For Immediate Release: Friday, March 6, 2026
Council will review state legislation; Committees will review the Fiscal Year 2027-2032 Capital Improvements Program, legislation to establish a task force on data centers, receive an update on attendance and student engagement in Montgomery County Public Schools, and review additional bills and zoning measures
The Montgomery County Council will meet on Monday, March 9 at 12:30 p.m. for a Maryland General Assembly update from the Office of Intergovernmental Relations. The Council will also review state and local legislation.
The joint Economic Development (ECON) and Transportation and Environment (TE) Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. to review Bill 4-26, Buildings – Task Force on Data Centers – Established.
The members of the ECON Committee include Chair and Council President Natali Fani-González, Council Vice President Marilyn Balcombe and Councilmembers Evan Glass and Laurie-Anne Sayles.
The Education and Culture (EC) Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. to receive an update on attendance and student engagement in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). In addition, the committee will review the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027-2032 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) for Montgomery College.
The members of the EC Committee include Chair Will Jawando and Councilmembers Shebra Evans and Kristin Mink.
The TE Committee will meet at 10 a.m. to review Bill 2-26, Taxation – Fuel-Energy Tax – Green Bank – Amendment.
The members of the TE Committee include Chair Glass, Council Vice President Balcombe and Councilmember Kate Stewart.
The Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee will meet at 1:45 p.m. to review the FY27-32 CIP for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 26-02, Overlay Zones – Regional Shopping Center, ZTA 26-03, Biohealth Priority Campus – Eligibility, and ZTA 26-04, Mixed-Income Housing Community – Eligibility.
The members of the PHP Committee include Chair Andrew Friedson, Council President Fani-González and Councilmember Jawando.
The Public Safety (PS) Committee will meet at 1:45 p.m. to review Expedited Bill 6-26, Fire and Rescue Services – Emergency Medical Services Insurance Reimbursement Program – Use of Revenues, and the FY27-32 CIP for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS).
The members of the PS Committee include Chair Sidney Katz and Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Mink.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
Bill 4-26, Buildings – Task Force on Data Centers – Established
Review: The joint ECON and TE Committee will review Bill 4-26, Buildings – Task Force on Data Centers – Established, which would establish a task force to study the potential risks and benefits of data centers in the County, require the task force to produce a report that identifies the impacts of data centers and evaluates the feasibility of potential legislative, policy or zoning changes.
The legislation would establish a temporary task force charged with reviewing siting, environmental and emergency-response considerations, refining the definition of data centers, and recommending any necessary regulatory or zoning changes. The task force would be required to issue recommendations within one year.
The purpose of Bill 4-26 is to create a formal, transparent review process for data center applications in the County. The proposal responds to growing concerns about the environmental and community impacts of large-scale data centers.
The lead sponsor of Bill 4-26 is Councilmember Glass.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Attendance, Engagement and Truancy
Update: The EC Committee will receive an update on attendance and student engagement in MCPS. The presentation from MCPS representatives will include information about factors affecting attendance rates, data on attendance for specific sub-groups, and strategies being used to address this issue. The meeting will include updates related to the implementation of the MCPS Attendance Action Plan, which was released in July 2023, and the MCPS Policy on Student Attendance. Additional information is available in the Council staff report.
FY27-32 Capital Improvements Program – Montgomery College
Review: The EC Committee will review the $499 million FY27-32 CIP requested by Montgomery College, which represents an increase of more than $89 million, or 21 percent, from the Amended FY25-30 CIP. The County Executive recommends a $445.3 million CIP for Montgomery College, which represents an increase of nearly $40 million, or 9.7 percent, from the Amended FY25-30 CIP. The request includes funding for 26 projects, including three new projects.
The County Executive’s recommended CIP includes a more than $41 million reduction in General Obligation (GO) Bonds over the six-year window and an additional $13 million current revenue reduction for a total difference of $54.4 million compared to the Montgomery College request. Montgomery College’s non-recommended reductions include the elimination of funding for the Capital Asset Management System, a $2 million reduction per year for Information Technology, and a deferral of the Germantown Student Affairs Building Renovation to create capacity for the Rockville Theatre Arts Building Renovation. These reductions would meet $38 million of the recommended $54.4 million in reductions recommended by the County Executive.
Bill 2-26, Taxation – Fuel-Energy Tax – Green Bank – Amendments
Review: The TE Committee will review Bill 2-26, Taxation – Fuel-Energy Tax – Green Bank – Amendments, which would provide the Montgomery County Green Bank with additional flexibility and resources to support critically needed climate resiliency projects. Bill 2-26 would allow the Green Bank to use fuel-energy tax revenue it already receives to support climate resilience and adaptation projects, in addition to its existing work financing renewable energy and energy-efficiency initiatives. The bill does not create a new tax and will be budget neutral, allowing the Green Bank to expand its work financing projects for multi-family housing properties, businesses, nonprofits and homeowners.
The lead sponsors of Bill 2-26 are Councilmembers Luedtke, Friedson and Glass. Council Vice President Balcombe and Councilmembers Stewart, Katz, Evans and Jawando are cosponsors of Bill 2-26.
