Next Monday, March 17, I will release my recommended Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2009 that begins July 1. You can check out our website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov for details. - top On March 20, you'll be able to share your thoughts and concerns with me about issues facing Montgomery County via two events. First, from noon to 1 p.m., I will host a live online chat with residents who have submitted questions. There couldn't be an easier way to "talk" with me without leaving your home. You may submit questions anytime at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/news/Discussion/pioDisc.asp?discID=1. You can see answers to some of these questions at the beginning of the live session. Selected questions will be answered during the chat. Both questions and answers can be viewed during and after the chat. That same evening, beginning at 7:30, I'll host our first Town Hall Meeting of 2008 at Briggs Chaney Middle School, 1901 Rainbow Dr., Silver Spring. These meetings -- which have drawn thousands of residents, to date -- have proven to be an excellent way for me to find out what's on the minds of our taxpayers. No need to sign up, just come prepared to share your concerns and ideas. - top Two major sections on our award-winning County website have been redesigned to further enhance their usefulness for our residents and other visitors to the site. The new features -- entitled "Services and Information" and "I Want to... -- are found on the left navigation bar on the home page - www.montgomerycountymd.gov. So, what's new and better about these two sections? First, the "Services List" (formerly Services A-Z) has been revamped, is more user-friendly, and employs more intuitive terms. There is also a greater variety of viewing options - alphabetically, by department, or by category/topic. Next, the new "I Want to..." section allows visitors to search for services and information by verb. For example, I Want to..."apply for," "file a complaint," "find information," "get," "pay," "register, reserve or enroll," or "report." It's always been our desire to have the website offer around-the-clock information and services in an easy-to-use format. These two revamped features will make it even easier for users to find what they need on the site. Last year, in 2007, the website received more than 640 million hits, an increase of more than 14 percent from 2006. For more information or questions about the new changes, call the Office of Public Information at 240-777-6530. - top SILVER SPRING'S FILLMORE: THE NEXT STEP On March 4, the Montgomery County Council approved the second half of the $4 million in County funds needed to make the Fillmore Music Hall in downtown Silver Spring a reality. The last step in the funding process is for the General Assembly to approve the final $2 million of the State's $4 million contribution to the project, which is in the Governor's recommended capital budget. Funding for the project is a priority of mine and the County Council. This project will...
- top A CHANCE TO SERVE: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE I am issuing a call for residents of the Silver Spring community to apply to serve on the new Silver Spring Arts & Entertainment District Advisory Committee. The group will advise me on issues related to arts and entertainment venues in Silver Spring. Throughout the recent process to bring a new entertainment venue to Silver Spring, we told residents that this type of committee would be established. It's important that their input continues to be received in matters relating to arts and entertainment venues in their community. Resumes should be submitted - no later than Friday, March 21 - to Gary Stith, Director, Silver Spring Regional Services Center, 8435 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, 20910; or email gary.stith@montgomerycountymd.gov. For additional information, contact Gary at 301-565-7300. - top CRIME INFORMATION AVAILABLE ONLINE FOR RESIDENTS The effort of our Police Department to keep residents informed about crimes that have occurred in their neighborhoods has taken a big step forward. Chief Tom Manger has announced that his department is now publishing data online about local incidents. Thanks to a partnership with a software development company, Public Engines, Inc., residents can use the CrimeReports service by logging on to the Police website www.montgomerycountymd.gov/police and linking to the CrimeReports website. They will see a Google map from which they can review the latest crime activity for any location within the jurisdiction of our County Police. They may also receive free email crime alerts that will be sent when incidents occur nearby or close to any other address of interest - such as a school, business or community center. Users can actually control the alerts they receive by specifying the address, types of crime, and the distance from the address for which they wish to receive alerts. CrimeReports is a great asset to the County's long-standing commitment to community policing, and I commend our Police Department for offering this valuable service to our residents. - top It's not only a good piece of advice in general, but also the name of the Office of Public Information's newest cable show. The 30-minute show features interviews with Montgomery County Police officers about ongoing investigations and provides tips for residents on how they can assist police in solving crimes and bringing fugitives to justice. Hosted by Holly Woerner, "Be On The Lookout" can be seen on County Cable Montgomery - that's Channel 6 for Comcast or RCN cable subscribers and Channel 30 for Verizon cable subscribers. To find the air times, log on to the County's website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov, then click on County Cable 6 and Weekly Schedule. - top I want to thank our Fire and Rescue Service and Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) for recently calling public attention to products that could be potentially harmful to residents. They found and removed from stores in the county electrical space heaters, extension cords, and other electrical items that were not properly