 April 5, 2022
Thank you to everyone who joined me at the Upcounty Regional Services Center on March 22nd for my Public Safety Town Hall. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office if you have any public safety or general concerns!
I am here to serve you as your District 2 councilmember.
A special thank you to Commanders Ed Pallas, Liz Hattenburg, and their staff who joined us at the town hall and answered the community's questions. Thank you Councilmember Sidney Katz, Chair of the Public Safety committee, who also attended.
The Education and Culture committee met on March 30th to discuss the Clarksburg, Chevy Chase, and Damascus library projects as well as Capital Improvements Project (CIP) amendments to the Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center. Representatives from Montgomery County Public Libraries, the Department of General Services, and the Office of Management and Budget were a part of this discussion.
While I do not serve on the EC committee, I was engaged in conversation with my colleagues who serve on the committee to ensure that the Clarksburg Library does not face any further delays. By law, all new county facility construction sites have to be evaluated for potential co-location of affordable housing. Therefore, the Clarksburg Library has been delayed for a year to allow for adequate time to determine the feasibility of affordable housing in the vicinity.
I will keep you posted on any changes to this project and encourage you to watch a recording of the EC committee session, which can be found here. You can also learn more by reading the staff memorandum about the library CIP, which can be found here.
Economic Development (ECON) Committee
The ECON committee met on March 23rd to discuss Bill 30-22 (Buildings - Demolition or Removal) and Expedited Bill 13-23 (Montgomery County Urban Districts - Friendship Heights Urban District). We also received a briefing on retail spaces in county buildings.
You can view the committee agenda here and watch a recording of the session here.
We held a triple committee session on March 27th along with Health and Human Services (HHS) and Public Safety (PS) to work on Bill 6-23 (Housing - Sharing Economy Rental) and ZTA 23-01 (Accessory Residential Uses - Sharing Economy Rental.) The committees will be meeting in the near future for additional work sessions on this legislation.
You can view the triple committee agenda here and watch a recording of the session here.
Transportation and Environment (TE) Committee
The TE committee met on March 30th to work on Bill 11-23 (The Safe Streets Act,) which I cosponsored. I emphasized the need for us to expand the scope of this legislation to protect students from fatal traffic collisions.
You can view the committee agenda here and watch a recording of the session here.
Upcoming Public Hearings
 You can find a full list of public hearings here. You can sign up to provide testimony at any of the upcoming public hearings through the calendar here.
A graphic commemorating Ramadan.
A graphic commemorating Passover.
A graphic commemorating Easter.
- The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is beginning its annual Street Sweeping Program on April 10th. The program will run through June. MCDOT will post "no parking" signs a few days in advance of sweeping operations.
- You can find MCDOT's street sweeping schedule here or call MC311 for more information.
- The Montgomery County Commission for Women is offering a six-session, 12-hour basic physical defense course. The first session will be held on April 13th. Sessions are open to women of all abilities and cost $60.
- You can learn more and register here.
- WSSC Water's Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) has added additional funding for Montgomery County.
- Find out if you qualify here.
- The Button Farm Living History Center and Heritage Montgomery are hosting the Harriet Tubman: Journey to Freedom monument by artist Wesly Wofford from April 2nd to May 30th. Button Farm is located at 16820 Black Rock Road, Germantown, MD 20874.
- Learn more and get tickets here.
- RespectFest is coming up! Virtual activities will be held from April 10th to April 14th. The in-person event is on April 16th from 1PM - 4PM at the Wheaton Community Recreation Center.
- More information can be found below!
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A flyer advertising RespectFest.
If you would like to get in touch with me regarding anything mentioned in this newsletter or any other concerns you may have, please email me at Councilmember.Balcombe@montgomerycountymd.gov or call my office at 240-777-7940.
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