Mount Rainier Mayor and Council are MEETING TONIGHT!

Mount Rainier's Mayor and Council will be meeting tonight at its usual time:  7:00pm at Mount Rainier's City Hall, One Municipal, Mount Rainier, MD 20712.

There will be a work session and a SPECIAL MEETING.  At the special meeting, the Mayor and Council will be appointing the 2015 to 2017 Mount Rainier Election Board.

Here is the agenda:

SPECIAL MEETING AND WORL SESSION OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015

COUNCIL CHAMBERS, UPPER LEVEL CITY HALL

7:00 PM

Work Session Agenda

Discussion Topics

FY 2014 Audit Report/Debriefing Murphy and Murphy, LLC

Resolution 4-2015 – Establishing a Charter Review Commission

Charter Amendment Resolution 1-2015 – Revising the residency requirement for Mayor and                   Councilmembers

Letter to the state delegation supporting the governor's HUR funds in a budget supplemental

Letter to the state delegation opposing the governor's proposed education cuts

Streetsense Development Update - 3200 Block of Rhode Island Avenue

FY 2014 Audit Debriefing

SPECIAL MEETING OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL

New Business

Resolution 6-2015 – Appointing members to the City of Mount Rainier Election Board for the May 4, 2015 City Election (First Reading/Vote)

Approval of Letter to the state delegation supporting the governor's HUR funds in a budget supplemental

Approval of Letter to the state delegation opposing the governor's proposed education cuts

Council approval of FY 2014 Audit Report

Rules for Speakers

The Mayor and City Council invite and welcome comments at public meetings.  The Mayor or presiding officer will recognize you.   Please introduce yourself at the podium (spelling your last name, for recording purposes) and give the name of your street and block number (e.g., 4300 block of 34th St.).  Time limits for speaking are indicated on the meeting agenda.  

While speaking, please maintain a courteous tone and avoid personal attacks.

If you wish to lodge a complaint about the performance or conduct of any City employee, please bring your concern to the attention of the City Manager, who will look into the matter and respond to you.

As a courtesy to other residents and businesses, the Council requests that speakers not use specific addresses or names of individuals when describing a situation or making a complaint.  Noting the block is preferred over a specific address.

Code enforcement and public safety issues should first be brought to the attention of the appropriate department and/or one of your Council members.

Please Note: Pursuant to the Annotated Code of Maryland, State Government Article Section 10-508(a), the Council by majority vote may retire to executive or closed session at any time during the meeting. Should the Council retire to executive or closed session the chair will announce the reasons and a report will be issued at a future meeting disclosing the reasons for such session.

THEBUS is NOT OPERATING TODAY!

Service for TheBus Suspended forFebruary17,2015

For immediate release: 
2/17/2015 7:15:00 AM

For more information, contact: 
Carol Terry, Public Information Officer, DPW&T, 301-883-5600

LARGO, MD –Service for TheBus, has been suspended for Tuesday, February 17, 2015 due to inclement weather.

# # #

For more information please visit our website news page.

GOT A 4 Wheel Drive Vehicle -- Prince George's Memorial Hospital NEEDS YOU!

THIS WINTER STORM IS NOT OVER!

Winter Storm Warning for Central Maryland

Active for next 5 hours, 6 minutes

National Weather Service

This alert has been updated.

Posted 46 minutes ago

Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until noon EST today.

Precipitation type: snow.

Accumulations: 5 to 9 inches.

Timing: periods of snow will continue through early this morning.

Temperatures: mid-teens.

Winds: Southeast 5 mph.

Impacts: roads will be snow covered and slippery with visibilities being reduced to one half mile or less at times. The combination of snow covered roads and low visibility will make traveling dangerous.

Recommended actions

A Winter Storm Warning for heavy snow means severe winter weather conditions are expected or occurring. Significant amounts of snow are forecast that will make travel dangerous.

Postpone travel such as routine doctors’ appointments, going shopping, etc. if possible.

Slow down and give yourself extra time to reach your destination.

Keep a safe distance of at least five seconds behind other vehicles.

Do not pass a snowplow unless it is absolutely necessary.

