STILL TIME FOR OPERATING BUDGET INPUT For those of you who have not had an opportunity to provide input on the upcoming FY09 operating budget, there is one more chance for you, as a Montgomery County resident, to let me know what's important to you as we prepare the budget that will be submitted to the County Council on March 17. Due to the severe budget shortfalls we're facing this year, your input is crucial in helping us determine priorities. The final forum will be held on:
The forum begins at 7 p.m., and I look forward to hearing from many of you. If you're unable to attend, you can still share your comments with us by visiting the County's website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov , then click on the online form link under the FY09 Budget heading. - top Both of the events held in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday celebration embodied this year's theme: "Commit to the Dream: The Time is Now!" I stopped by the Conference Center where our Volunteer Center hosted a very successful volunteer event that was designed to give residents of all ages an opportunity to observe a day "on," not a day "off." I was extremely gratified to see so many of you turn out - about 900 in all - to participate in a variety of activities that benefitted those less fortunate within our community. Some assembled bag lunches for area homeless shelters and created polar fleece scarves for Montgomery Hospice patients and families, while others made holiday gifts for young patients at Children's Inn at NIH, and assembled "snow day" boxes for local Meals on Wheels programs. Then, I attended the County-sponsored program at Strathmore from 4 to 6 p.m. that celebrated Dr. King's life and legacy before a near-capacity crowd. The world-renowned Morgan State University Mass Choir headlined an inspiring program. Congratulations to the students who were recognized with this year's Children of the Dream Awards for community service. All-in-all, it was a day filled with meaningful tributes for a man who touched so many lives. - top We released our first six-year capital construction budget on January 15. It reflects some tough choices that have been made in uncertain economic times. Click here for capital budget highlights. Our regional economy has taken a downturn which demands a prudent approach to budgeting for next year. We have to make hard choices and make every dollar count, while continuing to invest in our future. Despite these constraints, this $3.2 billion fiscal year (FY) 2009-2014 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) supports my priorities for excellence in local education at the K-12 and College levels. This CIP increases school construction funding to more than $1.4 billion - the largest commitment ever made in Montgomery County. To provide schools with this level of funding, I have proposed cutting County government spending by nine percent. This keeps overall spending to a very modest 1.1 percent increase, while expanding school construction by more than 17 percent, and moving important affordable housing, public safety, infrastructure preservation, transportation, economic development, and environmental protection projects forward. The CIP's modest one percent increase compares with the previous two full CIP recommended increases of 24.3 percent and 26.2 percent. For a detailed look at the recommended budget, visit the County's website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov. - top THIS YEAR'S LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES My priorities for this year's legislative session in Annapolis are getting funding for education and transportation. (full press release) I pledge to work with our state legislative delegation, the County Council, and the Governor to ensure that Montgomery County gets needed increases in school construction aid, higher education, and critical transportation needs. We're requesting $132.8 million for public school construction, an increase in State funding for adult education programs, and $37.3 million to construct new facilities at Montgomery College. Although I appreciate the $400 million in increased funding for statewide projects through the State's Transportation Trust Fund approved during the special session, we desperately need greater support for a very long list of critical projects not yet funded. For example, there is the Purple Line, the Corridor Cities Transitway, the Maryland Route 355 corridor study, plus improvements to accommodate the consolidation of the Walter Reed Medical Center. Other projects yet to be funded are the I-270 HOV lanes north of Shady Grove to the Frederick County line, I-495 HOV lanes from Virginia to the I-270 West Spur, and a long-term solution for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority funding so the region can increase investments in its transit system. Locally, the County's top priority, for years, has been funding construction of a Georgia Ave./Randolph Rd. interchange. - top HELPING COMPANIES DO BUSINESS WITH THE COUNTY In an effort to make it easier for businesses of all sizes to compete for County contracts, I recently announced a 10-point plan aimed at improving our procurement process. At the top of the list is a proposal to eliminate bid request fees that will enable the County to make solicitations available online for immediate download. This will help businesses have more time to prepare bids and proposals. Also included in the Office of Procurement's reform plan are proposals to:
