For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Also on May 27: Introduction of a resolution in support of continuing the Open Streets Program and votes scheduled for Bill 10-21 to strengthen and streamline the County's economic development strategy and FY21 appropriations for the Affordable Housing Opportunity Fund, emergency rental assistance, the Transit Radio System, road resurfacing and storm cleanup
The Council will meet on Thursday, May 27 at 9:30 a.m. to vote on 21 budget resolutions for the operating and capital budgets and the Capital Improvements Program (CIP).
Fiscal Year 2022 Operating Budget and FY21-26 Amended Capital Improvements Program
Vote expected: The Council is expected to vote on the approval of resolutions for the County's $6 billion FY22 Operating Budget, the FY22 Capital Budget and the Amended FY21-26 Capital Improvements Program. The Council’s focus throughout their budget deliberations this year was on the County’s equitable recovery and providing relief to residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The FY22 Operating Budget includes assistance for businesses, residents and students. Some highlights include the following: providing a $25 million increase to the Working Families Income Supplement for a total of $45 million to provide direct support to the County’s hardest working and neediest residents; allocating nearly $13.5 million to support residents through the County’s nonprofit partners; increasing support for senior and youth recreational programming; and extending the Ride On fare holiday through September and the Seniors Ride Free Program for all hours of operation. The budget also provides $24 million for rental assistance, more than $700,000 to support tenants who are facing eviction and need help understanding their rights as well as a nearly $500,000 increase to rapid re-housing.
The budget includes essential funding for public health and human services that were critical lifelines during the pandemic such as $3.6 million for the eight Service Consolidation Hubs that have been providing food, diapers and other critical goods and connecting those in needs with other County services. More than $230,000 was added to the budget for the Care for Kids program and over $228,000 to the Montgomery Cares program which provides healthcare to the uninsured. The budget also includes an increase of $1.6 million for the Office of Community Partnerships to expand outreach activities and establish a permanent translations unit.
The budget continues Montgomery County’s strong and steadfast commitment to education. The County ranks near the top of all Maryland jurisdictions for total per pupil funding for Montgomery County Public Schools, and in FY22 $2.78 billion, or more than half of the County’s tax-supported budget, is allocated to the school system. The budget also fully funds Montgomery College at $312.6 million and provides resources to maintain the tuition rates with no increases.
In addition, the budget keeps the County's effective property tax rate flat and continues to provide a property tax credit of $692 for homeowners.
The budget also funds the FY22 County’s reserve at 9.6 percent of adjusted governmental revenues and provides $92.1 million in additional resources for Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB). Funding for these fiscal obligation helps the County retain its triple-A bond rating.
The budget will go into effect on July 1.
Read the budget summary here. View all the Council's budget resolutions here.
Vote expected: The Council is expected to vote on a $409,000 FY21 special appropriation for the Montgomery County Department of Transportation for road resurfacing. These funds will allow certain residential streets to be resurfaced months earlier than they otherwise would be.
Introduction: The Council will introduce a $7.6 million Supplemental Appropriation to the County Government’s FY21-26 CIP and FY21 Capital Budget to fund the reacquisition of the Larchmont Elementary School property in the Kensington-Wheaton area.
The property is currently a closed school site and the home of the Grace Episcopal Day School (GEDS). The County intends to lease the property back to GEDS for an initial 10-year term. The Council’s approval of this reacquisition includes approval of the lease of the property to GEDS.
The lead sponsor is Council President Hucker at the request of the County Executive.
Introduction: The Council will introduce a $6.7 million special appropriation for FEMA Emergency Protective Measures through the Department of Health and Human Services. The State of Maryland and Montgomery County are employing multiple strategies to vaccinate all eligible people with one of the COVID-19 vaccines. This funding from the FEMA Emergency Protective Measures Grant will support the County’s personnel and operating costs of administering vaccines.
The lead sponsor is Council President Hucker at the request of the County Executive.
Introduction: The Council will introduce a $28 million special appropriation to the County Government’s FY21 Operating Budget Department for the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe income loss and economic distress for many households in Montgomery County. Many households are unable to pay all or part of their rent and monthly utilities. Low and moderate-income households have been disproportionately impacted.
The federal government is providing states and localities with substantial funding to help people pay arrears and prevent evictions. The County is receiving $28 million in this latest funding program.
The lead sponsor is Council President Hucker at the request of the County Executive.
Introduction: The Council will introduce a $2.1 million special appropriation to the County Government’s FY21 Operating Budget for the Department of Health and Human Services to implement the COVID Mass Vaccination CARES Grant. The State of Maryland and Montgomery County are employing multiple strategies to vaccinate all eligible people with one of the COVID-19 vaccines. This funding from the Maryland Department of Health will support vaccination efforts in the County.
