Naomi Bloch represented the Trachtenberg office at last (4/29) evening’s Master Plan of Highways public meeting that took place at the Potomac Community Center on 11315 Falls Road, in Potomac, MD 20854 at 6:30 and was one of four such public meetings that have been taking place throughout April in order to seek input from the community.
This was the first comprehensive update of the roads plan since 1955 and will compile all roadway changes approved in Master Plan areas since then in one document. The presentation was given by Lawrence Cole, Master Planner and Justin Clarke both with the Montgomery County Planning Department, Transportation Planning Division. Staff is also recommending changes to the classifications of some roadways based on the definitions that were revised in the 2007 Road Code.
The current schedule for this update plan is as follows: Community Outreach April 2010; Draft Plan, September 2010; Public Hearing, November 2010; Planning Board draft, February 2011 and Plan Adoption, for the summer of 2011.
For more information about this Master Plan, click here.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
MFP Committee to Discuss FY11 Operating Budget on 4/30
The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, will meet on Friday, April 30th at 2:15 pm. The meeting will be held in the 7th Floor Conference Room of the County Council Office Building located at 100 Maryland Avenue in Rockville. The MFP Committee will discuss the FY11 Operating Budget. The agenda items include:
- County Executive
- Public Information Office
- MC311 Customer Service Center
- Ethics Commission
- NDAs: Municipal Tax Duplication, allocation of speed camera revenues to municipalities- budget adjustments
- NDA: Working Families Income supplement- budget adjustments
MFP/PHED Committees to Discuss FY11 Operating Budget on 4/30
The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, and the Planning, Housing & Economic Development (PHED) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Mike Knapp, will hold a joint meeting on Friday, April 30th at 1:30 pm. The committees will meet in the 7th Floor Conference Room of the County Council Office Building located at 100 Maryland Avenue in Rockville. The MFP/PHED Committees will discuss the FY11 Operating Budget. The agenda items include:
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this joint MFP/PHED session.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this joint MFP/PHED session.
Joint ED/HHS Committee Work Session—April 30—FY11 Operating Budget
A joint meeting of the Education (ED) Committee and Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee will be held on Friday, April 23, at 9:30AM in the 7th Floor Council Hearing Room to discuss the following item within the FY11 Operating Budget:
- CIP Cost Sharing Project: Old Blair Auditorium
- Early Childhood Services, School Health Services, and Public Private Partnerships - SHARP Street Suspension Services
- Conservation Corp
Trachtenberg Office Meets with Heritage Montgomery Tourism Alliance
Yesterday morning Naomi Bloch and Emily Hoopes from the Trachtenberg office met with Peggy Erickson, Executive Director for Heritage Montgomery Tourism Alliance to talk about many of the exciting events being planned for this summer's Heritage Tour. They also discussed the role Montgomery County played in the Civil War and the Underground Railroad, both of which are being celebrated in several ways in the months ahead. For more information about all the interesting events being planned to showcase the history of Montgomery County check out the Heritage Montgomery website: http://www.heritagemontgomery.org/.
Housing Unlimited—Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg’s Remarks at the 15th Anniversary Celebration
Last night, I had the honor of introducing our County Executive Ike Leggett at Housing Unlimited’s 15th Anniversary celebration held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bethesda. Housing Unlimited is dedicated to providing safe, affordable homes throughout Montgomery County for adults with psychiatric disabilities. Over the past 15 years, HUI has provided permanent supported independent housing for nearly 300 Montgomery County residents with psychiatric disabilities. With a waiting list of more than 250 individuals, HUI continues its work to meet the ever-growing need. My remarks from last night’s celebration are presented below.
“It is my distinct pleasure to introduce my colleague and friend, Ike Leggett, tonight.
I can think of no one more deserving of your recognition for Ike has always been a strong advocate for those less fortunate. He truly understands the dignity and hope that a stable and comfortable home setting provides to those challenged by a mental health disability.
As many of you know, my inspiration for mental health advocacy and public service is my adult son, Walter, who suffers from chronic schizophrenia.
A few months back, in one of those rare coherent moments, he and I talked about his aspirations for the future. I asked Walter what he wanted in the years ahead. He responded he wanted a job, a new wardrobe and his own apartment. He said: “Mom, I want to be able to come home and find contentment in my books, my music and in a meal I prepare for myself. I want to go asleep each night knowing I’ll still have my own place the next day and that my home will remain my castle forever.”
That’s the real truth about those afflicted with mental illness. They just want a normal life. They deserve to live their lives with pride and dignity for they should never feel either helpless or hopeless. Ike understands this.
Throughout his entire career, Mr. Leggett, has been, and continues to be, a strong champion for the construction, management and preservation of affordable housing in Montgomery County. One of his first efforts after taking office in 2006 was to significantly raise the funding for the County’s Housing Initiative Fund (HIF) from $18 million to $58 million. The HIF finances the development of low to moderate income housing, special needs and elderly housing in Montgomery County.
Ike created an Affordable Housing Task Force, comprised of housing experts in Montgomery County to create strategies to increase the County’s supply of affordable, special needs and workforce housing. A good number of the 17 recommendations produced by the task force have been implemented.
Ike has increased the annual total affordable housing units produced and preserved to over 2,000 units per year. He created the Short-Term Property Acquisition and Rehabilitation Fund which made $100 million revolving funds available for affordable housing.
These accomplishments speak to his focus on housing and let’s not forget his budgets for FY08, 09, 10 and 11 where he has placed a prioritization on the needs of our most vulnerable, including the mentally ill. And he has done this despite the incredible fiscal climate that we face.
As I said earlier, Ike has been steadfast in his support of affordable housing and our entire community is grateful for his generous spirit, kind heart and consistent leadership. It is with enthusiasm and affection that I ask our County Executive, Ike Leggett, to join me on the stage at this time.”
“It is my distinct pleasure to introduce my colleague and friend, Ike Leggett, tonight.
I can think of no one more deserving of your recognition for Ike has always been a strong advocate for those less fortunate. He truly understands the dignity and hope that a stable and comfortable home setting provides to those challenged by a mental health disability.
As many of you know, my inspiration for mental health advocacy and public service is my adult son, Walter, who suffers from chronic schizophrenia.
A few months back, in one of those rare coherent moments, he and I talked about his aspirations for the future. I asked Walter what he wanted in the years ahead. He responded he wanted a job, a new wardrobe and his own apartment. He said: “Mom, I want to be able to come home and find contentment in my books, my music and in a meal I prepare for myself. I want to go asleep each night knowing I’ll still have my own place the next day and that my home will remain my castle forever.”
That’s the real truth about those afflicted with mental illness. They just want a normal life. They deserve to live their lives with pride and dignity for they should never feel either helpless or hopeless. Ike understands this.
Throughout his entire career, Mr. Leggett, has been, and continues to be, a strong champion for the construction, management and preservation of affordable housing in Montgomery County. One of his first efforts after taking office in 2006 was to significantly raise the funding for the County’s Housing Initiative Fund (HIF) from $18 million to $58 million. The HIF finances the development of low to moderate income housing, special needs and elderly housing in Montgomery County.
Ike created an Affordable Housing Task Force, comprised of housing experts in Montgomery County to create strategies to increase the County’s supply of affordable, special needs and workforce housing. A good number of the 17 recommendations produced by the task force have been implemented.
Ike has increased the annual total affordable housing units produced and preserved to over 2,000 units per year. He created the Short-Term Property Acquisition and Rehabilitation Fund which made $100 million revolving funds available for affordable housing.
These accomplishments speak to his focus on housing and let’s not forget his budgets for FY08, 09, 10 and 11 where he has placed a prioritization on the needs of our most vulnerable, including the mentally ill. And he has done this despite the incredible fiscal climate that we face.
As I said earlier, Ike has been steadfast in his support of affordable housing and our entire community is grateful for his generous spirit, kind heart and consistent leadership. It is with enthusiasm and affection that I ask our County Executive, Ike Leggett, to join me on the stage at this time.”
