 Wednesday, June 12, 2024
Next Monday, I will be joined by my colleagues from the Maryland General Assembly for a County and State Town Hall. This town hall will be held on June 17th from 7-8:30PM in the Quince Orchard High School (15800 Quince Orchard Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20878) cafeteria.
If you are a resident of Montgomery County Council District 2 or Maryland Legislative District 15, I encourage you to attend this town hall. If you are unable to attend the town hall but would like to send me questions, please feel free to reply to this email.
The town hall will not be livestreamed, but a full recording will be available in the weeks following the event. If you require translation services or interpretation services, please send me an email.
 Join Councilmember Balcombe and the Maryland General Assembly's District 15 delegation for a town hall on June 17th at Quince Orchard HS at 7PM.
It's been a busy few weeks in District 2, and I've been out and about in the community at some fabulous events. I had a wonderful time at the Hyattstown Volunteer Fire Department's 95th anniversary barbeque last week. Thank you to the department for always welcoming me at your events and for all the hard work you do to keep our Upcounty community safe.
 Thank you to the Hyattstown VFD for inviting me to your anniversary celebration!
On Friday, I was honored to serve as a judge at Northwest High School's Project Citizen showcase. Project Citizen is an amazing program that encourages students to engage in the political process by proposing a public policy to improve the community. They did a great job in identifying the issues, developing alternative solutions, and mapping out their advocacy plans. Go Jags!
 A huge shoutout to all of the students who participated in Northwest HS' Project Citizen showcase.
I stopped by The Montgomery County Black Collective AMBER program graduation ceremony on Friday. AMBER is a fantastic opportunity for local minority-owned businesses to receive individualized coaching and technical assistance expertise to successfully grow and thrive. A huge thank you to the MoCo Black Collective for all that you do for our community! If you are interested in learning more about the AMBER program, visit the Montgomery County Black Collective website.
 Congratulations to this year's AMBER program graduates!
I rounded out my weekend with a visit to the Montgomery County Alcohol and Beverage Services warehouse in Gaithersburg and stopped by the opening of Germantown's newest restaurant - the Authentic African Restaurant. If you are looking for some delicious food, head to Authentic African Restaurant, located in Germantown Plaza!
As you all know, I am incredibly passionate about our agricultural community in District 2 and believe agricultural education is critical. Therefore, I was thrilled to visit the Maryland Ag Education Foundation's Mobile Ag Science Lab. The lab stops by MCPS elementary schools to teach students about agriculture in Maryland in a fun and engaging manner.
 It was great to visit the Mobile Ag Science Lab, the ABS warehouse, and the opening of Authentic African Restaurant in Germantown. Thank you to everyone for having me!
Economic Development (ECON) Committee
The next Economic Development Committee session will be held on Thursday, June 20th at 9:30AM. We will be discussing Quarterly Indicators for Q1 2024. We will also be meeting jointly with the Health and Human Services Committee on Monday, June 24th at 9:30AM to discuss Executive Regulation #18-23, Food Services Licenses and Manager Certification - Alterations.
As always, you can review a staff packet on the Council website ahead of the committee sessions, and can watch committee sessions live on our YouTube channel.
Transportation and Environment Committee
The Transportation and Environment Committee will be meeting on Monday, June 17th at 9:30AM. We are scheduled to receive an update on the construction of the Purple Line as well as plans to abandon Holdridge Road in Silver Spring. The Purple Line is a project that will impact all residents of Montgomery County, no matter where they reside. I encourage all those interested in this discussion to tune in to our committee session. Sessions can be streamed live or on demand through the Council YouTube channel. You can find a staff packet online on the Council website.
Council Legislation
We did not introduce any new legislation this past Council session, but I did introduce a new Zoning Text Amendment alongside my colleagues Councilmembers Luedtke, Katz, Fani-Gonzalez, and Friedson. ZTA 24-02, Agricultural and Rural Zones - Campground, would allow campgrounds in certain agricultural and rural zones under specific conditions. I introduced this ZTA after receiving hundreds of emails providing feedback about this topic. Councilmember Luedtke and I also hosted a community meeting last month to discuss this ZTA with the community.
A public hearing about this ZTA is tentatively scheduled for July 16th. This topic has been heavily discussed and debated in the community, and I highly encourage everyone with thoughts about this zoning text amendment to sign up for the public hearing. I will send around additional information once the sign up for this public hearing is active.
If you have any questions about ZTA 24-02, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Upcoming Public Hearings
The Council will be hosting public hearings on June 18th and June 25th. The deadline to sign up for a 1:30PM public hearing is 2PM the day prior, and the deadline to sign up for a 7PM public hearing is 5PM the day prior. You can sign up to testify live or virtually through the Council website. We also accept written, audio, or video testimony.
Tuesday, June 18th:
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1:30PM: Bill 8-24, Human Rights and Civil Liberties - Fair Criminal History and Credit Screenings - Amendments
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1:30PM: Bill 10-24, Contracts and Procurement - Local Small Business Reserve
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7PM: Bill 5-24, Finance - Child Investment Fund
Tuesday, June 25th:
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1:30PM: Proposed Update to the Montgomery County Growth Tiers Map
The following County boards, committees, and commissions are seeking applicants:
Board of Social Services
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Application Deadline: June 24th
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Total Vacancies: 3
Dickerson Area Facilities Implementation Group
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Application Deadline: June 28th
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Total Vacancies: 5
Housing Opportunities Commission
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Application Deadline: Open until filled
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Total Vacancies: 2
Montgomery County Trial Board
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Application Deadline: Open until filled
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Total Vacancies: 10
Police Accountability Board and Administrative Charging Committee
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Application Deadline: June 7th
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Total Vacancies: 4
Victim Services Advisory Board
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Application Deadline: June 14th
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Total Vacancies: 9
- The BlackRock Center for the Arts' annual Juneteenth celebration is this Saturday, June 15th from 12PM to 10PM. Swing by Germantown Town Center for live concerts and performances, an artisans market, and delicious food from local vendors! Learn more at BlackRock's website. See you there!
- Join Bishop's Events at the Button Farm Living History Center for their first Juneteenth race! Proceeds will benefit The Menare Foundation and Button Farm in support of their programs and operations. Register for the race online here.
- Montgomery Planning has scheduled two additional meetings to give Germantown residents, employers, and those who work there the chance to give their feedback as it continues working on the Germantown Employment Area Study.
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Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Recycling and Resource Management Division has launched its “Backyard Food Scraps Compost Bin Bulk Discount Sale” with pickup dates on Saturday, June 22th, and Sunday, June 23th. To learn more about this program, visit the DEP website.
- Head to the SoccerPlex in Germantown this Fourth of July for Germantown Glory! Independence Day celebrations will begin at 7PM with a concert by Central City Orchestra.
- Heritage Montgomery's 25th annual Heritage Days celebration is scheduled this year for June 29th and June 30th from 12PM to 4PM. This countywide festival celebrates the historic, cultural, and outdoor recreation sites of Montgomery County. View a full schedule on the Heritage Montgomery website and plan your trip now!
If you would like to get in touch with me regarding anything mentioned in this newsletter or any other concerns you may have, please email me at Councilmember.Balcombe@montgomerycountymd.gov or call my office at 240-777-7960.
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