• Advisory ID: 09-141
• Advisory Date: 11/2/2009
• Contact: Neil H. Greenberger  240-777-7939 or Jean Arthur240-777-7934
• From: Council Office

Montgomery Council to Meet With County Executive, Montgomery College Leaders

Also on Tuesday, Nov. 3: Preliminary Growth Policy Decisions, Hearing on Drug Forfeiture Fund, Restructuring Recreation

ROCKVILLE, Md., November 2, 2009—The Montgomery County Council on Tuesday, Nov. 3, will continue its series of regular meetings with County Executive Isiah Leggett and will have an informal lunch meeting with the leaders of Montgomery College. In a full day, the Council also is scheduled to make preliminary decisions on several proposed changes to the County Growth Policy. The Council addresses potential significant changes to the Growth Policy every two years and changes must be approved by Nov. 15 of a review year.

The Council’s day will start at 8:30 a.m. with its meeting with County Executive Leggett in the Sixth Floor Conference Room. The regular morning session will begin at 9:45 a.m. in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. The meeting with Montgomery College will be at 12 noon in the Fifth Floor Conference Room.
The morning and afternoon sessions of the Council’s day will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon). The live broadcast also can be viewed via streaming through the County Web site at www.montgomerycountymd.gov. The broadcast will be repeated at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6. The meetings with the County Executive and Montgomery College are open to the public, but will not be televised.

The County Planning Board in summer transmitted its suggested changes for the 2009-11 Growth Policy. County Executive Leggett and the Montgomery County Board of Education sent comments on the draft. The Council’s Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee, which is chaired by Mike Knapp and includes Councilmember’s Marc Elrich and Nancy Floreen, have held several worksessions on the Growth Policy. On Sept. 22, the Council held a public hearing on the policy.

The Council is scheduled to address the Growth Policy in both its morning (starting at approximately 11 a.m.) and afternoon (starting at 2 p.m.) sessions. Final actions on possible changes to the Growth Policy are scheduled for Nov. 10.

One issue the Council will debate is whether to make small changes to the public school capacity test that applies to residential growth. In 2007, the Council made changes to the school capacity test that has led to three school clusters (Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Seneca Valley and Clarksburg) being placed in moratorium, according to figures of the Planning Board and the Board of Education.

The morning session will include formal introduction of an “equal benefits” bill, whose chief sponsor is Councilmember Nancy Navarro. The legislation would extend to employees of many contractors and subcontractors performing work for the County the same benefits already granted to County employees. Since 2000, the County has extended equal benefits to same sex domestic partners of County employees.

During the morning session, the Council also will continue its discussion on possible plans to restructure the County’s parks and recreation programs.

Starting at 1:30 p.m., the Council will hold a public hearing on Expedited Bill 35-09, which would alter the possible uses for money seized from drug dealers and placed in the County’s Drug Forfeiture Fund. The bill, whose chief sponsor is Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, would allow funds to be used for drug treatment programs.

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