Showing posts with label Westminster Issues open transparent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Westminster Issues open transparent. Show all posts

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Kevin Dayhoff - Soundtrack: Westminster Maryland current elected officials

Kevin Dayhoff - Soundtrack: Westminster Maryland current elected officials


"This afternoon, Sunday, June 19, 2011, I was looking for a picture and a bio for the current Westminster Maryland elected officials and the ..."


This afternoon, Sunday, June 19, 2011, I was looking for a picture and a bio for the current Westminster Maryland elected officials and the city does not have the newly elected officials up on its website...


One wonders when a picture, contact information and a brief bio for the successful "challengers Dennis Frazier and Paul Whitson (who) bested incumbents Suzanne Albert and Greg Pecoraro," will appear on the city website?

Readers and voters have said that they would like to see more information, in a timely manner, disseminated to city residents. The previous administration, 2005 - 2009 and the last two years of this administration, 2009 - 2011, has treated the press and the public like mushrooms. It could have not been more opaque if it put up blackout curtains. More information in a timely manner on the website would be a great start... I'm just saying...

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Westminster councilman Dennis Frazier city update


This past meeting was packed-the voting date and time for city elections was changed-second Tuesday in May from 7-8 this now puts us on the same date as 4 other municipalities in the county.

We approved a new commutation system VOIP that will work faster and better than the current one and cost thousands less.

We are moving forward with changing the city's health care provider, one that offers the same coverage as the current but at a little more than $40,000 less per year than who we have now.

We extended a Bio-solids contract for on year than will save the city over $40.00 a ton on disposing of the solids for the next year, we will have to enter into a new contract next year but we are hoping that pricing will be more favorable at that time.

We are going to talk about taking the parking meters off of main street and replacing with signs that say -parking limited to one hour between the hours of 8am and 5 pm Monday -Friday- we are also going to talk about giving each downtown business owner on free permit for parking.

My thinking is if you go to any other shopping center in Westminster you do not have to pay to park -and the owners don't have to pay.   What do you think?




May 09, 2011
http://www.explorecarroll.com/news/5418/challengers-frazier-whitson-prevail-westminster-election/. *****. Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art:...

May 10, 2011
Explore Carroll: Challengers Frazier and Whitson prevail in Westminster election. Citizens of the City of Westminster sent a message in Monday's Westminster municipal elections, which saw two incumbents fall short in ...

Mar 18, 2009
Dennis Frazier for Westminster mayor campaign lit. Campaign literature from Dennis Frazier for Westminster mayor acquired sometime around the middle of March 2009. More on the election: Westminster Elections 20090511 on ...

Apr 09, 2009
Dennis Frazier for Westminster mayor campaign literature received April 8 2009. WHAT THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW The week BEFORE the public hearing on water and sewer rate structures, a representative from Tylex ...

Apr 09, 2009
Dennis Frazier for Westminster mayor literature - received April 8, 2009. DID YOU HEAR? Dennis Frazier is running for Mayor of Westminster! I believe I should try to make Westminster the best place it can be to live,...



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Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/

Friday, May 27, 2011

Dennis Frazier commentary on the May 23, 2011 Westminster Common Council Meeting

Dennis Frazier commentary on the May 23, 2011 Westminster Common Council Meeting - May 24, 2011

The council passed some housekeeping measures - the property maintenance bill now has the height of grass as 6" the height that the city will send a notice to homeowners about cutting –the height was left off the original document.

Changing the limit to $10,000 as the amount the city can buy necessary items as needed by departments without requiring a formal written and competively bid contract-it was $7,500.

I introduced two new items:

1-change the time and date of the city elections-change the date to the 2nd Tuesday in May and the time to 7am-8pm--right now three other municipalities in Carroll have their elections on that Tuesday and if we moved ours to that date then we would be in line with most of the other towns- the time change would give voters an extra hour to vote

2-create a new tax break structure for smaller business-who have12 new employees 2500 sf of new or expanded space and pay the average county wage for a tax break from the city of 25% the first two years 20% years 3-4 and 15% years 5-6-with the same penalties as the Job Creation tax credit that we talked about last meeting--both items are being drafted for a future meeting ---tell me what you think …

Thanks for your time Dennis Frazier



May 09, 2011
http://www.explorecarroll.com/news/5418/challengers-frazier-whitson-prevail-westminster-election/. *****. Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art:...

