For Immediate Release: Friday, March 7, 2025
The Montgomery County Council will meet on Monday, March 10 at 12:30 p.m. for a Maryland General Assembly update from the Office of Intergovernmental Relations Director Melanie Wenger and representatives from her team. Local and bi-county legislation will also be discussed. The meeting will take place in the seventh-floor hearing room.
The Economic Development (ECON) Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. to receive a briefing about Montgomery County’s third and fourth quarter economic development indicators. In addition, the committee will receive follow-up briefings about the approved FY25 Operating Budget for the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) and Economic Development Fund. The meeting will take place in the Davidson Memorial Hearing Room which is located on the second floor of the Council Office Building.
The members of the ECON Committee include Chair Natali Fani-González and Councilmembers Marilyn Balcombe, Evan Glass and Laurie-Anne Sayles.
The joint Public Safety (PS) and Government Operational and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. to review a $374,156 supplemental appropriation for the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS) and COVID-19 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) public assistance contractor support. Additionally, the committee will review a $1.8 million supplemental appropriation for the Department of Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions (TEBS) and the Dickerson Radio Tower project. The meeting will take place in the seventh-floor hearing room.
The members of the PS Committee include Chair Sidney Katz and Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Kristin Mink. The members of the GO Committee include Chair and Council President Kate Stewart and Councilmembers Andrew Friedson and Katz.
The Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee will meet at 1:45 p.m. to review the FY26 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY25-30 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) for the Maryland-National Parks and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). In addition, the committee will review the Bethesda Downtown Plan Minor Master Plan Amendment. The meeting will take place in the seventh-floor hearing room.
The members of the PHP Committee include Chair Friedson, Council Vice President Will Jawando and Councilmember Fani-González.
The PS Committee will meet at 1:45 p.m. to review the FY26 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY25-30 CIP for public safety projects and the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (DOCR). The committee will also review Bill 27-24, Animal Control – Impoundment and Disposition. The meeting will take place in the Davidson Memorial Hearing Room, which is located on the second floor of the Council Office Building.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
Montgomery County Economic Indicators – Third and Fourth Quarters 2024
Briefing: The ECON Committee will receive a briefing about Montgomery County’s quarterly economic indicators for the third and fourth quarters of 2024, which are included in the quarterly fact sheet produced jointly by MCEDC and the Montgomery County Planning Department. The briefing will include data and analysis of employment, real estate and development and venture capital investments. In addition, the committee will receive an update on MCEDC’s strategic plan.
Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation FY25 Budget Follow Up
Briefing: The ECON Committee will receive a briefing about the $4.6 million approved FY25 budget for MCEDC and progress the organization has made toward its strategic priorities. The briefing is expected to include information about the MCEDC’s efforts in job creation and retention, business retention and expansion and business assistance. This briefing is part of a series of ECON Committee meetings on the progress that departments and agencies under the committee’s jurisdiction have made over the past fiscal year.
Economic Development Fund FY25 Budget Follow Up
Briefing: The ECON Committee will receive a briefing about the nearly $4.2 million approved FY25 budget for the Economic Development Fund, which assists private employers who are located, plan to locate or substantially expand operations in the County. Montgomery County created the fund in 1996 to provide deal closing funds for certain economic development opportunities in the County. This briefing is part of a series of ECON Committee meetings on the progress that departments and agencies under the committee’s jurisdiction have made over the past fiscal year. To date, more than $2.88 million in funding has been disbursed. The largest disbursements have been made through the Economic Development Fund Grant and Loan Program (EDFGLP), the Make Office Vacancies Extinct (MOVE) Program and Purple Line/Small Business Impact Grants.
Review: The joint PS and GO Committee will review a $374,156 supplemental appropriation for OEMHS and COVID-19 FEMA public assistance contractor support. The appropriation is needed to reimburse OEMHS for administrative costs for contractual services related to submitting COVID-19 reimbursement requests to FEMA that the County has funded. The County Executive has indicated that these administrative costs are reimbursable and that this is the final outstanding reimbursement request.
The County has used contractual support to assist OEMHS in applying for reimbursement from FEMA for eligible COVID-19 related expenditures in both FY23 and in FY24. To date, OEMHS has submitted for over $218 million in reimbursements for COVID-19 expenses incurred by multiple County departments, of which over $117 million has been reimbursed to the County. Nearly $68 million remains in various stages of FEMA review.
Review: The joint PS and GO Committee will review a more than $1.8 million supplemental appropriation for TEBS and the Dickerson Radio Tower. The County currently has four antennas and two microwave dishes at the Public Safety Radio System located at the 420-foot mark of the 700-foot GenOn smokestack.
The appropriation is needed to accelerate the project and fund the replacement of one radio system antenna located in Dickerson ahead of the pending demolition of the GenOn smokestack. The appropriation will cover the costs of moving the existing radio shelter, erecting a radio antenna tower and connecting the existing radio equipment to the new antenna.
The amendment to the FY25-30 CIP would increase total expenditures over the six-year period to $3.8 million. The Dickerson Radio Tower project originally included $2 million to support the installation of a 450-foot communications tower near the Public Safety Radio System equipment shelter located in the Dickerson area of the County.
