For Immediate Release: Friday, October 4, 2024
The Public Safety (PS) Committee will meet on Monday, Oct. 7 at 9:30 a.m. to receive a briefing about the County’s missing persons alert systems and regional missing persons procedures. The committee also will receive an update on the 911 emergency communications center.
The members of the PS Committee include Chair Sidney Katz and Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Kristin Mink.
The Transportation and Environment (TE) Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. to receive a briefing about the WSSC meter infrastructure enhancements, the water lead reduction program and the Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) program. In addition, the committee will review WSSC Water spending control limits.
The members of the TE Committee include Chair Evan Glass, Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe and Vice President Kate Stewart.
The joint Transportation and Environment (TE) and Public Safety (PS) Committee will meet at 1 p.m. to review Bill 14-24, Vehicle Noise Abatement Monitoring - Pilot Program and receive a briefing about the Montgomery County Police Department’s (MCPD) automated traffic enforcement plan.
The Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to review Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 24-04, Dormitory and Community Service Retail (CSR) Overlay Zone. In addition, the committee will review the 2024-2028 Growth and Infrastructure Policy.
The members of the PHP Committee include Chair and Council President Andrew Friedson and Councilmembers Natali Fani-González and Will Jawando.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
Missing Persons Alert Systems/County Missing Persons Updates
Briefing: The PS Committee will receive a briefing about the County’s missing persons alert systems and about regional missing persons procedures. The committee also will receive an update on recent enhancements to Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) search policies and procedures, and updated data on missing persons in the County.
911 Emergency Communications Center
Update: The PS Committee will receive an update on the 911 emergency communications center, which receives all 911 and police nonemergency service calls that are dialed in Montgomery County. During the past decade, the call center was consolidated to eliminate an extra call transfer step that reduced backlogs and improved response times. The update is expected to include discussion of staffing, recruitment, the center’s workload and equipment and facility needs.
WSSC Water Lead Reduction Program, Meter Infrastructure Enhancement, and PFAS Program
Briefing: The TE Committee will receive a briefing about WSSC meter infrastructure enhancements, the Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) program and the water lead reduction program.
WSSC Water has considered the systematic replacement of its aging residential water meters. Currently, the majority of WSSC Water’s meters require on-site meter reading. A proposed upgrade to newer technology would eliminate the need for on-site meter reading and provide near real-time detection of water leaks.
Chemicals known as PFAS are human-made chemicals that have been in use since the 1940s but have recently been identified as posing health concerns. In April 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its final rule for drinking water for six common PFAS chemicals. WSSC Water has indicated that its drinking water currently meets these standards. However, WSSC Water is proposing a $256.5 million PFAS Management Strategy “Information Only” project in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-2031 Proposed Capital Improvements Program (CIP) to ensure continued compliance with these standards.
In Oct. 2024, lead and copper rule improvements are expected to be finalized by the EPA. This rule will require submission of an initial inventory of pipes along with the start of a customer outreach program. Currently, WSSC Water has no lead pipes in its distribution system and replaced all known lead pipes on public property as of 2005. More recent inventory work across the entire WSSC Water service area has identified a total of 478,449 service lines (on both public and private property) of which 15,551 are of unknown material. WSSC Water estimates replacement costs to range from $104 million to $194 million. An “Information Only” project for this work is included in the FY26-31 Proposed CIP.
WSSC Water Spending Control Limits
Review: The TE Committee will review spending control limits for WSSC Water’s FY26 Budget. WSSC Water’s spending control limits process was established in April 1994 by both the Montgomery County Council and Prince George’s County Council. The goal of the spending control limits process is to reconcile both Council’s actions by Nov. 1 of each year so that WSSC Water can build the approved limits into its upcoming operating budget public hearing draft document, which will be released for public comment by Jan. 15, 2025. WSSC Water’s Operating Budget request will be formally transmitted to both counties by March 1.
Bill 14-24, Vehicle Noise Abatement Monitoring
Review: The TE Committee will review Bill 14-24, Vehicle Noise Abatement Monitoring - Pilot Program. The legislation would establish a pilot program aimed at reducing excessive vehicular noise. Under Bill 14-24, the Vehicle Noise Abatement Monitoring Pilot Program would require the Montgomery County Police Department to implement three automated noise abatement monitoring systems, or noise camera devices, across the County to help enforce existing state noise laws.
The lead sponsors of Bill 14-24 are Council Vice President Stewart and Councilmember Fani-González. Councilmembers Glass, Balcombe, Katz, Luedtke and Council President Friedson and Councilmembers Laurie-Anne Sayles and Mink are cosponsors.
Montgomery County Police Department’s Traffic Enforcement Plan
Briefing: The joint TE and PS Committee will receive a briefing about MCPD’s automated traffic enforcement plan. Bill 11-23, which was approved unanimously by the Council in Aug. 2023, requires the County Executive to issue an Automated Traffic Enforcement Plan. The primary goal of automated enforcement is to improve public safety on area roadways and around school zones by deterring dangerous driving behaviors and ensuring compliance with traffic regulations. Montgomery County has been using automated red light camera enforcement for more than 25 years and speed cameras for more than 15 years. The discussion is expected to include an overview of current operations, plans for additional enforcement and public education and outreach efforts.
Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 24-04, Dormitory and Community Service Retail (CSR) Overlay Zone
Review: The PHP Committee will review ZTA 24-04, Dormitories, and the Community Serving Retail Zone, which would implement the recommendations of the Takoma Park Minor Master Plan. The ZTA would allow a dormitory as a limited use in certain commercial and residential zones and remove the CSR Overlay Zone.
The lead sponsor is the Council President at the request of the Planning Board.
2024-2028 Growth and Infrastructure Policy
Review: The PHP Committee will hold its third work session on the 2024-2028 Growth and Infrastructure Policy. The Sept. 16 meeting covered the Planning Board’s recommendations for school adequacy and testing and the first seven recommendations related to transportation adequacy. The Sept. 23 meeting covered 12 remaining recommendations related to transportation adequacy. This meeting will cover the remaining school and transportation recommendations not voted on by the Committee during the first two work sessions.
The 2024-2028 Growth and Infrastructure Policy is the resolution or guidelines adopted by the County for administering the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance. Although commonly referred to as a separate ordinance, the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance is part of Montgomery County’s subdivision regulations of the County Code. The ordinance was adopted by the Council in 1973 with the goal of synchronizing development with the availability of public facilities needed to support that development.
The Growth and Infrastructure Policy is updated every four years to ensure that the tools used for evaluating the impacts of development reflect the latest growth patterns and trends in the County. Its purpose is to evaluate individual applications for development to determine if the County’s public infrastructure is adequate to meet the demands of such development.
The Montgomery County Code requires the Planning Board to approve and send to the Council a recommended Growth and Infrastructure Policy by Aug. 1. The Planning Board submitted their recommended draft policy on July 25, 2024. The Planning Board often recommends other legislative changes concurrent with its recommended changes to the Growth and Infrastructure Policy. Bill 16-24, which was introduced to the Council on Sept. 10, is the Planning Board’s recommended changes to the impact tax law.
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: 24-355