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
HHS Committee Work Session Summary—Wednesday April 28th
All members of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee (Council members Trachtenberg, Leventhal, and Navarro) met today to discuss the several items within the FY11 Operating Budget Recommendations:
Following is a summary of actions:
A. Expedited Bill 12-10, Human Rights - Equal Employment Opportunity program
ACTION: Vote 3-0 to reject Bill 12-10
B. FY11 Operating Budget
(1) Human Rights Commission
ACTIONS:
(i) 3-0 vote not to shift funding and positions of HR EEO unit to OHR
(ii) Approved shifting funds [$44,200} to County Attorney Office
(iii) Had full consensus to reintroduce an Investigator III position via the Reconciliation List
(iv) Full consensus on discussing OHR Department’s performance measures
(2) Commission for Women
ACTIONS:
(i) 3-0 vote to approve the County Exec’s (CE) recommended cuts
(3) NDA: Historical Activities - Historical Society
ACTIONS:
(i) 3-0 vote to approve the County Exec’s recommended cuts with recommendation to seek private funding opportunities and to manage archiving activities
(4) DHHS: Children, Youth and Families
ACTIONS: 3-0 vote to accept the CE’s recommended reductions to the Crossroads contract
Following is a summary of actions:
A. Expedited Bill 12-10, Human Rights - Equal Employment Opportunity program
ACTION: Vote 3-0 to reject Bill 12-10
B. FY11 Operating Budget
(1) Human Rights Commission
ACTIONS:
(i) 3-0 vote not to shift funding and positions of HR EEO unit to OHR
(ii) Approved shifting funds [$44,200} to County Attorney Office
(iii) Had full consensus to reintroduce an Investigator III position via the Reconciliation List
(iv) Full consensus on discussing OHR Department’s performance measures
(2) Commission for Women
ACTIONS:
(i) 3-0 vote to approve the County Exec’s (CE) recommended cuts
(3) NDA: Historical Activities - Historical Society
ACTIONS:
(i) 3-0 vote to approve the County Exec’s recommended cuts with recommendation to seek private funding opportunities and to manage archiving activities
(4) DHHS: Children, Youth and Families
ACTIONS: 3-0 vote to accept the CE’s recommended reductions to the Crossroads contract
MFP Committee to Discuss FY11 Operating Budget on 4/29
The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, will meet on Thursday, April 29th at 2:15 pm. The meeting will be held in the 3rd Floor Conference Room of the County Council Office Building located at 100 Maryland Avenue in Rockville. The MFP Committee will discuss the FY11 Operating Budget. The agenda items include:
- Action – Compensation and Benefits (all agencies)
- Action-Collective Bargaining Agreements
- Expedited Bill 16-10, Personnel-Retirement-Imputed Compensation Limit
- Expedited Bill 18-10, Personnel-Retirement-Furlough-Imputed Compensation
- Expedited Bill 41-09, Taxation-Property Tax Credit-Business Incubator
- Office of Human Resources
MFP/T&E Committees to Discuss FY11 Operating Budget on 4/29
The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, and the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy & Environment (T&E) Committee, Chaired by Nancy Floreen, will hold a joint meeting on Thursday, April 29th at 1:30 pm. The committees will meet in the 3rd Floor Conference Room of the County Council Office Building located at 100 Maryland Avenue in Rockville. The MFP/T&E Committees will discuss the FY11 Operating Budget. The agenda items include:
- Expedited Bill 15-10, Taxation-Fuel-Energy Tax-Rate
- Resolution to amend Fuel/Energy Tax rates
- Expedited Bill 29-10, Taxes-Excise Tax-Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Grand Makeover Is Set for Maryland Strip City
By Eugene L. Meyer
The New York Times
ROCKVILLE, Md. — Over the last century, Rockville Pike in Montgomery County, Md., has grown, unfettered and unplanned, into a sprawling strip city — a hodge-podge of shopping centers, parking lots and gridlocked traffic that frustrates motorists and discourages pedestrians.
But now, a grand makeover is planned for one section of the pike, which begins as Wisconsin Avenue in Washington and is officially State Route 355, that would create a pedestrian boulevard using the principles of the “smart growth” movement. Planners say it could be a model for transforming clogged suburban arteries into livable, walkable communities with denser development and less sprawl, an improved quality of life and a healthier tax base.
The project, called the White Flint Sector Plan, is a collaboration of major developers, planners, politicians and community groups whose interests are not often in sync. A partnership of six developers, normally competitors, got it off the ground.
“Developers got together three years ago and said ‘We can’t move forward unless we solve this traffic problem,’ ” said Rodney A. Lawrence, a principal of the JBG Companies. JBG, based in Chevy Chase, Md., is completing a 24-story apartment tower and retail complex known as North Bethesda Market, which was begun under a previous plan but is in line with the new one.
The White Flint plan, which is expected to take 20 to 25 years to complete, aims to create a new destination where residents live, dine, work and shop, all within walking distance. All together, there would be 9,800 new residential units and 5.69 million square feet of commercial space.
Developers will be allowed higher densities than current zoning permits, in return for providing more amenities and also by paying farmers in the county’s 93,000-acre rural preserve to keep their land in agriculture. They would be required to finance infrastructure improvements through the creation of a tax district.
The county council approved the White Flint plan March 23, but only after gaining the support of adjoining suburban neighborhoods worried about losing their leafy appeal among the new adjoining high-rises, which they feared would generate more traffic on their streets along with other urban problems.
Some still don’t want to see the scale of what’s recommended, but not a majority,” said Duchy Trachtenberg, a county council member who lives in Old Georgetown Village, a nearby 98-unit townhouse development. “Most are satisfied it will be staged appropriately. People are yearning for a sense of community. They’re really looking forward to development of the boulevard.”
In fact, though, the plan is not expected to decrease traffic but to shift it by creating more parallel roads and cross streets, and by making driving less appealing than mass transit. There will still be six traffic lanes, but bus rapid transit will run along a median strip between two existing Metro rail stations, from which it is about a 25-minute ride to downtown Washington.
Surface parking would be drastically reduced to 20 to 30 acres, from 161 acres today, while high-rise offices and apartment buildings will contain several levels of garage parking.
Click here to read the complete article in the New York Times.
The New York Times
ROCKVILLE, Md. — Over the last century, Rockville Pike in Montgomery County, Md., has grown, unfettered and unplanned, into a sprawling strip city — a hodge-podge of shopping centers, parking lots and gridlocked traffic that frustrates motorists and discourages pedestrians.
But now, a grand makeover is planned for one section of the pike, which begins as Wisconsin Avenue in Washington and is officially State Route 355, that would create a pedestrian boulevard using the principles of the “smart growth” movement. Planners say it could be a model for transforming clogged suburban arteries into livable, walkable communities with denser development and less sprawl, an improved quality of life and a healthier tax base.
The project, called the White Flint Sector Plan, is a collaboration of major developers, planners, politicians and community groups whose interests are not often in sync. A partnership of six developers, normally competitors, got it off the ground.
“Developers got together three years ago and said ‘We can’t move forward unless we solve this traffic problem,’ ” said Rodney A. Lawrence, a principal of the JBG Companies. JBG, based in Chevy Chase, Md., is completing a 24-story apartment tower and retail complex known as North Bethesda Market, which was begun under a previous plan but is in line with the new one.
The White Flint plan, which is expected to take 20 to 25 years to complete, aims to create a new destination where residents live, dine, work and shop, all within walking distance. All together, there would be 9,800 new residential units and 5.69 million square feet of commercial space.
Developers will be allowed higher densities than current zoning permits, in return for providing more amenities and also by paying farmers in the county’s 93,000-acre rural preserve to keep their land in agriculture. They would be required to finance infrastructure improvements through the creation of a tax district.
The county council approved the White Flint plan March 23, but only after gaining the support of adjoining suburban neighborhoods worried about losing their leafy appeal among the new adjoining high-rises, which they feared would generate more traffic on their streets along with other urban problems.
Some still don’t want to see the scale of what’s recommended, but not a majority,” said Duchy Trachtenberg, a county council member who lives in Old Georgetown Village, a nearby 98-unit townhouse development. “Most are satisfied it will be staged appropriately. People are yearning for a sense of community. They’re really looking forward to development of the boulevard.”
In fact, though, the plan is not expected to decrease traffic but to shift it by creating more parallel roads and cross streets, and by making driving less appealing than mass transit. There will still be six traffic lanes, but bus rapid transit will run along a median strip between two existing Metro rail stations, from which it is about a 25-minute ride to downtown Washington.
Surface parking would be drastically reduced to 20 to 30 acres, from 161 acres today, while high-rise offices and apartment buildings will contain several levels of garage parking.
Click here to read the complete article in the New York Times.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
HHS Committee Meeting Worksession—Wednesday-April 28
The Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee, on which Councilmember Trachtenberg serves, will meet on Wednesday, April 28, at 9:30AM in the 3rd Floor Council Committee Room to discuss the following items within the FY11 Operating Budget:
• Expedited Bill 12-10, Human Rights - Equal Employment Opportunity program
• FY11 Operating Budget
-- Human Rights Commission
-- Commission for Women
-- NDA: Historical Activities - Historical Society
-- DHHS: Children, Youth and Families
The following individuals are expected to attend:
• Judith Vaughan-Prather, Director, Commission for Women
• Ruby Marcelo, Budget and Legislative Specialist, Commission for Women
• Pooja Bharadwaja, Office of Management and Budget
• Debbie Rankin, Executive Director, Montgomery County Historical Society
• Jennifer Bryant, Office of Management and Budget
Please contact Saschane Stephenson, Legislative Aide for Health and Human Services, at 240-777-7963 (direct dial) or saschane.stephenson@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this HHS Committee session.
• Expedited Bill 12-10, Human Rights - Equal Employment Opportunity program
• FY11 Operating Budget
-- Human Rights Commission
-- Commission for Women
-- NDA: Historical Activities - Historical Society
-- DHHS: Children, Youth and Families
The following individuals are expected to attend:
• Judith Vaughan-Prather, Director, Commission for Women
• Ruby Marcelo, Budget and Legislative Specialist, Commission for Women
• Pooja Bharadwaja, Office of Management and Budget
• Debbie Rankin, Executive Director, Montgomery County Historical Society
• Jennifer Bryant, Office of Management and Budget
Please contact Saschane Stephenson, Legislative Aide for Health and Human Services, at 240-777-7963 (direct dial) or saschane.stephenson@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this HHS Committee session.
The Trachtenberg Office Attends the 29th Annual Congressional Art Competition Juried Show
Naomi Bloch represented the Trachtenberg office at last evening’s 29th Annual Congressional Art Competition Juried Show hosted by Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D, MD – 8th District) that took place at The Mansion at Strathmore, located at 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, Maryland 20852.
The competition is open to all high school students and is a unique opportunity for Members of Congress to showcase talented young artists in their districts. Through local competitions like this, each Congressional district selects one student’s artwork to send to Washington to be displayed in the Cannon Tunnel in the U.S. Capitol for one year. Six students from Maryland’s 8th Congressional District will have their work chosen to hang in Congressman Van Hollen’s office on Capitol Hill and in his district offices.
These few pieces will be chosen from the 84 works currently on display at The Mansion at Strathmore though May 15th. These student works were chosen for display on the second floor of the mansion by this year’s three Jurors: Richard Dana, Irene Owsley and Nancy Weisser who had the difficult task of making their selections from over two hundred works that were submitted this year.
For more information: http://www.strathmore.org/contactus/ or: http://vanhollen.house.gov/Contact/OfficeInformation.htm.
The competition is open to all high school students and is a unique opportunity for Members of Congress to showcase talented young artists in their districts. Through local competitions like this, each Congressional district selects one student’s artwork to send to Washington to be displayed in the Cannon Tunnel in the U.S. Capitol for one year. Six students from Maryland’s 8th Congressional District will have their work chosen to hang in Congressman Van Hollen’s office on Capitol Hill and in his district offices.