Be aware of potentially icy areas, such as shady spots, overpasses and bridges.

Only Travel in an emergency. If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight. Food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.

Also consider keeping these items in your car: battery booster cables, a cell phone and charger, a tow chain or rope, a bag of sand, salt or cat litter, a snow brush and ice scraper, blankets, extra clothing, a first-aid kit, and emergency flares or reflectors.

Check space heater cords for exposed wires before use, and keep them at least three feet from any combustible material.

Keep children and pets clear of space and kerosene heaters to prevent them being tipped or knocked over.

When leaving home, make sure electric heaters are unplugged and kerosene heaters are turn off and no longer running.

If you are using space heaters, DO NOT LEAVE THEM UNATTENDED!

Put on a few extra layers of clothes, if your house feels a little chillier than usual.

Run a vaporizers or humidifier to keep some moisture in the house.

Make a large pot of soup to keep you warm.  Soup can be anything you like.  It is comforting, if you are feeling stressed or shut in.  It will give you something to do.

Leave faucets running just a trickle — running water freezes far less readily than still water.

Stop lowering the thermostat at night. If you leave home, leave the heat set to at least 55 degrees.

Wear warm clothing such as gloves or mittens, a hat, a scarf and snow boots.

Go indoors if you are persistently shivering.

If you get wet, go indoors and remove wet clothing immediately.

Watch what you drink. Alcohol can make you lose body heat.

Bring pets inside. If you can’t, provide them warm shelter and unfrozen water.

BE SAFE.  REST.  TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS SNOW DAY.  Write a poem.  Play with the children.  Paint a picture.  Get in some phone calls.  STAY INSIDE and STAY WARM!

Prince George's County Public Schools are Closed!

Tuesday, February 17, 2015 - Code Yellow - Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) – Schools and offices are closed. EMERGENCY PERSONNEL only must report to work. (Código Amarillo – Todas las escuelas permanecen cerradas. Todas las oficinas permanecen cerradas. Solamente el PERSONAL DE EMERGENCIA debe reportarse al trabajo.)

Updates available at www.pgcps.org. View additional weather information.

http://www1.pgcps.org/

The City Manager DECLARES a Snow Emergency in Mount Rainier

The City Manager DECLARES a Snow Emergency in Mount Rainier

A Snow Emergency will be in effect for the City of Mount Rainier7:00am tomorrow morning February 17, 2015. 

The snow emergency will remain in effect until noon tomorrow.  This of course means that no one should park on any of the city’s snow emergency routes.  The Mount Rainier Police Department will issue parking violation notices and will began towing as necessary after 7:00am.  This notice will appear shortly on the city’s website, and on our cable stations.  The city’s listserv, apartment complexes, and MRBA have been notified via this electronic correspondence.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Storm Warning that no one should drive unless absolutely necessary.  The City will probably operate tomorrow on a skeleton crew with public works, police and management on duty with a possible 2 hour delay.  The delayed status opening will be updated tomorrow morning approximately 6:00am depending upon the total snow accumulation which is expected to stop around 5 am.  The total accumulation has now been revised to between 6-10 inches.  Wear several layers of light clothing and cover your mouth and neck with a scarf.

The NWS also advises that the heaviest snowfall is expected between 8 pm tonight and 5 am tomorrow.   Although the snow is light and fluffy, avoid over exertion as this could bring on a heart attack which is the major cause of death during the winter season.

Please remember that the City code requires that snow and ice be removed from sidewalks in front of homes and businesses within 24 hours of the last accumulation.

Thanks to all – be safe and keep warm.

Jeannelle Branson Wallace

City Manager

City of Mount Rainier

One Municipal Place

Mount Rainier, Maryland 20712

(301) 985-6585 (Direct)

(240) 508-3595 (Cellular)

BIG SHOUT OUT! BIG KUDOS! MAJOR THANKS!

The City needed you, and each of you ROSE TO THE OCCASION!

