 Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Last week, I presented two District 2 high school students with a proclamation celebrating the fabulous work they did to create an education app, which can be downloaded from the Apple app store! Jacob Lee and Bryan Yung are seniors at Poolesville High School who spent the past year developing an app called Runway. Runway is an educational app which includes a new STEM lesson each day, giving users the opportunity to learn something new in a fun and informative format. Users can compete with each other to earn the top score on the leader board, and can gain knowledge about a variety of different topics. To date, the app has been downloaded by over 1,000 users across 90 countries!
I am so proud of Jacob and Bryan and the commitment they have shown to their passion and cannot wait to watch their continued success.
You can watch a recording of the proclamation presentation on the Council YouTube channel, and can click the photo below to watch an interview with Jacob and Bryan!
Councilmember Balcombe with Runway app creators Jacob Lee and Bryan Yung, and Poolesville High School Assistant School Administrator Daphne Williams following the proclamation presentation.
November 30th is Small Business Saturday, and to celebrate, I was joined by our local Chambers of Commerce yesterday to highlight the importance of shopping small, and shopping local. We are so blessed in Montgomery County to be surrounded by thousands of small businesses that mirror the diversity and history of the county. Since its inception in 2010, Small Business Saturday has brought in an estimated $163 billion in profit to small businesses. As we gear up for the winter holidays, consider patronizing a local small business! American Express - which founded Small Business Saturday - has a helpful directory of businesses. Visit the website to enter your address and find a list of places to visit near you! You can also find a list of businesses by visiting the websites of our local Chambers of Commerce.
Yesterday, I welcomed representatives from the Montgomery County Black Collective, Poolesville Area Chamber of Commerce, Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce, Rockville Chamber of Commerce, Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce, and Gaithersburg-Chamber of Commerce. Kenia Garcia of Nature by Trejok, a small business in Rockville Town Center, accepted a proclamation celebrating Small Business Saturday! Make sure you stop by her shop next time you're in the area!
Councilmember Balcombe alongside representatives from the chambers of commerce and small business owners, following the Small Business Saturday proclamation presentation.
As you may know, I am the lead for Workforce Development on the Economic Development committee, and am committed to expanding career options for our students and youth. One of our jobs in government is to make sure our students are poised for successful, fulfilling careers – ALL careers. To do that, we need to move towards a model of skills-based career readiness.
With that in mind, I recently visited Thomas Edison High School in Silver Spring for a conversation with Irina LaGrange and Steven Boden from the Department of College and Career Readiness and Districtwide Programs and the Foundations Office. We had a great discussion about the opportunities available to Montgomery County Public Schools students, who can begin their career pathways as high school students through Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses.
While Edison High School is the Downcounty hub for CTE, Seneca Valley High School is the equivalent hub in the Upcounty. Students who are interested in career exploration have the opportunity to attend Seneca Valley High School, or enroll in a CTE program at their home school, as MCPS offers 51 CTE programs across each high school in the district.
Expanding opportunities for our students and youth is crucial, and the Economic Development committee will be meeting next year for a worksession about career and technical education, where we will be joined by stakeholders from MCPS, Montgomery College, Worksource Montgomery, and local businesses who are interested in employing our students. Keep an eye out for more information about this worksession in the coming year.
Councilmember Balcombe and Steve Boden in front of a banner for Thomas Edison High School of Technology.
The Montgomery County Council is hosting a Youth Town Hall tonight, from 7-8:30PM, in person at the Council Office Building and via Zoom! This town hall is a great opportunity for students to share concerns with their elected officials, participate in civic advocacy, and earn SSL hours for their participation. The event is open to students of all ages. Registration is required to participate and to earn two SSL hours.
You can register online, and can click the photo below to learn more.
A flyer advertising the Montgomery County Council's hybrid Youth Town Hall, which will be held on November 20th from 7-8:30PM at the Council Office Building and via Zoom.
Economic Development (ECON) Committee
The Economic Development (ECON) committee met with the Health and Human Services (HHS) committee and the Education and Culture (EC) committee on November 7th for a discussion about the County's early care and education (ECE) workforce development efforts. There are significant challenges nationwide when it comes to building, growing, and maintaining a skilled and qualified ECE workforce. Issues including low pay, long hours, barriers to advancement, and lack of professional development have all contributed to a dwindling workforce, in an industry that is meant to support our youngest and most vulnerable.