These few pieces will be chosen from the 84 works currently on display at The Mansion at Strathmore though May 15th. These student works were chosen for display on the second floor of the mansion by this year’s three Jurors: Richard Dana, Irene Owsley and Nancy Weisser who had the difficult task of making their selections from over two hundred works that were submitted this year.
For more information: http://www.strathmore.org/contactus/ or: http://vanhollen.house.gov/Contact/OfficeInformation.htm.
Kemp Mill Civic Association Welcomes Councilmember Trachtenberg
Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg was welcomed by members of the Kemp Mill Civic Association at their regular meeting held at the Kemp Mill Elementary School.
Councilmember Trachtenberg briefed the Association members on developments regarding Montgomery County’s economic and fiscal situation, noting recent proposals from the County Executive regarding the FY11 Operating Budget.
In the question and answer session, Association members asked about snow removal operations, leaf collection practices, the Kemp Mill paving project, the Costco projects, enforcement of code violations, payment practices at the Housing Opportunities Commission, teacher pensions, and how to keep and attract business in Montgomery County. Our Chief of Staff, Alan Bowser, attended the meeting with Councilmember Trachtenberg.
Councilmember Trachtenberg briefed the Association members on developments regarding Montgomery County’s economic and fiscal situation, noting recent proposals from the County Executive regarding the FY11 Operating Budget.
In the question and answer session, Association members asked about snow removal operations, leaf collection practices, the Kemp Mill paving project, the Costco projects, enforcement of code violations, payment practices at the Housing Opportunities Commission, teacher pensions, and how to keep and attract business in Montgomery County. Our Chief of Staff, Alan Bowser, attended the meeting with Councilmember Trachtenberg.Monday, April 26, 2010
Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg Attends the Violence Against Women Conference
Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg attended Saturday’s Violence Against Women panel discussion, one of the many events that took place during the 1st Annual Amnesty International Human Rights Arts Festival this past weekend, April 23-25 throughout the Silver Spring downtown area. This discussion took place at the City Place Theater from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and was attended by people interested in learning from others who have found different and creative ways to move from victim to survivor to thriver.
Councilmember Trachtenberg was introduced by artist Tom Block, the Founder of this First Annual Amnesty International Human Rights Arts Festival. Councilmember Trachtenberg welcomed everyone to the county and talked about the establishment of the Family Justice Center here in Montgomery County to help families escape domestic violence and how wide-spread this problem is, regardless of where people come from in the society. She said that all of us, at the very least know a woman dealing with this situation.
The panel was made up of women from all over the world who have established various groups and are using their talents and personal experiences to help others dealing with this personal horror through painting, writing, singing and filmmaking. The program was moderated by Robina Niaz, M.S., MSW, Founder and Director of Turning Point.
For more information:
www.montgomerycountymd.gov/FJC
http://www.turningpoint-ny.org/
http://www.couragenetwork.com/
http://www.pavingtheway.net/
http://www.thegoodmother.org/
http://www.beavoicearts.com/
http://www.theredcollaborative.org/.
Councilmember Trachtenberg was introduced by artist Tom Block, the Founder of this First Annual Amnesty International Human Rights Arts Festival. Councilmember Trachtenberg welcomed everyone to the county and talked about the establishment of the Family Justice Center here in Montgomery County to help families escape domestic violence and how wide-spread this problem is, regardless of where people come from in the society. She said that all of us, at the very least know a woman dealing with this situation.
The panel was made up of women from all over the world who have established various groups and are using their talents and personal experiences to help others dealing with this personal horror through painting, writing, singing and filmmaking. The program was moderated by Robina Niaz, M.S., MSW, Founder and Director of Turning Point.
For more information:
www.montgomerycountymd.gov/FJC
http://www.turningpoint-ny.org/
http://www.couragenetwork.com/
http://www.pavingtheway.net/
http://www.thegoodmother.org/
http://www.beavoicearts.com/
http://www.theredcollaborative.org/.
Trachtenberg Office Supports Community Earth Day Programs
The Trachtenberg Office joined members of the Silver Spring community for several Earth Day-themed park and creek clean-up programs. There were “sweep the creek” programs in Broad Acres Park, organized by the Northwest Park-Oakview Weed & Seed Program and its community partners, in Long Branch Park organized by residents in the Sligo-Branview neighborhood and staff from the County’s Department of Parks and the Department of Housing and Community Affairs, and in Sligo Creek Park, organized by Friends of Sligo Creek and the Park Hills neighborhood.
Health and Human Services Committee Meeting on FY11 Budget
The Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee, on which Councilmember Trachtenberg serves, is meeting today at 2pm in the 7th Floor Council Hearing Room to discuss the following items within the FY11 Operating Budget:
Please contact Saschane Stephenson, Legislative Aide for Health and Human Services, at 240-777-7963 (direct dial) or saschane.stephenson@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this HHS Committee session.
Please contact Saschane Stephenson, Legislative Aide for Health and Human Services, at 240-777-7963 (direct dial) or saschane.stephenson@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this HHS Committee session.
Councilmember Trachtenberg Supports Establishment of Montgomery Business Development Corporation
The Trachtenberg Office joined Montgomery County Council President Nancy Floreen, members of the County Council, representatives of County Executive Isiah Leggett and the leaders of some of the most prominent businesses located in the Washington area to announce a proposal to form a new Montgomery Business Development Corporation (MBDC) that will have the County’s Department of Economic Development join with private businesses to promote business development in the County.
The announcement of the County Council bill authorizing formation of the MBDC was made in the lobby of Discovery Communications World Headquarters at One Discovery Place in Silver Spring. Discovery, whose 100-plus worldwide networks include the Discovery Channel, TLC and Animal Planet, and Marriott Corporation, which is headquartered in Bethesda, are among the businesses that have pledged to be involved in the MBDC to help attract businesses of various interests and sizes to join them in Montgomery County.
“I am pleased to support the proposal for a Montgomery Business Development Corporation,” said Councilmember Trachtenberg. “I believe that, working closely and collaboratively together with the private sector, we can create a more dynamic and sustainable business and economic environment that will ensure a prosperous future in Montgomery County. Our long-term vision for the County must include plans for increasing employment and revenues, while reducing the barriers to business formation and growth. The MBDC can be an important cornerstone for restoring our County’s regional business leadership."
The bill calls for the MBDC to have a board of directors of no more than 11 members—including one volunteer officer of a Chamber of Commerce in the County. Appointees would be recommended by the County Executive, subject to confirmation by the Council. In addition, the County’s director of the Department of Economic Development, the superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools (or a deputy superintendent assigned by the superintendent) and the chair of the County Planning Board (or the planning director assigned by the chair) would serve as ex-officio non-voting members. All voting members must either be a County resident or employed in the senior management of a company that has a significant presence in the County. Up to eight board members would represent “major” companies. One board position would be reserved for an owner of a small business and another position would be for the owner or officer of a “medium-sized” business.
Our Chief of Staff, Alan Bowser, represented Councilmember Trachtenberg at this morning’s announcement.
The announcement of the County Council bill authorizing formation of the MBDC was made in the lobby of Discovery Communications World Headquarters at One Discovery Place in Silver Spring. Discovery, whose 100-plus worldwide networks include the Discovery Channel, TLC and Animal Planet, and Marriott Corporation, which is headquartered in Bethesda, are among the businesses that have pledged to be involved in the MBDC to help attract businesses of various interests and sizes to join them in Montgomery County.
“I am pleased to support the proposal for a Montgomery Business Development Corporation,” said Councilmember Trachtenberg. “I believe that, working closely and collaboratively together with the private sector, we can create a more dynamic and sustainable business and economic environment that will ensure a prosperous future in Montgomery County. Our long-term vision for the County must include plans for increasing employment and revenues, while reducing the barriers to business formation and growth. The MBDC can be an important cornerstone for restoring our County’s regional business leadership."
The bill calls for the MBDC to have a board of directors of no more than 11 members—including one volunteer officer of a Chamber of Commerce in the County. Appointees would be recommended by the County Executive, subject to confirmation by the Council. In addition, the County’s director of the Department of Economic Development, the superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools (or a deputy superintendent assigned by the superintendent) and the chair of the County Planning Board (or the planning director assigned by the chair) would serve as ex-officio non-voting members. All voting members must either be a County resident or employed in the senior management of a company that has a significant presence in the County. Up to eight board members would represent “major” companies. One board position would be reserved for an owner of a small business and another position would be for the owner or officer of a “medium-sized” business.
Our Chief of Staff, Alan Bowser, represented Councilmember Trachtenberg at this morning’s announcement.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival Kicks Off
The springtime festival will include art exhibits, film, theater, dance, music, poetry, photography, digital arts and a sculpture garden as well as dozens of workshops, book readings, performance art, a flash mob dance and activities for children. A dozen advocacy groups will also be running “Festivals within the Festival.”
Councilmember Trachtenberg is a member of the Honorary Committee. She will participate in the Violence Against Women Conference, one of the "festivals within the festival," Saturday morning in the City Place Mall.
Montgomery Village Foundation Welcomes Councilmember Trachtenberg
Councilmember Trachtenberg attended the Annual County Legislative Breakfast of the Montgomery County Village Foundation, Inc., held at the North Creek Community Center in Montgomery Village. Also attending were County Council President Nancy Floreen and Councilmembers George Leventhal, Mike Knapp, Marc Elrich and Phil Andrews.
In their discussion, the group discussed a broad range of issues of particular interest to Montgomery Village including, the Gaithersburg High School modernization, roadway reimbursements, the Great Seneca Science Corridor Plan, and MCPD funding. Our Chief of Staff, Alan Bowser, accompanied Councilmember Trachtenberg to the Legislative Breakfast.
