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Adrian for Laurel

Official site of Adrian G. Simmons, Councilman for the City Council of Laurel, Maryland.

Council meetings

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    Council Meeting - 29 Jul 2024

    See the City of Laurel’s meeting page for the official record, and if any agenda item holds interest for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to myself and members of the Council as we want to serve you and the people of Laurel.

    Watch live online via LaurelTV, and if you’d like to register to speak, simply reach out to the City Clerk’s office.

    AGENDA

    1. Call to Order - Council President James Kole
    2. Roll Call - Carolyn Edwards, Administrative Assistant II, City Clerk’s Office
    3. Report of the Mayor and City Council
    4. General Public Hearing
    5. Second Public Hearing with Possible Action onOrdinance No. 2028- An Ordinance Amending the General Operating Budget and Capital Improvement Program of the Mayor and City Council of Laurel, Maryland for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024 and Providing an Effective Date
    6. Adjournment

    UPDATE: Miscellaneous items from session:

    • Councilwoman Johnson shared about Back-2-School Community Pop-Up hosted by non-profit Angel Havinn providing school supplies to those who need them plus hosting food, music, moon bounce, more. (See below graphic for additional information.)
    • Mayor Sydnor shared about Doggie Dip Day scheduled for Sep 7 at the Greenview Drive Pool where owners and their canine companions can get wet & have some fun.
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    Council Meeting - 22 Jul 2024

    See the City of Laurel’s meeting page for the official record, and if any agenda item holds interest for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to myself and members of the Council as we want to serve you and the people of Laurel.

    AGENDA

    1. Call to Order - Council President James Kole
    2. Pledge of Allegiance - Keith R. Sydnor, Mayor
    3. Roll Call - Sara A. Green, CPM, CMC, Clerk
    4. Approval of Minutes
    5. Report of the Mayor and City Council
    6. Fourth of July Committee Acknowledgement- Carreen Koubek, Chairwoman
    7. Consideration of a Leasing Agreement- Bigbelly Compost Bins for Multi-family Compost Collection- Environmental Programs
    8. General Public Hearing
    9. Introduction and First Public Hearing on Ordinance No. 2028- An Ordinance Amending the General Operating Budget and Capital Improvement Program of the Mayor and City Council of Laurel, Maryland for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024 and Providing an Effective Date
    10. Adjournment

    UPDATE: Miscellaneous items from session –

    • The 4th of July Committee made a wonderful presentation in celebration of the great event earlier in the month, helping bring back good memories of the day’s festivities. You can be part of making next year’s a lot of fun too and your help is needed – Swing on over to the July 4 Committee website to join the merry crew of volunteers.
    • The Laurel Police Department will be holding their 41st Annual National Night Out on Tue, Aug 6 from 6 - 9 p.m. at Granville Gude Park. Both adults and kids are warmly invited to come on out for free hot dogs, K9 unit demos, live music, Rescue Squad Vehicle Extract, games, and more. It’s a great opportunity to meet the people and services that work to keep our city safe.
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    Council Meeting - 8 Jul 2024

    See the City of Laurel’s meeting page for the official record, and if any agenda item holds interest for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to myself and members of the Council as we want to serve you and the people of Laurel.

    AGENDA

    1. Call to Order - Council President James Kole
    2. Roll Call - Sara A. Green, CPM, CMC, Clerk
    3. Report of the Mayor and City Council
    4. Bharati Dhruva Arts Council 07/08/2024-07/08/2027
    5. General Public Hearing
    6. Bid Recommendation- Granville Gude Park Path Banners- Department of Parks and Recreation
    7. Leasing Agreement- Bigbelly Compost Bins for Multi-family Compost Collection- Environmental Programs
    8. Fleet Acquisition- FY2025 CIP- Fleet Replacement Schedule- Department of Public Works
    9. Fleet Leasing Purchase- FY2025- Laurel Police Department
    10. Bid Recommendation- Ammunition Purchase- Laurel Police Department
    11. Adjournment

    UPDATE: Mayor Sydnor shared items of note during his report this evening, three of which I’ve listed here if helpful to you:

    • There are sites around Laurel (including Laurel High School) that are participating in the Maryland Summer Meals program where free breakfast and lunch are provided to youth aged 18 or younger. Visit the Maryland Summer Meals Finder to locate the site nearest you.
    • For Laurel residents who may be experiencing mail theft issues, they should first report the theft via the United States Postal Service website (since it is a federal crime), and for further support, constituents can sumbit a case via U.S. Congressman Glen Ivey’s website with the USPS theft submission tracking number for his offices to facilitate.
    • The Mayor launched a Safe Summer Nights program starting July 13 where all City of Laurel youth aged 12 to 16 can go to the Laurel Armory on Montgomery Street for games, education, and activities in a safe environment. They’ll need to be checked in and out by their parents and more details can be found at the page linked above.
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    Council Work Session - 5 Jul 2024

    I participated in my first Council Work Session immediately after my swearing-in ceremony. See the City of Laurel meeting page for the official record, and the agenda was as listed below.

    Please know that if any agenda item holds interest for you, don’t hesitate to reach out to myself and members of the Council as all of us want to serve you and the people of Laurel.

    AGENDA

    1. Call to Order - James Kole, Council President
    2. Bid Recommendation- Granville Gude Park Path Banners- Department of Parks and Recreation
    3. Leasing Agreement- Bigbelly Compost Bins for Multi-family Compost Collection- Environmental Programs
    4. Fleet Acquisition- FY2025 CIP- Fleet Replacement Schedule- Department of Public Works
    5. Fleet Leasing Purchase- FY2025- Laurel Police Department
    6. Bid Recommendation- Ammunition Purchase- Laurel Police Department
    7. Adjournment
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    Swearing-in Ceremony Memories

    Truly memorable for me to have my wife and little guys with me for the administration of the Oath of Office. As it turns out, the littlest one is an especially enthusiastic waver of the City of Laurel flag. :) (Thank you to Mayor Sydnor for providing, as it helped keep their attention during the proceedings.)

    A huge thank you to my wife for her support and for what we know will be commitments for our family. A big part of our motivation is to help contribute to a Laurel for our kids and all the kids in our town where they can enjoy, connect, and build great memories of their own.

    Thank you also to all those who came out in-person or were able to share by TV — Your support means a lot and this is something we really all do together to build and make our City a great place to live, work, and play.

    Thank you again, and now on to the work ahead! :)

    (Photo credit: City of Laurel)

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    Amazing, surreal, honored

    Amazing, surreal, honored. Three of the many emotions I felt tonight in the process of being selected to fill the vacant Ward 1 seat on the City Council.

    Thank you to the Council for your confidence. And thank you to the voters and residents for your support in last fall’s election - Although we came up just short at the time, your strong support in the last election cycle (highest among all unseated candidates) was a major factor in tonight’s result. Please accept my heartfelt thanks! :)

    During my closing statement, I shared my vision for the role of a Councilmember - One who:

    1. Exercises good financial stewardship of the monies entrusted to the City by its residents
    2. Thinks to the future on how to lay a foundation on which residents can build true community
    3. Promotes a spirit of unity and collaboration
    4. Serves as a personal connection residents can reach out to for answers and to know that their voice is heard

    I now take it as my task to live these out on behalf of you and our City. And I want to encourage us all to continue building our friendships, churches, neighborhood organizations, small businesses, hobby clubs, civic organizations, and more — Each one of the small moments shared between people is truly what makes Laurel great!

    And happy 4th of July! :)

    (Photo credit: City of Laurel)

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