Montgomery County Council Meets with U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen and Education and Culture Committee Meets with Montgomery County Public Schools about COVID-19 Safety and Operations on Jan. 19

Montgomery County Council Meets with U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen and Education and Culture Committee Meets with Montgomery County Public Schools about COVID-19 Safety and Operations on Jan. 19

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Also on Jan. 19: Transportation and Environment Committee meets to discuss crowd-sourcing system for Ride On, resolution to reduce and simplify taxicab fees and a supplemental appropriation to replace roadside trees

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022

The full Council will hold a virtual meeting with U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen on Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 4 p.m. to discuss local and national issues affecting Montgomery County residents. The meeting will be streamed live on YouTube and Facebook and broadcast on County Cable Montgomery.

The Transportation and Environment (T&E) Committee will meet virtually at 9:30 a.m. to review a supplemental appropriation to develop a crowd-sourcing system for Ride On, a resolution to reduce and simplify taxicab fees and a supplemental appropriation to fund the replacement of roadside trees.

The members of the T&E Committee include Chair Tom Hucker, Council Vice President Evan Glass and Councilmember Hans Riemer.

The Education and Culture (E&C) Committee will meet at 10 a.m. for a follow-up discussion with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) about COVID-19 safety measures, continuity of learning and operational protocols and needs, specifically for in-person and virtual learning. 

The members of the E&C Committee include Chair Craig Rice and Councilmembers Will Jawando (Lead for Libraries) and Nancy Navarro.

Supplemental appropriation to develop a crowd-sourcing system for Ride-On, $720,300

Review: The T&E Committee will review a $720,300 supplemental appropriation which would fund a contractor to develop Ride On crowd sourcing system software and a smartphone mobile application. The crowd sourcing software would be deployed to a subset of transit routes and would receive passenger loading information from automatic passenger counters.

The lead sponsor is the Council President, at the request of the County Executive.

Those expected to attend and provide information include Christopher Conklin, director, Department of Transportation (DOT); Dan Hibbert, chief, Division of Transit Services, DOT; Brady Goldsmith, chief, Management Services, DOT; and Gary Nalven, Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Resolution to reduce taxicab fees for drivers, passenger vehicle license holders and fleet operations

Review: The T&E Committee will hold a public hearing on a resolution to reduce and simplify certain fees that fleet operators, passenger vehicle license holders and drivers pay to the County to operate a taxicab. The purpose of the resolution is to renew interest in the taxicab industry as a profession, increase driver retention and eliminate substantial barriers to entry. Due to the pandemic and increased competition from transportation network companies such as Lyft and Uber, DOT estimates that there are approximately 15 percent fewer drivers in the taxicab industry now than before the start of the pandemic.

Changes recommended by the County Executive for inclusion in the resolution include eliminating the $20 application fee for the taxi operator identification card; reducing the two-year taxicab operator identification fee renewal from $150 to $100; eliminating the $20 test fee; reducing the individual application fee for a new passenger vehicle license (PVL) from $500 to $100; lowering the annual renewal fee of a PVL from $495 to $250; and implementing a flat $50 inspection fee

Those expected to attend and provide information include Christopher Conklin, director, DOT; Dan Hibbert, chief, Division of Transit Services, DOT; Walton Harris, policy analyst, Taxicab Office, Division of Transit Services, DOT; Brady Goldsmith, chief, Management Services, DOT; and Gary Nalven, OMB.

Supplemental Appropriation to the County Government’s FY22 Operating Budget, Department of Transportation - $193,483 for Streets and Roads - Roadside Trees - Protection

Review: The T&E Committee will review a $193,483 supplemental appropriation for DOT to replace roadside trees, as required by Bill 41-12 – Streets and Roads – Roadside Trees – Protection.  The Tree Planting Fund collected $268,483 in fiscal year 2021, which is $193,483 more than had been estimated. The appropriation is needed to authorize the expenditure of the excess funds received and can be used only for this purpose.

The lead sponsor is the Council President, at the request of the County Executive.

Those expected to attend and provide information include Christopher Conklin, director, DOT; Richard Dorsey, chief, Division of Highway Services, DOT; Brett Linkletter, policy analyst, Taxicab Office, Division of Transit Services, DOT; Brady Goldsmith, chief, Management Services, DOT; and Felicia Hyatt, OMB.

Follow-up discussion with MCPS

Briefing: The E&C Committee will hold a follow-up discussion with MCPS to continue discussion about COVID-19 safety measures and school operations. On Tuesday, Jan. 18, the Council serving as the Board of Health, held a briefing with MCPS and the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) to discuss current COVID-19 health metrics and guidance in relation to the school system. The E&C Committee meeting will focus on MCPS’ continuity of learning and operational protocols and needs, specifically for in-person and virtual learning. 

The Council along with County public health officials continue to collaborate with the Board of Education (BOE) and MCPS leadership to address the needs of the school community. While the Council serves as the County’s Board of Health, state and local boards of education set school policy. The State Board of Education has directed local boards of education to collaborate closely with the local departments of health. Therefore, MCPS and the BOE work in partnership with DHHS while the Council as the Board of Health and the E&C Committee closely monitor the decisions made that impact our school system and community as a whole.

Those expected to attend and provide information include Brenda Wolff, president, BOE; Dr. Monifa McKnight, interim superintendent, MCPS; Jimmy D’ Andrea, chief of staff, MCPS; Ruschelle Reuben, chief of teaching, learning and schools, MCPS; Stephanie Sheron, chief of strategic initiatives, MCPS; Dana Edwards, chief of districtwide services and supports, MCPS; Dr. Jeanie Dawson, chief of finance and operations, MCPS; Dr. Helen Nixon, chief of human resources and development, MCPS; Heather Dublinske, student welfare and compliance coordinator, MCPS; Stephanie Iszard, student health and wellness coordinator, MCPS; Dr. Raymond Crowel, director, DHHS; Dr. James Bridgers, acting health officer and chief, DHHS; Mark Hodge, acting senior administrator, School Health Services, DHHS; and Sean O’Donnell, CEM, program administrator, Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response, DHHS.

The Committee meeting schedule may change from time to time. The current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review can be viewed at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.

The Council and committees are meeting via Zoom because of ongoing construction and technology upgrades in the Council's Hearing Room and the inability to conduct meetings in a socially distant way in other areas of the Council Office Building with television broadcast capacity. Councilmembers continue to hold meetings in their offices by appointment.

The virtual Council and committee meetings will be streamed live on the Council’s web page via YouTube and on Facebook Live and can be watched on County Cable Montgomery on Xfinity/RCN 6 HD 996/1056, Fios 30, and on the CCM live stream.