Montgomery Village is home to more than 40,000 residents. The Foundation's purpose is to promote the health, safety and welfare of those and the community they live in.
Visit its website at http://www.mvf.org/ to learn more about the the Montgomery Village Foundation.
In their discussion, the group discussed a broad range of issues of particular interest to Montgomery Village including, the Gaithersburg High School modernization, roadway reimbursements, the Great Seneca Science Corridor Plan, and MCPD funding. Our Chief of Staff, Alan Bowser, accompanied Councilmember Trachtenberg to the Legislative Breakfast.
Montgomery Village is home to more than 40,000 residents. The Foundation's purpose is to promote the health, safety and welfare of those and the community they live in.
Visit its website at http://www.mvf.org/ to learn more about the the Montgomery Village Foundation.
Councilmember Trachtenberg Meets with Liberty's Promise Students
Yesterday afternoon, Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg visited with several of the immigrant youth at Liberty’s Promise, an after-school program that strives to provide young immigrants with the information and support they need in pursuing his or her personal American Dream: earning a college degree, entering their chosen profession and demonstrating the potential for individual choice in this country.The Councilmember made a few opening remarks to talk about what she does as an At-Large County Councilmember; that she represents all the residents of Montgomery County; and why she chose to serve in local elective office. She told them that while most people think that the best way to affect real change in people’s lives is primarily in higher-level offices, like the U.S. Congress and even as president, that serving at the local level often makes it easier to implement changes that more directly affect the local community where our family, friends and neighbors live and work. She cited some examples that included: The banning of trans fats in all Montgomery County restaurants and the establishment of the Family Justice Center.
A Q&A period followed where several the young people asked questions and during which the Councilmember explained that things really can and do get changed when people are active advocates on behalf of a cause or change they believe in. She urged them all to take that role seriously and to contact her and their other local elected officials with their ideas and concerns because this really does lead to changes in the local community.
The Councilmember closed by saying that while these are tough economic times that everyone is able to reach out to others and help even if only with a kind word or gesture.
For more information on Liberty’s Promise and this program: http://libertyspromise.org/.
Joint PHED/HHS Committee Work Session—Today—FY11 Operating Budget
A joint meeting of the Planning, Housing & Economic Development (PHED) Committee Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee will be held on Friday, April 23, at 9:30AM in the 7th Floor Council Hearing Room to discuss the following item within the FY11 Operating Budget:
Should you have any questions, concerns, or issues regarding this joint PHED-HHS Committee session, please contact Saschane Stephenson, Legislative Aide for Health and Human Services, at 240-777-7963 (direct dial) or saschane.stephenson@montgomerycountymd.gov.
The meeting will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon) and will also be available via streaming through the County Web site.
Should you have any questions, concerns, or issues regarding this joint PHED-HHS Committee session, please contact Saschane Stephenson, Legislative Aide for Health and Human Services, at 240-777-7963 (direct dial) or saschane.stephenson@montgomerycountymd.gov.
The meeting will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon) and will also be available via streaming through the County Web site.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Bill 1-10: Development Oversight
Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg testified today at the Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee meeting in support of her proposed Bill 1-10: Development Oversight.
The bill will create a new County position to oversee future development projects and will ensure that plans are followed as envisioned.
April 2010 Newsletter
In This Issue:
FY11 Operating Budget
Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan
In Memoriam - Officer Hector Ayala
Earth Day
In the Community
2010 Census
Amnesty International Human Rights Arts Festival
In the News
Savory Vegetable Cheesecake
MFP Committee Discussed FY11 Operating Budgets on 4/22
The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, met on Thursday, April 22nd at 9:30 am. The MFP Committee discussed FY11 Operating Budgets. The agenda items included:
(1) Revenue Stabilization Fund - FY10-FY11 Transfers
(2) Intergovernmental Relations
(3) Inspector General
(4) NDAs: County Associations, Public Technology, Inc., Council of Governments, and Boards, Committees, Commissions
(5) Board of Elections
(6) NDA: Charter Review Commission
(7) NDA: Inauguration and Transition
For agenda item #1 on the Revenue Stabilization Fund – FY10-FY11 Transfers, the MFP Committee delayed action until after receiving the updated budget briefing on April 22nd at 1:30.
For agenda item #2 on the Office of Intergovernmental Relations, the MFP Committee approved the County Executive’s recommended FY11 operating budget for $840,680.
For agenda item #3 on the Office of the Inspector General, the MFP Committee delayed action until after receiving the updated budget briefing on April 22nd at 1:30. In addition, the MFP Committee requested information on the Inspector General’s four-year work plan.
For agenda item #4 on the NDAs: County Associations, Council of Governments, Public Technology, Inc., and Boards, Committees, and Commissions, the MFP Committee approved the County Executive’s recommended FY11 operating budget for $863,080.
For agenda item #5 on the Board of Elections, the MFP Committee approved the County Executive’s recommended FY11 operating budget for $7,975,310. Moreover, the MFP Committee will add $245,500 to the reconciliation list to fund payments to the State for Touchscreen voting machines.
For agenda item #6 on the Charter Review Commission, the MFP Committee decreased the Charter Review Commission NDA to $100 from the County Executive’s recommended FY11 operating budget for $1,000.
For agenda item #7 on the Inauguration & Transition, the MFP Committee delayed action on this agenda item in order to obtain additional information from Council Staff.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this MFP session.
(1) Revenue Stabilization Fund - FY10-FY11 Transfers
(2) Intergovernmental Relations
(3) Inspector General
(4) NDAs: County Associations, Public Technology, Inc., Council of Governments, and Boards, Committees, Commissions
(5) Board of Elections
(6) NDA: Charter Review Commission
(7) NDA: Inauguration and Transition
For agenda item #1 on the Revenue Stabilization Fund – FY10-FY11 Transfers, the MFP Committee delayed action until after receiving the updated budget briefing on April 22nd at 1:30.
For agenda item #2 on the Office of Intergovernmental Relations, the MFP Committee approved the County Executive’s recommended FY11 operating budget for $840,680.
For agenda item #3 on the Office of the Inspector General, the MFP Committee delayed action until after receiving the updated budget briefing on April 22nd at 1:30. In addition, the MFP Committee requested information on the Inspector General’s four-year work plan.
For agenda item #4 on the NDAs: County Associations, Council of Governments, Public Technology, Inc., and Boards, Committees, and Commissions, the MFP Committee approved the County Executive’s recommended FY11 operating budget for $863,080.
For agenda item #5 on the Board of Elections, the MFP Committee approved the County Executive’s recommended FY11 operating budget for $7,975,310. Moreover, the MFP Committee will add $245,500 to the reconciliation list to fund payments to the State for Touchscreen voting machines.
For agenda item #6 on the Charter Review Commission, the MFP Committee decreased the Charter Review Commission NDA to $100 from the County Executive’s recommended FY11 operating budget for $1,000.
For agenda item #7 on the Inauguration & Transition, the MFP Committee delayed action on this agenda item in order to obtain additional information from Council Staff.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this MFP session.
MFP Committee To Discuss FY11 Operating Budget on 4/22
The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, will meet on Thursday, April 22nd at 9:30 am. The meeting will be held in the 7th Floor Conference Room of the County Council Office Building located at 100 Maryland Avenue in Rockville. The MFP Committee will discuss the FY11 Operating Budget. The agenda items include:
(1) Revenue Stabilization Fund-FY10-FY11 Transfers
(2) Intergovernmental Relations
(3) Inspector General
(4) NDAs: County Associations, Public Technology, Inc., Council of Governments, and Boards, Committees, Commissions
(5) Board of Elections
(6) NDA: Charter Review Commission
(7) NDA: Inauguration and Transition
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this MFP session.
(1) Revenue Stabilization Fund-FY10-FY11 Transfers
(2) Intergovernmental Relations
(3) Inspector General
(4) NDAs: County Associations, Public Technology, Inc., Council of Governments, and Boards, Committees, Commissions
(5) Board of Elections
(6) NDA: Charter Review Commission
(7) NDA: Inauguration and Transition
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this MFP session.
MFP Committee Discussed FY11 Operating Budgets
The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, held a committee meeting on Thursday, April 21st at 9:45 am to discuss FY11 Operating Budgets. The agenda items included:
(1) County Executive
(2) County Attorney
(3) Ethics Commission
(4) Public Information Office
(5) MC311 Customer Service Center
For agenda item #1 on the County Attorney, the MFP Committee discussed holding a joint meeting with the Planning, Housing & Economic Development (PHED) Committee prior to taking action on the FY11 Operating Budget.
For agenda items #2 and #3 on the County Attorney and the Ethics Commission, the MFP Committee decided to move $108,740 to the reconciliation list to restore some level of staff for the Ethics Commission. In addition, the MFP Committee will hold an additional session to further discuss these two agenda items.
For agenda item #4 on the Public Information Office, the MFP Committee did not action on the FY11 Operating Budget for the Office of Public Information. Instead, the MFP Committee requested additional information to be presented to the Committee.
For agenda item #5 on the MC311 Customer Service Center, the MFP Committee did not take action on the FY11 Operating Budget for the MC311 Customer Service Center. Instead, the MFP Committee will take action on this agenda item after receiving an updated budget briefing from the County Executive on April 22nd.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions or concerns regarding this MFP Committee session.
(1) County Executive
(2) County Attorney
(3) Ethics Commission
(4) Public Information Office
(5) MC311 Customer Service Center
For agenda item #1 on the County Attorney, the MFP Committee discussed holding a joint meeting with the Planning, Housing & Economic Development (PHED) Committee prior to taking action on the FY11 Operating Budget.
For agenda items #2 and #3 on the County Attorney and the Ethics Commission, the MFP Committee decided to move $108,740 to the reconciliation list to restore some level of staff for the Ethics Commission. In addition, the MFP Committee will hold an additional session to further discuss these two agenda items.
