 Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Poolesville Day 2024 was a major success!! This year, the weather was wonderful and we were not battling a derecho while trying to celebrate Poolesville. My team and I had a great time marching in the parade and talking to constituents at our booth. I was also honored to receive the Fair Access Committee's Champion of the Western County Award! Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the Fair Access Committee for this recognition!
It is such a pleasure to serve as the district councilmember for Poolesville and neighboring towns in the Ag Reserve, and Poolesville Day is one of my favorite days of the year. Thank you to all of the volunteers who worked tirelessly and around the clock to make the day a success! I'm already looking forward to next year's celebration!
Team Balcombe always looks forward to Poolesville Day!
Last Tuesday, the Council celebrated African Heritage Month, and we will be celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month next Tuesday! September 2024 is the inaugural year of African Heritage Month in Maryland, as Governor Wes Moore proclaimed September as African Heritage Month on September 10th. Maryland is home to the fourth largest share of African immigrants in the county, and this month is a celebration of the vibrant culture and societal impact of all African people. There are a number of great events happening around Maryland in honor of African Heritage Month, and I encourage you to check them out!
September 15th marked the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month! The Council will be commemorating the month with a proclamation on Tuesday, October 1th. Hispanic Heritage Month begins in the middle of September, as many Central American countries celebrate their independence days between September 15th and September 21st. Celebrating Hispanic heritage during these weeks is a reminder of the resilience and determination of the Hispanic community. Learn more about upcoming County events celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month on our website!
Thank you to everyone who visited the Council last week to celebrate African Heritage Month!
It's finally here!! The Back to School Block Party for middle and high school students is THIS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27TH, FROM 1-4PM AT THE BLACKROCK CENTER FOR THE ARTS located at 12901 Town Commons Drive, Germantown, MD 20874.
Since my inauguration, I have been thinking of ways to engage our Upcounty youth, and this event will do exactly that. Students can spend quality time with their friends, learn more about the County Council, eat some good food and enjoy live student performances, and obtain information about local resources most relevant to them. Did I mention, students can also earn three SSL hours for their participation? No registration is required to attend this event, and I hope to see many of our Upcounty students at the BlackRock Center for the Arts on Friday afternoon.
If you have any questions about the event, please contact me at councilmember.balcombe@montgomerycountymd.gov or 240-777-7960. If you are a business or organization who would like to support the event, check out the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce's website. The GGCC is a proud partner of this event, alongside MCPS and the BlackRock Center for the Arts.
A flyer advertising the Back to School Block Party, a free event for middle and high school students on Friday, September 27th from 1-4PM at the BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown.
Economic Development (ECON) Committee
The Economic Development (ECON) Committee met on Monday, September 16th for a joint session with the Planning, Housing, and Parks (PHP) Committee. We discussed a recent Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) report about housing units authorized for construction by permit in Montgomery County. This report examined and compared available data on newly permitted housing units from 2000 to 2023. Over the past few months, questions have been raised about the reliability of housing permit data recorded by the County. As we seek to solve the current housing shortage, it is important that the data we base our policy decisions on is accurate. The Department of Permitting Services is revising previous data and putting system in place to ensure housing data is accurately reported moving forward.
You can watch the joint session on the Council YouTube channel and can review the staff report on the Council website.
During the ECON Committee's September 23rd work session, we received an update from the Department of Permitting Services about "Recipe for Success", the agency's handbook to guide restaurants through the permitting process.
You can watch the session on the Council YouTube channel and can review the staff report on the Council website.
Transportation and Environment Committee
The Transportation and Environment (TE) Committee met on Monday, September 16th and Monday, September 23rd for work sessions about the Building Energy Performance Standards, also known as BEPS. Executive Regulation 17-23 - Building Energy Performance Standards, implements legislation that was passed by the Council in Spring 2022. The Council's legislation - Bill 16-21 "Environmental Sustainability Building Energy Use Benchmarking and Performance Standards - Amendments" expands the number of buildings covered by the benchmarking requirements, creates a Building Performance Improvement Board, and requires energy performance standards to be established for covered building with a gross floor area of 25,000 gross square feet or greater.
You can watch the TE Committee's work sessions on the Council YouTube channel and can review the staff reports on the Council website.
Council Legislation
There were three bills introduced during the Council session on Tuesday, September 17th. Learn more about them below.
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Bill 18-24, Housing Policy - Standards and Procedures - Amendments
- Lead Sponsor: Council President Friedson and Councilmember Fani-González
- This bill would remove the requirement for the Housing Opportunities Commission to send notice and hold public hearings on assisted family housing proposals.
- A public hearing is scheduled for October 8th at 1:30PM.
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Bill 19-24, Taxicab Licenses - Amended Requirements
- Lead Sponsor: Council President Friedson on behalf of the County Executive
- This bill would extend the age limit for vehicles that are permitted to provide taxicab service in the County, modify the standards required for a taxicab driver identification card, and clarify certain language as it pertains to reporting accidents involving taxicabs.
- A public hearing is scheduled for October 8th at 1:30PM.
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Bill 20-24, Public Campaign Financing - Amendments
- Lead Sponsors: Councilmember Glass, Council Vice-President Stewart, and Councilmembers Fani-González, Albornoz, Mink, Balcombe, and Sayles
- This bill would increase the maximum amount of funds a certified candidate may retain to pay post-election expenses, require periodic adjustments to permissible contributions limits and retention amounts based upon the Consumer Price Index, and make updates and technical corrections throughout the public campaign financing law.
- A public hearing is scheduled for October 8th at 1:30PM.
Upcoming Public Hearings
The County Council will be holding public hearings on October 1st and October 8th. To testify at a Council public hearing or to submit written, audio, or video testimony, please visit the Council website or call 240-777-7803. The deadline to sign up to testify for a 1:30PM public hearing is 2PM the day prior. The deadline to sign up to testify for a 7PM public hearing is 5PM the day prior.
October 1, 2024
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1:30PM: Bill 15-24, Taxation - Public Safety Officers - Bi-County Agency Police
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1:30PM: Bill 16-24, Development Impact Tax - Amendments
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1:30PM: Bill 17-24, Administration - Dept. of Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions (TEBS) - Non-merit Positions
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1:30PM: FY26 WSSCWater Spending Control Limits
October 8, 2024
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1:30PM: Bill 18-24, Housing Policy - Standards and Procedures - Amendments
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1:30PM: Bill 19-24, Taxicab Licenses - Amended Requirements
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1:30PM: Bill 20-24, Public Campaign Financing - Amendments
The following County Council appointed boards, committees, and commissions are seeking applicants:
The following County boards, committees, and commissions are seeking applicants:
Montgomery County Secures ‘Triple-A’ Bond Rating for 52 Consecutive Years, Underscoring Decades of Fiscal Excellence and Strong Management.
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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