Ways to Participate in Montgomery County Council Public Hearings, In-Person Meetings Resume March 15

Per Montgomery County:

Rockville, Md., March 8, 2022—The Montgomery County Council will return to in-person meetings on Tuesday, March 15, 2022 and will continue to offer residents multiple ways to provide public hearing testimony. Residents will continue to have the opportunity to testify remotely for public hearings or provide in-person testimony at the Council Office Building in Rockville.

Residents can also provide prerecorded audio or video testimony to the Council which is posted on the Council’s webpage. Moreover, individuals can submit written testimony.

Providing multiple ways for residents to give public hearing testimony helps promote increased participation among all Montgomery County residents.

“One of the things we have learned during the pandemic is that giving our residents the opportunity participate in the legislative process remotely has expanded the diversity of views expressed on essential public policy issues and has greatly increased participation,” said Council President Gabe Albornoz. “Maintaining the option to testify remotely at Council public hearings allows us to hear from residents who may otherwise not be able to join an in-person meeting because of job responsibilities, childcare concerns or mobility issues.”

For in-person Council meetings, residents will need to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination indicating at least two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to enter the Council hearing rooms located on the third and seventh floors of the Council Office Building. If this is not possible, residents will be given instructions about how to view and participate in the Council meetings remotely.

The Council will provide an update on returning to in-person committee meetings, after Council staff and Councilmembers have been fully trained on the new technology that was recently completed in the third-floor hearing room.

“All our public health experts agree that getting vaccinated is still the best way for individuals to protect themselves and others from developing Covid-19,” said Council President Albornoz. “While our community is fortunate to have some of the highest vaccination rates in the nation, we continue to encourage residents who haven’t gotten vaccinated or boosted to do so as soon as possible.”

All Council and committee meetings will continue to be broadcast live on County Cable Montgomery (Comcast Channel 996, RCN Channel 1056 and Verizon Channel 30) and streamed on the Council’s Facebook and YouTubepages. These meetings are also archived on the Council’s webpage.