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September

Date: September 10, 2013

Place: Village Hall, 5906 Connecticut Ave.

Time: 7:30 PM

Present: Peter Gray, Tim Hanlon, Frances L. Higgins, Chris Richardson, Greg White, 5 Section 5 residents.

  1. Agenda Item: Minutes

    Peter moved that the June 11, 2013, Council minutes be approved as presented; Chris seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

  2. Agenda Item: Citizen Concerns

    A Thornapple St. resident has contacted the Council about a project involving his driveway. He said that he believes according to the present regulations regarding driveways that he does not need a permit from Section 5 to repave his driveway. He sent by email a copy of the proposal for his driveway work to the manager who in turn forwarded this to the Council. The proposal describes the work as digging out failed asphalt, regrading the sub base, and replacing the asphalt using a 3" base of asphalt and adding 2" of asphalt to the base.

    There was some discussion about the terms which were used in the proposal and also the terms used in Section 5's regulations regarding driveway construction. The resident stated that the new driveway will be 30 ft long.

    Peter has written a proposed amendment to the present regulation Sec.9-200(a)3 regarding driveway construction. This proposal reads: "Constructing or replacing (but not re-surfacing or repairing) more than 50% of an existing driveway". The new wording is in bold type. There was some discussion about the proposed amendment. The resident said that if the Council has plans to amend the present ordinance concerning driveway construction, he will wait until this amendment is enacted before beginning his project.

    Action:
    Peter moved that the Sec. 9-200(a)3 of the present driveway ordinance be amended. There was a second; Peter, Tim and Greg voted for the amendment. Chris voted no. The manager will send a notice concerning this proposed amendment to the residents with the October agenda. The residents may come to the October meeting and express their opinions concerning the proposed amendment.

  3. Agenda Item: Discussion of a Survey of Section 5's Boundaries.

    Barry A Gleissner, a Delaware licensed land surveyor, provided maps of Section 5's land area on which he had divided the town's land area into discreet sections. He explained the reasons for including certain streets in certain areas. He said that Section 5 could elect to begin the process by surveying just the outer most boundaries of Section 5 and he gave an approximate cost for this portion of the project. There was some discussion. The Council decided to discuss this matter further before making a decision about doing the entire project at the same time or doing it in stages.

  4. Agenda Item: Discussion of And Voting on Charter Changes and Election Regulation Changes

    The Council sent a copy of the proposed changes to the Charter as well as the changes to the election regulations earlier and invited residents to attend the September 10, 2013, meeting to express their opinions. Presently the Charter states that the date of the Annual Meeting will be held on the first Tuesday of April. The new language is: There shall be an Annual Meeting on the first Tuesday in May. The new words are in bold.

    Another Charter change involves the addition of the following statement to Sec. 501 (c) Zoning: "Section 5's Council is empowered by Maryland State law to pass or adopt zoning or land use ordinances or regulations". The third Charter change involves the number of Council members to be elected each year. The new wording is: Two Council members shall be elected in even-numbered years and three Council members shall be elected in odd-numbered years.

    The change to the voting regulation involves the change of the voting hours: "Polling shall take place at the site of the annual meeting between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m." The new language is in bold.

    Action:
    Peter moved that the Charter changes and voting regulation change be enacted as presented in the mailing to the residents. Chris seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.

    The manager will have these changes printed in a newspaper and sent to the web master to be posted on Section 5's web site

  5. Agenda Item: Single-stream Recycling

    Section 5's trash and recycling hauler takes the material to Montgomery County where the material may be deposited free; however, if a hauler goes to another county which has single stream, there is a charge. Peter asked why the County does not allow single-stream recycling. The manager said that the County Council is considering initiating single-stream recycling; however, it has not given a date for it to begin.

  6. Agenda Item: Discussion of Comcast Contract Renewal

    The Comcast contract has not been finalized; however, no Section 5 subscriber's service will be discontinued as a result of the contract not being finalized. In the new contract Section 5 will continue to receive a free hookup to the internet.

  7. Agenda Item: Treasurer's Report

    There are no budget items that have exceeded the budget amount so far this fiscal year.

  8. Agenda Item: Building Inspector's Report

    7200 Brookville Rd. - side yard fence

  9. Agenda Item: Manager's Report

    The Council asked the manager to write a letter to the County Police Dept. instructing the patrols to spend more time at the intersections at rush hour to deter motorists from running the stop signs and/or speeding.

    Susan Harvey, 3611 Underwood St. has agreed to serve another term on the Chevy Chase Fire Board.

    The manager asked the Council if it would allow her to set up a seminar titled "Effective Meetings" conducted by Jay Gullo, a municipal lawyer to be presented at a Council meeting. The Council agreed that the manager may engage Jay Gullo for the seminar. She also asked the Council members if they would allow her to invite the Council members and managers from the abutting municipalities to attend the seminar. The Council agreed to this and also agreed to provide a light supper for the meeting.

    The manager asked if she should set up a separate account for the $11,000 which is in the budget for capital improvements. Presently, this $11,000 is placed in the Eagle Bank in the account set up for highway user fees.

    Action:
    The Council asked the manager to set up a separate account for the $11,000 capital improvements funds.

    A resident has asked the manager if the Council would purchase and install doggie bags at certain places in the public strips in Section 5. There was some discussion.

    Action:
    The Council decided not to purchase and install doggie bags at this time.

    The manager contacted the resident who is building a new house at 7203 Brookville Road and told him that he must install a driveway with a pervious surface. She also contacted the construction company which is building the house at 3600 Thornapple St. and told him that he must install a driveway constructed of pervious materials.

  10. Agenda Item: Adjournment

    Peter adjourned the meeting. The next meeting will be Tuesday, October 9, 2013, at 7:30 PM at the Village Hall, 5906 Connecticut Ave. The Village Hall has handicapped access. Everyone is welcome.