County Council Meets on Tuesday, April 16 Continue Review of the FY25-30 Capital Improvements Program

The Montgomery County Council will meet on Tuesday, April 16 at 9am to continue their review of the FY25-30 Capital Improvements Program. There will then be a joint committee meeting held at 3pm. Full details below courtesy Montgomery County:

Per the news release: Also on April 16: Council expected to vote on supplemental funding for BlackRock Center for the Arts; Economic Development Committee will introduce legislation to establish a business incentive grant program to encourage businesses to locate, relocate or expand office space in the County; Joint Planning, Housing and Parks and Transportation and Environment Committee will review request to transfer the Resurfacing Park Roads Project to Montgomery Parks

The Montgomery County Council will meet on Tuesday, April 16 at 9 a.m. The meeting will begin with two proclamation presentations. The first proclamation, led by Council President Andrew Friedson and Councilmembers Sidney Katz and Evan Glass, will recognize Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day). The second, led by Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles and Sidney Katz, will recognize the 15th Anniversary of the Gaithersburg Book Festival.

The joint Transportation and Environment (TE) and Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee will meet at 3 p.m. to review a request from the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) to transfer the Resurfacing Park Roads Project from the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) to the Parks Department.

The members of the TE Committee include Chair Evan Glass, Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe and Vice President Kate Stewart.

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

More detail on each agenda item is provided below.

Bill 10-24, Contracts and Procurement – Local Small Business Reserve Program (LSBRP) – Veteran-Owned Business Preference Points

Introduction: The Council will introduce Bill 10-24, Contracts and Procurement – Local Small Business Reserve Program (LSBRP) – Veteran-Owned Business Preference Points, which would implement veteran-owned business preference points under the Local Small Business Reserve Program. In addition, the bill outlines the eligibility criteria for the Veteran-Owned Business Preference Points under the Local Small Business Reserve Program.

Bill 10-24 would enable veteran-owned local small businesses to gain access to more County procurement opportunities by awarding preference points of five percent to certified, veteran-owned local small businesses that submit a proposal in response to a County request for proposal (RFP). A small business must have a valid veteran-owned small business (VOSB) or service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB) certificate from the U.S. Small Business Administration or the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to be eligible for the preference points.

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

Bill 11-24, Finance – Economic Development Fund – Make Office Vacancy Extinct (MOVE) Grant Program – Established

Introduction: Lead Sponsors Councilmember Glass, Natali Fani-González, Marilyn Balcombe and Sayles will introduce Bill 11-24, Finance – Economic Development Fund – Make Office Vacancy Extinct (MOVE) Grant Program – Established, which would establish a business incentive grant program under the Economic Development Fund to support eligible businesses with the rental costs of locating, relocating or expanding office space in the County. Additionally, the bill would codify incentives for new businesses relocating to the County currently provided under the make office vacancy extinct (MOVE) pilot grant program, provide incentives to new and existing businesses expanding operations in the County and set eligibility criteria for how businesses qualify for the program incentives.

The bill would also codify and update substantive provisions of the existing Make Office Vacancy Extinct (MOVE) Program, which was introduced as a pilot program in March 2014 to provide relocation grants to businesses to assist with rental costs of moving back to the County. The purpose of the bill is to eliminate office vacancies and make to make the program law. Council Vice President Stewart and Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Kristin Mink are cosponsors of the legislation.

Supplemental Appropriation #24-67 to the FY24 Operating Budget, Montgomery County Government, Department of General Services, BlackRock Center for the Arts, $260,000

Vote expected: The Council is expected to vote on a $260,000 supplemental appropriation for the Department of General Services and the BlackRock Center for the Arts. The funds are needed to support indirect costs associated with community use, the artistic program, educational programs and equipment and supplies. The joint EC and GO Committee reviewed this request on April 3, 2024, and voted to approve with an amendment with a request for the Executive branch to amend the 2018 lease between the County and Germantown Cultural Arts Center, Inc. to add a Council-appointed representative on BlackRock’s board of trustees.

FY25-30 Capital Improvements Program

County Offices and Other Improvements and Other General Government

Review: The Council will review the County Offices and Other Improvements FY25-35 Capital Improvements Program (CIP), which includes more than $171 million over the six-year period. This represents a decrease of $22.3 million, or 11.5 percent, from the previously approved Amended FY23-28 CIP. The reduction is primarily due to the closeout of the Energy Systems Modernization project and the completion of sub-projects in the HVAC/Electrical Replacement: MCG project.