The lead sponsor is Council President Hucker at the request of the County Executive.
Resolution in support of continuing the Open Streets Program
Introduction: The Council will introduce a resolution in support of continuing Open Streets programs implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow for safe and socially distanced outdoor dining, walking, biking and recreation. The full Council is sponsoring this resolution.
Councilmember Andrew Friedson drafted the resolution, which points to the Bethesda Streetery, Montgomery Parks Open Parkways, Newell Street Temporary Neighborhood Park Expansion in Silver Spring and the National Park Service's closure of Beach Drive to vehicle traffic as successful examples of how the County, outside agencies and organizations have repurposed streets for public use.
Vote expected: The Council is expected to vote on Executive Regulation 18-20, which would update eligibility for and participation in the County’s Rental Assistance Program (RAP) consistent with Bill 25-20, which was enacted into law in 2020.
Bill 25-20 includes changes to the age of eligibility for RAP from 62 to 55, clarifies the definition of a disability, removes the prohibition of eligibility for County residents without certain immigration documentation, targets the program to households in the homeless system or to those in danger of homelessness and provides that the specific benefit amount be established by regulation.
RAP assists eligible low-income individuals and families with rental payments. Currently, the program has 953 enrolled households receiving benefits averaging between $200 to $400 per household per month.
Vote expected: The Council is expected to vote on a $1,017,000 supplemental appropriation to fund improvements necessary to incorporate Division of Transit Services radio operations into the new state-of-the-art public safety radio system.
Council President Hucker is the lead sponsor, at the request of the County Executive.
Vote expected: The Council is expected to vote on a supplemental appropriation of $8 million for the Affordable Housing Opportunity Fund. Montgomery County has a shortage of housing that is affordable to moderate- and low-income households, particularly households earning less than 50 percent area median income.
The fund would be primarily used for short-term financing of up to 36 months with a focus on the purchase and preservation of affordable housing and the funds would be reserved for projects in partnership with the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI).
Resolution recognizing Bill 51-20, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Window Guards as “Ezechiel’s Law”
Introduction: Council President Hucker introduced Bill 51-20, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Window Guards and it was unanimously approved by the Council on April 6.
In October of 2020, two-year-old Ezechiel Nguemezi died after falling out of a window at his family’s Takoma Park apartment, leaving a young mother and an entire community in grief. This resolution would formally recognize Bill 51-20, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Window Guards, as “Ezechiel’s Law” in memory of Ezechiel Nguemezi.
The legislation requires the installation and maintenance of window guards in certain rental housing, notifications to tenants, add lease requirements in certain circumstances and provides for the enforcement of window guard requirements.
Public hearing and vote: The Council will hold a public hearing and vote on a $13,575,533 supplemental appropriation to FY21 Operating Budget for the Department of Transportation and $4,136,089 for the Department of General Services for snow removal, wind and rainstorm cleanup.
This increase is requested because expenditures for snow removal and wind and rainstorm cleanup exceed the FY21 appropriations of $3,422,977 in the Department of Transportation and $2,884,990 in the Climate Response Non-Departmental Account. As in previous years, only a minimal amount is budgeted for snow removal.
In addition to expenditures incurred to date, this supplemental appropriation provides $750,000 to cover wind and rainstorm cleanup costs that are anticipated in the remainder of the fiscal year. Damage from wind and rainstorms is unpredictable with the bulk of the cleanup historically occurring from April through September.
Bill 20-21, Swimming Pools - Lifeguard Requirement - Amendments
Introduction: Lead sponsors Councilmembers Katz and Rice will introduce Bill 20-21 on lifeguard requirements at swimming pools. Bill 20-21 would define the term “health club”, exempt certain swimming pools at certain facilities from the requirement to have a lifeguard on duty when the pool is open for use, require posting of certain signage, require certain facilities with a swimming pool to have an emergency alert system and require an employee to regularly inspect swimming pool area.
Vote expected: The Council is scheduled to vote on Bill 10-21 which would transfer the drafting of the County’s Economic Development Strategic Plan from the Executive to the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC), establish the required content and desired outcomes for the plan, require the Executive to provide comments to the Council on each draft plan by a certain date, require the Council to adopt the plan by a certain date and require MCEDC to periodically report to the Council on the implementation of the plan. The goal of the bill is to strengthen and streamline the County's economic development strategy.
The lead sponsor of Bill 10-21 is Councilmember Friedson. Councilmembers Riemer, Navarro, Council Vice President Albornoz and Councilmember Katz are cosponsors.
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.
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 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: 21-231