For Immediate Release: Wednesday, July 24, 2019
The following committee meetings are scheduled for Thursday, July 25. Individuals interested in attending a committee meeting should confirm the information on the day of the meeting by visiting the Council’s web page at tinyurl.com/CountyCouncilMeetings or by calling the Council’s Communications Office at 240-777-7931.
Meeting: Transportation and Environment (T&E) Committee
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Seventh floor hearing room
T&E Committee: Councilmembers Tom Hucker (Chair), Evan Glass and Hans Riemer
Topics:
Supplemental Appropriation to the FY20 Operating Budget DOT, $50,000 for the Jewish Council for the Aging Misler Adult Day Care Center; and Resolution to amend the FY20 Operating Budget Resolution 19-128, Section G, Designation of Entities for Non-Competitive Contract Award Status: Jewish Council for Aging of Greater Washington, Inc.
The T&E Committee will review a supplemental appropriation of $50,000 to the County’s Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) Operating Budget for the aging Misler Adult Day Care Center. This one-time grant for the Jewish Council for the Aging (JCA) Misler Adult Day Care Center will partially fund the Elderbus transportation service. This increase is needed to provide support for JCA to provide transportation services to disabled and vulnerable seniors within the County. The source of funds is the Transportation Services Improvement Fund.
Resolution 19-128 would also amend the non-competitive award status list in the FY20 Operating Budget resolution.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Supplemental Appropriation and Amendment to the FY20 Capital Budget and FY19-24 CIP, $3,000,000 for Bus Rapid Transit: MD 355 and Supplemental Appropriation and Amendment to the FY20 Capital Budget and FY19-24 CIP, $1,000,000 for Bus Rapid Transit: Veirs Mill Corridor
The T&E Committee will review supplemental appropriations and amendments to the County’s FY20 Capital Budget and FY19-24 CIP of 3 million dollars for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along MD 355 and 1 million dollars for BRT along the Veirs Mill corridor. On June 20, the County Executive transmitted these two supplemental appropriation requests and CIP amendments that, in each case, would fund preliminary engineering work beginning in FY20. MD 355 and the Veirs Mill corridor are two of the four FLASH Bus Rapid Transit systems currently being planned or constructed in the County.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Executive Regulation 11-19, Transportation Services Improvement Fund
The T&E Committee will close out its meeting with a review of Executive Regulation 11-19, Transportation Services Improvement Fund. This regulation establishes the procedures for disbursing monies from the Transportation Services Improvement Fund, which was created to improve the delivery of accessible transportation services in the County and transportation for eligible senior citizens and persons of limited income. It is funded by a charge placed on ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Meeting: Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Third floor conference room
GO Committee: Council President Nancy Navarro (Chair), Councilmember Andrew Friedson and Council Vice President Sidney Katz
Topics:
Expedited Bill 21-19, Property Tax Credit - Elderly Individuals and Retired Military Services Member - Surviving Spouse
The GO Committee will review Expedited Bill 21-19, which would expand the property tax credit for surviving spouses of retired military services members. Councilmember Craig Rice and Council Vice President Sidney Katz are the lead sponsors. Council President Nancy Navarro is a cosponsor. The goal of this bill is to implement changes to the state enabling law made during the 2019 General Assembly session. This property tax credit is worth 20 percent on County property taxes for owner-occupied dwellings that meet eligibility requirements.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Key search terms for this legislation on the Council’s website include the following: tax credit, surviving spouses, property tax credit, elderly individuals and retired military service members. #SurvivingSpousesTaxCredit is being used for this bill on social media.
Bill 13-19, County Property - Disposition - Reuse Analysis
The GO Committee will close out its meeting with a review of Bill 13-19, which would modify the procedures for the disposition of County property and require the Executive to submit a reuse analysis to the County. Councilmember Gabe Albornoz is the lead sponsor. All other Councilmembers are cosponsors. The goal of this bill is to bring greater transparency and accountability to the property disposition process; give the Council information on how the reuse analysis was performed; and to allow the Council to see which County departments or outside agencies have expressed interest in potential surplus property and for what purpose.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Key search terms for this legislation on the Council’s website include: disposition of property, County properties and County facilities. #MoCoProperties is being used for this bill on social media.
Non-Merit Salary Schedule
The GO Committee will review the non-merit salary schedule. Non-merit employees can be hired outside of the merit system without open advertising and competitive evaluation. Non-merit employees are currently eligible for the same retirement benefits and group insurance benefits. The County Executive must propose a salary schedule for department heads, principal offices and other non-merit employees. In November 2015, the Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) issued Report 2016-1, which compiled data on high-level manager salaries. The OLO report found that among 20 local government and two federal classifications, the County had the third highest average salary for director positions at $206,685.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
The Council committee meetings 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 meetings also will be available live via streaming through the Council web site at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.
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Release ID: 19-259