I wish you all the best in the new year and look forward when we meet again on Dia de los Reyes to continuing to work with council, staff, and residents on issues that are important to me and to all of us, like pedestrian and traffic safety, affordable housing and rent stabilization, and budgeting for a financially bright future. – Councilmember Strab December 16th Council Meeting

I hope that everyone has had a lovely advent and as we approach the holidays, I hope you all enjoy celebrating with your loved ones. I want to thank the council and staff, who have been wonderful to work with this past year and I want to thank our residents who have been passionately involved in making our city a wonderful place. 

Happy New Year!

What Have We Accomplished?

This year, I’m so proud of the city’s In Wellness We Thrive mental wellness program that we have been able to implement in English and Spanish to get our residents, and especially our young students the mental health services they need that may not be covered by insurance or the PGCPS’ over-taxed program in schools.

This program was made possible through my motion to use American Rescue Plan Act funds to fund a partnership with the HOPE Center for Wellness. We have been able to serve many of our Hyattsville youth through Individual and Family Therapy, Expressive Arts Support Workshops, and Community Wellness Workshops throughout this year.

The City of Hyattsville is moving forward with Automated Stop Sign Camera Enforcement. We passed city legislation this year to allow stop sign cameras and have collected data at several city intersections in anticipation of the County’s application process for implementing the stop sign camera program county-wide.

FY 2025 Budget Discussions and Audits have created quite a stir amongst residents. We approved a budget with a $5mil revenue-to-expenditure shortfall. While the council has the utmost trust in the staff that that budgeted shortfall will not be realized through the procurement of grants, delaying projects, and other cost-cutting measures, we still need to work toward a policy that limits general fund drawdowns. I am pleased that while we are catching up on our late audits, the council just passed my motion for a standing Audit Committee. My hope is that this is the first step in ensuring a process financial oversight for the city to restore residents’ trust.

For myself, I was excited and honored to have completed the coursework to earn my certificate as a fellow in the Academy for Excellence in Local Governance through the University of Maryland. Most participants take 2-5 years to complete the program, but I was able to do it in just about a year. I’ve already been able to put what I have learned into practice, from basics about the Maryland Open Meetings Act to working on AI policy for the city.

In the new year I’m excited to continue working on growing committee participation, making walking and driving safer on Hyattsville streets, and working toward the economic growth and affordability of living in Hyattsville.