MoCo

Eligible voters in Maryland have been mailed applications for mail-in ballots. Applications for mail-in ballots must be received by July 12. Mail-in ballots will be sent to voters via first-class U.S. Mail beginning June 13.

To be counted, mail-in ballots must be postmarked no later than July 19, and the oath on the postage-paid return envelope that arrives with the ballot must be signed. Those who choose to cast their votes using ballot drop boxes must submit their completed ballots by the final collection time—8 p.m. on Tuesday, July—for their ballot to count.

Funding for the grants is provided in partnership with the Montgomery County Government, with the support of County Executive Marc Elrich and the Montgomery County Council.

“We are excited to work with the grant recipients this upcoming year, in addition to all of the community members who participate in our trainings,” MCAEL Executive Director Kathy Stevens. “Through the work of the entire coalition, more and more adults in Montgomery County are gaining the English skills they need to speak English, read news or writing skills to fill out a job application.”

Now through the end of October,  in-person tax appointments are available from 11 a.m. –  5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursday. at the Community Action Agency office, which is located at 1401 Rockville Pike, Suite 320, in Rockville. Virtual appointments are available from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Mondays and Fridays.  Assistance with Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) applications is available on Thursdays.

As part of VITA’s free tax help, the program links residents with valuable tax credits that can provide critical support to households. This year’s historic expansion of the federal and state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit, and the County’s Working Families Income Supplement (WFIS) added thousands of dollars in tax refunds for individuals and families. This included ITIN taxpayers who were eligible for the state EITC and County WFIS for the first time ever.

The summer months are a wonderful time to bring a new family member home. Adopting is easy—and even easier with the fees waived.

The adoption process can be started online by filling out the adoption questionnaire and sending in the required items listed on the website. More information can be found at https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/animalservices/adoption/howtoadopt.html.

“Lack of access to transportation should not be a barrier to voting,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “I want to ensure that all our eligible residents can cast a vote. As many as a quarter of households within our dense urban areas do not have access to a vehicle. That is why it is important to highlight the bus routes that serve the early voting centers that will be open from July 7 through July 14. Our bus system is imperative to ensure that all residents have access to voting centers regardless of where they live and their socio-economic status.”

Montgomery County Ride On and Metrobus routes that will serve early voting centers:

The Education & Culture (E&C) Committee will meet on Monday, June 27 at 1:30 p.m. to discuss a $12 million supplemental appropriation and amendment to the FY23 Capital Budget and FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) to MCPS for Major Capital Projects – Secondary. They will also discuss the Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) Report 2022-5, Community Use of Public Facilities and FY23 Community Use of Public Facilities (CUPF) Operating Budget follow-up.

The members of the E&C Committee include Chair Craig Rice and Councilmembers Will Jawando (Lead for Libraries) and Nancy Navarro.

The sensors detect rising water levels and provide early warnings about high water or flooding.  They are being installed at flood prone sites across the County. Each sensor is solar powered and has an internal battery to maintain operations during inclement weather. The sensors use a tethered node that is placed underwater. The node detects the amount of pressure placed upon it by the water and calculates the depth of the water. Every five minutes, data is sent from the sensor by a cell phone card to a master display. A small color camera also sends images back to the main display. Every location has pre-determined thresholds for water depths for the sensor to alert that water levels are approaching or exceeding flood stage. If they are, a crew is sent to investigate the potential flooding and whether a low-lying road needs to be cleared, or if an Emergency Action Plan for a dam needs to be activated.

The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) led the effort to get the sensors and the County’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS) worked on a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with DHS and Intellisense Systems Inc., the company that makes the devices.  The County will share the data gathered by the sensors with the company and DHS to improve sensor design based on user feedback.