Council to introduce resolution to reaffirm the County’s support of the Muslim community and denounce acts of terrorism, Islamophobia and hate on March 19

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Also on March 19: Discussion on Managed Lanes Study of
I-270 and I-495 and leveraging the County’s assets for business attraction and retention and public hearing on lead in drinking water in public schools

The Council meeting on Tuesday, March 19 will begin at 9:30 a.m. Individuals interested in attending a Council meeting should confirm the information on the day of the meeting by visiting the Council’s web page or by calling the Council’s Communication Office at 240-777-7832. All meetings are held in the Council Office Building (100 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD.) in the third-floor hearing room, unless otherwise noted.

Resolution Reaffirming the Council's Solidarity with the Muslim Community and Denouncing Acts of Terrorism, Islamophobia, and Hate
The Council will introduce a resolution reaffirming the council’s support of the Muslim community in light of the terrorist attack on the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand that took place last Friday. Council President Nancy Navarro and several Councilmembers visited the Islamic Centre Of Maryland in Gaithersburg on Sunday where they gathered in solidarity to support the Muslim community over this senseless tragedy.

The Council resolution will be available here on March 19.

Managed Lanes Study
The Council will receive a briefing on the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) State Highway Administration’s (SHA) Managed Lanes Study of I-270 and I-495. On Friday, March 15 the full Council and County Executive Marc Elrich sent a letter to Secretary Pete K. Rahn of MDOT expressing concern about the sequencing and scope of the improvements to I-270 and I-495 proposed by SHA, as well as MDOT’s lack of engagement on potential alternatives including transit alternatives and transportation systems management. The letter discusses the potential impact on congestion and the environment of the proposed changes and requests a revised approach to phasing in those changes.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Bill 8-19, Erosion, Sediment Control and Stormwater Management - Asphalt Sealing Products
The Council will introduce Bill 8-19, Erosion, Sediment Control and Stormwater Management - Asphalt Sealing Products. Councilmember Craig Rice is the lead sponsor. Bill 8-19 would prohibit the use of a sealant to cover an asphalt or concrete surface, including a driveway or parking area, in the County that contains more than 0.1 percent Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH). The bill also would require the Director of the Department of Environmental Protection to establish a system to approve alternative sealants that would comply with this law. The goal of this legislation is to help protect the environment by eliminating the introduction of PAH into the environment through asphalt sealants.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Key search terms for this legislation on the Council’s website include: asphalt, sealant, driveways and parking lots. #AsphaltSealant is being used for this bill on social media.

Expedited Bill 3-19, Administration - Executive Branch - Non-Merit Positions
The Council is scheduled to vote on Expedited Bill 3-19, Administration - Executive Branch - Non-Merit Positions. Council President Nancy Navarro is the lead sponsor, at the request of the County Executive. Bill 3-19 and its accompanying Executive Regulation would create the following new non-merit positions:

• Chief Labor Relations Officer - Office of the County Executive
• Chief Digital Officer - Office of the County Executive
• Chief Equity Officer- Office of the County Executive

It would convert the following merit Ml positions to non-merit positions:

• Deputy Director - Department of Housing and Community Affairs (vacant)
• Deputy Director for Results - Office of Management and Budget (vacant)
• Deputy Director - Department of General Services (occupied)
• Deputy Director of Operations - Department of Transportation (occupied)
• Chief Broadband Officer - Department of Technology Services (occupied)
• Chief Data Officer- Department of Technology Services (occupied)

It also would rename a Deputy Director of DOT to “Transportation Policy Officer” (an existing non-merit position).

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Leveraging the County’s Assets for Business Attraction and Retention
The Council will hold a discussion on leveraging the County’s assets to attract and retain businesses. The conversation will focus on the following topics:

• The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation’s (MCEDC) prospecting pipeline;
• Leveraging investments in specific areas, like Wheaton, to grow the County’s businesses;
• Leveraging the County’s assets to assist small businesses;
• How MCEDC identifies special projects and how it plans to support additional ones; and
• Addressing challenges and balancing input from a diverse set of stakeholders

The following representatives of MCEDC are expected to attend: David Petr, CEO and President; Bill Tompkins, COO; Stacey Hardy, Vice President of Operations; Sarah Miller, Vice President of Strategy.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

The following public hearings will be held on March 19 at 1:30 p.m.:

• Bill 2-19, Health - Lead in Drinking Water – Schools and Resolution to adopt Bill 2-19, Health - Lead in Drinking Water - Schools as a Board of Health Regulation
  The Council will hold a public hearing on Bill 2-19, Health - Lead in Drinking Water - Schools and on a resolution to adopt Bill 2-19 as a Board of Health Regulation. Councilmember Tom Hucker is the lead sponsor. All other Councilmembers are cosponsors. Bill 2-19 would:

• establish a County lead limit for a drinking water outlet in a public school in the County; and
• require remediation of a drinking water outlet in an occupied public school building with a lead concentration greater than the County lead limit.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Key search terms for this legislation on the Council’s website include: lead, water, water fountains, schools and health. #SafeWater4Students is being used for this bill on social media.

• Corrective Map Amendment: H-130 for Takoma Park Master Plan. The Council staff report can be viewed here.
• Zoning Text Amendment 19-03, Commercial/Residential Zones - Animal Boarding and Care. The Council staff report can be viewed here.
• Special appropriation to MCPS’ FY19 Operating Budget - $384,986 for Emergency Impact Aid grant (Source: Maryland State Department of Education grant). The Council staff report can be viewed here.

The Council meeting and public hearings 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 Council meeting also will be available live via streaming through the Council web site at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.

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Release ID: 19-101
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, Juan Jovel 240-777-7931