In an attempt to keep citizens informed about how the City of Hyattsville is spending its money and what types of projects are taking place in and around the city, the Life & Times has compiled a list of some of the most important agenda items from the city council’s most recent meeting — Nov. 4, as of this paper’s publication. “Consent items” are routine and typically pass in one motion without discussion. “Action items” are considered individually for a council vote. Video of Hyattsville City Council meetings, as well as the full agendas and accompanying documents for those meetings, can be found here: hyattsville-md.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx
McClellan steps down
Hyattsville City Councilmember Jimmy McClellan (Ward 3) resigned from his position Nov. 6, at which point, McClellan said, he would no longer be living in his respective ward. McClellan is moving to Ward 4, where he purchased a house in early September. In an email to the Life & Times, McClellan said he has not decided whether he will run for council again in his new ward during the spring 2025 elections. McClellan has served on the city council since May 2021. City law states that councilmembers must reside in the ward they represent.
NOV. 4 COUNCIL MEETING
Audit review
City auditor Robert Diss, of Lindsey + Associates, completed his fiscal year 2022 audit of the city’s financial statements and presented his findings to the council. As previously reported in the Life & Times, the city completed its FY 2022 audit Oct. 7, nearly two years after Maryland’s Oct. 31, 2022, filing deadline. Hyattsville’s FY 2023 audit, which was due last October, is still outstanding, and the city missed the FY 2024 filing deadline at the end of this October. In answer to questions from councilmembers, Diss said that city audits are easier to prepare thanks to Deputy Finance Manager Natally Palma, who has worked for Hyattsville since 2022. Diss mentioned that some other cities maintain finance department staffing levels that allow them to reconcile the books monthly and report the results to city council, making for easier audit preparation.
COPS Hiring Program Grant (Consent item)
The council approved the appropriation of a $1,000,000 COPS Hiring Grant — previously awarded — into the FY 2025 budget. The grant is intended to pay for the hiring of eight entry-level police officers.
Contracts for installation of INet and public Wi-Fi pilot project (Consent item)
The council tabled a vote for the city administrator to enter into two separate contracts for Phase 1a and Phase 1b of the INet and Public Wi-Fi Pilot Project. Phase 1a, to be performed by Nucleus Tech Solutions LLC, involves the construction of an INet fiber backbone from the Hyattsville Municipal Building at 4310 Gallatin Street to the new police headquarters at 3505 Hamilton Street, at a cost not to exceed $247,000. Phase 1b, to be performed by Systems Application & Technologies, Inc., involves the construction of turn-key wifi networks in multiple park locations along the route of the fiber trunkline, at a cost not to exceed $200,000. Both projects will be covered by FY2025 Capital Improvement Plan funds. The issue was initially listed as a consent item, to be voted on at the Nov. 4 meeting, but was pulled from the agenda and tabled at the prompting of Councilmember Denes (Ward 1) due to insufficient discussion time.
License plate reader program (Consent item)
The council approved the Hyattsville Police Department’s purchase of 12 stationary license plate readers for a total of $221,822. City documents do not state where the license plate readers will be located, only that they’ll be “strategically placed around the City.” The police department’s stated purpose for the readers is “to monitor and analyze major crimes, including gun and gang activity.” License plate readers are often used to find stolen cars or identify people with expired licenses or active warrants. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, these readers photograph thousands of license plates per minute, and the data from each photographed plate, including those of motorists who have no outstanding warrants or crimes, is pooled into a regional sharing system, where the information is often stored for years with few or no restrictions to protect privacy rights.
Accessible parking violation fine increase (Discussion item)
The council discussed a fine increase for individuals who park in accessible spaces — that is, spaces reserved for people with disabilities — without proper placards or license plates. Currently, the fine for such a violation is $250 — the same as it is at the county level. The council is proposing to raise the fine to $500. The council voted to authorize the city attorney to draft an ordinance to increase the fine.
