[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Common Council of the
Town of University Park. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Any petition or request presented to the Council may be acted
upon without referral to committee, or may be referred to a committee
in the discretion of the Council.
[Amended 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
A Town elected official shall not be hired as an independent
contractor for the Town.
[Revised, effective 11-7-1990; 7-1-1994; 4-7-1997; 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
Each year by the first regular Council meeting in July, the
Council shall appoint members of the Council to one or more of the
standing committees, with a designated chair for each committee. The
standing committees are as follows: Police, Traffic and Public Safety;
Policy, Rules and Municipal Structure; and Public Facilities and Services.
Should a position on any such committee become vacant for any reason,
the Council shall appoint a Council member to such position within
30 days of such vacancy. The Council, or the Mayor, with the consent
of the Council, may establish such special and additional committees
as appropriate. Appointments to such committees shall be governed
by this section.
[Amended 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
All contracts approved by the Council shall be signed by the
Mayor. The Town Clerk shall witness the signing of the contract, affix
to it the Town Seal, and execute it.
[Revised effective 7-7-2003; amended 8-11-2014 by Ord. No.
14-O-07; 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
A. General. The Treasurer shall be appointed by the Mayor and approved
by the Council. The Treasurer shall serve at the pleasure of the Mayor
and Council. The Treasurer shall have general supervisory and administrative
authority under the Mayor, unless otherwise assigned. He/she shall
be responsible for keeping the personnel records of all Town employees.
B. Purchasing. The Treasurer shall oversee all purchase orders and all
purchases and expenditures.
C. Payment of bills. The Treasurer is responsible of processing and
payment of all bills against the Council when presented with a voucher
signed by the Chairman of the appropriate committee.
D. Annual report. The Treasurer shall prepare for the Mayor and Council
an annual financial report that has been audited by an independent
certified public accountant. It shall include all monies received,
disbursed, expended, and on hand during the fiscal year, up to and
including the 30th of June, and all accounts receivable and payable
as of that date.
[Effective 10-10-1977]
A. The Common Council may elect to adopt a mandatory retirement and/or
savings plan in which all eligible employees of the Town shall participate.
The Town may participate in the State of Maryland Employees' Pension
System on such terms and conditions as state law may require. The
Council may adopt the terms and conditions of any such retirement,
pension, or savings plan, including designation of trustees, by resolution.
The said trustees shall have that discretion required by law in administering
any such plans.
[Effective 5-14-1986,
revised 1-4-1998; amended 6-7-2009; 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
B. The Common Council shall adopt a health benefit/hospitalization plan
in which all permanent full-time employees of the Town may participate.
[Effective 10-9-1990;
amended 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
A. Pursuant to Section
9-105 (e) of the Tax-Property Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, the Homestead Property Tax Credit percentage for the Town of University Park will be set annually by resolution, on or before March 25, for the subsequent tax year beginning July 1, at not less than 100% and not more than 110%.
[Amended 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
B. The Homestead Property Tax Credit Program shall be implemented and
administered in accordance with the provisions of State law and rules
and regulations established by the State Department of Assessments
and Taxation.
[Effective 2-17-1991]
A. No person, without prior approval of the Mayor and Common Council,
shall expend or authorize the expenditure of Town funds in an amount,
or for a purpose, other than that which has been authorized in the
approved Fiscal Year Budget in a line item pursuant to which the expenditure
is made. Said line item expenditures may be exceeded by up to $1,000
at the discretion of the Mayor for necessary and unexpected expenses.
[Amended 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
B. No person shall transfer any Town funds from one line item to another
without the approval of the Mayor and Common Council.
C. No person under any circumstances shall obligate non-budgetary funds
of the Town without the prior approval of the Mayor and Common Council.
[Effective 11-7-1993]
[Effective 3-22-1994;
amended 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
The Town Treasurer or designee shall keep and maintain an inventory
of all capital Town property. The inventory shall be updated from
time to time, but no less than once per year on or before December
31. A copy of said inventory shall be provided to each Common Council
member when requested, and at least annually.
[Amended 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
A. Authority for disposal. The property of the Town shall be reviewed
on a periodic basis to determine if any such property is surplus,
obsolete, or not needed for a public purpose. A listing of any property
determined to be surplus, obsolete, or not needed shall be provided
by the Mayor to the Common Council, which may declare it surplus and
authorize its disposal.
B. Method of disposal. Once declared surplus, Town property may be disposed
of by advertisement, auction, or other method likely to result in
the highest return.
[Effective 5-8-1994]
[Added 8-11-2014 by Ord.
