For Immediate Release: Monday, May 1, 2017
Montgomery Council to act on
bill to create County
‘Business Solutions Group’
Also on Tuesday, May 2: Registration of vacant properties;
special commemoration of
Asian American and Pacific Islander Month
ROCKVILLE, Md., May 1, 2017—The Montgomery County Council at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 2, is scheduled to take action on Bill 8-17 that will create a “Business Solutions Group” to assist, inform and advocate on behalf of businesses, including helping them interact with County Government.
The Council’s regular weekly session will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. The meeting will be will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM). The channel can be viewed on Cable Channels 996 (high definition) and 6 (standard definition) on Comcast; Channels 1056 (HD) and 6 (SD) on RCN; and Channel 30 on Verizon.
The session also will be available live via streaming through the Council web site at http://tinyurl.com/z9982v8 . The meeting will be rebroadcast starting at 9 p.m. on Friday, May 5.
The meeting will begin with a proclamation recognizing Rockville High School English teacher Sean Pang, who was recently named as Montgomery County’s Teacher of the Year by The Washington Post.
At 11 a.m., Council President Roger Berliner and the Council will host a special event to commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with community leaders. Panelists will share their experiences, give details about their achievements and discuss the issues that are important for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who live in Montgomery County.
Council President Berliner and Councilmember Hans Riemer are the lead sponsors of the bill to create the Business Solutions Group—which was originally to be called the Business Services Center. Councilmembers Marc Elrich, Sidney Katz, Nancy Navarro and Craig Rice are co-sponsors.
The Business Solutions Group would provide dedicated constituent service for County businesses. The existing position of small business navigator would become part of the group. The group would be of particular help to those planning to start a new business or who are in the early stages of operating a new business.
In addition to the duties of the small business navigator, the group would operate workshops, conferences and targeted events to help emerging businesses. The group would help businesses better understand how they could compete for County contracts and would help them better comply with County requirements and regulations.
At a public hearing on the bill, Ginanne Italiano, representing the Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce; Marilyn Balcombe, representing the Gaithersburg/Germantown Chamber of Commerce; Jane Redicker of the Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce; and Ilaya Hopkins of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce each supported the initiative as an important tool to publicize new County laws and regulations affecting businesses and to enhance the work of the small business navigator. Gino Renne, president of the Montgomery County Government Employees Organization, also supported the bill as a method of reinstituting the work of the former Department of Economic Development in advocating for businesses in ways that have not been assumed by the new private Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation.
The Council also expected to take action on Bill 39-16 that, as introduced, would require owners of certain unmaintained vacant buildings to register those vacant buildings with the Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA); require owners of certain unmaintained vacant buildings to pay certain fees; and require inspections for certain unmaintained vacant buildings.
In reviewing the bill, the Council’s Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee recommended enacting the bill, but to remove the requirement for a registry. The committee recommended that instead, DHCA provide annual reports on the department's activities related to unmaintained vacant dwellings. The committee also clarified that condominiums are within the scope of the bill.
The lead sponsor of the bill is Councilmember Tom Hucker. Councilmembers Berliner, Elrich, Navarro, Rice, Riemer, Nancy Floreen and George Leventhal are co-sponsors.
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Release ID: 17-150