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Committees will receive updates on implementation of the FY27 MCPS Operating Budget, the Burial Sites Context Study and the Public Safety Joint Operations Center; review legislation to expand the Wheaton Urban District boundaries and address landlord-tenant relations and short-term rental licensing
The Education and Culture (EC) Committee will meet on Monday, Oct. 26 at 9:30 a.m. to receive an update on the implementation of the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Operating Budget.
The members of the EC Committee include Chair Will Jawando and Councilmembers Shebra Evans and Kristin Mink.
The Economic Development (ECON) Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. to review Bill 39-26, Montgomery County Urban Districts – Wheaton Urban District Boundaries – Amendments.
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 Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. receive a briefing about the Burial Sites Context Study from representatives of the Planning Department. The committee also will review Bill 40-26, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Accepted Forms of Payment, Bill 41-26, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Licensing Procedures and Fees – Accessory Dwelling Unit and Bill 42-26, Transient Lodging Facilities – Short-Term Residential Rental – Online Platform Compliance.
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 1:30 p.m. to receive an update on the Public Safety Joint Operations Center.
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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.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) FY27 Operating Budget Implementation
Update: The EC Committee will receive an update on the implementation of the MCPS FY27 Operating Budget. The update will provide information about the Board of Education’s adoption of a plan to address the final operating budget. The FY27 Operating Budget appropriated by the Council for MCPS includes a local contribution of more than $2.4 billion, which represents an increase of more than $118 million compared to the FY26 local contribution and $161 million more than the minimum level required by the state’s maintenance of effort law. This local contribution, in addition to a decrease in enterprise fund revenue and a $25 million contribution from the county’s Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Trust Fund, led to a total overall reduction of $36 million when compared to Board of Education’s request. At this meeting, the Council will receive an update on adjustments made during the implementation of the budget. Additional details are available in the Council staff report.
Bill 39-26, Montgomery County Urban Districts – Wheaton Urban District Boundaries – Amendments
Review: The ECON Committee will review Bill 39-26, Montgomery County Urban Districts – Wheaton Urban District Boundaries – Amendments, which would expand the boundaries of the Wheaton Urban District to include the Wheaton Library and Community Recreation Center and Wheaton Local Park. In addition, the expanded boundary would include the right of way along Georgia Avenue to connect these spaces to the existing urban district boundaries. A map of the proposed changes is available in the Council staff report.
The lead sponsor of Bill 39-26 is Council President Natali Fani-González.
Planning Department Update on the Burial Sites Context Study
Briefing: The PHP Committee will receive a briefing about the Burial Sites Context Study from representatives of the Planning Department. In 2017, the County Council passed legislation which requires the Montgomery County Planning Board to maintain an inventory of burial sites in the County and that all human burial sites be preserved and protected as a condition of any preliminary plan of subdivision review and approval.
The Planning Board adopted the Montgomery County Burial Sites Inventory and Guidelines in 2019. The inventory and associated mapping of sites is available to the public on the Planning Department’s MCAtlas web portal. The purpose of this briefing is to provide an update on the Burial Sites Context Survey, which builds on the burial site inventory to document and evaluate cemeteries, graveyards and unmarked human remains within their broader historical and cultural landscapes.
Bill 40-26, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Accepted Forms of Payment
Review: The PHP Committee will review Bill 40-26, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Accepted Forms of Payment, which would require landlords to accept certain forms of payments for rents, security deposits, fees and other purposes. In addition, Bill 40-26 would require residential leases to include terms regarding acceptable forms of payment.
Under Maryland law, a landlord must accept certain forms of payment for the redemption of leased premises in eviction proceedings. Maryland law does not address which types of payment must be accepted for rent payments outside of the redemption context. The purpose of Bill 40-26 would be to require landlords in the County to accept certain forms of payment, including money orders and certified checks, for rent and other monetary obligations under a lease.
The lead sponsor of Bill 39-26 is Council President Fani-González. Councilmembers Kate Stewart, Sayles, Mink, Luedtke, Glass, Katz, Andrew Friedson, Evans and Council Vice President Balcombe are cosponsors.
Bill 41-26, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Licensing Procedures and Fees – Accessory Dwelling Unit
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Review: The PHP Committee will review Bill 41-26, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Licensing Procedures and Fees – Accessory Dwelling Unit, which would remove the owner-occupancy requirement for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and establish a fee waiver for ADUs that comply with certain affordability requirements.
Under current law, to obtain a rental license for an ADU, the principal dwelling or ADU must be the primary residence of the applicant. Bill 41-26 will remove the owner-occupancy requirement. In addition, Bill 41-26 would exempt all building permit-related fees, the annual Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) license fee and other application fees for ADUs that charge rent affordable to households earning 65 percent or less of the area median income for a period of at least 10 consecutive years, in agreement with and as determined by DHCA.
The lead sponsors are Councilmembers Friedson and Council President Fani-González. Councilmember Evans, Council Vice President Balcombe, Councilmembers Luedtke, Glass, Stewart, Katz and Sayles are cosponsors.
Review: The PHP Committee will review Bill 42-26, Transient Lodging Facilities – Short-Term Residential Rental – Online Platform Compliance, which would require a short-term rental platform to verify a rental license before listing a short-term rental in the County. In addition, Bill 42-26 would require the Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) to provide an electronic system for verifying short-term rental licenses.
The bill also would prohibit a short-term rental platform from collecting or processing payment for an unlicensed rental, require online rental platforms to submit an annual report regarding rental occupancy in the County and establish penalties for noncompliance of a short-term rental platform.
The bill is needed because County law does not extend or place direct requirements on online rental platforms or booking services. Bill 42-26 seeks to strengthen short-term rental compliance requirements for online platforms. Under the County’s short-term residential rental law, a short-term rental is generally a rental of a room or dwelling for less than 30 consecutive days. To maintain the rental, the operator must obtain and renew a license annually with DHCA.
The lead sponsor of Bill 42-26 is Councilmember Evans. Council President Fani-González, Councilmember Stewart, Council Vice President Balcombe and Councilmembers Mink, Sayles and Luedtke are cosponsors.
Public Safety Joint Operations Center
Review: The PS Committee will receive an update on the Public Safety Joint Operations Center, which is a space within the Public Safety Headquarters where the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS), Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) and Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) support joint coordination in response to emergency incidents. The briefing will include a capital projects update and discussion regarding current operations within the center and future fiscal considerations. Additional detail is available in the Council staff report.
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.
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