Showing posts with label Westminster Mayor 2005 Ferguson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Westminster Mayor 2005 Ferguson. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Westminster council president Chiavacci mayor Ferguson not to run again

Westminster council president will not try for reelection

February 24, 2009

Writing for the Carroll County Times, reporter Bryan Schutt has posted a news brief on the newspaper’s web site at 6:20 pm, Tuesday, February 24, 2009, that the Westminster council president, Roy Chiavacci, will not run for re-election.

“Westminster Common Council President Roy Chiavacci won’t be running for re-election this spring. In an announcement during the latest Common Council meeting, Chiavacci, an eight-year council member, sited professional and family reasons for not trying to refill his post.

“The city’s election is May 11. Two council seats and mayor are up for election and the deadline to put a name on the ballot is April 13.

“Westminster Mayor Thomas Ferguson had also told city staff he won’t be running for re-election several weeks ago.”


Actually Mayor Ferguson announced at the annual employee Christmas luncheon last December 2008 that he will not be running for re-election.

So far, councilmembers Suzanne Albert and Kevin Utz have announced for mayor and former council president Ken Hornberger has formed an exploratory committee in consideration of tossing his hat in the ring for the mayor’s office.

Meanwhile, it is broadly rumored in town that Council President Chiavacci’s son, Tony, is considering running for office as well as Jeff Dixon, who ran unsuccessfully for council several years ago.

20090224 Westminster council president will not try for reelection
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/
Kevin Dayhoff: www.westgov.net Westminster Maryland Online www.westminstermarylandonline.net http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Westminster MD Water Bill Payment Options

Westminster MD Water Bill Payment Options

City of Westminster Press Release:

November 4, 2008

“Today the City of Westminster initiated the new water and sewer billing system. This accomplishment tops nine months of data conversion and programs from the antiquated RPG System to our automated financial management information system (EDEN). With this automation and the installation of many new water meters this year, our water system will be computerized from the reading of the meter to the payment of the bill,” announced Mayor Thomas K. Ferguson.

Mayor Ferguson further commented that while the majority of the bills will be converted without incident, there may be some bills that will require individual attention: “We ask your indulgence during this conversion—we have a whole team of staffers assigned to work with our customers to explain any differences or to resolve any problems.” If you have questions about your bill, we ask that you call 410-848-3255, fax your questions to 410-848-5345 or email to water@westgov.com. It may take a day or so to research the problem and get back to you with a response.

The new water and sewer bill provides valuable information to the customer
Most notable is the chart of your water usage over several quarters. This will alert you to changes in your water consumption, possible water leaks or allow you to track the results of your conservation measures.

There is also a new message box where you will find important information about the water system, conservation measures, changes in billing, drought conditions, etc.

The number of gallons used during the quarter is more clearly identified and is located in the meter information area along with your average daily use.

The date your meter was read last quarter and the current read date are also contained on the bill.

Even though the format of the bill has been changed, the following payment options remain the same. Please note our expanded hours of service.

In Person—Payment can be made by mail, credit card or in person at the City Administrative Offices, 56 West Main Street, Westminster, MD 21157. Our hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For information, call 410-848-3255.

Bills paid after the “Amount Due After” date is subject to penalty. A return check charge of $50 will be assessed on each bill paid with a check that is returned unpaid by the financial institution on which it is drawn. If you have had a returned check in the past, you will need to pay by cash, money order or credit card.

By Mail—The lower part of the statement is to be returned with your check (or credit card payment.) Please do not staple, tape or use paper clips. Remember to sign your check and write your account number on it. This will expedite the accurate processing of your payment. Please allow time for mail delivery. Do Not Send Cash In The Mail.

Drop Box —You also have the option of placing your payment in the drop box located at the City Administrative Offices at 56 West Main Street.

Inquiries concerning the Bay Restoration Fee should be directed to the Maryland Department of the Environment by calling 410-537-3567 or by Internet at
www.mde.state.md.us.

To request a change to the mailing address on your account, you must do so in writing, and send it to the above address or fax your request to 410-848-5345.

We invite you to visit the City’s web site at
www.westgov.com for general information on our water and sewer system and on water conservation measures.

In addition to the automated payment system, the City has invested $11M in a state-of-the-art water treatment plant is scheduled to go on line in early spring 2009 and a $4.5M seven mile pipeline to Medford Quarry to provide water in emergency drought conditions will be completed in November 2008. These improvements will enable the City of Westminster to meet the new Maryland Department of the Environment quality standards for drinking water. Always searching for new water sources, the City is currently building a well treatment facility and testing two more possible well locations to add to our current 10 production wells.

On the sewer side, the City is currently in the engineering and design phase of an upgrade to our waste water treatment plant. Again, more stringent requirements by MDE make this upgrade necessary.


20081104 Westminster MD Water Bill Payment Options

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Westminster Eagle: “Westminster mayor says MML convention spending was worth it” By Katie V. Jones

Westminster Eagle: “Westminster mayor says MML convention spending was worth it” By Katie V. Jones

Posted on http://www.explorecarroll.com/ 9/17/08


As for a $1,500 dinner bill, Ferguson is adamant that he picked up the expenses for the meal. "I paid for that," Ferguson said of the meal, adding, "The city doesn't pick up a dime for me and my wife to go [to the convention]. I pay for my registration and our hotel."
------

Westminster Mayor Tom Ferguson this week defended sending 15 appointed and elected officials to the Maryland Municipal League Convention this past summer despite a price tag of $19,000 and a dinner bill that totaled $1,500.

The four-day convention held in Ocean City offers symposiums and seminars dealing with a variety of issues and subjects pertinent to municipalities, Ferguson said.

The governor and his cabinet also attend one day, hosting roundtable meetings to allow discussions about such topics as transportation and the environment, he said.

"There is no way I can put a dollar value..." on the event, Ferguson said. "It is an opportunity to have interaction with peers around... Maryland... to pick up new ideas."

The issue of the expense was raised in a story that appeared in the Carroll County Times.

