Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Mayor Kevin Utz and Councilman Tony Chiavacci will serve second terms while Suzanne Albert returns to office after losing in the last election.
There are no new faces in Westminster's elected leadership as Kevin Utz was re-elected for Mayor, Tony Chiavacci was re-elected for Common Council and Suzanne Albert is returning to Common Council after a two-year hiatus. According to election officials at City Hall Tuesday evening, there were 705 votes cast in the Westminster Municipal election. Four candidates were running for two Common Council seats and two candidates were running for Mayor. Tony Chiavacci and Suzanne Albert were voted to sit on Common Council and incumbent Kevin Utz was re-elected for Mayor. The election officials reported the following results: Mayor Common Council Utz said that he's happy for the vote of confidence from Westminster residents. "I'm very happy that…
Friday, May 3, 2013
Westminster's election will take place on May 14.
Elections for Westminster's Mayor and two Common Council seats will take place Tuesday, May 14 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Respondents answered the following questions via email. Their responses are here in full. Common Council Running for the two Common Council seats are: incumbent Tony Chiavacci, past Council member Suzanne Albert, Misty Henline and Doug Mathias. Doug Mathias did not respond by the time this article posted. The article will be updated with his responses should he choose to submit them. Suzanne Albert First, people are encouraging me to return to the Westminster Common Council and there is an open seat. Secondly, I have experience, proven leadership ability and a positive attitude for providing an …
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Budget discussions for FY2014 will begin next week.
Westminster's Mayor and Common Council will hear recommendations from the city's finance committee at a FY2014 budget workshop next Monday. Common Council member Robert Wack, chair of the finance committee, said that the city will see some healthcare-related expenses increase in FY14. He also said the finance committee will propose a decrease in the tax rate and a three percent salary increase for city employees. During Monday's regularly scheduled meeting of the Mayor and Common Council, Wack said that employee benefits are one of the city's biggest expenses driven by outside sources. According to Wack, healthcare expenses increased by $190,000 last year. In addition, he said that the city will have to increase its payment to the Law …
Monday, January 14, 2013
Find out what the Westminster Mayor and Common Council will discuss at tonight's meeting.
Westminster's Mayor and Common Council will meet for a regularly scheduled meeting at 7 p.m. on Jan. 14 at City Hall. The Mayor and Common Council meet the second and fourth Monday of the month. Call to Order Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting on December 10, 2012 Consent Calendar Report from the Mayor Reports from Standing Committees Ordinances and Resolutions Unfinished Business New Business Department Reports Citizen Comments Adjourn
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Rental Licensing & Inspection Program Task Force presents initial findings and suggestions to a packed room Monday night.
There was standing room only at City Hall last night as interested citizens and landlords filled the City Council meeting to learn more about a proposed landlord licensing program for the city. Dan Hoff, chairman of the Rental Licensing & Inspection Program Task Force, presented the initial thoughts and suggestions of the task force to the mayor and common council. Landlord licensing is designed to improve the overall condition of rental housing, provide financial incentives for landlords to comply, and to offer progressive strategies to encourage improvement of problem properties Hoff said. Council member Tony Chiavacci said people have been asking the common council for years to put some type of program in place to require landlords to …
Monday, August 27, 2012
The Mayor and Common Council will meet Monday, Aug. 27 to discuss infrastructure bonds, a broadband study and a town/county agreement, among other things.
Agenda for the Mayor and Common Council Meeting of August 27, 2012. 1. Call to Order 2. Approval of the minutes of August 13, 2012 3. Consent Calendar 4. Report from the Mayor 5. Reports from Standing Committees 6. Ordinances and Resolutions 7. Unfinished Business 8. New Business 9. Department Reports 10. Citizen Comments 11.Adjourn 12. Executive Session
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Westminster's mayor and Common Council presented the FY2013 budget at a public hearing Monday evening.
Westminster Mayor Kevin Utz said there were some hard decisions made, but in the end he's satisfied with the budget. Westminster's mayor and Common Council held a public hearing at John Street Quarters Monday evening to present and get public feedback on the proposed fiscal year 2013 budget. The city's Director of Finance and Administrative Services, Gary Ehlers, presented the budget, explaining revenues and expenditures in some detail. Budget Highlights: Westminster resident Lori Graham told the council members following the budget presentation that although she appreciates the gesture of reducing the capital tax by 1-cent, that they should just keep the money and move it to the general fund. "It's hard for me to say as a taxpayer but I …
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Westminster's Common Council said that licensing landlords may be one way to help reign in some problem residences in the Main Street corridor.
Westminster's public safety chair said the city has made strides in dealing with disorderly McDaniel College students, an issue brought to the Common Council earlier this month by frustrated downtown residents. But problem renters aren't limited to students. At the end of a council meeting Monday night, after a new set of residents lodged complaints about problem renters other than college students on East Main Street, council members said it may be time to require landlords to make better decisions through a licensing process. A handful of downtown residents attended the earlier, March 12 meeting asking the city council and police to deal with McDaniel College students who are disruptive and disorderly late at night and on weekends. …
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
The Westminster Common Council expects that its use of recycled water will make it a leader in the state.
Here's five important things to know about Monday night's Westminster Common Council meeting. The regularly scheduled meeting took place at the John Street Quarters community center to accommodate a larger crowd for the Fallfest award presentation. Westminster Remains at Forefront of Water Conservation and Sustainability Council members agreed to pass ordinance no. 831, allowing the city to utilize treated wastewater for economic development purposes. Treated wastewater is not potable water. The "reclaimed" water is used for irrigation, fire protection and non-contact cooling among other things. Public Utilities Director Jeffrey Glass said that the idea came about as the city worked to help a local business expand. "This provides the …
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
The Westminster Common Council meets on the second and fourth Monday of the month at City Hall.
The Westminster Common Council continued the parking meter debate, finally voting to leave the parking meters as they are on Main Street. Other decisions focused on accepting bids and making the city even "greener" by placing recycling bins downtown. Here are five take-aways from Monday night's Common Council meeting. Water Run-Off Solutions Being Built into Design Manual Councilmember Dennis Frazier suggested updating city code to require new and replacement sidewalks and driveways be built using porous cement, or a comparable product, to prevent run-off water issues. "I think it's a good step for our city to take to prevent run-off water when we have downpours," Frazier said. "I hear other municipalities are heading in this direction as …
Suzanne Albert
8:37 pm on Sunday, May 19, 2013
Governing is a process, as you know, and citizen's in put Is an absolute necessity.So, thank you for your post. You are missed in our "town" you love. My record shows I do vote for citizen's common good. I believe all candidates running for a public office are dismayed by low voter turn out. I will serve honorably using leadership skills. Suzanne Albert more ›