Montgomery County Council to Hold Public Hearings and Committee Meetings on Monday, April 8

The Montgomery County Council will hold public hearings and committee meetings on Monday, April 8. Full details below courtesy Montgomery County:

Council will hold afternoon and evening public hearings on FY25 Operating Budget, the FY25-30 Public Services Program and Fiscal Policy for Montgomery County Government, Montgomery College, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, WSSC Water and MCPS; Committees will review an appropriation for the Fire and Rescue Service and FY25-30 CIPs for public safety-related IT projects and the Revenue Authority

On Monday, April 8 starting at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., the Council will hold public hearings on the FY25 Operating Budget and FY25-30 Public Services Program and Fiscal Policy for Montgomery County Government, Montgomery College, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), WSSC Water and Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).

The joint Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) and Public Safety (PS) Committee will meet at 9 a.m. to review a $134,190 supplemental appropriation for the administration of COVID booster vaccinations for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) personnel. In addition, the committee will review the Correction and Rehabilitation Information Management System upgrade within the FY25-30 CIP for public safety-related Information Technology (IT) projects.

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

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

The Economic Development (ECON) Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. to review the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-2030 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) for the Revenue Authority.

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

More detail on each agenda item is provided below.

Supplemental Appropriation #24-40 to the FY24 Operating Budget, Montgomery County Government, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, IAFF COVID Booster Vaccinations, $134,190

Review: The GO Committee will review a $134,190 supplemental appropriation for the administration of COVID booster vaccinations for MCFRS personnel. This increase is needed to support COVID booster vaccinations for career firefighters as required by the County’s collective bargaining agreement with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), Local 1664. MCFRS adheres to CDC guidance for vaccinations and recommendations on vaccination. There is no mandate for vaccination and all MCFRS personnel will be eligible based on a voluntary basis and availability.

General Government – Technology Services FY25-30 CIP

Review: The joint GO and PS Committee will review the Correction and Rehabilitation Information Management System upgrade within the FY25-30 CIP for public safety-related IT projects. For this project, $100,000 is recommended to be shifted to FY25 from the existing project, while total project costs are expected to remain the same. The project was shifted to the management of the Department of Technology Enterprise and Business Solutions (TEBS) and requires an upgrade to meet County enterprise security standards. The system is operated at all hours and provides critical support for all jurisdictions that have arrest power in Montgomery County to process arrests and warrants in a timely fashion within Maryland statutory requirements. It is utilized by more than 20 local, state and federal agencies, including Montgomery County’s Police Department, Sheriff’s Office and Fire and Rescue Service.

This meeting continues the committee’s discussion on Feb. 26, during which four additional projects were reviewed in the CIP for public safety-related IT projects. The CIP includes more than $30 million in funding over the six-year period for the County Radio Life Cycle Replacement Program, which provides for the phased replacement of voice radio systems used primarily by the County’s public safety and first responder agencies. The Dickerson Radio Tower project includes $2 million in funding over the six-year period to support the installation of a 450-foot communications tower near the Public Safety Radio System equipment shelter. A new project includes $900,000 during the six-year period to replace servers and data storage that supports a public safety virtual private network and provide services for public safety clients. More than $1.6 million is included during the six-year period to complete the Law Enforcement Records Management System within the ongoing Public Safety System Modernization Project.

Revenue Authority FY25-30 CIP

Review: The ECON Committee will review the recommended $11.8 million FY25-30 CIP for the Revenue Authority, which is nearly $5.5 million less than the amended FY23-28 CIP. The decrease is because projects have been completed since the previously approved CIP, which includes the Crossvines Poolesville Economic Development Project. To fund its six-year CIP, the Revenue Authority is authorized to issue revenue bonds and other debt instruments, which are repaid from user fees collected from facilities. Projects at the Montgomery County Airpark may also receive state or federal grants, including from the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) and Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). Existing projects included in the CIP include three projects at the Montgomery County Airpark, and repairs or upgrades to the Falls Road, Needwood, Poolesville and Rattlewood golf courses.