Ferguson said the convention is typically attended by council members, the mayor and department heads. This year, three additional people attended because Larry Bloom, superintendent of Westminster's street department, was honored as the MML employee of the year, Ferguson said. Bloom's wife and his immediate boss, Jeff Glass and his wife, attended the event.

"It is quite an honor and one he clearly deserves," Ferguson said of Bloom. "It speaks well of the city and him personally to get that type of recognition."

As for a $1,500 dinner bill, Ferguson is adamant that he picked up the expenses for the meal.

"I paid for that," Ferguson said of the meal, adding, "The city doesn't pick up a dime for me and my wife to go [to the convention]. I pay for my registration and our hotel."


*****

Related: Recent Westminster Eagle and Sunday Carroll Eagle columns by Kevin Dayhoff

Be critical of spending, but MML has been worthwhile
Published September 17, 2008 by Westminster Eagle
There has been a fair amount of discussion of late regarding published accounts of the June trip by 15 appointed and elected officials from Westminster...

http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2008/09/recent-westminster-eagle-and-sunday_23.html

20080923 Recent Westminster Eagle and Sunday Carroll Eagle columns

NBH: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/60014.html

20080917 Westminster mayor says convention spending worth it KJones

Monday, September 8, 2008

Thoughts on Westminster posting an agenda in a timely manner

Thoughts on Westminster posting an agenda in a timely manner

The existentialism of the simple task of Westminster city officials posting an agenda for its council meetings in a timely manner

September 8, 2008 by Kevin Dayhoff


After an e-mail to a city official earlier in the day; for which I never did get a response, the city of Westminster has finally posted an agenda on the city’s web site.

Heck, I’m just not sure what their rush was – the agenda was posted at approximately 3:22 pm. The meeting is 3 ½ hours away…

Since 2005 the city of Westminster has added two new positions – a city manager and a director of administration at an annual cost to the taxpayer of over $200,000 and yet the city can’t manage to get an council meeting agenda posted timely – or adopt a budget or have an annual audit performed on a timely basis.

The city spent anywhere from $20,000 to over $40,000, depending on whose version of the story suits your fancy, to move some offices to a rented building from City Hall and other offices from the rented building back over to City Hall; in order to provide better services. It was, in reality, rearranging the deck chairs on The Titanic. And yet the city all-too frequently can’t get an agenda posted on a timely basis.

The city increased taxes, increased the size of government, has borrowed money like there is no tomorrow and is actively discussing cutting back on city services – in order to serve us better. And yet the city seems to have a great deal of difficulty in posting an agenda on a timely basis on a web site that is so woefully inadequate and opaque, it often seems like the city resents even having a web site…

Web sites can be difficult as I am all too aware; however in theory, a web site is no longer an afterthought or a bother, it is a critical information dissemination resource in today’s governance. Then again there are many folks who find current Westminster government so opaque, unapproachable, and inaccessible, that the web site is probably emblematic of a government that all too often seems too annoyed by citizen contact to be bothered with disseminating information.

After-all, our elected officials are some of the smartest folks in the world – and they certainly know what is best for us; so having meaningful contact with the public is probably unnecessary now isn’t it?

I’m glad that Westminster citizens work for such an august group of elitists. It gives us a purpose in our backward shabby meager existence.

Related:

20071130 City municipal offices relocate by Ryan Marshall

20080611 No agenda is sign of poor government

20080720 Carroll County Times Westminster shutting out the public

20080908 Thoughts on Westminster posting an agenda in a timely manner

Friday, August 29, 2008

Carroll County Times Editorial: City was wasteful in spending

Carroll County Times Editorial: City was wasteful in spending

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

City was wasteful in spending

No matter how the mayor or Westminster or council members want to spin it, sending 15 people to a conference and then racking up a $1,500 bill for an expensive meal of lobster and alcohol is not prudent given the city's dire financial situation.

In fact, it was just a month ago that Mayor Thomas Ferguson, in announcing the elimination of several positions and firing of several employees, said, "[The layoffs] are clearly driven by the economic environment we're in. Revenue is not growing."

He also said, "The city is looking at all aspects of the government to find productivity gains and cost savings."

Well, perhaps not all aspects.

In all it cost the city $19,000 to send 15 people to the Maryland Municipal League conference. The conference itself can be a good, learning experience. But the city could have done as most companies watching dollars do and saved money by sending half as many people and having them report back to everyone else about what they learned.

And then there's the matter of the extravagant dinner at the expensive Fager's Island restaurant and Bar, which some on the council have tried to pass off as worthwhile for its "team building" value, at a cost of almost $1,500.

Most families, when faced with mounting bills and difficulty paying, don't go out for extravagant dinners or engage in other wasteful spending. Perhaps a cookout with hamburgers and hotdogs would have been better for the "team building" atmosphere than throwing money around like there's no tomorrow, even as these same officials lamented the lack of money that is forcing them to fire people.

The mayor says he will pay the bill out of his own pocket. He says he has done that in the past. But the council members and others who spent the evening drinking alcohol and eating lobster amount to a slap in the face to the employees who were terminated, supposedly, because of budget woes. It's also a slap in the face to taxpayers, who all through the budget season listened to them moan and groan about how tight money was - to the point that the council never did hold a public hearing on the final budget.

Westminster voters today should be asking themselves about the decision-making abilities of the people who they have elected to office.

In front of the public, they whine about having no money in the budget. Then they scoot off in droves to a conference where money - that same tax money - flows quite freely. And upon being questioned, they defend their extravagance as somehow necessary and helpful to the city.

This conference is just one example, but if it is indicative of the way Westminster handles its finances, it is no wonder money is tight and people need to be laid off to pay for the alcohol and lobster.


20071130 City municipal offices relocate by Ryan Marshall

20080611 No agenda is sign of poor government

20080720 Carroll County Times Westminster shutting out the public

20080908 Thoughts on Westminster posting an agenda in a timely manner

20080827 Carroll County Times editorial: City was wasteful in spending

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2008/08/27/news/opinion/editorial/editorial533.txt

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Carroll County Times Editorial for Sunday, July 20, 2008: Westminster shutting out the public

Carroll County Times Editorial for Sunday, July 20, 2008: Westminster shutting out the public

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2008/07/22/news/opinion/editorial/editorial572.txt

Last week's aborted attempt by Westminster officials to circumvent the bidding process for a multi-million dollar roadwork contract was just the latest in a string of questionable actions that should have residents concerned about how their government is being run and whether the city is fiscally sound.

