For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 1, 2024
The Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee will meet on Thursday, May 2 at 9 a.m. to review the recommended FY25 Operating Budget for the Office of Agriculture and the Office of the People's Counsel. In addition, the committee will review Bill 18-23, Structure of County Government - Community Zoning and Land Use Resource Office.
The members of the PHP Committee include Chair and Council President Andrew Friedson and Councilmembers Natali Fani-González and Will Jawando.
The Public Safety (PS) Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. to review the recommended FY25 Operating Budget for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) and the MCFRS FY25-30 CIP Fire Station Refurbishment Project, Apparatus Replacement Amendment and the Clarksburg Fire Station Project.
The members of the PS Committee include Chair Sidney Katz and Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Kristin Mink.
The joint Economic Development (ECON) and Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to review the recommended FY25 Operating Budget for the Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions (TEBS) and the Cable Television Communications Plan.
The members of the ECON Committee include Chair Fani-González and Councilmembers Marilyn Balcombe, Evan Glass and Laurie-Anne Sayles.
The members of the GO Committee include Chair and Council Vice President Kate Stewart, Council President Friedson and Councilmember Katz.
The ECON Committee will meet at 2:30 p.m. to review the recommended FY25 Operating Budget for the Conference Center NDA and the FY25-30 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) for the Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center project. In addition, the Committee will receive an update about a proposed approach to reduce permitting timelines for restaurants.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
Review: The PHP Committee will review the County Executive’s more than $1.4 million recommended FY25 Operating Budget for the Office of Agriculture, which represents an increase of $95,610, or seven percent, from the approved FY24 Operating Budget. The largest increases are due to compensation adjustments, the annualization of FY24 compensation increases and a $32,000 shift in funds for weed control from the Department of Transportation (MCDOT) to the Office of Agriculture. The Office of Agriculture promotes agriculture as a viable component of the County's economic sector, as well as to preserve farmland as a resource for future agricultural production. The office partners with local businesses, the University of Maryland, and state and federal agencies to provide support to agriculture businesses and the agriculture industry.
Bill 18-23, Structure of County Government - Community Zoning and Land Use Resource Office
Review: The PHP Committee will review Bill 18-23, which would replace the provisions for an Office of the People’s Counsel with a Community Zoning and Land Use Resource Office. The Office of the People’s Counsel was a legislative branch office that was created in 1990 and was last funded in Fiscal Year 2010. The lead sponsor of Bill 18-23 is Council President Friedson.
Bill 18-23 would keep the office as a resource for residents and applicants about the development process but make several changes to its structure, including removing the requirement that the officer must be an attorney, prohibiting the officer from serving as an advocate or participating in administrative proceedings and outlining the specific duties of the officer.
Office of the People’s Counsel
Review: The PHP Committee will review the County Executive’s more than $246,375 recommended FY25 Operating Budget for the Office of the People’s Counsel, which did not receive funding in the approved FY24 Operating Budget. The Office of the People’s Counsel was last funded in FY10, at an amount of $246,520. In June 2008, the Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) issued an in-depth report highlighting the benefits and recurring issues within the Office of the People’s Counsel.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) FY25 Operating Budget
Review: The PS Committee will continue to review the more than $292 million FY25 Operating Budget for MCFRS recommended by the County Executive, which is an increase of more than $25 million, or 9.7 percent, from the approved FY24 Operating Budget. The committee previously met on April 15 to discuss the MCFRS FY25 Operating Budget. At this meeting, the committee will discuss the Emergency Service Transporter Supplemental Payment Program, which provides supplemental payments to qualified entities that provide ground ambulance services to Medicaid recipients.
The recommended budget adds six firefighter positions to Station 40 and a new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) duty officer to improve health outcomes in diverse areas of the County. The budget includes a proposal for a new fire camp for girls to encourage more women to enter firefighting as a career. MCFRS is a combined career and volunteer service with 35 fire stations and two rescue squad stations. Currently, there are 1,246 career firefighters and approximately 790 active volunteers.
Review: The PS Committee will review three proposed amendments to the FY25 Recommended Capital Budget and FY25-30 CIP for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS). The Fire Station Refurbishment Project amendment provides a total $200,000 in FY25 funds for the development a of program of requirements for a potential new project to support refurbishment of existing fire stations at much lower cost than full-scale renovation or replacement. The Apparatus Replacement Program provides for ongoing replacement of fire apparatus and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) vehicles. The CIP amendment would increase expenditures by $621,000 in FY25 to cover increased apparatus replacement costs. The Clarksburg fire station amendment accounts for a decrease of more than $1.9 million to reflect project savings.