For agenda item #4 on the Public Information Office, the MFP Committee did not action on the FY11 Operating Budget for the Office of Public Information. Instead, the MFP Committee requested additional information to be presented to the Committee.
For agenda item #5 on the MC311 Customer Service Center, the MFP Committee did not take action on the FY11 Operating Budget for the MC311 Customer Service Center. Instead, the MFP Committee will take action on this agenda item after receiving an updated budget briefing from the County Executive on April 22nd.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions or concerns regarding this MFP Committee session.
MFP and T&E Committees Discussed Expedited Bill 15-10, Taxation-Fuel Energy Tax-Rate
The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, and the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy & Environment Committee, Chaired by Nancy Floreen, held a joint committee meeting on Thursday, April 21st at 9 am. The joint committees discussed Expedited Bill 15-10, Taxation-Fuel-Energy Tax-Rate and Resolution to change fuel/energy tax rates. The MFP and T&E Committees agreed to continue discussion on this topic at a later date. The date for further discussion is tentatively scheduled for April 29th.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions or concerns regarding this joint MFP/T&E Committee session.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions or concerns regarding this joint MFP/T&E Committee session.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The Trachtenberg Office Attends the Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board Meeting
Naomi Bloch represented the Trachtenberg office at last night’s meeting of the Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board (MCCAB) that meets the third Tuesday of every month, typically at the Mid-County Regional Services Center, located at 2424 Reedie Drive, Wheaton, MD 20902.
The first guest speaker was Fire Chief Richard Bowers who came by to talk about bill 13-10 (popularly known as the Ambulance Fee) and to urge the support of the Board. A lively discussion resulted when some local volunteer firefighters gave their reasons for why this shouldn’t be supported. A substantive Q&A period followed after which the Board eventually voted to support bill 13-10 with the one amendment that the Board would like to see the fees raised be devoted only to funding fire and rescue operations. The language in the current bill states that these fees would fund the fire & rescue services for only the first year after which they would directed to the County’s general fund.
Council President Nancy Floreen was the second guest speaker and she updated the MCCAB and everyone present about the unprecedented economic challenges facing the county and that even further bad news was expected on Thursday when the County Executive would present the newly revised budget that takes into account the even lower that expected revenues. She praised the MCCAB members for their list of suggestions for the Council on how to cut costs and generate more revenue.
The MCCAB voted on a series of issues, notably, opposition to the ZTA – concerning the subsequent proposal from Costco to have a 16-bay gas station on the Westfield Wheaton Plaza property; support of the 4 million dollar incentive money proposed by the County’s Department of Economic Development; support of a proposal to change the flood plan for the area surrounding the Westfield Wheaton Plaza.
For more information about the Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board and/or the Mid-County Regional Services Center visit: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/midcounty or the MCCAB blog at http://mccabblog.blogspot.com/. Email: midcounty.citizen@montgomerycountymd.gov
The first guest speaker was Fire Chief Richard Bowers who came by to talk about bill 13-10 (popularly known as the Ambulance Fee) and to urge the support of the Board. A lively discussion resulted when some local volunteer firefighters gave their reasons for why this shouldn’t be supported. A substantive Q&A period followed after which the Board eventually voted to support bill 13-10 with the one amendment that the Board would like to see the fees raised be devoted only to funding fire and rescue operations. The language in the current bill states that these fees would fund the fire & rescue services for only the first year after which they would directed to the County’s general fund.
Council President Nancy Floreen was the second guest speaker and she updated the MCCAB and everyone present about the unprecedented economic challenges facing the county and that even further bad news was expected on Thursday when the County Executive would present the newly revised budget that takes into account the even lower that expected revenues. She praised the MCCAB members for their list of suggestions for the Council on how to cut costs and generate more revenue.
The MCCAB voted on a series of issues, notably, opposition to the ZTA – concerning the subsequent proposal from Costco to have a 16-bay gas station on the Westfield Wheaton Plaza property; support of the 4 million dollar incentive money proposed by the County’s Department of Economic Development; support of a proposal to change the flood plan for the area surrounding the Westfield Wheaton Plaza.
For more information about the Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board and/or the Mid-County Regional Services Center visit: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/midcounty or the MCCAB blog at http://mccabblog.blogspot.com/. Email: midcounty.citizen@montgomerycountymd.gov
Trachtenberg Office Salutes Earth Day and 30th Anniversary of Agricultural Reserve
Representatives of the Trachtenberg Office joined Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and Montgomery County Council President Nancy Floreen to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day and the 30th Anniversary of the Agricultural Reserve. The event was held at the County’s Agricultural History Farm Park, located at 18400 Muncaster Road, Derwood in the County’s 93,000 acre Agricultural Reserve. The Reserve is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and has been recognized as the country’s most successful farmland and open space preservation program, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council and the American Farmland Trust. Also in attendance were Dr. Royce Hanson, chairman of the Montgomery County Planning Board, who is considered the architect of the Agricultural Reserve; DEP Director Robert Hoyt; Barbara Ashe, executive vice president of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce; and representatives from certified green businesses.
County Executive Leggett announced that eight new businesses were certified under the County’s Green Business Certification Program in response to a challenge to become a ‘green’ business by Earth Day. The newly certified companies joined 11 others already certified as green by demonstrating their commitment to environmental stewardship, conservation of energy and water, carbon footprint reduction, and waste reduction and recycling. The Green Business Program was launched in December by DEP, in partnership with the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and Montgomery College to recognize voluntary efforts to protect, preserve and improve the environment. The newly certified businesses are: All Eco Center, Wheaton; Greenavise, Silver Spring; Innovative Business Interiors, Inc., Silver Spring; The Maven Group, Bethesda; The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, Rockville; Radius Technology Group, Inc., Silver Spring; Reznick Group, Bethesda; and Solid Waste Association of North America, Silver Spring.
The 11 businesses previously certified are: Bethesda Green, Bethesda; Building Maintenance Systems, Inc., Rockville; Calvert Group, Ltd., Bethesda; The Center for a New American Dream, Takoma Park; Clean Currents, LLC, Rockville; Hallman Orthodontics, Chevy Chase; Honest Tea, Bethesda; Marriott International, Inc., Bethesda; Pepco Customer Service Center, Rockville; Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, P.A., Potomac; and Social and Scientific Systems, Inc., Silver Spring.
A description of what the certified green businesses have done to earn their certification is available on the County’s website at http://mcgreenbiz.org/directory.
Naomi Bloch and Emily Hoopes represented Councilmember Trachtenberg at the event.
The 11 businesses previously certified are: Bethesda Green, Bethesda; Building Maintenance Systems, Inc., Rockville; Calvert Group, Ltd., Bethesda; The Center for a New American Dream, Takoma Park; Clean Currents, LLC, Rockville; Hallman Orthodontics, Chevy Chase; Honest Tea, Bethesda; Marriott International, Inc., Bethesda; Pepco Customer Service Center, Rockville; Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, P.A., Potomac; and Social and Scientific Systems, Inc., Silver Spring.
A description of what the certified green businesses have done to earn their certification is available on the County’s website at http://mcgreenbiz.org/directory.
Celebrating the Life of Dr. Dorothy Height, Celebrated Women’s and Civil Rights Leader
Dr. Height, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 from President Bill Clinton and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004, was a chief advocate for women, families, and children and championed the values of racial dignity and social justice. Those who knew her beyond her trademark hats and well-tailored garb could attest that Height, even up to her recent illness, had a sharpness of wit and work-ethic that rivaled the efforts of men and women who were decades younger.
Dr. Height, who was present on the platform when Dr. Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, once said, “Keeping connected to one another builds our strength and enhances our power.” She will be greatly missed by those who knew her well and by countless beneficiaries of her work here in the US and abroad.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
HHS Committee Work Session—April 21, 2pm—FY11 Operating Budget
The Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee, on which Councilmember Trachtenberg serves, will meet on Wednesday, April 21, at 2pm in the 7th Floor Council Hearing Room to discuss the following items within the FY11 Operating Budget:
(1) NDA: Arts and Humanities (This item will be available online on the morning of April 21st)
(2) Public Arts Trust
(3) CIP adjustment: Cost Sharing, and State Match Community Grants
(4) CIP adjustment: Cost Sharing - Olney Theatre
The following individuals are expected to attend:
Suzan Jenkins, CEO, Arts and Humanities Council
Jacqueline Carter, CIP Manager, Office of Management and Budget
Beryl Feinberg, Office of Management and Budget
Pooja Bharadwaja, Office of Management and Budget
Jacqueline Carter, Office of Management and Budget
Please contact Saschane Stephenson, Legislative Aide for Health and Human Services, at 240-777-7963 (direct dial) or saschane.stephenson@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this HHS Committee session.
The meeting will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon) and will also be available via streaming through the County Web site.
(1) NDA: Arts and Humanities (This item will be available online on the morning of April 21st)
(2) Public Arts Trust
(3) CIP adjustment: Cost Sharing, and State Match Community Grants
(4) CIP adjustment: Cost Sharing - Olney Theatre
The following individuals are expected to attend:
Suzan Jenkins, CEO, Arts and Humanities Council
Jacqueline Carter, CIP Manager, Office of Management and Budget
Beryl Feinberg, Office of Management and Budget
Pooja Bharadwaja, Office of Management and Budget
Jacqueline Carter, Office of Management and Budget
Please contact Saschane Stephenson, Legislative Aide for Health and Human Services, at 240-777-7963 (direct dial) or saschane.stephenson@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this HHS Committee session.
The meeting will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon) and will also be available via streaming through the County Web site.