In May, the city advertised as required by law that it would not be lowering the tax rate to maintain a constant yield with rising revenue. As tax and assessment revenues increase, the state says that governments should lower the tax rate to maintain a constant yield. If they don't, they have to advertise the defacto tax increase.

Most municipalities don't decrease taxes, so Westminster not doing so wasn't unusual. What was unusual, however, was that city officials could provide no expense numbers prior to the May constant yield hearing, and they could not explain how they knew they would need additional tax revenue if they didn't have the expense numbers.

To further muddy the picture, the city then produced a "narrative" budget, touting it as easier to follow and good for residents. The narrative, however, did not include a breakdown of revenues and expenses.

Not surprisingly, with no real numbers and scant facts on expenses and revenues available, few people attended the constant yield hearing.

Weeks later, after not holding a public hearing on the budget, and with little discussion of the budget in open sessions, the council approved the current fiscal year's budget.

Officials never could explain why they didn't want to hold a public hearing.

Given the lack of open discussion, as well as the unavailability of real budget numbers, residents may be concerned that either their council voted on something they had no real knowledge of, or the council talked secretly - and illegally - outside public meetings to hash out the details and hid that from residents.

Last week, the city announced it would be firing several employees and consolidating some positions in an effort to save money. The week before, the city had to hold an emergency meeting in order to give the mayor the authority to sign for a $3.5 million loan for road projects. Originally city officials planned to circumvent the bidding process and give the contract to C.J. Miller. But last week they thought better of ignoring the city charter on putting contracts out to bid and removed the rubber stamp approval from the constent agenda.

Juggling the intricacies of a municipal government can be challenging for anyone, and there are sure to be missteps along the way. But what has emerged in Westminster since the beginning of this year's budget process is more than a few simple missteps and more closely resembles a concerted effort to hide the city's finances from public view.

The mayor and council need to return to the basic concept of doing public business at public meetings. They need to stop treating the public as intruders, and they need make a full accounting of the city's finances and why they have thrown up so many barriers to public participation in the budget process this year.


20080720 Carroll County Times Westminster shutting out the public

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Westminster City Government Memo: Westminster cutting 9 jobs

*****
Westminster City Government Memo: Westminster cutting 9 jobs
Date of Release: July 14, 2009
Contact: Marge Wolf
City Administrator
PRESS RELEASE

After the July 14 Common Council meeting. Mayor Thomas K. Ferguson announced a series of personnel and other actions required for the FY2009 fiscal year to facilitate a balanced budget.

"As I have cautioned during the budget deliberations, this has been a challenging year for the City as revenues have declined and expenditures have continued to increase. Our three year operating projections do not indicate this situation will improve significantly in the immediate future. Accordingly, I am reluctantly outlining the steps we have taken to adapt to this financial situation."

Among those changes is the following personnel restructuring. These changes in no way reflect on the performance of the employees but reflect a reorganization of the delivery of services.

1. Two vacant positions in Finance and the Mayor's Office have not been funded.

2. Instead of serving as our own general contractor for affordable housing projects, the City will partner with non-profit housing agencies or for profit developers to undertake these projects. The Housing Rehabilitation Coordinator position will be eliminated.

3. The Code Enforcement Officer and the Section 8 Housing Inspector will bemerged into one position under one property maintenance code. To achieve thischange, the Code Enforcement Officer and Section 8 Housing Inspector positions will be eliminated. A new Code Inspector position will be created.

4. The managerial functions of the Planning Department will be combined with the Director of Planning, Zoning and Development and the Manager of Planningposition will be eliminated.

5. Two certified Administrative Assistant positions (Department of Planning, Zoning and Development and Finance) will be eliminated and one certifiedAdministrative Assistant will be reassigned.

6. The central telephone Operator will be relocated from the Recreation Department to the Administrative Offices at 56 West Main Street.

7. Two Staff Assistant positions will be created.

8. The City Clerk position will be transitioned from a full-time position to a part-time position.

The City has developed a uniform severance package, including pay and insurance benefits, for those employees whose positions have been eliminated. They will also receive support in transitioning to other employment and will be given the information and the opportunity to apply for any of the newly created positions for which they are qualified.

Further, the City of Westminster has instituted a number of changes to the employee benefit package. The employees will be asked to double their contribution to the health care policies from 7% to 14%. The retirees health care benefit package will be modified and employees hired after July 1, 2008, would not be eligible for this benefit. In light of the continuing increases the City is facing for basic utilities and materials, task forces will focus on the following areas to meet these challenges:

• Gasoline consumption will be reviewed and modifications will be made to thetake home vehicle policy, the use of pool cars and reimbursement for the use ofprivate vehicles.

• An energy coordinator will be appointed in each City facility to develop anenergy policy and monitor compliance with that policy.

• By centralizing office supply purchasing and distribution, modifying utilization patterns, and identifying waste patterns the City will reduce our consumption of office supplies.

• The cost of providing employee benefits has been increasing every year. TheHealth Care Committee will a develop a long-term strategy to maintain anemployee benefit package at a reasonable cost both to the City and the employee.

• As was indicated in Mike Evan's presentation to the Mayor and Common
Council, the City needs to increase the recycling rate to decrease our landfill and hauling costs.


20080614 Westminster City Government Memo: Westminster cutting 9 jobs

Monday, July 14, 2008

Mayor: Westminster cutting 9 positions Posted by the Carroll County Times at 4:27 p.m.

Mayor: Westminster cutting 9 positions Posted by the Carroll County Times at 4:27 p.m.

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2008/07/14/news/breaking_news/88westminster.txt

By Bryan Schutt, Times Staff Writer

Monday, July 14, 2008

Mayor Thomas Ferguson confirmed that Westminster will be eliminating nine city government positions and creating three new jobs.