Thank you to the following people who stepped forward to volunteer to serve as ELECTION BOARD MEMBERS for the great City of Mount Rainier, MD:

Maxine Drakeford

Ophelia Baxter  Karl Jones, Jr. Abby L. Greenwell Nicole Logan Matthew Weber Dina Williams  These men and women will be on the agenda on Tuesday to be appointed to the Mount Rainier Board of Elections.  Please come out and be a part of this great moment. Each member has agreed to participate in training with the Prince George's County Board of Elections on Monday, February 23rd. A calendar/schedule of the election process will be available soon.  Already available to you is the "Election Procedures."  You may pick up a copy from City Hall or download from the mountrainiermd.org website. Wanted to be an election judge, but just did not get your name in on time? Guess what?  There is still a way for you to participate in this process.  The Board of Elections, once officially appointed, will be conducting voter registration throughout the City. They need you!  They will train you on how to conduct a voter registration campaign in your neighborhood, and would love to have you help them with this process.  We have lots of new neighbors that have not yet registered to vote, and we want them to participate. Send your contact information to either of the following: Council Liaison to Election Board, Malinda Miles, 301-237-3889 (cell) or call City Hall, mayormiles@gmail.com  Staff Support, Veronica Owens, 301-9856585, vowens@mountrainiermd.org

47th Legislative District ANNAPOLIS NIGHT

Senator Victor Ramirez

Delegate Will Campos

Delegate Diana Fennell
Delegate Jimmy Tarlau

Cordially Invite You to the

47th Legislative District

ANNAPOLIS NIGHT

Monday, February 16, 2015, 6-8 p.m.

President’s Conference Center (West)

Miller Senate Office Building

Meet Your Representative

Light Buffet Provided

For information call:

301-858-3745

Several Residents have STEPPED FORWARD

For the past few weeks, I have been recruiting residents to serve on the Mount Rainier Election Board.  Thank you to all who have stepped forward to fill the seats on this Board.

Our Charter requires five persons on the Board.  Mayor and Council seeks to appoint at least seven (two alternates) because life just happens.  We have a cadre of six committed to this Board and needs just ONE MORE.

WILL YOU BE THAT ONE RESIDENT willing to give of yourself to your community?

If you are, I need your information ASAP so that your name will be added to the City Resolution appointing the 2015 Mount Rainier Board of Elections.  Mayor and Council will appoint the Mount Rainier Board of Elections on Tuesday, February 17, 2015 at a special meeting starting at 7:00pm.

Your commitment of time will be approximately 40 hours during the election years (always an odd year), and even less during non-election years (always the even years).  There is a stipend for working the polls on Election Day.

TRAINING is scheduled for Monday, February 23 at 8:30am at the Prince George's County Board of Elections.  Transportation is being provided at 8:00am from City Hall and back following the training.

The NEXT meeting of the Election Board is Monday, February 23 at 7:00pm at Mount Rainier's City Hall.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

YOU STILL HAVE TIME to serve as an ELECTION JUDGE!

Great meeting with the Mount Rainier Board of Elections members last night.  We STILL NEED a few more members.  If you can spare about 40 hours a YEAR serving your community, WE NEED YOU.  The beauty of serving on this Committee is that you only have to work a lot of hours (January to May 30 during odd years) during an election year!  The City pays a stipend for election day, and provides light refreshments. 

FREE TRAINING on being an election judge, and getting your neighbors registered to vote!  Inbox me here; send an email to mayormiles@gmail.com or call City Hall and provide your name, address, and other contact information.  I promise to get back to you ASAP.  Mayor and Council will be appointing the next Board of Elections on February 17 at 7:00pm. 

TRAINING will be provided by the Prince George's County Board of Elections on Monday, February 23.  Transportation will be provided at 8:00am to their office for this valuable training.  Interested?  Please meet us at Mount Rainier's City Hall at 8:00am, and meet those other wonderful volunteers who will be carrying out this year's election!

The NEXT meeting of the Board of Elections is Monday, February 23 at 7:00pm.

Budget Listening Session Tonight, Mount Rainier's City Hall

You are invited to be a part of the Mount Rainier Budget Process.  TONIGHT at 7:00pm, Mount Rainier's City Hall, Mayor and Council will listen to your the residents about this year's budget.

