For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 3, 2018
Council Committee Meetings for May 3
The following Committee meetings are scheduled for Thursday, May 3. Individuals interested in attending a Committee meeting should confirm the information on the day of the meeting by visiting the Council’s web page at https://tinyurl.com/CountyCouncilMeetings or by calling the Council’s Legislative Information Office at 240-777-7931. All meetings are held in the Council Office Building (100 Maryland Ave., Rockville, Md), unless otherwise noted.
Meeting: Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee
Date/Time: Thursday, May 3 at 9:30 a.m.
Location: Seventh floor hearing room
GO Committee: Council Vice President Nancy Navarro (chair), Councilmember Sidney Katz
and Council President Hans Riemer
Topic: Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Operating Budget
- Non-Departmental Account (NDA): Charter Review Commission
For FY19 the Executive recommends a total of $150 for the Charter Review Commission NDA, which is a decrease of $1,000 from FY18. The County Charter requires that a Charter Review Commission be appointed by the County Council every four years,
within six months after the Council assumes office. The Commission reports to the Council on the Commission's activities within one year after appointment. Commission reports are submitted no later than May 1 of every even-numbered year.
The staff report can be viewed here.
- Merit System Protection Board
For FY19 the Executive recommends a total of $249,689 for the Merit System Protection Board, which is a decrease of $117,999 or 32 percent from FY18. The Merit System Protection Board oversees the merit system and protects employee and job applicant rights guaranteed under the merit system law.
The staff report can be viewed here.
- Ethics Commission
The Executive recommends a total of $443,283 for the Ethics Commission in FY19, which is an increase of $13,676 from FY18. The Commission aims to promote the public's trust of County government by enforcing laws designed to ensure impartiality and ethical behavior of County employees, including elected officials, in the execution of their responsibilities.
The staff report can be viewed here.
- Office of Intergovernmental Relations
For FY19 the Executive is recommending a total of $1,127,159 for the Office of Intergovernmental Relations, which is a decrease of $29,184 or 2.52 percent from FY18. The Office of Intergovernmental Relations (OIR) represents the County's interests at the federal, state, regional and municipal levels. The office is the County's liaison to the Maryland Association of Counties.
The staff report can be viewed here.
- NDAs: County Associations, Public Technology, Inc., Council of Governments, and Boards, Committees, Commissions and Inauguration and Transition
The Executive’s recommended FY19 budgets for the following non-departmental accounts are as follows:
- County Associations-$74,728;
- Public Technology, Inc.- $20,000;
- Council of Governments- $876,710;
- Boards, Committees and Commissions-$22,950; and
- Inauguration and Transition-$50,000.
The funding for each of the NDAs are the same as FY18 except for the Inaugurations and Transitions NDA, which is only funded for local election years.
The staff report can be viewed here.
- Bill 10-17, Recordation Tax - Rates – Amendments
Councilmember Marc Elrich is the lead sponsor and Councilmember George Leventhal is a cosponsor for Bill 10-17. This bill was introduced on April 4, 2017. It would modify the recordation tax rates levied under state law for certain transactions. Bill 10-17 would reduce the premium for transactions that are more than $500,000 but less than $1 million from $2.30 to $1.55/$500. The bill would increase the premium for transactions that are more than $1 million but less than $2 million from $2.30 to $2.55/$500. The bill would also increase the premium for transactions that are more than $2 million from $2.30 to $3.55/$500
The staff report can be viewed here.
- Property tax options: amount, rate and Income Tax Offset Credit
The Executive recommends setting the FY19 property tax revenue at $1,808.4 million. He recommends a rate of $0.9814 per $100 of taxable value, down from $1.0012 in FY18, and maintains the current credit of $692. Every year, the GO Committee considers its options with respect to the amount of property tax revenue, the amount of the credit and the weighted average real property tax rate.
The staff report can be viewed here.
Meeting: Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee
Date/Time: Thursday, May 3 at 9:30 a.m.
Location: Third floor conference room
HHS Committee: Councilmembers George Leventhal (chair), Roger Berliner and Craig Rice
Topics:
- Expedited Bill 14-18, Economic Development - Strategic Plan to Promote Prosperity and Increase Opportunity
Councilmember Roger Berliner is the lead sponsor of Bill 14-18. Councilmember Tom Hucker is a cosponsor. Bill 14-18 would require the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to develop a Strategic Plan to Promote Prosperity and Increase Opportunity in the County, which must include certain area-specific plans. It also would require DHHS to submit the first area-specific plan, focused on East County, by November 15, 2018.
The staff report can be viewed here.
- Special Appropriation to FY18 Operating Budget, Department of Health and Human Services - $90,000 for implementation of Strategic Plan to Promote Prosperity and Increase Opportunity
The HHS Committee will review a special appropriation to the FY18 operating budget of the DHHS of $90,000 for implementation of Strategic Plan to Promote Prosperity and Increase Opportunity.