Review: The PHP Committee will review the Council-approved CIP for FY25-30 of more than $315 million for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). In this off-year of the CIP, the commission has not requested any substantive amendments to the FY25-30 CIP. The County Executive has included in his recommended CIP an Affordability Reconciliation Project Description Form (PDF) that decreases M-NCPPC bonds by $15,000 in FY29 and $9,000 in FY30, for a total reduction of $24,000. Currently, there are eight local projects with enough M-NCPPC bond funding in FY29 and FY30 to accommodate the $24,000 reduction. This includes projects to provide local parks with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, cost sharing, energy conservation, minor new construction and planned life-cycle asset replacement. In addition, the projects include funds for park acquisition, park refreshers and urban park elements.
Review: The PHP Committee will review an amendment to the FY25-30 CIP for the Facility Planning: Local Parks project. This amendment is needed to update the project justification, description, and fiscal note which currently reference a different project (Legacy Open Space). The recommended amendment is consistent with the criteria for amending the CIP because the project must be amended for technical reasons.
Bethesda Downtown Plan Minor Master Plan Amendment
Review: The PHP Committee will review the Planning Board draft of the Bethesda Downtown Plan Minor Master Plan Amendment. The plan recommends technical updates to the 2017 Bethesda Downtown Plan to improve implementation of recommendations related to new parks, transportation infrastructure, a new recreation center and affordable housing within a plan area of roughly 450 acres.
A minor master plan amendment, like the Bethesda Minor Master Plan Amendment, revisits a specific portion of the approved and adopted master plan and reexamines certain elements, often to address a change that was not anticipated at the time the adopted master plan was approved. This minor master plan is focused on the implementation of the 2017 Bethesda Downtown Plan and doesn't reopen the entire plan. Existing zoning, parks, transportation and other recommendations remain unchanged.
Minor master plans follow the same process as master and sector plans, with community outreach, review and recommendation by the Planning Board, a public hearing, and review by the County Council prior to adoption. This minor master plan amendment would update the 2017 Bethesda Downtown Plan and covers the same plan area as the 2017 plan.
A public hearing was held on Feb. 26 at the Bethesda Regional Services Center. More information can be found on the Planning Board resource page.
Judicial Security Improvements
Review: The PS Committee will review the FY26 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY25-30 CIP for judicial security improvements within the category of other public safety projects. Total costs for this project have increased by nearly $1.3 million from the $500,000 approved FY25-30 CIP. This project funds Judicial Center Annex North Tower improvements to increase security and protection for Circuit Court judges. Phase 1 of the project is expected to install new security doors at each level of the North Tower Courthouse to restrict access to two elevators on each floor for judicial use, leaving four elevators on each floor for public access. The additional funding is needed to implement Phase 2 of the security improvements, which includes installing security walls, doors and devices, along with architectural and engineering fees, permits and supervision.
Safety and Security of Judicial Facilities Briefing
Briefing: The PS Committee will receive a briefing on a report from the State Task Force to Ensure the Safety of Judicial Facilities finalized in Dec. 2024. The report includes recommendations to improve the safety of judicial facilities, including recommendations to provide adequate security personnel, secure parking and secure public spaces.
In 2024, the Maryland General Assembly enacted, and Gov. Wes Moore signed, the Judge Andrew F. Wilkinson Judicial Security Act. One provision of this act was the creation of a state task force that was charged with identifying minimum requirements for courthouse safety, developing a legislative proposal to ensure that the requirements identified can be met, and identifying physical security deficiencies in courthouses and developing a plan to address these deficiencies.
Correction and Rehabilitation FY26 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY25-30 CIP
Review: The PS Committee will review the FY26 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY25-30 CIP for the Montgomery County Correctional Facility Sewer project and the Justice Center project within DOCR. The Montgomery County Correctional Facility Sewer project is needed to prevent excess trash from entering the sanitary sewer system. The recommended change reduces expenditures by $333,000 due to changes since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Justice Center project provides for a new building that houses the functions of Central Processing and Detention to support processing new arrestees and detaining remanded individuals for up to 72 hours. The amended project reflects a minor project acceleration, shifting $9,000 from FY26 up to FY24.
Bill 27-24, Animal Control - Impoundment and Disposition
Review: The PS Committee will review Bill 27-24 Animal Control - Impoundment and Disposition, which would reduce the impounded animal hold time, clarify the appeal rights for abandoned animals and amend the notice requirements. Under current County law, an impounded animal is considered abandoned and becomes County property if the animal is not redeemed by its owner within five days after the executive director notifies the owner about the impoundment. Bill 27-24 would reduce this hold time to three days. Additionally, Bill 27-24 would clarify that the abandonment of the animal is not a decision of the director subject to the appeal period. Bill 27-24 also would update the notice requirements to include posting on the animal owner’s door and on the Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center website.
The lead sponsors of Bill 27-24 are Councilmembers Katz, Luedtke and Mink. Councilmembers Balcombe, Glass, Albornoz, Sayles and Friedson and Council President Stewart and Vice President Jawando are cosponsors of Bill 27-24.
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: 25-080