No. 14-O-07]
The Director of Public Works shall be appointed by the Mayor
and approved by the Council. The Director of Public Works shall serve
at the pleasure of the Mayor and Council.
[Effective 1-8-2005;
amended 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
No person other than those authorized by the Mayor, the Town
Clerk, or other person designated by the Mayor and Council may affix
the Official Seal of the Town to any paper or document. No person
or entity may use the Town name, seal or logo, or any replica thereof,
for the purpose of conveying, or in a manner reasonably calculated
to convey, the false impression that such person or entity is a department,
agency or instrumentality of the Town, or is authorized to represent
or act for or on behalf of the Town.
[Adopted by Ord. No. 11-O-06; amended 3-7-2016 by Ord. No.
16-O-02; 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10; 5-17-2022 by Ord. No. 22-O-03]
A. The Mayor shall receive as compensation $20,000 per year, payable
as salary on a monthly basis.
B. A Common Council member elected or appointed to a term commencing
on or after the last regular Council meeting in June 2022 shall receive
as compensation $1,800 per year, payable as salary on a quarterly
basis.
C. The Mayor or any Common Council member may decline the compensation
set by this section.
[Added 3-2-2020 by Ord. No. 20-O-02]
A. In general.
Except as authorized in this section, no Town official or employee
may:
(1) Inquire
into an individual's citizenship or immigration status;
(2) Act
based solely on the individual's citizenship or immigration status;
(3) Utilize
or allow to be utilized Town resources to support federal civil immigration
enforcement operations or activities;
(4) Detain
or arrest an individual based solely on known or suspected violations
of federal civil immigration law;
(5) Utilize
any individual's citizenship or immigration status as an interrogation
tool or tactic, or communicate to a suspect, detainee, or arrestee
that any individual's ability to remain within the United States of
America may be in jeopardy;
(6) Enter
into an agreement under 8 U.S.C. § 1357(g) or any other
federal law that permits state or local governmental entities to enforce
federal civil immigration laws or detainers; or
(7) Participate
in enforcement of civil detainers or other violations of the federal
civil immigration and nationality laws.
B. Authorized
police actions. No provision in this section prevents:
(1) The
Town's Police Department, or any other Town official or employee,
from investigating, detaining, or arresting violators of the criminal
law or assisting any law enforcement agency with investigations or
arrests relating to criminal activity and suspected criminal activity.
(2) Compliance
with the provisions of 8 U.S.C. § 1373.
C. Town benefits.
Unless otherwise required by federal law, state law, the Town Code,
or court order, the provision of Town benefits, opportunities, or
services may not be conditioned:
(1) On
a person's citizenship or immigration status; or
(2) Based
solely on the ability of the person to provide a driver's license
or identification card issued by the State of Maryland.
D. Request
for and retention of information.
(1) The
Town may not request or retain information related to an individual's
citizenship or immigration status, except for information required
for voting or employment, unless required by federal law, state law,
the Town Code, or court order.
(2) No
provision in this section shall be construed as preventing any official
or employee from complying with 8 U.S.C. § 1644.
E. Construction.
This section shall be construed to comply with federal law, state
law, the Town Code, and any applicable court order. This section does
not prohibit disclosure of information regarding citizenship or immigration
status if the disclosure is:
(1) Required
or authorized by federal law, state law, the Town Code, or court order;
(2) Authorized
in writing by the subject of the information; or
(3) Related
to the Town's eligibility requirements for employment and/or employee
benefits.
[Added 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
All materials, supplies, services, and equipment of more than
$10,000 in value and not excluded in Subsection D of this section
shall be purchased by means of a competitive bid process, as follows:
A. Notice shall be provided on the Town's website and on E Maryland
Marketplace for a minimum of two weeks' prior to the date set for
the opening of bids. Said notice shall include a brief description
of the item or items to be bid, the time and location where specifications
may be obtained for the item or items to be bid, the time and date
on which sealed bids are to be received, the location to which bids
are to be returned and any special conditions to which the item or
items may be subject. The notice shall contain the time, date and
location of the bid opening, and all such openings are to be public.
B. Written specifications and bid requirements shall be provided to
all parties responding to the notice of bid. The use of exclusive
specifications to the prohibition of equal items is prohibited. The
Town reserves the right to reject any and all bids as is in its best
interest.
C. Tabulation of all responsive bids and a recommendation shall be provided
by the Treasurer to the Mayor and Council.
D. The following are excepted from bid requirements:
(1) Items, services or materials of not more than $10,000 in value and
authorized in the appropriation ordinance for the current year may
be purchased on negotiation at the direction of the Mayor.
