Maryland’s New Cell Phone Law To Go Into Effect Tomorrow

To all residents:

Beginning tomorrow, Friday, October 1st, Maryland’s new cell phone law will go into effect. While the laws changed last year this time to make “texting” illegal while driving, this year’s change now makes it illegal to hold and talk on a cell phone while driving. The Communications Traffic Safety Act of 2010 now states:

“Prohibiting a driver of a motor vehicle that is in motion from using the driver's hands to use a handheld telephone except to initiate or terminate a wireless call or to turn on or off the handheld phone; providing that a violation of the Act may be enforced only as a secondary violation; establishing penalties of $40 for a first offense and $100 for a second offense; prohibiting a driver of a school vehicle or a holder of an instructional permit or provisional driver's license from using a handheld phone while driving; etc”.

Remember, NO “texting” or “holding and talking on a cell phone” while driving. This law begins this Friday, October 1, 2010.

For more information, several news links are available:

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/25196021/detail.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/24/AR2010092406295.html
http://handsfreeinfo.com/maryland-cell-phone-laws-legislation
http://www.drivinglaws.org/maryland.php
http://mlis.state.md.us/2010rs/billfile/sb0321.htm

Public hearing on Expedited Bill 45-10, Personnel-Disability Retirement -Eligibility -Total and Partial Incapacity

This afternoon, there will be a public hearing on Expedited Bill 45-10, Personnel-Disability Retirement -Eligibility -Total and Partial Incapacity, sponsored by Councilmembers Trachtenberg, Andrews, Berliner, and Council Vice President Ervin, introduced on July 27, 2010. A joint Public SafetylManagement and Fiscal Policy Committee worksession is tentatively scheduled for October 4 at 9:30 a.m.

Bill 45-10 would create a two-tier service-connected disability retirement system for all County employees identical to the current system for fire and rescue employees. Employees eligible for a service-connected disability retirement benefit would receive either a partial incapacity benefit of at least 52 1;% of final earnings or a total incapacity benefit of at least 70% of final earnings. The current system for all employees, except fire and rescue employees, provides a service-connected disability retirement benefit of at least 66 %% of final earnings for both partial and total incapacity.

To read the Council analyst packet, click here.

Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church Celebrates 140th Anniversary!

Representatives of Councilmember Trachtenberg, on behalf of the Montgomery County Council, proudly presented the following Proclamation to the Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, on the occasion of its 140th Anniversary.

WHEREAS, the Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church was founded in 1870 by Henry Walker, Jerry Gaither, and George Gaither, with its first formal gathering place established during 1873, in an area originally known as Providence in Wheaton, Montgomery County, Maryland; and

WHEREAS, the original members worked nights by lantern light until the original structure, a single story frame building, was finished; and they named the church the Allen Chapel, in honor of Richard Allen, the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E.); and

WHEREAS, since its establishment, the Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church congregation has continuously assembled and served others under the banner and living mission of the A.M.E. Church, "God Our Father, Christ Our Redeemer, and Man Our Brother;" and

WHEREAS, the founding members were not only concerned with worshipping and ministering to their community, but as they were also ardent about educating children, they organized and dedicated the first school for Black children within the Wheaton area in 1880, on the existing church property; and

WHEREAS, the Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church will be celebrating 150 years of extraordinary service to Montgomery County residents and congregants in September 2010; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the County Council of Montgomery County, Maryland, hereby proclaims September 26, 2010 as

ALLEN CHAPEL A.M.E. CHURCH DAY IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY

AND, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Montgomery County Council takes this opportunity to recognize the Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church for its history as a trail blazer, and for its many years of service to the residents of the County.

Presented on this 26th day of September in the year 2010.

