Elections

Elections

Elections for the 2017-18 term will be held in May.  At the March meeting the following individuals announced their intention to run for Board/Officer positions.  At that time there were no nominations from the floor.  In May, any member in good standing, will again be eligible for nomination from the floor and placed on the ballot.

Candidates:

Suzzie Schuyler-President*

Celeste Riidle-Vice President*

Charles Mannion-Treasurer*

Kevin Plessner-Secretary*

Jonathan McGowan*

Dale Townsend*

Jim Blankenship*

Kim Solloway*

Glen Haller*

Derick Dallas*

Justin Szech*

Sandy Hartzell**

Shawn Murphy*

*denotes a current board member

** denotes a current Senior Advisor

Voting Bylaws:

Article XII: Voting

Section 1
Members in good standing only shall be allowed to vote.

Section 2
No household shall cast more than two (2) votes on any issue.

Section 3
No proxy votes or votes by mail shall be permitted.

A member in good standing is a member who has paid their yearly dues and resides in the LSIA’s geographic territory.

For more election information including all bylaws, please visit www.lsia.net.

By-law Changes: Important

The following are the PROPOSED CHANGES to the By-Laws of the Linthicum-Shipley Improvement Association, Inc. to be voted on at the MAY General Meeting.  Most of these are “housekeeping,” items or are designed to clarify as well as bring up to date for 2017 and beyond.  Only those By-Laws that will be affected are listed.

Article III: Membership

Section 2
The portion of the affected by-law reads:  The Treasurer is to maintain an accurate roster of the membership. Suggested change: [Delete The Treasurer] [Add Either the Treasurer or the Secretary] It would then read:  Either the Treasurer or the Secretary is to maintain an accurate roster of the membership. 

Rationale:  The Secretary will begin to perform this task since the Secretary is responsible to follow-up with members who do not pay for memberships.  Change suggested by Kevin Plessner.

Article V: Meetings

Section 3
The portion of the affected by-law reads:  A majority of all members present at general membership meetings shall be considered a quorum.  Delete: [A majority of all] [Add Twenty-five] It would then read:  Twenty-five members present at general membership meetings shall be considered a quorum.

Rationale:  Several other areas in the by-laws deal with voting rules for the general membership, so this section was solely intended to constitute rules for a quorum and not for voting. We have added a requirement that a minimum number of members, twenty-five, be present at the meeting in case we run into an issue where a small handful of members are able to make major changes to LSIA (e.g. dissolution of the organization or removal of Board members).  Change suggested by Kevin Plessner and Celeste Riddle

Article VII: Nominations – Elections

Section 3
The affected by-law reads:  The President-elect shall become resident agent of the Association during his/her tenure of office.  Delete [shall become] Add [may appoint a substitute] resident agent of the Association during his/her tenure of office.  It would then read:  The President-elect may appoint a substitute resident agent of the Association during his/her tenure of office.

Rationale:  This does not make sense since it would require relatively frequent filings with SDAT. The current resident agent is William Ford of 6225 Groveland Rd., Linthicum 21090 since 1972. The proposed language would give the President authority to change the Resident Agent during his/her tenure as President but does not require it.  Change suggested by Kevin Plessner.

Article VIII: Duties of the Executive Board

Section 3
The affected by-law reads:   Treasurer:  The Treasurer shall receive the dues of the members, and all other monies received, or contributions made to the Association; he or she shall keep an accurate account thereof and be responsible for sending out bills for membership dues.  Delete [and be responsible for sending out bills for membership dues.]  Add [a period after thereof.]  It would then read:  Treasurer:  The Treasurer shall receive the dues of the members, and all other monies received, or contributions made to the Association; he or she shall keep an accurate account thereof. [period at the end.]   

Rationale:  Since the Secretary is responsible for sending out the dues reminders, (See Article III Membership, Section 2) the end of this sentence should be eliminated.  Change suggested by Celeste Riddle.

Article XI: Travel Regulations

Section 1
The affected by-law reads:  Travel expenses will be allowed at the rate of $0.20 per mile for official Association business on authorized trips only.  Delete [will be allowed at the rate of $0.20 per mile] Add [shall be reimbursed at the current federal reimbursement rate] It would then read:  Travel expenses shall be reimbursed at the current federal reimbursement rate for official Association business on authorized trips only. 

Rationale:  This eliminates a set amount listed in the by-law and allows for any changes at the federal reimbursement rate.  Change suggested by Suzzie Schuyler.

The above proposed by-laws changes were approved and accepted by the Executive Board on Thursday, March 23, 2017.

LSIA By-Laws Committee:

Celeste Riddle, Chairman; Sandy Hartzell, Glen Haller

Anne Arundel County 311

Anne Arundel County Launches 3-1-1 Customer Service Program

Call or Click for Quick Response

 Annapolis, MD (April 4, 2017) – Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh today announced the launch of 3-1-1, a new initiative that will make customer service more efficient and responsive.

