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Cheverly council weighs MOU to formalize relationship with Green Infrastructure Committee
Summary
Council members discussed a working draft memorandum of understanding to define the advisory role, communications, conflict‑of‑interest rules and escalation/termination steps for the Green Infrastructure Committee (now organized as a 501(c)(3)); unresolved items include enforceability of resignation requirements and limits on committee public communications.
Council Member Tanzi summarized a months‑long working group effort that produced a draft memorandum of understanding clarifying the relationship between the town and the Chevrolet Green Infrastructure Committee (GIC), which incorporated as a Maryland 501(c)(3) in 2023. The draft seeks to formalize coordination: the GIC would develop and submit recommendations to the mayor and council while remaining independent, with an explicit signature block making outside communications clear that the committee does not speak for the town.
Tanzi identified three unresolved issues. First, whether members should be required to resign from the committee if they become party to litigation or engage in conduct that creates a direct legal interest for the town. Second, what authority the committee has to submit recommendations or materials to external government bodies and whether such submissions require mayor‑and‑council authorization. Third, how the committee may communicate disagreements with town decisions—whether the MOU should limit public advocacy by committee members and, if so, how that might be enforced.
Public commenters—many with GIC or neighborhood ties—urged preserving community voice and warned that overly restrictive language could “strangle the democratic process.” Several speakers suggested that bylaws are the better venue for internal behavioral standards and that the MOU should focus on coordination, not speech suppression. Council members pressed for attorney review to resolve enforceability questions and to confirm what exactly the town can require of an independent nonprofit.
Council did not finalize the MOU. Instead, members asked the town attorney and staff to review the draft, to consider integrating existing advisory committee rules where appropriate, and to return with recommended revisions at a later work session (the mayor noted July as a likely follow‑up window).
