For Immediate Release: Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Council President Navarro shares Council achievements in 2019
Also on Dec. 3: Council to introduce the Oversight and Small Business Investment Act and bills to improve pedestrian access, update the Local Small Business Reserve Program to allow nonprofit participation and update the staffing policies for Inspector General’s Office
The Council will meet on Tuesday, Dec. 3 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. Council staff reports for all items on the Council’s agenda can be found here.
Election of Council Officers
The Montgomery County Council will elect new officers to one-year terms at 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday, December 3 in the Third Floor Council Hearing Room. Council President Nancy Navarro will complete her one-year term serving as Council president, and Vice President Sidney Katz will complete his one-year term serving as vice president.
The Council will introduce the following bills:
Bill 37-19, Economic Development Fund - Use of Fund and Remedies for Noncompliance
The Council will introduce Bill 37-19, which would require the recipients of Economic Development Fund assistance to agree to certain terms and conditions regarding the use and repayment of the assistance. Councilmember Evan Glass is the lead sponsor. Councilmember Hans Riemer is a cosponsor. Bill 37-19 also would do the following:
The goal of this legislation is to increase accountability in the use of grant funds and to expand eligibility for the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Matching Grant Program. A public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2020 at 1:30 p.m.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Bill 38-19, Streets and Roads - Permit to Obstruct Public Rights-of-Way – Amendments
The Council will introduce Bill 38-19, which would require the County Executive to adopt certain regulations regarding permits to close curb lanes, sidewalks or shared use paths in the public rights-of-way. Councilmember Andrew Friedson is the lead sponsor. Councilmembers Evan Glass and Will Jawando are cosponsors. Bill 38-19 also would do the following:
A public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2020 at 1:30 p.m.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Bill 39-19, Contracts and Procurement - Local Small Business Reserve Program (LSBRP) - Amendments
The Council will introduce Bill 39-19, the Local Small Business Reserve Program and Direct Purchase Investment Act. Councilmember Will Jawando is the lead sponsor. Bill 39-19 would amend the Local Small Business Reserve Program to do the following:
The goal of this legislation is to support locally owned small businesses located in the County, by expanding opportunities and access to more than one billion dollars in government contracts and purchases.
A public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2020 at 1:30 p.m.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Expedited Bill 40-19, Inspector General - Staff – Amendments
The Council will introduce Bill 40-19, which would authorize the inspector general to hire one or more deputies as a term merit employee and other staff as merit employees. Council President Nancy Navarro, Councilmember Andrew Friedson and Council Vice President Sidney Katz are the lead sponsors. Under current law the inspector general must hire each staff member as a term merit employee with a maximum term that ends at the same time as the four-year term of the inspector general. This requires a new inspector general to begin a new term with no existing staff members or institutional experience. It also makes it more difficult to recruit staff when an inspector general is appointed to either a new term or to complete the term of an inspector general who leaves early. The goal of this legislation is to improve the operation of the Office of the Inspector General. A public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2020 at 1:30 p.m.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
The Council is scheduled to vote on the following bills:
Bill 14-19, Police - Policing Advisory Commission – Established
The Council is scheduled to vote on Bill 14-19, which would establish a 13-member Policing Advisory Commission. The lead sponsor is Councilmember Hans Riemer. Councilmembers Will Jawando, Tom Hucker and Evan Glass are cosponsors. The Policing Advisory Commission would advise the Council on policing matters; provide information on best practices in policing; recommend policies, programs, legislation or regulations; comment on matters referred to it by the Council and conduct at least one public forum each year for community input on policing matters and engage in public education. The group must also provide an annual report to the Executive and Council by July 1. The 13-member commission would include nine appointed public members with an interest in policing matters, with each Councilmember nominating one member. Four members would be nominated by the Executive. Non-voting, ex-officio members would include the police chief or a designee and a representative of an employee organization. Members will serve three-year terms. The goal of Bill 14-19 is to enhance trust and transparency between the police department and community members and to identify best practices in policing.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Bill 36-18, Transportation Management - Transportation Demand Management Plan - Amendments
The Council is scheduled to vote on Bill 36-18. Councilmember Hans Riemer is the lead sponsor, at the request of the County Executive. Expedited Bill 36-18 would do the following:
The goal of this legislation is to reduce traffic congestion and automobile emissions and to support multi-modal transportation.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
The Council will hold the following public hearings:
Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 19-08, Bicycle Parking - Requirements and Design Standards. At 1:30 p.m. the Council will hold a public hearing on ZTA 19-08. This zoning measure would implement the recommendations of the 2018 Bicycle Master Plan, which was approved by the Council in November 2018. Council President Nancy Navarro is the lead sponsor, at the request of the Montgomery County Planning Board. The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Bill 35-19, Personnel - Collective Bargaining - Certified Representative - Duty of Fair Representation. At 1:30 p.m. the Council will hold a public hearing on Bill 35-19, which would amend the duty of fair representation for a certified representative of County employees and authorize a certified representative to impose the reasonable costs of filing a grievance or pursuing arbitration on an employee who does not pay membership dues or the equivalent. Councilmember Tom Hucker is the lead sponsor. Bill 35-19 also would require a certified representative to file a grievance or pursue arbitration for an employee who does not pay membership dues or the equivalent only if the employee pays the reasonable costs imposed; and generally amend the duty of fair representation of a certified representative of County employees. The goal of this legislation is to permit a union to receive payment for filing grievances on behalf of an employee who chooses not to pay union dues. The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Bill 34-19, Taxation - Development Impact Taxes - Affordable Housing - Housing Impact Fairness Act. At 7:30 p.m. the Council will hold a public hearing on Bill 34-19. Councilmember Evan Glass is the lead sponsor. Councilmember Will Jawando is a cosponsor. Bill 34-19 would do the following:
The goal of this legislation is to close a loophole so that all new residential construction in Montgomery County fairly contributes to the jurisdiction’s infrastructure needs. Councilmember Glass estimates that this tax will raise $100 million over four years. The Council staff report can be viewed here.
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: 19-377