For Immediate Release: Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Committees will review legislation to prohibit no-rehire clauses in County employee settlement agreements, receive an update on the public safety radio system, review a study on reassigning traffic enforcement from the Police Department to the Department of Transportation and review FY23 WSSC Water Spending Control Limits
The Government Operation and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee will meet on Thursday, Oct. 14 at 9:45 a.m. to review Bill 32-21, Personnel - Employee Settlement Agreements with No-Rehire Clause -Prohibited. The members of the GO Committee include Chair Nancy Navarro and Councilmembers Andrew Friedson and Sidney Katz.
The joint GO and Public Safety (PS) Committee will meet at 10:15 a.m. to receive an update on the public safety radio system. The members of the PS Committee include Chair Sidney Katz, Council Vice President Gabe Albornoz and Council President Tom Hucker.
The joint Transportation and Environment (T&E) and PS Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to review OLO Report 2021-10, which is a study on reassigning traffic enforcement from the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) to the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT). The members of the T&E Committee include Chair and Council President Tom Hucker and Councilmembers Evan Glass and Hans Riemer.
The T&E Committee will meet at 2:30 p.m. to review WSSC Water’s FY23 spending control limits.
Bill 32-21, Personnel – Employee Settlement Agreements with No-Rehire Clause – Prohibited
Review: The GO Committee will review Bill 32-21, Personnel – Employee Settlement Agreements with No-Rehire Clause – Prohibited. The purpose of the bill is to prohibit “no-rehire” clauses from County employee settlement agreements. Council President Hucker is the lead sponsor of the legislation.
When an employee files an employment dispute or claim against the County, and a settlement agreement is offered, it currently contains a no-rehire clause that prevents the employee from seeking future employment opportunities with the County. This automatic bar prohibits County employees who may have gained several years of knowledge, skills and abilities from returning to County employment, even after the dispute has been settled.
The bill also provides an exemption to include a no-rehire clause, if the County and the employee mutually agree or if the employee by the Chief Administrative Offer or agency head was terminated for cause. In addition, the bill provides the option for an aggrieved employee to file an appeal with the County’s Merit System Protection Board, if a decision was made to include the no-rehire clause in the settlement agreement.
Briefing: The joint GO and PS Committee will receive an update on the public safety radio system, which provides communication among the 911 call center (Public Safety Communication Center), police, fire and ambulance deployment. Last March, the County switched over to an upgraded public safety radio system that uses newer technology with added redundancy to avoid service disruptions. The new system was approved by the Council and funds were appropriated by the Council for its construction as part of the Capital Improvements Program as the Public Safety System Modernization project. The Council also pushed to keep the tower sites on schedule. The new system became operational in Feb. 2021 for the Police Department and in March 2021 for Fire and Rescue and the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, the Department of Transportation and other government users.
Those expected to attend and provide information include Gerry Adcock, radio system manager, Department of Technology Enterprise and Business Solutions (TEBS); Mike Baltrotsky, assistant chief, technology section chief, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS); Darren Francke, assistant chief, Management Services Bureau, Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD); and Cassandra Onley, director, Emergency Communications Center, MCPD.
Review: The joint T&E and PS Committee will discuss OLO Report 2021-10, which responds to the Council’s request to examine traffic enforcement in the County and to report on the feasibility and the implications of reassigning routine traffic enforcement from the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) to the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT). The report describes the County’s traffic enforcement strategies, structure and legal basis; the Vision Zero program and its relationship to traffic enforcement; and research on alternate means of traffic enforcement and strategies to reduce bias.
Those expected to attend and provide information include Marcus Jones, chief, Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD); Marc Yamada, assistant chief, MCPD; Christopher Conklin, director, Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT); Michael Paylor, chief of traffic, MCDOT; Emil Wolanin, deputy director for operations, MCDOT; Wade Holland, coordinator, Vision Zero; and Haley Roberts, assistant county attorney, Office of the County Attorney.
FY23 WSSC Water Spending Control Limits
Review: The T&E Committee will review and make recommendations to the full Council on the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) WSSC Water Spending Control Limits. WSSC’s spending control limits process was established in April 1994 via resolution by both Montgomery and Prince George’s County Councils, with the goal of both Councils agreeing on certain budgetary limits by Nov. 1 of each year.
WSSC is the bi-county governmental agency charged with providing water and sanitary sewer service within the Washington Suburban Sanitary District, which includes most of Montgomery County and Prince George’s County.
Those expected to attend and provide information representing WSSC Water include Joe Beach, deputy general manager for administration; James Price, deputy general manager for operations; Monica Johnson, deputy general manager for strategy and partnerships; Patti Colihan, chief financial officer; Letitia Carolina-Powell, budget division manager; Julie Pohutsky, budget section manager; Fariha Babar, incoming budget section manager; and Brian Halloran, capital budget section manager. Those expected to attend and provide information representing the County Government include Steve Shofar, division chief, Intergovernmental Affairs, Department of Environmental Protection and Rafael Murphy, fiscal and policy analyst, Office of Management and Budget.
The Committee meeting schedule may change from time to time. The current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review can be viewed at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.
The Council and committees are meeting via Zoom this fall because of ongoing construction and technology upgrades in the Council's Hearing Room and the inability to conduct meetings in a socially distant way in other areas of the Council Office Building with television broadcast capacity. Councilmembers will continue to hold meetings in their offices by appointment.
The virtual Council and committee meetings will be streamed live on the Council’s web page via YouTube and on Facebook Live and can be watched on County Cable Montgomery on Xfinity/RCN 6 HD 996/1056, Fios 30, and on the CCM live stream.
Release ID: 21-398