MFP Committee Discussed Employee-Related Issues with Regard to the FY11 Operating Budget
The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, held a committee meeting on Monday, April 19th at 2 pm to discuss employee-related issues with regard to the FY11 Operating Budget. The agenda items included:
1) Discussion-Compensation and Benefits (all agencies)
2) Discussion-Compensation and Benefits (Data)
3) OLO Memorandum: Review of the County Executive’s Proposed FY11 Furlough Plan
4) OLO Memorandum: Review of the County Executive’s Proposed Reduction-in-Force and Retirement Incentive Program
5) Discussion-Collective Bargaining Agreements
6) County Retirement Budgets (ERS, RSP, and Deferred Comp)
7) Expedited Bill 9-10, Personnel-Retirement Incentive Program
The Committee did not take action on agenda items #1-6. However, the Committee did take action on agenda item #7 on Expedited Bill 9-10. The MFP Committee recommended Expedited Bill 9-10, Personnel – Retirement Incentive Program (RIP) to the full Council. The County Council will discuss Expedited Bill 9-10 on April 27th.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions or concerns regarding this MFP Committee session.
1) Discussion-Compensation and Benefits (all agencies)
2) Discussion-Compensation and Benefits (Data)
3) OLO Memorandum: Review of the County Executive’s Proposed FY11 Furlough Plan
4) OLO Memorandum: Review of the County Executive’s Proposed Reduction-in-Force and Retirement Incentive Program
5) Discussion-Collective Bargaining Agreements
6) County Retirement Budgets (ERS, RSP, and Deferred Comp)
7) Expedited Bill 9-10, Personnel-Retirement Incentive Program
The Committee did not take action on agenda items #1-6. However, the Committee did take action on agenda item #7 on Expedited Bill 9-10. The MFP Committee recommended Expedited Bill 9-10, Personnel – Retirement Incentive Program (RIP) to the full Council. The County Council will discuss Expedited Bill 9-10 on April 27th.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions or concerns regarding this MFP Committee session.
Councilmember Trachtenberg Meets with the Up-County Citizens Advisory Board
Councilmember Duchy Tractenberg visited with the Up-County Citizens Advisory Board last at the Up-County Regional Services Center, located at 12900 Middlebrook Road, Germantown, MD 20874.
The Councilmember’s remarks, as Chair of the Management and Fiscal Policy Committee (MFP), focused primarily on the current and growing challenges of the FY11 operating budget proposal that is presently being considered by the County Council. She talked about the budget shortfall resulting from decreasing tax revenues and prospective cuts to a wide range of County services. She also noted the serious challenge to the county’s Triple A Bond rating resulting from a deteriorating economic and fiscal environment. She said that it was going to be critical to fundamentally restructure County government. She also discussed recent Council action regarding two Master Plans—the White Flint Sector Plan and the Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan—as both being critical for the future soundness of Montgomery County’s economic health.
During the Q&A period, a serious conversation took place that touched on a wide range of topics, including a fairer distribution of the state’s tax revenue for Montgomery County; the fate of the Regional Service Centers; the recent defeat of the alchohol tax; and a possible rise in the gas tax.
The Up-County Citizens Advisory Board meets the third Monday of every month at the Up-County Regional Services Center and these meetings are open to the public. For more information, click here.
During the Q&A period, a serious conversation took place that touched on a wide range of topics, including a fairer distribution of the state’s tax revenue for Montgomery County; the fate of the Regional Service Centers; the recent defeat of the alchohol tax; and a possible rise in the gas tax.
The Up-County Citizens Advisory Board meets the third Monday of every month at the Up-County Regional Services Center and these meetings are open to the public. For more information, click here.
Councilmember Trachtenberg Congratulates our Montgomery County “Environmental Leaders”
The Montgomery County Council today recognized 40 environmentalists that have made a difference in Montgomery County over the past 40 years as the County celebrates the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.
"I congratulate these outstanding individuals for their hard work to make Montgomery County a greener and more environmentally-friendly place to live in," said Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg today after the recognition ceremony in Rockville. "Their efforts over the past 40 years have undoubtedly contributed to the quality of life that this County is known for."
Recipients of the award were selected based on significant impacts they have made on climate policies, energy efficiency, renewable energy or other environmental goals in Montgomery County in the last 40 years. The winners will represent a wide range of issues and accomplishments spanning four decades. The names and biographies of the awardees will be released at the ceremony.
Thursday, April 22, marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, a worldwide celebration day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the earth’s environment. Earth Day was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970.
For a complete list of the recipients, please read the Council press release.
"I congratulate these outstanding individuals for their hard work to make Montgomery County a greener and more environmentally-friendly place to live in," said Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg today after the recognition ceremony in Rockville. "Their efforts over the past 40 years have undoubtedly contributed to the quality of life that this County is known for."
Recipients of the award were selected based on significant impacts they have made on climate policies, energy efficiency, renewable energy or other environmental goals in Montgomery County in the last 40 years. The winners will represent a wide range of issues and accomplishments spanning four decades. The names and biographies of the awardees will be released at the ceremony.
Thursday, April 22, marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, a worldwide celebration day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the earth’s environment. Earth Day was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970.
For a complete list of the recipients, please read the Council press release.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Trachtenberg Office “Sweeps-the-Creek” in Silver Spring!
The Tracthenberg Office was proudly represented at the annual Sweep the Creek event in Sligo Creek Park in the Park Hills neighborhood of Silver Spring. The event was sponsored by Friends of Sligo Creek and led by neighborhood environmentalist Jennifer Kefer. Dozens of people turned out to help clean the Sligo Creek streambed and Sligo Creek Parkway between Wayne Avenue and Piney Branch Road. Among the items recovered from the creek were an 8x10 rug, a bicycle and an electric typewriter. Our Chief of Staff, Alan Bowser, a Park Hills resident, represented the Trachtenberg Office.
Visit the Friends of Sligo Creek website. For other pictures from the weekend clean up, click here.
Silver Spring Heritage Trail
I was thrilled to attend the Silver Spring Heritage Trail signs unveiling ceremony this past Saturday, April 17th in Downtown Silver Spring. I joined County Executive Issiah Leggett, Councilmembers Valerie Ervin and Marc Elrich and elected Maryland State officials for this special ceremony.
The Silver Spring Heritage Trail is the first official Montgomery County Main Street Heritage Trail—A joint endeavor between the County Executive's Office, the County Council, the Silver Spring Regional Services Center, the Silver Spring Historical Society, and the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission Staff.
The Silver Spring Heritage Trail is the County's legal mitigation requirement from the 1998 loss through demolition of the historic 1927 Silver Spring National Guard Armory on Wayne Avenue for redevelopment of the core of Silver Spring's Central Business District.
The Trail showcases one of Silver Spring's original Main Streets, Georgia Avenue, the birth of Silver Spring's Central Business District, the first Newspaper, "The Maryland News", the first Department Store, the first Bank, and the first Bakery, among other interesting and historical places in Silver Spring. These Pioneering Structures are Enlivened "now and then" by multi-cultural small independent businesses and a variety of institutions.
Visit the Heritage Trail to experience adaptive reuse at its best! Heritage Tourism is economic development, also known as "Sense of Place Economics!”
Fenton Street Market in Silver Spring
Also, this past Saturday, April 17th, I had the great opportunity to attend the kick-off event for the Fenton Street Market in Silver Spring. I was delighted to see first-hand the success of this exciting new outdoor market in Montgomery County!
The Fenton Street Market made its debut last fall with two highly successful test runs. Created by resident Hannah McCann as a way to bring together and celebrate the eclectic and vibrant Silver Spring community, Fenton Street Market promises fun and excitement from week to week! There are 60+ vendors selling antiques, imported goods, crafts, art, and food, including delicious hot donuts and crepes. The Market Stage will keep shoppers entertained with live music and a DJ spinning excellent oldies.
A new addition to Fenton Street Market this season will be the exciting Village Square. Sponsored by Downtown Silver Spring, the Village Square will feature fresh and inventive cultural programs that share one key idea: interaction. By showcasing the diverse and mulit-faceted talents, knowledge, and skills of area residents, businesses, and institutions, the Village Square will provide a space where the community can come together to learn and explore.
At the kick-off event, the wonderful Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center demonstrated and instructed shoppers how to screen print and letterpress their own items! Shoppers brought their own blank printable items such as tee shirts and tote bags to print with a special image created for the occasion.
Fenton Street Market is held at the corner of Fenton Street and Silver Spring Avenue in Downtown Silver Spring. The Silver Spring Metro is a short walk away, and there is free parking in the public lots across Fenton Street. A number of wonderful independent stores and restaurants are in the immediate area for shoppers to visit and support while they're in the neighborhood, and Fresh Farm market runs a weekly Saturday farm market 4 blocks away.
For more info: http://www.fentonstreetmarket.com/.
For more info: http://www.fentonstreetmarket.com/.
MFP Committee To Discuss FY11 Operating Budget
The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, will hold a committee meeting on Monday, April 19th at 2 pm. The Committee will discuss the FY11 Operating Budget. The agenda items include:
1) Discussion-Compensation and Benefits (all agencies)
2) Discussion-Compensation and Benefits (Data)
3) OLO Memorandum: Review of the County Executive’s Proposed FY11 Furlough Plan
4) OLO Memorandum: Review of the County Executive’s Proposed Reduction-in-Force and Retirement Incentive Program
5) Discussion-Collective Bargaining Agreements
6) County retirement budgets (ERS, RSP, and Deferred Comp)
7) Expedited Bill 9-10, Personnel-Retirement Incentive Program
The meeting will be held in the 3rd Floor Hearing Room of the County Council Office Building located at 100 Maryland Avenue 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.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this committee session.
1) Discussion-Compensation and Benefits (all agencies)
2) Discussion-Compensation and Benefits (Data)
3) OLO Memorandum: Review of the County Executive’s Proposed FY11 Furlough Plan
4) OLO Memorandum: Review of the County Executive’s Proposed Reduction-in-Force and Retirement Incentive Program
5) Discussion-Collective Bargaining Agreements
6) County retirement budgets (ERS, RSP, and Deferred Comp)
7) Expedited Bill 9-10, Personnel-Retirement Incentive Program
The meeting will be held in the 3rd Floor Hearing Room of the County Council Office Building located at 100 Maryland Avenue 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.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this committee session.
