party: *Sunday, June 14, from 2 PM to 5 PM, corner of Flower Ave and Erie Ave. Details here <https://discoverlongbranch.com/events/list/>. ** Tk Pk 3rd Annual Ju**neteenth Celebration*: Saturday June 20, Noon - 6 PM: Our city’s Juneteenth celebration will be at the Takoma Park Middle School, 7611 Piney Branch Rd. Look for food, music, speakers, vendors, and fun for all ages! Details here. <https://takomaparkmd.gov/m/NewsFlash/Home/Detail/415> * *MoCo IRC Solidarity Festival: *Sunday June 28th 11 AM - 4 PM, Laurel Ave: vendors, arts and crafts, opportunities to donate to help our neighbors * *Old Takoma Walking Tour: *Sunday, June 28, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM.- Meet at the corner of Cedar and Carroll Streets, NW. An hour-long stroll around early parts of Takoma Park, led by Historic Takoma Board member Richard O'Connor. (No fee, but donations are appreciated.) (No tour if it is raining at 4 PM.) ** July 4th Independence Day Parade and Celebration*: The Independence Day Committee of volunteers is seeking more volunteers to help with our celebration - both before the 4th and on the ‘day of’. Before the 4th, they need help with purchasing and delivering supplies, preparing signs and planning the raffle. On the 4th, they need parade leaders and others to help with tasks during the parade and the street party in the evening. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about volunteering, send an email to ContactUs@TakomaPark4th.org. *N**ote: SSL opportunities are also available. If you'd like to learn more about SSL opportunities please email ContactUs@TakomaPark4th.org <ContactUs@TakomaPark4th.org>*. More info: www.TakomaPark4th.org <http://www.takomapark4th.org/>. All the best, Jessica Jessica C. Landman City Council Member, Ward One 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 Email: jessical@takomaparkmd.gov Phone: 240-997-2422 Please Note: This communication may be subject to Maryland’s Public Information Act.
Landman's framing of the Q4 budget amendment overtime expenditures reflects CVT's ongoing platform of fiscal skepticism, specifically targeting public safety administration. By questioning why these expenditures were not anticipated and calling them "large deviations from expectations," she echoes CVT's talking points critiquing the city's financial oversight and management. However, she omits the structural reason for the overtime: chronic staffing vacancies within the police department. These vacancies lead to regular salary budget savings, which often offset the increased overtime costs needed to maintain public safety coverage.
"In the Q 4 budget amendment there are nearly $500,000 in additional expenditures for police patrol, administrative and communications overtime reflected in the tally of additional spending, which is a large amount."
The total overtime increase requested across police departments in General Fund Budget Amendment No. 4 is indeed $465,364, distributed across Patrol Staff Shortages ($197,912), Patrol Overtime ($136,952), Patrol Holiday Overtime ($100,000), Administrative Overtime ($20,500), and Communications Overtime ($10,000). While the raw figure is mathematically accurate, the framing of this as an unexpected budget deviation omits the fact that the largest driver—Patrol Staff Shortages ($197,912)—is due to department vacancies. In municipal budgeting, these overtime costs are required to cover open shifts and maintain safety standards, and they are typically offset by the salary savings generated by those same vacant positions.
Hello Ward One neighbors, *At last week’s meeting* (from which I was absent), the Council was given a presentation <https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:9fcca2e3-4057-4e66-b594-8dd14e7981ad> about the final design for the Metropolitan Branch Trail’s section that will pass through Takoma Park. Then first (of 2) votes were taken to approve a wording change to the City’s code regarding Council compensation (non- substantive, and does not affect compensation rates), and to approve two City contracts – one to repair the floors at the Rec Center that were damaged by a water main break (and will be covered by our insurance) and another to extend our existing IT services contract for a year. *This week *we will take the second vote on revising the city code re. council compensation, and have two work sessions: (1) the final budget amendments for FY 2026’s budget and (2) the planned grant awardees for multifamily building improvement grants, all of which are to support decarbonization and energy efficiency in aging multifamily buildings, and which are supported by outside grant funding from the MD Energy Administration and a private foundation – an excellent effort by the City’s staff. You can see the project descriptions here <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8391/agenda-item-20260603-MFBIG-Program> . In the Q 4 budget amendment <https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:437dc3b6-765f-487a-bfb0-bc49a87ba85a> there are nearly $500,000 in additional expenditures for police patrol, administrative and communications overtime reflected in the tally of additional spending, which is a large amount. I hope to learn more about why these expenditures could not be anticipated during the regular budget season, and whether we can better avoid such large deviations from expectations in the upcoming budget cycle, if possible. Now here are some *announcements about events, activities and opportunities* : - The Police Department is giving away free *steering wheel locks *from 12-4 pm on weekdays - while supplies last so that you can discourage airbag thefts. More info <https://www.instagram.com/p/DYlTSUcjN_2/> - The Community Center now hosts a *multimedia lab with access to creative and digital media resources. It opened on May 5th. Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 3-7 PM. Questions? Call 301-891-7282 or email * *christopherp@takomaparkmd.gov* <christopherp@takomaparkmd.gov>*. Explore create and learn using MAC-based digital tools. See photo <https://www.instagram.com/p/DX-QMAyHRsJ/> of lab.* - *Please consider applying to serve on a City board, committee, or commission, a*nd encourage neighbors 16 and older to apply. Help to shape local policies and programs, and make a difference in your community. *Volunteers are paid a stipend for participation*. *(Interested in serving on the City Council someday? This is often a first step in engagement with City government!)* Vacancies exist on: Arts & Humanities Committee; Emergency Preparedness Committee; Grants Review Committee; Recreation & Community Engagement Committee; Sustainable MD Committee; Commission on Landlord-Tenant Affairs, Ethics Commission and Tree Commission. Learn more here; apply online at: https://takomapark.seamlessdocs.com/f/BCC_Application More information here <https://takomaparkmd.gov/1538/Opportunity-to-Serve-Your-Community>. *The deadline for applications is June 8. * - *Parking permit renewal *begins on June 1. Details here <https://mailchi.mp/takomaparkmd.gov/parking-permit-2020-2021-renewal-8350019> . Here's the Parking Permit Application: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:c2cc2353-689b-4513-bbb2-88ebbecc9dc8 - The Takoma Park *Adult Play Day <https://letsplayamerica.org/>* will be Saturday, June 6 at the VFW (@ Fourth and Orchard) from 4-7 pm. - The *Takoma Pride Parade* will be on Sunday, June 7. Details here <https://mainstreettakoma.org/featured-events/takoma-pride/>. - There will be a *Flower Avenue ‘Block Party’ festival <https://discoverlongbranch.com/event/flower-ave-together-block-party-2/>* in Long Branch on Sunday, June 14, 2-5 pm. - The Recreation Department is offering a *trip for senior residents <https://www.active.com/takoma-park-md/classes/senior-trip-picnic-at-algonkian-regional-park-2026> to Algonkian Regional Park* on June 17. - Our Takoma Park *Juneteenth celebration* will be on Saturday, June 20 at Takoma Park Middle School, *7611 Piney Branch Road,* from 12-6 pm. This free event includes an opening prayer, speeches from local dignitaries, live music from Backyard Band, Uncut Band, and Ethan Spalding, as well as family-friendly activities like moon bounces, face ainting, and lawn games - *Takoma Park Arts is seeking performers* for the ongoing Community Center series. There is an honorarium awarded. The application deadline is June 28. Application link here <https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/019e17fdd67479f68ac05f64a5b8783a>. All the best, Jessica Jessica C. Landman City Council Member, Ward One 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 Email: jessical@takomaparkmd.gov Phone: 240-997-2422 Please Note: This communication may be subject to Maryland’s Public Information Act.
Landman's opposition to the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) tree clearing aligns with CVT's emphasis on local tree preservation to challenge regional multimodal transportation infrastructure. By framing the standard trail widening as "odd" due to DC's temporary on-street connection, she echoes CVT's focus on micro-level environmental impacts to critique broader public transit and cycling networks.
"It is especially odd to devote substantial resources to widening the trail by a small amount (two feet) to meet the standards of a bike ‘breezeway’ when the trail becomes an on-street bike path right across the street in DC where it is on Eastern Avenue."
DC's Eastern Avenue on-street segment is temporary. According to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) MBT Plans, DDOT is currently designing a dedicated, off-street multi-use trail for the final connection to link seamlessly with Takoma Park's segment.