Nancy Floreen
Council President

The Montgomery County Council Received Update on Economic Indicators, County Fiscal Plan and White Flint Sector Plan Financing

Today, the Montgomery County Council received an update on economic indicators and the County Fiscal Plan. The Council will look toward Fiscal Year 2012 with estimates showing the County’s major known commitments are projected to increase by about 4.3 percent (not including wage growth for County agency employees) while the approved fiscal plan permits growth in agency expenditures of just 0.1 percent. For more information on this update, click here.

The County Council also received a briefing on the progress made in recent months toward developing a plan and taking action toward financing the infrastructure necessary for the development envisioned in the adopted White Flint sector plan to go forward. To read more about the White Flint financing, click here.  

MFP Committee Meeting on Monday, September 27th

The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, met on Monday, September 27th at 10:30 am to discuss the following agenda items:

• Office of Legislative Oversight Report 2010-10: Fiscal Impact Statements for Legislation
• Expedited Bill 43-10, Administration – Legislative Branch – County Council – Fiscal Impact Statements
• Expedited Bill 47-10, Administration – Legislative Branch- County Council – Economic Impact Statements
• Expedited Bill 19-10, Taxes – Transportation Impact Tax- Amendments

Representatives of the Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) provided a brief overview of their report on Fiscal Impact Statements for Legislation and answered questions on the report. Councilmember Trachtenberg raised the issue of providing electronic updates with respect to fiscal impact statements as is the practice in Kings County, Washington.

Following the OLO update, the MFP Committee discussed two bills directly related to the report. The bills discussed included Expedited Bill 43-10, Administration-Legislative Branch-County Council-Fiscal Impact Statements and Expedited Bill 47-10, Administration – Legislative Branch-County Council-Economic Impact Statements. Joseph Beach of the Office of Management and Budget provided information to the committee members. Both bills received MFP Committee approval with minor amendments.

The final MFP agenda item focused on Expedited Bill 19-10, Taxes-Transportation Impact Tax- Amendments. Members of the Department of Transportation and the development community presented testimony. The MFP Committee agreed with the following Council Staff recommendations:

1. Do not apply any limit to pre-2004 credits with respect to the phase-out of existing impact tax credits, and
2. Do not allow impact tax credits to be used for other transportation purposes such as Policy Area Mobility Review (PAMR).

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 the PS/MFP session and /or the MFP session.

PS/MFP Joint Committee Meeting on Monday, September 27th

The Public Safety (PS) Committee, chaired by Councilmember Phil Andrews and the Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, held a joint work session on Monday, September 27th at 9:45 am. The PS/MFP Committee discussed the following agenda item:

• Amendments to County government collective bargaining agreement with International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) – Special Pay for Advanced Life Support (ALS) Providers

Joseph Adler, Director of the Office of Human Resources and Richard Bowers, Chief of Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services, presented testimony to the PS/MFP committee members on the issue of special pay for ALS providers. The joint committee requested additional information from the Executive Branch in order to make their decision on a provision in the bargaining agreement that would increase the special pay differential to ALS workers. Another work session on this topic has been scheduled for October 25th.

Montgomery County Council to Meet With Board of Education on Tuesday, Sept. 21

Also: Public Hearing on Hotel Tax Exemption for Lockheed Martin Facility, OLO Report on Family Planning Programs

ROCKVILLE, Md., September 20, 2010—The Montgomery County Council on Tuesday, Sept. 21, will have an informal lunch meeting with the County’s Board of Education. The meeting is a continuation of informal meetings the two bodies have held to discuss a variety of issues. This will be the first joint meeting since Superintendent of Schools Jerry Weast announced he would not seek appointment to another term.

The Council’s regular session will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. The regular session will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon). It also will be available via streaming through the County Web site at www.montgomerycountymd.gov. It will be rebroadcast on Friday, Sept. 24, at 9 p.m. The meeting with the Board of Education, which will be held in the Fifth Floor Conference Room, is open to the public, but will not be televised.

A public hearing that was scheduled to be held tomorrow evening by the Council’s Transportation, Infrastructure, Environment and Energy Committee on amendments to the 10-Year Comprehensive Water Supply and Sewerage Systems Plan concerning water and sewer category changes was postponed until 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 28.