FY27-32 Capital Improvements Program – Montgomery Parks
Review: The PHP Committee will review the requested $292 million FY27-32 CIP for M-NCPPC, which represents a decrease of more than $20 million, or 6.4 percent, from the Amended FY25-30 CIP. The County Executive is recommending more than $280 million for the M-NCPPC FY27-32 CIP, which would represent a decrease of more than $33 million, or 10.6 percent, from the Amended FY25-30 CIP. Compared to the M-NCPPC request, the County Executive’s recommendation includes a decrease of $6.4 million in GO Bond funding and a decrease of $4.8 million in Current Revenue funds.
M-NCPPC’s capital program is organized under two categories of projects: acquisition and development. Development projects allow M-NCPPC to manage and maintain the park system through planning, design and construction activities. Acquisition projects allow M-NCPPC to acquire parkland. The Planning Board has requested funding for one new development project be added to the Parks’ CIP: the Parkway Improvements Project. This new project would provide for the rehabilitation and renovation of existing park roads, including Sligo Creek Parkway, Beach Drive, and Little Falls Parkway. Additional details are available in the Council staff report.
Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 26-02, Overlay Zones – Regional Shopping Center
Review: The PHP Committee will review Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 26-02, Overlay Zones – Regional Shopping Center, which would exempt the gross floor area residential cap on household living in certain zones and amend the use and standards for the regional shopping center overlay zone.
The ZTA would allow residential development to exceed the standard 30 percent cap on household living uses for a site within the overlay zone, provided that a regional shopping center of at least 600,000 square feet is retained within the overlay zone. The purpose of the exemption is intended to allow flexibility in site design while ensuring the continued operation of a major commercial center.
The lead sponsors of ZTA 26-02 are Councilmember Friedson and Council President Fani-González
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Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 26-03, Biohealth Priority Campus – Eligibility
Review: The PHP Committee will review ZTA 26-03, Biohealth Priority Campus – Eligibility, which would amend the definition of a Biohealth Priority Campus, lowering the threshold to qualify for that use. The intent of the proposed amendments is to allow more projects to go through the expedited approval plan process.
ZTA 26-03 would reduce the minimum square footage requirement of new space to be constructed from 150,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet and allow repurposing from an existing office and professional building. ZTA 26-03 would also reduce the minimum square footage requirement for new space to be added to an existing building or group of buildings from 50,000 square feet to 25,000 square feet.
The lead sponsor of ZTA 26-03 is Councilmember Friedson. Council President Fani-González, Council Vice President Balcombe and Councilmembers Luedtke, Evans, Stewart and Jawando are cosponsors of ZTA 26-03.
Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 26-04, Mixed-Income Housing Community – Eligibility
Review: The PHP Committee will review ZTA 26-04, Mixed-Income Housing Community – Eligibility, which would amend the definition of a mixed-income housing community, lowering the threshold to qualify for that use. The intent of the proposed amendments is to allow more projects to go through the expedited approval plan process.
ZTA 26-04 would eliminate the 150,000 square foot minimum requirement for a mixed-income housing community. It would also increase the minimum number of dwelling units from 30 units to 50 units. These changes will allow smaller projects to qualify, while maintaining a minimum project size that guarantees affordable units.
ZTA 26-04 would also allow four percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. Previously, only nine percent of LIHTC projects were eligible.
The lead sponsors of ZTA 26-04 are Councilmembers Friedson and Sayles. Councilmember Luedtke, Council President Fani-González, Council Vice President Balcombe and Councilmember Evans are cosponsors of ZTA 26-04.
Review: The PS Committee will review Expedited Bill 6-26, Fire and Rescue Services – Emergency Medical Services Insurance Reimbursement Program – Use of Revenues. Expedited Bill 6-26 would permit the authorized local fire and rescue department representative to receive revenues collected under the Emergency Medical Services Insurance Reimbursement Program under certain circumstances and specify certain permitted uses of the revenues.
Effective Jan. 1, 2013, Bill 17-12E and Bill 7-13 authorized the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) to seek reimbursement for ambulance transports from private health insurance companies, Medicare or Medicaid. Under the law, Montgomery County residents are not required to pay any out-of-pocket expenses (co-payment, deductible, or uninsured portion of the cost of each emergency medical services transport) relating to emergency medical transport services provided by MCFRS. The revenue generated from the program through the reimbursements from health insurance programs is used to provide equipment, enhancement and training for MCFRS and volunteer local fire and rescue departments without additional cost and increased taxes on County residents.
The purpose of Bill 6-26 is to explicitly permit the distribution of these funds to the local fire and rescue department representative. The need for the bill was identified following a report from the Office of the Inspector General that indicated distribution of funds directly to the representative was inconsistent with the provisions of Montgomery County Code as written.
The lead sponsors of Bill 6-26 are Councilmembers Luedtke, Katz and Mink. Council President Fani-González, Vice President Balcombe and Councilmembers Stewart, Jawando, Sayles, Friedson, Evans and Glass are cosponsors of Expedited Bill 6-26.
FY27-32 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) – Public Safety – Fire and Rescue Service
Review: The PS Committee will review the more than $157 million FY27-32 CIP for MCFRS, which represents an increase of more than $23 million, or 17 percent, from the Amended FY25-30 CIP. The increase is primarily due to the addition of the Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus Replacement Project as well as cost increases to Apparatus Replacement Program, HVAC/Electrical Replacement Program, and the White Flint Fire Station Project. The increases are partially offset by the completion of the Breathing Air Compressors Replacement Project and the Fire Station Refurbishment Project.
The Committee 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: 26-081
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, Benjamin Sky Brandt 240-777-7884
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