Hello Ward One neighbors, Happy Memorial Day weekend. I hope you are enjoying some time off and that you are able to take a moment to commemorate those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. *Last week’s meeting*: On Wednesday we held a closed session to be briefed on the status of labor negotiations with the City’s two unions, and to receive advice from our labor counsel. Then we had a regular city council meeting during which we received the third quarter financial report from the staff, and briefly discussed amending the City Code to remove outdated language pertaining to City Council compensation (which would have no substantive impact on compensation but simply align the Code with the current compensation scheme). Finally, we heard briefly about plans to extend the City’s contract with Human Circuit to provide IT services for one year. *Next Wednesday’s meeting*: We will have a presentation <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8338/agenda-item-20250527-Metropolitan-Branch-Trail-Presentation> on the final design for the Metropolitan Branch Trail’s short segment within TkPk borders, and then take votes on the counsel compensation code changes noted above, and on the contract extension for IT work, and on a contract (covered by insurance) to repair the Rec Center’s flood damages. *MBT*: I am not happy about the loss of trees associated with the Metropolitan Branch Trail’s (MBT) widening (detailed in the link above). While staff have worked to reduce the tree loss impact, it is still substantial. It is especially odd to devote substantial resources to widening the trail by a small amount (two feet) to meet the standards of a bike ‘breezeway’ when the trail becomes an on-street bike path right across the street in DC where it is on Eastern Avenue. All of this being said, the enhancement to bike infrastructure (and to stormwater management) will make contributions to our climate goals, and it is mostly not being financed by TkPk property taxes, but with federal and state contributions. *Additional events and meetings of interest: * *Tree Removals at WAH site - Public Meeting: Thursday, May 28, 7:30-8:30 PM: *Community Meeting on *Removal of Trees* from Washington Adventist Hospital site during demolition of the hospital buildings and some paved areas. The meeting, conducted by Rodgers Consulting, Inc <https://www.rodgers.com/>, will be in the *Azalea Room *at the Community Center on Maple Avenue. It will be recorded. Questions: write to Rodgers’ Arborist Kelly Donovan, kdonovan@rodgers.com. *Trukgarten: May 30, 12-5 PM*. Info and tickets: Takoma Trukgarten | Main Street Takoma <https://mainstreettakoma.org/featured-events/takoma-trukgarten/#%3Cahref=%22#tickets%22%3ELinktoTickets%3C/a%3E> *Adult Play Day:* *Saturday, June 6, 4-7 PM* for adults ages 21 and over, at the VFW: FREE event. “Friends In Space” will play the music. The food truck, “Henry’s Sister” will sell food and the VFW will sell drinks. Board games, lawn games, Laughter Yoga, Team Trivia and a surprise creative playful activity. *Takoma Pride**:** Sun June 7*: Parade 10 AM, street fair 10-2 Details here <https://mainstreettakoma.org/featured-events/takoma-pride/>. *Free steering wheel locks *available from the TkPk Police Department while supplies last. Details here <https://mailchi.mp/takomaparkmd.gov/air-bag-crime-prevention-information-and-tips-8349452?e=4fe35038ce> . This could be a great opportunity if you have a car model prone to theft or susceptible to airbag theft (Hondas,Kias, e.g.). *Commissions and Committees* Need Your Services: The City is looking for interested residents to serve on City Committees, Boards and Commissions. Help to shape local policies and programs, and make a difference in your community. Volunteers are paid a stipend for participation. (Interested in serving on the City Council someday? This is often a first step in engagement with City government!) Vacancies to be filled on the following: Arts & Humanities Committee; Emergency Preparedness Committee; Grants Review Committee; Recreation & Community Engagement Committee; Sustainable MD Committee; Commission on Landlord-Tenant Affairs; Ethics Commission and Tree Commission. Application deadline is June 8. Learn more here; apply online at: https://takomapark.seamlessdocs.com/f/BCC_Application. *Deeper Dive: more info on the former Washington Adventist Hospital site (*courtesy of CM Schlegel): *Demolition*: Removal of hazardous materials from building interiors is almost complete, and demolition of the buildings themselves could start in the fall. The demolition company (see above) has been in communication with Friends of Sligo Creek and has also published the results of its hazardous materials survey on the City’s web page. County stormwater regulations and inspections are required for this demolition and for any future construction; the site abuts a very steep slope descending directly to Sligo Creek. *Future plans*: The site is still owned by Adventist HealthCare but will likely be transferred/sold to Washington Adventist University, which is signing a letter of intent with a firm to develop a master plan for the combined hospital (13 acres) and university (20 acres) area. Discussions about this master plan, “Vision 2030,” have been underway for about five years, and the university was involved in expressing their interests during the Minor Master Plan Amendment <https://takomaparkmd.gov/1537/Minor-Master-Plan-Amendment> process which in 2024 rezoned the hospital, campus, and nearby blocks for denser and higher development, along with other features. The plan would likely be to first long-term (99 years) lease the former hospital land to a developer, who would build (tax-generating) residential buildings there, potentially with a small amount of ground-level retail. The university would use the revenue stream from this redevelopment to stabilize its own operations and consolidate its campus within a smaller footprint, maintaining the central green as a feature of the campus. The university would then move into a second phase of redevelopment, perhaps adding more residential buildings on current campus land. Either the first or second phase could include a small “boutique” hotel. *City involvement*: In conversations with the University President, Dr. Spence, Mayor Searcy and CM DiSpirito have been encouraging Dr. Spence to bring forward a public presentation of their plans at this point. They have also offered to facilitate introductions to the County Division of Permitting Services and other County officials. City conversations with the university have emphasized the need to avoid drastic transitions between any new development and adjacent residential areas. CM DiSpirito said that the university is “assembling a team” and has been introducing that team to City representatives. Sorry about the awkward line spacing in this message. I am struggling with gmail, and appreciate your forbearance! All the best, Jessica *Jessica C. Landman* *City **Council Member, **Ward One * 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 *Email:* jessical@takomaparkmd.gov *Phone:* 240-997-2422 *Please Note: *This communication may be subject to Maryland’s Public Information Act.
Although Landman expresses support for the 100% affordable housing replacement at Edinburgh House, she underscores potential neighborhood impacts (parking ratios, building envelope, traffic congestion alongside Piney Branch Elementary), reflecting CVT’s approach of highlighting local density concerns even for dedicated affordable housing projects.
"releasing the Audit is simply not possible. We must protect the privacy that City personnel are entitled to. For this to happen, we must maintain the Audit’s confidentiality."
Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) personnel provisions mandate confidentiality for individual personnel investigation records. The City Council released a six-page public summary report outlining key findings, oversight deficiencies, and structural reform recommendations while protecting legally privileged personnel details.
