Montgomery County Council and Committee Meetings on February 27, 2023

Per Montgomery County: Council meets to review state legislation; Committees meet for briefing about the opioid epidemic’s impact on young people, to review legislation focused on common ownership communities and forest conservation, make recommendations on multiple Fiscal Year 2023-2028 Capital Improvements Program amendments and review WSSC Water’s six-year capital budget 

The Montgomery County Council will meet on Monday, Feb. 27 at 12:30 p.m. to review state legislation and may choose to take positions on the bills. The Health and Human Services (HHS), Education and Culture (EC) and Public Safety (PS) Committees will meet at 9:30 a.m. to receive a briefing on the County’s response to the opioid crisis affecting young people in Montgomery County. The members of the HHS Committee include Chair Gabe Albornoz and Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Laurie-Anne Sayles. The members of the EC Committee include Chair Will Jawando and Councilmembers Albornoz and Kristin Mink. The members of the PS Committee include Chair Sidney Katz and Councilmembers Luedtke and Mink.

The Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to discuss FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) amendments for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), the Burtonsville Community Revitalization Project, and affordable housing acquisition and preservation. The Committee will also discuss an FY23 supplemental appropriation and FY23-28 CIP amendment for Agricultural Land Preservation Easements and review Bill 28-22, Common Ownership Communities – Duties, Requirements and Procedures. The members of the PHP Committee include Chair Andrew Friedson and Councilmembers Natali Fani-González and Jawando.

The Transportation and Environment (TE) Committee will also meet at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the FY24-29 CIP for WSSC Water and FY23-28 CIP amendments for the conservation of natural resources, and recycling and resource management. The Committee will also review Bill 25-22, Forest Conservation – Trees. The members of the TE Committee include Chair Evan Glass and Councilmembers Marilyn Balcombe and Kate Stewart. More detail on each agenda item is provided below.

State Legislation

Review: The Council will meet to review state legislation and may choose to take positions on the bills. The staff report will be available by Monday, Feb. 27.

Opioid and Fentanyl Crisis with our Youth

Briefing: The HHS, EC and PS Committees will receive a briefing about the County’s response to the opioid crisis. The meeting will include a broad discussion on the strategies County agencies are deploying to reduce and eliminate opioids including fentanyl exposure and overdoses among young people in the County. Fentanyl is increasingly being found in the illicit drug supply across the country. Even in small doses, fentanyl exposure can cause a life-threatening overdose.

Data shared by the Montgomery County Police Department shows overdoses among residents 21 years of age rose by 77 percent in 2022. There were 48 youth overdoses in 2022, 11 of which were fatal. This is compared to 2021, when there were 27 reported youth overdoses, five of which were fatal.

Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program Amendments

Review: The PHP Committee will review the FY23-28 CIP amendments for M-NCPPC and Montgomery Parks, which provides residents with safe and accessible places to gather, enjoy the outdoors and participate in healthy, recreational activities in Montgomery County. In May of 2022, the Council approved the $276 million FY23-28 CIP for M-NCPPC and approved a supplemental appropriation of more than $8.9 million for the creation of two additional public parks as part of the Farm Women’s Market lot 24 and lot 10 redevelopment.

This year, the commission has not requested any further amendments to the FY23-28 CIP; however, the County Executive has included an Affordability Reconciliation Project Description within the recommended CIP that reduces expenditures by $500,000 each year between FY26 and FY28, for a total reduction of $1.5 million.

Department of Housing and Community Development FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program Amendments 

Review: The PHP Committee will review the FY23-28 CIP amendments for DHCA and ongoing community revitalization in the Burtonsville area commercial core. In addition, the committee will discuss ongoing funding for the acquisition and renovation of properties for the purpose of preserving and increasing the County’s affordable housing inventory.

Amendment to the FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program and Supplemental Appropriation to the FY23 Capital Budget for the Agricultural Land Preservation Easement Project, $2,641,207.72

Review: The PHP Committee will review a more than $2.6 million amendment to the FY23-28 CIP and supplemental appropriation for the Agricultural Land Preservation Easement Project, which provides funds for the purchase of agricultural and conservation easements under the County Agricultural Land Preservation legislation.

This increase in funding is due to the Office of Agriculture receiving a more than $1.3 million FY23 State Rural Legacy Grant and a more than FY22 State Agricultural Transfer Tax exceeding projections by more than $1.3 million. These additional funds will be used to directly purchase agricultural preservation easements.

Bill 28-22 Common Ownership Communities – Duties, Requirements and Procedures

Review: The PHP Committee will review Bill 28-22, Common Ownership Communities – Duties, Requirements and Procedures, which would amend the Montgomery County Code to require periodic training of members of a governing board of a common ownership community; clarify common ownership community registration, voting and dispute resolution procedures; and outline criteria that the County’s Commission on Common Ownership Communities considers in accepting jurisdiction over a dispute involving a common ownership community.

The lead sponsor is former Council President Albornoz, at the request of the County Executive.

FY24-29 Capital Improvements Program for WSSC Water

Review: The TE Committee will review the FY24-29 CIP for WSSC Water and the agency’s spending affordability assumptions and long-range financial plan. Under Maryland Public Utilities Code, WSSC Water must prepare and submit a six-year CIP proposal to the County Executives and County Councils of Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties by Oct. 1 of each year. Unlike other County agency CIP proposals that are reviewed biennially, Montgomery County reviews the WSSC Water CIP every year.

Conservation of Natural Resources, Storm Drains and Stormwater Management FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program Amendments 

Review: The TE Committee will review the approved $36.2 million FY23-28 CIP for storm drains. The Council approved an increase in funding for several projects last year to begin to address the project’s backlog. In addition, the Council will review the approved $119.4 million FY23-28 CIP amendments for stormwater management, which will be used to meet the impervious area retrofit requirement in the County’s current Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System permit issued by the Maryland Department of the Environment to advance Chesapeake Bay restoration and reduce flooding.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) Division of Transportation Engineering manages the County storm drains program. Properly functioning storm drains remove excess water from the roads, ensuring safer road conditions while also protecting roads from water damage. Stormwater management is a shared responsibility among several County departments and agencies, including the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Permitting Services, DOT and WSSC Water.

Recycling and Resource Management FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program Amendments 

Review: The TE Committee will review the $49.5 million FY23-28 CIP for Recycling and Resource Management. The County Executive has recommended amendments to account for substantial cost increases for machinery and equipment required to upgrade the existing recycling center complex and additional technical adjustments to reflect lower costs for the now completed Transfer Station Fire Detection and Suppression System.

Bill 25-22, Forest Conservation – Trees Forest Conservation – Trees Regulations

Review: The TE Committee will review Bill 25-22, Forest Conservation – Trees, which contains changes to the County’s Forest Conservation Law and Forest Conservation Regulations. The amendments to the Forest Conservation Law and regulations will help the County achieve greater forest planting and forest conservation with a goal of no net loss.

The lead sponsor is former Council President Albornoz, at the request of the Planning Board.

The Council or 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 recommends that residents, who choose to attend in-person Council or committee 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: 23-058
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, Benjamin Sky Brandt 240-777-7884