For Immediate Release: Friday, October 11, 2024
The Economic Development (ECON) Committee will meet on Monday, Oct. 14 at 9:30 a.m. to receive a briefing about Montgomery County’s second quarter economic indicators.
The members of the ECON Committee include Chair Natali Fani-González and Councilmembers Marilyn Balcombe, Evan Glass and Laurie-Anne Sayles.
The Public Safety (PS) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to receive a briefing about Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) Report 2024-13, Implementation of the 2020 Use of Force and No-Knock Warrant Law.
The members of the PS Committee include Chair Sidney Katz and Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Kristin Mink.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
Montgomery County Economic Indicators – Second Quarter 2024
Briefing: The ECON Committee will receive a briefing about Montgomery County’s second quarter economic indicators from representatives of the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) and the Montgomery County Planning Department. The briefing will be based on the two department’s jointly produced quarterly fact sheet on the County’s economic indicators. The report focuses on indicators related to employment, real estate and development and venture capital. The briefing will also include information about the rebound in population in Montgomery County that occurred between July 2022 and July 2023, during which time the County population grew by more than 5,000 residents.
Montgomery County’s unemployment was rate was three percent in June 2024, which is more than one percentage point below the U.S. national rate. Scientific research grew at more than six percent in the County, comparted to more than 17 percent nationally. At more than 18 percent, the office vacancy rate in the second quarter was two percentage points above last year’s vacancy rate of more than 16 percent. Multi-family rent rose by 2.8 percent year-over-year, with the vacancy rate at more than six percent. Second quarter venture capital investment was more than $40 million, which represents the lowest over the period, reflecting the impact of higher interest rates, and the national venture capital market nationally. Additional details are available in the staff report.
OLO Report 2024-13, Implementation of the 2020 Use of Force and No-Knock Warrant Law
Briefing: The PS Committee will receive a briefing about OLO Report 2024-13, Implementation of the 2020 Use of Force and No-Knock Warrant Law. The Council enacted Bill 27-20, Police – Regulations-Use of Force Policy, in July 2020. The law directs the chief of the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) to issue policies on the use of force by MCPD officers, use of no-knock search warrants, and listed minimum standards that must be included in the policies. The law also requires an annual public report from the chief of police about the use of no-knock search warrants in the County.
The Council directed the Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) to prepare a report on the implementation of Bill 27-20. The report includes a discussion of MCPD policies issued in compliance with the bill and information about how MCPD trains officers based on the new policies. The report also includes data on how many MCPD officers have undergone training and on the use of force and use of no-knock warrants in the County, including available data since the law was adopted.
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: 24-364