Hello Ward One neighbors, Last Wednesday night’s meeting: the main topic of public comment (and there were quite a number) was the release of the City Council’s report on the Audit that we commissioned, from an independent law firm, regarding the sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit that led to a $1M settlement. People expressed dismay that the full Audit was not made public and they also expressed dissatisfaction with the cost and the length of time it took for the Report’s release after the Audit was completed. These concerns were heard loud and clear. But releasing the Audit is simply not possible. We must protect the privacy that City personnel are entitled to. For this to happen, we must maintain the Audit’s confidentiality. It is frustrating, and I do realize that the City Council (and perhaps City government overall) does not have a deep well of community trust from which it can draw, which is unfortunate. If you have not read the Mayor’s statement https://takomaparkmd.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/393 and Council’s report https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8254/Final-City-Council-Audit-Report-, please consider doing so. The Report contains a number of findings about the matter – sharing as much as we could – and it has specific recommendations for policy reforms and next steps. You can hold us and the City Manager accountable for carrying out those recommendations promptly – I’m sure that Ward One will do just that. Budget and Taxes: We took final votes confirming the City tax rate and budget, and the stormwater budget. And we extended the Takoma-Langley Business Development Authority through 2031. New Apartments Coming: We had a presentation from the Montgomery Housing Partnership (MHP) about their plan to replace the existing Edinburgh House apartment building (Corner of Grant and Maple) with a new building that will approximately triple the number of existing apartments (45) – the exact number of units (many of them 3 bedroom) will be determined in the coming process of permitting and obtaining financing. Deeper dive: All of the apartments will be affordable housing, and many will be deeply affordable – meaning people earning 30% of AMI will be eligible to rent them. Existing tenants will need to be temporarily relocated during the demolition and reconstruction; the MHP explained the process that will be followed to assist all tenants with temporary relocation (within Takoma Park if that is the tenants’ wish) and they will have guaranteed rights to be returned to the replaced building, assuming their income still meets the qualifications. Subsidies to cover the difference between their current rents and any additional rent costs will be provided by MHP for a period of up to 42 months (to account for the time to tear down and replace the existing building). This is exciting news for the City of Takoma Park: this location is very convenient to the City’s local elementary and middle schools and its library, and 3 blocks from the local grocery store offering double SNAP coupons, so it is ideal for families of limited means, and the new building will enable more people to share these locational benefits. Preliminary details that were presented: The new building will occupy the footprint of the current building plus the parking lot that extends beyond the building in the rear, and it may also extend closer to Maple Ave. in the front; it will be about the same height as the current building on the Maple Ave-facing side but will step down on the side and in back where it faces onto single family residences. They plan to have approximately one parking space for each apartment unit. All of the architectural details remain to be developed, but you can see the concept that was shared during the meeting here https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8267/Edinburgh-House-Council-Presentation_51326 (p. 7). MHP said that they plan to work within the applicable zoning rules with respect to building height and setbacks, and that no applications for zoning waivers are anticipated. The process (see p. 11 of the presentation) involves the filing of a plan by MHP with the Park and Planning Commission (mid 2026), City review, of the plan (mid to late 2026); a Planning Board hearing (early 2027) and construction beginning (2028). Tenant relocations would begin in earnest approximately 6 months ahead of demolition. The current schedule for the replacement of the Piney Branch Elementary School could hypothetically coincide with this construction process – but that remains to be seen. If we have two such projects happening at the same time along Maple Ave., we will have a little bit of the Purple Line experience right here at home! But let’s not count our steel girders until they are hatched. Next week’s meeting: we will hear the quarterly financial report for 3Q FY 2026, and discuss an amendment to the City Code (Ch. 2.04) to remove outdated language regarding Council compensation (details not yet available). Now some news and events: This evening (Friday) 5 PM – 7 PM – Free Takoma Park Bluegrass Block Party @ Laurel Ave Streatery: The School of Musical Traditions’ advanced bluegrass ensemble, plus other local favorite bluegrass musicians This evening (Friday) @ 7:30 – Free African dance and drumming performance at the City Auditorium (doors open at 7 PM). Saturday May 16 @ 2 PM – 3:30 PM: Free: Montgomery Montage: A 250-Year Tapestry of Time, People, and Place, at the S.S. B&O Station, 8100 Georgia Ave: Silver Spring Town Center and Montgomery History present our County’s history – from once overwhelmingly rural and agricultural, to increasingly suburban and now highly urbanized in spots. This presentation by a local historian is lavishly illustrated. REGISTER in advance; space is limited. Saturday May 16th: 2 – 5 PM @ 500 Philadelphia Ave: Spring Jazz in the Garden Concert to Benefit We Are CASA: a "Pass the Hat or Scan the QR Code" yard jazz concert to benefit We Are CASA https://wearecasa.org/donate-2-2/?ms=TAKMJazz (please park on Baltimore or Takoma Ave) (BYO Camp chair) Sunday May 17th Peace Park, https://us.list-manage.com/18AXovFHCWT?e=1f59798220&c2id=e094fb977f2af1e10d504fe667ab463a 9 AM – 1 PM @ Takoma Park Gazebo | Info https://us.list-manage.com/fXF9Vy0Kh6V?e=1f59798220&c2id=e094fb977f2af1e10d504fe667ab463a Sunday May 17th 10 AM – 2 PM @ Laurel Ave outside the Farmer’s Market: Crossroads Community Food Fair, starring local food from local growers and chefs (with from TkPk Community Kitchen) Coming on Saturday May 30 @ 12 PM – 5 PM: Takoma Trukgarten https://mainstreettakoma.org/featured-events/takoma-trukgarten/ (go to link for discounted early tickets) @ parking lot by the Co Op on Ethan Allen Ave: local breweries, cideries and distilleries w/ craft beer, cider, spirits, great food and music! Non-drinkers and under 21 enter free. Montgomery College Food Forest Collective: May 16: Herbs for a Happy Heart: Herbs, Qigong, and Presence; May 17 The Food Forest Kitchen: Cooking with the Land (registration and payment required) Upcoming meeting to discuss tree removals on WAH site: Thursday, May 28, 7:30-8:30 PM @ Azalea Room, Community Center, 7500 Maple Ave. Adventist Healthcare, who are demolishing some buildings in preparation for redeveloping the old Hospital site, are holding this meeting to share details of their proposal to remove 10+ trees. (This meeting is mandated by our tree ordinance.) It will be conducted by Rodgers Consulting, Inc https://www.rodgers.com/. Contact their Arborist, Kelly Donovan, kdonovan@rodgers.com, for more info. Tk Pk Green Team SUSTAINABILITY SPEAKER SERIES EVENT, Thursday, May 28 @7:30pm @ Community Center Auditorium: "Beauty, Biodiversity, & Resilience: Creating a Climate-Smart Garden with Native Plants". Explore naturalistic design and planting strategies to create wildscapes that attract birds, pollinators, and humans. All the best, Jessica Jessica C. Landman City Council Member, Ward One 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 Email: jessical@takomaparkmd.gov Phone: 240-997-2422
On the police/harassment lawsuit audit, Landman breaks from CVT's typical "lack of transparency" framing and takes a responsible stance, defending the legal and ethical need to protect employee privacy under Maryland law. However, on the budget, she heavily aligns with CVT and Roger Schlegel's platform, framing the unanimous one-cent tax cut as merely "modest progress" and criticizing the city's "budgeting and oversight process" as leaving "much to be desired," while promoting Schlegel's highly critical PDF analysis to her constituents.
Hello Ward One neighbors, At last Wednesday's City Council meeting, Mayor Searcy announced the release of the Council’s report on the audit we had commissioned from independent counsel regarding the sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit. Here is her statement <https://takomaparkmd.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/393> about it, and here is a link to the text of the Council’s report <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8254/Final-City-Council-Audit-Report-> . I have already heard from several people who are frustrated that the report about the audit does not offer more details. Having been on the other side of the dais for many years, I fully empathize with this frustration, and can only say that it is essential that members of the City Council adhere to privacy protections for City employees. Wednesday’s meeting was refreshingly brief: we took votes on identifying the 2027 list of sidewalks and traffic calming projects to be funded, on approving two contracts (for the tree canopy survey and the annual City audit), and on reauthorizing the Takoma/Langley Crossroads Development Authority. We also took the initial votes on approving the 2027 tax rate – with its one-cent rate reduction – and the budget itself, as well as the stormwater management budget. I voted yes on all of these items. *Deeper Dive: the Budget* In taking this step to finalize the slightly lower FY 2027 tax rate, which I discussed last week (there is still a Second Reading vote to be taken next week), the Council made modest progress in recognizing the financial struggles of many taxpayers; however, I do not feel that we can rest on our laurels. The budgeting and oversight process for our City still leaves much to be desired. My Council colleague Roger Schlegel (Ward 3) produced a post-hoc analysis about this year’s process and where we need to do better in future; I am attaching it to this message in PDF form. It’s long and detailed, so be prepared! In my opinion, he has painted an accurate picture of this year's process and the challenges the City Council should tackle for FY 2028 and beyond. Next week we have a relatively light agenda once again, with final votes on the items requiring a second reading (tax rate and budget for the City, stormwater fund budget and reauthorization of the Crossroads development authority) and a presentation about the Edinburgh House apartment building from the Montgomery Housing Partnership (details not yet posted). *News and events* *Takoma Porch, Takoma Flea, Library Book Sale: this Saturday May 9 (tomorrow!)* Takoma Flea <https://mainstreettakoma.org/featured-events/takoma-flea/>: Flea market on Grant Ave (between Carroll Ave and Hancock Ave) from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, with vintage furniture, clothing, jewelry, records, housewares, repurposed items and more! Takoma Porch <https://takomaradio.org/takoma-radio-now/2026/3/takoma-porch-fest-2026>: 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM: 24 porches host 96 musical performances. Find, jazz, funk, blues, folk, rock, big band and more as you make your way around the porches of Takoma Park. Go to the Takoma Radio (WOWD) site <https://takomaradio.org/takoma-radio-now/2026/3/takoma-porch-fest-2026> to find a list of bands, an interactive map of porch sites, and a schedule of their performances. Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library <https://www.takomaparkmd.gov/1441/Library/>*Spring Book Sale*, Saturday May 9 from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM. More info <https://mainstreettakoma.org/event/friends-of-the-takoma-park-maryland-library-spring-book-sale/> *Sunday May 10: Free Live Performances* at Takoma Park Gazebo, w/ Takoma Music School, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM More info <https://mainstreettakoma.org/event/music-for-all-ages-live-performance-at-takoma-park-gazebo-discover-takoma-music-school/2026-05-10/> *Free African Drum and Dance Presentation*: *Friday May 15th* @ 7:30 PM at the Community Center Auditorium, 7500 Maple Ave. Ni Dembaya African Drum & Dance Ensemble presents traditional and modern rhythm, song and dance from Africa and the global African diaspora. (Be sure to arrive early to ensure that you can find a seat!) *The Crossroads Community Food Fair:* *Sunday, May 17, @ *10 AM -2 PM, at Laurel Ave, rain or shine. Local food entrepreneurs will offer global delights: empanadas, dosas, pupusas, and tacos, plus sweets and locally roasted coffee. Live kid-friendly music and face -painting. A great opportunity to support local businesses by eating! All the best, Jessica *Jessica C. Landman* *City **Council Member, **Ward One * 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 *Email:* jessical@takomaparkmd.gov *Phone:* 240-997-2422 *Please Note: *This communication may be subject to Maryland’s Public Information Act.
