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Montgomery County Council and Committees Hold Virtual Meetings on Oct. 25 Starting at 9:30 a.m.
For Immediate Release: Friday, October 22, 2021
Council will meet to review state legislative priorities; Committees will review legislation regarding community policing data, continue to discuss Thrive Montgomery 2050 and receive updates on the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, the circuit court and the State’s Attorney’s Office
The joint Public Safety (PS) and Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee will meet on Monday, Oct. 25 at 9:30 a.m. to review Bill 45-20, Police - Community Policing – Data.
The members of the PS Committee include Chair Sidney Katz, Council Vice President Gabe Albornoz and Council President Tom Hucker. The members of the HHS Committee include Chair and Council Vice President Gabe Albornoz and Councilmembers Evan Glass (Lead for Homelessness & Vulnerable Communities) and Craig Rice.
The Council will meet at 12:30 p.m. to review and vote on state legislative priorities for the upcoming Maryland General Assembly session.
The Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to continue its review of the Planning Board’s Thrive Montgomery 2050 Draft Plan which is a framework to guide planning for land use, housing, the economy, equity, transportation, parks and open space, the environment, historic resources, urban design and arts and culture over the next three decades.
The members of the PHED Committee include Chair Hans Riemer and Councilmembers Andrew Friedson (Lead for Parks) and Will Jawando.
The PS Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to receive updates from the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (DOCR), the circuit court and the State’s Attorney’s Office (SAO).
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
Bill 45-20, Police - Community Policing - Data
Review: The joint PS and HHS Committee will review Bill 45-20, which aims to ensure greater transparency in policing and create publicly available data related to the race, ethnicity, gender and other voluntarily provided information about residents involved in policing actions.
Bill 45-20 would require MCPD to report demographic information about residents stopped (including a stop and frisk that does not result in an arrest) to the Council by Feb. 1 of each year. It would further require MCPD to maintain data sets on race and ethnicity, use of force incidents, criminal citations and juvenile citations, among others, and to post this data on its web portal.
Councilmember Jawando spearheaded this bill and is a lead sponsor along with Council President Hucker, Council Vice President Albornoz and Councilmember Katz. All other Councilmembers are cosponsors.
Those expected to attend and provide information include Marcus C. Jones, chief, Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD); Jordan Satinsky, lieutenant, MCPD; and Dr. Elaine Bonner-Tompkins, senior legislative analyst, Office of Legislative Oversight.
State Legislative Priorities – 2022 Maryland General Assembly
Discussion: The Council will meet with representatives from the Office of Intergovernmental Relations (OIR) and the Office of the County Executive to review and vote on state legislative priorities for the upcoming Maryland General Assembly session.
The Office of Intergovernmental Relations (OIR), working with Executive Branch agencies, has developed a proposed list of the County’s state legislative priorities for the upcoming 2022 General Assembly session. The deadline to provide the 2022 list to the state delegation is November 15, 2021.
The general categories of proposed State priorities for 2022 include COVID-19 relief and resiliency, fiscal health and economic development, transportation, education, elections, the environment, health and human services, public safety, broadband accessibility and affordability, cybersecurity and local authority.
Those expected to attend and provide information include Melanie Wenger, director, Office of Intergovernmental Relations (OIR); Kathleen Boucher, special assistant to director, OIR; Leslie Frey, legislative analyst, OIR; Sara Morningstar, federal relations coordinator and legislative analyst, OIR; and Amy Samman, legislative analyst, OIR.
Thrive 2050 – Conclusion and Follow Up
Review: The PHED Committee will continue its review of the Planning Board’s Thrive Montgomery 2050 Draft Plan which is a framework to guide planning for land use, housing, the economy, equity, transportation, parks and open space, the environment, historic resources, urban design and arts and culture over the next three decades.
The recommendations will provide guidance for future master plans, county and state capital improvement processes and other public and private initiatives that influence land use and planning in Montgomery County.
At previous meetings, the Committee reviewed the introductory section of the plan, received a briefing from the Planning Department on the plan’s vison, reviewed the first two chapters about compact growth and complete communities, reviewed the fiscal impact statement prepared by the Office of Management and Budget, reviewed the plan’s impact on design, arts and culture and transportation and communication networks, the plan’s impact on affordable and attainable housing and parks and recreation.
This is the Committee's ninth and possibly final meeting to review the plan’s conclusion and introduction.
For additional background information on Thrive Montgomery 2050 visit Montgomery Planning.
Department of Correction and Rehabilitation
Briefing: The PS Committee will receive an update from the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (DOCR). Representatives from DOCR will provide the Committee with updates on key programs and initiatives and review any relevant spending or performance data. The discussion will include an overview of operations during COVID-19, remote court hearings, the status of pre-release and reentry services programs (PRRS), Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) programs and staffing and recruitment efforts.
Those expected to attend and provide information include Angela Talley, director, DOCR and Rachel Silberman, Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Briefing: The PS Committee will receive an update on the Circuit Court. Representatives from the court will provide the Committee with updates on key programs and initiatives and review any relevant spending or performance data. The discussion will include an overview of operations and protocols associated with COVID-19, the court’s case backlog due to restricted operations, the jury prioritization process, the transition to the Maryland Electronic Courts Case Management System (MDEC), staffing and open judicial appointments, audio and video hardware maintenance and support, ransomware data protection and courtroom renovations.
Those expected to attend and provide information include Judge James Bonifant, administrative judge, Circuit Court; Judy Rupp, circuit court administrator; and Derrick Harrigan, Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Briefing: The PS Committee will receive an update from the State’s Attorney’s Office (SAO). Representatives from SAO will provide the Committee with updates on key programs and initiatives and review any relevant spending or performance data. The discussion will include an overview of operations during COVID-19 and the implementation of the Maryland Electronic Courts (MDEC) case management system.
The SAO is a constitutionally created independent agency that prosecutes criminal violations in Montgomery County, educates the public about criminal justice issues, provides training to lawyers for future service, addresses inequality and promote fairness in the criminal justice system, ensures access to the criminal justice system, promote professional relations with judges and attorneys and furthers the efficient use of criminal justice resources.
Those expected to attend and provide information include the State’s Attorney John McCarthy; Lisa Russo, State’s Attorney’s Office (SAO); and Lindsay Lucas, Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
The Committee meeting schedule may change from time to time. The current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review can be viewed at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.
The Council and committees are meeting via Zoom this fall because of ongoing construction and technology upgrades in the Council's Hearing Room and the inability to conduct meetings in a socially distant way in other areas of the Council Office Building with television broadcast capacity. Councilmembers will continue to hold meetings in their offices by appointment.
The virtual Council and committee meetings will be streamed live on the Council’s web page via YouTube and on Facebook Live and can be watched on County Cable Montgomery on Xfinity/RCN 6 HD 996/1056, Fios 30, and on the CCM live stream.
Release ID: 21-422Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, Benjamin Sky Brandt 240-777-7884