The following positions are being eliminated:

two administrative assistant positions;

the manager of planning position;

the housing rehabilitation coordinator position;

the Section Eight housing inspector position;

and the code enforcement Officer position.

Two vacant positions, one in the finance department and one in the mayor’s office, won’t be funded.

He also confirmed that the city clerk position will be reduced to a part-time position, one administrative assistant will be reassigned and, unrelated to the personnel moves, another administrative assistant position will be retiring and that position will not be filled.

Two staff assistant positions and a Code Inspector position will be created, Ferguson said.

The mayor and Common Council will discuss the personnel actions more
during tonight’s council meeting at 7 p.m. in City Hall, 1838 Emerald Hill Lane.


See Tuesday’s Times (
Carroll County Times) for more.

20080614 Westminster cutting 9 jobs

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

20080709 Westminster common council to hold special meeting this evening

Westminster common council to hold special meeting this evening

City Council:
City Council Members Minutes of City Council Meetings

CITY OF WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND

http://www.westgov.com/citygovernment/agenda.asp


On July 9, 2008 at 7:00 PM there will be a Special Meeting of the City of Westminster Mayor and Common Council to approve the issuance of a $3.5 million dollar obligation bond. The meeting will be held at City Hall.

Hat Tip:
Bryan Schutt of the Carroll County Times

Lots of folks have asked me questions about the $3.5 million loan initiative and I only know what Mr. Schutt has reported.

There was essentially no public discussion.

Questions persist as to why a special meeting –that they are simply going to rubber stamp approval. Why not wait until Monday evening’s regular meeting?

I do not know the answer.

They legally have to have the meeting to authorize the mayor to execute the documents. Why they did not do that before is a fair question, but the last meeting was cancelled as city officials were at the MML Summer Convention…

Many folks are curious as to what source of revenue has been identified for the repayment of the loan. I’m not sure I definitively know that answer.

The lack of dissent in the current administration had lent credence to critics who wonder where's the debate, the transparency and the thorough vetting of issues? Why does every vote appear a rubber-stamping?

However, Westminster voters endorsed the current administration’s leadership style and method, and anyone who didn't think that meant increased spending, increasing the size of government and increasing taxes as a way to provide for additional government services and regulation is so out-of-touch that they don't deserve a vote.

Meanwhile Mr. Schutt has reported: (See also:
20080708 Articles by Bryan Schutt of the Carroll County Times on the Westminster FY 2008 2009 budget)

The $3.5 million will be used to finance several city street projects. The Common Council originally approved the decision to borrow the money during the city’s June 9 meeting.

Mayor Thomas Ferguson said the council will vote during Wednesday’s meeting to adopt an ordinance authorizing the mayor to sign all of the documents involved in the loan.

As previously reported, Roland Unger, Westminster’s director of finance, said the $3.5 million loan is for a nine-year term, borrowed at a 3.66 percent fixed interest rate.

He said the debt service on the loan is $571,000 per year.


####

20080708 Articles by Bryan Schutt of the Carroll County Times on the Westminster FY 2008 2009 budget





Articles by Bryan Schutt of the Carroll County Times on the Westminster FY 2008 2009 budget:

July 8, 2008


Westminster set to hold special meeting Jul. 8, 2008: Westminster’s Mayor and Common Council will hold a special meeting Wednesday to approve a $3.5 million bond. The $3.5 million will be used to finance several city street projects. The Common Council originally approved the decision to...


Westminster to borrow for street repairs By Bryan Schutt, Time Staff Writer Tuesday, June 17, 2008: Westminster council members and city officials said they needed to borrow $3.5 million to keep up with the city’s deteriorating streets. Following through with several months long of discussion, Westminster’s Common Council approved the decision last week to borrow $3.5 million to catch up with street repairs. The council stressed that the work they plan to complete is catch-up work only. “The council spoke loudly and clearly their strong desire and intent to try to get caught up and keep roads from getting much worse,” Mayor Thomas Ferguson said. “I’m not happy about taking on more debt but it’s the only realistic way to get this done.” Roland Unger, Westminster’s director of finance, said the $3.5 million loan is for a 9-year term, borrowed at a 3.66 percent fixed interest rate. He said the approved proposal came from BB&T and was about a full percentage lower than the other offer the city received from PNC Bank. The city will pay about $128,000 of interest-only payments this fiscal year and next, and then will pay about $571,000 in interest and principal for the remaining seven years of the loan, Unger said. The city only extended the loan for 9 years because they didn’t want to pay for something longer than it was useful. “Because the life of road repairs are about 10 years, we didn’t want to take out a loan that exceeds the life of what we’re repairing,” Unger said. Including the $3.5 million loan for the streets project, Unger said he estimates the city’s debt to asset ratio at about 27 percent. He said the city has about $26 million debt and about $94 million in assets. He said he doesn’t believe the amount of debt the city has will affect future borrowing and the debt service on the loan matched up with what the city would budget for street spending. “I don’t think we’ve exceeded what’s reasonable,” Unger said. “We should spend on streets is about $400,000 to $500,000 per year. The debt service on this loan is $571,000 per year.” …


Carroll County Times editorial: No agenda is sign of poor government Editorial for Wednesday, June 11, 2008: People often complain that governments have hidden agendas. Unfortunately, some Carroll County governments are very literally living up to that, if they have an agenda at all. Take for example the City of Westminster's Common Council meeting Monday night, where the council approved the fiscal year 2008 budget. The problem? Despite numerous attempts, we were unable to get an agenda for the meeting until about 3:45 p.m. Monday - just slightly more than 3 hours before the meeting. It was only then that it came to light that the city planned to approve the fiscal year 2008 budget. Needless to say, there probably were few average citizens who were aware of what the council was going to do at Monday night's meeting. Passing the budget is, more often than not, the most important decision any governing body will make during the entire year. And for some reason, the Westminster Common Council didn't view this as important enough to let taxpayers know about it sooner than three hours before the meeting. On the town's Web site, there was still no agenda posted Tuesday morning, just a notice that the May 26 meeting was canceled because of Memorial Day, and the next meeting was scheduled for June 9. There was no agenda for the meeting, and certainly no mention of the approval of the budget. The state's Open Meetings Law doesn't require governments to post agendas of their meetings. But common sense would suggest you aren't going to get too many people to your meetings if you don't tell them what the meeting will cover. Posting agendas is just a basic part of good government, whether it is required or not. The fact that the budget was approved without a public hearing is another matter altogether. This is just the most recent and egregious example of governments not posting agendas for meetings within a reasonable time frame. Municipalities around the county routinely do not post agendas until the day of the meeting, if at all...