Schlegel's post-hoc budget critique reflects CVT's platform of fiscal skepticism. By comparing the City's independent police force (42 officers) to a hypothetical County takeover (23 officers) and suggesting some municipal functions could be offloaded to the County, he echoes CVT's arguments that local services are an inefficient use of tax dollars. He also downplays the one-cent tax cut as a "half-measure" that fails to address the "fundamentals" of the budget process.
"Montgomery County estimates that in the absence of a Takoma Park police department, it could provide criminal investigative services for this geographic area by adding only three (3) detectives... Overall, Montgomery County estimates that it could take on police coverage for the Takoma Park geographic area by adding 23 sworn officers."
The County's projection of adding 23 officers refers to the marginal staffing increase required for the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) to absorb Takoma Park into its existing district command structure. It does not represent an equivalent replication of the local patrol frequency, community policing programs, or response times currently provided by Takoma Park's 42-officer department.
FY27 BUDGET PROCESS WRAP-UP – reprinted from Council Member Schlegel’s communique to his constituents The ideal budget process: One of my five goals as a council member is to promote greater transparency and accountability in our municipal government. The budget process is the best opportunity to advance this goal. Ideally, this process would begin with a review of outcomes for programmatic objectives set by the City Council. This review would enable the City Manager, supported by staff, to dialogue with the Council in order to adjust or refine objectives. The Council would then revise performance targets, informed by the Manager and staff’s estimates of what can be accomplished at various levels of revenues and expenditures. Our actual budget process: If you’ve followed our City budget process, then you know that it is far from the ideal above. First, in November and December, the Council expresses a few broad “priorities” without setting any measurable objectives. The Council also signals what property tax rate they would like the Manager to plan for. Two or three months go by, during which time departments present annual reports, which detail accomplishments and point to some ongoing intentions. Then in March, the Manager brings forward the proposed budget , based on an assumption of “maintenance of services.” The following weeks include a series of presentations about revenue forecasts and various budgetary cost areas. The Council gets opportunities to ask for clarifying information. In the final stage (this year, three sessions across nine days), Council members can propose specific reconciliation items (additions or subtractions), advocate for them, and then bring them to a vote. Ultimately, the approved reconciliation items on the revenue and expenditure sides of the ledger generate very minor adjustments in the overall $40 million budget, in the range of 1 to 2% at most. The broad outlines of the proposed budget are almost guaranteed to remain unchanged. Few performance objectives: With this process, the Council never sets performance objectives at the outset – just as it never sets performance objectives for multi-year strategic plans (other than the long-term carbon reduction goals in the Climate Emergency response strategy). Therefore, after a fiscal year has concluded, the Council is unable to effectively evaluate the quality of programs and services. In fact, the Council doesn’t even request the Manager to tabulate the costs of programs (rather than departments or divisions). Fro m year to year, the structure and functions of the government generally roll on with little comprehensive review. As evidence of this, in the almost thirty years since Takoma Park unified within Montgomery County and ceased to be a bi -county municipality, the City has never undertaken a study of whether any of its functions or services could be provided by Montgomery County, to which all residents now pay taxes. Examples of uncertainty: As we look now toward Fiscal Year 2027, here are some examples of pr ogrammatic areas funded by the Takoma Park City Council without establishing any clear expectations or corresponding performance measures: The Criminal Investigations Division (CID) of the police department is funded to have twelve (12) positions, including eight (8) sworn officers who are issued vehicles for personal use. A comparative review of clearance rates (new crimes compared to crimes resolved) suggests that overall, the performance of Takoma Park’s CID is no better than that of the Montgomery County police. Montgomery County estimates that in the absence of a Takoma Park police department, it could provide criminal investigative services for this geographic area by adding only three (3) detectives. Overall, Montgomery County estimates that it could take on police coverage for the Takoma Park geographic area by adding 23 sworn officers. Takoma Park’s police department will be budgeted for 42 sworn officers in FY27. The total cost to Takoma Park of a single patrol officer (salary, benefits, pension , uniform, equipment, supplies, human resources support, vehicle, and fuel) may be as high as $200,000, although that number can only be estimated from disparate line items in the budget. (The Manager has stated that a formal request from the City Council would be required before the full costs of the police program could be tabulated.) In FY27, that one $200,000 position would cost the median home-owning taxpayer $43 in property taxes. The police department’s Administrative Services Division has a management objective of increasing the collections rate for citations issued, but it can provide no data on the current collections rate. The police department handles vacancies by shifting officers from other divisions into patrol functions, but it can provide no records of the amount of overtime, and thus the cost, of these shifts. The Economic Development team of the department of housing and community development cannot provide specific objectives that it aims to achieve in FY27 toward establishing cross -jurisdictional partnerships for New Hampshire Avenue corridor redevelopment although more than fifteen years have passed since the establishment of the “New Ave” redevelopment initiative. The City will spend $30,000 for an outside consultant to engage in t enant organizing in multifamily buildings, but staff estimate that this investment will result in the establishment of just two (2) new tenant organizations. One year after the Council approved $1.685 million for the “Atrium project” renovations to the lower level and central core of the Community Center, an additional $90,000 for furniture has been added to that estimated cost. Since the project has still not been put out to bid, its actual cost is not known and staff are considering cutting out certain elements that were seen as required by designating them as optional. Also, the three spaces to be constructed for mental-health clinicians may turn out to house County employees who devote only a fraction of their time to serving Takoma Park residents. Setting performance objectives is a City Council responsibility: To emphasize, the lack of clear objectives or measures in the examples above is not the fault of City staff. It is primarily due to the City Council not setting expectations up-front and insisting upon more useful performance measures. There is no reason to expect staff to collect and report data that has not been requested by the Council. Some departments justify budget requests well: It is important to note that some departments, including Public Works, Recreation, and the Library, do a fine job of stating plans, reporting outcomes, and overall justifying needs. The budget questions asked of these departments elicited responses that we re by-and-large well-grounded in facts and understandable to the layperson. Consequences of not setting performance objectives: The lack of objective-setting by the Council has insidious consequences that should concern all residents as well as employees. First, the absence of agreed-upon measures of performance means that any council member’s reasonable questions about the effectiveness of a program, service, or initiative can come across as demeaning to staff and thus threatening to staff morale. If yo u watch Council meetings, you will see some members cautioning, or even chastising, other members who raise these kinds of questions. Second, the lack of clearly prioritized programmatic targets undercuts employees’ ability to turn down special, “urgent” requests from residents or council members that fall outside of those priorities . It becomes difficult for employees to establish and adhere to any sort of established work plan or deadline. Third, from an equity standpoint, residents or council members with more access may exercise undue influence on the allocation of staff members’ time. Outside assessments don’t make up for missing performance expectations: Without good measures of performance, outside studies and assessments can be cherry-picked to find the conclusions one seeks. For example, regarding the question of our police department’s size, I have had it pointed out to me that this question was settled four years ago: the June 2022 Takoma Park Organizational Assessment Final Report, prepared by t he Matrix Consulting Group, judges the police department to have precisely the right staffing levels. However, this judgment is built upon several key assumptions, the most significant being about how much of the time our community wants and needs our police officers to be in a “proactive” state (essentially, not actively responding to service calls). The report cautions that “optimal proactivity levels are a generalized target … the actual needs of an individual Police Department vary based on a number of factors, including: (1) other resources the Police Department has to proactively engage with the community and address issues, such as a dedicated proactive traffic unit, (2) community expectations and ability to support a certain level of service, and (3) whether fluctuations in the workload levels throughout the day require additional or fewer resources to be staffed to provide adequate coverage” (34-35). However, this caution is immediately contradicted with the assertion that “given the dense geographic response area and the community’s desire for a high proactive threshold, TKPD should generally target an overall proactivity level of at least 60% as an effective benchmark of patrol coverage” (35). The 2022 Organizational Assessment recommended robust performance measures: Furthermore, that same Organizational Assessment emphasizes as one of its recommendations for the City Manager’s Office: “The City of Takoma Park should implement a more data-informed decision-making framework to more effectively document existing performance and provide data for future decision-making regarding service levels and, in some cases, staffing levels needed to maintain or change service levels. By collecting, analyzing and utilizing data regarding service provision, the City can improve decision-making and education of the public regarding City overall performance and ensure transparency for the organization regarding service levels” [citation omitted]. Four years after the recommendation was received, a limited number of new measures will be implemented in FY27. For the police department, the two new measures will be (1) average years of service among