(2) Whenever a federal, state, county or local government, or any agency
or unit thereof, whose purchasing policies are comparable to those
of the Town, has conducted a bid and awarded a contract, the Treasurer
may purchase the bid item at the bid price from the successful bidder,
subject, where required, to the approval of the Mayor and Council.
Whenever the Treasurer elects to purchase an item, service or material
from a successful bidder of another jurisdiction as provided for in
this section, the Treasurer shall obtain a copy of the jurisdiction's
purchasing policies. Further, the Treasurer shall enter into a contract
with the successful bidder setting out the terms and conditions of
the purchase.
(3) When the Mayor and Council determine that the bid process should
be overridden for good cause shown.
[Added 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
The Clerk shall issue all permits and licenses required by the
ordinances of the Town. The Clerk shall issue such permits and licenses
only after the application has been approved by Council when such
approval is necessary.
[Effective 2-19-1978]
For the purpose of this article the term "police officer" shall
mean a person who is employed by the Town of University Park as a
police officer. The term "full-time police officer" shall mean a police
officer who is paid at an annual rate for full time (40 hours per
average seven-day week) police work. The term "Part-time police officer"
shall mean a police officer who is paid at an hourly rate for part-time
(less than 40 hours per average seven-day week) police work.
To be eligible for appointment as a full-time police officer
or a part-time police officer an applicant must:
A. Be a citizen of the United States;
B. Be at least 21 years of age;
C. Be of good moral character;
D. Have satisfactorily completed the Police Minimum Standards Course
or its equivalent for a position as a full-time officer, or be eligible
to enroll in the police minimum standards course or its equivalent
for a position as a part-time police officer; and
E. Submit the names and addresses of three references who have personal
knowledge of the applicant's moral character, experience, and competence
for employment as a police officer.
F. Successfully complete a pre-employment background investigation.
[Added 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
G. Pass drug screening.
[Added 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
H. Pass psychological screening.
[Added 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
I. Pass pre-employment physical.
[Added 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
J. Have a minimum of 60 college credits.
[Added 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
[Revised effective 1-23-1994; 7-11-1994; amended 7-18-2024 by Ord. No. 24-O-05]
All personnel actions involving full-time and part-time police officers, including all hiring, promotions, salary increases, terminations, dismissals, demotions, reductions in pay, and all suspensions shall be decided by the Chief of Police, or the Chief's designee, subject to the §
3-101 et seq., Title 3, "Law Enforcement," Public Safety Article, Annotated Code of Maryland, and except as otherwise provided by law. All police officers shall serve a probation period equal to 24 months' active duty.
[Revised, effective 1-23-1994; amended 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
The hours of active duty of all police personnel shall be established
in writing by the Chief of Police and shall be nondiscriminatory.
Police officers shall be on call and available for duty at all times,
unless they are certified by a competent medical authority approved
by the Chief of Police to be physically unable to work or have been
excused by the Chief of Police or designee.
[Revised, effective 1-23-1994; 2-17-2002]
Resolutions shall be adopted by the Mayor and Council establishing the functions, duties, pay, leave, other employment benefits, and the number of officer positions for the police department. By resolution, the Council may amend the Police Department General Operating Rules and Regulations. Any amendments of the General Operating Rules and Regulations instituted by the Chief of Police pursuant to §
2-207 shall be forwarded by the Chief to the Council for approval. In the event that the Council fails to take action as to any amendment of the General Operating Rules within 30 days of receipt, the amendment shall be deemed approved.
[Revised, effective 1-23-1994]
The Chief of Police shall be appointed by the Mayor with the
approval of the Common Council. The Chief shall be responsible for
the day-to-day operations of the Police Department, including personnel
matters, staffing, administration, and institution of General Operating
Rules, and such related duties as may be assigned to the Chief by
the Mayor or the Council. The Chief shall issue such written rules
and regulations as may be needed to maintain the effective and efficient
performance of the Police Department. The Chief shall issue such oral
orders or instructions as may be needed to implement the written rules
and regulations, and maintain an effective administration. The Chief
is authorized to effect disciplinary action, including summary punishment
and emergency suspension, subject to the Law Enforcement Officer's
Bill of Rights and other applicable law.
[Amended 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 21-O-10]
All full-time and part-time police officers are authorized to
issue State, County, and Town citations for violations of State laws
and County and Town ordinances occurring within the jurisdictional
limits of the Town, and to issue written warnings for violations of
Town ordinances occurring within the jurisdictional limits of the
Town. No citation or warning may be rescinded by Town officials, Town
employees, or Town police officers except as otherwise provided by
law. Copies of all citations and warnings shall be retained by the
Chief of Police for audit purposes for a minimum period of three years
after the date of issuance.