Cheverly Connections: the May Wrap-Up

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AmyJean Chung Fry

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May 25, 2025, 7:04:54 PMMay 25
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Dear Neighbors,

As we head into Memorial Day Weekend, I hope you'll join me in honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The Cheverly American Legion Post 108 and Auxiliary Unit 108 will host the Annual Memorial Day Service at 10:00 AM at Legion Park (Cheverly Ave & Forest Rd). I encourage you to attend and take a moment to reflect with your Cheverly neighbors.

🏛️ May Work Session Recap (You can catch it on youtube)

We held our first work session of the term this past Thursday. Here's a breakdown of the key discussions and decisions:

✅ Budget & Finance

  • FY26 Budget – Second Reader: Third Reader & passage of Budget on June 12, 2025 

    • Mayor Kayce left the town in a strong financial position and was working hard with our department heads to ensure that in this difficult year ahead, the Town would not raise the tax rate in FY26. 

    • Mayor Watson requested an extra $50,000 be added for land acquisition “just in case” in FY26 during the budget meetings. There is no specific priority laid out in our FY26 so this is truly a "just in case" fund. 

    • No tax rate increase in FY26 and this brings the projected deficit for FY26 to about $380,000.

    • If you add the deficit from FY25 (even with the last 2 years of tax rate increases), we are looking at decreasing our fund balance from $5.6M to $4.7M by the end of FY26. 

    • Bottom Line: we aren't hitting our goal completely of a balanced budget, but I am so grateful for the Council Members who stood with me to ensure we did not continue to kick the can down the road. Our predicament today would be far worse off if we didn't do what we knew was fiscally responsible for the Town of Cheverly. 

🛠️ Grants & Infrastructure

  • $4,700 LGIT Grant for proactive HR training — thanks to the great work of Ms. Jones!

  • Home Team 5 & Urban Atlantic gave updates on demolition progress. The county is reviewing their Preliminary Plan of Subdivision (PPS), expected mid-July. Cheverly will get to weigh in once it’s accepted.

  • Bike Path Funding: We’re applying for the MDOT Grant (20% match) to begin work on a temporary bike path using jersey barriers and paint with Maryland National Parks & Planning Commission and efforts led by At-Large Council Member Jolene Ivey for one of the possible paths down Kenilworth.  

🗃️ Record Retention & Digitization

  • Current retention policy is set by state law.

  • There’s growing interest in digitizing decades of meeting minutes. A similar proposal was dismissed by then CM McCann as unnecessary. While I disagreed then and still do, I understand other priorities took precedence. I wish we had done it sooner and hope this renewed effort gains the support needed to modernize our records.  

⚖️ Policies & Procedures

👥 "Resident" vs. "Citizen" Watch the clip here.

We intentionally use the word “resident” in Cheverly to promote inclusivity. It is a Cheverly value. Words matter, and the language we choose reflects the values of our community. I expect ALL Cheverly leadership to not just understand this but to model behavior that ensures every single neighbor feels like they belong in Cheverly. 

🧑‍⚖️ Parliamentarian

  • The town attorney serves as our de facto parliamentarian—standard practice for towns our size. He does attend all of our work sessions and town meetings. This is new. Our previous town attorney did not regularly attend meetings. 

  • While it was suggested to hire an outside parliamentarian, it hasn’t been common or cost-effective nor something practiced in the past. That does not mean it is not something we can not look into, but I am providing this information as a matter of background. 

📣 Resident Input: How to Engage: “Work sessions are for the work. Town meetings are the show & tell.” – Mr. Fred Price Jr.

When I joined Council, public comment was at the end of long meetings. We’ve since moved it earlier to make participation more accessible in my first term.

Current Input Opportunities:

  • Work Sessions: Feedback typically welcomed on every agenda item (3 minutes per speaker).

  • Town Meetings: General resident comment period early in the meeting; input also allowed on some agenda items before votes per the discretion of the Chair of the meeting - typically the Mayor.

We aim for balance:

  • Work Sessions = Discussion & Feedback

  • Town Meetings = Formal Votes & Public Record

Why input is structured this way:

  1. Keeps meetings focused and timely

  2. Ensures equal opportunity to speak

  3. Aligns with legal/state requirements

  4. Maintains structure and relevance

📝 How to Stay Involved:

  • Speak during designated public comment periods.

  • Email or call your councilmembers. (301) 678-3796 CMW...@Cheverly-MD.gov

  • Join advisory boards or town groups.

  • Attend advisory meetings for deeper dialogue.

🤝 Liaisons to Advisory Boards

  • Planning: David Tansey (Ward 4)

  • Cheverly Day: LeGlohac  (Ward 2)

  • Recreation Council: Wade (Ward 1)

  • Policy Committee: Nicole Bryner (Vice Mayor | Ward 3), Charly Garces (Ward 5), Me 🙋🏽‍♀️ (Ward 6)

  • Green Infrastructure Committee: Still in mediation (See Below for further comment)

🏗️ Town Administrator’s Report

  • Hometown Heroes: learn more and email hometow...@cheverly-md.gov

  • Kilmer Street Arboretum Path: Still in design; funding sources being identified due to high costs. Council Member Garces and I are still pushing on this initiative started with former Council Jenny Garcia and supported by Mayor Kayce. 

