For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 10, 2018
Council Meetings for
May 9
The following Council and Committee meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, May 9. Individuals interested in attending a Council or 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: Council Session
Date/Time: Wednesday, May 9 at 10:30 a.m.
Location: Third floor Council hearing room
Topics:
Budget Consent Calendar – Fiscal Year 2019 Operating Budget
Numerous budgets are on the consent calendar, which generally means that all issues have been reviewed and resolved in the Council’s committees. The list of budgets on the consent calendar can be viewed here. Worksession-Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Operating Budget and FY19-24 Capital Improvements Program (CIP)
Department of Recreation
The Council will review the operating budget for the County’s Department of Recreation (MCRD). For FY19 the Executive recommended a total of $38,233,908 for MCRD, which is an increase of $464,034 or 1.2 percent from the FY18 approved budget. The staff report can be viewed here.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service
The Council will review the operating budget for Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS). For FY19 the Executive recommends a total of $211,314,247 for MCFRS, which is a 1.7 percent reduction from the FY18 approved budget. At its April 16, 2018 worksession, the Public Safety Committee recommended unanimous approval of the budget and adding the following items to the Reconciliation List:
restore engine at Hyattstown Station ($2,477,000); restore engine at Germantown Station (includes recruit class) ($1,788,750); restore aerial tower at Hillandale Station ($1,542,500); add six full time equivalents (FTEs) at Burtonsville Station to reduce failures to respond ($859,825); and restore Emergency Management Services Transport (EMST) funds to Montgomery County Volunteer Fire and Rescue and the local volunteer fire departments ($114,780). The staff report can be viewed here.
CIP: Montgomery County Fire and Rescue projects
The Council will review the FY19-24 CIP for MCFRS. On March 19, the Executive submitted two CIP amendments, which included the Apparatus Replacement Program and the White Flint Fire Station. The Apparatus Replacement Program projected a savings of $1.8 million due to actual acquisition cost of certain apparatus was lower than budgeted and some vehicles, primarily EMS units, were funded directly with EMST funds.
The staff report can be viewed here.
Montgomery County Public Libraries
The Council will review the operating budget for Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL). The Executive recommends $42,860,115 for MCPL, which is an increase of $134,962 or 0.3 percent from FY18. The FY19 recommended budget maintains the same public service hours for all branches as FY18. The Council also will review the 21st Century Library Enhancements Level of Effort Project as revised by the Executive. This project is intended to maintain and keep technology current in existing libraries by updating technology and technology support systems.
The staff report can be viewed here.
Department of Health and Human Services
The Council will review the operating budget for the Department of Health and Human Services. For FY19 the Executive recommends a total of $316,672,040 for the Department of Health and Human Services, which is a 1.2 percent increase from FY18. The staff report can be viewed here. A summary of recommendations from the HHS Committee can be found on pages 2-5.
Early Childhood Services, Infants and Toddlers, Child Care Subsidies, School Health Services, Linkages to Learning, High School Wellness Center, Public Private Partnerships, Children’s Opportunity Fund, and the Kennedy Cluster Project
The Council will review recommendations from the Health and Human Services and Education Committees related to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). A summary of some the recommendations by the HHS and ED Committees are as follows: recommend approval of the Executive's proposed budgets for Head Start and community-based prekindergarten (pre-K) and add $877,944 to expand part-day pre-K services to full-day at eight schools consistent with the Council’s prior actions to expand full-day pre-K slots; recommend approval of the Executive’s proposed adjustments for School Health Services; recommend approval of funding recommended by the Executive for the Northwood, Gaithersburg, Watkins Mill and Wheaton High School wellness centers; recommend approval of the Executive's proposed budget for the Infants and Toddlers Program; recommend restoring funding for the George B. Thomas, Sr. Learning Academy in two tranches: $15,000 to prevent tuition increases for free and reduced-price meals (FARMS) eligible students and an additional $35,000 to restore funding to the FY18 level; recommend approval of the Executive's proposed funding for the Kennedy, Watkins Mill and Springbrook/Paint Branch Clusters; and recommend approval of the budget for Children's Opportunity Fund as proposed by the Executive. The staff report can be viewed here.
Public Hearings
Some of the public hearings the Council had scheduled for Tuesday, May 8 were postponed to Wednesday, May 9. The full public hearing list can be viewed here.
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Release ID: 18-136
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 2407777926, Juan Jovel 2407777931