uniformed officers and (2) count of officer separations, categorized by reason from exit interviews. It is difficult to see how these two performance measures will advance understanding of and dialogue about the effectiveness of our public safety program. It sure looks as though our budget system has these purposes: From a systems-thinking perspective, the purpose of a system can be judged by what it does on a continuing basis, rather than on what it says it is out to accomplish. An examination of the Takoma Park budget system indicates that its purposes are (1) to perpetuate the government organization’s structure and size, (2) to shield elected officials from the pressure of evaluating program effectiveness, and (3) to ensure that people with greater access get more of what they want, more quickly, from the government. Why I asked so many questions during this budget process [JL note – I also asked a relatively large number of questions] : During the budget process that is about to conclude, I tried to work through the problem of limited performance measures by asking many questions in writing of City staff, to the point w here I was called out by a Council colleague for placing undue burdens on staff. (Councilmembers Landman and Dyballa also asked quite a few questions.) While I recognize that my approach was an unwieldy way to operate, I couldn’t discern any other way to carry out my oversight obligations as an elected representative of residents and taxpayers. The bullet points above convey just a few of many facts that came into focus in responses to Council -initiated questions. I was less successful in asking questions during Council meetings – such as about the future plans for disposing of $3 million in “Assigned Reserves,” or about the Manager’s intentions regarding salary increases for management staff – because the meeting format doesn’t allow for extended give-and-take and it is possible for others to cut off lines of questioning. It’s just as valid not to ask questions, depending on your philosophy: Other Council colleagues took the approach of asking few, or no questions at all during the budget process. While my philosophy is something like, “If a request can’t be justified, it may not be necessary,” these colleagues may have the philosophy that “If a request can’t be justified, it should still be trusted – out of respect for staff expertise.” When the Council doesn’t set expectations up-front, either of these philosophies is arguably valid when budget time rolls around. What happened during this year’s budget reconciliation: reductions and increases: I co-proposed, with Councilmember Landman, a wide range of reconciliation items to bring down the short -term or long-term cost of our government, or to place some gentle pressure on staff to better ju stify requests. We also proposed, or joined with Councilmember Dyballa, in proposing some increases in spending to respond to needs such as tree -canopy expansion, assistance for immigrants and households hit hard by Trump administration actions, and additi onal programming for students frequenting the Library after school. Councilmember Landman and I were the only === PAGE 4 === members to propose significant cuts to the budget. Few of these were approved by a majority of the Council although the police department did postpone some of its requested equipment purchases. See this spreadsheet for reconciliation items that made it through the process to approval. Easy choices, and a half-measure: Council members came together around some fairly easy decisions: expanding funds available for grants to community organizations to spend for people with urgent needs and increasing the property tax levied on utility companies’ assets in Takoma Park. Neither of these required grappling with questions about the number or functions of staff, and the tax increase for utility companies, whose cost will be spread across hundreds of thousands of ratepayers in the service area, has virtually no impact on Takoma Park residents. On one key question about the size of staff, the Council insisted that 2.5 temporary positions funded for administering the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) be discontinued or offset by permanent cuts in other areas. The City Manager met the Council halfway by proposing cutbacks that would cover half of the roughly $400,0 00 [annual] cost of making those positions permanent (cutting one unfilled police corporal position and several incremental part -time hours, such as in Recreation operations; and designating some service contract changes as permanent, sustainable savings). The Manager committed to finding the other half of the “sustainable savings” needed by the time he proposes an FY28 budget. Raising taxes on utilities’ property lowered residential property taxes: With the increased tax on utility companies, the Council was able, in final reconciliation, to cut the residential property tax rate by a penny to 54.22 cents per hundred dollars assessed value. This reduction will amount to about $70 for a household with a median- priced home. I’d call this a creative reallocation of the tax burden, but I wouldn’t call it a win for “budget sustainability” – because the fundamentals of our budget process, as outlined above, remain unchanged. In fact, it was not the City Council, but a keen-eyed resident, Arthur David Olson, who originally identified and proposed the utility property tax change. Our 54.22 cents property tax rate still reigns as the highest in Montgomery County by far, with our closest “competitors” (FY26 rates) being Rockville (29.2 cents) and Gaithersburg (26.2 cents). Further details on the FY27 budget reconciliation process No way to know what a reasonable cost of government would be : In FY27, the median-priced home’s household will still owe the City about $3,800 in property taxes. Is this the right amount to support the community we aspire to be? Too much? Too little? The Takoma Park budget system doesn’t foster a definitive answer to this question. Council members, staff members, residents, businesses can come and go, and arguments can carry on year after year about this question, because leaving this question unanswered is the implicit purpose of our budget system – unless voters demand change the establishment of a robust set of performance measures and a program-based budgeting system. What concerned residents can do: If you are the sort of person who has read all the way to this conclusion, I would like to encourage you, as a fellow resident and voter, to do everything you can to change the Takoma Park budget system so that its purposes shift to (1) making the government organization’s structure and size responsive to actual needs as they change over time, (2) holding council members accountable for evaluating program effectiveness, and (3) predicating the allocation of resources on a holistic, equitable assessment of community needs. Some of the ways you can take action include, of course, participating in the election process, holding the Council (including me) accountable, making or submitting public comments at meetings, talking about the issues with friends and neighbors around town, studying the budget on your own, raising questions about program performance, respecting employees’ time and workflows, letting the Council and Manager know about positive or negative experiences with City services, lifting the voices and needs of people with less access to or awareness of City processes, responding to surveys, participating in community meetings, and considering a run for office.
Her framing of the property tax reduction aligns with CVT's emphasis on fiscal constraints as a tool to limit city operations. She cites resident Arthur David Olson to claim that the resulting 2.58% revenue increase is an "inflection point in reining in spending," framing standard revenue growth from property assessments as a spending issue. Additionally, her stance on postponing police equipment and demanding "evaluation metrics" reflects CVT's skepticism of public safety expenditures.
Hello Ward One neighbors, Happy Bike Month! *Last week’s meeting:* At last week’s City Council meeting, after some quick discussions about re-authorizing the Takoma-Langley Crossroads development Authority for 5 years and re-enlisting the same contractors to do our financial auditing and tree canopy inventorying for one more year, we turned to the year’s final discussion about the City budget: what will we spend money on, and what tax rate will we adopt? Mayor Searcy proposed that the tax rate be reduced by one cent per mil, from $0.5522 to $0.5422. Her position was that the newly-agreed utility tax increase would cover the revenue reduction in property tax that this would entail, and on a sustainable basis -- i.e., without triggering the need for a tax increase in future years, since the utility tax will continue to generate sufficient revenues to cover this change after FY 2027. CM Schlegel and I made the case that the increase in revenues from the utility tax coupled with some spending reductions proposed by the staff and adopted by the Council could support a *two cent* reduction in the property tax rate; we were the only two who voted for the two-cent reduction, but I am pleased to report that the council did then unanimously vote for the proposed one-cent reduction in the property tax rate. According to our resident budget guru Arthur David Olson, this will result in a revenue increase to the City of $438,255, which is 2.58% over the FY 2026 level: *that 2.58% increase in City tax revenues is actually lower than the Federal cost-of-living adjustment of 2.8% for 2026 –* so I consider this an important inflection point in reining in spending. A number of reductions proposed by the staff, helping to drive spending downwards, were for items on the Police Department’s equipment list: a new armory cabinet @ $40,000; a blood drying cabinet @ $14,000; new guns and holsters @ $50,000, and training simulators/equipment @ $31,500. The TPPD indicated they were postponing rather than cancelling these proposed purchases, which totaled $135,500. But the Council will have another opportunity to evaluate these proposals before next year, and I continue to believe that we need to put in place evaluation metrics for determining local police costs and benefits – something that I would want to see before we move forward to fund a number of these items. *Next Wednesday’s City Council meeting: *On May 6th we will vote on which traffic calming and sidewalk projects <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8233/agenda-item-20260506-Traffic-Calming-and-Sidewalk-Projects> to undertake in FY 2027, and take the first of 2 votes needed to adopt the FY 2027 tax rate discussed above (which should simply confirm the vote we took last week). We will also vote on adopting the stormwater management budget and the City’s FY 2027 budget, and to reauthorize the Takoma Langley Crossroads Development Authority <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8232/agenda-item-20260506-TLCDA-Reauthorization>, the auditors’ contract <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8231/agenda-Item-20260506-Audit-Services> and the tree canopy survey contract <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8230/agenda-item-20260506-2025-Sole-Source>. I plan to vote yes on all of these. *Deeper dive: Taxation and spending: * While modest, the reduction in our tax rate that was adopted unanimously by the City Council last week does signify that the Council as a whole heard the plea from taxpayers during what is a financially precarious time for many. The City budget does still have room to go on a fiscal diet, without impinging on programs that many in Ward One strongly support, among which the most popular seem to be: (a) recreational services including (thanks to our generous needs-tested scholarship programs) low- and no-cost sports, before- and after-school care and summer camps; (b) excellent library and public works services; (c) indirect subsidies in the form of low or no taxes on multifamily dwellings that enable the City to support its rent stabilization program, and (d) grant programs to support community nonprofits aiding the most vulnerable, including many immigrant families. Even while retaining these programs and services, the City Manager managed to sequester $3M in ‘Assigned Reserves’ for both FY 2026 and the upcoming FY 2027 budget to be ready to address any budgetary emergencies that might be caused by the current Administration’s fiscal, hiring and immigration policies. In FY 2026 to date, we have not had to draw from that Assigned Reserve. If we reach the final quarter of FY 2027 with the Assigned Reserve set-aside largely intact, then I think we can make the case that these funds enable a further reduction in the FY 2028 tax rate because we can utilize those funds (plus interest!) as a cushion to reduce the needed revenues in FY 2028 and beyond. We shall have to see what FY 2027 has in store for the City’s bottom line, but I am cautiously optimistic. *Upcoming events:* *Happening right now**: Sunday May 3rd*: *Takoma Park House and Garden Tour*. 