• Advisory ID: 09-142
• Advisory Date: 11/4/2009
• Contact: Neil H. Greenberger  240-777-7939 or Jean Arthur240-777-7934
• From: Council Office

Montgomery Council Committees to Discuss Drug Forfeitures Fund, Safe Silver Spring

Also on Thursday, Nov. 5: Proposed County Budget Midyear Savings Plan,
Deer Management Program, Update on Crime

ROCKVILLE, Md., November 4, 2009—The Montgomery County Council’s Public Safety Committee and its Health and Human Services Committee on Thursday, Nov. 5, will hold a worksession on proposed Bill 35-09 that would expand the possible uses for money seized from drug dealers and placed in the County’s Drug Enforcement Forfeitures Fund.

The Public Safety Committee, which is chaired by Phil Andrews and includes Councilmembers Roger Berliner and Marc Elrich, and the Health and Human Services Committee, which is chaired by George Leventhal and includes Councilmembers Nancy Navarro and Duchy Trachtenberg, will meet at 2 p.m. in the Seventh Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville.

Current law requires funds in the Drug Forfeitures Fund to be used for “expenses related to enforcement of laws regarding controlled dangerous substances.” Bill 35-09, whose chief sponsor is Councilmember Trachtenberg and whose cosponsors are Councilmembers Andrews, Berliner, Elrich, Navarro and Leventhal, would expand uses of the funds to include drug prevention and treatment programming and Drug Court operations.

At 9:30 a.m. in the Seventh Floor Hearing Room, the Public Safety Committee will start the day by reviewing the County’s deer management program. The committee’s agenda also will include discussions on County Executive Isiah Leggett’s proposed Fiscal Year 2010 midyear savings that identifies about $30 million for the current budget year.
The County’s Office of Management and Budget has projected a gap of about $370 million for the FY11 operating budget. The midyear plan would be applied to help close that gap.

The committee also will address recommended action steps that resulted from the Safe Silver Spring Summit that was held in May 2009. Councilmember Valerie Ervin, whose district includes Silver Spring, played a key role in organizing the summit of residents, business representatives and community leaders. Councilmember Ervin has recommended that the committee discuss the action steps that were recommended.

County Police will brief the committee on County crime statistics for January through July 2009. Total crime is down 4.9 percent compared to the same period in 2008.

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