Meeting Roundup: University Park Approves Rental Fee Hike, Mayor Talks Ethics

University Park’s mayor and town council met Monday night in a session that stretched 2.5 hours. Here’s what they discussed: 

• Mayor John Tabori provided input over the delegation's ethics-reform package, which would limit the County Council’s ability to stall development projects. Tabori called the current package of bills “deeply troubling” for the amount of power it puts  into the hands of just one person, County Executive Rushern Baker, III
• While ethics reform needs to take place, Tabori said the pending legislation will actually provide more of an opportunity for corruption. “Whether you are a libertarian, a liberal, a strict constitutionalist, or a forgiving constitutionalist,” he said. “This (set of bills) is nonsense.”
• A hike in rental-property licensing fees was also adopted during the meeting. For those applying in fiscal 2012, they will pay $400. A motion to charge $325 for fiscal 2011, meanwhile, was struck down. Licensing fees for 2011 will remain at $250.
• The council postponed a resident’s plans to construct a brick-veneer storage shed along the 6400 block on 40th Avenue. “I’m still concerned that the two items don’t agree,” said Councilwoman Margaret Mallino (Ward 1), referring to a four-foot discrepancy between what was last approved by the county and the current plans to construct a 24x24x15 shed. The resident, who had secured approval from both county and local authorities on various occasions and measurements, agreed to have the architectural designs redrawn once more to remove the discrepancy.
• Town Councilman Francis Lucas (Ward 2) praised the police department’s crowd-control efforts at Northwestern High School, where  a group of Kansas-based, anti-gay protestors recently riled up the community. “It (the protest and counter protest) went as smoothly as you could possibly ask for,” Lucas said.
• Public Works Director Mickey Beall provided input over the issue of refrigerators and electronics left outside by residents for disposal. “It is becoming an increasingly frequent problem,” he said. “Something the council needs to look at.” Beall said citing those who do not properly dispose of their electronics was one option. He also said the city could absorb the costs, by designating a free and weekly pickup date for unwanted electronics and refrigeration units.
• Mallino said complaints over unusually high water bills have gone unanswered by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. Tabori, who will be meeting with the WSSC Tuesday, indicated he would be certain to address this issue and others with the WSSC.
• Town Clerk Amy Headley said she has received an unusually high volume of calls from residents interested in securing various construction permits. “It’s been a whacky couple of weeks,” she said,  warning the board that some residents may have found her responses to them as rude.  But that’s not the case, Headley said. “I’m explaining the (permit) process to them.”
• Headley also noted that residents are allowed to lop down trees located on their own property. 
• Chair of the STEP-UP advisory committee, Chuck Wilson, told the council that the project, which focuses on improving energy usage, now has 110 local households participating. Of that number, 44 have scheduled energy-usage audits to identify areas that would benefit from energy-efficient renovations. “We’re thrilled,” he said, also noting that the Department of Energy is interested in featuring University Park for its successes in the program. 
• The council also approved the appointment of a special-council budget committee, which will consist of Mallino, Lucas and Councilwoman Tracy Toscano (Ward 5).

This story has been corrected: An earlier version of this story misidentified where the ethics reform package was created. We regret the error.