For Immediate Release: Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Also on Nov. 5: Police chief interview and action on confirmation, scheduled vote on Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission’s spending control limits and a resolution to support Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ regional housing targets for Montgomery County
The Council will meet on Tuesday, Nov. 5 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 Legislative Information 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.
County Executive’s Appointee as Chief, Department of Police: Marcus Jones
The Council is scheduled to interview Acting Police Chief Marcus Jones for the position of police chief. Jones, who has been serving as the acting chief of police since June, was officially nominated by County Executive Marc Elrich for the post on Oct. 21. With more than 34 years of experience, Jones has worked his way through the ranks of the County’s police department, serving as the assistant chief of the Investigative Services Bureau, commander of the 3rd District, director of Major Crimes, and commander of the Drug Enforcement Unit. The Council is scheduled to vote on the nomination in the afternoon.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Bill 30-19, Human Rights and Civil Liberties - Race Discrimination – Protective Hairstyles (CROWN Act)
The Council is scheduled to vote on Bill 30-19, the CROWN Act, which would prohibit discrimination based on certain natural hairstyles. Councilmember Will Jawando and Council President Nancy Navarro are the lead sponsors. The CROWN Act would ensure that individuals who are discriminated against because of the appearance of their natural hair can seek a civil penalty of up to $5,000 through the County’s Office of Human Rights.
Montgomery County is the first local jurisdiction to introduce such legislation. The goal of this legislation is to prevent workplace and other forms of discrimination against people who wear such hairstyles including braids, locks, afros, curls and twists.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
#NaturalHairMoCo is being used for this bill on social media.
Bill 12-19, Human Rights and Civil Liberties - Building Maintenance Worker -
Minimum Work Week
The Council is scheduled to vote on Bill 12-19. Councilmember Hans Riemer is the lead sponsor. Councilmembers Will Jawando and Tom Hucker, Council President Nancy Navarro and Councilmember Craig Rice are cosponsors. Bill 12-19 would require an employer to provide a minimum work week of at least 30 hours for each employee working as a janitor, building cleaner, security officer, concierge, doorperson, handyperson or building superintendent at an office building occupying at least 350,000 square feet in the County. The bill would also apply to a County government employee working as a building maintenance worker in an office building of at least 350,000 square feet. The bill would not apply to a person working in a building owned by the United States, any state or any other local government. The goal of this bill is to increase the availability of full-time work with health insurance for workers doing the aforementioned jobs.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
#MinimumWorkWeek is being used for this bill on social media.
Resolution to support Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ regional housing targets for Montgomery County
The Council is scheduled to vote on a resolution to support Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ (MWCOG) regional housing targets for Montgomery County. Council President Nancy Navarro is the lead sponsor of this resolution. All other Councilmembers are cosponsors. In 2019, MWCOG analyzed and reviewed cooperative employment and housing forecasts in the region. Employment growth is currently outpacing housing. Insufficient housing impacts housing affordability and undercuts economic development that relies on an available workforce. In addition, regional transportation systems are strained as workers commute long distances. As proposed in the resolution, the new housing target is 75,000 more units than the current regional forecast and allocates 10,000 of these additional units to Montgomery County (including a portion in the City of Gaithersburg and the City of Rockville).
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Fiscal Year 2021 Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Spending Control Limits
The Council is scheduled to vote on the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) Spending Control Limits. WSSC’s spending control limits process was established in April 1994 via resolution by both Montgomery and Prince George’s County Councils, with the goal of both Councils agreeing on certain budgetary limits by November 1 of each year. WSSC is the bi-county governmental agency charged with providing water and sanitary sewer service within the Washington Suburban Sanitary District, which includes most of Montgomery County and Prince George’s County.
Those expected to attend the meeting include the following: Fausto Bayonet, commissioner, WSSC; Howard Denis, commissioner, WSSC; T. Eloise Foster, commission vice-chair, WSSC; and Carla Reid, general manager and CEO, WSSC.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
The Council will hold the following public hearings at 1:30 p.m. The Council is scheduled to vote for each appropriation following the public hearing.