May 10, 2011
Explore Carroll: Challengers Frazier and Whitson prevail in Westminster election. Citizens of the City of Westminster sent a message in Monday's Westminster municipal elections, which saw two incumbents fall short in ...

Mar 18, 2009
Dennis Frazier for Westminster mayor campaign lit. Campaign literature from Dennis Frazier for Westminster mayor acquired sometime around the middle of March 2009. More on the election: Westminster Elections 20090511 on ...

Apr 09, 2009
Dennis Frazier for Westminster mayor campaign literature received April 8 2009. WHAT THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW The week BEFORE the public hearing on water and sewer rate structures, a representative from Tylex ...

Apr 09, 2009
Dennis Frazier for Westminster mayor literature - received April 8, 2009. DID YOU HEAR? Dennis Frazier is running for Mayor of Westminster! I believe I should try to make Westminster the best place it can be to live,...



*****
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Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/

Monday, November 22, 2010

Westminster Common Council meeting agenda for November 22, 2010

AGENDA for the CITY OF WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND Mayor and Common Council Meeting of November 22, 2010






At this point, e-mail requests and phone calls for the following information pertaining to this evening’s meeting have gone unanswered:

I hope you can help me with a couple of housekeeping and file maintenance items for a possible newspaper article for Explore Carroll or my website…

Is the “amended version one of Ordinance No. 818 Sectional Zoning Map Amendment No. SMA 10-1 and Accompanying Written Decision – “Belle Grove Square Neighborhood and Willis Street Neighborhood” available on the city’s website?  If not, may I have a copy of it?

May I have a copy of the transcript of the November 8, 2010 public hearing on SMA 10-1?

Are the minutes from the October 14, 2010 Planning and Zoning meeting posted on the website?  I do not seem to be able to find any of the PZ minutes for 2010 posted?  (http://www.westgov.com/citygov/citygov_pandz_minutes.html)  May I have a copy of the October 14, 2010 PZ meeting minutes?

May I have a copy of the letter notifying the Willis Street residents about the November 8, 2010 public hearing for the proposed zoning changes?

May I have a copy of the letter notifying the Willis Street residents of the Monday, November 15, 2010 community meeting?

Thanks a lot for your time.

For more information, please see:









Also see:



The Westminster city staff report and recommendation for the proposed Zoning Text Amendment and Sectional Map Amendment…

Ordinance 816 – Zoning Text Amend 10-3 to amend Westminster City Code Chap 164 (http://www.scribd.com/doc/41609339/Ordinance-816-%E2%80%93-Zoning-Text-Amend-10-3-to-amend-Westminster-City-Code-Chap-164) would amend the text of Chapter 164 of the Westminster City Code by adding a new article VIVD to create a “Neighborhood Preservation Overlay Zone.”

The proposed 164-45.31 proscribes, “An application for zonal classification in the Neighborhood Preservation Overlay Zone may be made only by a Sectional Map Amendment.”

A Sectional Map Amendment for the inclusion of the Belle Grove Square and Willis Street neighborhoods was filed simultaneously by the mayor and council on September 30, 2010.  (See [20100930 SMA10-1-Belle Grove Square and Willis Street Neighborhood.] City of Westminster Sectional Zoning Map Amendment – SMA#10-1)

Section 164-45.25 introduces, “The Neighborhood Preservation Overlay Zone (NP Zone) is intended to provide for the preservation of the historic character and physical setting of the city’s traditional neighborhoods by promoting residential uses and directing more intense uses to other suitable locations.

“The Neighborhood Preservation Overlay Zone is a mapped zone which is superimposed over properties included in the R-7,500 residential zone and R-10,000 residential in certain traditional residential neighborhoods.  Once properties are included in the Neighborhood Preservation Overlay Zone, any development or use of such properties are subject to its provisions.”