Joint MFP/PS Committee Met to Discuss Public Safety System Modernization
The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, and the Public Safety (PS) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Phil Andrews, held a joint committee meeting on Friday, April 16th at 2 pm. Both committees discussed the FY11 Operating Budget for Public Safety System Modernization – Park Police. MFP and PS Committees agreed with Council Staff on the replacement schedule for the addition of radios for Park Police. The radios would be scheduled with only the most urgently needed replacements in FY11 and FY12 and the remaining replacements in FY13-FY15.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this joint committee session.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this joint committee session.
Friday, April 16, 2010
The Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee Meets on Monday to Address FY11 Operating Budget Items
The Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee, on which Councilmember Trachtenberg serves, will meet on Monday, April 19th at 9:30am to discuss the following FY11 Operating Budget item:
Department of Health and Human Services: Children, Youth and Families and Special Needs Housing (does not include Housing First).
Those expected for this worksession:
Uma Ahluwalia, Director, Department ofHealth and Human Services (DHHS)
Sherry White, Chief Operating Officer, DHHS
Kim Mayo, Budget Team Leader, DHHS
Kate Garvey, Chief, Children, Youth and Families
Nadim Khan, Chief, Special Needs Housing
Beryl Feinberg, Office of Management and Budget
Trudy-Ann Durace, Office of Management and Budget
This worksession will be held in the Seventh 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.
Department of Health and Human Services: Children, Youth and Families and Special Needs Housing (does not include Housing First).
Those expected for this worksession:
Uma Ahluwalia, Director, Department ofHealth and Human Services (DHHS)
Sherry White, Chief Operating Officer, DHHS
Kim Mayo, Budget Team Leader, DHHS
Kate Garvey, Chief, Children, Youth and Families
Nadim Khan, Chief, Special Needs Housing
Beryl Feinberg, Office of Management and Budget
Trudy-Ann Durace, Office of Management and Budget
This worksession will be held in the Seventh 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.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Joint HHS and Education Committees Worksession on FY11 Operating Budget Items
The Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee and the Education Committee of the Montgomery County Council will meet jointly at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, April 16, for a worksession on the Fiscal Year Operating Budget requests for school-related services including Early Childhood Services, Infants and Toddlers, Child Care Subsidies, School Health Services, Linkages to Learning, Public Private Partnerships, Foster Care Transportation and the Kennedy Cluster Project. It will also discuss a CIP budget adjustment: High School Wellness Center and the CIP cost sharing project: Old Blair Auditorium.
The worksession continues the Council’s examination of County Executive Isiah Leggett’s recommended FY11 Operating Budget. The full Council is expected to adopt the County budget on May 27.
This joint worksession will be held in the Seventh 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 http://www.blogger.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/.
Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg serves on the HHS Committee.
The worksession continues the Council’s examination of County Executive Isiah Leggett’s recommended FY11 Operating Budget. The full Council is expected to adopt the County budget on May 27.
This joint worksession will be held in the Seventh 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 http://www.blogger.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/.
Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg serves on the HHS Committee.
Joint MFP/PS Committee Meeting on Public Safety System Modernization
The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, and the Public Safety (PS) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Phil Andrews, will hold a joint committee meeting on Friday, April 16th at 2 pm. Both committees will discuss the FY11 Operating Budget for Public Safety System Modernization – Park Police. The meeting will be held in the 7th Floor Conference Room of the County Council Office Building located at 100 Maryland Avenue in Rockville.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this joint committee session.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this joint committee session.
MFP Committee Discussed FY11 Operating Budgets
The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, met on Thursday, April 15th at 9:30 am to discuss the FY11 Operating Budget for the Department of Technology Services (DTS); Interagency Technology Policy and Coordination Committee (ITPCC) and Desktop Computer Modernization (DCM). The discussion of the Cable Television and Communications Plan was postponed until April 21st at 9:45 am.
The MFP Committee decided to postpone their decision on the DTS budget until they receive additional information. There may be another work session on the DTS operating budget the week of April 26th. Moreover, the Committee unanimously approved the Executive’s recommended budget of $5,000 for the ITPCC as well as accepted the Executive’s recommended budget of $3,630,950 for DCM. However, the Committee noted that they may revisit their decision on the DCM operating budget.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this MFP Committee session.
The MFP Committee decided to postpone their decision on the DTS budget until they receive additional information. There may be another work session on the DTS operating budget the week of April 26th. Moreover, the Committee unanimously approved the Executive’s recommended budget of $5,000 for the ITPCC as well as accepted the Executive’s recommended budget of $3,630,950 for DCM. However, the Committee noted that they may revisit their decision on the DCM operating budget.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this MFP Committee session.
Councilmember Trachtenberg Speaks to the Montgomery County Commission on People with Disabilities
Councilmember Trachtenberg was the guest at last evening’s meeting of the Montgomery County Commission on People with Disabilities that took place at the Executive Office Building (EOB). The discussion focused on the current budget crisis and the potential cuts to services and how more needed to be done to address the unique needs of this community.
Two areas that were mentioned were the transportation challenges and the need for developers to do a better job of accommodating the physical challenges that exist for people with a wide range of disabilities. The Commission voted unanimously in favor of the proposed Montgomery County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Transport fee.
For more information of the Montgomery County Commission on People with Disabilities and their work, click here.
Two areas that were mentioned were the transportation challenges and the need for developers to do a better job of accommodating the physical challenges that exist for people with a wide range of disabilities. The Commission voted unanimously in favor of the proposed Montgomery County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Transport fee.
For more information of the Montgomery County Commission on People with Disabilities and their work, click here.
Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee Meeting on FY 11 Operating Budget
The Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee, on which Councilmember Trachtenberg serves, will meet this afternoon at 2pm in the Third Floor Council Conference Room to discuss two items in the FY 11 Operating budget: Those expected for this worksession:
Uma Ahluwalia, Director, Department of Health and Human Services
Dr. Ulder Tillman, Health Officer and Chief of Public Health Services
John Kenney, Chief, Aging and Disabilities Services
Kim Mayo, DHHS Management and Budget
Beryl Feinberg, Office of Management and Budget
Pooja Bharadwaja, Office ofManagement and Budget
Trudye-Ann Durace, Office of Management and Budget
This worksession will be televised live on County Cable Montgomery (Channel 6 on Comcast or 30 on RCN and Verizon).
Please contact Saschane Stephenson, Legislative Aide for Health and Human Services, at 240-777-7963 (direct dial) or saschane.stephenson@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this HHS Committee session.
Uma Ahluwalia, Director, Department of Health and Human Services
Dr. Ulder Tillman, Health Officer and Chief of Public Health Services
John Kenney, Chief, Aging and Disabilities Services
Kim Mayo, DHHS Management and Budget
Beryl Feinberg, Office of Management and Budget
Pooja Bharadwaja, Office ofManagement and Budget
Trudye-Ann Durace, Office of Management and Budget
This worksession will be televised live on County Cable Montgomery (Channel 6 on Comcast or 30 on RCN and Verizon).
Please contact Saschane Stephenson, Legislative Aide for Health and Human Services, at 240-777-7963 (direct dial) or saschane.stephenson@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this HHS Committee session.
MFP Committee Approves Operating Budgets
The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, met on Wednesday, April 14th at 2 pm to discuss the FY11 Operating Budget. Specifically, the Committee considered the budgets for Office of Management and Budget; Finance, Risk Management, and NDAs for Risk Management, Working Families Income Supplement, State Property Tax Services, and Restricted Donations; Debt Service and NDAs: Grants to Municipalities in Lieu of Shares Tax, Future Federal/State/Other Grants, Takoma Park Police Rebate, Municipal Tax Duplication. The MFP Committee unanimously approved all the operating budgets discussed during this meeting.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this MFP Committee session.
Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or laurie.edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this MFP Committee session.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Councilmember Trachtenberg Briefs Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Infrastructure and Land Use Committee
Councilmember Trachtenberg briefed the Infrastructure and Land Use Committee of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce on issues related to the FY10 fiscal situation and the County Executive’s Recommended Operating Budget for FY11 at a morning meeting yesterday in Rockville.
Among the topics discussed were the County Executive’s Recommended FY11 Operating Budget, the FY10 Savings Plans, current revenue write-downs, and the status of the County’s bond rating. Councilmember Trachtenberg also discussed recent Council action regarding the White Flint Sector Plan and the Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan (formerly the Gaithersburg West Master Plan).
Among the topics discussed were the County Executive’s Recommended FY11 Operating Budget, the FY10 Savings Plans, current revenue write-downs, and the status of the County’s bond rating. Councilmember Trachtenberg also discussed recent Council action regarding the White Flint Sector Plan and the Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan (formerly the Gaithersburg West Master Plan).
African American Advisory Committee Welcomes Councilmember Trachtenberg
Councilmember Trachtenberg was warmly welcomed by members of Montgomery County’s African American Advisory Committee at its regular meeting in the Executive Office Building in Rockville.
At the meeting, Councilmember Trachtenberg reported in-depth on recent developments related to the County’s serious fiscal conditions, commenting on the FY11 budget gap, FY10 savings plans, State aid cuts, recent revenue writedowns, and unexpected increases in expenditures. She also discussed aspects of the County Executive’s recommended FY11 Operating Budget, including compensation and benefits issues, the need to replenish the revenue stabilization fund, and government restructuring efforts. Councilmember commented in detail on elements of the Advisory Committee’s budget recommendations to the County Executive that were transmitted in January 2010.
In the question and answer period, members of the Committee discussed a range of issues including establishing priorities for health and human services programs, outreach to faith-based communities, and improving communication and collaboration with Montgomery County’s state delegation.
Our Chief of Staff, Alan Bowser, who is a member of the African American Advisory Committee, attended the meeting with Councilmember Trachtenberg.
