Montgomery County Charter Review Commission to hold public listening sessions on County Council size and representation

For Immediate Release: Monday, January 13, 2020

CANCELLATION: The Charter Review Listening Session scheduled for March 23, 2020 in Germantown has been canceled.  The Commission asks members of the public to submit their comments in writing at charterreview.commission@montgomerycountymd.gov.

ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 13, 2020—The Montgomery County Charter Review Commission will hold five listening sessions with residents between January and March to discuss the structure of the Montgomery County Council. These sessions will address whether the size of the Council (currently nine members) and its make-up (five district Councilmembers and four at-large Councilmembers) should be changed or remain the same.

The Montgomery County Charter is the constitution of the Montgomery County government. As provided in the Charter, the Charter Review Commission is an eleven-member, multiparty  group of County residents that is appointed by the Council every four years to study and recommend changes to the charter. The Charter Review Commission must report to the Council in May of every even-numbered year with recommendations for possible charter revisions. These recommendations may lead to proposed charter amendments that are voted on by the electorate.

The listening sessions will be held at the following times and locations:

1. Bethesda: Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.; Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, Conference Room West-A, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda
2. Burtonsville: Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020, 3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.; Marilyn J. Praisner Branch Library, Medium Room #2, 14910 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville
3. Olney: Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.; Olney Community Library, Medium Room #2, 3500 Olney-Laytonsville Road, Olney
4. Rockville: Wednesday, March 4, 2020, 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.; Council Office Building, 3rd Floor Hearing Room, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville
5. Germantown: Monday, March 23, 2020, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.; Upcounty Regional Services Center, Conference Room A, 12900 Middlebrook Road, Germantown

If you would like to pre-register to testify, please sign up here.  If you have a prepared statement, which is not necessary for testimony at these sessions, then please bring a courtesy copy to share with the Commission. 

Members of the public also are encouraged to submit any comments to the Charter Review Commission in writing at charterreview.commission@montgomerycountymd.gov.

If a listening session is canceled due to weather, please submit your written comments to the email address above.  Emergency closure information is available at https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cupf/info-cupf/emergency.html.

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Release ID: 20-009
Media Contact: Nicholas Triolo 240-777-7832