A public hearing notice document was placed on the city’s website, dated September 30, 2010 that indicated that the Westminster mayor and common council would hold a public hearing on November 8 on Zoning Text Amendment No. ZTA 10-3 which was subsequently introduced at the October 11 common council meeting as Ordinance 816.  The Ordinance is sponsored by councilmembers Greg Pecoraro and Dr. Robert Wack.

20100930 Ord 816 ZTA10-3-NhborhoodPresOverlayZone

See also:

















zoning, historic, preservation, Westminster, Maryland, Carroll County, planning and zoning commission, Willis Street, hearing, Ordinance, Chapter 164

Chap 164 Art 6 28 R10000 pdf sdosm  Westminster City Code Chap 164 ARTICLE VI R-10,000 Residential Zone (§ 164-28 — § 164-33)  http://www.scribd.com/doc/41615744/j-Chap-164-Art-6-28-R10000  This document delineates how Chap 164 with respect to how the zoning code for R-10,000 of the Westminster City Code reads…






(l) A public hearing notice was placed on the city’s website, on or about October 12, that indicated that the Westminster mayor and council will receive the public’s input on Zoning Text Amendment No. ZTA 10-3 and Sectional Zoning Map Amendment No. SMA 10-1 on November 8, 2010.



Also related:

“Possible zoning changes to shape downtown area”  Tuesday, October 26, 2010  By Brett Lake, Advocate Staff Writer
The effort to upgrade Westminster’s downtown area continues to push forward and changes may soon be coming downtown after a series of zoning amendments were approved by the Westminster Planning Commission…  http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/advocate_of_westminster/news/article_108bc134-e10b-11df-ad2e-001cc4c002e0.html 

WESTMINSTER: Arts, preservation zoning process moving forward”  Tuesday, November 9, 2010 By Peter Panepinto, Times Staff Writer
The Westminster Common Council approved two text amendments Monday night for the Arts and Culture Overlay Zone and the Neighborhood Preservation Overlay Zone.
More than 30 Westminster-area residents attended Monday night's meeting at city hall to oppose or support the proposed text amendments. The city's next step is to adopt zoning map amendments for each text amendment that was passed. The zoning map amendments were introduced Monday night… http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/local/article_8c0edeba-ebc2-11df-b4be-001cc4c002e0.html

“Zoning places assisted-living facility in limbo” Saturday, November 13, 2010  By Peter Panepinto, Times Staff Writer http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/local/article_41af73fc-eed8-11df-9f06-001cc4c002e0.html
Pat Martin intended to open an assisted-living home at 170 Willis St. in 2012, but his plan has been halted because of a zoning map amendment that would prevent any businesses from opening in the Westminster neighborhood.
"This would totally kill my plans for opening the facility," said Martin, a local remodeling contractor.
Martin purchased the old Weller property in 2000 with plans to restore it. He got the idea to open an assisted-living home from a friend who works in the health field in 2005.
But the Neighborhood Preservation Overlay Zone, introduced in October, is designed to preserve the historical and residential aspects of the Willis Street and Bell Grove Square neighborhoods. The Westminster Common Council approved an amendment at the last council meeting that moved the map amendment forward. More than 30 residents attended the meeting, and most said they weren't given notice on the overlay zone or how it would impact the neighborhood…  http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/local/article_41af73fc-eed8-11df-9f06-001cc4c002e0.html  If you go: What: Informational meeting on Neighborhood Preservation Overlay Zone When: 7 p.m. Monday Where: Westminster City Hall, 1838 Emerald Hill Lane, Westminster  http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/local/article_41af73fc-eed8-11df-9f06-001cc4c002e0.html

Further context:

Carroll County Times: Westminster MD’s Disregard for open government: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2010/07/carroll-county-times-westminster-mds.html

20080611 Carroll County Times editorial: No agenda is sign of poor government: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2008/06/20080611-carroll-county-times-editorial.html




20101122 sdosm MCC Agenda.

zoning, historic, preservation, Westminster, Maryland, Carroll County, planning and zoning commission, Willis Street, hearing, Ordinance, Chapter 164



Westminster Council Mtgs, Westminster Council Mtg Agenda, Westminster PZ Nborhood Pres Overlay Zone, Westminster Issues open transparent, People Martin Pat



*****
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Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/