  • Gym Floor Replacement: Thanks to Council Member Ivey’s advocacy, the town is part of a reimbursement program with MNCPPC that will allow for new gym floors.

  • 6207 State Street: Mr. Galloway is continuing ongoing collaboration with Council Member Ivey's office and DPIE to resolve issues from the unoccupied building.

  • Boyd Park Playground Renovation: Set to finish by June 20.

  • Bengal Contract: Currently under extension.

🌿 Green Infrastructure Committee Update: Watch the July 2023 clip here

As many of you know, Cheverly has not had an active Green Team (that reports to the Town) for nearly two years. In that time, the Town Council has taken the unprecedented step of entering into mediation, a rare move not typically used by municipal councils (and denied prior by this body in 2018/2019) — to try to resolve ongoing issues.

Because mediation is still ongoing, I’ll keep my comments limited. However, it’s important to clarify why I believe Mayor Watson cannot and should not attempt to resolve this with a “sit-down” outside of the mediation process.

The Green Infrastructure Committee (GIC) was officially created on October 13, 2011 through Resolution R-8-11. It was:

  • Placed on the agenda as agenda item “9. Adoption R-8-11 Establishing the Green Infrastructure Committee” by then-Mayor Michael Callahan with agenda comments that read “This will be a Mayor and Council authorized Committee.”

  • Motioned by then Council Member Laila Riazi and Seconded by then Council Member Carolyn Cook. Approved unanimously (5–0) by the Council.

  • Designed to have at least 7 council-appointed members

This means the GIC is not just a volunteer group—it IS a formal advisory body that serves the Town Council, whoever that may be, and not just the Mayors the GIC leadership chooses to work with. 

To bypass the current mediation process or redefine the committee outside of mediation—especially when many GIC members have stated they don’t view themselves as part of the town's advisory body regardless of the adopted resolution—would not only undermine this established and governing resolution but also jeopardize the legitimacy of past and all future town resolutions, policy, and advisory structures.

I, too, would like for us to move forward. To this end, I proposed the creation of an interim Green Team last year to provide continuity and safeguard the town’s environmental efforts during mediation. Unfortunately, that proposal did not gain support, as many of my colleagues chose in good faith, to give the mediation process room to work. However, that process has been marked by delays and stalls.

I also want to address a concerning narrative that has been repeated in town — that the GIC could simply be “reinstated because the problem is gone now.” Let me be crystal clear: Mayor Kayce was never the problem. That kind of remark is not only inaccurate, it undermines the seriousness of the concerns that led to mediation and calls into question the intent of those who originally demanded it.

I'll provide more updates on that front as they arise. 

🗓️Our next Town meeting is on June 12 (Thursday) at 8PM. It is 📍 in-person (6401 Forest Road),  💻 on YouTube,  🌐 on the website stream,  🧑‍💻 on Zoom, and 📺  on our cable channels (Comcast Channel 71 and Verizon Channel 35).  

  🗣️ Your voice matters—see you there!  

🎉 Upcoming Events 

For more information about these and other events, check out the town newsletter. I apologize ahead of time that I will be missing several community events coming up due to conflicts with my children's extracurriculars.   

📌 Memorial Day: Monday, May 26  Town Offices Closed and Services Suspended 

📌 Rec Council: Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 7:00 PM | Town Hall Conference Room

📌 Public Safety Day: Friday, May 30, 4:30pm-8:30pm |Town Park (Please check for weather announcements)

 📌 Ms. Vee’s (Rec Council) Pickleball Tournament: Saturday, May 31, 9am-5pm | 6401 Forest Rd.

 📌 Planning Board Meeting: Tuesday, June 3, 2025, 7:30 PM

📌 WSSC - Municipal Town Hall: Wednesday, June 4, 2025, TBD

📌 Cheverly Community Market: Saturday, June 7, 2025, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Community Center Parking Lot

🏳️‍🌈 Pride Flag Raising: Saturday, June 7, 2025, 11AM (TBD) | 6401 Forest Road

📌 Town Meeting (Final Reader of Budget Ordinance and Passage): Thursday,

June 12, 2025, 8:00 PM | Hybrid 

  ✊🏿 Juneteenth Festival presented by CAACO Juneteenth Festival presented by CAACO, Saturday, June 14, 2025, 12-4pm | 6401 Forest Road

📌 4th Ward Civic Association: Monday, June 16, 7:00 PM  | Zoom

📌 Maryland Municipal League: June 22, 2025- June 25, 2025 | Ocean City, MD

🔗Stay Connected

📰 Check out the Cheverly Town Newsletter [en Español]
 If you missed the Town Meeting on Thursday, you can watch recordings of all town meetings [here] or watch on YOUTUBE.

How to Report Issues:

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💬 Sign up for the Town's Text Messaging System for important updates!

📱Let's Stay in Touch:


Warmly,


Amy 🫰🏽💜🫶🏽


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