Westminster OKs fiscal year 2009 budget By Bryan Schutt, Times Staff Writer Tuesday, June 10, 2008: The City of Westminster approved its fiscal year 2009 budget Monday night at the Common Council meeting without holding a public hearing on the complete budget. During the May 5 public hearing on the constant yield tax rate, the city decided the tax rate will remain at $0.44 per $100 and a narrative budget was passed out and made available to the public, but a public hearing on the proposed budget never took place. There weren’t any comments from the public about the budget during the May 12 Common Council meeting. An amendment to the city code says the mayor and Common Council shall hold a public hearing on the proposed capital budget on or before May 1. In what City Administrator Marge Wolf described as a difficult process of balancing the budget, the city’s budget calls for $37,633,002 in total appropriations for fiscal year 2009, down from last years $40.8 million in expenditures. The $37.6 million consists of about $16 million in general fund requirements, about $6 million in sewer fund requirements, about $13 million in water fund requirements and nearly $2 million for housing fund requirements. Also approved was a $3.5 million bond for street expenses. The first two years of the bond will have interest-only payments of about $128,000, according to Mayor Thomas Ferguson, and then the city will have a debt service of about $500,000 in principal and interest per year for seven years, he said. Ferguson said the city also laid out a prediction of revenues and expenditures for future years. “The revenue picture is not all that bright,” Ferguson said. “[In the future] the city will need to make tough decisions regarding revenues and expenditures.” Wolf said Westminster has its work cut out for making future budgets that will continue to encompass everything the city currently offers. The city is organizing several task forces to reduce spending, Wolf said. In August, it will look at all of its fees and assessments and try to create a clearer picture of future allocation of city funds. City officials are hoping for input from residents in the survey they are set to send out this month, but that information wouldn’t apply to the 2009 fiscal year budget. Councilman Robert Wack said although the budget process may have painted a harsh picture, the city has set a high standard of fiscal prudence, and in the long run he believes the city will benefit from the change in the budget format. “This was a huge step forward in quality of information on how we make decisions of how we spend taxpayers’ money,” Wack said. “It looks bad because of good things.”


Common Council moves up street projects, will take on debt By Bryan Schutt, Times Staff Writer Tuesday, May 13, 2008: Deciding that improvements to Westminster streets couldn’t wait, the Common Council revised the fiscal years 2009-2014 Capital Improvement Plan at Monday’s meeting to front load the city’s budget for street overlay projects, and go in debt in the process. The $7.4 million in the six-year CIP for street overlay projects has not changed. But the allocation of the funds has been reworked. Instead of backloading the city street projects, $2 million will be included in this year’s budget and $1.5 million will be included for the fiscal year 2010 budget. The city will have to borrow the money for this upcoming fiscal year’s projects, and the general fund budget will be adjusted to reflect the projects, according to City Administrator Marge Wolf. The Common Council’s justification to rework the budget was the importance of getting the projects done before the streets become much worse. “The cost of not doing this now is far greater than the cost of doing it now,” Councilman Greg Pecoraro said. He said the interest rates to borrow money are very favorable right now, asphalt costs will probably continue to rise, making the project even pricier, and the current slow down in construction in the area means the city will probably get the best contract price for the project as the council could hope for…


Westminster council delays budget hearing By Brian Schutt, Times Staff Writer Tuesday, May 06, 2008: Westminster city officials decided to hold off on the fiscal year 2009 budget public hearing because they believe the city government needs to re-evaluate the lack of funds put forth for city streets in the Capital Improvement Program. Instead, the Common Council conducted the public hearing for the constant yield tax rate Monday night. Mayor Thomas Ferguson said property assessments increased during the year and the city will generate an additional $510,315 because of the increase. The council won’t reduce the tax rate to offset the increased assessments, but it will not increase the tax rate either. The tax rate will remain at $0.44 per $100, according to Ferguson. The public record for the constant yield tax rate will remain open until 4:30 p.m. Friday. The public hearing for the budget was tentatively rescheduled until the May 12 meeting of the Common Council…


City officials tout budget document's new look By Bryan Schutt, Times Staff Writer Monday, May 05, 2008: Westminster’s new budget document represents a bright spot in an otherwise tough fiscal year to plan, according to city officials, and now, they say it’s time for residents’ input. While the old budget was about 25 pages of numbers, the new 100-page narrative budget outlays how each department spends its money. Copies of the budget will be available at the public hearing tonight. “People have been asking for more clarity,” Councilman Gregory Pecoraro said. “This form [of the budget] lets us show people what we’re actually spending money on. I think people could pick it up and say, ‘Now I understand where my tax dollars are going.’” City Administrator Marge Wolf said the narrative-style budget was something the council had been working toward for the past couple of years, and their specific budget layout was inspired from the City of Greenbelt’s budget design. She said Westminster’s new budget format is also recommended by the Public Finance Officer’s Association because it helps people understand the city’s spending. Mayor Thomas Ferguson said he believed the new budget is greatly improved over previous years’…


Proposed Westminster plan focuses on water, sewer issues By Bryan Schutt, Times Staff Writer Wednesday, April 30, 2008: Although city officials say Westminster needs additional funding for street work, water and sewer funds make up the majority of the six-year Capital Improvement Plan that was proposed during this week’s Common Council meeting. The water and sewer funds make up more than $58 million of the $74.6 million CIP. Maryland Department of the Environment projects make up the bulk of the expenses, Westminster Director of Planning, Zoning and Development Thomas Beyard said. “Water is a big item for the city and will continue to be one for the next few years,” Beyard said. He said the Westminster wastewater treatment plant upgrade and expansion will cost about $36 million, and $27 million of that money will probably be funded by MDE…