1-5 PM. “Suburb in the City – Takoma DC”. The tour route starts at Trinity Episcopal Church, 7005 Piney Branch Rd., NW – go there to purchase or pick up tickets. *May 6: Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day:* Bike or roll your way to school with friends and family. The Takoma Park Police will be *leading a voluntary bike escort* for students on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, beginning at 7:30 am. The escort will assemble at 7620 Maple Avenue and is open to all student riders who wish to join, but*students must wear a helmet to participate*. The escort will include one marked police vehicle and several officers on bicycles. Riders will gather at the starting location before heading to Piney Branch Elementary School, the first stop on the route, where additional riders are welcome to join. From there, the group will continue down Maple Avenue, turn right onto Philadelphia Avenue, and make a stop at Takoma Park Elementary School. The final destination will be Takoma Park Middle School. Additional officers will be stationed along the route. Officers will also be handing out bike safety reflectors to participating students. *Thursday, May 7th, 2026 from 7:00-9:00* in the Auditorium at 7500 Maple Ave: The Tk Pk sustainability office will host the City’s annual *'Go Solar, TkPk! <https://takomaparkmd.gov/2294/Go-Solar>'* info session -- an interactive event to help residents, renters and property owners make the transition to clean energy in order to reduce their energy bills and their carbon emissions. It will feature presentations and Q&A with experts about both rooftop and community solar options. (And we will learn about ‘*plug-in solar’ – *solar panels you can put on your balcony or porch, and plug in to send power back to the grid!!) Come and learn more. *Sidewalk Design Meeting for Hancock Ave – May 7th at 7 PM (Virtual). *Possible designs for either side of the street will be evaluated. Email to darylb@takomaparkmd.gov if you need a Zoom invitation. Go to this page <https://takomaparkmd.gov/2489/Current-Project-Status> and scroll down to Hancock Ave. to see the two proposed designs. *Saturday May 9: Takoma Flea and Takoma Porch!* Takoma Flea <https://mainstreettakoma.org/featured-events/takoma-flea/>: on Grant Ave from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. Vendors selling a mix of vintage furniture, clothing, jewelry, records, housewares, repurposed items and more! Takoma Porch <https://takomaradio.org/takoma-radio-now/2026/3/takoma-porch-fest-2026>: all over, (see this map <https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?ll=38.97725758351589%2C-77.01153775&mid=1qbxJhDRAX7M1Vrq8tJAygVOB_L8hMi0&z=15>) from 2 PM – 6 PM: 24 porches will host 96 musical performances. Find, jazz, funk, blues, folk, rock, big band and more as you make your way around the porches of Takoma Park. (Shameless plug: My own front porch at 232 Park Ave will be a Jazz Porch, and from 5-6 PM there will be a Jazz Jam that you are invited to join: bring your own instruments! All credit to Council Spouse Dan Mullaney.) *New Red-Light enforcement cameras being activated* at the Intersection of University Blvd (eastbound) and New Hampshire Avenue (northbound). *The thirty-day warning period will begin on May 1, 2026. After thirty days, citations rather than warnings will begin to be issued.* Learn more here: https://takomaparkmd.gov/1999/Red-Light-Camera-Enforcement-Program All the best, Jessica *Jessica C. Landman* *City **Council Member, **Ward One * 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 *Email:* jessical@takomaparkmd.gov *Phone:* 240-997-2422 *Please Note: *This communication may be subject to Maryland’s Public Information Act.
Her framing of the $3M Assigned Reserve as "excessively gloomy" and her push to reduce it to fund immediate expenditures aligns with CVT's tendency to downplay long-term fiscal risks projected by the city's financial consultants (Raftelis) in order to dispute the necessity of maintaining reserves or to argue that the city has "excess" money that should prevent tax increases.
"This utility tax increase makes sense: we have some of the oldest utility infrastructure in the County and it frequently breaks down, inconveniencing us and costing us time and money."
The public utility property tax is a tax on the operating property of utilities within city limits. According to the City Charter & Budget Guide, these tax revenues flow directly into the City's General Fund to support general municipal operations. They are not earmarked for, nor do they fund, the maintenance or repair of private utility companies' infrastructure.
Hello Ward One neighbors, *Last Wednesday’s City Council meeting* dealt predominantly with City finances, including the important issue of how we compensate our City’s employees. *Compensation and Classification for City Employees: *We began with a presentation <https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8144/2026-employee-compensation-and-classification-study> about the recently completed Employee Classification and Compensation (C&C) Study <https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8144/2026-employee-compensation-and-classification-study>, and the recommendations that stemmed from its findings. (This study contains much that will interest people curious about the complicated balancing act of ensuring that we pay competitive wages to attract great candidates, maintain equitable salary differentials across skill and tenure ranges, and live within our City’s means.) The C&C presentation highlighted some City strengths (like a strong mission-driven culture, good benefits package and flexibility for work/life balance) and some challenges (like communications and transparency, pay equity, and outdated job descriptions and pay structure). All of these issues may prove relevant in the ongoing union negotiations now underway. Ultimately, I anticipate recommended C&C reforms from the City Manager. *Budget: *We debated and took votes to reconcile the proposed City budget. As I have reported before, CM Schlegel (Ward 3) and I had proposed a number of changes in the initial draft budget: some aimed at raising additional revenues without raising property taxes, some to cut excessive (or at least what we considered unjustified/explained) planned spending, and some to increase money available for high priorities such as combating food and housing insecurity caused by Federal policies. The discussions prompted by our proposals, as well as a number of other constructive proposals from CM Dyballa, led to some changes in the proposed budget. For example, we voted to implement an increase in the tax on public utilities, which will yield an additional $318,515 in revenues. This was a constructive compromise offered by CMs Wesolek and Honzak in reaction to a larger increase initially proposed by CM Schlegel and me and a smaller one from CM Dyballa. This utility tax increase makes sense: we have some of the oldest utility infrastructure in the County and it frequently breaks down, inconveniencing us and costing us time and money. This tax increase will be spread across the entire rate base of utilities. With this increased City revenue, the costs of other expenditures that I supported (for: grants to nonprofits serving those in need; City emergency assistance; increased security infrastructure for the Council chamber, and an additional sidewalk project) will be paid for. CMs Schlegel and I, as well as a number of residents, had raised questions about a number of proposed expenditures for police equipment that had not been clearly explained or justified (and we had thus proposed removing them from the budget). During reconciliation the City Manager and staff actually removed a number of these items, including: two firearms training simulators, a blood drying cabinet, and an across the board upgrade in firearms and holsters. (We also proposed that the $90,000 for Atrium project furniture also be cut from the budget for FY 27, because we do not believe it is feasible that the furniture will be needed by July 1, 2027 for a project that has not even been put out to bid as yet; we lost that vote.) While the Police Department asked to delay rather than cancel the spending items listed above, the delay will give us a chance to gain more insight into the TPPD’s needs before voting. Following an eloquent and clear commentary from CM Gilbert (a former TPPD officer), about the potential impact on the current force of postponing the hiring one new entry -level officer, CM Schlegel and I withdrew that proposal. An effort that we advanced, to use some funds destined for the Equipment Replacement Reserve within the General Fund this year, to pay down our outstanding police pension fund liability in order to reduce future payments and save money over the longer term, did not pass – but it did prompt a very constructive discussion about how a pay-down strategy might be implemented in future. Notably, when the City Manager determines that the emergency/uncertainty risk for current Administration policies no longer justifies retaining a $3M ‘assigned reserve’ (which our financial consultant Raftelis projected might occur in FY 28), then some of that reserve could potentially be deployed to reduce long term pension liabilities. The same could be done with end-of-year underspending that gives us an unassigned reserve in excess of the 17.5% level that the experts recommend that municipalities maintain. While less immediately gratifying than a tax rate reduction, this sort of step a) reduces future City spending obligations, and (b) reduces the temptation to spend more money just because it is ‘available’. The alternative suggestions noted above were posited by the City Manager in response to our proposal, and I considered the discussion about this long-term budgetary issue to be illuminating and helpful. But in response to a related proposal made by CM Schlegel and me, the City Manager recommended against modestly reducing his proposed $3M Assigned Reserve set-aside for FY 27 by 5% less for income tax revenue uncertainty, or $26,5000, and 15% less for grant funding