The staff report can be viewed here.
- Executive Regulation 21-17, Manual on Public Swimming Pool Construction
Executive Regulation 21-17 relates to swimming pools and is being updated due to the passage of Bill 16-17, Swimming Pools, Lifeguard, Amendments, which exempts certain hotel swimming pools from lifeguard requirements during certain hours of operation. Hotels exempted from lifeguards must provide a functional and visible emergency alert system that connects directly to 911.
The staff report can be viewed here.
- Executive Regulation 12-17, Manual on Public Swimming Pool Operation
Executive Regulation 12-17 relates to swimming pools and is being updated due to passage of Bill 16-17, Swimming Pools, Lifeguard, Amendments, which exempts certain hotel swimming pools from lifeguard requirements during certain hours of operation.
Expedited Bill 16-17, signed into law in November 2017, exempts public pools at certain hotels from the requirement to have a lifeguard on duty. Instead, the bill requires that the hotel post certain warning signs, and that the pool must have a functional and visible
emergency alert system.
The staff report can be viewed here.
- Supplemental appropriation to FY18 Capital Budget, $100,000 Cost Sharing, Silver Spring Black Box Theater
The HHS Committee will review a supplemental appropriation request to the FY18 capital budget for $100,000 for the Department of Recreation, Cost Sharing Project. The appropriation will recognize and appropriate a prior year’s state bond bill awarded to the County for the construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction and capital equipment for the Silver Spring Black Box Theater.
The staff report can be viewed here.
FY19 Operating Budget and FY19-24 Capital Improvements Program (CIP)
- Non-Departmental Account (NDA): Arts and Humanities Council
For FY19 the Executive recommends a total of $5,356,943 for the Arts and Humanities Council NDA, which is a $150,000 decrease from FY18 due to the elimination of the funds earmarked for the National Philharmonic. The Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) is the County's designated local arts and humanities agency.
The staff report can be viewed here.
- CIP: Public Arts Trust
On March 15, the Executive transmitted changes to the Public Arts Trust Project. The changes would reduce $25,000 in unspent resources in FY18 and would add $50,000 over the approved FY17-22 CIP in FY19.
The staff report can be viewed here.
- Cost Sharing - MCG, State Match Community Grants and Arts Capital Grants
The HHS Committee will review a large capital grant requests in the Cost Sharing: MCG project. The Cost Sharing CIP is for the development of nongovernmental projects where County funding
leverages private and other public funds and include art capital projects and community grants. The total for all projects is $2,319,378. The Executive is recommending a total of $891,762 and the matching funds from various sources total $1,427,617.
The staff report can be viewed here.
Meeting: Joint Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education (ED) Committee
Date/Time: Thursday, May 3 at 1 p.m.
Location: Seventh floor hearing room
HHS Committee: Councilmembers George Leventhal (chair), Roger Berliner and Craig Rice
ED Committee: Councilmembers Craig Rice (chair), Marc Elrich and Council Vice President Nancy Navarro
Topic: FY19 Operating Budget
- Early Care and Education Services, Child Care Subsidies, and Partnerships
The staff report will be available here by Thursday, May 3.
Meeting: Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee
Date/Time: Thursday, May 3 at 2 p.m.
Location: Third floor conference room
PHED Committee: Councilmembers Nancy Floreen (chair), George Leventhal and Council President Hans Riemer
Topics:
- ZTA 18-02, Telecommunications Towers - Limited Use
As introduced, ZTA 18-02 proposes new zoning changes for small cell antennas. The proposed changes are more limited than the previous zoning changes proposed and are mostly focused on non-residential areas of the County. The ZTA would revise the use standards for antennas; revise the standards for antennas on existing structures; allow telecommunications towers as a limited use in certain zones; and amend telecommunications tower and cellular antenna provisions.
The staff report can be viewed here.
FY19 Operating Budget and FY19-24 CIP
- CIP: KID Museum
The Executive recommends this new project for the FY19-24 CIP to purchase a 51,000-square foot building near the Twinbrook Metro Station as a permanent location for the KID Museum. In a separate recommendation, the Executive revised the project to include $5 million for renovation funding in addition to the acquisition funding.
The staff report can be viewed here.
- NDA: Incubator Programs-Economic Development Partnership
This Committee discussion will focus on the Executive's recommended appropriation for the Nonprofit Village (NPV) in the Incubator NDA. The Executive recommends this transfer to the Incubator's NDA base budget because NPV's activities align better with the County's incubators than with service providers through the
community grant process. The recommendation increases funding by $100,000 compared to FY18. The increase is due to NPV relocating to a different office space. The difference in rent as noted
by NPV is $63,000 per year. The Executive also recommends $85,000 for programming support, the same level as FY18.
The staff report can be viewed here.
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Release ID: 18-130
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 2407777926, Juan Jovel 2407777931