Westminster overhauls Capital Improvement Plan By Bryan Schutt, Times Staff Writer Tuesday, April 29, 2008: Budget concerns became a reality in Westminster Monday, when the proposed Capital Improvement Plan featured a scaled-back fiscal year 2009 budget. The Westminster Common Council was presented with a CIP drastically different from the one originally approved by the Westminster Planning and Zoning Commission on March 13. The revised document had 2009 expenditures totaling about $6 million; the March 13 document had about $8 million in expenses. Though the water and sewer funds make up $5.4 million of both the old and new CIP, the revised CIP eliminated $229,000 in funds for police vehicles and bumped the Americans with Disability Act park renovations until the 2010 fiscal year, which saved the city $125,000. But the most noticeable change came in the street department fund. The revised CIP cut more that $1 million from the Street Department. Streets, which are always a concern, were originally slated to have a $400,000 budget to start renovating city streets, but now all the work to be done on streets has been delayed until the 2010 fiscal year…


Westminster officials say they don't plan to boost taxes By Bryan Schutt, Times Staff Writer Sunday, April 27, 2008: An increase in taxes won’t be recommended in the city’s upcoming budget, according to Westminster city officials, despite worries about revenues for the fiscal year. City administrator Marge Wolf said the budget will be tight this year, especially because the city has seen so many increased operating costs. “Workers’ [compensation] increased by 30 percent, health insurance rates increased 10 percent and electric rates went up 40 percent,” Wolf said. The Common Council will meet on Monday to discuss the Capital Improvement Program, and it will hold a public hearing on the budget May 5…


20080708 Articles by Bryan Schutt of the Carroll County Times on the Westminster FY 2008 2009 budget

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

20080611 Carroll County Times editorial: No agenda is sign of poor government



Carroll County Times editorial: No agenda is sign of poor government

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

No agenda is sign of poor government

People often complain that governments have hidden agendas.

Unfortunately, some Carroll County governments are very literally living up to that, if they have an agenda at all.

Take for example the City of Westminster's Common Council meeting Monday night, where the council approved the fiscal year 2008 budget.

The problem? Despite numerous attempts, we were unable to get an agenda for the meeting until about 3:45 p.m. Monday - just slightly more than 3 hours before the meeting.

It was only then that it came to light that the city planned to approve the fiscal year 2008 budget.

Needless to say, there probably were few average citizens who were aware of what the council was going to do at Monday night's meeting.

Passing the budget is, more often than not, the most important decision any governing body will make during the entire year. And for some reason, the Westminster Common Council didn't view this as important enough to let taxpayers know about it sooner than three hours before the meeting.

On the town's Web site, there was still no agenda posted Tuesday morning, just a notice that the May 26 meeting was canceled because of Memorial Day, and the next meeting was scheduled for June 9. There was no agenda for the meeting, and certainly no mention of the approval of the budget.

The state's Open Meetings Law doesn't require governments to post agendas of their meetings. But common sense would suggest you aren't going to get too many people to your meetings if you don't tell them what the meeting will cover. Posting agendas is just a basic part of good government, whether it is required or not.

The fact that the budget was approved without a public hearing is another matter altogether.

This is just the most recent and egregious example of governments not posting agendas for meetings within a reasonable time frame. Municipalities around the county routinely do not post agendas until the day of the meeting, if at all.

Another example is last week's quarterly mayors meeting with the Carroll County Board of Commissioners. No agenda was released until Tuesday - two days before the parties were scheduled to meet - and the meeting was postponed the next day.

How is it that a once-every-three-months meeting doesn't have an agenda until 48 hours prior? (In this case, the mayors and commissioners hadn't met in six months, because the December meeting was canceled so the parties could attend tree lightings.) And could it be that the involved parties weren't prepared for the topics on the agenda, hence the weeklong postponement?

These same government officials often state they want more involvement and better attendance from residents at these meetings. But if these boards aren't making residents aware of what will be taking place at the meetings, why would they bother to attend?

Not releasing agendas until hours before a meeting is not only a bad practice from that standpoint; it also raises serious concerns about these governments trying to hide something. Do they not want people attending meetings? Or is it just laziness?

If governments really want community involvement at their meetings, they absolutely must do a better job of informing people about what is going on. Releasing an agenda well in advance so people can decide whether the meeting is worth attending and giving them enough time to make plans to do so is the first and simplest step in the right direction.

20080611 Carroll County Times editorial: No agenda is sign of poor government

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2008/06/11/news/opinion/editorial/editorial611.txt

Westminster Governance taxes, Westminster Governance open and transparent govt, Westminster Mayor 200505 to 2009 Thomas K. Ferguson, Westminster Dept Finance Budget 2008 – 2009 FY, Media Newspapers Carroll County Times,

Saturday, December 8, 2007

20071130 City municipal offices relocate by Ryan Marshall

20071130 City municipal offices relocate by Ryan Marshall

Carroll County News Briefs for Friday, November 30, 2007

Carroll County Times: City municipal offices relocate

Thursday was moving day for some of Westminster’s municipal offices.

The city’s public works departments, planning staff and the office of the city administrator have moved from City Hall to 56 W. Main St., where the economic development and finance offices are already located.

The housing and human resources departments will move from that building to City Hall.

The shuffling was meant to get the city’s administrative offices together at the Main Street building, Mayor Thomas Ferguson said.

— Ryan Marshall

20071130 City municipal offices relocate by Ryan Marshall

Friday, July 15, 2005

20050714 Westminster prepares to survey employees cct

20050714 Westminster prepares to survey employees By Robert Brodsky for the Carroll County Times

Westminster prepares to survey employees By Robert Brodsky for the Carroll County Times

Westminster prepares to survey employees

By Robert Brodsky, Times Staff Writer

Thursday, July 14, 2005

Hey, Westminster City employees. How do you like your job? Do you feel appreciated by your supervisor? Are you overworked? How about underpaid?

City workers will have the opportunity to answer questions like these and others as Westminster prepares for its first employee opinion survey.

