Montgomery County Council Committee Meetings on February 16, 2023

Per Montgomery County: Committee briefings on the County’s Economic Development Strategic Plan and tutoring interventions in public schools; review of FY23-28 CIP amendments for economic development, digital equity, technology services and County offices and FY23 Supplemental Appropriations and FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program Amendments for lactation rooms in County buildings, parking lot resurfacing, HVAC and electrical equipment replacement; and review of legislation related to the Board of Investment Trustees membership and a declaration of no further need in Burtonsville

The Economic Development (ECON) Committee will meet on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 9:30 a.m. to receive a briefing from the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) on the implementation of the Economic Development Strategic Plan. The committee will also review FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) amendments for Economic Development and for Digital Equity – Montgomery Connects.

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

The joint Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) and Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to discuss a declaration of no further need which would transfer a portion of Burtonsville Park and Ride Lot to First Equity Holdings.

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

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

The Education and Culture (EC) Committee will meet at 2:30 p.m. to receive a briefing on tutoring interventions in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).

The members of the EC Committee include Chair Will Jawando and Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz and Kristin Mink.

The GO Committee will meet at 2:30 p.m. to discuss FY23-28 CIP Amendments for technology services, County offices and other improvements. The committee will also discuss an FY23 Supplemental Appropriations and FY23-28 CIP Amendments for lactation rooms in County buildings, parking lot resurfacing, HVAC and electrical equipment replacement and the the Executive Office Building HVAC renovation. In addition, the committee will discuss Expedited Bill 2-23, Board of Investment Trustees – Membership – Amendments.

More detail on each agenda item is provided below.

MCEDC Briefing on the implementation of the Economic Development Strategic Plan

Briefing: The ECON Committee will receive a briefing from MCEDC on the implementation of the County’s Economic Development Strategic Plan, including a summary of progress made in this fiscal year. The Economic Development Strategic Plan imagines a future Montgomery County with a revitalized and reformed economic ecosystem that supports a growing and healthy local economy for residents to achieve their full potential and is the foundation of a livable Montgomery County. The plan foresees a stronger Montgomery County economy forged in equity and filled with growth opportunities.

FY23-28 CIP Amendments: Economic Development

Review: The ECON committee will review the FY23-28 CIP amendments for Economic Development projects. This Committee will review and make a recommendation to the Council for the White Oak Science Gateway Redevelopment CIP, which would fund the redevelopment of a 110-acre parcel on Industrial Parkway. In addition, the Committee will receive an update on the White Flint Redevelopment Program CIP, which provides for the plans, studies, analysis, and development coordination activities by the County necessary to implement redevelopment in the White Flint Sector Plan Area.

FY23-28 CIP Amendments: Digital Equity – Montgomery Connects

Review: The ECON Committee will review FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) amendments for Digital Equity – Montgomery Connects, which is the Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions (TEBS) budget item technology and telecommunications services provided to external organizations.

Declaration of No Further Need – Disposition via Transfer of a portion of Burtonsville Park and Ride Lot, located in Burtonsville, Maryland, to First Equity Holdings

Review: The joint GO and PHP Committee will review and make a recommendation to the full Council on the County Executive’s proposed disposition of approximately six acres of County owned property located in Burtonsville to First Equity Holdings. The transfer will be via a sale of the properties at fair market value and a portion of the existing County-owned Burtonsville park-and-ride lot would be used to develop 250 units of multi-family housing. In addition, First Equity plans to construct a 500-space parking garage to replace the approximately 475 surface parking spaces, which would be  owned, operated and maintained by the County. In addition, the County would retains the option to construct a second 500-space garage on the site if required in the future.

Tutoring Interventions in Montgomery County Public Schools

Briefing: The EC Committee will receive a briefing on tutoring interventions at MCPS. Tutoring support services are used to mitigate learning loss and other challenges experienced by students during and as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In January of 2022, MCPS expanded its tutoring services to enable all students access to some form of tutoring services. Information about how families can access tutoring services can be found on the MCPS website.

FY23-28 Biannual Recommended CIP amendment P342303 Business Continuity Phase II for $7,469,000

Review: The GO Committee will review a more than $7 million special appropriation for the TEBS Business Continuity Phase II Project. TEBS has launched a multiphase program to protect County systems against attacks and preserve business operations in case of a cybersecurity event. This Phase II amendment will complete ransomware recovery systems, move data to secure and encrypted environments and reduce operations costs through data management consolidation. The committee previously reviewed this project on Dec. 8, 2022.

FY23-28 Biannual Recommended CIP amendment P342102 County Radio Replacement and Related Equipment

Review: The GO Committee will discuss the County radio replacement and related equipment project, which is now completed. The projected provided upgrades to radios in use by the department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, as well as the department of Transportation, in order to meet the Federal Communications Commission mandated 800 Mhz frequency standards. There is currently an unencumbered balance of $293,000 which the County Executive has recommended be transferred to the Public Safety System Modernization project, which will be reviewed by the Public Safety committee at a later date.

FY23 Supplemental Appropriations and Recommended FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) Amendments: General Government – County Offices and Other Improvements

Review: The GO Committee will discuss FY23 Supplemental Appropriations and FY23-28 CIP Amendments for lactation rooms in County buildings, parking lot resurfacing, HVAC and electrical equipment replacement and the the Executive Office Building HVAC renovation.

Bill 11-22, which was approved on July 14, 2022 and became effective Nov. 7, 2022, requires County buildings to include a lactation room for County employees or provide alternative accommodations. To implement the requirements, the Country Executive is recommending a total of $2.15 million in FY23 and FY24 for planning and construction.

The County Executive has requested $125,000 in FY23 to resurface and modify the parking lot at Hillandale Elementary School in order to accommodate a cold storage unit.

In addition, the County Executive has recommended an appropriation to fund the design, purchase and installation of a chiller at Executive Office Building to upgrade a 40-year-old HVAC system. The project would require $3.97 million  to enter into a contract for the purchase and installation of the chiller. The County Executive has also requested a supplemental appropriation of $9.7 million fund the design, purchase and installation of chillers at Wheaton District Police Station  and the Judicial Center, which have reached the end of their expected 20 year life span.

The Executive has also requested $250,000 in FY24 for ongoing staff work and consultants to manage activities related to the potential relocation of the MCPS bus depot; a $1.5 million technical adjustment to reflect this amount in FY22 cost savings for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance project; and a technical adjustment of nearly $1 million to recognize utility incentives received from Pepco for and additional cost savings.

Expedited Bill 2-23, Board of Investment Trustees – Membership – Amendments

Review: The GO Committee will review Expedited Bill 2-23, which would modify the membership of the Board of Investment Trustees by replacing the Director of Human Resources with the Chief Labor Relations Officer as an ex-officio member, and generally amend the law regarding the administration of employees’ retirement benefits.

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

The 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: 23-050
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, Benjamin Sky Brandt 240-777-7884