Council to Reach Tentative Agreement on the Fiscal Year 2011 Operating Budget on Thursday, 5/20

The Council will meet tomorrow, Thursday, May 20 to reach a tentative agreement on the Fiscal Year 2011 Operating Budget. The meeting will take place in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville at 1:30 p.m. 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 video through the County Web site at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/

The Council is scheduled to formally adopt the budget on Thursday, May 27.

The Council will discuss the following FY11 Capital and Operating Budgets topics:

• Capital Budget Wrap-Up and CIP Reconciliation
• Council Reconciliation Items for Capital and Operating Budgets

It will also take action on the following items:

• Executive Regulation 5-10AM Furloughs
• Expedited Bill 18-10 Furlough Imputed Compensation
• Expedited Bill 33-10 Working Families Income Supplement
• Expedited Bill 32-10 Public Libraries – Payments to Municipalities

To view the complete Council agenda for tomorrow, click here.

Joint HHS/ED Committee Work Session Summary—Tuesday May 4, 2010

Members of the Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education (ED) Committees met today to discuss items within the FY11 Operating Budget Recommendations:

Following is a summary of actions:

1. Early Childhood Services: Centro-Familio, Family Services, Inc.
The joint committees voted to approve funding. The matter moves to the Council for final vote.

2. Amendment to the Recommended FYll-16 Capital Improvements Program: School Based Health & Linkages to Learning Centers.
With no changes in expenditure and a return of approximately $100,000 to current revenue, the joint committees approved the amendment. The matter moves to the Council.

Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee Updates

The Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee, Chaired by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, met this morning and discussed the following issues:

Executives Recommended FY11-16 Capital Improvements Program and the FY11 Capital Budget for selected projects (section 7 in the Executives Recommended CIP)
For agenda item #1, the MFP Committee focused on a few projects, namely, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, asbestos abatement for the County government, environmental compliance for the County government and facility planning for the County government. In addition, the Committee discussed other general government projects within the Department of General Services. David Dise, Director of the Department of General Services, was present for this portion of the meeting.

Executive Regulation No. 23-09, Amendments to Montgomery County Personnel Regulations, Probationary Period for Noncompetitive Reappointments
For agenda item #2, the MFP Committee accepted the Executive’s proposed amendments to the Montgomery County Personnel Regulations (MCPR) to amend Section 7 of the 2001 Personnel Regulations. These amendments clarify under what circumstances an employee who receives a noncompetitive appointment must serve a probationary period.

Executive Regulation No. 28-09, Amendments to Montgomery County Personnel Regulations, Gain Sharing Program and Performance Based Pay for Employees
For agenda item #3, the MFP Committee supported the Executive’s proposed amendments to the Montgomery County Personnel Regulations (MCPR) to amend Section 10 of the 2001 Personnel Regulations. These regulations deal with the “Gain Sharing Awards Program.” Specifically, the amendment states that any decision by the Review Panel or the Chief Administrative Officer relating to the “gain sharing” program cannot be grieved or appealed.

Bill to conform to State Ethics Commission requirement
For agenda item #4, the MFP Committee discussed a bill that would amend the County ethics law to conform to a State Ethics Commission requirement and clarify and update other provisions of County law. The Committee discussed issues involving gifts to the offices of Councilmembers and financial disclosure requirements.

Bill 12-09 Ethics Ex parte Communications
For agenda item #5, the MFP Committee postponed this agenda item for discussion at a future date.

In addition to Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, Legislative Aide Laurie Edberg attended the MFP Committee meeting.

Statement of Duchy Trachtenberg on the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) Budget Proposed by Executive

"I was absolutely thrilled to see the County Executive's strong support for Montgomery County schools in the CIP. This is the right time to be making these types of visionary decisions. We have a world-class school system that has earned Montgomery County the reputation of being one of the best, if not the best, place for children to grow, learn and achieve their potential. I strongly support the County Executive's CIP," stated Duchy Trachtenberg.

County Executive Ike Leggett transmitted to the County Council the Recommended FY11-16 Capital Improvements Program on January 15, 2010. The recommendation maintains Montgomery County's commitment to quality education by supporting critical school capacity, modernization, capital maintenance, and health and safety projects in our public schools. The County Executive increased the local share of school funding by $220.4 million, over a 21% increase. Moreover, the general obligation bond funding for school facilities increased by over $217 million, a 29.4% increase which reflects the high priority given to the Montgomery County school system. The $1.485 billion CIP budget for schools represents a 16.8% increase from the most recent $1.271 billion six year program. It should be noted that the County Executive funded 99.1% of the Board of Education's original six-year request. This shows solid support for our county's public education system in light of the economic recession.

Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg is Chair of the Management and Fiscal Policy Committee.

To view the complete FY11-16 CIP, click here.

Upcounty Citizens Advisory Board Meeting in Germantown

The Trachtenberg Office was represented last night at the Upcounty Citizens Advisory Board meeting that took place at the Up-County Regional Services Center in Germantown.

At the meeting, Advisory Board members discussed CIP Priorities, the Life Sciences/Gaithersburg West Master Plan, and Code Enforcement legislation, pending before the County Council.

The Upcounty Citizens Advisory Board meets monthly at the Upcounty Regional Services Center, located at 12900 Middlebrook Road, Suite 1000, in Germantown, Maryland