Council adopts bond authorization, confirms appointment and votes to meet in closed session

The Bowie City Council on Sept. 15 adopted an ordinance authorizing the city to issue general obligation bonds totaling up to $33,000,000, approved the appointment of Robert Day to the Economic Development Committee for a two-year term and voted to adjourn into a closed session to consult with counsel.

Ordinance 0925 authorizes the city to issue one or more series of general obligation bonds and bond anticipation notes, in original aggregate principal amounts not to exceed $33,000,000, with proceeds to reimburse or finance costs tied to the city’s capital projects. H. Byron Matthews, Bowie’s finance director, told council the ordinance provides flexibility to allocate bond proceeds among listed projects and requires a later council resolution to set final terms such as interest rates and maturities.

“Due to the 2019 charter amendment, section 58, details of the bonds, the terms, the interest rates, the maturities, etcetera, will be set by council resolution and not by this ordinance,” Matthews said. Lindsay Rader, bond counsel, told the council the city currently plans to proceed with a competitive long‑term sale rather than interim bond anticipation notes but retained the authority to switch if market conditions change.

Council discussion during the ordinance item included timing and sale logistics. Jennifer Dickson of Davenport and Company said markets have recently eased and that a competitive public sale was the expectation. The council held a public hearing on the ordinance; the clerk reported there were no speakers or written comments.

The council then voted to adopt Ordinance 0925. Mayor Adams, Mayor Pro Tem Wolfley, Councilmember Brady and Councilmember Truesdale voted in favor; no opposition or abstentions were recorded on the floor.

Separately, council approved a motion to appoint Robert Day as a regular member of the Economic Development Committee for a two‑year term. The motion was moved and seconded, and the council voted in favor. Mayor Adams administered the oath of office to Robert Day.

At the meeting’s end the council voted to adjourn to a closed session under the Maryland Annotated Code, General Provisions Article §3‑305(b)(7) to consult with counsel about pending or potential litigation and to obtain legal advice.

Votes at a glance: - Ordinance 0925 — Adopted. Subject: authorization to issue general obligation bonds and bond anticipation notes up to $33,000,000; public hearing held (no speakers). Outcome: approved. (See actions details below.) - Appointment of Robert Day — Approved. Position: regular member, Economic Development Committee, two‑year term. Outcome: approved. - Motion to adjourn to closed session — Approved. Authority cited: Maryland Annotated Code, General Provisions Article §3‑305(b)(7).

Council indicated it will return later with a resolution to set the bonds’ final terms after the ordinance’s statutory waiting period.