Good morning. It's October 1st. We're here for a council session. We're going to begin with a proclamation recognizing disability employment awareness month by the chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, gave albonynes. Albinize. Welcome to our guests who are here for this proclamation. As they used to say when I was a kid on Saturday, we're going to come on down. Yes. Well, good morning, good people. It is wonderful to be with all of you today. Today we are celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month. In over the last couple of weeks, I've had the opportunity to go to Biddy and Bows Coffee in Annapolis, soulful cafe here in Rockville, and the sunflower bakery here in Rockville as well. And what all three of these incredible organizations having common is one, they all have really good coffee, really great treats, really amazing customer service, and wonderful environments, and all three organizations have tapped into something that the rest of our country needs to figure out, which is that there are some extraordinary people that live in our community that need and deserve employment. We, these organizations have devised really extraordinary training programs and support systems in place to hire extraordinary individuals, people of all abilities. And it's important for the rest of us to catch up. Our disability community provides so much. And I will say our differing ability community, not disability, our differing ability community provides so much and contributes so much in so many different ways and can contribute so much more to our economy. And so I want to thank the incredible representatives who are here and I'm going to ask each of them just briefly to say their names and the organization they're with and we're going to go on down the list to make sure everyone here is recognized. We'll start with Steve. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My name is Steve Riley. I'm the Executive Director of Potomac Community Resources and the new Chair of the new Montgomery County IDD Commission. Thanks for inviting me. Hi. Thank you so much. I'm happy to be here. I'm Julian Copeland. I am with all these great folks from Main Street Connect and the Soulfil Cafe and I sit on Steve's committee also very proud of our work. Hello, thank you. I'm Tanya Gilchrist, a new chair of the Commission on People with Disabilities. Wonderful. I'm Diane Clem, a proud parent and supporter of Main Street and Sofil. My name is Catherine Clem and I'm a barista at Sofilk Cafe. Hi, I'm Chef Ricky. I'm Chef at Sofilk Cafe. Hi, I'm Mizuki Brent. I'm the Program and Membership Associate at Main Street. Awesome. I'm Tiffany Gray. I'm a barista at Sofilk Cafe and in the bathroom Main Street too. All right. Hi. Excuse me, Mabel Greer, parent of a worker at Sulfal Cafe and Maestri Connect. Thank you. Evan Scheinberg, I'm an associate at Maestri Connect and help out with Sulfal Cafe as well. My name is Tristan Carole. I'm an employee, you know, the Sulfal Cafe and I'm also an unofficial spokesperson for the Cafe. We're going to hear from Tristan in a minute. Hi, I'm also an unofficial spokesperson for the cafe. We're gonna hear from Tristan in a minute. Hi, I'm Pam Cohen. I'm the program director at Main Street. All right, these are some extraordinary, extraordinary people, speaking of which, we will now hear from Ms. Jillian Copeland, who is the founder and executive director of Main Street Connect. Jillian is involved in a number of different incredible initiatives here in Montgomery County. She is the founder of the Dealer School who we had the opportunity to cut the ribbon for just a couple of weeks ago and also a member of the IDDC. So without further ado, let's hear from Jillian. Thank you. Thank you so much. Good morning, everybody. Thank you to everyone on the council. All of you amazing people, first of all, for your service, but also for recognizing Main Street and our cafe and also just the importance of this month. And, Dean, very important and hopefully the county. Everybody's listening here. We at Main Street and the cafe believe people of all ages, stages and abilities should have the equal and equitable opportunities available to many of us. And we observe just as the data indicates that when you have a diverse workforce which includes physical and neurodiversity, our work environments are more productive, our staff and our clientele are happier. Our vision at the cafe is a world where people of all abilities thrive together, are included, feel connected, and have abundant choices and opportunities. And that's exactly what I see at the social cafe and it means to reconnect in environment where people are included, are engaged, are productive, have purpose, they're connected and thriving. Hi, Lisa. As we all know, we are living in a world that sometimes might not be so kind, especially to those appear different. This is not just necessary, but essential for all of us to live with kindness, to live with dignity, and to feel respected in our communities. I am so proud to be connected to all in our cafe, starting with our incredible chef Ricky, Tanisha who's holding down the fort today, so he's not with us, to Catherine, Tristan, Tiffany, and Evan. All of your support, your hard work, I'm really grateful. I know I am more productive in my work and a happier person because of each one of them. And if you just come to our cafe and write down the street, I think you'll find you're happy there too. So I am going to introduce Tristan now. Tristan has worked in the cafe since 2022. And I think he will say it best, why it's important to introduce Tristan now. Tristan has worked in the cafe since 2022, and I think he will say it best, why it's important to work in the cafe. APPLAUSE Good morning, everybody. How are you doing today? Good to see you. I prepared a small message from the masses today. Just, you know, settled down and, you know, have a listen. I just wanted to get the message out. After over two years working at Soulful, I've come to realize that the best part of working at the cafe is the community. Why you may ask, from the bottom of my heart, I wish to thank the entire Indian Main Street for treating these respect and kindness The employment and training I've received completely changed my life for the better. I Appreciate all the support and once again. Thank you very much Well done Tristan you crushed it. That was awesome. That was awesome. All right. Now I'm going to read the proclamation. The County Council of Montgomery County, Maryland hereby proclaims whereas the month of October is recognized as national disability awareness month, a time to raise awareness about disability employment issues and celebrate the contributions of workers with disabilities. And whereas empowering possibilities is the 2024 theme, highlighting the unique perspectives and talents that individuals with disabilities bring while enhancing workplaces in strengthening our economy. And whereas notwithstanding the progress that has been made, individuals with disabilities continue to face employment discrimination, lack of access to resources, and inadequate workplace accommodations. And whereas advocating for policies that promote equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the workplace, and supporting a culture of respect and collaboration is crucial. Now therefore be it resolved that the County council of Montgomery County Maryland hereby recognizes national disability employment awareness month and urges all residents and employers to recognize and support inclusive employment and practices and the invaluable role of individuals with disabilities in our workforce. Presented on this first day of October in the year 2024 signed by myself and our council president on behalf of all of our council colleagues. I'm sorry. you I I will see you soon at the cafe when I see you off in my friend. Thank you. Thank you. We're going to move on to our second proclamation, recognizing breast cancer awareness month with our three colleagues rocking the pink today, which I'm very proud and excited about. Councilmember sales, Bacchum and Stewart, who I know will share some personal experiences and connections as well. Thank you. Good morning. If you are here for the breast cancer awareness month proclamation, please make your way down. Come on down. Come on down. And we have quite a few guests with us today. So once everyone fills in the galley, come on all the way over. We want to pass the mic and introduce everyone that's with us. Since we won't have everyone speaking, we want to make sure we give our names and the organization that you represent. We'll start to the left. Thank you. My name is Winwin. I am the Vice Chair for the Asian American Health Initiative Student Committee. Hi, my name is Sophia Yoon. I'm here for Asian American Health Initiative. Hi, I'm Claire Dockerty. I'm CEO of Brem Foundation to defeat breast cancer. Hi, we're Salsion and Keisha Martin Riley. He's Salsion Riley and we're representing my husband fights like a girl. Hi, I'm Shari Campbell and I'm representing Alpha Kappa Alpha Soror the Incorporated, Zasigmo Megacapter, and I'm also a breast cancer survivor. My name is Barbara Boni, and I'm representing Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Montgomery County, alumni chapter, and I am the president of the chapter. Good morning, I'm George McFarlane. I'm representing the African American Health Program. Good morning. My name is Angela Powell. I'm the third vice president of Delta Sigma Data Swords Inc. Montgomery County Alumni Chapter and I am a breast cancer survivor as well. I'm Vicki Russell Walton. I'm a two-time breast cancer survivor. I am with the African American Health Program and I am the Cancer Preventant Specialist. Good morning. My name is Valerie Forster. I am the third vice president of the A to Pized A to Chapter of the State of Phi Beta Authority Incorporated. Isabella with Crayington Services of Greater Washington Program Manager and currently facing breast cancer. Katie Smith with the Montgomery County Commission on Aging. I'm Alison Sterns, I'm the CEO of Caring Matters. Amy Fier, also with Caring Matters. Hi, I'm Lee Bluestine. I am the Chief Communications Officer at Caring Matters, and also a breast cancer survivor. Hello, I am Oge O. K.K. I am the Director for Cancer Prevention and Detection at Primary Care Coalition. Hello, I'm Hillary Tsumba. I'm also with the Primary Care Coalition. Hi, I'm Pat Grant and with the African American Health Program. and health program. Thank you so much for having this time and space with us to celebrate this important awareness month. My name is Lori Ann Sales. You're at large council member and member of the Health and Human Services Committee and the Economic Development Committee. We're also joined by my colleagues, Vice President Stuart and Council Member Boutcombe as well. And we are going to hear from a few of our guests that are in attendance first from the Council members followed by Miss Oge Okeke, director of the primary care coalition in cancer prevention, minister, doctor share, Shari Campbell, Lee Bluestine, and Claire Doherty before we read the proclamation. I just want us to keep in mind that just this year alone over 300,000 women and almost 3,000 men will receive a breast cancer diagnosis. One in eight women will face a breast cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. And the COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the disparities in breast cancer treatments with black women in the United States being around 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than their counterparts. As the Gatheburg City Council member and the only woman on the council in 2020, I spearheaded a breast cancer walk to raise awareness. Now as a council member at large, I'm dedicated to securing funding for initiatives such as the Breast and Servical Cancer Screening Program and supporting survivors and their families. And so now we will hear from Vice President Stewart before we turn it over to our guests. Great. Thank you so much, Council Member Sales, for organizing us today. And I just want to say thank you to all of you for the work that you do day in and day out. And Sheri, I love your earrings. I don't know if people can see them at home, but they say hope on them. And that's what today is about, because we need to raise awareness about breast cancer. We need to make sure people are getting the screenings. And I'm sure as Claire Dardy is going to talk about from the Bren Foundation that they have the resources then to follow up if they get a diagnosis of breast cancer and they're able to get early treatment after early detection. That's how we're going to fight this. And I stand before you as a daughter, someone who lost their mother to breast cancer, a sister. My sister has had a double mastectomy and as a mom, because I make sure every year that I get my screenings so that I can be there for my kids. And so I just want to thank everyone. Thank you again Councilmember Sales for the proclamation today and everyone for joining us. Thank you Council vice president Stewart. Now we're going to hear from Councilmember Balkone. Hi thank you all for being here. Thank you all for being here and sharing your story. I am a breast cancer survivor. I was diagnosed almost 15 years ago, and I can remember the calculation is easy because my daughter was turning 16 at the time. And it was touch and go as to whether I was going to be able to go to her party when she was 16. And that strikes my heart as a mom. And it was interestingly, I just remembered that it was nine years ago that I finished treatment. So it was a long slog. But I'm here today because of early detection. So I want to just press, please get your mammogram for ask your moms, your sisters, your daughters to make sure they have their mammogram for the men in the room. Please make sure that you share that with the women in your life. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at least once in their life. So I want you to think about that statistic. There's in the 15 years that I've been a survivor, there's never been a time when I didn't know someone personally who was going through breast cancer and I'm meeting some people today who have been through it. So when you're in a meeting, look around the room and think about one in eight. When you're at the football game, what does one in eight look like in terms of how many women are going to experience this in their lifetime. And men, we have to make sure that we remember that men are diagnosed as well. So I just want to thank Council Member Sales for organizing this. This is such an important aspect. And for our providers here, thank you for doing that work. Thank you for everything that you do to make sure that we can continue with early detection and continue this fight. Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember Balkom, and now we're going to hear from Ms. Ogekeke. Thank you so much. Good morning, everyone. It's a pleasure to be here with you all. Thank you so much Council Member Sales. My name is Oge. Oge Chiku Okeke. Everyone calls me Oge. I am the Director of Cancer Prevention and Detection. cancer prevention and detection and I serve at primary care coalition PCC. It's my great pleasure to be here with you all today because we all know that breast cancer kills and that our best defense against this worst outcome is early detection and treatment. But for too many, access to mammograms is not a given. Fortunately, our county has invested in programs to help make sure that we all have access to breast cancer screening that we desperately need. The Montgomery CARES program is a public-private partnership that combines the efforts of the primary care coalition, Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, 11 safety nets, health centers, six hospitals, and a network of private providers to care for uninsured neighbors earning at or below 250% of the federal poverty level. Montgomery cares covers mammograms for women, age 45, and above, and PCC and our clinic partners have worked really hard to make sure that participants get that. In fact, Brex cancer screening rates in Montgomery Care's program are a prime example of what is possible with a concerted collective effort to improve healthcare access. The average screening rate for uninsured women aged 50 and above among the Montgomery Care's program rose from roughly 40% to nearly 60% between the fiscal year's 2013 and 2023. And it surpassed average performance of Medicaid HMOs by 7% in the fiscal year 2023. This improvement reflects years of work by PCC and our partner health center clinics to serve our patients better. And it's especially important for the black women that we serve since we know that black women face the largest disparities when it comes to breast cancer mortality. In our county, safety net care is not an afterthought. We work really hard to provide high quality care, including breast cancer screening and early detection, because everyone in our community definitely deserves it. Thank you. Thank you so much, Miss Elgakke. And now we're going to hear from Dr. Sherry Campbell. Thank you. Good morning, everyone, and thank you so much for this invitation. I stand before you today as a blessed eight-year survivor of Stage 3, Triple Negative Breast Cancer. And if you didn't know, Triple Negative Breast Cancer isn't especially aggressive form of breast cancer that is more common with women of color. Now I guess you could say there's been a lot of advances and there have been in research since I was diagnosed eight years ago. But my message to you is simple today that access to screening and treatment that is timely and early detection are important to increase the ability for women to survive this deadly disease. It's the good news is that there are about four million breast cancer survivors in this country, but sadly there will be hundreds of thousands of people diagnosed by the end of this year. So what can you do? First, please get to know your body. Next, if you haven't scheduled your mammogram, please do. It's a momentary discomfort for something that could save your life. Next, be an advocate for yourself when you are dealing with the healthcare system. And as my dear departed pink sister and sorority sister, Darryl and Vassar Jackson used to say, use your voice. Thank you. Thank you, Reverend Dr. Campbell. Now we're going to hear from Lee Bluestein. Good morning. My name's Lee Bluestein. Good morning. My name is Lee Bluestein. I am the Chief Communications Officer for Carrying Matters. I want to extend my gratitude to Council Member Sales for this invitation. Breast cancer like all forms of cancer can turn your world upside down in an instant and I can personally attest to this. I am a survivor myself having been diagnosed in with early stage breast cancer back in March of 2020 following a routine mammogram. I consider myself incredibly fortunate early detection made all the difference for me. My treatment journey was a process and not a grueling ordeal. However, I know that many women face much more aggressive treatments and need comprehensive hands-on support during such challenging times. That's where caring matters comes in. We're a 35-year-old nonprofit based in Gathersburg dedicated to providing compassionate support, completely free of charge, for adults, children, and families experiencing serious illness, like cancer, caregiving challenges and grief are incredible network of trained volunteers offer a variety of services such as companionship, emotional support, respite for caregivers, assistant with errands, assistance with errands, and transportation to medical appointments. I'd like to share a quick, powerful story that illustrates the impact of our work. A few years ago, we supported a woman battling late-stage brass cancer, who was also the mother of several young children. This family was in a tough spot financially, especially with unexpected medical bills piling up. While her spouse worked to support the family, they needed help managing the household and caring for the kids. Through our partnership with Bar T, we arranged free summer camp for three of the children, giving them not only child care, but a chance to have funds during a challenging time. Our trained volunteers also visited the family several times a week, preparing meals, and helping with light cleaning. Our mission was to lift some of the burdens from their shoulders offering compassionate support and simply being there for them. At Caring Matters, we are committed to continuing the Spital Work, supporting individuals and families facing serious health challenges and tough medical treatments. If you'd like to learn more about our services, how to access them or explore volunteer opportunities, please visit CaringMatters.org. Thank you so much. Thank you, Lee, Bluestein, and we now will close with Ms. Claire Doherty before we read the proclamation. Good morning. I'm truly blown away. I have to say by not only the leadership of council member sales and Stuart and Malcolm, but truly by all the organizations that are assembled here today. As we know, my mother was a breast cancer survivor, breast cancer touches way too many people, but there's a whole continuum of services. There's early detection, there's treatment, and then there's support for people who are going through the painful journey. Brum Foundation to Defeat, breast cancer is based in Silver Spring, and we are pretty much laser focused on early detection. We truly believe that the earlier breast cancer is detected, the better the health outcomes. But unfortunately, there are many barriers that stand in the way of many women getting, finding their breast cancer as early as possible. Last week, we released the results of survey with no patient left behind that shows that cost is a major access barrier. And I would love to share that information with all of you because I think we all know that a woman should not or cost should not stand between whether a woman can get her breast cancer diagnosis or rule one out. But truly I'm just really pleased to be here thrilled to work with all of you some some of you in partnership now, some of you hopefully in future partnership so that we can all push to address breast cancer and to ensure that early detection is a reality for all. And thank you so much. Thank you, Ms. Doherty. And if we can give everyone a round of applause, our survivors and those dealing with breast cancer. And now we will read the proclamation. Okay. Whereas October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, breast cancer is the most common cancer for women in the United States, impacting one in eight women over their lifetime and accounting for one in three of all new cancers for women and. Whereas in 2024, an estimated 310,000 women and almost 3,000 men will be diagnosed in the US with invasive breast cancer, and over 42,000 women and almost 3,000 men will be diagnosed in the US with invasive breast cancer and over 42,000 women will die from it. And whereas we recognize the disproportionate impact breast cancer has on communities of color and racial disparities, persist in treatments and health outcomes and. Whereas black women are more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive and harder to treat forms of breast cancer. Require more time to complete therapy and are more likely to die from the disease with a 41% higher death rate than their white counterparts, and the lowest five year relative survival rate of any racial or ethnic group. Black women must have access to affordable, culturally informed medical providers and whereas although there is a significantly lower incidence rate of breast cancer for Hispanic or Latinx women, breast cancer is a leasing cause of cancer deaths for Hispanic women. And, whereas, LGBTQ plus individuals with breast cancer face delayed diagnosis and treatment, along with a higher likelihood of cancer recurrence compared to their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. These challenges exist alongside the disproportionate impact of breast cancer on black women, highlighting the need for intersectional approaches to addressing disparities in care and. Whereas there are a variety of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle risk factors that affect the likelihood of any person developing breast cancer. Prioritizing awareness through education and early mammogram screenings is critical in determining the most effective treatment and improving survival rates. Early signs of breast cancer may include changes in the look or feel of the breast or nipple tissue as well as nipple discharge. And whereas educating the public about the signs of early detection is crucial. Early diagnosis and treatment can improve the quality of life for individuals with breast cancer and their loved ones. With a 99% 5-year survival rate for localized breast cancer that is detected early and a 91% five-year survival rate for all forms of breast cancer. Now therefore be it resolved that the County Council of Montgomery County Maryland hereby declares October as breast cancer awareness month and as a critical time to improve healthcare access and reduce racial disparities. We encourage female residents to proactively schedule annual breast cancer screenings starting at age 45 and biannually at age 55. We are unwavering in our commitment to enhancing screening access for all residents. We urge everyone across Montgomery County to vigorously advocate for improved treatment, awareness, and research of this disease. Presented on this first day of October in the year 2024 by Council members Lori and sales Marilyn Bauchom, Council Vice President Stewart and Council President Freedson and the entire Council. Thank you. I'm sorry. you you Thank you very much for the courageous stories of all of those impacted by breast cancer and thank you to our colleagues for sharing their very personal connection to this issue and to their families who have been by their side for all of it. We're going to move on to general business. There are no announcements this morning. And there are no minutes to approve