uncertainty, or $221,000, based on his reading of the risks we may face, which we deemed excessively gloomy. Our proposals were then voted down by the full Council. When we meet on May 6th (in 2 weeks) we will see the final budget reconciliation package, with the many additions and subtractions voted on last Wednesday, and we will take the first vote on the budget and the tax rate. I have not yet made a final decision about my votes. But I do feel that this year’s budget process was more transparent and comprehensible to the public than in past years. Let me also thank the residents, particularly the budget working group, for their constructive presentations and comments throughout the process. *Next Council Meeting*: This Wednesday, April 29th we will have a presentation <https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8144/2026-employee-compensation-and-classification-study> about the Takoma/Langley Crossroads Development Authority and a proposal to extend its expiring legal authorization for 5 years through FY31; discuss a one year extension <https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8144/2026-employee-compensation-and-classification-study> for our contract for annual audits by Barbican Thornton & Co. (seems sensible), and discuss authorizing staff to retain the University of Vermont via sole source contract <https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8188/agenda-item-2060429-Sole-Source-Coversheet> for an update to the City’s periodic Tree Canopy analysis (I think the last one, which they did in 2022,was very good). *Now here are some community events and other news:* *Crossroads Market opened for the Season: *The weekly market is on Wednesdays from 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM, on Anne St. at University Blvd. East, one block west of New Hampshire Ave. (next to Mega Mart). Amazing fresh produce and lots of delicious prepared foods – a perfect way to avoid cooking! *Takoma Park Community Band Concert: Musical Travelogue Across the USA*, Friday May 1@ 7:30 PM at the Community Center, 7500 Maple Ave. Free! Music and literature, including compositions by John Philip Sousa, the Beach Boys, and several film composers, and readings from Dorothy Parker, Tennessee Williams, Maya Angelou, and other authors. *Tile Mate Air Tag giveaway: Saturday* May 2 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM @ corner of Maple Ave and Sligo Creek Parkway : The City will be distributing free tracking tags to residents of Takoma Park to help them keep track of their valuables. These tags are tracking devices that can aid in locating and recovering missing or stolen property (including cars or other items). Distribution will occur while supplies last – first come, first served. You will need proof of Takoma Park residency, and a photo ID that shows that your vehicle’s registration address matches your current address. *Historic Takoma’s Annual House and Garden Tour*, this year themed ‘Suburb in the City,’ is Sunday May 3 from 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM, starting at 7005 Piney Branch Road (Trinity Episcopal Church). Tour begins at 1 PM. Ticket distribution begins at 12:45 PM. Purchase tickets here <https://historic-takoma-inc.square.site/s/shop> *Walk, Bike and Roll to School Day*: Wednesday, May 6: Students are encouraged to ride bikes, scooters or wheelchairs, or walk to school on Wed. May 6th for annual Bike, Walk and Roll to School Day! (Helmets are a must!) *Deeper Dive: What happened in Annapolis during the 2026 General Assembly*: Below are some highlights of legislation enacted by the MD General Assembly, which I am shamelessly excerpting from the newsletter of our awesome District 20 Delegate, Lorig Charkoudian, now the Vice Chair of the Economic Matters Committee. (Forgive me for formatting weirdness.) (Note: HB=House Bill; SB=Senate Bill) *Immigration:* *Clear Zoning Rules for Private Detention Facilities (**HB1017* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678058/615159835/-1026464267?ys=2026rs&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> */**SB984* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678059/615159836/1805025127?ys=2026RS&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> *)* - Preventsa private detention facility from being approved unless the zoning code explicitly allows it. *No Kings Act (**HB332* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678060/615159837/1824442403?ys=2026rs&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> */**SB346* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678061/615159838/-918699065?ys=2026RS&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> *)* - Allows Marylanders to sue federal agents who violate their U.S. Constitutional rights. *Maryland Values Act of 2026 (**HB1341* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678062/615159839/630638624?ys=2026rs&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> */**SB810* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678063/615159840/-1733162296?ys=2026RS&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> *) *- Adds courthouses to the list of ‘sensitive locations’ where ICE cannot do enforcement; also prohibits school resource officers from participating in immigration enforcement and requires reporting to school leadership on immigration enforcement in schools. *Community Trust Act (**HB1575* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678064/615159841/-240842718?ys=2026rs&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> */**SB791* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678065/615159842/-2052656812?ys=2026RS&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> *) *- Limits state and local law enforcement from colluding with federal immigration enforcement, allowing police to focus on genuine public safety and build trust with immigrant communities. *Immigration Enforcement Agreements Prohibition (**HB0444* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678066/615159843/-628911224?ys=2026rs&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> */**SB245* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678067/615159844/647384873?ys=2026RS&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> *) *- Prohibits 287(g) agreements in the state; these agreements allow for local law enforcement to be deputized by ICE to carry out federal immigration enforcement activities. *Data Privacy Act (**HB711* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678068/615159845/541782356?ys=2026rs&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> */**SB504* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678069/615159846/652544035?ys=2026RS&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> *)* - Ensures that Marylanders’ sensitive data stored in state-maintained databases is shielded from unwarranted federal surveillance and misuse and reassures Marylanders that state agencies prioritize their safety and privacy. *Prohibition on Face Coverings (**HB155* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678072/615159849/1808654062?ys=2026rs&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> */**SB1* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678073/615159850/249259503?ys=2026RS&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> *)* - Mandates that the Police Training and Standards Commission create a uniform policy prohibiting law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings except in certain circumstances. *Climate, Energy, and the Environment* *Utility RELIEF (Reducing Energy Load Inflation for Everyday Families) Act (**HB1532* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678032/615159809/-1004009439?ys=2026RS&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> *)* - Energy costs are one of the highest burdens our community is facing right now. This Session we prioritized making bills more affordable while optimizing our use of clean energy. Some significant aspects of this mammoth bill include: · *Data centers*: This legislation establishes stronger standards to make sure data centers pay for their impact on the electric grid. It also creates a large load registry to track information about planned energy and water usage at these facilities. · *Clean Energy for Data Centers*: Data centers that get 80% –100% of their energy from clean energy sources and pay prevailing wages for workers constructing the facility will now be eligible for priority interconnection to the grid. (*HB940* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678033/615159810/484015971?ys=2026RS&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> /*SB596* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678034/615159811/1079511077?ys=2026RS&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> ). · *Forecasted Ratemaking*: Forecasted ratemaking is a process where a utility predicts what energy demand will look like in a hypothetical future year, then develops their costs based on the need to meet that predicted demand. A moratorium on this practice was created to limit increases on electricity rates while the Public Service Commission studies if this is a good practice for ratepayers. · *Universal Service Programs*: Expanded access to these cost-saving programs to individuals not eligible under federal law. · * Improving the Efficiency of the Electrical Grid*: Utilities will be required to demonstrate they are using advanced transmission and grid-enhancing technologies, to get the most bang for the buck on our transmission system. (*HB40* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678035/615159812/1036085840?ys=2026rs&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> /*SB201* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678036/615159813/1412058917?ys=2026RS&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> ). · *Balcony Solar*: Small, portable, “balcony” solar units will now be authorized for use in the state, which will ensure all households who want to join the clean energy movement have access. (*HB345* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678037/615159814/1290585028?ys=2026RS&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> /*SB341* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678038/615159815/-918699072?ys=2026RS&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> ). *Community Choice Aggregation Pilot Program (**HB597* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678049/615159826/1481182340?ys=2026RS&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323>*/MC 17-26)* - Extends the deadlines for Montgomery County’s Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Program pilot project. *Birth Certificate Modernization Act (**HB1589* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678094/615159871/-856814474?ys=2026rs&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> */**SB626* <https://click.ngpvan.com/k/129678095/615159872/-1295876928?ys=2026RS&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9OR1AvTkdQMzAvMS85MDQyMiIsDQogICJEaXN0cmlidXRpb25VbmlxdWVJZCI6ICIwMTQzNjVhOS1hMDNhLWYxMTEtOGVmMi0wMDBkM2ExNGI2NDAiLA0KICAiRW1haWxBZGRyZXNzIjogImpsYW5kbWFuQG11bGxhbmQubmV0Ig0KfQ%3D%3D&hmac=YunuSHkX6zHnmuRQAPZoluIfdSyWtDARiMthNRAZcys=&emci=214ca03d-ee39-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=014365a9-a03a-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=42896323> *)* All the best, Jessica *Jessica C. Landman* *City **Council Member, **Ward One * 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 *Email:* jessical@takomaparkmd.gov *Phone:* 240-997-2422 *Please Note: *This communication may be subject to Maryland’s Public Information Act.
