City Council Introduces Ethics Resolution

The following is the minute-by-minute updates from a live blog at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

8:23 p.m.: Meeting adjourns.

8:22 p.m.: Dougherty notes some key dates for the May 8 election.

Residents may file to run for three council seats from March 6 to March 20. The final day for candidates to withdraw is April 3.

The last day to register to vote is April 17.

8:20 p.m.: Public comment opens and closes with one remark.

A resident of 702 Giles Street notes that the repairs in the street have left potholes and questions whether there will be complete repairs on the street.

Parks replies: “It is to be paved where it was excavated. Not the entire thing”

8:17 p.m.: Council President Bill Martin thanked members of the ethics commission for their efforts in crafting the ethics resolution introduced Tuesday.

8:15 p.m.: Councilman Randy Craig made mention of Mr. Hutchins, and noted how the Havre de Grace Community Center is thriving and looks brand new. Craig said he is there often with his daughters and nieces involved in dance.

Craig also thanked his wife for allowing him to serve on City Council. Craig noted that his son is involved in wrestling and his daughter in dance, while he is at City Hall.

"While I was hear serving the City of Havre de Grace, she was there at the house carrying the load like she does on many nights," Craig said.

Mayor Dougherty thanked Jim Newby and other city staff for their efforts to keep the community center up and running so nicely.

8:12 p.m.: Councilwoman Barbara Wagner thanked a city employee named Charles for bringing up a concern that more items could be recycled in the city.

8:10 p.m.: Councilman Fred Cullum brought up concerns with a number of the taxes being discussed in Annapolis, and their potential impact on Havre de Grace.

Dougherty agreed.

“Pay attention to what is going on in Annapolis. It’s not going to be better for any of us,” Dougherty said. “It’s really a bad time to implement increases in any taxes, and I’m talking about vehicle fuel and also what they call the flush tax. We calculated a few of those, and some of our businesses, there’s a potential that some of them may be paying $116 on one. At the end of the year, their bill would increase by $2,000-some, and another would cost them $4,000. For a small business, that’s going to bury them. Any phone calls I’ve made to Annapolis, it’s falling on deaf ears.”

8:03 p.m.: Councilman John Correri notes that resident and volunteer Ed Hutchins passed away recently.

He added, “A very active member of the community has passed away. One of the good guys out of Havre de Grace has passed away.”

8:02 p.m.: Councilman Jim Miller noted that the 7-Eleven has opened, and he had an 11-cent Slurpee.

“It fills a much-needed void in the city,” Miller said.

Miller added that he recently entered a code violation complaint on the city website, and city staff quickly responded to the property.

7:58 p.m.: Dougherty hands over the reigns to Barr, asking her what she learned from a trip through the city water plant.

“We need new valves,” she said.

The Mayor followed up: “When were they put in?”

“1954,” she answered.

“That’s a citizen speaking,” Dougherty said, pointing out the need for new valves at the plant.

7:53 p.m.: Mayor Dougherty begins his address on a somber note, passing along that Mrs. Anne Ramsey, a former elementary school principal from Harford County Public Schools, passed away Tuesday.

Dougherty holds up a cupcake from Sweet Devotion before taking a bite.

"That is delicious. That is really good," he said while chewing. "Council, go ahead and help yourselves while I finish up."

7:52 p.m.: Mayor Dougherty commended Chief Teresa Walter for the police department's actions and pro-active alert messages following a rash of thefts in Bulle Rock.

7:50 p.m.: A project to connect an 8-inch water main on Giles Street, part of a $750,000 grant from the state, is approximately 60 percent done, Director of Public Works Larry Parks said. The project should be done in March.

7:47 p.m.: City Director of Planning Neal Mills notes that at a meeting of planning directors in Harford County, property around the I-95 interchange has been proposed for inclusion in the county's development envelope.

Such a change would move the property "from agricultural to low-density" Mills said.

7:44 p.m.: Council votes unanimously in favor of the first reading of the resolution.

7:40 p.m.: Council is discussing the background—"lots of meetings, lots of research," according to Councilman Randy Craig—of the resolution.

Craig gave kudos to the late Brenda Guldenzopf, a City Councilwoman who passed away in July 2010, for her efforts in the ethics commission.

7:35 p.m.: Kasandra Barr is the "Mayor for the Day," seated between Council President Martin and Mayor Dougherty.

7:34 p.m.: Council President Bill Martin moves to introduce a resolution pertaining to the city’s ethics code. Council carries out the motion unanimously.

The resolution will be numbered 2012-01.

The resolution essentially introduces a form including five questions, Martin noted.

“These five questions deal with anyone running for office, and certain qualified city employees,” Martin said.

Martin noted that the first Tuesday through the third Tuesday of March presents residents an opportunity to file for the May election. Three council seats—those held by Martin and councilmen Fred Cullum and Jim Miller.

7:32 p.m.: Betty Coakley and Pastor Ed Heydt speak on behalf of the ethics commission.

Coakley said tonight’s resolution is “a major movement forward” in that all employees and officials that handle public funds will comply with the city’s ethics code.

7:25 p.m.: Public comment period begins.

Nettie Owens, a resident and Patch blogger, said the Havre de Grace Green Team supports Simmons presentation. Owens plans to offer regular tips on green issues. Tonight, she recommends everyone replace burnt light bulbs with LED bulbs. Use 60 percent less energy.

7:20 p.m.: Elaine Bennett presents on behalf of the Relay for Life event—set for June 8.

Bennett, the chair of the S.M.I.L.E.S. organization and referred to by Mayor Dougherty as “the First Lady of Aberdeen,” presented along with her niece, Dee Halsey, whose mother died of cancer in December 2007.

Bennett said she lost a brother in May 2009, and another brother was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2011.

Bennett told council and the audience that cancer has touched virtually everyone. She added that this year’s theme will be “Show Your Colors,” and there will be a kick-off event March 7 from 6-8 p.m. at Havre de Grace High School.

“If you’ve never done it before, it’s a fun, overnight, team-based walking event,” Bennett said.

7:12 p.m.: I’ve just arrived at City Hall from the Mardi Gras parade. As my fingers thaw out enough to type, I’ll try to bring you up to speed.

Meghan Simmons is delivering a sustainable community presentation.

Simmons said the city’s economic development department has been working for months on a sustainable community application, which is due April 10.

As Simmons wraps up her presentation, Mayor Dougherty said: “I’m totally awed by you and your department.”

6:45 p.m.: Welcome to our City Council live blog, where we will be updating the news coming from City Hall at it happens.

Check back regularly. We will be adding nuggets of news immediately. Feel free to email sean.welsh@patch.com with any questions.

Check out our council meeting preview, which includes a PDF file of the agenda.

NOTE: Lulls in reporting happen from time to time due to connectivity inside the council chambers.