For Immediate Release: Tuesday, February 9, 2021
The Public Safety Committee will meet virtually at 10:15 a.m. and the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee will meet virtually at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 10. 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 committee meeting schedule may change from time to time. The current 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 meeting 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).
Meeting: Public Safety (PS) Committee
Time: 10:15 a.m.
PS Committee: Councilmember Sidney Katz (Chair), Council Vice President Gabe Albornoz and Council President Tom Hucker
Topic:
Fiscal Year 2021 Savings Plan
The Public Safety Committee will meet to review $7.83 million in proposed budget savings for the following departments: Animal Services, Consumer Protection, Correction and Rehabilitation, Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Fire and Rescue, Police and the State's Attorney's Office. Most of the recommended savings reflect operational changes due to COVID-19 public health related impacts. Both the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service and the Police Department have reduced recruit classes, which may impact staffing in FY22. The County Executive has also proposed $100,000 in reductions to faith-based security grants for the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, which also reflects COVID-19 related community impacts given the lower number of in-person religious events.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
Meeting: Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee
Time: 2:30 p.m.
PHED Committee: Councilmembers Hans Riemer (Chair), Andrew Friedson (Lead for Parks), and Will Jawando
Topics:
Proposed Revisions to Bethesda Urban Partnership (BUP) Bylaws
The PHED Committee will receive an update on proposed revisions to the bylaws of the Bethesda Urban Partnership (BUP) and make a recommendation regarding the approval of the bylaws.
The current version of the BUP bylaws was approved by the Council in 2006. The Montgomery County Code specifies that any later amendment to the bylaws must be submitted to the County Council and County Executive for approval at least 60 days before the board of directors takes final action on the amendment. All bylaws must be filed with the County Executive within five working days of adoption. The code also outlines provisions governing the urban district corporation’s board of directors, employees, powers, budget, finance, administration, termination, dissolution and other organizational matters. The revised bylaws make several technical changes, including updating specific citations in the state code, specifying “Bethesda” when referencing the Urban District, specifying “Maryland” when referencing the Open Meetings Act, and other minor clarifications. More details can be found in the staff report.
The Council staff report and be viewed here.
ZTA 19-07, Telecommunications Towers - Limited Use
The PHED Committee will also review ZTA 19-07, Telecommunications Towers - Limited Use. Councilmember Riemer is the lead sponsor, and Council Vice President Albornoz and Councilmember Rice are cosponsors of this zoning measure. This ZTA would allow poles with antennas as a limited use in residential zones where the pole would replace a pre-existing utility pole, streetlight pole, or site plan-approved parking lot light pole. The ZTA would also amend the conditional use standards in residential zones for poles that are under 50 feet and do not meet the limited use standards and allow the batching of conditional use applications. The intent of this ZTA is for the County to set its own standards for telecommunications towers to avoid less favorable standards, while allowing a robust 5G network. This session will renew discussions on this topic, and a vote will follow at a later date.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
###
Release ID: 21-048