For Immediate Release: Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Also on Nov. 12: Public Safety Committee and joint Education and Culture and Health and Human Services Committee conduct virtual meetings
The Council, the Public Safety Committee and the joint Education and Culture and Health and Human Services Committee will conduct virtual meetings on Thursday, Nov. 12. Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for committee review can be viewed at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html. The Council and the committee meeting schedule may change from time to time. The current Council and committee agendas can be viewed at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.
On the guidance of Health Officer and Chief of Public Health Services Dr. Travis Gayles, there is currently no public access to the Council Office Building. The virtual Council and committee meetings will be streamed live on the Council’s web page via YouTube (MoCoCouncilMD) and on Facebook Live (MontgomeryCountyMdCouncil) and can be watched on County Cable Montgomery on channels 30 (Fios), 1056 (RCN) and 996 (Xfinity).
Council agenda
2020-2024 Subdivision Staging Policy
The Council will meet at 4 p.m. to continue its review of the County’s 2020-2024 Subdivision Staging Policy, which is one of the many ways that policymakers maintain and enhance Montgomery County's outstanding quality of life. The Subdivision Staging Policy is based on having sufficient infrastructure to support new development. It includes criteria and guidance for the administration of Montgomery County’s Adequate Public Facility Ordinance (APFO), which matches the timing of private development with the availability of public infrastructure. Every four years, recommendations for policy updates reflecting current growth patterns start with the Montgomery Planning Department, before being reviewed and approved by the Montgomery County Planning Board and the Council.
Council staff will provide a summary of the potential fiscal impacts of the Council's straw-votes on the Subdivision Staging Policy and will cover recommended changes to the recordation tax.
There have been 11 committee meetings and six Council worksessions on the Subdivision Staging Policy. Final Council action is currently scheduled for Nov. 16.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Bill 37-20, Subdivision – Preliminary Plan – Adequate Public Facilities – Amendments
The Council will continue its review of Bill 37-20, which would require an applicant requesting an extension of an adequate public facilities determination to provide a new determination of school adequacy for any remaining unbuilt units under the school test in effect at the time of the Planning Board’s review. Council President Sidney Katz is the lead sponsor, at the request of the Planning Board.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
#ValidityPeriod is being used for this bill on social media.
Bill 38-20, Taxation – Development Impact Taxes for Transportation and Public School Improvements – Amendments
The Council will continue its review of Bill 38-20, which would amend transportation and school impact tax district designations and the impact tax rates that apply in these districts. Bill 38-20 also would modify the applicability of development impact tax exemptions for certain uses and in certain locations, and generally amend the law governing transportation and school development impact taxes. Council President Sidney Katz is the lead sponsor, at the request of the Planning Board.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
#ImpactTax is being used for this bill on social media
Expedited Bill 39-20, Taxation - Recordation Tax – Amendments
The Council will continue its review of Expedited Bill 39-20, which would increase the rate of the recordation tax levied under state law for certain transactions involving the transfer of property and would establish a partial exemption from the recordation tax for a first-time home buyer. Moreover, Bill 39-20 would amend the allocation of revenue received from the recordation tax to capital improvements for schools and to the Montgomery Housing Initiative Fund. Council President Sidney Katz is the lead sponsor, at the request of the Planning Board.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
#RecordationTax is being used for this bill on social media
Committee agenda
Meeting: Public Safety (PS) Committee
Time: 9:30 a.m.
PS Committee: Council President Sidney Katz (Chair), Councilmember Gabe Albornoz and Council Vice President Tom Hucker
Topic:
Circuit Court Operations (Courts and Sheriff)
The PS Committee will receive an update on the Circuit Court and how COVID-19 has impacted court operations. The Circuit Court had a five-phase reopening plan, and operations entered phase five on October 5. This allowed jury trials to resume for both criminal and civil cases. The discussion will be focused on the impact and challenges of remote proceedings, what the court has done to enable people to continue to get their work done and staffing needs. The Committee will also get an update on the Maryland Electronic Courts case management system, which is a statewide initiative that has been repeatedly delayed in Montgomery County for a variety of reasons. Another point of discussion will be the challenges that the Sheriff’s office has with staffing and COVID-19 related operations, since they provide court security and prisoner transport services. They also have faced staffing challenges due to COVID-19 cases, which require nearby staff to be quarantined for up to 14 days.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Meeting: Joint Education and Culture (E&C) Committee and Health and Human Services (HHS) Committees
Time: 1:30 p.m.
E&C Committee: Councilmembers Craig Rice, Will Jawando (Lead for Libraries) and Nancy Navarro
HHS Committee: Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz (Chair), Evan Glass (Lead for Homelessness and Vulnerable Communities) and Craig Rice
Topics:
Diversity and Cultural Competency in Mental Health Professionals
The E&C and HHS Committees will meet jointly to review diversity and cultural competency in the mental health professions. The Committees will meet with key stakeholders to discuss current efforts and potential solutions to increase the language capabilities, racial and ethnic diversity and cultural competency of the County’s mental health workforce. This summer, Councilmember Navarro proposed, and the full E&C Committee supported, a recommendation to hold a joint Committee meeting to discuss these issues. It is important to note that this meeting will focus on County agencies and employees and will not include extensive conversation surrounding the role and needs of community and nonprofit partners. Council staff recommends that these issues be considered in future meetings.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Early Care and Education Initiative Update
The E&C and HHS Committees also will receive an update on the Early Care and Education Initiative. On March 7, 2019, Councilmember Navarro, serving as Council President, and County Executive Elrich, in partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools and Montgomery College, announced the Montgomery County Early Care and Education Initiative (ECEI), Councilmember Navarro initiated this four-year action plan to significantly expand quality early child care and education options for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, provide greater access to more families and support schools and community-based providers.
The COVID-19 public health emergency significantly affected the direction and work of the initiative. On March 27, 2020, all child care programs in Maryland were ordered to close. Since that time, 80 percent of all child care programs have re-opened, and 17 programs have permanently closed. The Executive reports that the average child care center enrollment is at 56 percent of the allowed reduced capacity during COVID-19, and the average family child care home enrollment is at 24 percent of the allowed reduced capacity.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
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