Special appropriation to the County Government’s FY20 Operating Budget, Department of Recreation – $203,484 to provide Senior Adult Programming at the Wheaton Community Recreation Center
This appropriation would fund personnel and operating costs effective December 2019 to include a recreational specialist, seasonal staffing, instructional costs, one-time equipment costs and a five-days-a-week senior nutrition program to implement senior adult programing at the Wheaton Recreation Center. The Council staff report will be available here by Nov. 5.
Special appropriation to the County Government’s FY20 Operating Budget, Office of the Inspector General - $272,881 for implementation of Bill 11-19, Administration - Internal Audit - Inspector General - Amendments
The proposed FY20 appropriation is necessary to implement Bill 11-19 and includes $174,110 in personnel expenditures for five new positions and $98,771 in operating expenditures. Bill 11-19 requires the Office of Internal Audit to prepare an annual work plan for approval of the Chief Administrative Officer and submit the work plan to the Council for comment; requires the office to submit an annual report to the inspector general (IG); requires the IG to conduct a risk analysis of the County’s internal controls and processes, and based on the risk analysis, conduct a systematic rotating group by group review of the internal accounting and contracting processes and controls used by each department and principal office in the Executive Branch; and requires the IG to audit each completed County contract funded in the operating budget with a contract value greater than one million dollars. The Council staff report can be viewed here.
The Council will hold the following public hearings at 7:30 p.m.:
Zoning Text Amendment 19-06, Vape Shops
The Council will hold a public hearing on ZTA 19-06, which would prohibit vape shops that sell e-cigarettes and similar products from opening within half a mile of a middle or high school. It also would prohibit vape shops from allowing access to people under 21 years of age. Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz and Craig Rice are the lead sponsors. All other Councilmembers are cosponsors. The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Bill 29-19, Health and Sanitation - Electronic Cigarettes - Distribution, and Resolution to adopt Bill 29-19 as a Board of Health Regulation
The Council will hold a public hearing on Bill 29-19 and a resolution to adopt Bill 29-19 as a Board of Health regulation. Bill 29-19 would prohibit manufacturers of e-cigarettes from distributing them to retail stores within a half mile of a middle or high school through a Board of Health regulation. Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz and Craig Rice are the lead sponsors. All other Councilmembers are cosponsors. The Council staff report can be viewed here.
#VapeFreeMontgomery is being used for this bill on social media.
Bill 31-19, Health and Sanitation - Electronic Cigarettes - Distribution, Use and Possession, and Resolution to adopt Bill 31-19 as a Board of Health Regulation
The Council will hold a public hearing on Bill 31-19 and a resolution to adopt Bill 31-19 as a Board of Health regulation. Bill 31-19, which would prohibit the distribution of any tobacco product, coupon redeemable for a tobacco product, cigarette rolling paper, or electronic cigarette to any individual under 21 except under certain circumstances. Councilmembers Tom Hucker and Gabe Albornoz are the lead sponsors. Bill 31-19 also would prohibit an individual under 21 from using or possessing a tobacco product or electronic cigarette except under certain circumstances. The Council staff report can be viewed here.
#VapeFreeMontgomery is being used for this bill on social media.
Bill 32-19, Health and Sanitation - Flavored Electronic Cigarettes, and Resolution to adopt Bill 32-19 as a Board of Health Regulation
The Council will hold a public hearing on Bill 32-19 and a resolution to adopt Bill 32-19 as a Board of Health regulation. Bill 32-19 would prohibit electronic smoking device manufacturers from distributing flavored electronic cigarettes to retail stores within half a mile of any middle or high school, library, park, playground or recreational facility in the County. Councilmembers Hans Riemer and Gabe Albornoz are the lead sponsors. Councilmember Tom Hucker is a cosponsor. The Council staff report can be viewed here.
#VapeFreeMontgomery is being used for this bill on social media.
The Council 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 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: 19-347