For Immediate Release: Monday, December 4, 2023
Also on Dec. 5: At 2:30 p.m., Council President Glass will reflect on his year leading the Council, as he concludes his term as president, and the Council will elect new leaders
The Montgomery County Council will meet on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 9 a.m. The meeting will begin with two proclamation presentations. The first will recognize the 125th Anniversary of Garrett Park and 150th Anniversary of Washington Grove, presented by Councilmembers Kate Stewart and Sidney Katz. The second will recognize Rosa Parks Day, presented by Council President Evan Glass and the County Executive.
At approximately 2:30 p.m. , Council President Glass will reflect on his year leading the Council, as he concludes his one-year term as president. The Council will also elect a new Council president and vice president to serve one-year terms. The terms of the new officers begin immediately following their election.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
Presentation: At 9:35 a.m., the Council will receive a report on the recommendations of the Montgomery County Anti-Hate Task Force regarding policies to address hate crimes and hate bias Incidents in Montgomery County. On June 27, 2023, the Montgomery County Council adopted Resolution 20-215 , which was led by Council President Glass, appointing a Montgomery County Anti-Hate Task Force. The task force was charged with recommending policies that promote safety and combat racism, hate crimes and hate bias incidents.
The presentation will include recommendations from six task force cohorts that represent the communities most often targeted by hate crimes and hate bias incidents, including Asian American Pacific Islander, Black and African American, Jewish, Latino and Hispanic, LGBTQ+ and Muslim cohorts. To both inform their work and help us understand the scope and depth of hate crimes and bias incidents in Montgomery County, the cohorts conducted more than 40 separate meetings from mid-July 2023 through mid-November 2023.
Legislative Session
Bill 43-23, Crisis Intervention Team – Established
Introduction: Lead sponsor Councilmember Dawn Luedtke will introduce Bill 43-23, Crisis Team – Established, which would establish a crisis intervention team as a joint program of the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). In addition, the bill would prescribe the responsibilities and duties of the crisis intervention team, permit the participation of other law enforcement entities in the crisis intervention team and require the development of a sequential intercept model for individuals in the County experiencing crises related to mental health, behavioral health, or substance use disorder. The bill would also establish an advisory committee to support the crisis intervention team, as well as specify the membership, responsibilities and staffing of the advisory committee and require annual reporting and program evaluation.
A public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 16, 2024.
Advertisement
Bill 44-23, Human Rights and Civil Liberties – Prospective Employees – Health Care Privacy
Introduction: Lead sponsors Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz and Luedtke will introduce Bill 44-23, Human Rights and Civil Liberties – Prospective Employees – Health Care Privacy, which would limit inquiries by employers regarding certain health information of prospective employees. In addition, the bill would prohibit inquiries by employers regarding certain sexual and reproductive health information of prospective employees, limit consideration by employers of certain health information of prospective employees and permit enforcement by the Office of Human Rights and the Commission on Human Rights.
A public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 16, 2024.
Vote expected: The Council is expected to vote on Expedited Bill 37-23, Contracts and Procurement – Minority Owned Businesses – Sunset Date – Amendments, which would extend the sunset date for the County’s minority owned business purchasing program. Councilmembers Will Jawando and Laurie-Anne Sayles are the lead sponsors of Expedited Bill 37-23. All other Councilmembers are cosponsors.
Article XIV of the County Code, Purchases from Minority Owned Businesses, provides procurement procedures to address the fact that minority owned businesses have experienced the effects of discrimination in the awarding of County contracts and subcontracts. The article is scheduled to sunset on Dec. 31, 2023.
In the meantime, the County has engaged a consultant to conduct a disparity study to assess this program and the County’s contracting practices relative to minority owned businesses. Expedited Bill 37-23 seeks to extend the sunset date of Article XIV by one year to Dec. 31, 2024, to prevent the program from expiring while waiting for completion of the disparity study.
Advertisement
The Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee recommends enactment of Expedited Bill 37-23.
Consent Calendar
Each item on the Council’s Consent Calendar can be found on the Council agenda for Tuesday, Dec. 5, which is available on the Council website .
Advertisement
Public Hearings
Unless otherwise noted, the Council will hold the following hybrid public hearings at 1:30 p.m. Residents can visit the Council website to learn about the multiple ways to provide testimony .
Public hearing: The Council will hold a public hearing on Expedited Bill 41-23, Fire and Rescue Services – Length of Service Awards Program for Volunteers – Amendments, which would increase the amount of the length of service benefits to certain local fire and rescue department volunteers. The lead sponsor is Council President Glass, at the request of the County Executive.
Vote expected: The Council is expected to vote on a more than $1.6 million supplemental appropriation to the FY24 Operating Budget for the Department of Transportation. The funding is needed to meet the requirements of Bill 11-23, which is also known as the Safe Streets Act of 2023. The request includes $1.5 million in one-time costs for implementing changes to existing County owned traffic signals, including the purchase and installation of additional “no turn on red” signage and contractual costs related to retiming signals for the Lead Pedestrian Interval. The funding also includes $106,000 for safe routes to school infrastructure reviews, assuming implementation begins in January 2024.
The joint GO and Transportation and Environment (TE) Committee recommends approval.
Interview: The Council will conduct an interview with Asmara Habte, the County Executive’s nominee for deputy director of the Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA).
Proposed Closed Session
The Council will hold a proposed closed session to obtain legal advice from counsel, pursuant to Maryland Code, General Provisions Article §3-305(b)(7); regarding potential litigation; to consult with staff, consultants, or other individuals about pending or potential litigation, pursuant to Maryland Code, General Provisions Article §3-305(b)(8). Topics are potential and pending litigation involving the County.
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: 23-402
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=44429