MoCo Government

Expedited Bill 25-22, Forest Conservation – Trees, in companion with the resolution to approve Montgomery County Planning Board Regulation No. 25-22 on Forest Conservation – Trees, will amend Chapter 22A, the Forest Conservation Law, and the Planning Board’s forest conservation regulations. The Council passed an amendment to expedite the legislation.

The amendments to the Forest Conservation Law and regulations are proposed to achieve greater forest planting and forest conservation in Montgomery County, with a goal of achieving an equal or greater area of forest planted than forest removed on a Countywide level by projects subject to the Montgomery County Forest Conservation Law.

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich today announced the launch of a “Business Center,” based in the Office of the County Executive. The Business Center is a rebranded and expanded version of the County’s Business Advancement Team (BAT). It will be focused on assisting businesses looking to start, expand, or relocate in the County.  Goals for the Business Center include conducting proactive outreach to the County’s business community, reducing inefficiencies in County processes to make it easier to own and run a business, and connecting local businesses to the numerous resources available through the County. The Business Center is home to the County’s Small Business Navigator position, business liaisons, business incubator system, business grant programs, and access to resource partners.

“When COVID hit, our Business Advancement Team worked tirelessly to provide tens of millions of dollars in business grants to our hardest hit industries,” said County Executive Elrich. “As we emerged from COVID, we saw an opportunity to expand the team and shift its focus from pandemic assistance to proactive and responsive customer service for our businesses. We are one of the most diverse communities in the entire nation, with businesses that reflect this diversity. Our County is full of assets for businesses, but we recognize that we must compete in a regional and global community. The Business Center is going to give us the edge to better support our local businesses, work with our partners in and out of government to attract new businesses, and help our business community succeed, create jobs, and grow our economy.”

Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Council will meet on Tuesday, March 21 at 9:15 a.m. and the meeting will begin with a proclamation presentation recognizing National Agriculture Day, presented by Council Vice President Andrew Friedson and Councilmembers Marilyn Balcombe and Dawn Luedtke. The afternoon session will begin at 1:15 p.m. with a proclamation recognizing Ramadan, led by Council President Evan Glass and County Executive Marc Elrich. More detail on each agenda item is provided below.

Vote expected: The Council is expected to vote on LMA Application H-147 for property located at 11105 New Hampshire Ave. in Silver Spring. The application is a request by White Oak Self Storage to rezone approximately 2.62 acres of property from the CR-2.5, C1.5, R-1.5, H-200’ (Commercial Residential) to CRTF 2.25, C-2.25, R-1.5, H-200’ (Commercial Residential Town Floating). The applicant proposes to use the property to continue self-storage, expand the existing structure by 3,600 square feet and build a new freestanding 116,000-square-foot self-storage building. The hearing examiner recommends approval of the local map amendment.

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich this week released his recommended Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Operating Budget of $6.8 billion, which is an increase of 7.7 percent from the FY23 approved all funds budget (County Government plus outside agencies). The recommended FY24 budget reflects record level and significant investments for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Montgomery College, affordable housing, economic development, public safety and efforts to combat climate change. To access the entire recommended FY24 budget, click here.

The County Charter requires the County Executive to present a recommended budget by March 15 of each year. The recommended budget will be reviewed by the County Council over the next two months. The Council will adopt the new County budget in late May. The new budget will go into effect on July 1. “While the Federal funding to assist residents who have been impacted by the pandemic has reached its end, the need for services and assist remain great,” said County Executive Elrich. “County expenditures are higher because we choose to continue funding programs that support residents who need help stabilizing their lives while also facing the realities of the highly competitive labor market and tremendous inflation. This budget is about choosing to maintain services and the social safety net that we created during the pandemic, while also providing record funding for education, affordable housing, combatting climate change and public safety.”

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Council Executive Marc Elrich, County Council President Evan Glass and Councilmember Andrew Friedson are among those expected to join the County Committee Against Hate/Violence (CAHV) panel discussion on “Anti-Semitism in Montgomery County” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22. The in-person event at the County’s Executive Office Building in Rockville also will be viewable online.

The Executive Office Building is located at 101 Monroe Street in Rockville. The panel discussion can be viewed live online at https://www.facebook.com/CountyCableMoCo.

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is asking residents to participate in a survey on how the County could expand and improve charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs). As part of the initiative, DEP will hold webinars on Thursday, April 13, and Friday, April 14, to share details about the planning process and collect more input. Beginning in 2023, significant funding will be available from Maryland and the Federal government for local governments and private property owners to install EV charging. To take advantage of this opportunity and accelerate the transition to EV ownership, DEP is developing a plan to expand the availability of EV charging throughout the community.

EVs charged in Montgomery County on Pepco’s electric grid reduce emissions by 70-75 percent, demonstrating that switching to an EV is one of the biggest ways to reduce the County’s carbon footprint. The market for electric vehicles is growing rapidly, with plug-in vehicles making up more than 12 percent of newly registered vehicles in 2022. There are currently about 600 EV charging plugs in the County, including 100 “Fast Charging” plugs. However, more charging infrastructure is needed to meet the current demand and allow more residents to feel confident making the transition to electric vehicles. To overcome “range anxiety”—a fear of running out of battery—drivers need to know that they can easily charge their vehicle nearby to where they live, work and visit regularly.

“Reviewing and approving the budget is one of the most critical responsibilities of the Council. Every budget brings its own set of challenges and opportunities, and it’s the Council’s obligation to ensure that this budget positions the County for long-term success and economic prosperity.

“As we undertake this important task, the Council will provide thorough oversight to ensure taxpayer investments are used prudently. We must balance the needs of today with those of tomorrow, which include supporting our schools, our teachers, our first responders, our healthcare professionals and other frontline workers.