|
Dear Friends,
The Council has the tall order of determining what will be funded and prioritizing to help improve the lives of our residents, business, and community. The $6.8 billion budget proposal from the County Executive includes important funding requests for education, transportation, and social services.
As the Education and Culture Committee Chair, I’m particularly focused on how we fund Montgomery County Public Schools, Montgomery College, and our library system. To support our education needs, the County Executive is proposing a $0.10 property tax increase. We’ve seen critical increases in our needs for students and the primary and secondary level. I am committed to ensuring transparency and accountability in directing and using funds to improve our education to make sure young people are college and career-ready.
I encourage all of you to take time and read what’s being proposed in the FY24 Operating Budget. The Operating Budget covers the costs of ensuring our county can respond to the needs in our community and provide exceptional services and programs for the 1.1 million residents who live, learn, work, and play in the county. Learn more about the budget here: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/omb/
If you would like to share your feedback with me, please email councilmember.jawando@montgomerycountymd.gov.
Community Supports the HOME Act 🏠
Our community came out in force during the public hearings for Bill 16-23: The Housing Opportunity Mobility and Equity (HOME) Act and Bill 15-23: Landlord-Tenant Relations – Anti Rent Gouging Protections. I appreciated hearing the compelling testimony from so many of our community members about the issues they face as renters in the county.
Nearly 40% of our county rents, and we need meaningful legislation to relieve the stress of considerable variations in rent increases and preserve affordable housing across the county. We must look for ways to allow people to stay in their homes. The burden of rent increases is forcing many of our residents out, and we’re losing good people to neighboring counties.
The public hearings featured nearly 80 people on rent stabilization in the county. The sheer volume of people who registered to speak and give their voice to the chorus of others not represented during our hearings was moving. It was, at times, emotional to hear from residents courageously sharing their testimonies about their struggles to keep a roof over their heads due to rent increases of 5%, 8%, 15%, and more. Marie Ndip testified in support of the HOME Act and told councilmembers that she is hopeless and can’t afford her current four percent rent increase. She heartbreakingly told us finding a new home has been difficult.
To view these compelling stories or learn more about Councilmember Jawando's rent stabilization proposal, please follow the links provided below:
Filing a One-time State Homestead Application by May 1st
📣 Attention homeowners! A Maryland law requires that Montgomery County homeowners must have an application on file by May 1st with the State for a Homestead Tax Credit so they don’t miss out on money. Filing the application allows homeowners to earn a $692 County “Income Tax Offset Credit” (ITOC) on their annual property tax bills.
Many homeowners have already filled out the one-time application, but those who have not will lose the ITOC. A homeowner may have filled out a Homestead Tax Credit application in the past and had it approved, and that is sufficient. An approved Homestead application with any date means you do not have to fill out another application.
Below are details on how to find out if you need to fill out a one-time application to keep the ITOC:
- Go to the County webpage that shows the link and what screens to look for (it can be confusing so look at the images on that page). Go to www.Montgomerycountymd.gov/finance/ITOC.
- The County webpage has a link to the State page that has the information.
- At the State webpage, there are three steps:
- A screen where to select your county and the search method (choose “street address”).
- A second screen to enter your house number and your street address.
- A third screen with information about your house. Scroll to the bottom and look for “Homestead Application Status.” If it says “Approved” and has a date, you are finished.
Additional details can be found here:
What if I go through the above steps and my address does not have “Approved” with a date?
- Fill out an application at https://sdathtc.dat.maryland.gov/ or print a paper application available at the website and mail it in.
- Important note: You cannot fill out the application online without an access code. You may have recently received a letter from the State with the access code, but if you did not, you will need to email sdat.homestead@maryland.gov to get an access code. The subject line of your email should be: “Online Homestead Application Access.” You must include your full name, your county (Montgomery) and your full address. Once you have received the access code, you can fill out the application online.
- A paper application does not need an access code but may take longer to process.
The STEP Act Public Hearing - April 25 at 7 pm
I recently introduced the Safety and Traffic Equity in Policing (“STEP”) Act. The bill addresses racial disparities in traffic stops and allows law enforcement to focus on the most serious traffic violations and crimes in our community. The bill limits traffic stops solely for low-level non-moving violations, limits consensual searches, and requires more robust data collection and reporting on traffic stops.
|
