Montgomery Council to Take Action on White Flint Plan Today

Approval Would Lead to Creation of More Urban, More Dense Community Strongly Supported by Public Transit

Today, the Montgomery County Council is scheduled to take action on the proposed White Flint Sector Plan that would transform the North Bethesda area around Rockville Pike into a more urban and more dense community strongly supported by public transit and designed to make residents and workers less dependent on automobiles.

The Council is scheduled to take action on the plan at its meeting that will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. The meeting will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon) and also will be available via streaming through the County Web site at www.montgomerycountymd.gov. The broadcast will be repeated at 9 p.m. on Friday, March 2

Management & Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee Meeting Today

The Management & Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, which is chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg and includes Councilmembers Valerie Ervin and Nancy Navarro, will meet today at 2:30 PM to discuss the following:

• Interagency Public Information Working Group (IPIWG) Work Plan
• Quarterly review - Cable television issues
• Interagency Training Team Work Plan

The meeting will be held on the third floor Conference Room of the Council Office Building in Rockville.

Duchy at the Diner – Rockville Edition

A friendly crowd of friends and neighbors jammed into the Silver Diner on Rockville Pike to talk with Councilmember Trachtenberg at our “Duchy @ the Diner” event in Rockville. This was the third in a touring series of ongoing “diner” events throughout Montgomery County where Duchy meets with residents to talk about County and Council-related issues. The food was delicious, the conversation was excellent, and everybody had a great time!

Visit the Silver Diner online at http://www.silverdiner.com/restaurants/rockville-silver-diner.

Councilmember Trachtenberg Visits Nonprofit Village

Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, Chair of the Management and Fiscal Policy Committee and Member of the Health and Human Services Committee, visited Nonprofit Village on Thursday, March 18th. Nonprofit Village is located at 12320 Parklawn Drive in Rockville, MD.

Councilmember Trachtenberg met with Laura Sildon, Executive Director for Nonprofit Village. Nonprofit Village is the first multi-tenant nonprofit center in Montgomery County, MD. The 10,000 square foot center provides affordable office space, shared business services and equipment to a diverse community of nonprofit organizations. It is dedicated to developing a sustainable and collaborative environment for community-based groups that provide vital services in Montgomery County.

The conversation focused on the impact of the FY11 budget on nonprofit institutions as well as the importance of nonprofit institutions in these economic times. Other issues mentioned include partnering of Nonprofit Village with other institutions, such as academic institutions, as well as increased marketing to promote the space to emerging nonprofits. Nonprofit Village offers a furnished work station for only $225/month. This includes use of conference rooms and shared administrative support.

For more information on Nonprofit Village visit their website at: http://www.thenonprofitvillage.org/ or email them at info@thenonprofitvillage.org.

Trachtenberg Office Attends 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Montgomery Housing Partnership

Members of the Trachtenberg staff were in attendance at the emotionally stirring 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Montgomery Housing Partnership (MHP), held at the Bolger Center in Rockville last evening. Hosted by Catherine Legget, and several key business and community leaders, over 500 attendees cheered the unwavering dedication of past and present MHP advocates to provide affordable housing opportunities to Montgomery County residents. Several moving testimonies reiterated the often over-looked significance that having a place to call home changes lives not only for civil servants, but also for vulnerable individuals, families, and their children. Representing Duchy Trachtenberg were Alan Bowser and Saschane Stephenson.

Trachtenberg Office Salutes Black History Month in Lyttonsville

Councilmember Trachtenberg’s Office celebrated Black History Month at the Gwendolyn Coffield Community Center in the Lyttonsville Community of Silver Spring. Trachtenberg staff joined members of the public in viewing the Lyttonsville community’s “Remembering African American Soldiers” exhibit prepared for Black History Month.

The exhibit noted the service of Mr. Phillip Eaglin, a Lyttonsville resident who was born a slave in 1831 and fought for General Grant during the Civil War. Pictures of United States servicemen from the Gaither, Turner and Tracy families in Lyttonsville were also displayed. The exhibit included a copy of the original deed conveying property in 1853 to Samuel Lytton, a freed slave, as well as interesting maps, photographs, and numerous other documents and artifacts.

The program was organized by Charlotte Coffield of the Lyttonsville Civic Association. She is the sister of the Center’s namesake, the late Gwendolyn Coffield. The Gwendolyn E. Coffield Community Center is located at 2450 Lyttonsville Road, Silver Spring, MD.

Alan Bowser, our Chief of Staff, represented Councilmember Trachtenberg at this program.

Trachtenberg Office Attends Community Outreach Forum

Naomi Bloch represented the Trachtenberg office this afternoon at the Community Outreach Forum which is an inter-departmental meeting for the purpose of sharing critical information with each other.

The presentation today was from Ms. Lily Qi, (pronounced "Chee"), who serves as Montgomery County's Asian and Middle Eastern American Liaison and Coordinator of Montgomery County's Language Access work for people with limited English proficiency.

County Executive Leggett recently signed an executive order making it a priority for Montgomery County to help residents with limited English proficiency (LEP) better access services in the county.

Ms.Qi showed a Power Point presentation informing us on the progress being made in this effort.

For more information: Click here.

