We approved legislation on December 26 to enable residents to prepay their 2018 county property tax in 2017.  However, the Internal Revenue Service issued an Advisory on December 27, that states, “A prepayment of anticipated real property taxes that have not been assessed prior to 2018 are not deductible in 2017.” Montgomery County tax assessments are made each July. The 2018 tax assessment will be made in July, 2018. I encourage residents to get expert tax advice from a financial advisor. If you still want to prepay your 2018 property tax, you may do so in person, or by mail, by December 31, 2017. See instructions and more information on property tax prepayment for 2018.  

In -- Affordable Homes: In 2017, we approved master plans in Downtown Bethesda, Rock Spring, White Flint 2, and Grosvenor-Strathmore that require fifteen percent moderately priced dwelling units in all new multi-family construction.

In --  Property Tax Relief for Seniors: Last year, the Council passed my two bills (Bill 42-16 and Bill 13-17) that provide tax relief for senior citizens who either have lived in their home for at least 40 years and have a tax assessment of $650,000 or less or, are retired military, retired uniformed services and have a property tax assessment of $500,000 or less. 

Out -- Fossil Fuels: We are firm with our commitment to clean energy. The Council sent a letter to Benjamin H. Grumbles, Secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment, asking him to reduce toxic coal waste from the Dickerson power plant and other coal-fired plants in the state. 

In -- Purple Line: After some hiccups, the Purple Line project is under construction. This 16-mile light rail line will extend from Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George's County, and will provide connections to the Metrorail, MARC, Amtrak, and local bus services.

Out -- Human Trafficking: In October, the Council passed legislation to extend the work of the Montgomery County Human Trafficking Task Force. This permanent committee is tasked to recommend the best strategies to combat human trafficking.

In -- Short-Term Rentals: Effective July 1, 2018, County residents can legally use short-term residential services like Airbnb and HomeAway, with some restrictions.

In -- New Leadership: Congratulations to Council President, Hans Riemer and Council Vice President, Nancy Navarro.

Out -- Cruelty to Animals: The Council received a lot of input to extend protection of animals in travelling circus acts. We approved legislation that prohibits a person or business from exhibiting or financially benefiting from the exhibition of any performance animal in a traveling animal act.

Here's information from two helpful resources provided by The Montgomery County Food Council:

The Food Council's Food Assistance Resource Directory is a comprehensive list of current hunger relief resources and emergency food providers in Montgomery County.

The recently released 2017-18 Montgomery County Food and Beverage Guide provides information of items grown and made locally. This guide connects people in our community who locally grow and make food with their neighbors who consume it. The guide also formally launches the new MoCo Made brand, created in partnership with the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation, to celebrate and increase the visibility of our County’s vibrant local food and beverage community. For more engaging stories on the over 60 talented and diverse food producers in our County, please check out our Meet the Makers blog series.

We urge county residents to recycle cut Christmas trees. Simply place your tree, free of all decorations, curbside by 7 a.m. on your regularly-scheduled recycling day. You can also take your tree directly to the Shady Grove Processing Facility (Transfer Station), located at 6105 Frederick Road in Derwood. All trees are shredded and chipped for mulch. Click here for more information.