County Council to Hold Committee Meetings on Monday, Dec. 4

Per Montgomery County: “Committees will review supplemental appropriations for the Germantown Incubator, rent stabilization and enhancements to the Montgomery County Police Department’s crime lab, discuss end-of-year operating budget transfers, the Technology Business Enterprise Solutions work plan, the restaurant industry and the County’s permitting process, legislation related to the County’s right of first refusal to buy rental housing and site plan requirements in the Fenton Village Overlay Zone and receive a briefing on cannabis impaired driving and enforcement 

The joint Economic Development (ECON) and Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee will meet on Monday, Dec. 4 at 9:30 a.m. to discuss a $400,000 supplemental appropriation to convert vacant office space to wet labs at the Germantown Incubator on Montgomery College’s Germantown Campus.

The members of the ECON Committee include Chair Natali Fani-González, Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe, Council President Evan Glass and Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles.

The members of the GO Committee include Chair Kate Stewart, Council Vice President Andrew Friedson and Councilmember Sidney Katz.

The ECON Committee will meet at 10 a.m. to discuss the restaurant industry and County approvals required to establish a restaurant. In addition, the committee will discuss the plan review and permitting processes with representatives from the Department of Permitting Services (DPS).

The GO Committee will meet at 10 a.m. to discuss a resolution to approve end-of-year transfers for the County government’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Operating Budget and the Technology Business Enterprise Solutions (TEBS) work plan approved with the FY24 budget.

The joint Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) and GO Committee will meet at 1 p.m. to discuss a more than $1.3 million special appropriation needed to implement Bill 15-23, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Rent Stabilization.

The members of the PHP Committee include Chair Friedson and Councilmembers Fani-González and Will Jawando.

The PHP Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to discuss Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 23-06, Fenton Village (FV) Overlay Zone – Site Plan, and Expedited Bill 38-23, Tenant Displacement – Right of First Refusal to Buy Rental Housing – Amendments.

The Public Safety (PS) Committee will meet at 2 p.m. to discuss a $499,993 supplemental appropriation which will fund enhancements to the Montgomery County Police Department’s (MCPD) crime laboratory and receive a briefing about cannabis impaired driving and enforcement.

The members of the PS Committee include Chair Katz and Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Kristin Mink.

More detail on each agenda item is provided below.

Supplemental Appropriation #24-36 to the FY24 Capital Budget Montgomery County Government, Office of the County Executive, Business Center Life Sciences and Technology Centers (No. 789057) $400,000

Review: The joint ECON and GO Committee will meet to discuss a $400,000 supplemental appropriation to convert vacant office space to wet labs at the Germantown Incubator on Montgomery College’s Germantown Campus. In FY22, the Council approved a project to convert the vacant office space; however, the appropriation is needed due to delays and accompanying cost increases in the project.

Prior County efforts and studies, including the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation’s Bio Lab Pilot Project and the Planning Department’s work on the Great Seneca Corridor, have highlighted the need for additional small wet lab space at the same time that the demand for office space has decreased. While there is significant demand for wet lab space, it is very difficult for small life sciences businesses to finance the capital costs of wet labs. The availability of rental space at a reasonable cost will help foster the growth of emerging businesses in this sector.

Approval Process for Restaurants

Review: The ECON Committee will meet to discuss the restaurant industry and County approvals required to establish a restaurant. Representatives from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), DPS and the County’s Business Center will provide an overview of their roles in the process, including the approval of licenses and permits.

Department of Permitting Services Process Initiatives

Review: The ECON Committee will meet with representatives from DPS to receive an overview of the plan review and permitting processes and discuss the department’s performance targets. The meeting will include discussion of the average and actual plan review and permit issuance turnaround times for the most popular permit types. In addition, DPS will share the results of its recent customer satisfaction survey and provide technology updates.

