Extensive Speed Hump Work in Mount Rainier

From Mount Rainier Director of Public Works Kourosh Kamali:

Dear Homeowner,

We apologize in advance for any inconvenience. The City of Mount Rainier Department of Public Works is going to start replacing existing traffic calming devices (rubber humps) with permanent Speed Humps, and also placing new traffic calming devices (raised crosswalks) based on Tool Design recommendation.

The project locations are; 29th Street, 30^th Street, 31^st Street, 32^nd Street, Rainier Avenue, Shepherd Street, Bunker Hill Road, Perry Street, and 37^th Street during the week of 03/03/2020- 03/17/2020; weather permitting. (Please see below for the locations and times)

The contractor performing this work is, Pavement Corporation. Access to the impacted areas is restricted during construction..  

Parking restriction and interruption to traffic flow will occur at times. No Parking Signs will be placed 72 hours before construction.

NO PARKING BETWEEN 7:00 AM AND 6:00 PM.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation during this project. If you have any questions concerning this project, please call the Department of Public Works at (301) 985-6583.

PLANNING BOARD BUDGET FORUM - October 1

Passing this on to Mount Rainer folks...

PLANNING BOARD BUDGET FORUM

The Prince George’s County Planning Board of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) has scheduled two public forums this fall to solicit comments on the Commission’s budget for planning, parks, and recreation in Prince George’s County for the next fiscal year which begins July 1, 2019.

Monday, October 1, 7pm-9pm. Department of Parks and Recreation Administration Building – Auditorium 6600 Kenilworth Avenue, Riverdale. Tuesday, October 2, 7pm-9pm. Harmony Hall Regional Center – John Addison Concert Hall. 10701 Livingston Road, Fort Washington.

Individuals and representatives of community organizations who wish to speak at the public forum may register in advance online at www.pgplanningboard.org or by calling 301-952-4584, TTY 301-952-4366. Written comments will also be accepted until the close of business on Tuesday, October 16. Comments may be addressed to: Elizabeht M. Hewlett, Chairman, Prince George’s County Planning Board, 14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive, Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20772. Comments may also be faxed to Chairman Hewlett at 301-952-5074 or via email to Public Affairs@ppd.mncppc.org

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission encourages the participation of persons with disabilities in all its programs and services. For special assistance (ie: large print materials, assistive listening devices, sign language interpretation, etc) call the Public Affairs Office at 301-952-4584

TONIGHT Tues July 10, 7pm @ City Hall - Community Coversation

Come Join Us For A Community Conversation Featuring The Police Department And Finance Department.

The Acting Police Chief and Officers Will Provide A Report To The Community And Engage In An Interactive Activity About Community Policing.

The Finance Director Will Report On “The State Of The City’s Finances” And A Presentation On Available City Tax Credits.

The City’s Social Service Coordinator Will Offer A Presentation On Available Resources For Seniors, Youth and Residents In Need.

We Invite You To Join Us For An Informative Evening At City Hall.

-Light Refreshments Will Be Served-

Revised Trash and Recycling Rules for Vote Tuesday March 20

Tuesday, March 20, 2018, at 7pm at City Hall, your mayor and council will have a final vote on the proposed trash and recycling rules. After receiving a great deal of feedback from residents, the council has revised the proposed trash and recycling rules for the city.

Click here to see a Google Docs version

The conversation dates back to fall 2017, when the council considered the following proposal (shared from Councilman Luke Chesek's email on the topic):

1. Purchasing both 45 gallon trash carts with wheels and attached lids, and 65 gallon recycling carts with wheels and attached lids for each single family home - with an opt-out process for each home. The implementation would include a process for the City to both pick up each home's current trash and recycling bins (if residents choose to get rid of their current receptacles) and, subsequently, drop off the new carts free of charge.
2. Outfitting our Public Works garbage trucks with mechanical lifts that would lift the new trash and recycling carts, relieving the physical strain currently required of our Public Works staff. The resulting improvements would save approximately one hour off each trash and recycling run, where Public Works staff could be reassigned to other needed tasks.
3. A robust public outreach and communication effort that would notify residents when and how this change would take effect, including information on how to opt-out.

The City has conservatively estimated that these investments would cost $114,000 after requesting and receiving offers from vendors. It is proposed that the City would pay for this through current unused funds from fiscal year 2018 by way of a budget amendment. These investments would not require the raising of any taxes. 

Also included in the budget amendment to fund this proposal is a $34,000 down payment for a third garbage truck with a mechanical lift. This was approved of in fiscal year 2017 due to the need to replace the City's third garbage truck. However, since the purchase did not occur in fiscal year 2017, the City must include the price of the down payment in the current budget amendment. As a result, the proposed budget amendment equals $148,000 - the $114,000 cited above and the $34,000 down payment for a new truck. The City would use the unused fiscal year 2017 funds for the down payment.

City Manager Budget Discussion Hours

From City Manager Miranda Braatz:

The City of Mount Rainier’s Fiscal Year 2019 (July 1, 2018 – June 31, 2019) proposed budget will be available on March 20^th, with copies made available to the public.

Residents of Mount Rainier who may have questions about the proposed budget, budget line items, specific initiatives, or departments are invited to attend the City Manager Budget Discussion Hours and talk one on one with the City Manager and Director of Finance. 

Budget Discussion Hours Schedule:

March 31^st – 10am to 2pm at the Mount Rainier Nature Center during the City Egg Hunt.  Bi-lingual Spanish / English available

April 3^rd – Following the City Council Legislative Meeting at City Hall 8pm to 9:30pm

April 20^th – City Hall 2pm – 5pm. Bi-lingual Spanish / English available

May 19^th – Mount Rainier Day City Table 12noon to 5pm. Bi-lingual Spanish / English available

Final FY 14 Budget Meetings

Final FY 14 Budget Meetings

The Mount Rainier Mayor and Council will conduct two final meetings on the FY14 budget:


1.     Tuesday, April 30, 2013 - Special Work Session of the Mayor and Council at 7:00 pm to finalize discussions and recommend amendments to the FY 2014 Budget Ordinance.

2.     Tuesday, May 7, 2013 - Regular Meeting of the Mayor and Council  vote to accept/approve amendments, as well as the second reading and adoption of Ordinance 5-2013 (budget ordinance).

Amount of City Budget Shortfall

Amount of City Budget Shortfall

From a report by the City Treasurer:

The Assessable Real Property Base has gone down by $57,757,585.  The Constant Yield Tax Rate (CYTR) for the City is $0.9272.   The City will receive less real property taxes by approx. $456,000 in FY 2014.

For the Fiscal Year 2012 budget year (FY12) all of the taxable real property in the city was assessed at about $376 million. That means the projected $58 million decrease in the real property tax base represents a loss of just over 15% of the city's property value.