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College Park council considers three Maryland Municipal League LARs, debates automated crosswalk monitoring
Summary
Council discussed potential Maryland Municipal League legislative action requests for 2027 — an automated crosswalk monitoring enabling bill, a vacant commercial‑property study and prohibiting stopping in bike lanes — and asked staff to prepare drafts; the mayor raised surveillance and privacy concerns about automated crosswalk systems.
Assistant City Manager Laura Reims briefed the Mayor and Council on the Maryland Municipal League (MML) Legislative Action Request (LAR) process for the 2027 cycle, explaining each municipality may submit up to three requests and describing vetting, committee review and typical subject matter for successful LARs.
Staff presented three concepts College Park could pursue: 1) a statewide study or task force on vacant commercial properties to explore remediation tools and redevelopment incentives; 2) enabling legislation to authorize automated crosswalk monitoring systems to improve pedestrian safety and driver compliance; and 3) resubmitting two previously proposed items that MML did not adopt in an earlier cycle (prohibiting stopping/standing in bicycle lanes and an out‑of‑cycle assessment for commercial properties). Ms. Reims noted cities can submit a maximum of three requests and MML’s legislative committee will vet submissions.
Councilmembers debated priorities and trade‑offs. Several members identified the bicycle‑lane enforcement and vacant commercial property study as important; Mayor expressed trepidation about the automated crosswalk item because of surveillance concerns and asked staff to provide additional implementation safeguards if that concept moves forward. Council directed staff to prepare drafts for up to three LAR submissions and to present formal documents for council approval at a future meeting.
The discussion illustrated competing goals — pedestrian safety and driver compliance versus privacy and surveillance safeguards — and council asked staff to consult other municipalities and the city’s lobbyist as part of preparing draft language and implementation guardrails.
What comes next: Staff will prepare draft LAR language for council review and place a formal approval item on a future agenda (scheduled for June 2 follow‑up for potential submission in the MML cycle).
