For Immediate Release: Monday, January 14, 2019
The Education and Culture Committee also will meet at 4 p.m. to start review of fiscal year 2019 savings plan
The Jan. 15 Council meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. and includes the introduction of Bill 1-19, Police - Officer Involved Death - Independent Investigation, which will also be known as the Law Enforcement Trust and Transparency (LETT) Act. Councilmember Will Jawando is the lead sponsor. Councilmembers Craig Rice and Hans Riemer, Council President Nancy Navarro and Councilmember Gabe Albornoz are cosponsors.
The LETT Act requires an independent investigation of an officer involved death of an individual and requires that a final written report be submitted to the Montgomery County State's Attorney and be made public if criminal charges are not filed. The investigation must be preformed by at least two independent investigators with experience and expertise in conducting complex criminal investigations.
The goal of this bill is to ensure that investigations are independent, impartial and transparent and to reduce the opportunity for conflicts of interest or the appearance of such conflicts, which can undermine public confidence in law enforcement. Although the LETT Act is consistent with past practices in the County, these practices are not required by existing law. Wisconsin has enacted a similar law.
A public hearing on Bill 1-19 is tentatively scheduled for March 5 at 7:30 p.m. Additional information can be found in the Council staff report here.
Key search terms for Bill 1-19 on the Council’s website include: LETT Act, officer involved death and police investigation; #LawEnforcementTransparency is being used for this item on social media.
On Tuesday the Council also will introduce two separate zoning measures. One that makes changes to the County's accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rules and the other that streamlines the process for having medical and dental clinics as an accessory use in certain zones.
Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 19-01, Accessory Residential Uses - Accessory Apartments, is aimed at providing more affordable housing for residents by changing the framework that exists to build ADUs, which are also known as in-law suites or accessory apartments. Councilmember Riemer is the lead sponsor.
A public hearing is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. For information on the specific changes being proposed, see the Council staff report here.
Key search terms for ZTA 19-01 on the Council’s website include: in-law suite, cottage, basement apartment, accessory apartments and accessory dwellings; #MoCoTinyHouse is being used for this item on social media.
In addition, the Council is scheduled to introduce ZTA 19-02, Concerning Clinics - Limited Use. Council President Navarro is the lead sponsor. The goal of this zoning change is to streamline the process for having medical and dental clinics as an accessory use in certain zones, when such a use would benefit the community. The zoning measure would only liberalize accessory use rules for clinics in the following locations: large residential care facilities, charitable or philanthropic institutions, large day care centers, private educational institutions, or in places of religious assembly.
A public hearing is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 26 at 1:30 p.m. The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Key search terms for ZTA 19-02 on the Council’s website include: accessory use, clinics, medical clinic and dental clinic; and #MoCoMedical&DentalClinics is being used for this item on social media.
At 2:30 p.m. Councilmembers, Inspector General Edward L. Blansitt, Chief Administrative Officer Andrew Kleine, County Attorney Marc Hansen and others will discuss the Office of the Inspector General's Report 19-002, A Review of Management Control Deficiencies Contributing to the Misappropriation of Montgomery County Economic Development Funds, and review the County's implementation of corrective actions. Inspector General Blansitt undertook an investigation of the former Montgomery County Department of Economic Development (DED) after receiving evidence that the County's former Chief Operating Officer (COO), of the now defunct department, misappropriated County funds.
The separate criminal investigation of this matter and any related charges are not addressed in this report. The County government abolished DED by the start of fiscal year 2016, prior to discovery of the COO’s actions. The objective of this review was to comprehensively identify systemic problems and related financial and management control deficiencies over a multi-year period and recommend effective remedies.
The Inspector General's report can be viewed in its entirety here.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
The Council is scheduled to conduct the following four public hearings beginning at 1:30 p.m.:
Finally at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, the Education and Culture Committee, which includes Councilmember Craig Rice (chair), Council President Navarro and Councilmember Jawando (lead for libraries), will review the budget savings plan for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Montgomery College and the Department of Public Libraries. The Council received the $46.5 million savings plan proposal on January 7 from the County Executive. The savings plan would reduce spending in the current fiscal year 2019 operating budget, to better prepare the County for fiscal year 2020. The proposed savings plan targets $25 million in reductions for MCPS, $2.8 million for Montgomery College and $1.27 million for the Department of Public Libraries. The Council staff report can be viewed here.
The Council meeting, public hearings and committee meeting will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM). The channel can be viewed on Cable Channels 996 (high definition) and 6 (standard definition) on Comcast; Channels 1056 (HD) and 6 (SD) on RCN; and Channel 30 on Verizon. The meetings also will be available live via streaming through the Council website at http://tinyurl.com/z9982v8 .
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Release ID: 19-012