The survey, which will be done by a yet unselected private consulting firm specializing in human resources work, will look at how the city's 160 employees view their jobs and examine what can be done to improve worker satisfaction, said Westminster Mayor Thomas Ferguson.

"It's a physical checkup of the [city's work force] environment," he said.

The employee opinion survey was a central point in Ferguson's campaign for mayor last spring. He said morale among employees had declined in recent years and wanted to find a way to improve relations between the city and its work force.

"One of the major reasons in doing this is to send a message to employees that we will listen to what you have to say," Ferguson said.

The survey's success will be based on two essential elements, Ferguson said. Employees must be assured their answers will be kept confidential and that they will result in meaningful change.

"If nothing comes of it, they're going to say 'Don't ask us again,'" Ferguson said. "We're planning to take these answers and factor them into our strategic planning process."

The survey will not result in any hirings or firings, nor any immediate shift in how the workforce is structured, Ferguson said. Rather, the survey could help determine which departments are lacking adequate equipment, which personnel may need increased training and whether employees as a whole believe they are fairly compensated and appreciated for the work they perform.

The city has received four bids by firms interested in performing the survey, Ferguson said. The bids range from $7,500 - a questionnaire that would be sent to all employees and then analyzed by the firm - to a $27,000 proposal that would include one-on-one interviews, group meetings and focus groups.

The city's personnel committee, composed of Finance Director Joe Urban, City Councilmembers Robert Wack and Suzanne Albert and Human Resources Administrator Darlene Childs, will hear presentations from the four consultants Monday and Tuesday.

Urban anticipates the committee will make its decision based not only on cost but on the services that would be most beneficial to city employees.

"Just mailing out a questionnaire may not inspire the most amount of confidence from employees," Urban said. "We want to structure the process to create the highest level of confidence from employees."

The city plans to pay for the survey by diverting resources from a $100,000 fund set aside to cover the cost of potential salary increments that could be suggested in an upcoming salary study, Urban said.

That study, which will be conducted by a different firm, will compare the salaries of Westminster City employees to those in the private sector and in other neighboring cities.

If needed, funds for salary increases could be supplemented through the city's emergency fund or through it's unappropriated surplus, Urban said.

The personnel committee plans to make a decision on a consulting firm for the employee opinion survey next week. The proposal would then go before the Westminster City Council on July 25.

If approved, the study could start in August and take between 60 and 90 days to complete.

Reach staff writer Robert Brodsky at 410-857-7865 or Rbrodsky@lcniofmd.com.

20050714 Westminster prepares to survey employees By Robert Brodsky for the Carroll County Times


Tuesday, June 21, 2005

20050620 Carroll County Times: New mayor eager to work with employees

By Robert Brodsky, Times Staff Writer

Monday, June 20, 2005

Q&A

Name: Thomas Ferguson

Residence: Westminster

Age: 63

Job: Mayor of Westminster

Reason for becoming involved in city government: Was involved for many years in civic and community groups, but, following his retirement, he wanted to provide a greater contribution to the city.

On May 9, Thomas Ferguson was elected mayor of Westminster, besting former Mayor Kevin Dayhoff by more than 120 votes. Ferguson, a retired bank executive, served nearly four years on the Westminster City Council before taking over as mayor.

Q: How has life changed since becoming mayor of Westminster?

A: I still take the garbage out and still have to walk the dog. Obviously, it hasn't been a dramatic change for me. I've only been retired for about a year. I was used to keeping a regular schedule, and I intend to maintain regular hours here. I've been spending a lot of hours here in the initial days and weeks just to get up to speed about what's going on. But not a lot has changed. I guess the only difference now is that I get to sign things.

Q: What changes have you put in place since taking office and what other changes are on the immediate horizon?

A: I started a regular staff meeting with the folks that report directly to me. We had our first staff meeting last week, and we're going to do that on a monthly basis. It's something that's important and needed, and it's new. Most of the first month has been spent figuring out how this place operates and getting a better understanding of the decision-making process.

Longer term, I want to start a formal strategic planning process. We are going to do a citywide employee opinion survey to get an understanding of how they feel about their jobs. That's the basis for another part of the strategic plan. What is it that employees need and want and what improvements do we need to make as an employer? It's a 360-degree look at ourselves. My experience in all the years that I have been doing this kind of stuff is that the best place to get information is from employees. They'll tell you the truth as long as their opinions and comments are protected and confidential. Sometime - I suspect this summer - we are going to do a citywide analysis of how our jobs are ranked; how we evaluate our jobs and whether or not our job categories are properly structured.

Q: Keeping with the subject of employee relations, you expressed concern during your campaign about the morale of city workers. Do you believe that your concerns were accurate and, if so, what can be done to improve the situation?

A: Part of the purpose of the opinion survey is to get to that question. Is morale an issue and, if so, what are the factors causing concerns among morale? I think my instincts are going to be true and that employees are looking forward to getting their opinions out. ... We are going to get the answer to that in the next few months.

Q: How will your administration be different than that of your predecessor, Kevin Dayhoff?

A: I am going to be here on a regular basis and be accessible for citizens and employees. I tend to be involved with what's going on in city government. Not to the degree of doing any micromanaging. That's what we hire experts to do. But to understand how we operate and ask questions about why we are doing what we are doing and is there a better way to do it? I am very interested in finding ways to make this place more efficient and more cost-effective. I am confident the employees will help us identify areas where we can find some productivity improvements and cost savings. So, I am going to be very much interested in getting employees involved in their day-to-day work life here and telling me and the council and the supervisory management staff what they think can be improved.

Q: What are some of the biggest issues facing the city of Westminster?

A: We have a flood of lots outside the city limits of Westminster that have an awful lot of potential development. I think the pressure the city will be facing is the question of annexation. How big do we want the city boundaries to become? Because the number of available building lots is going to be stunning. I think that's a big issue and one we have to get our arms around pretty quickly. That's why we need to have a full-blown strategic plan that talks about where the future city boundaries should be. We have this thing on a map now. There's this hypothetical line - and literally it's a line on the map - that says "future city boundary." And we have the city water and sewer service area and then we have the actual boundary. We need to ask ourselves a question: Where did that come from and is that what we want? Do we want the boundaries of the city of Westminster to be as big as that? And what are the implications for services and taxpayers? And along with that comes growth and questions about water and where it is going to come from.