During our discussion, we heard from stakeholders across Montgomery County who have been working on ECE issues. We were joined by the Children's Opportunity Alliance (COA), Montgomery College, Montgomery County Public Schools, the Department of Health and Human Services, and Montgomery Moving Forward.
Our academic institutions have expanded workforce preparation offerings related to early care and education, and have incentivized ECE as a career pathway with training, scholarship support, technical assistance, and individualized coaching. However, we have a lot more work to do in order to create and maintain a robust workforce. I am looking forward to future conversations we will have about this topic, as workforce development is incredibly important to me.
If you'd like to watch the joint committee session, visit the Council YouTube channel. You can also review the staff packet on the Council website; the packet contains eye-opening information and statistics, and I encourage you to take a look at it if you are interested in early care and education.
Transportation and Environment Committee
On November 18th, the Transportation and Environment (TE) committee met for a worksession about the potential abandonment of a portion of Northfield Road in Bethesda. We also reviewed amendments to the comprehensive water supply and sewerage systems plan, and make recommendations on seven category change requests. Both issues will be taken up by the full Council in the coming weeks.
You can watch a recording of our worksession on the Council YouTube channel and can review the staff packet on the Council website.
Council Legislation
The County Council took action on multiple pieces of legislation during our last two sessions. Learn more about them below.
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Bill 15-24, Taxation - Public Safety Officers - Bi-County Agency Police
- Sponsors: Councilmembers Fani-González, Albornoz, Luedtke, Glass, Friedson, Jawando, Balcombe, and Sayles
- This bill would establish a credit against real property tax for public safety officers in bi-county agencies.
- Approved and enacted unanimously.
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Bill 17-24, Administration - Department of Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions - Non-merit Positions
- Sponsors: Council President Friedson
- This bill would repurpose the non-merit position of Chief Data Officer in the Department of Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions (TEBS) by abolishing it and would establish the non-merit position of Chief Operating Officer in TEBS.
- Approved and enacted unanimously.
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Bill 18-24, Housing Policy - Standards and Procedures - Amendments
- Sponsors: Councilmembers Friedson, Fani-González, Balcombe, Albornoz, Sayles, Stewart, Luedtke, and Katz
- This bill would remove the requirement for the Housing Opportunities Commission to send notice and hold public hearings on assisted family housing proposals.
- Approved and enacted unanimously.
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Bill 19-24, Taxicab Licenses - Amended Requirements
- Sponsors: Council President Friedson
- 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.
- Approved and enacted unanimously.
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Bill 20-24, Public Campaign Financing - Amendments
- Sponsors: Councilmember Glass, Stewart, 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 contribution limits and retention amounts based on the Consumer Price Index, and make updates and technical corrections throughout the public campaign financing law.
- Approved and enacted unanimously.
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Bill 16-24, Development Impact Tax - Amendments
- Sponsors: Council President Friedson
- This bill would amend development impact taxes within Chapter 52 of the County Code.
- Approved and enacted unanimously.
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Bill 26-24, U visa Law Enforcement Certification Policy (The "U V.I.S.A" Act)
- Sponsors: Councilmembers Glass, Fani-González, Luedtke, Albornoz, Stewart, Katz, and Balcombe
- This bill would require any policy directive regarding U visa certification by law enforcement officers to be consistent and no more restrictive than allowed under federal immigration law.
- Introduced on November 19th. A public hearing is scheduled for January 14th at 1:30PM.
Upcoming Public Hearings
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.
December 3, 2024
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1:30PM: Expedited Bill 22-24, Taxation - Collection of Development Impact Taxes
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1:30PM: Bill 25-24, Contracts and Procurement - Prohibition Against Human Trafficking - Enforcement
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1:30PM: Sectional Map Amendment H-152 to implement the approved and adopted Takoma Park Minor Master Plan Amendment
January 14, 2025
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1:30PM: Bill 24-24, Taxation - Paper Carryout Bags and Prohibition on Plastic Carryout Bags (“Bring Your Own Bag”)
The following County boards, committees, and commissions are seeking applicants:
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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