For Immediate Release: Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Also on April 23: Discussion on compensation and benefits for all agencies and report on two-generation approach to poverty in immigrant communities
The Council meeting on Tuesday, April 23 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.
Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan
The Council is scheduled to vote on the adoption of the Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan, which focuses on improved safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders and motorists, compatibility with adjoining land uses, potential redevelopment opportunities and improved connectivity. The plan extends approximately four miles, from the City of Rockville to the Wheaton Central Business District. The Council held a public hearing on the plan on Feb. 7 at the Holiday Park Senior Center to hear directly from residents in their own community. The Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan seeks to:
The plan recommends retaining the existing residential scale and character, with limited rezoning near future bus rapid transit stations, including the garden-style apartments in the Twinbrook area to “facilitate the redevelopment of higher density housing” close to transit. With concerns that redevelopment could impact the affordability of housing in the area, the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee is recommending a policy of “no net loss” in market-affordable housing for the area, which includes a combination of moderately priced dwelling units, market-rate affordable units subject to a rental agreement with redevelopment, and other regulated affordable units.
The Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan is the first plan to be developed following the County’s adoption of a Vision Zero policy in 2016. The plan seeks to reimagine busy Veirs Mill Road as an integral part of the surrounding neighborhoods by improving connectivity and safety. This plan advances Vision Zero through short and long-term strategies to improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers. When fully implemented, this plan with its Vision Zero focus, has the potential to serve as a model for other corridors in the County.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) Operating Budget
Compensation and Benefits for all Agencies and Consolidated Retiree Health Benefits Trust
The Council will review compensation and benefits for all agencies in the FY20 Recommended Operating Budget which includes Montgomery County Government, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Montgomery College (MC) and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). Council staff will provide information on the following:
The Executive’s FY20 recommended tax supported aggregate operating budget is $4.996 billion, an increase of 2.3 percent above the FY19 amount. Across the four County-funded agencies, employee compensation costs (consisting of salaries and wages as well as benefits) comprise 80 percent of all agency operating expenditures. As such, the cost of government is driven by both the number of employees and the cost per employee. Since compensation costs are the dominant factor in the cost of providing County services, the long-term sustainability of County agency operating budgets is dependent upon maintaining a balance between compensation cost growth and revenue growth.
Overall, the four County-funded agencies have requested tax supported FY20 operating budgets with a combined $3.56 billion for employee pay as well as employee and retiree benefits. The aggregate total request for employee/retiree compensation is up by 2.6 percent as compared to FY19. However, there is significant variation among agencies. The County Executive recommends a 4.8 percent increase in compensation costs for the County Government while the Montgomery College Board of Trustees have requested a 0.2 percent increase.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Resolutions to Indicate Intent to Approve or Reject the County Government Collective Bargaining Agreements
The Council is expected to take straw votes on the County government collective bargaining agreements for the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the Municipal County Government Employees Organization (MCGEO). Under the County Employees Labor Relations Law, the Council must review the terms or conditions of each final collective bargaining agreement requiring an appropriation of funds or enactment, repeal or modification of a County law or regulation. On or before May 1, unless the Council extends this deadline, the Council must indicate by resolution its intention to appropriate funds for or otherwise implement the agreement or its intention not to do so and state its reasons for any intent to reject any part of an agreement. The Council is not bound by the agreement on those matters over which the Council has final approval. The Council may address contract items individually rather than on an all-or-nothing basis.
If the Council indicates its intention to reject or opts not to fund any item, it must designate a representative to meet with the parties and present the Council's views in their further negotiations. The parties must submit the results of any further negotiations, or impasse procedures if the parties cannot agree on a revised contract, to the Council by May 10 (unless the May 1 date was extended).
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
OLO Report 2018-13, The Two-Generation Approach to Poverty in Immigrant Communities
The Council will review Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) Report 2018-13, The Two-Generation Approach to Poverty in Immigrant Communities. The two-generation approach to poverty is a model for addressing intergenerational poverty, which refers to poverty passed on from one generation to the next. This builds on a previous report which analyzed similar approaches in other jurisdictions and made recommendations for Montgomery County.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
At 1:30 p.m. the Council will hold the following public hearings
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.
# # #
Release ID: 19-134