City Council
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MINUTES OF CITY COUNCIL MEETING

CITY OF WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND

December 8, 2003

QUORUM:

            A Meeting of The Mayor and Common Council was held in the City Hall Council Chambers, located at 1838 Emerald Hill Lane, on the evening of December 8, 2003 at 7:00 p.m.  Mayor Dayhoff; Council President Halstad; Council Members Albert, Chiavacci, Ferguson, and Wack (through Reports from Standing Committees); Planning and Public Works Director Beyard; City Treasurer Urban; City Attorney Walsh; Police Chief Brewer; and City Clerk Taylor were present. 

NEW BUSINESS:

            Mayor Dayhoff announced the appointment of William J. “Jeff” Spaulding to the position of Police Chief of the City of Westminster.  He commended all who helped in selecting Mr. Spaulding.  He advised that the new Chief would be sworn in at 11:00 a.m. on January 2, 2004, at the John’s Street Quarters Social Hall at the Westminster Fire Company.  The Mayor thanked Acting Chief Brewer for his service during the interim period.  He summarized Mr. Spaulding’s credentials.  Mr. Chiavacci moved to confirm the appointment.  Mr. Ferguson seconded and the appointment was unanimously approved.  Mr. Spaulding made the following remarks:

I would like to start by publicly thanking Mayor Dayhoff and all of the members of the City Council for your support and confidence in selecting me as your new Chief of Police.  I am very proud to have been selected to lead the Westminster Police Department into the future, and can assure you that I will fully invest myself in my new position, and work with youto further enhance public safety and the quality of life for the citizens of Westminster.

I look forward to joining the men and women of the Police Department in January, and to learning more about the organization and the community we serve.  In the short time I have had to share with members of the Department to date, I have found them to be warm, welcoming and professional.  I greatly appreciate all that has been done thus far, particularly by Major Brewer and the Captains, to welcome me to the organization and make me feel at home.

My immediate goal is to bring some fresh perspective and ideas to the Department, building on the many good things which we currently do, and further improving our ability to provide quality law enforcement services to our community.  I will work to ensure that our officers have the resources, skills and leadership necessary to do their jobs well.  I will also ensure that we work in collaboration with other arms of government, the private sector and the community to provide for public safety and a strong sense of security. 

Once again, thank you for providing me with this wonderful opportunity to serve as your Chief, and I look forward to working with each of you to ensure that Westminster remains a safe and peaceful place to live, work and visit.

MINUTES:

            Upon Motion of Mrs. Albert, seconded by Dr. Wack and unanimously passed, the Minutes of the Meeting of November 24, 2003 were approved.  

CONSENT CALENDAR:

            The Consent Calendar consisted of the approval of the Program Specialist Position; the approval of the appointment of Special Counsel for the Board of Zoning Appeals; approval of revisions to the annual leave provisions of the Employee Handbook; and approval of employee insurance benefits for calendar year 2004.   On Motion of Dr. Wack, seconded by Mr. Ferguson and unanimously passed, the Consent Calendar was approved. 

REPORTS FROM MAYOR:

…            Requested the Council Members to choose January 31 or February 7, 2004 for the Economic Summit.

  …            Reported that the Maryland State Board of Public works awarded the City $201,000 under the Community Parks and Playgrounds Program for renovation of the stone wall at the Westminster City Playground.

  …            Advised that Stewart N. Dutterer Flower Shop, Inc. won the Mayor’s Cup.  Flowers by Evelyn and Esquire received Honorable Mentions, and awards for originality were given to Carroll County Public Library and Stocksdale’s Auto Supplies.

…            Thanked the Municipal Band, staff, and the Police Department for their work on the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting.

…       Noted a visit to Westminster by Baltimore County officials during the preceding week.

…            Thanked the Police Department and Street Department for their response to the first snow event of the season.

  REPORTS FROM STANDING COMMITTEES:

            Mr. Ferguson reported that the Festival of Wreaths raised $12,100 on a total of 173 wreaths.

            Council President Halstad remarked that the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting and related events had great success.  He thanked staff and the participating businesses.  He welcomed former Council Member Gregory Pecoraro, who was in attendance.

CITIZEN COMMENTS:

            City resident Lori Graham thanked Mr. Beyard for his assistance with her flower shop renovation project.  She observed that business uses are beneficial to the Pennsylvania Avenue neighborhood. 

            City resident Ken Warren noted concerns about trash and sidewalk icing on Pennsylvania Avenue.  Mr. Siders advised that he would attend to the situation. 

            City resident Rebekah Orenstein stated her opposition to the pending Pennsylvania Avenue Residential Mixed Use Zone Ordinance. 

            County resident Beatrice Wolfe posited that there should be an emergency plan for dealing with power outages in her housing complex.

            City resident Lyndi McNulty expressed concern that residents are hearing rumors and misinformation about pending zoning ordinances.

            Council President Halstad adjourned the Meeting at 7:39 p.m.

Laurell E. Taylor
City Clerk