MoCo Government

Town hall will be held at Lakelands Park Middle School in Gaithersburg with virtual participation available

The Montgomery County Council will hold a hybrid town hall meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 7-8:30 p.m. at Lakelands Park Middle School, which is located at 1200 Main St. in Gaithersburg.  Councilmembers have scheduled this time to answer questions and listen to concerns from community members. Some of the topics for discussion will include public safety, public health, housing and transportation, and other issues of community concern.

“Whether it’s attracting Fortune 500 companies from around the country, retaining the businesses that already call Montgomery County home, or simply making it easier to do business here, there is a lot more we can do,” said Council President Glass. “Moving this economic roadmap forward is crucial to ensuring that Montgomery County residents of all income levels feel financially secure.”

“Montgomery County needs to focus on our local economy in order to better compete in the global economy. By cutting red tape and streamlining our processes, we will further open our doors to residents and businesses from around the region and the world.”

The Montgomery County Council will meet on Monday, Feb. 6 at 10:15 a.m. with U.S. Senator Ben Cardin to discuss economic development, transportation, public safety and health care, among other priorities.

The Council will meet at 12:30 p.m. to review local and bi-county bills for the 2023 Maryland General Assembly and may choose to take positions on the bills.

Montgomery County Councilmember Kristin Mink has released a statement following an occurrence involving a flat tire and call to Montgomery County Third District Police Commander David McBain. The flat tire occurred following a meeting of the East County Citizens Advisory Board in Briggs Chaney on Monday night. The full statement, which went out on the Councilmember’s Facebook page on Friday evening, can be seen below:

“In case anyone was curious about the flat tire story, here’s what happened:

Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Council will hold a hybrid town hall meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 7-8:30 p.m. at Lakelands Park Middle School, which is located at 1200 Main St. in Gaithersburg.

Councilmembers have scheduled this time to answer questions and listen to concerns from community members. Some of the topics for discussion will include public safety, public health, housing and transportation, and other issues of community concern.

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County businesses conducting research in biotechnology, medicine or life sciences may be eligible to receive Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) matching grants to assist with their research funding and commercialization activities. Applications for grants will open at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Businesses that have received SBIR/STTR Phase 1 or Phase 2 awards recently for research taking place in Montgomery County may be eligible for additional non-dilutive funding through the program to help them with technical assistance, IP costs and other research-related activities. Businesses that never have received a SBIR/STTR award may apply for Phase 0 grants to cover the cost of SBIR/STTR application support. Montgomery County’s SBIR/STTR Matching Grant Program is the only County program of its kind in the nation.

Per Montgomery County: Eighteen organizations and individuals were recently honored with Martin Luther King (MLK) Peacemaker Awards at a ceremony sponsored by Montgomery County’s Street Outreach Network (SON), which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Positive Youth Development (PYD) program. The awards organizations and individuals were honored for their peacemaking work to make Montgomery County a better place to live.

Those honored at the ceremonies on Jan. 13 were chosen by staff from the SON for their efforts to help prevent violence and bring peace to their neighborhoods. Among the honorees were community leaders, including those from business and education, as well as County Government and elected officials.

Before joining DPS, Sabbakhan was the chief building official for the City of Rockville. He has worked in several roles for the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) at the government of the District of Columbia, including permitting chief, chief building official, senior advisor for building and compliance. He also served as interim director of the DCRA, where he started its paperless permitting movement with the implementation of ProjectDox and started its Green Building Program.

Earlier in his career, he worked for the City of Richmond, overseeing construction of several major economic development projects through completion and occupancy. He has a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Virginia.

Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Council will host its annual commemoration for Black History Month, which is celebrated nationally every February, on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 11:30 a.m. This year’s commemoration will focus on Black Resistance through faith, education, activism, political representation, and Black fraternities and sororities. The commemoration will include a proclamation presentation and video interviews highlighting Black leaders who have made strides locally and nationally through different forms of resistance.

This year’s commemoration will recognize Rev. Timothy B. Warner, pastor of Emory Grove United Methodist Church, Carolyn Taylor, former resident of the historic Emory Grove community, Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Monifa B. McKnight, Michelle McNeil Gill, president of the Theta Omega Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Kenneth Clark, former president of the Iota Upsilon Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Willie Pearl Mackey King, civil rights activist, and Councilmembers Will Jawando and Laurie-Anne Sayles.