For Immediate Release: Friday, January 13, 2023
The Montgomery County Council will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 10 a.m. The meeting will begin with a proclamation presented by Councilmember Kristin Mink, Council President Evan Glass and County Executive Marc Elrich to celebrate Lunar New Year.
Two additional proclamations will be presented at 1 p.m. The first, presented by Councilmember Kate Stewart and Council President Glass, will recognize the retirement of Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Executive Director Chuck Bean. The second, presented by Councilmember Dawn Luedtke and County Executive Elrich will recognize Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
Legislative Session
Introduction: Councilmember Sidney Katz will introduce Bill 1-23, which would update eligibility for certain elderly individuals and retired military service members to receive a property tax credit, increasing the assessment threshold by $50,000. This bill seeks to update the assessed value to $700,000 for senior residents and $550,000 for retired members of the military to account for increases in property values during the last few years. The existing credit amount is 20 percent of the County property tax imposed on the dwelling. The credit must be granted each year for seven years, if the individual remains eligible for the credit. Councilmembers Luedtke, Marilyn Balcombe, Natali Fani-González, Gabe Albornoz and Vice President Andrew Friedson are cosponsors of the legislation.
A public hearing is scheduled for February 7 at 1:30 p.m.
Expedited Bill 2-23, Board of Investment Trustees - Membership – Amendments
Introduction: The Council will introduce Expedited Bill 2-23, which would modify the membership of the Board of Investment Trustees by replacing the Director of Human Resources with the Chief Labor Relations Officer as an ex-officio member, and generally amend the law regarding the administration of employees’ retirement benefits.
The lead sponsor is the Council President, at the request of the County Executive. A public hearing is scheduled for February 7 at 1:30 p.m.
Expedited Bill 32-22, Department of Health and Human Services - Structure and Positions
Vote expected: The Council is expected to vote on Expedited Bill 32-22, which would establish the chief of public health services as a position in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and eliminate the chief operating officer position in the department. Additionally, the legislation would remove the requirement that the County health officer also serve as the chief of the Direct Service Division for Public Services.
The lead sponsor is Councilmember Albornoz, who was serving as Council president when the bill was introduced, at the request of the County Executive.
Introduction and vote expected: The Council is expected to introduce and vote on a resolution to approve Executive Regulation 18-22, Amendments to the Montgomery County Personnel Regulations - Performance-Based Pay. The regulation would amend the personnel regulations to provide enhanced performance-based pay for the executive director of the Montgomery County Employee Retirement Plans (MCERP). County Executive Elrich is recommending this change to recruit highly qualified investment executives.
Interview: At 2 p.m. the Council is scheduled to conduct an interview with Dr. James Bridgers for the position of chief of public health services in DHHS. Dr. Bridgers was appointed as acting chief health officer of DHHS on Sept. 8, 2021. The Montgomery County Code requires Council approval for an acting official to serve in this capacity for more than six months. On May 3, 2022, the County Executive requested that the Council approve the extension of this appointment until Sept. 8, 2022, due to the upcoming election. On July 6, 2022, the County Executive requested that the Council approve an additional extension of this appointment until March 8, 2023. Dr. Bridgers' appointment as chief of public health services will become effective upon confirmation by the Council.
Consent Calendar
Each item on the Council’s Consent Calendar can be found on the Council agenda for Tuesday, Jan. 17, which is available on the Council website.
Introduction: Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles will introduce a resolution to recognize the exiled Kashmiri Pandit refugee and asylee population in Montgomery County on Jan. 19, 2023. The resolution would recognize January 19 as Kashmiri Pandit Remembrance Day.
Receipt and release: The Council will receive and release the Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) Report 2023-1, Transferable Development Rights and Building Lot Termination Programs in Montgomery County. The report responds to the Council’s request for OLO to prepare a report that examines the history of the Transferable Development Rights (TDR) and Building Lot Termination (BLT) programs, reviews the original intent of these programs and assesses how well implementation over time has aligned with program goals and objectives.
Public Hearings
The Council will hold the following public hearings at 1:30 p.m. Residents can visit the Council website to learn about the multiple ways to provide testimony.
ZTA 22-11, Technical Corrections
Public hearing: The Council will hold a public hearing on Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 22-11, Technical Corrections, which would change the voting requirements for map amendments and zoning text amendments and make other technical corrections to the Zoning Ordinance related to expanding the Council from nine to 11 members.
The lead sponsor is Council Vice President Friedson.
ZTA 22-12, Overlay Zones Clarksburg East & West Environmental Overlay - Exemptions
Public hearing: The Council will hold a public hearing on ZTA 22-12, Overlay Zones -Clarksburg East and West Environmental Overlay - Exemptions, which would clarify that any master-planned bikeway located in the Clarksburg East or West Environmental Overlay Zone is exempt from the impervious surface restrictions. Impervious surface is a hard surface area that prevents or substantially impedes the natural infiltration of water into the underlying soil.
The lead sponsor is Council President Glass, at the request of the Planning Board.
Bill 33-22, Capital Improvements Program - Affordable Housing Feasibility Study – Required
Public hearing: The Council will hold a public hearing on Bill 33-22 Capital Improvements Program - Affordable Housing Feasibility Study – Required, which would require the County Executive to submit an affordable housing feasibility study to the Council for certain capital projects and establish a review process for the Council to determine project feasibility for colocation of affordable housing with the goal of generating more affordable housing units.
The lead sponsor is Council Vice President Friedson. The cosponsors include Councilmembers Katz and Albornoz and former Councilmembers Nancy Navarro, Craig Rice and Hans Riemer.
Public hearing and vote expected: The Council will hold a public hearing and is expected to vote on a $750,000 supplemental appropriation to the County Government’s FY23 Operating Budget to fund additional tree planting as part of the Department of Environmental Protection’s Tree Montgomery Program.
Public hearing and vote expected: The Council will hold a public hearing and is expected to vote on a supplemental appropriation for DHHS’ FY23 Operating Budget and designate a non-competitive contract award to EveryMind to operate the 988 Lifeline Call Center. The funds will support operational and administrative costs related to supplying Lifeline and 988 hotline services and additional technology and equipment expenses.
Public hearing and vote expected: The Council will hold a public hearing and is expected to vote on a supplemental appropriation to the Department of Transportation for the Chesapeake Bay Trust Urban Trees Grant award, which would provide funds for tree planting projects in Equity Focus Areas. The appropriation is needed to authorize the expenditure of the first part of a $362,470 grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust to increase the tree canopy along County roadways. The balance of the grant will be available in fiscal years 2024 and 2025.
The Council 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 recommends that residents, who choose to attend in-person Council meetings, get fully vaccinated to protect themselves and others against COVID-19. If this is not possible, virtual participation is encouraged.
Council and committee meetings are 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: 23-007