What are your priorities?  What would you like to see happening in Mount Rainier?  Should there be an increase in taxes to put money aside for our municipal center?  What major projects do you think the Mayor and Council should fund over the next five years?   Check out our budget schedule for this year.  Make your voices heard.  Can't make the meeting?  Contact your Council representatives, contact the Mayor, and/or the City Manager.  We welcome your emails.

DATE: Tuesday, January 6, 2015	EVENT: First Reading/Vote Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Calendar
Friday, January 9, 2015	Budget instructions issued to All City Departments and Community groups (including Bunker Hill Fire Department
Friday, February 6, 2015	Deadline for all City Departments (including Bunker Hill Fire Department to submit FY 2016 budget requests to City Manager.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015	Special Meeting of the Mayor and Council to set council priorities and to hear public comment on budget priorities and community groups proposals/requests
Tuesday, March 3, 2015	Regular Meeting of the Mayor and Council;City Manager presents proposed FY 2016 Budget and Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for all city departments  5-year budget projection
Tuesday, March 17, 2015	FY 2016 Budget work session and discussion on proposed constant yield tax rate
Thursday, April 9, 2015	Notice in Washington Post about Public Hearing on proposed FY 2016 Budget and Constant Yield Tax Rate scheduled for April 21, 2015
Tuesday, April 14,   2015	Mayor and Council Meeting; special work session on FY 2016 Budget
Tuesday, April 21, 2015	Public hearing and public comment on proposed FY 2016 Budget and Constant Yield Tax Rate; Special Meeting for First Reading on FY 2016   Budget
Tuesday, May 5, 2015	Mayor and Council   Meeting; Second Reading and Vote on FY 2016 Budget and Constant Yield Tax Rate

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF HARP?

ARE YOU A HOMEOWNER?

DID YOU THINK IT WAS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

Think again.  HARP is a real program.  There is such a thing as a HARP loan.  You may be able to stay with your current mortgage company (I did), and receive the benefits offered under HARP.

HARP, The Home Affordable Refinance Program has been extended!

In an effort to enable more struggling homeowners to take advantage of the Home Affordable Refinance Program, we have extended the application deadline of the program to December 31, 2015. HARP has also expanded the eligibility criteria for MHA to be able to offer assistance to more struggling homeowners.

This little-known government program called the Home Affordable Refinance Plan (HARP) could help millions of Americans. By refinancing your home at the lower interest rates, you could easily save as much as $4,264 each year. 1

Almost a million homeowners could save money, but sadly, most of them think the HARP programis too be too good to be true. Remember, HARP is a free government program and there’s absolutely NO COST to see if you qualify. 

If you owe less than $625,000 on your mortgage, there is a very good chance that you will qualify for HARP. The Government is demanding the banks cut your rates. That means you get to keep more of your hard-earned money in your pocket - and that will boost the economy.

HARP makes it much easier to for you to qualify for a lower mortgage rate.

You get to choose the lender you want to work with, even if it's not your current lender.  You can actually start the process online.

You've been paying your mortgage faithfully for years, even through the worst of times. But, it's not a requirement to do your HARP loan through your current lender. In fact, you can find big savings by shopping around for the best rate.

The average savings for most eligible households is $4,264 per year. There's no way banks want to give up that type of money.

"It's a big relief to know you have an extra $350 - $400 every month."

I am NOT PUSHING THIS GROUP, but it they are a place to start.

There are hundreds of lenders and brokers out there, and it would take you hours to contact each one for a quote. The great news is that there are a few services that cut that time down to minutes, because they compare multiple lenders at once. One of the biggest one's is Amerivalue. They have one of the biggest lender networks in the country. And they work directly with HARP lenders to give you the most comprehensive set of mortgage rate and options for your home. Over 1,000,000 homeowners have already used Amerivalue to compare rates.

The bottom line is: If you own a home you need to check out this program, EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT DROWNING.   My rates were JUST HIGH!

Amerivalue has set up an easy to use portal that could instantly save you thousands of dollars every year. It takes 2 minutes to complete and costs nothing. This is what you've been waiting for. We highly recommend giving it a try right now.  Below is their link.  HOWEVER, you can just as easily type in the word HARP in Google or some other search engine, and get the information you need to learn more about this program.