Her advocacy for cutting police vacancies by claiming "we have a larger force than the County considers needed for our size" echoes CVT's ongoing platform to downplay public safety staffing requirements and reduce police funding, while ignoring police department analyses on proactive policing hours and geographic coverage needs.
"During the reconciliation debate, CM Schlegel and I recommended that we eliminate some or all of those remaining unfilled slots from the budget, because we have a larger force than the County considers needed for our size and population, and larger than other comparable cities."
Montgomery County does not make official determinations regarding the staffing needs of independent municipal police departments. The "estimates" referenced are hypothetical projections of how many officers the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) would need to add to its own ranks *if* Takoma Park abolished its municipal police force entirely. This does not represent an endorsement or finding by the County that the current City force is oversized for its local service goals.
Hello Ward One neighbors, Last Monday we had a work session to begin the process of ‘reconciliation’ in which we prepared to vote to adjust the City Manager’s proposed budget. These changes include adjustments from staff as spending or revenue projections change, and changes originating from the Council. We have not yet begun voting on these proposed changes, but only to put them into a big spreadsheet <https://takomaparkmd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8130/agenda-item-reconciliation-20260413>. (The spreadsheet is not posted on the Budget <https://takomaparkmd.gov/2511/FY-2027-City-Council-Budget-Process> page of the website, but can be found on the City Council Agenda from last week.) (Budget Q&A number 5, with a number of additional, helpful responses from the staff to remaining questions from the Council, should be posted soon on the Budget page.) On Monday there will be a hearing on the budget, then a budget work session that will include the review of proposed spending on traffic calming and sidewalk construction. Voting on the budget reconciliation proposals will commence on Wednesday the 22nd. At last Monday’s work session – Warning! You are entering the weeds! – we had a detailed explanation from the City Manager <https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8139/FY27-Budget_Post-ARPA-Staffing> about his proposal to retain some of the staff hired using ARPA money – positions originally slated to be temporary, but the jobs have evolved and he considers these staffers crucial. CM DiSpirito laid out his proposal to find sustainable savings elsewhere in the budget in 2027 and beyond to make up for these added costs. For FY 2027 this requires that he find only half of the money to cover the personnel costs – about $198,000.00 – because ARPA funds are still covering them for half of the year (ARPA $ must all be spent by the end of this *calendar* year 2026, which covers half of our *fiscal* year 2027.) But in 2028 and beyond, that figure will double because a full year’s worth of personnel costs will need to be covered by the General Fund. One way that he proposes to save is ‘*elimination* of 1.0 FTE vacant corporal position in the Police Department (rather than just transferring this expense to the Red-Light Camera fund, as … originally proposed)’. He also pointed to the fact that in the initial budget he had ‘another 0.5 FTE savings via eliminating pooled part-time hours from the Recreation and Communications departments (annual savings: $17,633.12 or 0.38 FTE from Recreation, plus $5,849.59 or 0.12 FTE from Communications, for an overall total of $23,482.71 annually or 0.5 FTEs.’ Other proposed efficiencies include savings on software and other management programs the City purchased in previous years. I appreciate that the CM is striving to achieve long term savings that will offset the cost of these additional staffers, but we are not fully there yet: we need to see more concrete commitments for the out years to ensure that the offsets persist. One offset example might be to eliminate other unfilled police vacancies, which CM Schlegel and I proposed during the reconciliation discussion: we have two additional cadets in training slated to join the force shortly, but we also have several additional unfilled positions (now at 37, soon 39, with 43 currently budgeted). During the reconciliation debate, CM Schlegel and I recommended that we eliminate some or all of those remaining unfilled slots from the budget, because we have a larger force than the County considers needed for our size and population, and larger than other comparable cities. This suggestion did not meet with support from others on the Council, or from the Chief. We also suggested an increase in commercial property license fees (which met with opposition from several CMs who feared that it would drive businesses into PG County or put them out of business). (Since this revenue increase idea was not supported, I asked the City staff to investigate whether the current State methodology being used to assess the major shopping center properties, who pay very little taxes to the City, merits review.) We proposed raising the utility tax substantially, to a level that would put us even with the highest rate in MoCo, currently charged by Kensington. (The utilities spread the tax charges out over their entire territories, so ratepayers in Takoma Park would barely notice this increase.) The staff is investigating this further to make sure it is viable; there did seem to be some Council support for taking this step. The CM explained that higher proposed legal services fees, which we had also proposed to reduce, are in the budget because we have a new policy calling for investigations of complaints be carried out by third party investigators, rather than in-house, to avoid the sort of issue encountered in the recent sexual harassment/retaliation suit. I am now persuaded that this makes sense. The Police Department had proposed a long list of new equipment purchases in the Capital Improvement budget, two of which (totaling $54,000) have since been withdrawn. There remain a number of other purchases that require more explanation before I can support them. My goal in the budget process is to make sure we do fund the people and services most crucial to our community and ward, while avoiding unnecessary spending/taxation. To reach that goal, CM Schlegel and I have made some additional proposals, such as modestly reducing the extremely conservative $3,055,000 Assigned Reserve for emergencies, in order to beef up the General Fund to spend more on library hours and recreational programming, among other things. It is not clear that we have persuaded others on the Council, but hope springs eternal! A reduction in the tax rate this year does not seem likely to pass. That being said, but the increase in total tax revenues the City will receive as a result of rising assessments is approximately the same as the ‘Constant Yield + ECI’ rate that I have been seeking to attain. This CM and his staff have made the process far more transparent and understandable than their predecessors, for which I am grateful. *Tuesday: Closed Session: *The Council will meet in closed session to discuss matters related to the audit concerning the events giving rise to the litigation known as Cooper v. City of Takoma Park. The Council will meet with the City Manager, City Attorney, and Labor Attorney. Thank you for your patience as we continue to approach the completion of this process. *Wednesday City Council Meeting: *In addition to continuing our budget reconciliation process, on Wednesday we will have a presentation about the recently completed Compensation and Classification Study <https://md-takomapark.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8145/Presentation2026-comp-and-class-study-20260422> that reviews how our jobs, job classifications, and pay and benefit scales. Internal equity refers to the fairness and consistency of compensation and classification relationships among positions within the City, and external equity refers to how the City’s classifications and salary ranges compare to those of comparable public-sector employers competing for similar talent. This information feeds into union negotiations, as well as guiding the City Manager and HR department to keep our city’s pay scales and benefits up to date. * * * *News you can Use:* *Friends of Sligo Park Sweep the Creek: *Maple Ave to NH Ave, Sunday April 18, 1-3 PM Meet Flower Ave& Garland Aves at Sligo Creek North Neighborhood Park. Details and additional locations here <https://www.friendsofsligocreek.org/home/who-we-are/committees/sweep-the-creek/?fbclid=IwY2xjawRNCl9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe_GXRQ90yv6npKesAKQpx-0jQDizzicwMatmQ5ZeJk9A33WQDQ4bozEw7BM8_aem_3dLDRH63qYmLxwdWnOuDkQ#iLightbox[e55c3f99f5d0568caf1]/0> . Takoma Park Motorcycle Show <https://mainstreettakoma.org/event/takoma-park-motorcycle-show/>: Sunday April 19 10 AM – 12 PM @ Laurel Ave Streetery: Hosted by the TP Motorcycle Laurel Ave, come check out what everyone is riding and let them tell you all about their bikes! From vintage to modern, both stock and customized, and including British, Japanese, Italian and American motorcycles. *Peace Park <https://peacepark.us/> *Marketplace of hope – Sunday April 19 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM @ the Gazebo, 7035 Carroll Ave *Tile Mate (Air Tag) Giveaway*: Saturday May 2, 10 AM – 2 PM: The Tk Pk police will be distributing free Tile Mate tracking tags to residents of Takoma Park. These devices (compatible with iPhones and Androids) can be placed in vehicles to assist residents in locating their vehicles in the event of theft. Tile Mate due to its compatibility with both iPhone and Android devices. To be eligible you must live in Takoma Park and bring a valid ID. More info: go to takomaparkmd.gov and search ‘Tile Mate’. All the best, Jessica *Jessica C. Landman* *City **Council Member, **Ward One * 7500 Maple Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 *Email:* jessical@takomaparkmd.gov *Phone:* 240-997-2422 *Please Note: *This communication may be subject to Maryland’s Public Information Act.
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