Did You Know? (August 2016) newsletter distributed by the Office of Intergovernmental Relations, Montgomery County, MD

Montgomery County Maryland sent this bulletin at 08/09/2016 10:48 AM EDT

Did You Know?

You are subscribed to the “Did You Know?” newsletter distributed by the Office of Intergovernmental Relations, Montgomery County, Maryland.   The purpose of this newsletter is to provide updates on key matters relating to intergovernmental relations in Montgomery County and the surrounding region.   Our office welcomes your input on the types of information that interests you and better ways to serve you - August 2016

Departmental Proposals – 2017 Legislative Session

picture of Annapolis

In preparation for the 2017 Legislative Session, County departments have generated a number of ideas for legislative proposals relating to County programs and interests.  Some of this bills would impact only Montgomery County (local bills); other bills would have a Statewide impact (Statewide bills).

The local bill requests include proposals that would: 

  • Allow Sunday deer hunting on private land during the 130-day hunting season;
  • Reduce the safety zone for using archery for deer hunting from 100 yards to 50 yards to allow deer hunting with bows within 50 feet of a house, church, building or camp;
  • Create a new Beer, Wine and Liquor Festival License;
  • Create a new Limited Distillery License;
  • Add two new types of alcoholic beverage licenses to the list of on-premise licenses for which a person may hold up to 10 licenses; and
  • Add Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to the list of federal holidays for which certain license holders may extend the sale of alcohol for on premise consumption by 1 hour on the Sunday preceding the federal holiday.

The Statewide bill requests include proposals that would:

  • Allow local governments to link information about rabies vaccinations provided to the State to individual pet licenses issued at the local level;
  • Create a minimum $250 fine (and maximum $500 fine) for passing a stopped school bus with red lights flashing; 
  • Extend the deer hunting season by one month; and
  • Allow an additional week of shotgun hunting for deer.

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Department of Liquor Control – Workgroup

liquor

During the 2016 Legislative Session, the Montgomery County Delegation asked County Executive Isiah Leggett to convene a workgroup to study organizational models for liquor control and distribution in the County.  The Workgroup held its first meeting on July 14.  Members of the Workgroup represent every aspect of the industry including liquor manufacturers, wholesalers and both on-premise and off-premise retailers.  The Workgroup also includes representatives from the County Department of Liquor Control, the Department of Finance and the Office of Management and Budget.  The Workgroup is charged with reviewing different operational models that will further the goals of providing high quality customer service at competitive prices without negatively impacting County revenues.  During the first meeting, members heard presentations from manufacturers and the former chair of Virginia’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Board about various operational models and discussed the merits of each.  The next meeting will be held on August 10 at 10:00 a.m., location TBD.  A third meeting is scheduled for September 15 at 10:00 a.m. 

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K-12 Internal Workgroup and Related Activities

montgomery county public school

The new Montgomery County K-12 Education Workgroup (Workgroup) met for the first time on July 5.  This group includes representatives of the County Executive, County Council, State Legislative Delegation, Board of Education, Montgmoery County Public Schools (MCPS), Montgomery County Council of PTAs (MCCPTA), Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Montgomery County Association of Administrators and Principals (MCAAP).  At its initial meeting, the Workgroup received an overview briefing from Department of Legislative Services (DLS) staff regarding the work of the 21st Century Schools Commission, the Adequacy of Education Funding Stakeholder Group (Adequacy Stakeholder Group) and the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education.  The Workgroup is scheduled to meet again on September 19 at 10:00 am.  Location TBA.

The Adequacy Stakeholder Group met on July 20 and received a briefing from its consultant on a Comparable Wage Index which is being proposed as a substitute for the current Geographic Cost of Education Index (GCEI).  The consultants also provided a brief update on the three components of the adequacy of education study (successful schools model, evidence-based model and professional judgement model).  The consultant’s Draft Final Report will be submitted to the Adequacy Stakeholder Group by September 30 and the Stakeholder Group is planning to meet again in October to review this draft.  The consultant’s Final Report will be submitted to the Adequacy Stakeholder Group in early December.