Technology Enterprise Business Solutions (TEBS) External Programs
Review: The joint ECON and GO Committee will review the County Executive’s recommended FY25 Operating Budget for external programs within the Technology Enterprise Business Solutions (TEBS) FY25 Operating Budget, which includes $1.5 million in funds recommended for a new Web 2.0 project. The project would fund the design of a new website to centralize content management, provide a modernized web experience for residents and stakeholders and enhance security.
The GO Committee previously met on April 17 to review the County Executive’s total recommended FY25 Operating Budgets for TEBS, the Cable TV and Communications Plan, the Device Client Management (DCM) NDA, Interagency Technology Coordinating Committee (ITPCC) NDA and the Telecommunications NDA. The committee recommended approval of these combined FY25 Operating Budgets. However, during this meeting the committee deferred review of the Web 2.0 project and external elements of the Cable Plan to this joint ECON and GO Committee meeting.
For TEBS, the County Executive recommended a more than $72.5 million FY25 Operating Budget, which represents an increase of more than $20.3 million, or 38.9 percent, from the approved FY24 Operating Budget. The increase is largely a result of two factors. The first is the proposed transfer of MC311 responsibilities to the TEBS budget. This change would result in the shift of 46 FTEs from the Public Information Office to TEBS. The second factor is the shift of cable fund expenditures to the TEBS budget to address uncertainty in expected revenues from future cable franchise fees.
The County Executive recommended a more than $6.5 million FY25 Operating Budget for the Cable TV and Communications Plan, which represents a decrease of more than $7.5 million, or 53.4 percent, from the approved FY24 budget. The recommended FY25 Operating Budget for the DCM NDA is more than $16 million, which represents an increase of more than $2.3 million, or 17.2 percent, from the FY24 budget. The recommended FY25 Operating Budget for the Telecommunications NDA is more than $5 million, which is level with the FY24 budget. The recommended an FY25 Operating Budget for the ITPCC NDA is $3,000, which is also level with the FY24 budget.
Cable Television Communications Plan External Programs
Review: The joint ECON and GO Committee will review three programs within the County Executive’s $6.5 million FY25 Operating Budget for the Cable TV and Communications Plan. The GO Committee previously met on April 17 to review Cable Television Communications plan, but deferred three external programs for review by the joint committee. These programs include Connect Montgomery Alliance (CMA), Montgomery Community Media and Municipal Support.
The Cable Television Communication Plan is a special revenue fund that relies on cable franchise agreements and fees from the Transmission Facility Coordinating Group. The County Executive recommends shifting all Cable Television and Communications Plan FY25 Operating Budget expenses that are not aligned to the core mission of public, education and government services out of the Cable Fund and into the General Fund. This change will enable certain County departments to receive services related to cable and communications through their own departmental budget processes.
Review: The ECON Committee will review the County Executive’s $566,792 recommended FY25 Operating Budget for the Conference Center NDA, which represent a decrease of $35,403, or 5.8 percent, from the approved FY24 Operating Budget. This NDA provides funds for one full-time position to manage the operation and fiscal oversight of the Conference Center, non-routine repairs, alterations and improvements and the designated reserve required by the management agreement. Marriott is the manager of the Conference Center per the County’s management agreement. Funding is also included to reimburse the Marriott for costs not covered by operations during accounting periods where losses occur. These costs are offset by contractor payments to the County during accounting periods with an operating surplus.
Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center Project
Review: The ECON Committee will review the County Executives recommended FY25-30 CIP amendments for the Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center, which provides for significant improvements and repairs at the Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center located along Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville. The project was approved in FY24 as a result of $7 million in state grants. During the 2024 Maryland General Assembly session, an additional $2 million in state funding for the project was approved. The original $7 million is projected to be spent in FY24, while the additional $2 million would be spent in FY25.
Department of Permitting Services Follow-up
Review: The ECON Committee will receive an update from representatives of the the County Executive’s office about a proposed approach to reduce permitting timelines for restaurants. There is a continuing shortage of food inspectors available within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which has contributed to the permitting delays. The proposal would move restaurant health plan review authority from DHSS to the Department of Permitting Services (DPS).
At a meeting held on Dec. 4, 2023, the committee received a briefing about delays in receiving permits and the uncertainty in permitting timelines for restaurants. At a follow-up meeting held on March 11, 2024, representatives from DPS presented an update on potential solutions, including the possibility of employing health inspectors within DPS to lead the permitting process for restaurants. At this meeting, the committee is expected to discuss staffing and fiscal impacts of the proposal so that the required funds can be incorporated into the FY25 Operating Budget.
The Committee meeting schedule may change from time to time. View the current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review on the Council website.
Council and committee meetings are 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: 24-174