Sunday, April 14, 2013
Readers react to Westminster’s decision to reject a voluntary gun turn-in program.
Despite the Westminster police chief's support of a voluntary gun turn-in program, the town's Common Council rejected the idea, with one councilman saying the program amounts to "going down the whole gun control path." Patch readers had a variety of reactions to the rejection of the voluntary gun turn-in program, which we highlight below. Do you think the Westminster Common Council did the right thing? Tell us in comments. “These type of events make good press--pictures of piles of guns turned in--but they don't actually solve any problems. People just get rid of rusty old guns they had lying around in basements that they wanted to get rid of anyway. Few if any people turn in actual working guns, and I doubt any criminals are suddenly …
Friday, August 31, 2012
City leaders will consider financing options to complete several capital projects.
Following a brief public hearing recently, Westminster's mayor and Common Council voted to submit an application to the Community Development Association Infrastructure Bond Program. According to Westminster Finance Director Gary Ehlers, in March 2002 the city applied for a CDA infrastructure bond to finance the construction of the Longwell parking garage project. After 10 years, the city is able to refund that bond and refinance at a cost savings of approximately $160,000. The council also considered borrowing up to an additional $2 million to complete several capital projects that are currently in the city's Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The capital projects Ehlers discussed include repairs and updates to the armory building on …
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Police say the two cameras are costly and do not appear to make the intersection safer.
Westminster's Common Council has voted to decommission two red light cameras at Rt. 97 and Rt. 140 due to traffic accident data and costs. There will be one red light camera remaining in operation at the intersection of Rt. 97 and Nursery Road (turning off of Rt. 97 into the Pet Smart shopping center lot) following Monday night's vote. Tell us in comments: Do you think red light cameras are a good idea? In March 2010 the Westminster Police Department initiated the Automated Enforcement Program (AEP), placing five cameras at two Westminster intersections. According to a report, the two cameras monitoring the turning lanes from Rt. 140 onto Rt. 97 were decommissioned after the first year because of low violation rates. Westminster Police …
Monday, October 10, 2011
The Westminster Common Council meets the second and fourth Monday of the month at City Hall. These meetings are open to the public.
1. CALL TO ORDER Announcement of Trick-or-Treating Date 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE MEETING SEPTEMBER 26, 2011 3. REPORT FROM THE MAYOR 4. REPORTS FROM STANDING COMMITTEES 5. ORDINANCES & RESOLUTIONS Adoption of Ordinance No. 830--Administrative Fees for Unpaid Red Light Citations 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None as of Oct. 7, 2011 7. NEW BUSINESS None as of Oct. 7, 2011 8. DEPARTMENT REPORTS 9. CITIZEN COMMENTS 10. ADJOURN 11. EXECUTIVE SESSION
Monday, September 26, 2011
The Westminster Common Council will meet tonight, Monday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
The Westminster Common Council will meet tonight for the first time in more than a month. Their last regularly scheduled meeting was canceled because there was no new business on the agenda. Tonight's meeting is open to the public and citizen comments are heard by the council towards the end of the meeting. The following bids will be discussed at tonight's meeting: There are two ordinances and resolutions on the agenda for discussion and approval: New business on the agenda includes: A listing of other ordinances and resolutions passed by the council is available by visiting the city's website. See tonight's meeting agenda on the city's website. The Westminster Common Council meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at…
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
City leaders debated parking and building renovations Monday night.
From the issue of free parking downtown to renovations at city hall, the Westminster Common Council worked Monday night for two and a half hours on city business. Below are details on some of the key issues: Parking Meters on Main Street a Hindrance to Local Business? Councilman Dennis Frazier asked the mayor and common council members to consider removing parking meters on Main Street. He said that the parking meters may keep some people from shopping in the downtown area. "If you go anywhere else in Carroll County, you don't have to pay to shop. The parking meters put merchants downtown at a disadvantage," Frazier said. Council President Damian Halstad said the parking meters are more about getting turnover at parking spaces than …
Monday, June 13, 2011
In response to reader requests, at the beginning of the week, Patch will highlight scheduled meetings for the Westminster Common Council and Carroll County Commissioners.
Your local governments often hold meetings open the the public and sometimes even invite public comments. Patch will let you know early in the week when and where these meetings are scheduled to take place. Please note that these meetings are subject to change after Patch posts them, so you may want to confirm the meeting location and time prior to attending. Westminster Common Council The Westminster Common Council meets the second and fourth Monday of the month at City Hall on Emerald Lane. These meetings are open the public. There is a meeting scheduled for Monday, June 13 at 7 p.m. Here is the agenda for the meeting. Can't make the meeting? Check Patch Tuesday to see what you missed. Carroll County Board of Commissioners The …
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Patch has rounded up five nuggets of information to help you start your day.
>> Number Worth Noting: $2,400. This is how much the members of the Westminster Common Council make in a year for their services to the city, except for the Common Council president—he makes a whopping $3,000. Check the Daily Dose tomorrow to see how much the mayor makes. >> Weather Forecast: Weather Underground reports that today will be sunny with highs in the upper 80s. >> Astronomical Stuff: The sunrise will be at 5:40 a.m. and the sunset will be at 8:33 p.m. Tonight we will have a waxing crescent moon, which means 34 percent of the moon will be illuminated, according to Weather Underground. >> Carnivals in Town: Miss last week's carnivals, or better yet, trying to attend ALL of the carnivals in Carroll County this summer? Don't …
Monday, May 23, 2011
Patch rounds up important (ok, maybe at times trivial) nuggets of knowledge that will help you start off your day.
>>There are 18.5 days of school before summer vacation for K-11 students. Tell us in comments--does this make you happy or are you dreading it? >>This will shock you, but we are expecting rain. There is a 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms today after 1 p.m. according toThe National Weather Service with a high near 82 degrees. We'll be praying for rain in late July so enjoy it while it's here. >>There is a regularly scheduled Westminster Common Council meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at City Hall. This will be the first official (regularly scheduled) meeting for newly elected Council members Paul Whitson and Dennis Frazier. This meeting is open to the public. >>According to my handy dandy iphone app FuelFinder, the cheapest gas in …
RJ Teich
6:20 am on Thursday, July 12, 2012
I appreciate them giving these nuisance intrusion cameras to drivers) a thought and removing some of them. They weren't providing revenue? How about getting one of these in the mail and it WASN'T EVEN YOUR OWN CAR?! This happened to me, and this born and bred Marylander now wants to move out of Maryland, because I was accused of a crime (speeding in a work zone) I didn't commit (they DO NOT even … more ›