The morning session will include release of a report by the Office of Legislative Oversight entitled “A Review of Publicly Funded Family Planning Programs.” The Council’s Health and Human Services Committee has tentatively scheduled a worksession on the report for Monday, Oct. 4.

The Council will hold nine public hearings tomorrow afternoon including on one on Zoning Text Amendment 10-12 concerning “Child Lot Standards” for properties in the County’s Agricultural Reserve. Property owners who owned their property prior to 1981 are entitled to create building lots for their children or their spouse’s children without any limitations. ZTA 10-12 helps clarify the provisions of standards in regard to “Child Lots.”

Another public hearing will be held on Expedited Bill 44-10 regarding the County’s Room Rental and Transient Tax. The bill would exempt a corporate lodging facility from the County’s hotel-motel tax if the facility supports that company’s headquarters, campus, training facility or conference facility; provides lodging exclusively for that company’s employees, contractors, vendors and other business invitees; and does not offer lodging to the public.

At this time, the County is aware of one facility that this amendment would impact: The Lockheed Martin Center for Leadership Excellence. Lockheed Martin’s annual transient room taxes for the facility are approximately $450,000. In 2010, the Maryland General Assembly enacted a similar law (HB 855), exempting this kind of facility from the state sales tax. The estimated state loss of revenue from its bill is $370,900.

Montgomery Council Committee to Discuss Development Oversight Coordination Today

Worksession Will Look at Proposal That Would Keep Closer Look at Evolving Future Development Districts and Intensive New Development

ROCKVILLE, Md., September 17, 2010—The Montgomery County Council’s Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee on Monday, Sept. 20, will discuss Bill 1-10 that would require the County Executive to designate an employee in the office of the Executive or the County’s Chief Administrative Officer as development coordinator for each approved development district and each geographic area where a newly revised master or sector plan has authorized intensive new development or redevelopment.

The worksession will begin at 2 p.m. in the Seventh Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville.

Duchy Trachtenberg, chair of the Council’s Management and Fiscal Policy Committee, and Mike Knapp, chair of the Council’s PHED Committee, and Councilmembers Phil Andrews and Roger Berliner are sponsors of the proposed legislation.

The bill does not require the Executive to create a new position to fulfill the requirements of the bill unless it is decided that no current employee or employees can perform the required functions.

Council staff will tell the committee on Monday that in their opinion, the bill would require the Executive to designate coordinators for the Clarksburg Town Center development district, which has been approved, but not implemented. It also would require coordinators for the recently adopted White Flint sector plan.

Montgomery County Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

Montgomery County will kick off Hispanic Heritage Month – September 15 to October 15 – with a celebration on Thursday, September 16 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Executive Office Building Auditorium, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville.

County Executive Isiah Leggett and County officials will present a proclamation commemorating Hispanic Heritage Month in Montgomery County and honoring Montgomery County’s Latino Parents and Students in Action (Padres y Alumnos Latinos en Acción- Grupo PALA). A panel titled Latinos in Montgomery County: Past, Present, and Future will feature Dr. Jorge Hernandez-Fujigaki with Montgomery College; Dr. Mark Hugo Lopez with the Pew Hispanic Center; and Kate Garvey, co-chair of the Latino Youth Collaborative and Chief of Children, Youth, and Families, Department of Health and Human Services. Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez will make closing remarks. The event will conclude with a musical performance by Tambores de San Juan, a Venezuelan drum ensemble.

The free event is co-hosted by the County Executive’s Office of Community Partnerships and the Montgomery County Government Hispanic Employees Association and is open to the public.

Below is a full calendar of events celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in Montgomery County.

