Residents urge civic-engagement push; council hears proposals for task force and new-resident packet

At the Town of Indian Head meeting on Jan. 5, 2026, residents pressed elected officials to take steps to boost civic engagement, proposing a new-resident information packet and suggesting the town consider a civic-engagement task force.

Cynthia Simmons, a resident who spoke during the public-comment period, said pet owners were not doing their part to keep public spaces clean and urged the council to increase community involvement. "Pet parents are not doing their job to clean up after their pets," she said, and recommended measures such as nominating a child to read the pledge of allegiance to encourage attendance and creating a packet to give to new residents.

The suggestion touched off a short discussion involving resident Laura Butrick and Victor Foulk of Voice of Indian Head. Mr. Foulk encouraged residents to develop a formal proposal and bring it before the council, suggesting a civic-engagement task force as one option. Ms. Butrick said a packet for new homeowners and renters should include town code information and that local churches could help distribute it.

Mayor Brandon Paulin provided additional context about local youth programming, saying the Boys and Girls Club in town primarily serves elementary and middle-school children and has about 80 children enrolled, with roughly "30 to 40 children in the building at any given time." He also said Atlantic Kayak plans to work with the Boys and Girls Club this season and participate in town cleanups, and he described plans for spring events at the community garden to build local interest.

No formal action or vote was taken on the civic-engagement suggestions at the meeting; Mr. Foulk indicated he would return with a proposal at a future meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 7:23 p.m.