 Wednesday, July 31, 2024
The Council passed multiple pieces of legislation yesterday. Read about them below.
ZTA 24-02, Agricultural and Rural Zones - Campground
As many of you know, I have been working with the farming community and my colleagues for several months on ZTA 24-02, Agricultural and Rural Zones - Campground. We introduced this zoning text amendment after receiving hundreds of messages from concerned constituents about proposed changes being made to the Ag Reserve, and worked with residents to put together a ZTA that took into account their feedback. This ZTA would allow a small number of campgrounds in certain agricultural and rural zones, under specific conditions.
Bill 6-24, Property Tax Credit - Disabled Veterans
This legislation would provide a new property tax credit to veterans who are severely disabled. Under Bill 6-24, a property tax credit would be available to an honorably discharged veteran who is at least 50 percent disabled, as certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and whose federal adjusted gross income does not exceed $100,000.
Bill 8-24, Human Rights and Civil Liberties - Fair Criminal History and Credit Screenings - Amendments
This legislation would require posting a notice regarding the use of criminal arrest and conviction information in rental housing decisions, clarify if a certain addendum or statement is required for rental applications and require annual reporting of certain disaggregated data related to rental applications. Additionally, Bill 8-24 would require a landlord to retain a rental application addendum for a certain period and require that a landlord provide to the County, as part of the annual rental housing survey, a completed criminal and credit screening addendum.
Bill 10-24, Contracts and Procurements - Local Small Business Reserve Program (LSBRP) Veteran-Owned Business Preference Points
This legislation would implement veteran-owned business preference points under the Local Small Business Reserve Program and outlines the eligibility criteria. Bill 10-24 would enable veteran-owned local small businesses to gain access to more County procurement opportunities by awarding preference points of five percent to certified, veteran-owned local small businesses that submit a proposal in response to a County request for proposal.
Bill 11-24, Finance - Economic Development Fund - Make Office Vacancy Extinct (MOVE) Grant Program - Established
This legislation would create a business incentive grant program under the Economic Development Fund to support eligible businesses with the rental costs of locating, relocating or expanding office space in the County. Additionally, the bill would codify incentives for new businesses relocating to the County currently provided under the MOVE Program, provide incentives to new and existing businesses expanding operations in the County and set eligibility criteria for how businesses qualify for the program incentives.
ICYMI, this past weekend was the 2024 Farm Tour! Every year, the Montgomery County Office of Agriculture partners with local farms for the annual farm tour and harvest sale - two days where everyone is encouraged to enjoy the outdoors and check out the great offerings of our Ag Reserve. I took full advantage of the fabulous weather this weekend and hit up as many locations as I could! I visited Windridge Vineyards, Rocklands Farm Winery, Honey Acres, Butler's Orchard, Lewis Orchards, Kingsbury's Orchard, Homestead Farm, the MOOseum, Button Farm Living History Center, and more! I went home with tons of fresh vegetables and fruit, bottles of wine, and learned some local history while supporting our local farmers.
Thank you to the Office of Agriculture and all of the participating locations for making this year's farm tour a success! To those of you who missed it this year, mark your calendars for the end of July next year and make sure you head up to the Ag Reserve for a fabulous weekend!
Speaking of all things agriculture, tickets are now available for the 2024 Montgomery County Agriculture Fair! We are just 9 days away from the best days of summer! This year, the fair is celebrating its 75th anniversary!
Tickets can be purchased online at the Agricultural Fair's website. The fair runs from August 9th to August 17th, and is a great time for the entire family! Make sure to check out the website for more information and to plan your visit.
The County will celebrate National Night Out on Tuesday, August 6th. I'll be spending the evening at Germantown's National Night Out, which will be held from 6-8PM at the Montgomery College Germantown Campus. There will be games, food, music, and a raffle!
National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make neighborhoods safer. Community events for National Night Out also share information about drug prevention, generate support for anti-crime programs, encourage residents to be involved in their communities and send a message that neighborhoods and businesses are organized to fight back against crime. I hope to see you in Germantown on August 6th for our annual National Night Out!
A flyer advertising Germantown National Night Out, which will be held on Tuesday, August 6th from 6-8PM at the Montgomery College Germantown Campus.
The Council is heading into recess beginning on Monday, August 5th, which means that we will not be meeting on Tuesdays for full Council sessions, and will not be having committee meetings. Committee meetings will resume on Monday, September 9th.
We are still hard at work serving the residents of District 2, and will continue to be out and about in the community. If you need assistance of any type, please do not hesitate to email the office at councilmember.balcombe@montgomerycountymd.gov.
Attention all Upcounty youth! My office is putting together a Back to School Block Party for middle and high school students on Friday, September 27th from 1-4PM at the BlackRock Center for the Arts. This is a FREE event for students. We'll have food, activities, a small resource fair, student performances, and best of all - SSL hours for those who participate.
Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks, and make sure to mark your calendar and circulate the flyer below with all of your friends! If you have any questions about this event, please contact my office. We are accepting in-kind donations, and if you are interested in co-sponsoring this event or participating in the resource fair, please reach out.
Thank you to our partners - BlackRock Center for the Arts, Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce, and Montgomery County Public Schools.
A flyer advertising the Back to School Block Party, a youth event hosted by Councilmember Balcombe. The event will be held on Friday, Septemeber 27th from 1-4PM at the BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown.
The following County Council appointed boards, committees, and commissions are seeking applicants:
The following County boards, committees, and commissions are seeking applicants:
- The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments wants your feedback about public transportation in our region. Fill out the DMVMoves Survey by August 4th and enter for a chance to win one of ten $100 gift cards!
- Montgomery Parks is warning residents to use caution when visiting Lake Needwood and Lake Frank within Rock Creek Regional Park due to high levels of blue-green algae. High concentrations of blue-green algae may harm humans and pets if ingested. Keep your dogs on-leash and do not let them swim in or drink from the lake. You can find more useful safety information on the Montgomery Parks website.
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Apply today to the Community Advocacy Institute, a free advocacy training program. To be eligible for the program, you must live in Montgomery County and have a combined household income of $67,000 or less. Applications are due by August 9th.
- Montgomery County's Department of Health and Human Services is offering free vaccinations for school aged children at locations throughout the County until the end of September. Available vaccines include Tdap, MCV4, meningococcal B, HPV, chickenpox, and COVID-19. Schedule an appointment online! Upcounty residents can schedule an appointment for the Germantown Health Center, located at 12900 Middlebrook Road in Germantown.
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MCDOT will be tarring and chipping White Ground Road this August. Click the photo for more information.
MCDOT will be tarring and chipping Sugarland Road this August. Click the photo for more information.
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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