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Residents cite missing minutes and question ZenCity rollout; council agrees to update
Summary
Public commenters raised concerns that city meeting minutes are missing online and that the ZenCity platform was implemented without council approval; the council scheduled a staff presentation on ZenCity rollout and accepted offers to discuss an adopt-a-road program and other community concerns.
During public comment at the March 10 meeting, residents urged greater transparency on meeting records and questioned the city’s use of the ZenCity platform, saying minutes from prior months were not available and that the platform had not been authorized by council.
Lynn Bratton (resident) told the council that minutes posted online stop in September and that minutes from January and February 2024 — when the ZenCity program was demonstrated and “unanimously tabled,” she said — are not available for review. “Implemented. Apparently, it's being paid for. It's being utilized,” Bratton said, adding that she wants the council to “revisit that decision making process.”
Council members agreed to add a presentation about the ZenCity rollout to a future agenda. A staff member confirmed that Jordan Ray, the city’s media specialist, is expected to brief the council at the next agenda on ZenCity usage, first-30-day results and a rollout update.
Other public comments raised additional community items. Dave Chettington (resident) asked the council to consider an adopt-a-road program to support litter pickup and volunteer engagement; council staff agreed to follow up and meet with Chettington. Public commenter Riley Smith criticized the Maryland Folk Festival’s published attendance and economic-impact estimates during the public-comment period, questioning figures shown on festival materials.
Council members also heard concerns about local blood-donation services and about boarded-up houses and housing redevelopment; council members asked staff for updates on boarded properties and on a planned Carol Street drawing referenced in prior sessions. The council requested staff follow-ups on the adopt-a-road proposal, the ZenCity briefing and the boarded-up-property status.
The public-comment period closed without formal council action on these subjects; council agreed to staff follow-ups and a scheduled presentation on ZenCity.