At the meeting, Councilmember Trachtenberg reported in-depth on recent developments related to the County’s serious fiscal conditions, commenting on the FY11 budget gap, FY10 savings plans, State aid cuts, recent revenue writedowns, and unexpected increases in expenditures. She also discussed aspects of the County Executive’s recommended FY11 Operating Budget, including compensation and benefits issues, the need to replenish the revenue stabilization fund, and government restructuring efforts. Councilmember commented in detail on elements of the Advisory Committee’s budget recommendations to the County Executive that were transmitted in January 2010.
In the question and answer period, members of the Committee discussed a range of issues including establishing priorities for health and human services programs, outreach to faith-based communities, and improving communication and collaboration with Montgomery County’s state delegation.
Our Chief of Staff, Alan Bowser, who is a member of the African American Advisory Committee, attended the meeting with Councilmember Trachtenberg.
Councilmember Trachtenberg In the "Council Close Up" Program
Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg stopped by the County Cable Montgomery studios this morning to tape an edition of the Council Close Up with host Susan Kenedy.
Councilmember Trachtenberg joined Dr. Sheryl Brissett-Chapman, Ed.D, ACSW, and Executive Director of the National Center for Children and Families and Chief Deputy Sheriff Darren Popkin for a roundtable discussion about the Montgomery County Family Justice Center (FJC) and the critical work being done at this one-stop center to help families dealing with the devastating effects of domestic violence.
Councilmember Trachtenberg made the point that this is an issue that affects everyone’s life, either personally or and through knowing a friend or family member secretly dealing this with private physical and emotional abuse. Dr. Brisset-Chapman added that the children exposed to this situation will often go on to abuse their own children and violently act out in society as well. So, since domestic violence touches everyone in one way or another, it is up to all of us to do what we can to find ways to bring and end to the violence.
For more information about County Cable Montgomery (CCM) and/or this Council Close Up program, click here.
Councilmember Trachtenberg joined Dr. Sheryl Brissett-Chapman, Ed.D, ACSW, and Executive Director of the National Center for Children and Families and Chief Deputy Sheriff Darren Popkin for a roundtable discussion about the Montgomery County Family Justice Center (FJC) and the critical work being done at this one-stop center to help families dealing with the devastating effects of domestic violence.
Councilmember Trachtenberg made the point that this is an issue that affects everyone’s life, either personally or and through knowing a friend or family member secretly dealing this with private physical and emotional abuse. Dr. Brisset-Chapman added that the children exposed to this situation will often go on to abuse their own children and violently act out in society as well. So, since domestic violence touches everyone in one way or another, it is up to all of us to do what we can to find ways to bring and end to the violence.
For more information about County Cable Montgomery (CCM) and/or this Council Close Up program, click here.
Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee Meeting Tomorrow 4/15
The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, will meet on Thursday, April 15th at 9:30 am to discuss the following agenda items:
Department of Technology Services
NDA: Interagency Technology Policy and Coordination Committee (ITPCC)
NDA: Desktop Computer Modernization
The meeting will take place in the third floor conference room of the County Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Avenue in Rockville. Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or Laurie.Edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this MFP Committee session.
Department of Technology Services
NDA: Interagency Technology Policy and Coordination Committee (ITPCC)
NDA: Desktop Computer Modernization
The meeting will take place in the third floor conference room of the County Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Avenue in Rockville. Please contact Laurie Mintzer Edberg, Director of Management and Fiscal Policy, at 240-777-7948 (direct dial) or Laurie.Edberg@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this MFP Committee session.
Councilmember Trachtenberg Meets with the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce
This morning Councilmember Trachtenberg met with the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce(GGCC) as part of their Legislative Speaker Series which took place at the GGCC offices and gave a very sober assessment of the deepening fiscal challenges facing the county.
As the Chair of the Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) she was able to provide the GGCC members with a reality check as to the need for a real restructuring of county government and the near-term need to do what’s necessary to maintain the county’s AAA Bond rating.
She was also joined by Councilmembers Leventhal and Elrich who also offered sobering comments about the climate in which we now find ourselves. Councilmember Trachtenberg stated that one critical key to maintaining the AAA Bond rating is going to be the expansion of jobs and tax revenues that the White Flint and Great Seneca Science Corridor Plans (the latter formerly known as the Gaithersburg West Master Plan) will be able to provide for Montgomery County in the years ahead.
Councilmember Trachtenberg encouraged the members of the business community to stay in touch with the Council and provide their ideas and suggestions as these various economic plans unfold.
For more information about the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber contact: Marilyn Balcombe, President/CEO; Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce, 4 Professional Drive, Suite 132, Gaithersburg, MD 20879; 301-840-1400 x15
Email: malcombe@ggchamber.org ; http://www.ggchamber.org/.
As the Chair of the Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) she was able to provide the GGCC members with a reality check as to the need for a real restructuring of county government and the near-term need to do what’s necessary to maintain the county’s AAA Bond rating.
She was also joined by Councilmembers Leventhal and Elrich who also offered sobering comments about the climate in which we now find ourselves. Councilmember Trachtenberg stated that one critical key to maintaining the AAA Bond rating is going to be the expansion of jobs and tax revenues that the White Flint and Great Seneca Science Corridor Plans (the latter formerly known as the Gaithersburg West Master Plan) will be able to provide for Montgomery County in the years ahead.
Councilmember Trachtenberg encouraged the members of the business community to stay in touch with the Council and provide their ideas and suggestions as these various economic plans unfold.
For more information about the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber contact: Marilyn Balcombe, President/CEO; Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce, 4 Professional Drive, Suite 132, Gaithersburg, MD 20879; 301-840-1400 x15
Email: malcombe@ggchamber.org ; http://www.ggchamber.org/.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Statement of Montgomery County Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg On the Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan
Councilmember Trachtenberg adds language strengthening community engagement and health impact assessment in the newly named “Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan” formally known as the “Gaithersburg West Master Plan”
I am pleased that a majority of my County Council colleagues have today expressed support for the newly named “Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan.” With their approval, and with this plan, Montgomery County is poised to move into a bright future of technological innovation, economic growth, and environmental sustainability.
In the Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan, I believe that we have a plan that balances the growth we need with the quality of life we want; a plan that provides for important community amenities such as parks, walking trails, bikeways, athletic fields, and green spaces; and a plan that protects the environment, preserves our cultural and historic resources, and which, importantly, protects community health. And I believe that we have a plan that supports a community process that respects neighbors and neighborhoods, and the independent municipalities in the County.
I have worked hard to try to meet with, to hear and, importantly, to listen to the broadest range of stakeholders in the Great Seneca Science Corridor planning process. I have met with the civic community, and with the Mayors and Councils of Gaithersburg and Rockville. I have had numerous meetings with the Planning Board Chair and the Director of the Planning Department. I have had almost daily conversations with my Council colleagues.
As a consequence of these conversations, we now have a plan for the future development of the “Great Seneca Science Corridor” plan area that strikes a good balance between growth and quality of life.
Montgomery County needs a long term vision of economic growth. As a County, and as one who has been charged as Chair of the Council’s Management and Fiscal Policy Committee to be a steward of our financial health, we know the importance of devising and implementing a fiscal plan which will provide opportunities for growth, new jobs, and new and growing tax revenue in the future.
We can not stand back and hope that new jobs will just come to Montgomery County; we need to be proactive in our efforts to attract new capital. We need to be proactive in creating an environment of innovation, throughout the County, around life sciences and biotech, clean energy, and other industries.
I want to extend my thanks to all my colleagues and, in particular, the perseverance and diplomacy of Councilmembers Knapp and Andrews throughout this long process. I would also like to commend and thank all of the County Council staff, community groups, individual community members, and the university system representatives. I believe that this master plan is an integral part of our destiny as a County. The success of this plan is vital to our success as a County, in terms of not only providing services, but the legacy that we leave our children. Again I thank my colleagues, and now onto the next challenge of balancing this difficult budget.
I am pleased that a majority of my County Council colleagues have today expressed support for the newly named “Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan.” With their approval, and with this plan, Montgomery County is poised to move into a bright future of technological innovation, economic growth, and environmental sustainability.
In the Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan, I believe that we have a plan that balances the growth we need with the quality of life we want; a plan that provides for important community amenities such as parks, walking trails, bikeways, athletic fields, and green spaces; and a plan that protects the environment, preserves our cultural and historic resources, and which, importantly, protects community health. And I believe that we have a plan that supports a community process that respects neighbors and neighborhoods, and the independent municipalities in the County.
I have worked hard to try to meet with, to hear and, importantly, to listen to the broadest range of stakeholders in the Great Seneca Science Corridor planning process. I have met with the civic community, and with the Mayors and Councils of Gaithersburg and Rockville. I have had numerous meetings with the Planning Board Chair and the Director of the Planning Department. I have had almost daily conversations with my Council colleagues.
As a consequence of these conversations, we now have a plan for the future development of the “Great Seneca Science Corridor” plan area that strikes a good balance between growth and quality of life.
Montgomery County needs a long term vision of economic growth. As a County, and as one who has been charged as Chair of the Council’s Management and Fiscal Policy Committee to be a steward of our financial health, we know the importance of devising and implementing a fiscal plan which will provide opportunities for growth, new jobs, and new and growing tax revenue in the future.
We can not stand back and hope that new jobs will just come to Montgomery County; we need to be proactive in our efforts to attract new capital. We need to be proactive in creating an environment of innovation, throughout the County, around life sciences and biotech, clean energy, and other industries.
I want to extend my thanks to all my colleagues and, in particular, the perseverance and diplomacy of Councilmembers Knapp and Andrews throughout this long process. I would also like to commend and thank all of the County Council staff, community groups, individual community members, and the university system representatives. I believe that this master plan is an integral part of our destiny as a County. The success of this plan is vital to our success as a County, in terms of not only providing services, but the legacy that we leave our children. Again I thank my colleagues, and now onto the next challenge of balancing this difficult budget.
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