For Immediate Release: Friday, July 3, 2020
The following Committees will meet virtually on Monday, July 6. Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Committee review can be viewed at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.
The Committee meeting schedule may change from time to time. The current Committee agendas can be viewed at:
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.
On the guidance of Health Officer and Chief of Public Health Services Dr. Travis Gayles, there is currently no public access to the Council Office Building. The virtual Council meeting will be streamed live on the Council’s web page via YouTube (MoCoCouncilMD) and on Facebook Live (MontgomeryCountyMdCouncil) and can be watched on County Cable Montgomery on channels 30 (Fios), 1056 (RCN) and 996 (Xfinity).
Meeting: Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee
Time: 9:00 a.m.
PHED Committee: Councilmembers Hans Riemer (Chair), Andrew Friedson (Lead for Parks) and Will Jawando
Topic:
Special Appropriation – Economic Development Fund (EDF) Support for Covid-19 Response - $14,000,000 for Reopen Montgomery
The PHED Committee will review a special appropriation of $14 million to create the Reopen Montgomery Program, which will provide grants to County businesses and non-profit organizations that incur reopening expenses to comply with new State and County health regulations due to the Covid-19 public health crisis. Funding for this appropriation comes from Public Health Emergency Grant funds and the federal CARES Act. The following individuals are expected to participate in the meeting: Jerome Fletcher, assistant chief administrative officer, Office of the County Executive; Tina Benjamin, special projects manager, Office of the County Executive; and Mike Coveyou, director, Department of Finance.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Recreation Summer Activities for Youth
The PHED Committee will receive a briefing about Montgomery Recreation’s plans for reopening recreation facilities and summer activities for youth. The individuals expected to participate in the meeting include the following: Robin Riley, director, Montgomery Recreation; and Caroline Sturgis, assistant chief administrative officer.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Committee: Transportation and Environment (T&E)
Time: 2:30 p.m.
T&E Committee: Council Vice President Tom Hucker (chair), Councilmembers Evan Glass and Hans Riemer
Topics:
Climate Change Planning
The T&E Committee will receive an update on the development of the County’s Climate Change Action and Resilience Plan. To move toward the County’s aggressive greenhouse gas reduction goals, a climate change planning process was initiated in the summer of 2019. This process included the creation of five workgroups looking at the following aspects of the issue: clean energy; buildings (which represented 51 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in 2015); transportation (41 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in 2015); adaptation and sequestration; and public engagement. The following individuals are expected to participate in the meeting: Adriana Hochberg, assistant chief administrative officer and director of County climate policy; Adam Ortiz, director, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP); Patty Bubar, deputy director, DEP; and Stan Edwards, chief, Division of Energy, Climate, and Compliance, DEP.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Bill 26-20, Environmental Sustainability - Energy and Air Quality Advisory Committee - Amendments
The T&E Committee will review Bill 26-20, which would add advising on climate change issues to the duties and responsibilities of the Energy and Air Quality Advisory Committee and change the name to the Climate, Energy, and Air Quality Advisory Committee. Council President Sidney Katz is the lead sponsor, at the request of the County Executive. The goal of this legislation is to address the issue that currently none of the existing boards, committees or commissions within the Office of the County Executive directly advise on climate change issues.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
#MoCoEnergyandAirQuality is being used for this bill on social media.
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Release ID: 20-281