• September 16, Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-off Panel Discussion on Latinos in Montgomery County: Understanding our Past, Present and Future; Executive Office Building Auditorium, 101 Monroe St., Rockville, 4 p.m.
• September 18, Mayan Calendar in the Planetarium, Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, 7600 Takoma Ave., 7 p.m.
• September 18, Rockville’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration, Rockville Town Square, 4 p.m.
• September 21 – October 13, XXI American Film Institute Latin American Film Festival, The AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Check the website at www.AFI.com for show times.
• September 23, Bilingual Lecture and Book Discussion of “Malinche” (written by Laura Esquivel) Rockville Memorial Library, 21 Maryland Ave., 6:30 p.m.
• September 23, Celebración Latina: Band and Service Learning Information Session, Student Services Center Atrium, Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, 7625 Fenton St. 11 a.m.
• September 24, “Pistolera” Mexican Rock Concert, Cultural Arts Center Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, 7600 Takoma Ave., 7:30 p.m.*
• September 25, Dani Cortaza, Virtuoso Guitarist – Latin Jazz, Wheaton Library, 11701 Georgia Avenue, 2 p.m.
• October 2, 10th Annual Housing Fair and Financial Fitness Day, Activity Center at Bohrer Park: 506 S. Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg, 10 a.m.
• October 2, Cantaré, Songs and Rhythms of Latin America, Aspen Hill Library, 4407 Aspen Hill Rd., Rockville, 10:30a.m.; and Germantown Library,19840 Century Boulevard, 2 p.m.
• October 2, Ritmos del Perú (Rhythms from Peru) Peruvian Dance, Marilyn J. Praisner Library, 14910 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, 2 p.m.
• October 6, Workshops of Brazilian Music, Black Box Theatre, Pavilion 4, Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, corner of Philadephia and Chicago avenues in Pavilion Four (Refugee Training Center), 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
• October 7, From Storyteller to Advocate: Transforming Experience into Political Change. Student Activity Center, Montgomery College Rockville Campus, 51 Mannakee St., Advocacy session,11 a.m.; storytelling session 1:30 p.m.
• October 7, Origem- Concert of Brazilian Jazz, Montgomery College Music Recital Hall, 51 Mannakee St., Rockville, 7:30 p.m.
• October 9, Family Day / Día de la Familia, Theatre Arts Arena, Montgomery College Rockville Campus, 51 Mannakee St., 1 p.m.
• October 9, Community and Job Fair, Legacy Hotel, 1775 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 10 a.m.

*There is a fee associated with this event.

For more Hispanic Heritage Month events, go to www.montgomerycountymd.gov/latino, or call the Office of Community Partnerships at 240-777-2525.

East Germantown/Milestone Fire Station #34 to Open this Saturday, September 11th

You are invited to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony forthe East Germantown/Milestone Fire Station #34 this Saturday, September 11, 2010 at 10:30 a.m. The Station is located at 20633 Boland Farm Road in Germantown. The Station will served the Neelsville, Middlebrook and Germantown areas.

You're Invited to the 33rd Takoma Park Folk Festival!

Since its inception in 1978, the Takoma Park Folk Festival has been a community affair, organized by volunteers from the Takoma Park area.

This one-day FREE festival showcases the local talent of the Washington, D.C. area and features all kinds of music, dance, crafts, children's entertainment, and food.

The Festival runs from 11 am to 6:30 pm, rain or shine, and is FREE to all!

It will take place at the Takoma Park Middle School, 7611 Piney Branch Rd, Takoma Park, MD (map and directions) on Sunday September 12, 2010.

For more information, click here.

You're Invited to the 7th Annual Silver Spring Jazz Festival

The Silver Spring Jazz Festival, now entering its seventh year, is proud to announce its featured headliner, world-renown New Orleans legend Aaron Neville and his Quintet featuring Charles Neville. Included among our other performers, Silver Spring’s own superstar jazz pianist Marcus Johnson, as well as Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band, Rumba Club, and vocalist Janine Carter.

Date: Sat, September 11th 2010
Time: 3:30pm - 10:30pm
Location: Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza
 
Watch the Jazz Festival Video from 2009!