The 21st Century Schools Commission met on July 21 and received briefings from representatives of Local Government, Local Education Agencies, Building Trades, School Facility Planners, Teachers, Parents, Students, Architects and Builders.  The Commission also took public testimony from various stakeholders, including representatives of MCPS, MCCPTA and the City of Rockville.  Eric Guerci, the student member of the Montgomery County Board of Education, participated in the panel of Parents and Student representatives and two MCPS staff members participated in the panel of Teacher representatives.  The next meeting of the Commission will be held on August 25 at 10:00 am in the House Appropriations Committee Room, Annapolis, Maryland.  

The Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education has not yet been formally appointed and the Chair of this group has not yet been announced.   Under House Bill 999/Senate Bill 905 of 2016, the Governor, Senate President and House Speaker must jointly designate the Chair.  However, if these three officials do not jointly appoint a Chair by August 1, the Senate President and House Speaker must jointly appoint the Chair.  The Commission is expected to begin meeting in the fall of 2016 – but to conduct most of its work during the 2017 Interim.  House Bill 999/Senate Bill 905 requires the Commission to provide a preliminary report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by December 31, 2016 and a final report by December 31, 2017.

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Zika Virus – Update

zika

Although the State is not releasing county-level data about Zika infections, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) reports that, as of July 27, there are 48 cases of Zika Virus infection in the State and all cases are travel-related.  Regular updates of this information are posted on the Zika Virus Information site maintained by DHMH. 

In addition to the DHMH site, helpful information about the Zika virus can be found here:

Montgomery County sent information mailers to every household in the County and has posted bus and bus shelter ads of the Fight the Bite campaign.  The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) distributed DHMH Zika prevention kits of insect repellant, Zika information, mosquito dunks and condoms to health care providers serving pregnant women.

DHHS reports that there are three triggers for government response activities in the community relating to the Zika Virus. The triggers are:

  • Any detection of Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes;
  • Detection of levels reaching the threshold for Aedes Albopictus (Asian Tiger) mosquitoes; and
  • Potentially viremic, travel-associated cases of Zika virus infection are detected.

When one of these triggers occurs, local health departments and the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) conduct door-to-door inspections for Aedes mosquitoes and determine whether there are any circumstances that may require mosquito abatement within 150 yards around the place of mosquito detection or a patient’s home. The Montgomery County Health Officer and DHHS Public Health Services staff have worked with DHMH, the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection and the MDA to conduct these door-to-door inspections. 

If it is determined that mosquito control is necessary, residents and businesses in the affected area are notified (e.g., county alert mechanisms, reverse 911, media outlets, etc.) of the imminent mosquito control, which may include larvacide and adulticide applications. 

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$10 Million Federal Grant for County Bus Rapid Transit Along Route 29

bus rapid transit

Montgomery County has been selected by the United States Department of Transportation for a $10 million TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Grant to help fund a 14-mile Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system along US 29. The TIGER program is merit-based and highly competitive (just $500 million was appropriated by Congress in FY16 for the entire country).

The County’s TIGER grant request supports the County Executive’s decision earlier this year to include $6.5 million in the Capital Budget for the planning and design of a US 29 BRT with the intent of “getting this route up and running in less than four years.”  The TIGER grant provides $10 million towards the total estimated project cost of $67 million.  The Montgomery County Department of Transportation is working to identify other sources of funding to cover the remaining costs of the project.

US 29 is the busiest transit corridor in Montgomery County. The US 29 BRT is expected to provide immediate, positive benefits to the diverse population living within one-half mile of the planned BRT stations, support smart growth development and provide future connections to the Purple Line.
The BRT will use existing roadway pavement when possible to minimize the need for new infrastructure improvements. The bus will operate on managed lanes, the road shoulder and, in a small portion, mixed traffic. The new BRT service will border Prince George’s and Howard counties and link a continuous corridor of suburban centers, highway developments, shopping centers, federal offices, neighborhoods, a regional park and ride lot and job centers in Silver Spring. With 12 stations, the project will expedite transit travel by bus in a highly congested corridor and expand other travel options with 10 new bike share stations and ADA sidewalk upgrades.

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