Property Tax Credit, Driveway Sealant: Meeting On MoCo Bills

ROCKVILLE, MD — The Montgomery County Council is scheduled to vote on a number of bills on Tuesday, July 30. The bills cover a variety of issues, ranging from a property tax credit expansion for surviving spouses of military service members and stormwater management.

The county council meeting is scheduled at 9:30 a.m. and will be held in the third floor hearing room of the Council Office Building, which is located at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville (unless otherwise noted). Check the council's website or call 240-777-7832 for updates.

Below is a list of bills, per Montgomery County officials:

Bill 8-19, Erosion, Sediment Control and Stormwater Management - High PAH Sealants
The Council is scheduled to vote on Bill 8-19, which would prohibit the use of a sealant to cover an asphalt or concrete surface, including a driveway or parking area, in the County that contains more than 0.1 percent Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH). Councilmember Craig Rice is the lead sponsor. Council President Nancy Navarro is a cosponsor. The bill also would require the director of the Department of Environmental Protection to establish a system to approve alternative sealants that would comply with this law. The goal of this legislation is to help protect the environment by eliminating the introduction of PAH into the environment through asphalt sealants.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Bill 10-19, Legislative Branch - Economic Impact Statements – Amendments
The Council is scheduled to vote on Bill 10-19, which would require the director of the Office of Legislative Oversight to prepare an economic impact statement for each bill and would modify the required contents of an economic impact statement (EIS). Councilmember Andrew Friedson is the lead sponsor. All other Councilmembers are cosponsors. The goal of this bill is to ensure that the economic impacts of new legislation on residents, on the County's budget and on businesses and other stakeholders is thoroughly assessed.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Expedited Bill 21-19, Property Tax Credit - Elderly Individuals and Retired Military Services Member - Surviving Spouse
The Council is scheduled to vote on Expedited Bill 21-19, which would expand the property tax credit for surviving spouses of retired military services members. Councilmember Craig Rice and Council Vice President Sidney Katz are the lead sponsors. Council President Nancy Navarro and Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz and Evan Glass are cosponsors. Under Bill 21-19, a surviving spouse would be eligible for the credit if:

• the individual is a surviving spouse of a retired member of the uniformed services, the military reserves, or the national guard;
• the surviving spouse is at least 65 years old; and
• the surviving spouse has not remarried.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Bill 13-19, County Property - Disposition - Reuse Analysis
The Council is scheduled to vote on Bill 13-19, which would modify the procedures for disposition of County property and require the Executive to submit a reuse analysis to the County. Councilmember Gabe Albornoz is the lead sponsor. All other Councilmembers are cosponsors. The goal of this bill is to bring greater transparency and accountability to the property disposition process and give the Council information on how the reuse analysis was performed; and to allow the Council to see which County departments or outside agencies have expressed interest in potential surplus property and for what purpose.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

The Council is scheduled to vote on the following supplemental appropriations:

Supplemental Appropriations and Amendments to the FY20 Capital Budget and FY19-24 Capital Improvements Program (CIP), $3,000,000 for Bus Rapid Transit: MD 355 and $1,000,000 for Bus Rapid Transit: Veirs Mill Corridor
The Council is scheduled to vote on supplemental appropriations and amendments to the County's Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) Capital Budget and FY19-24 CIP of three million dollars for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along MD 355 and one million dollars for BRT along the Veirs Mill corridor. On June 20, the County Executive transmitted these two supplemental appropriation requests and CIP amendments that, in each case, would fund preliminary engineering work beginning in FY20. MD 355 and the Veirs Mill corridor are two of the four FLASH Bus Rapid Transit systems currently being planned or constructed in the County. For more information, visit: https://www.ridetheflash.com/.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Appointment of Inspector General
The Council is also scheduled to appoint a new inspector general.
The responsibilities of the inspector general include: reviewing the effectiveness and efficiency of programs and operations of County government and independent County agencies; preventing and detecting fraud, waste, and abuse in government activities; and proposing ways to increase the legal, fiscal, and ethical accountability of County government departments and County-funded agencies. In developing recommendations, the Inspector General may conduct investigations, budgetary analyses, and financial, management, or performance audits; and undertake any project jointly with any other government agency or private body.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

The Council will hold the following public hearings and is scheduled to vote on each item starting at 1:30pm:

• Amendment to the FY19-24 CIP and Supplemental Appropriation to the FY20 Capital Budget, Montgomery County Public Schools, $1,722,000 for School Security System. The Council staff report can be viewed here.
• Amendment to the FY19-24 CIP for Montgomery County Government, Department of Technology Services - Public Safety System Modernization project. The Council staff report can be viewed here.
• Supplemental Appropriation to the FY20 Operating Budget for Montgomery County Government, Department of Transportation, $50,000 for the Jewish Council for the Aging Misler Adult Day Care Center. The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Resolution to amend the FY20 Operating Budget Resolution 19-128, Section G, Designation of Entities for Non-Competitive Contract Award Status: Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington, Inc.

The Council is scheduled to vote on Resolution 19-128, which would amend the non-competitive award status list in the FY20 Operating Budget resolution. This resolution is for a supplemental appropriation to the FY20 Operating Budget of $50,000 for the Jewish Council for the Aging Misler Adult Day Care Center. See the public hearings section below for more information.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

The Council meeting and public hearings will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM). The channel can be viewed on Cable Channels 996 (high definition) and 6 (standard definition) on Comcast; Channels 1056 (HD) and 6 (SD) on RCN; and Channel 30 on Verizon.

The Council meeting also will be available live via streaming through the Council website at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.