tested and certified. The problem was discovered thanks to a complaint filed last September with OCP by a Rockville resident whose home suffered fire damage. An extension cord he had purchased melted, causing his carpet and sofa to catch fire the first time the cord was used. Investigative sweeps through stores in the county revealed that some were selling extension cords with damaged insulation and counterfeit certification labels. All of the products being illegally sold were removed. The stores cooperated and notified their distributors about the items. Both Fire Chief Tom Carr and OCP Director Eric Friedman emphasize the importance of purchasing good quality products and following the manufacturer's instructions when using such products. They remind consumers to be vigilant in their purchasing to avoid inadvertently buying a potentially dangerous product. Check to make sure that the electrical items have been tested by a certified testing lab. To see what genuine certification labels look like or to get more information, go to www.ul.com. To report improperly labeled electrical products, call OCP at 240-777-3636. - top EARTH DAY IS "EARTH MONTH" IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY It's never been more important for us to step up and be good stewards of the environment. So, rather than just celebrate Earth Day, I want to take the concept one step further and designate April as Earth "Month" in Montgomery County. Although the County's main observance of Earth Day will be held on Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27 with the next Seasons of Service countywide volunteer event, there are many other opportunities to get involved throughout the month. My next newsletter will have more details on how to sign up and what kind of projects need help. If you want to make plans now to do what's right for your community and the environment, I invite you to visit the Montgomery County Volunteer Center's website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/volunteer and check out the many projects that could use your help. Or, if you choose, organize your own group to do an Earth Day Project. The Volunteer Center has resources that can help. This is a good way for individuals, neighborhood groups, families, businesses, schools etc. to give back to the earth that gives so much to us. So, check it out, sign up, and mark your calendars. - top COUNTY HISTORY IS A CLICK AWAY For anyone interested in the history of Montgomery County -- how it came to be and the people and happenings that have shaped its character - the 2008 revised version of "Montgomery County, Maryland - Our History and Government" is available online at www.montgomerycountymd.gov, then click on the icon of Gen. Richard Montgomery. The 30-page document -- produced in cooperation with the Montgomery County Historical Society -- features a history of the county, principal historic events, the official symbols, and a listing of county executives and county council members, plus updated county demographics. History buffs, students, and others interested in knowing more about local history should visit not only the County's website but the Montgomery County Historical Society site at www.montgomeryhistory.org. - top ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ON THE MOVE The Montgomery County Department of Economic Development (DED) tracked 160 new or expanded companies within the county during 2007, directly assisting more than 100 of them through its targeted programs and services. These companies created or retained 10,231 jobs in the county and own or lease nearly 2.6 million square feet of commercial office space. In spite of the slump in the national economy, there has been a steady growth in businesses - both large and small, in various sectors - in Montgomery County during the past year. These new and expanded companies are international firms and more than 30 are located in the County's Business Innovation Network facilities. DED recently launched an aggressive visitation and engagement program with the county's largest employers who play a crucial role in our economic strength. The department has also stepped up outreach efforts to Montgomery County-based small and minority- and women-owned firms, with the goal of providing more critical services to this important sector of the economy. - top NEW ASSISTANCE FOR MICROENTERPRISES I was pleased to recently announce, with our Department of Economic Development (DED), the new Microenterprise Program, a financial and technical assistance program to assist existing microenterprises located throughout the county. Microenterprises are businesses with fewer than five employees and less than $250,000 in annual gross revenue. Each qualified and approved microenterprise can borrow up to $15,000. To be eligible for loan consideration, businesses must use funds to assist in the creation or expansion of the business or to help retain and stabilize the business. Because of their small size or nature of business, microenterprises often have difficulty securing loans from traditional funding sources. This new Microenterprise Program will directly enhance the County's ongoing efforts to help new and existing small and minority- and women-owned firms launch, sustain or expand their businesses in Montgomery County. Applicants filing loan requests must be at least 18 years of age and reside in the county. Applicants must also agree to receive counseling, mentoring, and training from the Maryland Small Business Development Center Network (and/or another outside party acceptable to the County), and must develop a technical assistance plan to help achieve business sustainability. Applications will be reviewed by a loan review committee comprised of DED representatives, a Finance Department representative, a local small business owner, representatives from local lending institutions, and small business technical assistance providers. For more information or to request an application, call Dr. DeVance Walker Jr. at 240-777-2032 or Jackie Arnold at 240-777-2035 or email devance.walker@montgomerycountymd.gov or jacqueline.arnold@montgomerycountymd.gov . - top |
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