Montgomery County Council Committee Meetings on Feb. 27, 2025
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Committees will review appropriations for Noyes Library for Young Children renovations and Burtonsville Elementary School replacement and review FY26 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY25-30 CIP for Montgomery County Public Schools, updates on the Office of Grants Management and Office of the Inspector General publication on the Office of Human Rights
The Education and Culture (EC) Committee will meet on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 9:30 a.m. to review a $3 million supplemental appropriation for the Noyes Library for Young Children Rehabilitation and Renovation project. In addition, the committee will review the FY26 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY25-30 CIP for 15 projects at Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), including a more than $1.2 million supplemental appropriation for the Burtonsville Elementary School replacement project.
The members of the EC Committee include Chair and Council Vice President Will Jawando and Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz and Kristin Mink.
The Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee will meet on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 9:30 a.m. to receive an update on the Office of Grants Management.
The members of the GO Committee include Chair and Council President Kate Stewart and Councilmembers Andrew Friedson and Sidney Katz.
The Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to receive an update on an Office of the Inspector General (OIG) publication about the Office of Human Rights.
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The members of the HHS Committee include Chair Albornoz and Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Laurie-Anne Sayles.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
Review: The EC Committee will review a $3 million supplemental appropriation for the Noyes Library for Young Children Rehabilitation and Renovation project. The renovations will make the building compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and accommodate more attendees, programming and services. The appropriation is needed due to a new construction bid, which has increased project costs. The County Executive’s recommendation also indicates a one-year delay in project completion, with the project now scheduled for completion at the end of FY26 and minor closeout spending in FY27.
Review: The EC Committee will review a more than $1.2 million supplemental appropriation for the Burtonsville Elementary School replacement project. The appropriation is needed due to a $1.3 million grant received from the Maryland Energy Administration to assist with the costs for a geothermal system and infrastructure for a future solar photovoltaic system at the school. The approved project provides for the relocation of Burtonsville Elementary School to a new site located two miles southeast of the current school, which opened in 1952 and was renovated in 1993. The replacement project is expected to be completed in Aug. 2026. Additional information about the project is available on the MCPS website .
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Review: The EC Committee will review the FY26 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY25-30 CIP for 15 projects at MCPS. The Board of Education’s FY25-30 amendment request totals more than $1.85 billion. This six-year level of funding in the board’s request is the same as the original Approved FY25-30 CIP, although the totals requested for specific years vary from the approved CIP. The County Executive’s recommended amendment assumes $1.74 billion in six-year expenditures, which is $113.7 million less than the original approved FY25-30 CIP. The reduced six-year spending is related to technical amendments to projects recognizing expenditure accelerations from the six-year period into FY24 to reflect actual spending in projects. The County Executive is also recommending an affordability reconciliation for the project resulting in a $16.6 million reduction in the MCPS CIP.
The staff report contains information about individual project funding, including the new Crown High School, Northwood High School addition and facility upgrade, Woodward High School reopening, Early Childhood Centers, HVAC replacement at MCPS, major capital projects at elementary schools and secondary schools, sustainability initiatives, Parkland Middle School addition, Takoma Middle School addition, Westbrook Elementary School addition, William T. Page Elementary School addition, the MCPS Affordability Reconciliation and the MCPS Funding Reconciliation.
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Update: The GO Committee will receive an update from Office of Grants Management representatives as a follow-up to briefings held on Nov. 14, 2024 and Nov. 16, 2023 . The update will include discussion of enhanced communication with non-profits and greater transparency regarding the grant process. Since the Nov. 2024 meeting, the office has launched new grant programs, assisted County departments with both incoming and outgoing grant opportunities and implemented new communication tools for county organizations and the public.
The Office of Grants Management, in coordination with the Office of Procurement, Office of Management and Budget and Department of Finance, develops countywide policies and procedures regarding grants management consistent with the County’s racial equity and social justice goals. The Office of Grants Management has two areas of focus, incoming grants, which are grants that the County applies for and receives from outside sources and outgoing grants, which are grants that the County awards to outside entities.
Update: The HHS Committee will receive an update from Office of Human Rights representatives as part of a follow-up to a Nov. 21, 2024 meeting held by the Audit Committee to review OIG Memorandum of Investigation , Office of Human Rights Intake and Complaint Processing . The report included a series of recommendations for the Office of Human Rights to improve policies and procedures. The OIG initiated this review when it received a Dec. 2023 complaint alleging that the Office of Human Rights was not properly tracking contacts with the office, allegations were not being appropriately investigated and investigations were not being completed in a timely manner. The OIG investigation focused on Human Rights’ tracking of inquiries from potential complainants and its compliance with established complaint processing timelines.
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: 25-059
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, Benjamin Sky Brandt 240-777-7884
For updates and link to press release, see here: http://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail.aspx?Item_ID=46615