The Council will also review the recommended Other General Government FY25-30 CIP, which includes $8 million over the six-year period. This represents a decrease of $6.2 million, or 44.6 percent, from the previously approved Amended FY23-28 CIP. During this meeting, the GO Committee will review several specific projects, including: the new County Fleet Electric Vehicle Charging Stations project; scope and cost changes to the Facility Planning project; schedule and affordability adjustments for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance; scope, schedule and affordability adjustments for Red Brick Courthouse structural repairs; and receive an update on amendments to the Council Office Building Renovations CIP. Remaining projects within this subcategory are administered by Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) and will be reviewed by the Economic Development (ECON) Committee on April 25 along with review of the ABS operating budget.

The GO Committee has concurred with the County Executive’s recommendation for all projects in these CIP categories. In addition, the committee recommends an additional $971,000 in FY25 to the Council Office Building (COB) Renovations CIP to fund accessibility and usability improvements.

Revenue Authority

Review: The Council 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. The ECON Committee concurs with all projects in the Revenue Authority’s recommended CIP.

Public Safety Technology Project – Correction and Rehabilitation Information Management System

Review: The Council 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 cost of $365,000 is 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. The joint Public Safety (PS) and GO Committee recommends approval of the CIP project.

There are four additional projects 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.

Technology and Business Services (TEBS)

Review: The Council will review the more than $88 million FY25-35 CIP recommended for TEBS. This is a more than $12 million reduction from the FY23-28 amended CIP. The reduction is due to the completion of previously approved projects. There are two new projects in the CIP. The new projects include the County Building Network Wiring project and the Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) Replacement project. The wiring project is a multiyear effort to provide network wiring installation and maintenance services to all County buildings. DWDM replacement is a one-time project to replace aging communications technology.

The CIP also includes the Digital Equity Montgomery Connects project, which will ensure the County continues to help residents with lower incomes access high-quality broadband services. The CIP will continue to invest in the FiberNet program, fund a new public safety server hardware program to replace end of life servers for public safety systems and fund the County Radio Life Cycle Replacement project, which will continue to provide for the phased replacement of outdated voice radio systems used primarily by the County’s public safety agencies.

Consent Calendar

Each item on the Council’s Consent Calendar can be found on the Council agenda for Tuesday, April 16, which is available on the Council website.

Public Hearings

Unless otherwise noted, the Council will hold the following hybrid public hearings at 1:30 p.m.  Residents can visit the Council website to learn about the multiple ways to provide testimony.

• FY25 Transportation Fees, Charges, and Fares
• Resolution to set FY25 Property Tax Credit for Income Tax Offset
• FY25 Capital Budget and the FY25-30 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) Projects including, Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) Conveyor System Upgrade, ABS Delivery Trucks Purchase, County Fleet Electric Vehicle Charging Stations,Early Care and Education Facility Fund, Fire Station Refurbishment, Life Sciences and Technology Centers, New Organics Processing Facility, Seven Locks Road Culvert Replacement, andnd White Oak Commercial Area Improvements and Revitalization
• Amendment to the FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program and Supplemental Appropriation #24-65 to the FY24 Capital Budget, Montgomery County Government, Department of General Services, Judicial Security Improvements (No. 362401), $500,000
• Supplemental Appropriation #24-72 to the FY24 Operating Budget, Montgomery County Government, Department of Health and Human Services, Shelter Services, Overflow, and Security Expansion $1,739,394 ; and Amendment to FY24 Operating Budget Resolution 20-184, Section G, Designation of Entities for Non-Competitive Contract Award Status: The Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless, Inc. and Interfaith Works, Inc.
• Supplemental Appropriation #24-73 to the FY24 Operating Budget, Montgomery County Government, Department of Health and Human Services, MoCo Pride Center, Inc., $200,000; and Amendment to the FY24 Operating Budget Resolution 20-184, Section G, FY24 Designation of Entities for Non-Competitive Contract Award Status: MoCo Pride Center, Inc., $200,000

Committee meeting on Tuesday, April 16

Transfer of Resurfacing Park Roads Project from MCDOT to Parks

Review: The joint TE and PHP Committee will review a request from the M-NCPPC to transfer the Resurfacing Park Roads Project from MCDOT to the Parks Department. The M-NCPPC CIP request for FY25-30 was reviewed by the PHP Committee on March 11. The CIP included a transfer from MCDOT to M-NCPPC of approximately $3.9 million for the Resurfacing Park Roads Project Description Form (PDF). During its technical review, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) removed the $3.9 million transfer of the Parks Road PDF from the M-NCPPC Recommended FY25-30 CIP, indicating that the transfers must be within the same category or agency. The committee will consider the request and the details provided in a letter dated March 6, from Miti Figueredo, director of Montgomery Parks, to Council President Friedson explaining the rational for the transfer.