I used the program in November.  Not only did I get an EXTEMELY low rate, I was able to go TWO months without a mortgage payment.  You may not be that lucky, but you could lower your monthly mortgage.  It will not hurt to find out.

http://geniusweekly.com/refi/mortgages2a10.php?voluumdata=vid..00000003-92fa-47c7-8000-000000000000__vpid..91fbf800-af3e-11e4-882f-ee42befb275d__caid..c5400c0d-f6c3-4424-a8c6-0df3796be962__lid..0b53a84a-922a-49f9-b96c-a875e378f160__rt..R__oid1..45677853-1376-49a1-8987-9f318d02b4bc__var1..m5-29604238740&src=m5-29604238740

Time to prepare for gardening. Interested? Be at City Hall tomorrow at 3:00pm!

THIS IS A REMINDER!

Hello gardeners, and want to be gardeners,

This is a reminder that we are meeting tomorrow 3:00 at City Hall (One Municipal Place, Mount Rainier, MD) to plan for the upcoming year and discuss any changes to the guidelines. If you want to get a head start for signing up for your plot, bring your checkbook!

Hope to see you there!

Jacqlyn 

AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN CITY GOVERNMENT!

Consider volunteering.  It is one of the ways that you can support your City, and be in the know about elections within our boarders.  

Have you voted in City elections? Only voted at one of the schools in the City? Then you have NOT PARTICIPATED in a City election, IF YOU HAVE NOT VOTED at City Hall or the Potts building! If you voted at Thomas Stone Elementary school or Mount Rainier Elementary School, you ONLY voted in either a federal, state or county election.  

Your Mayor, Malinda Miles, is elected Citywide to represent all residents in the City.  

Jesse Christopherson and Jacqlyn Riposo (recently appointed) are your Ward 1 representatives.  

Councilmembers, Brent Bolin and Bryan Knedler (recently appointed) are your Ward 2 representatives.

Councilmember Jacqlyn Riposo's seat will be up for election (four year term) on May 4, 2015.

Councilmember Bryan Knedler (two year term because of the resignation of former Councilmember Ivy Thompson), and Councilmember Brent Bolin seats (four year term) will be up for election in Ward 2 on May 4, 2015.

That's right, three of the four Council seats will be up for election on Monday, May 4, 2015. YOU have the opportunity to RUN for these seats, serve on the Election Board, AND VOTE for the candidates seeking to represent you. 

If you are registered to vote in PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MARYLAND, YOU ARE ALREADY REGISTERED TO VOTE IN MOUNT Mount Rainier, Maryland!

During an election year, from January to May 31st, the estimated total time needed to serve on the Election Board would be about 40 hours.  I see the time being broken out as follows:

1.  About 4 hours for training

2.  About 4 hours of meetings and preparation

3.  About 12 hours for election day (setting up, accepting the votes, counting the votes, and announcing the election results, overseeing setup and take down of election equipment)

4.  About 4 hours at Mayor and Council meetings (Getting appointed, about one hour; Reporting final tally to Mayor and Council at the meeting following the election about 2 hours)

5.  Some time for counting, recounting ballots, if necessary

6.  Some time that may be required to update election procedures and make recommendations to the Mayor and Council

7.  Finally meeting following the election to discuss what went wrong, what went well, and any plans for future meetings that the Board would wish to hold.

THIS IS AN ESTIMATE.  It may require less or a little more time.  Nothing much else would be required.

We do pay a stipend for the election day activity.  DO NOT QUOTE ME, but I think it is between $100 and $200.

I certainly HOPE and PRAY that you will volunteer to serve as an election board volunteer for the great City of Mount Rainier, Maryland!

Please send me your resume, and thank you again for your response.

The Election Board will be meeting on Monday, February 9 at 7:00pm  Even if you have not made up your mind, PLEASE come out and learn more about the election process in Mount Rainier.  I promise to have snacks available for you.

Recycling is ONE way you can help reduce your footprint on "Mother Earth."

