For 17 months, Councilmembers have been working with staff and listening to suggestions from residents across Montgomery County to develop a general plan for the County’s future. The Thrive Montgomery 2050 PHED Committee Draft Plan contains the text and supporting maps for a comprehensive amendment to Montgomery County’s current General Plan (On Wedges and Corridors).

The document establishes a vision for Montgomery County’s future growth and encompasses broad, countywide policy recommendations for land use, zoning, housing, the economy, equity, transportation, parks and open space, the environment and historic resources.


The center will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days per year and is expected to be located at the Seven Locks Criminal Justice Complex in Rockville.

The County is opening the restoration center to help reduce the use of emergency rooms, hospitals and jail detention. A team of multidisciplinary professionals will staff the center that will include nurses, licensed mental health and addiction professionals, peer specialists and resource navigators.


The members of the HHS Committee include Chair and Council President Gabe Albornoz, Council Vice President Evan Glass (Lead for Homelessness & Vulnerable Communities) and Councilmember Craig Rice.

The members of the GO Committee include Chair Nancy Navarro and Councilmembers Andrew Friedson and Sidney Katz.


Panelists in the town hall will include James Bridgers, the acting County health officer;  Ikenna Myers, program manager for clinical services for the African American Health Program’s; and Kimberly Townsend, senior administrator for Communicable Disease and Epidemiology with the County’s Department of Health and Human Services.

The panelists will update the current monkeypox situation in Montgomery County and Maryland, provide information on the County’s monkeypox vaccine program and answer questions about prevention and treatment.


In addition to those with a confirmed or possible recent exposure to the MPX virus, the County is now offering vaccinations to the following:

An online preregistration survey is available on the County’s monkeypox website.  Individuals who preregister and meet the eligibility guidelines will be contacted to schedule a vaccination appointment.  As a result of the expanded eligibility guidelines, residents who were already preregistered and are now eligible will be contacted to schedule an appointment.


Montgomery County has unveiled a new website to educate and inform the public about flooding issues that may affect residents and businesses throughout the County. The website provides information about frequently flooded roads in the County, steps residents can take to prepare for potential flooding and the availability of flood insurance to all properties in the County.

Montgomery County is committed to addressing adverse flood impacts to residents and businesses in the County. The web address is https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/flooding/. The page can be found on the County’s homepage.


The changes approved in ZTA 22-05 represent the first comprehensive rewrite of the County Sign Ordinance in the past 25 years. The provisions of ZTA 22-05 will go into effect Monday, Oct. 10.

Prior to approval of the new ZTA, owners of digital sign boards were legally limited to changing the messages on digital signs to once every 24 hours unless they obtained a variance. The new regulations will allow changes once every 30 seconds.


Programs will take place at various locations across the County. The cost to participate in the program is $25 for one day or $120 for a package that includes all dates (September-April). Each day of programming will take place from 8:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. Students should bring their lunch.

Kids Day Out locations include:


Grants will be awarded to nonprofit organizations and facilities that have experienced, or are at high risk of experiencing, hate crimes. The grants are available to augment costs for security personnel or other security planning measures.

Eligible organizations could include nonprofit community service providers, houses of worship, or other faith-based organizations located in Montgomery County. The funds are administered by the County’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS).


The deadline to register has been extended to Thursday, September 22, 2022.

Initially an essay contest, Councilmember Rice partnered last year with Montgomery County Public Schools and Montgomery College to enhance the program by incorporating afterschool virtual instruction on digital storytelling. Open to students in eighth through twelfth grades, each participant will be provided with a loaner iPad and mentored by a trained instructor on inclusive storytelling through digital journalism. The culminating project for students is a video on a public policy issue from whom a winning video will be selected. The winner will be the guest of honor at a Council breakfast, receive a Council proclamation, serve as an honorary Councilmember for a Day, and receive prizes to enable their continued digital storytelling. 


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