The County's successful Local Small Business Reserve Program will be transferred to the Office of Procurement. In conjunction with the Minority, Female and Disabled owned business program, which operates out of the Office of Procurement, this program will now be able to assist and encourage County departments in expanding the volume of their spending on contracts with the local small and minority business communities. In addition, several improvements to the Office of Procurement's website will enhance the business community's access to and use of the online information and services presented. The proposed actions will be sent to the County Council for their approval. Some of the other actions have been undertaken already and will be apparent in the near future. Click here for more details. - top For the first nine months of 2007, statistics from our Department of Police show a slight decrease in crime within the County. Part I crimes - including murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault - were down by 0.04 percent, with the biggest drop being in murder that decreased by 25 percent. Robbery decreased by 12.7 percent and rape was down by 7.7 percent. Of all Part I crimes, larceny was the only one that increased - by 2.2 percent. Just under 35 percent of all reported larcenies were from automobiles. Larceny of automobile parts represented 16 percent of all calls in the category, with shoplifting accounting for about 16 percent of all larceny calls. Part II crimes - including arson, minor assaults, embezzlement, forgery/counterfeiting, vandalism, family and juvenile offenses, and disorderly conduct - were down by 0.2 percent during the time period. I want to thank Police Chief Tom Manger and every officer on our force for their diligence, dedication, and service that make these improved figures possible. - top As you all know by now, reaching out and establishing two-way communications between County government and our residents and making sure they have all possible tools at hand to take advantage of the many services we provide has been a priority since I took office just over a year ago. Today, given the available technology, there are many ways for us to reach residents and for them to reach us, as well. Obviously, many of you have found one easy way to access information - the County's website, www.montgomerycountymd.gov. In 2007, the site received more than 640 million hits, an increase of more than 14 percent over the previous year. By way of explanation, each hit constitutes a single file requested by a visitor to our site. Of course, I'm pleased that more and more people are taking advantage of the many services offered on our website. It offers residents around-the-clock information and services in an easy-to-use format. - top Although we're in the winter storm season right now, as we all know, the weather in our area can be unpredictable and major storms are possible year round. That's why I'm particularly proud to announce the opening of the County's new Storm Operation Center -- located on Orchard Ridge Dr. in Gaithersburg -- that will help us combat storms more efficiently and effectively. The Center, operated by the Department of Public Works and Transportation's Highway Maintenance Section, should improve our response to storms and other weather emergencies by bringing together improved technology and storm managers in one location. We're especially pleased to be partnering with WeatherBug®, a web-based local weather forecasting system that will help us target our resources to the areas most impacted by weather conditions. In fact, we have the distinction of being the first local jurisdiction in the country to use WeatherBug to aid in snow removal operations. In addition to employing WeatherBug, the new center features:
You can access the snow program from your home computers and determine the status of plowing in your area, report a missed street, or get other storm-related information. Just log on to www.montgomerycountymd.gov and click on "Winter Snow Information and Updates" or call the Operations Hotline at 240-777-6000. - top FEDERAL FUNDING FOR LOCAL PROJECTS Thanks to the efforts of our Maryland senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Chris Van Hollen and Al Wynn, some critical projects affecting Montgomery County will be funded through the omnibus package passed by Congress late last year. Under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program's transportation projects, $1.97 million will go for improved access to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda by making adjustments to Route 355. We're grateful for this assistance, but much more is needed in federal and state support to deal with the traffic congestion that more patients, families, and workers will create. Under Transportation projects, $818,000 for the Bi-County Transit Center in Langley Park will provide an off-street bus transfer facility for Montgomery and Prince George's county residents. Our pedestrian safety efforts will receive a boost from more than $262,600 earmarked for pedestrian safety linkages and way-finding community markers in the Long Branch neighborhood. More than $689,000 was received to complete restoration of Glen Echo Park. Montgomery College will benefit from $1.48 million in funding for the Germantown Biotechnology Project. Included will be a new bioscience center and technology incubator. Great Seneca Creek and Muddy Branch will benefit from $98,000 dedicated to continuing a feasibility study to determine how to improve the health of these two tributaries of the Potomac. The Regional Anti-Gang Initiative for Montgomery and Prince George's counties has received $446,500 to help in efforts to fight gangs through intervention, prevention and proscecution. - top For all of you -- about 6,000 in all -- who attended one of our Town Hall Meetings last year, thank you for your interest in helping County Government serve you better. This year, we will be bringing our road show to even more areas of the County, so if you have an issue, concern, or compliment -- we take those, too -- plan to attend and let your voice be heard.. The first Town Hall Meeting of 2008 will be held on Thursday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Burtonsville. We'll let you know the exact location in a future newsletter and on the County website - www.montgomerycountymd.gov. - top |
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