“Accessing County services is easier than ever before. You only have to remember one phone number, or you can even report problems electronically using your mobile device,” said Schuh. “Call or click today.”

Citizens can access the new system by simply dialing 3-1-1 for all municipal services. Operators are available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday throughFriday. Please dial 9-1-1 for emergencies and medical assistance.

Citizens can also download the mobile app through the App Store (iPhone) and Google Play (Android). Only a simple signup process is required. Just hit the magnifying glass and search for “Arundel 311.”

The mobile platform, through the See-Click-Fix application, allows citizens to report a lost pet, a pothole, a missed trash collection and many other issues. Using your mobile device, you can take a picture, set a location, and receive updates on the response to your issue.

The County will begin running public service announcements about the new 311 service. They can be found here:

311 #1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afWMS0WuvDw&list=PLFDsPtElNXo5TRkQBQSXVxpXvSJsmPmA9&index=4

311 #2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucERFeN7qfE&list=PLFDsPtElNXo5TRkQBQSXVxpXvSJsmPmA9&index=1

311 #3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttDTT_H0qQY&list=PLFDsPtElNXo5TRkQBQSXVxpXvSJsmPmA9&index=2

NEW SCMAGLEV MEETING DATES

The following information was forwarded to the LSIA from our County Council member, Pete Smith.  This information was sent to him by Brandon Bratcher of the Federal Railroad Administration.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), in coordination with the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT)’s Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential impacts of constructing and operating a high-speed superconducting magnetic levitation (SCMAGLEV) system between Washington, DC and Baltimore, Maryland with an intermediate stop at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

The goal of the EIS is to provide FRA with information to assess alternatives that will meet the proposed action’s Purpose and Need; evaluate potential environmental impacts that could result from the alternatives; identify avoidance/mitigation measures associated with potential environmental impacts; and select a Preferred Alternative.

The purpose of this communication is to:

1. Provide a brief update on the status of the SCMAGLEV project; and to
2. Inform you of the second round of Open Houses being held between April 3, 2017 and April 8, 2017.

In November 2016, FRA published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare the EIS in the Federal Register. Following the NOI publication, a 45-day public scoping period included five Public Scoping Open House meetings held between December 10, 2016 and December 15, 2016. At the meetings, the public had the opportunity to review introductory materials, discuss the project with team members and provide formal comments. In addition, the study team held two meetings in January 2017 with key federal, state, and local government agencies to discuss project scoping and to receive their initial feedback.

Recently, the project team has compiled the results of the public and agency scoping meetings and comments received into a Project Scoping Report; refined the Draft Purpose and Need; and defined the preliminary alternatives and screening criteria to be considered in the EIS.

As part of our continuing efforts to keep stakeholders informed and to gather input throughout the planning process, we will provide this new information at the second round of Open Houses scheduled for the following dates/locations:

• Monday, April 3, 2017 from 5:30  – 7:30 p.m. – Baltimore War Memorial located at 101 North Gay Street in Baltimore, Maryland
• Tuesday, April 4, 2017 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. – Lindale Middle School located at 415 Andover Road in Linthicum, Maryland
• Wednesday, April 5, 2017 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. – Bowie Community Center located at 3209 Stonybrook Drive, Bowie, Maryland
• Thursday, April 6, 2017 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. – Cheverly Town Hall located at 6401 Forest Road in Cheverly, Maryland
• Saturday, April 8, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon – Courtyard Marriott Washington, DC/U.S. Capitol, located at 1325 2nd Street NE, Washington, DC

I encourage you to share project information and invite your constituents to attend one of these Open Houses. Each meeting affords the public the same opportunity to view informational displays with project team members who will be available to answer questions or concerns. You can find additional information and next steps on the project website: baltimorewashingtonscmaglevproject.com.

We are accepting public comments via the website, by e-mail to info@BaltimoreWashingtonSCMaglevProject.com and by mail to SCMaglev Project c/o John Trueschler, Maryland Transit Administration, 6 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21202.

If you have questions or would like to submit your comments, please don’t hesitate to contact me at USDOT Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, MS-20, Washington, DC 20590 or brandon.bratcher@dot.gov.

Tree Removal near Andover Park

NOTICE: A representative from Colonial Pipeline joined us at our meeting and laid out plans for tree removal along the pipeline right of way. As of now, they are planning to remove only the pine trees along Andover Rd. near the athletic fields that are directly over the pipeline. These trees are endangering the protective coatings on the existing pipes. They plan to replace these trees with a different species that will be safer for the pipes and will also clear vines and other vegetation that are impacting other trees in that area. Nobody wants to see trees removed but this is being done to prevent a future problem for Linthicum and the pipelines.