Montgomery County Council Committee Meetings on Sept. 30, 2024
For Immediate Release: Friday, September 27, 2024
Committees will review three Office of the Inspector General memorandums of investigation focused on Montgomery County Public Schools, a resolution to approve the disposition of County public parking lots and an executive regulation to amend the eligibility criteria and neighborhood petition threshold for the installation of speed humps on County roadways
The Audit Committee will meet on Monday, Sept. 30 at 9:30 a.m. to receive briefings on three Office of the Inspector General (OIG) memorandums of investigation. These include investigations of Montgomery County Public Schools’ (MCPS) management of the electric school bus contract, MCPS’ procurement of crisis management services and the alleged mismanagement of grant funds provided to the Sargent Shriver Elementary School Parent Teacher Association (PTA).
The members of the Audit Committee include Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Chair and Council Vice President Kate Stewart, Council President Andrew Friedson and Councilmember Sidney Katz.
The joint Transportation and Environment (TE) and Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to review a resolution to approve disposition of County public parking lots 25 and 44 located in Bethesda.
The members of the TE Committee include Chair Evan Glass, Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe and Vice President Stewart.
The members of the GO Committee include Chair and Council Vice President Stewart, Council President Friedson and Councilmember Katz.
The TE Committee will meet at 2:30 p.m. to review Executive Regulation 5-24, Speed Humps for Eligible County Roadways.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
Review: The Audit committee will receive briefings on three memorandums of investigation. These include investigations of MCPS management of the electric school bus contract , MCPS’ procurement of crisis management services and alleged mismanagement of grant funds provided to the Sargent Shriver Elementary School PTA . The three reports outline the findings of the OIG investigations. Regarding management of the electric school bus contract, OIG determined that MCPS had incurred wasteful spending by failing to enforce the terms of their contract with the electric bus company. In addition, OIG found that MCPS’ procurement of crisis management and communication services violated school system policies for using emergency procurement services. Regarding the alleged mismanagement of grant funds, the OIG found that policy was breached when a grant fund in the amount of $4,998.66 awarded to Sargent Shriver Elementary School was transferred from an account controlled by the school to the PTA. The briefing will include an opportunity for the committee to discuss the OIG findings for each investigation.
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Review: The joint TE and GO Committee will review a resolution to approve of the disposition of County public parking lots 25 and 44 located in Bethesda. The County Executive proposes the transfer of the two properties to a private entity, Lots 25 & 44 Associates, LLC, in conjunction with a general development agreement. The project will dispose of approximately 77,000 square feet of land parcels, currently occupied by the lot 25 and 44 properties. In exchange for the properties, the developer will provide the County with a new 145-space public parking garage and a half-acre public park as part of a larger development that will include market rate and affordable multi-family dwelling units. The Department of Transportation (MCDOT) conducted a reuse analysis for this parcel, and no departments or agencies expressed an interest in the property. MCDOT is recommending sale of the property for full market value to Lots 25 & 44 Associates, LLC.
Executive Regulation 5-24, Speed Humps for Eligible County Roadways
Review: The TE Committee will review Executive Regulation 5-24, Speed Humps for Eligible County Roadways, which amends and supersedes Executive Regulation 1-18AM. The regulation guides MCDOT’s authority to install speed humps by clarifying and refining the procedure through which residents can request a speed hump for a segment of residential neighborhood street. The changes are intended to make it easier for communities to successfully petition for speed humps, reflecting the County’s Vision Zero priorities and street classifications recently approved by the Council in the Complete Streets Design Guide and Pedestrian Master Plan. The draft regulation amends the eligibility criteria and reduces the neighborhood petition threshold.
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: 24-349
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=45904