Montgomery County Council Meets on Feb. 27 to Vote on Zoning Measure to Promote Housing Near Transit Hubs and Supplemental Funds for Patrol Officers in the Cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville

For Immediate Release: Monday, February 26, 2024

Also on Feb. 27: Council will conduct multiple public hearings and vote on supplemental appropriations for public health initiatives focused on substance use disorder services and to support the Youth Safety Initiative

The Montgomery County Council will meet on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 1:15 p.m. The meeting will begin with a proclamation presentation, led by Councilmember Natali Fani-González, recognizing International Mother Language Day. The Council will host a lunchtime meeting at 12:30 p.m. with the East County and Silver Spring Regional Services Center directors.

More detail on each agenda item is provided below.

Public Hearings

Public hearing: The Council is expected to hold a public hearing on Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 24-01, Household Living – Civic and Institutional Uses. The zoning measure, which is also known as the Facilitating Affordable Inclusive Transformational Housing (FAITH) ZTA, would remove barriers to the creation of affordable housing and provide reasonable flexibility in the development standards for multi-unit and townhouse living on properties associated with faith and educational institutions. The ZTA would allow religious assembly use and the educational institution (private) use to build affordable townhouses and apartments in residential detached zones.

The lead sponsors of ZTA 24-01 are Council Vice President Kate Stewart and Council President Andrew Friedson. Councilmembers Fani-González, Evan Glass, Laurie-Anne Sayles, Kristin Mink, Dawn Luedtke, Marilyn Balcombe, Gabe Albornoz, Sidney Katz and Will Jawando are cosponsors of ZTA 24-01.

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Public hearing: The Council is expected to hold a public hearing on police statistical data, as required by Bill 45-20, Police – Community Policing – Data. The legislation, which was enacted in 2021, requires the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) to make certain reports and post certain datasets on Data Montgomery related to police-community interactions. The legislation expanded upon Bill 33-19, Police – Community Policing, which was enacted in 2020 and requires MCPD to provide an annual data report to the Council by Feb. 1 of each year.

Public hearing: At 7 p.m. , the Council will conduct an evening public hearing on Bill 2-24, Police – Traffic Stops – Consent Search of Motor Vehicle and Data Collection, also known as the “Freedom to Leave Act.” Bill 2-24 would prohibit consent search of a motor vehicle or person by a police officer during a traffic stop, require the collection of certain data and information related to traffic stops, require annual reporting of traffic stop data in the County and exclude the limitations on traffic stops from collective bargaining. The lead sponsor of Bill 2-24 is Councilmember Will Jawando.

District Council Session

Vote expected: The Council is expected to vote on ZTA 23-10, Parking, Queuing, and Loading – Calculation of Required Parking, which would exempt residential uses from the minimum parking requirements if located near transit. To qualify as near transit, the use would need to be within one half mile of a Metro station, within one half mile of a Purple Line station or within one quarter mile of an existing Bus Rapid Transit station or a Bus Rapid Transit station that has been funded for construction in the six-year CIP at the time of application. This zoning measure would promote car-free living and more housing near transit hubs by reducing parking requirements.

The lead sponsors of ZTA 23-10 are Council President Friedson and Councilmembers Mink and Glass. All Councilmembers are cosponsors of ZTA 23-10. The Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee recommends enactment with amendments.

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Vote expected: The Council is expected to vote on a more than $1 million supplemental appropriation for patrol officer costs in the cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville. On Nov. 1, 2023, MCPD implemented a staffing change that impacted the cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville’s police departments. Since then, MCPD has shifted full and primary responsibility for police calls for service to the respective city police departments. The supplemental funding is needed due to cost increases for required payments to the cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville because of these changes in MCPD staff allocations.

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Currently, the Rockville City Police Department and the Gaithersburg Police Department assume full and primary response duties for calls for service within their respective municipality limits. MCPD will continue to assist both municipal police departments on priority calls for service and provide backup assistance to ensure that public and officer safety is not jeopardized. The joint Public Safety (PS) and Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee recommends approval.

Vote expected: The Council is expected to vote on a more than $3 million special appropriation for the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) opioid abatement funds. In Maryland, the number of opioid-related deaths has steadily increased starting in 2008. In 2023, the state announced they received funding in a legal settlement with opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies. The state indicated that Montgomery County would receive an initial amount of $5 million and this special appropriation represents the initial allocation of these funds. Montgomery County is a participant in the settlement, and the latest estimates project that the County will receive approximately $43.3 million over the 18-year distribution period. The joint GO and Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee recommends approval.

Vote expected: The Council is expected to vote on a $96,000 special appropriation for the DHHS Youth Safety Initiative to add a new contract with Umana Public Health Solutions, LLC. The funds are needed to help facilitate the coordination of a comprehensive public-private public health response. The Youth Safety initiative is a prevention and response strategy that aims to comprehensively address the diverse challenges impacting youth safety, encompassing various aspects related to the well-being of young individuals. The joint GO and HHS Committee recommends approval.

Consent Calendar

Each item on the Council’s Consent Calendar can be found on the Council agenda for Tuesday, Feb. 27, which is available on the Council website .

The Council meeting schedule may change from time to time. View the current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review on the Council website .

Council and committee meetings are streamed live on the Council’s web page via YouTube and on Facebook Live and can be watched on County Cable Montgomery on Xfinity/RCN 6 HD 996/1056, Fios 30, and on the CCM live stream .

Release ID: 24-072
Media Contact: 240-777-7926, 240-777-7884

For updates and link to press release, see here: http://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail.aspx?Item_ID=44817