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Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Make Your Voice Heard on the Budget

Last week, the County Executive released his recommended operating budget for Fiscal Year 2026.

It includes a proposed 3.5-cent property tax rate increase, $250 million increase in local funding for our public school system, and many other important investments in public safety, our social safety net, and everyday direct services. There are also a number of key capital projects in District 7 that we'll be advocating for as the Council deliberates on all of these recommendations over the next few months.

First, we need you.

The Council will hold public hearings on the operating budget on April 7 at 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. and April 8 at 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

The deadline to sign up to testify is April 4 at 12 p.m. You can deliver testimony in-person at the Council Office Building in Rockville or virtually via Zoom. You can also submit written testimony, which will be entered into the public record. In addition, the Council is tentatively scheduled to hold public hearings on April 9 regarding proposed fee increases part of the County Executive's recommended budget. Look for more info on that soon.

The annual budget process is one of the Council's most important responsibilities. This year - with housing costs on the rise, significant support needed for those facing food and housing insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty for our family, friends, and neighbors in the federal government - we need your voice!

It's important that we provide quality services and protect residents from burdensome additional costs.

This is your opportunity to be heard.

Improving Animal Services

Recognizing service animal providers at the County Council

This week, the Council passed legislation introduced by myself and Councilmembers Sidney Katz and Kristin Mink to speed up pet adoptions and reduce overcrowding at the County's animal services center.

This step was recommended to us by a study of how to improve the County's pet adoption services, puts us in-line with State law, and includes a number of improvements to how the County notifies owners that their stray pet has been found. Read the story here and consider adopting!

Women’s History Month 

The Council commemorates Women’s History Month and honors local leaders with a proclamation.

March is Women’s History Month, a time to celebrate, honor, and uplift women’s remarkable accomplishments and significant contributions. I spoke about what Women’s History Month means to me here. 

Looking for ways to celebrate Women’s History Month in Montgomery County? Check out the suggestions below! 

• Visit an historic site. Head to the Rachel Carson Conservation Park in Olney to take advantage of the beautiful hiking trails and learn about Carson, a renowned environmentalist and biologist. Walk along the Underground Railroad Experience Trail in Sandy Spring and learn about trailblazers like Anna Maria Weems who was born into slavery in Montgomery County in 1840 and gained her freedom by dressing like a man and risking her life to escape. Check out this list for more ideas. 
• Patronize women-owned restaurants in Montgomery County. 
• Participate in the 2025 Girl Power Contest, put on by the Montgomery County Commission for Women (CFW), Montgomery County Recreation, and Montgomery County Public Libraries. 
• Honor the recipients of the 2025 Women Making History Awards. 
• Partake in an educational activity at the library. Learn how to research your female ancestors with Chiquita Sorrels, President of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, on March 22 at Wheaton Library. Attend STEM at the Library: Do-It-Yourself DNA on March 31 at the Olney Library and learn about Rosalin Franklin whose groundbreaking research led to the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA. 
• Participate in a service activity with The Yellow Roses. 

In the Community...

Councilmember Luedtke celebrates Read Across America by reading to a group of pre-kindergarteners at Hope Grows Child Development Center in Montgomery Village.

Thank you to the Children’s Opportunity Alliance (COA) for organizing book readings across the county in honor of the National Education Association’s Read Across America, an annual reading motivation and awareness campaign. I had a wonderful time reading to pre-kindergarteners at Hope Grows Child Development Center in Montgomery Village. If you’d like to support the COA, the County’s Early Care and Education Coordinating Entity, they have a number of fundraisers coming up during April, Month of the Young Child: 

• Breeze Thru the Trees: on April 6, the COA and Ruppert Landscaping are hosting a fun run through the Ag Reserve. I will be running - come say hi! 
• Dine Out for Young Children: on April 9, the COA is partnering with local restaurants throughout the county.
• The Daycare Myth: A Conversation about the Case for Early Investment: the COA is holding a community conversation on April 28 from 6-8pm at White Oak Recreation Center.  

RespectFest!

The Family Justice Center's annual event to raise awareness of the prevalence of teen dating violence and promote positive dating relationships is back on April 6 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Wheaton Community Recreation Center. This is free and there will be food, activities, a resource fair and SSL hours available, plus there will be virtual events leading up to April 6.

Scholarship Opportunity

The Sherry S. Hintz Scholarship is accepting applications until April 4. This scholarship supports MCPS high school seniors and recent graduates who have lost a parent or guardian to breast or ovarian cancer. With awards of up to $20,000 per year for four years, this scholarship aims to help students achieve their higher education goals. Apply here. 

Black Mental Health and Wellness Fair

MCPS, the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, and the African American Health Program are hosting a mental health and wellness fair to address the health concerns in the Black community via workshops focusing on current issues impacting Montgomery County youth and tabling by community partners. The event, which will take place at Blair High School on April 26 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., is open to students, families, and staff. Students may earn 4 student service learning hours for participation in the event.

Resource Fairs for People with Disabilities 

In collaboration with community partners, MCPS Special Education Transition Services is hosting two upcoming events: a Respite Resource and Health Fair on April 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Bohrer Park and a Resource Fair for Teens and Adults with Disabilities on April 6 1:00-4:00 p.m. at Montgomery College’s Rockville campus. There will be more than 70 exhibitors - state and local government agencies, service providers, individual organizations - all serving individuals with developmental disabilities and autism in Montgomery County.  

Office of Grants Management Community Forum 

On April 8 at 3:00 p.m. the Office of Grants Management (OGM) will hold a virtual community forum to provide updates, forecast remaining County FY25 grant programs, and answer questions. Recordings and slide decks for all past OGM Forum events continue to be posted online. 

Meeting on the Montgomery Village Avenue Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project 

In Whetstone Elementary School’s All Purpose Room on March 27 at 7:00 p.m., the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will hold an in-person public meeting to discuss pedestrian safety improvements along a 2.4-mile segment of Montgomery Village Avenue between Midcounty Highway (MD 124) and Whitman Road in Gaithersburg. The public is encouraged to visit the project website and provide feedback via the online comment form. MCDOT will also host an additional meeting for those unable to make it on March 27.

Registration for New Park Academy Classes Open 

Spring registration is underway for classes focusing on mental and physical wellbeing in the Park Academy Series sponsored by Montgomery Parks. 

Business Waste Reduction and Recycling Program Webinar

On March 27 at 10:00 a.m. the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection Recycling and Resource Management Division is hosting a webinar to educate businesses how to increase participation in waste reduction and recycling by employing effective methods of communication to educate and inform employees and others. Register for the webinar. 

Food Truck Generator Electrification Pilot

The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection is accepting applications for the Food Truck Generator Electrification Pilot Program, which seeks to reduce noise and pollution from mobile food service businesses by providing financial incentives to replace gasoline- and diesel-powered generators with clean, quiet, and efficient battery-powered systems. The program is available to licensed mobile food service businesses in Montgomery County. Apply.

Ride On Launches 50th Anniversary Art Contest

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation is excited to announce an Art Contest to celebrate 50 years of Ride On bus service. The contest is open to middle school students and will run from March 15 to April 15. Many riders begin using Ride On as children, utilizing the bus system to travel with family and independently to get to school and activities. Students are encouraged to use their creative thinking and unique artwork to celebrate the past, present, and future of the Ride On bus system. Participants can earn 5 Student Service Learning hours for participation.

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