Montgomery County Council Meets on May 13 to Commemorate Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Hold a Public Hearing on the County Executive’s Proposal to Increase the County Income Tax Rate
For Immediate Release: Monday, May 12, 2025
The Montgomery County Council will meet on Tuesday, May 13 at 11:15 a.m. and the meeting will begin with a proclamation presentation, presented by Council President Kate Stewart with County Executive Marc Elrich, recognizing Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) Awareness Day. At 11:30 a.m. , the Council will host a commemoration celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
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 and vote expected: The Council will hold a public hearing and is expected to vote on a $5 million supplemental appropriation for the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Relocatable Classrooms Project. The request would appropriate FY26 expenditures in the approved FY25-30 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) in FY25. The accelerated appropriation would allow MCPS to move forward with contractual work prior to July 1, so that the relocatable classrooms can be ready by the start of the 2025-2026 school year.
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Public hearing: The Council will hold a public hearing on the County Executive’s recommendation to increase the County income tax rate for Tax Year 2025 (Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2025) from 3.2 percent to 3.3 percent as part of his amendments submitted on April 24, 2025. The Council sets the County income tax rate by resolution. The current income tax rate of 3.2 percent was set by the Council on May 14, 2003.
The Council must act before May 15, 2025, if it elects to increase the income tax rate with an effective date for Tax Year 2025, as required by the state’s enacted Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025. According to Maryland Code, as amended by the General Assembly on April 7, 2025, through House Bill 352, the County may increase the County income tax to 3.3 percent of an individual’s Maryland taxable income for a taxable year beginning after Dec. 31, 2024. A public hearing is scheduled for May 13.
At a meeting held on May 1 , the Government and Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee reviewed the impact to residents and the fiscal impacts from the proposed resolution and alternatives.
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District Council Session
Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 25-07, Retail Sales and Service – Cannabis Dispensary
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Introduction: Lead sponsors Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz and Sidney Katz will introduce Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 25-07, Retail Sales and Service – Cannabis Dispensary, which would prohibit licensed cannabis dispensaries within 100 feet of a lot that is zoned for residential use. ZTA 25-07 would also make technical changes to the Retail/Service Establishment use, to update cross-references. During the 2025 legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly passed SB0215 , which allows the County to establish a distance restriction for cannabis dispensaries of up to 100 feet from an area zoned for residential use. A public hearing is tentatively scheduled for June 17.
Consent Calendar
Each item on the Council’s Consent Calendar can be found on the Council agenda for Tuesday, May 13, which is available on the Council website .
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: 25-162
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=47043