Q: How does the city balance continued residential and commercial growth while also remaining a small Main Street town?

A: First of all, we need to make a decision on size and what we are going to look like. Get that down in the form of a document that everybody has bought into and then stick to it. How much more annexation do we want to do? And where do we want that to occur? The whole question of planning for growth and where we want that to occur has to be part of our overall plan. And what kind of growth? Do we want all our neighborhoods to look alike? I live in a neighborhood that is mixed. Different-style houses. Different architectural features. Multifamily, single-family, small houses and big houses. That's the kind of neighborhood that used to be typical. Mixed use has sort of gotten a bad name somewhere along the line. But that's kind of how we all grew up in small-town America. We can't turn the clock back, but I think there's something we can be doing better in our planning process to make the neighborhoods look less homogeneous.

Q: What do you envision Westminster will look like 20 to 25 years from now?

A: Well, growth is inevitable. We're blessed in many ways. We are in a beautiful part of the state, geographically convenient to places like Baltimore, [Washington] D.C., Philadelphia, Gettysburg and, for that matter, even New York. It's three hours to the ocean and four hours to the far western part of the state. Geographically, we are in a wonderful situation. We still have an awful lot of open farmland that is very attractive to people, so we are going to be a magnet for growth. And we're not going to be able to avoid that. I am hoping what we can do is deal with that in a way that doesn't turn this community into something that looks like everything else.

We have beautiful architecture in these older neighborhoods. You see some of that late 19th-century, early 20th-century architecture that's still very visible, particularly in some of these older neighborhoods on Main Street. These are things worth preserving. I would like to see more and more opportunities for people to live here and to work here. Not much in that regard the city can do by itself. But we need the help and cooperation of the county. I am hoping we can find ways to make it affordable.


Reach staff writer Robert Brodsky at 410-857-7865 or RBrodsky@lcniofmd.com.

Monday, June 11, 2001

20010611 Westminster Mayor and Common Council Agenda

Monday, June 11, 2001

Westminster Mayor and Common Council Agenda

CITY OF WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND

Mayor and Council Meeting of June 11, 2001

A G E N D A

UPDATE: See 20010612 Baltimore Sun: Ferguson fills Council Seat

1. CALL TO ORDER - 7:00 P.M.

2. MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF MAY 14, 2001, and BIENNIAL ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING OF MAY 21, 2001

3. PUBLIC HEARING:

Amended Annexation Resolution No. R00-6 (Annexation No. 42 - The Maples, Inc.,

et al.)

Zoning Text Amendment No. TA 01-1 (new Residential Cluster Subdivision)

Zoning Text Amendment No. TA 01-2 (new City of Westminster Zoning Map)

4. CONSENT CALENDAR:

April Departmental Operating Reports

5. BIDS:

Award contract for Sludge Hauling and Disposal

6. REPORTS FROM MAYOR

7. REPORTS FROM STANDING COMMITTEES

8. ORDINANCES & RESOLUTIONS:

Introduction of Zoning Ordinance No. 664 (Residential Cluster Subdivision)

Introduction of Zoning Ordinance No. 665 (adopt new Zoning Map)

Introduction of Zoning Ordinance No. 671 (Annexation No. 42 - The Maples, Inc., et al.)

Final Enactment of Resolution No. R01-5 (L.G.I.T. Agreement)

Suspend Rules of Order & Procedure to adopt Resolution No. R01-6 (revised drug and alcohol testing policy)

9. UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

a. Appointment of new Council Member by vote of the Council

b. Amend Rules of Order and Procedure to revise Council Committees

c. Appointment of Council Committee members

10. NEW BUSINESS:

a. Cancel Mayor and Council Meeting of June 25, 2001, due to MML

Convention

b. Water status update

c. Mayoral Appointment to Parks Board

11. DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS

12. CITIZEN COMMENTS

13. ADJOURN

20010611 Westminster Mayor and Common Council Agenda

Monday, June 11, 2001

Westminster Mayor and Common Council Agenda

CITY OF WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND

Mayor and Council Meeting of June 11, 2001

A G E N D A

UPDATE: See 20010612 Baltimore Sun: Ferguson fills Council Seat

1. CALL TO ORDER - 7:00 P.M.

2. MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF MAY 14, 2001, and BIENNIAL ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING OF MAY 21, 2001

3. PUBLIC HEARING:

Amended Annexation Resolution No. R00-6 (Annexation No. 42 - The Maples, Inc.,

et al.)

Zoning Text Amendment No. TA 01-1 (new Residential Cluster Subdivision)

Zoning Text Amendment No. TA 01-2 (new City of Westminster Zoning Map)

4. CONSENT CALENDAR:

April Departmental Operating Reports

5. BIDS:

Award contract for Sludge Hauling and Disposal

6. REPORTS FROM MAYOR

7. REPORTS FROM STANDING COMMITTEES

8. ORDINANCES & RESOLUTIONS:

Introduction of Zoning Ordinance No. 664 (Residential Cluster Subdivision)

Introduction of Zoning Ordinance No. 665 (adopt new Zoning Map)

Introduction of Zoning Ordinance No. 671 (Annexation No. 42 - The Maples, Inc., et al.)

Final Enactment of Resolution No. R01-5 (L.G.I.T. Agreement)

Suspend Rules of Order & Procedure to adopt Resolution No. R01-6 (revised drug and alcohol testing policy)

9. UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

a. Appointment of new Council Member by vote of the Council

b. Amend Rules of Order and Procedure to revise Council Committees

c. Appointment of Council Committee members

10. NEW BUSINESS:

a. Cancel Mayor and Council Meeting of June 25, 2001, due to MML

Convention

b. Water status update

c. Mayoral Appointment to Parks Board

11. DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS

12. CITIZEN COMMENTS

13. ADJOURN