today. So we're going to move on to agenda item number one, which is an interview for a vacancy on the Advisory Commission on Policing. I'll invite Mr. George, who is here with us to be interviewed for the Advisory Commission on Policing. The duties of the Advisory Commission on Policing is to advise the Council on Policing Matters, provide information regarding best practices on policing matters. To recommend policies, programs, legislation, or regulation for the council's consideration, to comment on matters referred to it by the council, to conduct community outreach for community input on policing matters, to accept correspondence and comments from the members of the public and to engage in public education. Bill 3223 established that each council member must nominate an individual to serve on the commission. There is a vacancy for my nomination to the commission and we are here today for the interview to fill that open position. So this is my nomination. It will be voted on ultimately by the full council and in the interest of consistency for all of the positions we are interviewing for this position. There is one other vacancy that is currently being advertised. That's Council Member Lutke's nomination and at the time at which that is closed and a nomination has been put forward, the council will be interviewing for that position as well in the interest of moving forward to make sure that this commission is fully occupied to the extent that we can. We're moving forward with this individual interview. We'll move forward that interview at the appropriate time. Mr. George, thank you for joining us. Really appreciate you being here. I have a few questions for you and then I'll open up to colleagues if they have any as well. The first question is, please describe why you want to serve on the commission and given your background, professional and personal experience, what makes you qualified for this position. Thank you, Council President Fritzon and other council members, especially Fanny, thank you for pointing me the way over here this morning, right? I've got lost and she wasn't the one, I didn't even recognize it was she who did that. We're here to serve. Yeah. Again, that's a good morning again. Good morning everybody. My name is Sony George. And I have lived in Montgomery County for almost 20 years and 14 years in Potomac. This is where I have built my life, where my children are growing up, where the countless cherished memories that I have, right? And it is a deeply personal connection that brings me over to here. A personal tragedy happened to me on June 23, 2024 early morning. Me and a few of my friends were robbed at gunpoint in front of my own driveway on a public road. And this was done by some small kids. So that really woke me up. I was a business guy. I caught up in the morning. I used to go to my work and come back every day doing my business. Then this really woke me up, why is this happening? And I fundamentally believe a safe place to live and sleep is one of the basic necessities of a civilized society. No matter where we live or where we stay, that is, I fundamentally believe that. So in response to this tragedy that happened, what made me most was the lack of fear. This happened with a bunch of small kids, kids in the teenage kids, wearing masks in the public road, stayed there for eight minutes. This really woke me up. What was really happening here? So in response, I found that something called secureputtomeg.org. A citizen driven campaign, just to look into these things and figure out what is exactly happening in the society. This is trying me trying, in my own way, to make a difference in the community. So through this Secure Potemect.org, I have worked to engage with community race awareness and educate for practical safety measures. As part of this organization, I was able to bring other people, and I have been going around and talking to the police officers, other people who have been affected. And even Council President Fritson was there in our first meeting. It was always subscribe. We had a large crowd there and and I was impressed and what worried me also is the systemic nature of this problem. It wasn't just localized right. It just there are so many of these things happening across the boat. So this is by then I heard about this commission. Somebody else recommended to me about this commission. So I thought it is natural extension of what I'm doing where I wanted to, my focus is on bringing safety back into the community where everybody has the equal right. And to combine that with my professional 25 years of service, building companies and working with the companies, I feel that I would be able to add value to this council. Thank you. One of the commission's primary purposes is to provide information to the council on best practices on policing matters. How do you determine what a best practice is and what are some important policing practices that you'd like to explore? How do you plan to bring to the forefront racial equity and social justice issues related to policing practices? Sure. In determining the best practice in policing, I believe a data-driven approach combined with a continuous community feedback will go a long way. A best practice is one that not only effectively reduces crime, but also builds trust between law enforcement and the community while considering key factors such as inclusivity. It is essential to analyze successful policing models, establish standards, research-based evidence, and successful case studies while also considering unique needs and concerns of the local community. So as a minority and a first generation immigrant, I deeply understand the importance of equity and social justice in our society. I also recognize that having a safe place to live is a fundamental necessity and expectation of a civil society. I plan to bring racial equity and social justice issues to the forefront by ensuring that all discussions and recommendations from the Commission are considered from a balanced perspective. My approach would be a pragmatic, data-driven, out-contra one, ensuring that the safety is prioritized without compromise. Thank you. Have do you envision community engagement to help the ACP better understand what current MCPD policies and practices are effective and to identify policies that warrant further examination? Sure. Community engagement is fundamental to assessing and improving policing practice effectively. I, and mentioned to hold regular public forums as I have done through Secure Potemak.org, where residents can provide feedback and share concerns about current MCPD policies, engaging diverse voices, including those that from underrepresented and vulnerable communities. We'll be crucial to ensuring that the commission's work reflect the need of all residents. Thank you. Final question that is prepared. Are there any conflicts of interest that you were aware of and do you have the time to commit to serving on the commission including mandatory training that may be required? I do. Thank you. Okay, those were the same questions just for clarity that other candidates were asked during their interviews again in the interest of consistency. Here I'm going to turn it over to colleagues beginning with the chair of the Public Safety Committee, Councilmember Katz. Thank you very much, Mr. President. And thank you, Mr. George, for your interest and for applying. And I'm sorry that you had the experience that you've had, but you are doing something that many people should do. When you have something with its positive or negative, you're taking it much further and working with the public and working with your neighbors and other neighborhoods beyond your neighbors to bring the best solutions to what we're doing. I know that you did found a secure Potomac and I applaud that but because of, one of the concerns that we've had is how do we get into the various groups that some of whom are underserved, as you had mentioned, how do we get to them? What's the best way to work in all of the various neighborhoods, et cetera. So after starting Secure Potomac, what I understood is that having a platform and represent it, and I truly appreciate you being there representing the council, having a platform where people are heard is a big deal. So they just not like, generally, the frustration, even though they express frustration and other things. And it's from every community. And I've been going into the Southeast and I'm talking to the kids, they're as well, right? Because I believe that that also is on another part. The way are the teenagers getting involved in it, that's right. So it is giving them the platform to talk. If we can provide the platform, what we are doing is that we are bringing in law enforcement there, we are bringing in electric representatives there. We are bringing in people who have grievances. Whatever it is, right? They feel like their needs are not met. The cases are not going anywhere. The crimes are not getting solved. So what we are doing is giving them that platform and then following upon that, typically that's the next four steps. We come up with action items, every quarterly we meet and we are going to continue that. And we are going to hold everybody accountable as much as we can as a citizen, right? So that's that's what we're going to be doing. And I appreciate your answer. Just do you have any strategies that you're using to to bring collaboration between the law enforcement community and some communities don't like law enforcement, but they need law enforcement whether they want to admit to it or not and so is there a way that you're bringing any type of an independent type of discussion with? so the other day I was talking to the deputy chief of Tacoma Park Police, right? and he was telling me that previously police officers used to go into the community, play with these kids, and engage with them. So the kids are not afraid of the police. They're working with the police. That's maybe one strategy. Again, as a citizen, I have limitation in doing all these things. But maybe as part of the commission, I may be able to do better. So that's the thing thinking that I have, right? Again, I may not be always be right, but I want to make a difference, right? Come work with people and listen to them. And like I said, having a platform and a platform where we can exchange ideas and work collaboratively, right? The problem may not be on one side alone, it may be on both sides, right? So thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Let me turn it to Councilmember Dwaranda. Thank you, thank you, Mr. George. Thank you for applying. Thank you for your interest. Yes, thank you for writing to us about your tragic event. And I'm glad Councilmember Freason, which we referred it. We did the good at large shuffle. We passed it over to Councilmember Freason. I'm sure that Alex did do. And I'm glad, I'm hopefully that has been resolved and sorry for your trauma. On the conflict's question, I just, I heard the first answer that you have time. Is there anything dealing with mine pedal or anything that might be a conflict as far as public safety related to this position. Now, we've got a federal government contractor, right? We don't do any work with the county, not no work with the state or anything like that. And that's the best thing I can do. No, perfect. I just want to make sure we got it on record. Yeah, that's what it looked like, but I just want to ask. I also appreciate your interest in data-driven solutions. I think a lot of times, as you know, as a business person, as a data guy, it is important to be able to look at something as complicated and intricate and as longstanding as, for example, public safety and look at the data and what's it telling us about what is happening, why it's happening, where it's happening, and that's a complex story. And I have encouraged all of the members of the ACP regardless of their level of knowledge or information with public safety or the criminal justice system to be open to seeing where the data is and exploring those. Maybe a place you might not thought it would have taken you. Do you feel like that's something that you would be willing to do and open to do as stated here? Yeah, data without context also is troublesome too. So to find the data in the context, you have to go to where the data came from. So I am willing to work on that. And like I said, this is my goal is to make sure that we have a safe and secure community and every citizen, not just in the country or anywhere in the world, should have the right to have sleep peacefully at the night. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You're putting yourself forward. Thank you, Councilmember Sales. Thank you, Mr. George, for applying. It's always good to have our community weigh in on issues that are personal to them. And so given the documented disparities and policing outcomes for communities of color, what specific strategies would you advocate for within the advisory commission to ensure racial equity and social justice are prioritized in Montgomery County's policing policies? And then how would you work to address both systemic issues and immediate community concerns? So, like I said, what I wanted to any problem that you want to look at it you want to look at it from the data and the context it is coming from right so first you have to go and look at the data and understand it well why these things are happening it may not be obvious right then work with both sides on the aisle right I we have to go obvious, right? Then work with both sides on the aisle, right? We have to go talk to the police officers, work with them, what they're understanding. What I can also say is that the community's confidence in the police, policing is not there, right? So that is, and I can hear it. But, and the police, when I talk to the police side, they say that they're short staff. They're around 180. I don't have this number, correct? But I'm hearing around 180 vacancies are happening. Right? And the police is also not motivated. Right? So it is a, it is, I don't have a concrete strategy right now unless I look at the data. I don't have access to all the data. And if I get access to all the data, I'm pretty sure we'll be able to find a solution Right as far as as what is my strategy Concerning reach it by use most one will be drawn by data and reaching out and talking to people and Understanding the situation right All right. Thank you Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Menck. Hi. Thank you for applying and for being willing to take this on. One of the topics that has been of great discussion across the Council, as well as on the Public Safety Committee, of course, is about the direction that we are taking our crisis response and civilianizing where possible, making sure that we are dealing with mental health calls appropriately. Could you talk about your philosophy on this? Philosophy on men? In terms of managing crisis response when folks call in with a range of different issues, thinking about whether police should respond, whether civilians should respond, whether it should be a combination of both. Do you have a personal philosophy or a database philosophy on where you would like to see Montgomery County moving? I would say I would like to think that the county has professional services on all these fronts. And I would say that if the call gets made, it would be going to air professional services, rather than having the community people getting in more. So is it, I don't understand the question. That maybe can you give a little bit more detail about that? What exfacilically you are looking for? Can you give me a case study? Then I can answer that. Sure. Let's say that a resident called in and part of what they're calling about is somebody who's having a mental health crisis. Do you have thoughts on what kind of capacity we would like our county to be able to have to respond in that moment, whether it should be police, police only, police with civilians, a mental health specialist, for example, a non-souren officer, a combination of both. Do you have thoughts about how we should be thinking about that or approaching the government? Okay. No, I know I get it. So I would say that it should not be just the police. It should be with the social service. Somebody should, from the social service, also should be there because they are trained to deal with these situations compared to the police officers. I don't know whether the police officer goes through a specific mental health training or not, but if there is one, but the somebody who has is trained in that front, as well as the police officer should be, should be going to the situation. So it's a combination effort. Thank you. That's what I would say. Thank you. And then related to the question that Councilman Rassale was asking, when we see the disparities in the racial disparities in some of our data. And I think as you appropriately said, we need to really dig into that data and think about what would make sense. When what we see in that data is that, I just wanna make sure that we're clear that when we see racial disparities in the data, that there's that we're not saying, well, it must be because people of color are committing more crimes or people of color, right? that we have to be able to go into our policies and our protocols and look at what we could be doing differently in our policies and protocols on the county side to achieve better and less disparate results. Would you be in agreement with that? Yeah, definitely. So that's not a, yeah, it's natural, right? So I'm a minority. I understand the aspects of that too, right? So, and I personally, after what happened to be, I've been reaching out to communities in North East and working directly with grassroots level from the Assa Corporation. We are funding them. What I don't understand is why are these teenage kids involved in it? So they should be in school, they should be studying, they should be building to the community. There is, there may be a problem there, that's I too. So I'm listening to that. So it is, like I said, it has to be a balanced approach, right? We need to have faith in our police officers. And so that's where you have to build the communities, too. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Glass. Thank you, Mr. President. Appreciate the nomination and Mr. George. Thank you for putting yourself forward. Sure. Turning a tragic event that occurred to you and your neighbors into action, right? That's what we strive for with our nearly 100 different boards committees and commissions. People with lived experiences of all sorts, using those experiences to help all of our 1.1 million residents. And I just want to thank you. Okay. Thank you. Well, thank you. I don't see any other colleagues in the queue. I'll just echo Councillor Ember Glass. I really appreciate the way that you've taken the trauma that you went through and have galvanized the community around you. I will tell you I was amazing to see the breadth of folks who came out and have shown up to events that you have done. I think that's the type of engagement and community involvement. I'd like to see more of as we have these conversations about public safety and about policing. It's a team effort. It's a team sport in public safety. It doesn't work unless everybody is working together to keep our communities safe. Police are an important part of that. But police alone can't keep us safe. We need the community working together with the police to make that happen. And I've been able to see firsthand how you have been able to begin to do that. So appreciate your commitment to that. We will be in touch with you and that is the end of the interview. So appreciate you joining us this morning and appreciate your interest in this role. Thank you very much. Our next meeting of secure Potomac is on number 7, that's 730 Potomac Library. All of I extend the invitation to all of you to be there, right? You will see the community in action, right? So welcome to our neighborhood. Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to thank you. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Okay, we're going to move on to our legislative session. This is legislative day number 23. Item A is the call of bills for final reading. And we are going to call bill 1224. Police, police accountability board and administrative charging committee compensation and joint meeting of the government operations the physical policy committee and public safety committee recommend enactment within amendment. I'm gonna turn it over to the joint committee and Ms. Wellens as needed council member Cats. Thank you very much, Mr. President. We did have the joint committee meeting. I the after some discussion, it wasn't that long a meeting. The recommendation was that we go along with the $500 per day per day under bill 12, 12, 24. It's an arbitrary figure. We didn't know, we don't have enough experience to know whether or not that's the right figure, but we're going to come back. I believe Ms. Wellens and we say either by June, if not before June, so that we can have the discussion. So once we actually have experience in it, but we felt that this was a good starting point to have this as compensation. Thank you. I don't see any colleagues in the queue except for Council Member Luki who just went in the queue as I started to say that and waived to me to make sure that I saw she was hitting her button and so let me turn it to her Council Member Luki. You Mr. President and thank you to to my fellow public safety committee members and go committee. I just wanted to give some additional context for the members of the body who weren't there that day. There's a wide range so far of what's coming out from different jurisdictions. And you know, some have made the argument that that jury service gets you $30 a day, but this is different than jury service because there's no, it's not the same, right? It just is not the same in terms of the law. And that being said, we have some jurisdictions in the state that have chosen a per diem rate that ends up if you were assuming in eight hour day for the trial board ends up being less than the minimum wage for Montgomery County. So that's not a great number either, but I think that overall the state as a whole and all the many jurisdictions that are trying to grapple with this are in the same position, meaning trying to figure out what works best. And so I appreciate where the committees landed and that we will come back and have more discussions about this later, but we need to make sure that our trial boards are adequately staffed. Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it. I don't see any other colleagues now in the queue. I'll just know it as part of that conversation. We discussed the question of coming back to this and this might be a work in progress and in figuring things out and there was a question of cost of living adjustments and usually that's done. So you said it and forget it. So to speak, and I did think that not including the cost of living adjustment and giving us the opportunity and really the incentive to come back and take a look at this after it's been implemented and deciding whether or not we hit the right note here or whether or not we need to make adjustments was the prudent thing to do. So appreciate the thoughtful discussion that we had in the Joint Committee. Appreciate this being moved forward. And just this was introduced by me as Council President, but it was on behalf of the County Executive. So I wanted to make sure I noted that. Let me see if there's anything that Miss Wellens has to add and I'll turn to her now. Thank you, yes. As was stated, this will set the daily rate for a civilian tribal board members at $500. And it also adjusts the compensation for the member of the PAV who also serves on the ACC so is performing a dual role there and clarifying that that individual as as is allowed under state law could be the PAB chair or it could be a different individual on the PAB who's doing that double duty so this bill provides a little more flexibility in that regard. And then the one amendment is to simply delete a provision originally in the bill that indicated that there would be some retroactive compensation for the civilian trial board members, which were not permitted to do under the state law, so the joint committee deleted that provision. That's it. Thank you. Great. Well, thank you very much for your work and efforts on this. We do have a joint committee recommendation, so we do not need a motion, and we can move to a roll call vote. Council Member Luki? Yes. Council Member Luki votes yes. Council Member Ming. Yes. Council Member Ming votes yes. Council Member Sales. Yes. Council Member Sales votes yes. Council Member Glass. Yes. Council Member Glass votes yes councilmember sales yes councilmember sales votes yes councilmember glass yes Councilmember glass votes yes councilmember Duwando yes councilmember Duwando votes yes councilmember cats yes councilmember cats Focuss councilmember albernos yes councilmember albernos votes yes councilmember fountains. Yes, councilmember fountains are less votes Yes councilmember balkan yes councilmember balkan County Gonzales. Yes. Councilmember Fonding Gonzales votes yes. Councilmember Balcon. Yes. Councilmember Balcon Justice. Councilmember Stewart. Yes. Councilmember Stewart. Bochess. Councilmember Freedson. Yes. Councilmember Freedson. Bochess. Bill 1224 has been approved unanimously. We're going to move on to item three on today's agenda, which is the consent calendar. I will entertain a motion to approve the consent calendar. So moved. Second. Moved by Council Member Luki, seconded by Council Member Sales. All those in favor, please indicate by raising your hand. That is unanimous. We have approved the consent calendar. Colleagues, we have a very special presentation that is to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. I am told by the team that we need a few minutes for our guests to set up. So we're going to take a 10 minute break so we can go into a brief recess for 10 minutes. We'll allow our guests to set up for a special presentation before us. And so we will reconvene at 1132. Good morning. We will resume in five, four, three, two, one. Good morning. We are back and I am really excited for the next item on today's agenda, which is our 11th annual Hispanic Heritage Month commemoration. We've got a packed casa here, which is exciting. Thank you to everyone who's joined us to celebrate. In the audience, we have some special guests, community members and friends, including Delegate Joe Vogel and his team, the General Consul of El Salvador, Pedro Rodriguez, and the Vice Consul of El Salvador as well, Mr. Guevara. It's an honor to celebrate our multicultural community and the significant impact of Latinos in our society. Montgomery County is extremely proud to be home to more than 200,000 Latino and Hispanic community members who continually enrich and strengthen our communities with their significant contributions in every facet of our lives. Montgomery County, Suspanic and Latino residents help drive positive change in our community, and we are so grateful to have so many leaders in our community who are uplifting and advocating on behalf of the Latino community every day and on behalf of our entire community every day. I was so honored to serve alongside Council Member Nancy Navarro who first initiated the Council Suspana Heritage Month commemorations and I am very proud that the Latino representation on the council has now grown with council members gave Albernaz and Natalie Fone Gonzales. Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! We have a very special program in store for us today, including Musical and dance performances by Marimba Corazon Demitiera of the Association of Guadamalans without borders and by the dance team Alaina Ia, I Su, Danza, Maya, Isle. In addition, we have a video presentation put together by our award-winning PIO team. This year's theme is pioneers of change shaping the future together and will highlight three inspiring women in our community. In Montgomery County, immigrant women and Latina women are at the forefront of education, health care, research, and every facet of our economy. That's why I'm so pleased to be celebrating leaders like Mariae Aravalo-Bayon, Giannina Hasbun, and Dr. Teresa Ramirez. These three exceptional women represent so many other women who are leading the way and empowering others with their stories and empowering others with their actions every day. Thank you to Marcella Rodriguez-Viegran, Joe Thompson and Mike Cohen for their work putting together this video and for organizing today's celebration. We are so grateful for all of your hard work and thank you for joining us and supporting the celebration of Hispanic Heritage here for the 11th time at the Montgomery County Council. Applause With that, it is my great privilege and honor to turn it over to my colleagues, our colleagues and our friends, Councilmember Albernos and Fond de Gonzalez, beginning with Councilmember Albernos. Thank you so much, Mr. President. President Freetz and Councilmember Navarro made history by dancing a mirengue here in front of the dius four years ago. Many of you may remember that. So the first councilmember. And like these three women she let. That's right. That's right. So I do want to acknowledge and forever thank our good friend Nancy Navarro, not just for initiating this important celebration, but all of her work and the work that she continues to do every day on behalf of our community. She was a trailblazer in many ways, and before her, Tamperes was our first Latino member of this body. I am the first at large member, and I am proud that my colleague and friend Council Member Fane Guinsale is now chair of our Economic Development Committee. We have come a long way, but as we know, we still have a long way to go. I want to share some important statistics and data nationally that reflect the growth of our community in so many different ways and then talk a little bit more about that growth here in Montgomery County and what that means for all of us. So our Latinos now make up over 21% of the United States population and to put that into perspective in 1980, it was 7%. 81% and I'll refer to our community as Hispanics because that's how they're referred to in the United States Census. Now our United States citizens, let me repeat that, 81% of our population nationally are United States citizens. Our median age is 26 as compared to the national average, which is 38. We are young and there has been an increase of over 17% of Latinos that have secured a bachelor's degree in our country and the last eight years. We are growing. We are contributing to every sector of our society. We are starting businesses. We are starting medical practices. We are serving in academia. We are contributing to our culture and our economy. And we are here to stay. And thank God we are. Because as we know, and I can say this unequivocally, unequivocally, as the proud eco de los y me rante de Ecuador y Chile, immigrants are what make this country great. And we know that they are filling important positions and jobs. They are taking care of our children. They are taking care of our elders. They are doing so much to move us forward. And they are coming for the same reasons that my parents and their parents came just 62 years ago for prosperity, for a good school system, for the high quality of life. And they're often not coming sometimes because they want to, but because they have to. We know the challenges that face our countries at home, the political persecution, the unbelievably challenging economic situations, the challenges with regards and our countries of face civil wars, and continue to face challenges with violence. We are happy that they have come here. We are happy that they have come here. We are happy that they have come to Montgomery County. We are honored to call them our neighbors and friends because they are moving us forward. And it's difficult to fully enjoy this wonderful celebration without acknowledging the backdrop of the United States election that once again is demonizing our community, spewing hateful, terrible things that impact our mental health, that impact our well-being, and that put all of us in danger. It's important that now more than ever, we come together to celebrate months like this, but that we do so in a way that uplifts and honors not just those people that are here in this room, but those that continue to have to live in the shadows. Let's bring them forward. Let's embrace them. Let's love them. So I want to acknowledge the wonderful leaders that we are recognizing here today, thank our incredible public information office for their wonderful work every day, thank our council staff, many of my colleagues have Latino members joining their staff, and there is so much more that we can do as a community. I'll end with this. 36% of our population in Montgomery County Public Schools are Latino, and that's over 40% for kids under third grade. We are not just our future, we are our present, and we are no longer the minority. And so it's important that we have a staff and that reflects the diversities of our community so that we can meet them where they are. I want to thank all of you for being here today for your leadership. I see this beautiful tapestry and cross-representation of so many different sectors. We are going to be treated to some wonderful music and food here today, and let's continue to work all of us together to move our community forward. With G.C. McAdassius. We're going to be treated. We're going to be treated. We're going to be treated. We're going to be treated. It is now my honor and privilege to thank my council member, not that he finally went to us for her direct leadership and so many ways. And she is our next speaker. Good morning. Thanks. Thank you so much. I echo every single word that my friend Councilmember Gabriel Bernos has mentioned. I will say, I think I need to remind folks every time I'm in a public meeting that when we talk about new immigrants, I'm an immigrant. I came to the States when I was 16 years old. I didn't speak English. I was undocumented. I was in Eastwood, Eastwood's student 10th grade. Making sure that we understand that every single child has an opportunity. I'm here. You know, I'm an example of that. And I want to make sure that every single child who's facing what I faced when I arrived this country has a same opportunity and more. So that's my commitment to you and to our community. The other thing I wanted to mention very quickly is that we're also making history today in North America. Today, and I'm putting politics on the side. I'm just saying, today we had the first women, prescient, and I'm putting politics on the side. I'm just saying, today we had the first women present in Mexico. The first women present in North America. And besides that, she's also the first person with Jewish heritage become impressive of Mexico in us, really telling about the diversity of the Latino community. Now we're gonna be seeing folks embracing and uplifting or indigenous culture, or you know, and it's just an example of the beautiful thing that we have with the Latino community. We come from everywhere, every single culture. And I am so proud of being part of this county council that that really understands that this is our power, right, understanding that we need to uplift people with every single diversity that we have because that makes us stronger. And now I see another legend coming in, state delegate, Ana Sol Gutierrez, who I think is my godmother. And the first Latina elected official in the state of Maryland is Ana Sol, and she keeps rocking it, I mean, she's here. So thank you so much for your presence, and thank you so much for inspiring people like me, and my friend gave Algono Tom Perez, Nancy Navarro, I mean you were the first and I'm hoping that we can inspire the next generation because what term limited? Who's gonna take my city? But we're Latina, I'm just saying. Thank you so much for everything you do and I'm gonna pass it back to our council president, Andrew Fickson. Thank you so much. Thank you to both of you as the son of immigrants, as an immigrant herself. Both of you represent this community in such a beautiful way each and every day at the council. And so thank you. It's an honor for all of us to be able to serve together with you. And thank you for recognizing my friend and long time delegate and great representative, not just of the Latino community, but of our entire community, Anasogu Tierra's, it's great to see you. I also saw that Grace Rivera-Oven has joined us as a school board member. I knew I saw her, she was over here, but she found a seat on the other side of the room. And Joseph Young is here representing Congressman Raskin. So Congressman Raskin is here representing us. So thank you so much for that. We are now going to be treated to a beautiful music and dance performance by Marimba Corazon de Mietiera of the Association of Guadamalans without borders. The group will showcase the Marine Bay, an instrument designated as a cultural heritage of the Americas by the Organization of American States. The cultural event will also feature performance by the dance team, Elena Isudansa Maya Isol. And so we are very much looking forward to this really great pleasure and privilege that we have here today. And with that, let me turn it over to the actual talent that we have here today are very special guests. music I'm not going to be a little bit more serious. I'm not going to be a little bit more serious. I'm not going to be a little bit more serious. I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to of the music, but I'm on the top of the head. I'm going to put it on the top of the head. I'm going to put it little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of a hole in the middle of the hole. I'm going to make a hole in the middle of the hole. I'm going to make a hole in the middle of the hole. I'm going to make a hole in the back to the school. I'm gonna go back to the school. I'm gonna go back to the school. I'm gonna go back to the school. I'm gonna go back to the school. I'm gonna go back to the school. I'm gonna go back to the school. I'm gonna go back to the school. I'm gonna go back to the school. I'm gonna go back to the school. I'm gonna go back to the school. Thank you very much. What a beautiful presentation. And what a terrific display of the rich contributions that this community brings to our county each and every day. We are so honored to have you here at the County Council and really appreciate you joining us. Now I want to turn it over to our hard working, amazing communications office team, Marcella, Joe and Mike, who I have put together this great video with a wonderful example of three exceptional leaders in our community. Montgomery County has a population of over 1 million individuals with Hispanics making up a 21.1% of its residents according to the data from the US Census Bureau. In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, Montgomery County Council is spotlighting three female pioneers within our communities. These individuals have served as trailblazers of transformation, leveraging their strength, leadership and dedication to bring about positive changes in the county and setting the state for future generations. Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Maria Jova Joan is pursuing her dream of becoming an oncologist. And she has taken a big step forward by earning the prestigious Jack Ken Cook Scholarship. I feel like a miracle. Marie Ellen, a alumni of Wheaton High School, class of 2024, stood out among thousands of students nationwide and has secured a full scholarship to her dream college. Fine scholarships that accepted the fact that I didn't have a student's ship was really hard and that limited many of my options and Jack and Cook scholarship was one of them few that told me basically that it doesn't really you don't have a student's ship. What makes Mariaeal success even more impressive is that she and her family immigrated to the United States just two years ago. It was me trying to learn English at the same time. It was me trying to figure out who I was. Everything was really overwhelming. Despite this challenges, she has triumph. Her achievement is not only her own, but also that of her parents and younger brother, who have been her inspiration on her academic journey. Many people have been supporting me, they have always had faith in me, and telling me always, you can do it. Just keep dreaming, you will do it. For me, just the idea to go to college, really the first person in my family, to go to college is just amazing. One of the many rewards that I hope to give my family the wind. Maria Stins has a shiny example for use in a valuable asset for the future of Montgomery County. I'm much of service in El Condado, you said when you started in Las Vegas. She is a Janina Haspoon that mastermind behind the War-winning BS Delazalut Community Health Worker Certification Training Program, offered by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services Latino Health Initiative. Creating the curriculum was a really interesting experience and process. It required going back to what I call the institutional history of all the trainings that we had provided to our promoceratists, to our community help workers. We saw the potential that our community help workers have in the community and the need to continue to advance the community health workers professionally. They reach the community that otherwise we will not be able to reach and be equipped with the necessary tools was one of the motivations. Delivering in Spanish, the training aims to elevate the presence of Spanish-speaking health professionals in advanced health outcomes for limited English proficiency populations. Janina has remained native of her Salvador, is known for her dedication to assisting others, implying your impositive change in Montgomery County. Thank you for being here. My intention is to really contribute to a positive change to society and especially being able to work and motivate the youth. There is a Ramirez, a first-generation Mexican-American scientist, has paid her path to success to scholarships. It has earned over 20 years of experience in biomedical research. That is her amide is someone who is determined to achieve whatever she sets her mind to. And I'm also a person that loves to be able to share her knowledge with others, especially the youth. The guys, muy juz mamá levanta, if you follow them forward. People believe in my potential, and I'm now believing the potential of others, especially our youth, and especially those students who don't really have the resources. I try to bring hope, and I try to bring like, see stuff with it. You can really achieve whatever you set your mind to. Now this is a full circle. Yes, exactly. I live in the full circle right now. Dr. Ramirez actively participates in a Hispanic community advocating for higher education. Her work with non-profit organizations like Latinas leading tomorrow in Eculatinos reflects her commitment to mentorship, education, social and environmental justice. Dr. Ramirez is truly an inspiring woman, serving as an essential pillar of support for our youth in the future professionals of Montgomery County. Ramirez is here tomorrow! These three individuals are pioneers of change, leaving efforts to shape a brighter future to our everyone. Let's hear it for our pioneers of change. Thank you for shaping our future. We are so proud to live in a community, one-third of which is foreign-born. Thank you for all of the contributions of our Latino community. We are so grateful to have you here today to celebrate. And we are now going to read a proclamation. Each colleague is going to read a stanza to show that we are all part of this commemoration and I will begin. Whereas Hispanic Heritage Month is a time for all to celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of residents whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. And whereas during this month we honor the contributions of Hispanic and Latino residents have made to our nation and highlight the rich diversity that keeps our nation, state, and county strong. And whereas the United States is home to more than 65.2 million Hispanic residents and one if five people in the U.S. identified as Hispanic or Latino and whereas according to the 2020 census, the Latino population in Montgomery County has increased by more than 30% since 2010, making up more than 20% of the county's total population. And whereas Montgomery County recognizes that Hispanic and Latino Americans represent a wide array of cultures from 38 countries and territories. And the terms Hispanic, Latino, Latina, Latine, Latinx are not monolithic in encompass a wide range of identities and. Whereas throughout history, Hispanic and Latino communities have fought inequalities and injustices while helping to shape our economic and social landscape and driving progress for all people. And whereas Hispanic and Latino Americans are innovative entrepreneurs growing our economy, doctors and medical professionals providing health care, engineers and scientists revolutionizing our way of life, chefs providing food and assistance to those in need across the world, artists enriching our culture, advocates and elected officials officials leading the way for social and political change in so much more. And whereas all year long, but especially during this month, we joined together to uplift the immense contributions that Hispanic and Latino residents have made on the cultural, economic, and social fabric of Montgomery County, and celebrate the vibrant tapestry of cultures that enrich our daily lives and. Whereas today, the Montgomery County Council marks its 11th annual Hispanic Heritage Month commemoration, and its theme for this year is pioneers of change shaping the future together. And whereas Montgomery County is fortunate to have a multitude of accomplished and dynamic Latino leaders who are dedicated to building a brighter future. And we are grateful for their contributions to our community. And, whereas we embrace the diversity that is our strength and reaffirm our commitment to racial equity and social justice to help ensure that the American dream is within reach for all who choose to call Montgomery County home. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the County Council Montgomery County Maryland, hereby celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month, presented on this first day of October in the year 2024 by Gabe Albernos, Natalie Fondin Gonzales, Andrew Freetzin as Council President, and all of the Montgomery County Council. Happy Hispanic Heritage Month. The Council will now recess and continue the celebration, recognizing his bandacardage month and the Capitol Creston Trail conference room on the fourth floor. Before we do that, we're going to take some photos here. We'll welcome all of our guests up to the front to share some photos and then we will return here for the rest of our business for the day at 115. We are now in recess. En huito, tenemos el centro de articultura. Ahead. Good afternoon. We are back in session as the county council. We're going to begin with the proclamation, recognizing the Montgomery County Community Cat Coalition by council member Glass. My check 123 it's working. Not too many. Not too many. Strut your way up here. That's one. One joke. First joke. Come on up. Yeah. Yeah. Say another joke from the peanut gallery. Come on. Come on. Come on, don't be shy. There we go. We're good. Yeah, we're good. Fantastic. This is generated a lot of excitement among my colleagues and among everybody in this room, because we know it's a perfect day. Joke number two, perfect day to celebrate the Montgomery County Community Cat Coalition, otherwise known as MCC-3. At two. No. Three. There we go. So I want to share that over the summer, I started getting a lot of text from a number of people who are here today saying that they had found a litter and found other feral cats that needed some love and attention and food and shelter and asked me what we could do because they were taking care of it themselves but needed some additional resources and it quickly became aware to me that there is a huge community here in Montgomery County looking out for our outdoor cat community, making sure that they have the food and the love that they need, but also that they get the healthcare that they need, but also that they get the healthcare that they need, making sure that they are spayed and neutered, not only doing that in conjunction with other county partners, but they also have a grant from the Maryland Department of Agriculture to do that important work. So the state of Maryland recognizes how important these volunteers are to our community and to our four-legged friends. And when they first formed back in 2016, it was to help these little felons who were not housed, but definitely needed some support. And so I just wanted to say thank you and invite all of you up. And I did already get questions about why there were no caps here. So maybe when we recognize you in the future for your 10th anniversary we can do so. But as has become council tradition and I'm looking at council member Florene, this is a new tradition. We're going to go around and everyone can say their name and if there's any other special message. Courtney Lam, I live in Twimbroke and I care for a feral cat colony of three cats. Beverly Caragher, trapping coordinator for the group. Rita Flagar, and vice resident colony care taker and I trap at times. I'm Big Bruno and I have the math financially. I'm Stephanie Nixon and I live up in Northeastern Silver Spring and I care for a colony. What is it? I think we've altered over 120 cats or something like that and let's see, yeah, and adopted out about 25 or something. Yeah, that we're socialized. Eric Schmader and I've beat three different colonies, I guess. and adopted out about 25 or something. Yeah, that we're socialized. Eric Schmader and I've beat three different coins, I guess. One year of Shady goes Metro. Stephanie Jamass, I'm a trapper and I've done some kitten fostering and socialization and also a caregiver. I'm Bob Hill. I'm the president of this group at the moment. And I also trap and care take. I'm Teddy Penn-Singur and I learned about this fabulous group through my friend in the light and I'm a very happy Donator. Thank you. Vicki Thomas, I'm on the board. I help socialize. I feed cat colonies. We make cat houses and do some transport. I'm Deborah Kimmel. I do a transporting for a couple of different CAD organizations and I wrote a proposal to get the county to fund low cost, accessible, spare, neuter, which we desperately need in this county ASAP, a big advocate. And because he probably won't take credit, I asked my husband to come because as I said to my email to Hope for all the volunteers up here, there are people who support their efforts and are flexible and kind and loving and appreciate our love of cats. Yeah. Hi, I'm Patrick Reiner. I'm a cat Uber driver. Ha-ha-ha. And I build shelters for the cats and the cat colonies. Hi I'm Lisa Fuller I'm a donor and best friends of Enid and Pfizer. Hi I'm Ronda Nundley I'm one of the volunteers. I trap Foster the kittens. We've had up to like 27 or so in our house to get them socialized and move along. And good friend of units. Hi, I'm E-Nid. I first learned about this fabulous organization when I had a cat Pfizer who was in need and I was so impressed with everything that Rhonda and Lathe did for the cats and their devotion and how wonderful this organization is that I became a supporter and a donor and I'm just to one of the feeders over. This is Barbara Mueller. Barbara Mueller over. Eastern Montgomery County. I have six, but I occasionally feed the visiting vultures that come in and still the cat food. Thank you. And I'm Clint Chamberlain. I'm a couple doors down from Eden. So we go on these joint fair-legged adventures every few years. I had a litter of them in my back yard and we wound up doing the trap neuter return and then come on home and we wound up taking all the