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| The Glass Gazette: August 2019
Representing Montgomery County at National Association of Counties (NACo)
There are more than 3,000 counties in the United States with leaders who are working to improve the lives of their residents. I recently attended the National Association of Counties’ (NACo) annual conference in Clark County, Nevada and was proud to represent the 1.1 million residents of Montgomery County. As a member of NACo's Transportation Committee and the Large Urban County Caucus, I learned about new policies that elected officials are implementing across the country and I shared best practices about our policies and programs here at home.
From conversations about open government to expanding transportation options, it is clear that Montgomery County is leading the way in many areas –– a point of pride for us all. Local government is literally where the rubber hits the road and I will continue working hard for all of you.
Small Business Network
Montgomery Community Media invited my fellow freshmen colleagues and I to appear on the Small Business Network so we could share our ideas on how to improve the economic climate and government services for our small and mid-sized businesses.
As I informed the audience, Montgomery County has a matching program that incentivizes employers to provide transit subsidies for their workers –– thereby reducing the number of single occupancy vehicles on the road so we can all get to work faster and in a more environmentally sustainable manner. I was proud to advocate for this program and fund it with $500,000 in the FY20 budget.
You can learn more about the Fare Share program here.
Supporting Local Farms
Montgomery County is home to 558 farms and has an impressive Agricultural Reserve protecting over 93,000 acres. To bring attention to our local agricultural industry, Montgomery County’s Office of Agriculture held the 30th Annual Montgomery County Farm Tour & Harvest Sale, during which I visited Lewis Orchards, Kingsbury’s Orchard, The Button Farm, and Red Wiggler Community Farm.
On the self-guided tour I learned more about Montgomery County’s farm to table living, the various types of farms (horse farms and produce farms, as two examples) and what our nonprofit farms are doing to foster inclusive environments that provide employment opportunities for people of all abilities. I look forward to further harvesting the County’s partnerships with our agricultural community!
Fresh peaches at Lewis Orchards
Montgomery County’s New Inspector General
From one #watchdog to another, I welcome and congratulate Megan Limarzi –– Montgomery County’s new Inspector General!
Ms. Limarzi's intimate knowledge of the county as the Council Clerk, her experience working for the Maryland Attorney General, and as the Inspector General for the Maryland Department of Health make her uniquely qualified to serve our community.
She also makes history as the first woman to take this role.
The Inspector General's duties include the prevention and detection of fraud, waste and abuse in government activities –– responsibilities that I take very seriously. I take comfort in knowing that Ms. Limarzi will be looking out for the taxpayers of Montgomery County.
Summer Internship
For the last three weeks, Ethan has been an intern working in my office, where he diligently researched environmental regulations and organized constituent correspondence to gain a better understanding of how to craft public policy. I was pleased to congratulate him and the other 500 Montgomery County Public Schools high school students who recently completed their Summer Rise fellowship programs.
I firmly believe in creating opportunities to allow young people to learn, grow and rise.
If you or someone you know is interested in interning in my Council office, email [email protected] with “Council Internship” in the subject line. Please include a resume, a short description of interest, and available dates and hours.
DID YOU KNOW…?
The Council recently voted to expand property tax credits for surviving spouses of elderly and retired military service members.
Eligibility to receive this credit is as follows:
- The individual is a surviving spouse of a retired member of the uniformed services, the military reserves, or the national guard;
- The surviving spouse is at least 65 years old; and
- The surviving spouse has not remarried.
Eligible individuals can apply at the Department of Finance’s website here. The deadline to apply for this property tax credit is October 1, 2019.
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