MoCo

Per Montgomery County: The minimum wage will again increase in Montgomery County on July 1. Sponsored by then-County Council member, and current County Executive, Marc Elrich and signed into legislation on Nov. 17, 2017, Bill 28-17 raises the minimum wage incrementally each July 1. Based on the consumer price index for all urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) for Washington-Baltimore, the Montgomery County Chief Administrative Officer has set the rate for the increase of minimum wage for July 2023 for large employers (those with 51 employees or more) at $16.71 per hour.

After hitting the $15 minimum wage rate in 2021, the law requires the Chief Administrative Officer to adjust the rate each year. The change is based on the previous calendar year. Previous years were based on rate of increase determined by the Montgomery County Council to get to $15. Starting July 1, the County minimum wage will increase to $16.70 per hour for large employers. The rate for mid-sized employers will be $15 per hour. The rate for small employers will be $14.50 per hour.

Per Montgomery County: The joint Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education and Culture (EC) Committee will meet on Thursday, March 2 at 9:30 a.m. to discuss FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) amendments for the High School Wellness Center and Expanded Wellness Services project. They will also receive updates on the implementation of expanded wellness services in high schools and the implementation of mental health supports for youth. The members of the HHS Committee include Chair Gabe Albornoz and Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Laurie-Anne Sayles. The members of the EC Committee include Chair Will Jawando and Councilmembers Albornoz and Kristin Mink.

The Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee will meet at 10 a.m. for a policy discussion about Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB). The committee will also review Expedited Bill 5-23, Personnel and Human Resources – Prospective Employees – Health Care Privacy, and Bill 8-23, Boards, Committees, and Commissions – Open Meetings – Supplemental Requirements. The members of the GO Committee include Chair Kate Stewart, Council Vice President Andrew Friedson and Councilmember Sidney Katz.

Per Montgomery County: Under requirements of Montgomery County law, the Voluntary Rent Guideline (VRG) is updated annually to represent the prior year increase in the rental component of the Consumer Price Index for the Washington Metropolitan Area. Based on that, the VRG for Montgomery County has been set at 5.8 percent. That guideline went into effect on Feb. 24. The VRG for 2022 was 0.4 percent.  Per the County law, a notice of rent increase must be in writing and delivered to a tenant at least 90 days prior to the effective date of the rent increase. The limit on rent increase notices applies to all County-licensed residential rentals, including rental units in multifamily buildings, houses, townhouses, individual condominium units and accessory dwelling units.

Per Montgomery County: On Tuesday, Council President Evan Glass introduced a resolution calling on Governor Wes Moore and the Maryland General Assembly to allocate $175 million in the fiscal year 2024 budget to help an estimated 17,000 Maryland families avoid eviction. The resolution is cosponsored by Councilmembers Natali Fani-González, Kate Stewart, Gabe Albornoz, Sidney Katz, Will Jawando, Laurie-Anne Sayles, Kristin Mink and Council Vice-President Andrew Friedson. The resolution can be read here.

“Anyone can find themselves temporarily unable to pay their rent due to a medical emergency, car accident, funeral expense or job loss. With over 130,000 households in Montgomery County struggling to make rent every month, we must do more to provide affordable housing and help those at risk of being evicted,” said Council President Glass.

The bill would establish the urban district to provide funding for, and support the work of, The Friendship Heights Alliance, a nonprofit organization that works on behalf of businesses and residents in Friendship Heights to further economic vitality and strengthen community in the area.  This legislation dovetails with legislation proposed by Washington, D.C. Ward 3 Councilmember Matthew Frumin to develop a Business Improvement District on the D.C. side of Friendship Heights. 

“The bi-jurisdictional Friendship Heights Alliance, strengthened as a D.C. BID and Maryland Urban District, will support a robust recovery for the Friendship Heights commercial district,” said D.C. Councilmember Frumin. “I look forward to partnering with the Montgomery County Council and the Friendship Heights Alliance to support the local business community along the Wisconsin Avenue Corridor.” 

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County’s Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) will open registration on Sunday, March 5, for its annual limited availability whiskey lotteries that provide opportunities to purchase highly sought spirits. The lotteries are free to enter, but have residency requirements. ABS expects to release more than 1,100 bottles for purchase in the lotteries. Among the spirits that County residents will have an opportunity to purchase are a 2022 Double Eagle Very Rare, a Michter’s 20-Year Old and several rare releases from the Willett Distillery. Maryland residents selected in the lottery will have an opportunity to purchase bottles from the First Edition Heaven Hill Heritage Collection, the Final Edition (fall 2022) Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Collection and the Old Forester Birthday Bottles (2022 edition).

The first lottery will be open to Maryland residents 21 and over. The second lottery will be open only to County residents 21 and over. Each lottery includes a wide range of spirits bottles, with some overlap. County residents will be able to enter both the State and the County lotteries.

Today, Councilmember Will Jawando will be introducing Bill 12-23, the Safety and Traffic Equity in Policing (STEP) Act, which will limit traffic stops that he says have resulted in racial disparities. According to the County Council, “the legislation would prohibit a stop for certain traffic offenses by a police officer; prohibit consent searches of a vehicle by a police officer; require the collection of data and information related to traffic stops; and exclude the limitations on traffic stops from collective bargaining.”Councilmember Kristin Mink is a cosponsor.

According to Jawando, “the goal of the STEP Act is to promote fairness and reduce racial disparities, promote safety and reduce community trauma, improve community policing relations, and further the county’s Vision Zero.” A public hearing is scheduled for June 13 and the Public Safety (PS) Committee is scheduled to review the bill on July 17.