For Immediate Release: Monday, October 14, 2024
The Montgomery County Council will meet on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 9 a.m. and the meeting will begin with two proclamation presentations. The first, presented by Council Vice President Kate Stewart and Councilmember Kristin Mink, will recognize International Pronouns Day. The second, presented by Councilmembers Sidney Katz, Mink and Dawn Luedtke and County Executive Marc Elrich, will recognize Fire Prevention Month.
At 1:15 p.m., an additional proclamation, presented by Councilmembers Laurie-Anne Sayles, Marilyn Balcombe and Luedtke and County Executive Marc Elrich, will recognize National Farmer’s Day.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
2024-2028 Growth and Infrastructure Policy
Review: The Council will review the recommendations of the Council’s Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee regarding the Planning Board draft of the 2024-2028 Growth and Infrastructure Policy. The Councill’s Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee held a series of meetings on Sept. 16, Sept. 23 and Oct. 7 to review the 2024-2028 Growth and Infrastructure Policy. The Council is expected to review recommendations related to Development Impact Taxes for transportation and schools at a future Council meeting following the Council’s Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee review.
The 2024-2028 Growth and Infrastructure Policy are the 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.
Review: At 11 a.m., the Council will meet to review County Executive Elrich’s recommended state funding requests for capital projects and state priorities for Montgomery County. The Maryland General Assembly’s Legislative Session begins on Jan. 8, 2025.
Each item on the Council’s Consent Calendar can be found on the Council agenda for Tuesday, Oct. 15, which is available on the Council website.
Unless otherwise noted, the Council will hold the following hybrid public hearings at 1:30 p.m. Residents can visit the Council website to learn about the multiple ways to provide testimony.
Bill 21-24, General Provisions - Naming of County Facilities
Introduction: Lead sponsor Council President Andrew Friedson will introduce Bill 21-24, General Provisions - Naming of County Facilities, which would establish a process for the naming of County-owned facilities. The current draft of Bill 21-24 outlines the procedure through which the Council could name County facilities after specific individuals. The bill provides that after a public hearing, the Council may adopt a resolution to name a County facility in honor of a particular individual if that individual has been inactive in the individual’s field for at least five years. In addition, the individual must have made a significant contribution to the program represented by the County facility or to the community in which the facility is located or is a significant person in the history of Montgomery County, the state or the nation.
A public hearing is scheduled for Nov. 12.
Expedited Bill 22-24, Taxation - Collection of Development Impact Taxes
Introduction: Lead sponsor Councilmember Glass will introduce Expedited Bill 22-24, Taxation - Collection of Development Impact Taxes, which would require collection of development impact taxes at final inspection of the building. Under current County law, an applicant for a building permit does need not pay any development impact tax, transportation mitigation payment or school facilities payment until six or 12 months after the building permit is issued (depending on the type of building), or the final inspection of the building by the Department of Permitting Services (DPS), whichever is earlier.
Bill 22-24 would strike the provisions about payment six or 12 months after the building permit is issued and amend the law so that payment is not required until final inspection of the building by DPS, regardless of the type of building.
Introduction: Lead sponsors Councilmembers Will Jawando and Sayles will introduce Expedited Bill 23-24, Contracts and Procurement - Minority Owned Business Purchasing Program - Extension of Sunset Date, which would extend the sunset date for the County’s minority owned business purchasing program and require an evaluation and report regarding the need to extend the program.
Based upon the findings of ongoing disparities in procurement affecting Minority, Female, and Disabled-Owned Business Enterprise (MFD) businesses, Expedited Bill 23-24 would extend the sunset of the County’s MFD law from Dec. 31, 2024, until Dec. 31, 2029. The bill would require the director of Montgomery County’s Office of Procurement to complete a new disparity study by July 1, 2029.
Since 1978, the County has had a minority business program under its procurement system. Since 1990, the program has been known as the MFD. To justify the continuation of the MFD program under applicable law, the County periodically hires experts to conduct a disparity study to gauge the ongoing need for the program. the County’s latest disparity study was released in Sept. 2024.
A public hearing is scheduled for Nov. 12.
Introduction: Lead sponsor Council Vice President Stewart will introduce Bill 24-24, Taxation - Paper Carryout Bags and Prohibition on Plastic Carryout Bags (“Bring Your Own Bag”), which would prohibit plastic carryout bags provided by a retail establishment with certain exceptions and require a tax on paper carryout bags at the point of sale with certain exceptions. Additionally, Bill 24-24 would exempt recipients of food assistance programs from the carryout bag tax, remove a certain threshold for when taxes must be remitted to the County, modify the reporting requirements for remittance of the carryout bag tax and clarify that certain conduct by a retailer is prohibited.
The purpose of Bill 24-24 is to advance protections for environmental and human health by prohibiting carryout plastic bags in the County. The bill seeks to promote a culture that encourages individuals to bring their own bag, and as a result, the bill would reduce plastic waste in the County’s waterways and support a cleaner, healthier future.
Councilmembers Sayles, Glass, Natali Fani-González, and Jawando are cosponsors of Bill 24-24.
Bill 14-24, Vehicle Noise Abatement Monitoring
Vote expected: The Council is expected to vote on 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, Sayles, Mink, Gabe Albornoz and Jawando and Council President Andrew Friedson are cosponsors.
The joint Transportation and Environment (TE) and Public Safety (PS) Committee recommends enactment with one amendment to clarify the status of noise monitoring “recorded images” under the Public Information Act.
Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 24-04, Dormitory and Community Service Retail (CSR) Overlay Zone
Vote expected: The Council is expected to vote on 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 Community Service Retail (CSR) Overlay Zone.
The lead sponsor is the Council President at the request of the Planning Board. The PHP Committee recommends approval with one amendment to also remove the Takoma Park–East Silver Spring Commercial Revitalization (TPESS) Overlay Zone, consistent with the master plan recommendations.
The Council 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: 24-366