Here is what is recyclable in Mount Rainier.  Our recycling materials are then taken to the County for recycling. Therefore, these items are also Acceptable Items for the County.  Please remember that the County does single stream recycling.  That means you no longer must separate paper and other items.  Remember to rinse items that have food particles on them.  Helps with rodent, and pest around your home.

Glass

Food and beverage containers

Metals 

Empty aerosol cans

Aluminum, bimetal, ferrous, and steel food and beverage containers

Aluminum foil

Coat hangers

Mixed Paper/Corrugated Cardboard

All paper

Aseptic/gable-top milk and juice cartons

Catalogs

Flattened corrugated cardboard (boxes)

Frozen food packaging

Hard- and soft- covered books

Kraft paper bags and wrapping paper

Magazines

Newspapers with inserts

Paper board (cereal and cracker boxes)

Telephone books

Plastics

Drinking cups/glasses

Flower pots

Narrow-neck containers with code identification numbers 1 through 7

Wide-mouth containers such as peanut butter, yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise and whipped topping; margarine/butter tubs; and

Prescription bottles

Coat hangers

Remember to rinse all food and beverage containers and to recap or place the lids in the recycling cart/bin.

Unacceptable Items

Auto parts

Broken glass

Dishes

Electronics

Hazardous materials

Light bulbs

Medical waste

Mirrors

Motor oil containers

Packing foam and peanuts

Plastic utensils 

Windowpanes

Plastic bags -- don't ask me why (LOL)

Mayor and Council SEEKING Members for Mount Rainier's Board of Election!

NOTICE! NOTICE!   NOTICE!  NOTICE!

The City of Mount Rainier is seeking qualified residents to serve on its Election Board.  There is compensation for your service on ELECTION DAY!

Qualifications are:

A. Is a citizen of the United States;

B. Is at least eighteen (18) years of age;

C. Is registered to vote in accordance with the provisions of this Charter; and

D. Has resided in the corporate limits of the city for at least thirty (30) days immediately preceding the next City election.

ARTICLE V Registration, Nomination, and Election Procedures

Section 501. Board of Elections.

A.         There shall be a Board of Elections consisting of a Supervisor of Elections and four (4) members who shall be appointed by the Mayor and Council on or before the first Monday in March of every odd numbered year. The terms of the members of the Board of Elections shall begin on the first Monday in March of the year in which they are appointed and run for two years. Vacancies on the Board shall be filled by the Mayor and Council for the remainder of the unexpired term. Compensation of the Board of Elections shall be determined by the Mayor and Council.

B.         Members of the Board of Elections shall be qualified to vote in City elections pursuant to Section 502 of this Article and shall not hold or be a candidate for any elective office during their term on the Board.

C.         The Board of Elections shall be responsible for the registration of voters, nominations, and supervision of all City elections in accordance with the provisions of this Charter, City ordinances and State and Federal law.

D.         Any member of the Board of Elections may be removed by the Mayor and Council for inefficiency, malfeasance, misfeasance, nonfeasance, misconduct in office, or insubordination. Before removal, the member of the Board to be removed shall be given a written copy of the charges and shall have a public hearing before the Mayor and Council if requested within ten days after receiving the written copy of the charges.

E.          Members of the Board of Elections may be reappointed by the Mayor and Council.

F.          Qualifications of applicants to the Board of Elections may be reviewed by the City’s Ethics Commission.

IF INTERESTED, please contact Mayor Malinda Miles at mayormiles@gmail.com or drop off your resume at City Hall, One Municipal Place, Mount Rainier Maryland 20712. 

Selected individuals will be appointed to serve prior to the first Monday in March (March 3, 2015) at a special meeting of the Mayor and Council. 

The Mayor and Council is seeking up to nine residents to appoint to the Board of Elections.  Five will be appointed to the Board of Elections, and the remaining four will be appointed as Alternate members of the Board of Elections.  Training will be provided to the nine appointees.

DEADLINE FOR APPLYING:  Monday, February 16, 2015

SPECIAL MEETING DATE FOR APPOINTMENT:  February 17, 2015 at 7:00pm, Mount Rainier’s City Hall, One Municipal Place, Mount Rainier, MD 20712