Councilmember Trachtenberg Speaks to the Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board

Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg was the guest speaker at last night’s meeting of the Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board (MCCAB) which took place at the Mid-County Regional Service Center located at 2424 Reedie Drive in Wheaton, MD 20902.

The MCCAB Chair, Sheldon Fishman called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and after taking care of some Board business, Councilmember Trachtenberg was introduced. As the Chair of the Management and Fiscal Policy Committee (MFP) she presented a very candid over view of the current budget shortfall that the County faces. Though this was a serious discussion the Councilmember wanted to also present this challenge as an opportunity for Montgomery County to become an even better, more efficient and effective government.

After her remarks the meeting was opened up for Q&A from the Board members and the questions and comments were similarly thoughtful. There were questions about the possibilities for more public-private arrangements for county government; how the Montgomery County Public Schools might be able to make some cuts in their Administrative costs, to which Councilmember Trachtenberg explained that the County Council could only allocate the monies but had no control over how the school would decide to use them.

The Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board also talked with the Councilmember about the work they are currently doing toward finding answers as to why Montgomery County suffered far more widespread power outages during the recent storms than all of the other surrounding jurisdictions. Councilmember Trachtenberg was sympathetic and supportive of this effort.

For more information about the Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board or the Mid-County Regional Services Center visit their website or email them at:

www.montgomerycountymd.gov/midcounty or email: midcounty.citizen@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Audit Committee Meeting Summary

The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee met as the Audit Committee on Tuesday, March 16th to discuss the Inspector General’s Four-Year Work Plan and Update from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Contracting Practices. Representatives at the meeting included Tom Dagley, Inspector General from the Office of the Inspector General, Uma Ahluwalia, Director of DHHS and Sherry White, Chief Operating Officer of DHHS. Committee members asked questions regarding the IG’s four-year work plan, especially in light of the FY11 Budget. The majority of the meeting focused on the Report of the Fiscal Monitoring Workgroup dated December 2009. Many of the Committee members commended Uma Ahluwalia, Director of DHHS, on the information provided in the workgroup report. The report included a discussion of on-site fiscal monitoring and hybrid fiscal monitoring as well as best practices from other jurisdictions with regard to contract monitoring.

Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg is the Chair of the Management and Fiscal Policy Committee and a member of the Health and Human Services Committee.

The Trachtenberg Office Attends the Western Montgomery Citizens Advisory Board Meeting

Naomi Bloch represented the Trachtenberg office at last night’s monthly meeting of the Western Montgomery Citizens Advisory Board which was held this month at the Glen Echo Town Hall, 6106 Harvard Avenue, Glen Echo, MD 20812.

The guest speaker was Mr. Bruce Johnston, Chief of Project Development from the Department of Transportation who gave an update on the MacArthur Boulevard Bikeway Project that will ultimately run 71/2 miles from the Old Angler’s Inn to the D.C. line. The project will be built in three sections starting with the section that includes Glen Echo Park as this will be the most challenging section of the project. Work is expected to begin by the end of 2011.

During the Committee reports portion of the evening a fairly energetic discussion resulted when the Chair of the Public Safety Committee, Mr. Jefferey Hearle, gave his update concerning Ambulance Fees. He said a meeting on this topic would be held on April 5th at the B-CC Regional Service Center, in Bethesda. Board Chair, Sue Knapp suggested that the discussion be tabled and taken up again on April 5th when the Safety Committee would be presenting their final report.

Next meeting of the Western Montgomery Citizens Advisory Board (WMCCAB) will be Monday, April 19th. Guests are invited to attend the Board meetings and are encouraged to ask questions and provide comments. For more information about the WMCCAB: Bethesda.citizen@montgomerycountymd.gov.

The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee (Meeting as Audit Committee) to Discuss Inspector General’s Four-Year Work Plan and DHHS Contracting Practices

The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee will meet as the Audit Committee today Tuesday, March 16th to discuss the Inspector General’s Four-Year Work Plan and an Update from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Contracting Practices. Representatives at the meeting will include Tom Dagley, Inspector General from the Office of the Inspector General as well as Uma Ahluwalia, Director, and Sherry White, Chief Operating Officer, both from the Department of Health and Human Services.

The meeting will begin at 12:15 pm in the Fifth Floor Conference Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Avenue in Rockville. Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg is the Chair of the Management and Fiscal Policy Committee and a member of the Health and Human Services Committee.

The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee Meeting Summary

The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, met yesterday to discuss FY11-16 Capital Improvements Program: Public Safety System Modernization (PSSM). This Committee meeting was a continuation of a prior meeting held on February 22nd. The following issues were discussed: 1) funding the Fire Station Alerting System (formerly a separate CIP project that has been incorporated into this project; 2) acquisition of P-25 standard radio devices; and 3) the governance structure of the PSSM project. The Committee agreed 3-0 to fund the Fire Station Alerting System as stated in the Executive’s recommendation ($75,000 in FY11). In addition, the Committee agreed 3-0 to adjust the schedule to slow the purchase of radios in FY11 and FY12 and shift the remaining radio schedule by one year from FYs 12-14 to FYs 13-15. Finally, the Committee unanimously agreed that the County Executive’s Office is the appropriate administering agency for this project.