For Immediate Release: Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Also on Nov. 30: Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee and Education and Culture Committee hold virtual meetings
The Council, the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee and the Education and Culture Committee will meet virtually on Monday, Nov. 30. Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council and committee review can be viewed at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html. The Council and committee meeting schedules may change from time to time. The current 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 Meeting: State Legislative Program
Time: 12 p.m.
Topic:
State Legislation
The Council will continue its discussion of state legislation and potential Council positions on local and bi-county bills for the 2021 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly which is scheduled to convene on Jan. 13. The Montgomery County Delegation will hold public hearings on Montgomery County local and bi-county bills on December 1 and Dec. 8. Those expected to provide information at the Council meeting include: Melanie Wenger, director, Office of Intergovernmental Relations (OIR); Kathleen Boucher, special assistant to director, OIR; Leslie Frey, legislative analyst, OIR; Sara Morningstar, federal relations coordinator and legislative analyst, OIR; Amy Samman, legislative analyst, OIR; and representatives from County departments.
The Council staff report includes a summary chart for each of the bills to be considered at the meeting and the positions taken on the legislation that was reviewed at the last meeting can be viewed here.
Meeting: Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee
Time: 9 a.m.
PHED Committee: Councilmembers Hans Riemer (Chair), Andrew Friedson (Lead for Parks) and Will Jawando
Topics:
Special Appropriation - DHCA - $3,473,228 for COVID-19 Response: Maryland State CDBG-CV HUD CPD Funding
The PHED Committee will review a special appropriation of $3,473,228 to the Department of Housing and Community Affairs’ FY21 Operating Budget for COVID-19 response. Montgomery County has received additional federal CARES Act Community Development Block Grant-CV (CDBG-CV) funds through the State of Maryland to be used for financial support for County residents facing hardships due to COVID-19. This rental assistance will be made available to households with incomes at or below 60 percent of area median income that are in danger of losing their housing and may cover up to six months of rent.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Special Appropriation - DHCA - $4,227,565 for COVID-19 Response: CDBG-CV HUD CPD Funding
The PHED Committee also will review a special appropriation of $4,227,565 to the Department of Housing and Community Affairs’ FY21 Operating Budget for COVID-19 response. Montgomery County has received additional federal CARES Act Community Development Block Grant-CV (CDBG-CV) funds to be used for financial assistance and emergency shelter support for people facing financial hardships because of the COVID-19 health crisis.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Preservation of Affordable Housing Study
The PHED Committee will receive a briefing on the Montgomery County Preservation Study that was completed by consulting firms HR&A, LSA Planning and Neighborhood Fundamentals, LLC for the Montgomery County Planning Department and Planning Board. The study looks at both unrestricted naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH) and deed-restricted affordable housing. For this study “preservation” is considered either the extension of the affordability of deed-restricted units or conversion of NOAH to deed-restricted affordable units.
The study looked at data for approximately 113,500 multifamily units, deed-restricted and NOAH and found that 44,000 units are affordable to households earning between 61 percent to 80 percent of area median income (AMI). Another 44,600 were found to be affordable to households earning 60 percent or less of AMI, and about 16 percent of those units (7,100 units) were considered affordable to households earning 30 percent or less of AMI.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
WMATA Property Strategy in the County
The PHED Committee will close out its meeting with a briefing on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Property Strategy in the County. WMATA will present its strategies for developing its properties near Metro stops in the County into transit-oriented developments. Many of these sites are underutilized parking garages or undeveloped land. The Council’s adoption of Bill 29-20, which was spearheaded by Councilmembers Riemer and Friedson, has provided new opportunities for the County to achieve high-rise development near transit access. Bill 29-20 provides tax abatements for certain types of development on WMATA property. The Montgomery County Planning Department will join the committee and WMATA to discuss how the master plans for each of the Metro stops in the County are aligned or need further refinement for the Council to achieve transit-oriented development.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Meeting: Education and Culture (E&C) Committee
Time: 2:30 p.m.
E&C Committee: Councilmembers Craig Rice (Chair), Will Jawando (Lead for Libraries) and Nancy Navarro
Topic:
General Fund and CARES Act Funding Financial Update and Briefing for Montgomery County Public Schools and Montgomery College
The E&C Committee will receive a briefing on the general fund and the CARES Act for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and Montgomery College. The briefing will focus on a fiscal year 2021 (FY21) update from both MCPS and Montgomery College. This meeting was requested by the E&C Committee on Oct. 5 when the committee received a briefing on the reopening of schools. MCPS and Montgomery College staff will present information on the FY21 general fund expenditures and projections for the remainder of the fiscal year and CARES Act appropriations and expenditures.
Those expected to provide information to the committee include: Dr. Jack Smith, superintendent, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS); Mr. Dan Marella, associate superintendent of Finance, MCPS; Mr. Tom Klausing, executive director, Office of Finance, MCPS; Dr. Deann Collins, director of CARES Act, Early Childhood and Title I, MCPS; Dr. DeRionne Pollard, president, Montgomery College (MC); Ms. Donna Schena, senior vice president for Administrative and Fiscal Services, MC; Ms. Elizabeth Greaney, chief business and financial strategy officer, MC.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
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Release ID: 20-464