Resolution to approve end-of-year transfers for the County Government’s FY23 Operating Budget

Review: The GO Committee will meet to discuss a resolution to transfer spending authority from departments that spent less than the appropriated amount to departments that spent more than the appropriated amount in FY23. The Council appropriates the operating budget by category and some department’s expenditures exceed the appropriations in certain categories. The year-end transfer must be completed before the County can complete its independent audit and report its audit results to the state.

Technology Business Enterprise Solutions

Review: The GO Committee will meet to review the TEBS FY24 work plan as approved with the FY24 budget. The discussion will include a presentation with an overview of website initiatives, how TEBS is evolving to provide services to departments that have their own IT teams, and how the County is approaching emerging artificial intelligence technologies, and how the Council office can modernize its IT capacity.

Special Appropriation #24-14 to the FY24 Operating Budget, Montgomery County Government, Department of Housing and Community Affairs, Rent Stabilization Bill – $1,374,470

Review: The joint PHP and GO Committee will meet to review a more than $1.3 million special appropriation needed to implement Bill 15-23 Landlord-Tenant Relations – Rent Stabilization. As part of the bill’s requirements, the Department of Housing and Community Affairs will be responsible for reviewing and approving certain rent increases, grant exemptions and generally managing the program. This request will fund a new Rent Stabilization Office and an online website related to all rent stabilization matters, including landlord petitions and tenant complaints and an online portal for landlords to report the mandated rent increase data.

ZTA 23-06, Fenton Village (FV) Overlay Zone – Site Plan

Review: The PHP Committee will review ZTA 23-06, Fenton Village (FV) Overlay Zone – Site Plan, which would remove the site plan requirement for certain projects in the Fenton Village Overlay Zone. Under the current zoning ordinance, site plan approval is required for any development in the Fenton Village Overlay Zone. ZTA 23-06 will exempt minor developments from site plan approval, including any addition, reconstruction or exterior alteration that is one-story, up to a maximum of 15 feet and/or that changes the gross floor area by less than 1,000 square feet. The minimum setbacks in the underlying zone will also need to be met.

The lead sponsors of ZTA 23-06 are Council President Glass and Councilmember Stewart.

Expedited Bill 38-23, Tenant Displacement – Right of First Refusal to Buy Rental Housing – Amendments

Review: The PHP Committee will review Expedited Bill 38-23, Tenant Displacement – Right of First Refusal to Buy Rental Housing – Amendments and Executive Regulation, which would amend County Code to allow the County Executive to designate a qualified entity that may exercise the right of first refusal. The purpose of the bill is to increase access to affordable housing and enable the County to more effectively evaluate and exercise the right of first refusal on the purchase of rental housing by delegating the ability to qualified entities.

The lead sponsor is the Council president at the request of the County Executive.

Supplemental Appropriation #24-31 to the FY24 Operating Budget Montgomery County Government, Department of Police Bureau of Justice Assistance Grant Programs FY23 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program – Competitive Grant Award, $499,993

Review: The PS Committee will meet to discuss a $499,993 supplemental appropriation which will fund enhancements to the MCPD crime laboratory. The increase is needed to appropriate federal grant funding awarded to MCPD to support equipment acquisition, contracted staff support, training and professional development for the department’s crime laboratory to reduce backlogs and strengthen community safety.

Cannabis Enforcement Including Driving While Impaired

Briefing: The PS Committee will receive a briefing on cannabis impaired driving and enforcement. Cannabis use has been shown to impact driving ability by increasing lane weaving, delayed reaction time, decreased coordination and distorted perception. In 2022, Maryland voters approved a referendum to legalize the recreational use of cannabis for adults 21 and older, joining 23 other states and Washington, D.C., where recreational cannabis use is legal.

During this briefing, MCPD representatives will provide an overview of targeted enforcement of impaired driving laws. The detection of cannabis-impaired driving is more complex than drunk driving and there is no equivalent of a breathalyzer to determine the level of cannabis impairment, and no per se measure of intoxicated driving. Instead, police use field sobriety testing to determine whether someone should not be driving, which depends on evidence-based officer training.