the strays in and now we fysers the cat that you see on the cake as you come in. He was a special Ferrell that we jointly were taking care of and I saw a witness firsthand the amazing work that the coalition did. Ronda and Lath came down in 24 hours a day. I said to myself, wow, you guys must be getting paid all kinds of do all these crazy hours, missing food and dinner, and so they're volunteering out at a kindness of their hearts. So I just wanted to express my support and appreciation for all that. Thank you. Hi Connie Markwood I got involved with T&R about 21 years ago and we had no help from the county so we had to use Metro Farrals and it would be wonderful because I have colonies in Damascus and Layton'sville, and I've probably trapped over three or 400 cats over the years. And you probably feeding here for the cats, probably. Hello, I'm Susan Berger, and I volunteer. I foster kittens, and my colony originally had 30, my colony originally had 30 cats, and they're down to four, and they're all 14 right now. They're very healthy. They're very healthy. They're very healthy. And all are volunteer from Montgomery County Community Cat Co. Lushin. Hi, I volunteer with Metro Ferals, but I also got involved with MCC 3 when someone dumped to all those Persian cats, the Himalayan, I'm sorry, the Himalayan's, and I actually fished one out of the creek. And unfortunately, he was too ill and he passed away. So I totally support the efforts of these people to be an alternative for people instead of dumping them outside. Well, thank you for sharing more about your journeys and your advocacy and your love for cats and kittens. Clearly they are better off because of you and our community is better off because of you. And I'm going to invite up Bob, who is the president of MCC3 to say a few words. OK. I do my bit now. OK. All right. First of all, a big thank you to Councilmember Glass for this delightful and important proclamation, which I've already seen, and to Enid for helping to bring all this together. And on behalf of MCC3 and its hardworking volunteers, we are very grateful for this honor. I want to stress the importance of this recognition and support for community cats. These are cats that are unowned. They are allowed to exist and live in Montgomery County, so long as they are spayed or neutered and microchipped and people may feed them and care for them. You've heard a lot about the centerpiece of our program already, which is TNVR, Trap neuter, vaccinate, return. Our volunteers trap the cats. We put the cats back in their location. And thereby, we decrease the outdoor cat population, humanely, and with respect for the human caretakers. We've had a number of successful projects. One big one we did a couple years ago was at Trailer Park in Germantown where the residents were largely immigrants and we have a Hispanic liaison who was one of our volunteers and native Spanish speaker who went in and explained TNVR to them and organized the project of getting all the cats spayed and neutered. And we've done follow-up work in that neighborhood too when a new cat comes in. And that's just one example, even in our initial phase, we TNRed over 100 cats in that particular area. and that's just one project. We've got a good working relationship with the shelter Montgomery County Animal Services and adoption center, McKasey and I just wanted to mention that McKsaic along with other existing cat organizations was instrumental in establishing MCC 3 back in 2016, which is where the word coalition and our name comes from. And we are very, very happy to have this good relationship with McKaysaic, but I want to stress that we are a private independent group. And we get funded through grants and donations, which are so very important to us. We also work with other animal welfare and field work groups on particular cases, especially once across county lines. We work with adoption groups to find homes for adoptable kittens. And our emphasis on cooperation is one reason that we see this proclamation as a big win for the cats as a whole. We're happy to accept praise and plot it for sure. We like it just as much as anybody else, but it's the cats that count and will work with anybody who's helping them. And as many have said already, we're all volunteer and don't make anything off it. Well, thank you Bob for your love and dedication and time and energy and that of all of you here. Another volunteer who got me first acquainted with MCC 3 is Ronda Numbley and I'd like Ronda to say a few words. Thank you, Councilmember Glass. I am my volunteer trapper foster mom with MCC 3. My adventures began on a snowy morning when a cat was outside eating the bread that we had thrown out for the birds. And we went outside, of course she ran away. And we put food out, and I researched, got a shelter. And of course she brought a friend home. And everything was fine. And then I had a displeased neighbor go on Facebook and make a public post about unhoused cats and ferrules. And that's when I went back online, and I was introduced to the fabulous brilliant Dr. Beverly Caragher, Feline Rescue or extraordinaire. She's in the back hiding now. She immediately responded to my help, my new cross for help, and volunteered to come over and speak with the neighbor who had threatened to harm these poor unhoused kittens. And she and her husband Bob Bob, showed up at my house to make sure that I had what I needed to take care of the cats. And I was so moved by that, I wanted to be a volunteer. So I then signed up to volunteer. And it's been very fulfilling, heartwarming, and at times very heartbreaking. The situation with the unhoused cats and not having enough food. Part of MCC 3's mission is to educate, and I believe that the knowledge and understanding is the first step towards compassion. And by spreading awareness about the plight of these community cats, we can dispel the misconceptions and replace ignorance with empathy. MCC 3 is a wonderful organization, and we'd love to have more volunteers. Thank you. Thank you for spreading the word. And last word will come from Edid Light who is a quick thing to say. This is quick. I just want to express my gratitude first to Evan for bringing this about and to his staff and to the Montgomery County cat co. It reminded me of Pfizer and it's Halloween. So they actually had cat themed things and to express my gratitude and undying love to this wonderful organization. Here is a little donation from some of my friends, some of whom are here, and people in my neighborhood, and if anyone wants to make a donation, please feel free, and there will be cake. There we go. Lots of appeals for money and policy. So job well done. And then also a lot of jokes I know people were anticipating but we're not going to go there but I will say Eric thank you for wearing the hat that says the cat father. So with that I will read the proclamation now. The Montgomery County Proclamation, whereas the Montgomery County Community Cat Coalition, otherwise known as MCC3 was founded in 2016 by members of the Animal Welfare community to create an innovative, proactive community-based program to care for feral, unowned, or abandoned outdoor cats, collectively known as community cats. And whereas MCC-3 is a volunteer run organization that enables caretakers to provide food and outdoor shelter to community cats, educates and engaged Montgomery County residents about the neighborhood felines and advocates for humane ways to mitigate cat over population. And whereas MCC 3 assists community partners and caretakers with facilitating trap, neuter, vaccinate, return in which cats are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and returned to their outdoor homes where they're fed and monitored by caretakers. And whereas the bright eyeed and bushy-tailed members of the MCC-3 worked tirelessly to stabilize our outdoor cat population, decrease the numbers of cats and kittens, surrender to shelter, reduce the risk of rabies and other diseases, and improve the lives of both the feline and human members of our community. Now therefore be it resolved that the county council of Montgomery County Maryland hereby recognizes Montgomery Community Cat Coalition for the autistic impact they have on the lives of unowned outdoor cats in Montgomery County signed on this day October 1st by myself and Council President Andrew Freedzen. Thank you, everybody. Where'd you go? you you you you Thank you. Okay, we're going to move on to our general business. Thank you to our guests from the Montgomery County Cat Coalition for joining us today. We are on to item number four on our agenda, which is a public hearing on Bill 1524, taxation, public safety officers, by county agency police. This bill would establish a tax credit against real property tax for public safety officers and by county agencies. This bill would establish a tax credit against real property tax for public safety officers and by county agencies and generally amend the law governing property tax credits. A government operations and fiscal policy committee work session is scheduled for October 10th, 2024. Those wishing to submit material for the council's consideration should do so by the close of business on October 3rd, 2024. Each registered speaker has three minutes to speak. I'll hear it tone when your time is up and we appreciate you abiding by your allotted time. Our panel is Chief Darrell McSwayne, Anju Clay, John Wigmore, Mark Finnelli, and Jonathan Ness. If you could please join us at the table and Chief McSwayne when you're ready, you have three minutes. Well, good afternoon everyone. For the record, I am Darryl McSwayne. I have the pleasure and the honor of serving as a chief of police for the Montgomery County Division of the Maryland National Capital Park Police. Today I'm here to testify in favor of bill number 1524. Taxation public safety officers by county agency police. I specifically thank council members, Fannie Gonzalez and Albert Nas for sponsoring this bill. And of course, Council members, Luki, Glass, and Freepman for being co-sponsors as well. 30 years ago when I was a five year veteran in the Montgomery County Department of Police, my wife and I were raising two children on my salary. We were still rented in an apartment in eastern section of Montgomery County and decided to purchase our first home. However, as best I can recall, there were no such local incentives as this bill that would help to make home ownership more affordable option I saw at that time was to move outside of Montgomery County to realize our dream of home ownership. And although we would eventually move back into Montgomery County years later, I lament that my known options were so limited at that particular time. As a son of a career military father, I am grateful for the service of current military members and veterans alike who protect the freedoms we all enjoy today in the United States of America. However I believe it is also important to remember that no democratic society can function at its full potential without dedicated public safety professionals. As such it is critical that we maintain an environment that incentivizes men and women of exceptional character to pursue this profession within Montgomery County, Maryland. I am confident that this bill will further assist our efforts to recruit and maintain high-quality park police officers who not only serve an estimated 14 million annual visitors to our National Award-winning park system But who also work in partnership daily with the county police on a myriad of public safety matters When we make it easier for our park police members to own a home within this vibrant and diverse community We all benefit from the immediate return on investment of the daily presence, protection, and service to the community. I thank you for the opportunity to speak in favor of this tangible legislation that I am confident where you'll dividends for decades to come. Thank you. Thank you, Chief McSwain. Our next speaker is Andrew Clay. Good afternoon councilmembers. My name is Andrew Clay. live here, my friends still live here, and I've seen this county change in unimaginable ways, both good and bad. I left the county for several years and traveled the world for work and of the course of that met my wife. In 2014, I decided to move us back to the county because I know it's a great place to live, work, and raise kids. My wife actually now works from Montgomery County Health and Human Services and just became a US citizen with the help of a financial assistance program offered to HHS employees, and I'm incredibly proud of her. We bought our house in 2018 and since then in seven short years our property tax has increased 50%. Our property tax and insurance now makes up nearly 30% of our mortgage payment. Members of this council, councils passed and other county leadership have said many times that they want a diverse county and a diverse community and that they want their employees living here in the county. While not a direct county employee, I'm a police officer with an agency that operates here in the county and is largely funded by the county budget. I'm a civil servant, my wife is an immigrant and now also a civil servant. My kids are becoming bilingual. We are a diverse family and exactly the type of people who many of you and your counterparts have said you want living here. I work my butt off the overtime pay for things such as preschool at Silver Spring Day School and to live in a nice neighborhood with nice parks. Council member Mink, we actually live in the same neighborhood and my kids are playing with your kids the other night at Pinecrest Park. I want to keep living here. If my taxes continue going up or this credit doesn't go through, I don't see myself able to continue living in this county. This credit will be a tremendous help and I urge you to take action and advance this bill so my family, my coworkers and I can continue living here. While not much, every bit helps. I also urge you to take action before the end of this month so it can go into effect and time for us to claim the credit for next tax year. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Our next speaker is John Wigmore. Yeah, Councillor. Yeah, Councillor Osir Wigmore from the Government County Park Police. I also retire from the Government County Police after 30 years. I followed Chief explain over to the park police, probably to his sugar end. But I am here. I've lived here all my life. My parent, my mom grew up here. She recently passed and she passed in the county. I have a unique perspective on the thing. Both my kids were born and raised here and I don't know if or see, unfortunately they follow in my footsteps. My son's a firefighter, firefighter here and my daughter is a a police officer of PG County. Both of them chose my son chose a living for editor because couldn't afford to live here, couldn't afford to buy a house here, which was just kind of sad. And my daughter chose to be able to PG County because it's more affordable and feels that the police are supported better over there. I just wish that Council would consider the fact that I think a lot of police officers or forest responders would choose to live here, had we get more assistance because our, as Alcerclay said, we'll work a ton of overtime to support our families and to be here. And it's, it's, to detriment sometimes the family just to live here. So that's why people move out. So they have more time for their families and they don't have to work as much overtime just to live here. Thank you. Thank you very much. Our next speaker is Mark Finnelli. Good afternoon, council members. Thank you all for allowing me to speak before you today on such an important matter. My name is Mark Finnelly. I am a 25-year resident of Montgomery County, a graduate of Senate of Valley High School, and a member of the Malone National Capital Park Police Montgomery County Division, where I've been employed for almost 20 years. As a long-time community member of this this county I have been proud of our public safety officers and the work they do to keep our community safe. I am proud to work hand in hand with our partners from McCurman County Police and other agencies to respond to calls for service whether they are large or small and to provide a service to the county I call home. I have willingly done this during my work days and off duty. We have responded to critical incidents provided medical care to crash victims, changed tires on the side of the road after an 18 hour shift, found missing children and participated in hundreds of community events to bring a law enforcement community and the public closer together, all important efforts. In 2010 my wife and I decided to upgrade our home prior to having our daughter. We had choices but we chose to stay within Montgomery County for the schools, public safety, parks and recreation, social amenities and more. In a time when many of us have struggled with the rise and costs post-COVID, this bill will help those officers who have chosen to call Montgomery County home. This credit can assist with select soccer programs, recreation department, summer camps, dining within Montgomery County, and supporting local businesses to name a few. I ask that you please vote yes to support those who stand side by side with other Montgomery County police officers in the community. In recent years I have witnessed a significant decline in law enforcement staffing. Most county police agencies, including ours, have been providing financial incentives to attract individuals to join the county's law enforcement community. By approving this bill, the council can play a crucial role in encouraging officers not only to work in this county, but also to make it their home. We know that when you live where you work, you have a vested interest in your hometown's wellbeing. Your swift decision will provide immediate support for my family, as well as my work family, during these challenging financial times. Thank you. Thank you very much our final speaker Jonathan Ness. Good afternoon council members. I'm Jonathan Ness, president of fraternal voter police, lodge 30 representing the men and women of the Maryland National Capital Park Police. I would like to start by saying thank you to council members, Fannie Gonzalez, and Albinaz for introducing this bill, which seeks to include by county police agencies with the already existing tax credit for county employed public safety. As I'm sure you all are aware, MNC Park Police officers are responsible for policing park property all throughout this county. In fact, I couldn't help but notice every single picture on this wall of this room is policed by park police. Not only are they providing law enforcement services in the parks, they are also serving the county as they travel to and from the numerous parks. Often this can be in the form of addressing serious traffic violations, assisting citizens and distress, and providing backup to officers of other departments. Of course, MNC Park Police is well known for the mounted unit which can often be seen in county schools, parades, and festivals. But they are also well known for the for the drone program which has been in place for several years now. And just like their county police counterparts, MNC park police are funded through county taxes. Currently less than one third of the Montgomery County division of MNC park police resides in Montgomery County. FOP 30 finds it disappointing that so few officers are playing a larger role in the community, they serve as residents. Our desires that the passage of Bill 1524 will not only change that, but also help attract new officers to the agency. The passage of this bill would also provide a significant benefit to MNC Park Police officers who own a residence in the county given that they tend to be paid less than their county counterparts. In summary, it just makes sense to include the MNC Park Police in this already existing county tax credit for public safety. members who have already indicated their support of Bill 1524, I thank you. For those who have not, I would humbly ask that you support the officers, the by county police agencies, who are routinely risking their lives to protect the citizens of Montgomery County. Thank you. Thanks to each of you for your testimony and that is all of the speakers we have registered for this public hearings. This public hearing is now closed. Thank you for joining us. We're going to move on to item number five. On our agenda, which is a public hearing on bill 1624, Development Impact Tax Amendments. This bill would update transportation impact tax districts, modify the applicability of development impact tax exemptions for certain uses and in certain locations and generally men the law governing transportation and school development impact taxes. I'll note this was Submitted on behalf of the planning board and is before the council now a government operations and fiscal policy committee work session It's currently scheduled for October 10th 2024 those wishes to submit material for the council's consideration. Should you so whether close a business on October 3rd, 2024? Each registered speaker has three minutes to speak. You'll hear a tone when your time is up and we appreciate everyone abiding by their time. And if the law enforcement officers in the last panel are any indication you're welcome to go under three minutes if you so choose. Our panel includes Rachel Silverman, former Council member Nancy Florene, Vince Biazi, James Clifford, and Elizabeth Rogers. Please join us at the table and Miss Silverman when you are ready you have three minutes. Thank you. Good afternoon, Council President and members of the County Council. My name is Rachel Silverman I am the capital improvement program coordinator and the Office of Management and Budget and I am here today to testify on behalf of the County Executive regarding Bill 16-24 development impact taxes. On behalf of the county executive, I would like to express concern about the continued reduction in impact tax revenues supporting critical transportation and school improvement projects proposed in the bill. While impact taxes may not be the ideal tool for funding transportation and school infrastructure, the county executive urges you to do no harm and avoid further reductions before assembling the study group recommended by the planning board to identify alternative revenue streams. The planning boards proposed impact tax and growth in infrastructure policy changes are expected to have a negative fiscal impact of more than $28 million over the next six fiscal years. The county's capital improvement program is constrained by spending affordability guidelines for general obligation bonds and declining recordation and impact tax revenues due to, due in part to impact tax adjustments approved in the current growth and infrastructure policy update. At the same time, escalation and construction market has eroded buying power in the CIP and made it challenging to support even already approved projects. Further reductions would substantially hamper our ability to make critical community investments in school capacity projects and transportation improvements. What is not included in our fiscal impact estimate and what we have lingering concerns over is the proposal to exclude the state-funded portion of school construction projects when calculating school impact tax rates. While it is difficult to project the amount of revenue lost, it is expected that revenues will decrease as a result. Further reducing school construction funding only months after many painful but critical adjustments to the Montgomery County Public Schools CIP were made to build a more fiscally viable capital improvement program. We urge you to weigh the bill's impact on the county's ability to provide adequate infrastructure for residents and urge you not to take action that would further reduce impact tax revenues without first studying the alternatives. We appreciate being included in future committee sessions on this bill and look forward to the continued discussion. Thank you. Thank you, our next speaker, former council member Nancy Florene. Thank you. Do I need to address something? Yeah you have to press the button. Okay. Hi. Good afternoon everyone. See I haven't been here for a while. I think it's the switch of which seat you're asked. This bill offers you a real chance to do something, not just talk. And so I offer you two suggestions. The first is simple way to advance the production of affordable housing. Permit 100% exemptions from school and transportation in parks, taxes and tests, and related mitigation obligations on and offsite for units that are affordable or support affordability. That is all, not just some units and projects that include more than 15% MPDUs or units produced under other similar affordability programs. All of those units constructed in conjunction with religious or non-profit organizations, prioritizing housing. I said all units of 2,000 square feet or less, although talking to Mr. Clifford, I would change that to 2,200 square feet, and all units that satisfy level one accessibility improvements. This won't solve the problem, but it will help and it will help confirm your policies to your racial equity and social justice act. My unique perspective based on eight years as a member of the planning board and 16 years as a member of that council allows me to say with some certainty that during that time we created an inequitable tax and land use system. We created a class system. We burdened new construction with costs prior residents did not have to pay. We basically priced less wealthy people out. We came out with countless new rules and regulations that simply made it harder to construct new housing and commercial space based on scope capacity and runway tests that, frankly, truly bear no relationship to reality, serve minuscule portions of our population. They look good on paper. That's why we did it. This is a chance for you to write those wrongs. The cost to your $6 billion capital budget and $7 billion operating budgets would be minuscule. And you might actually do some good. This brings me to my second suggestion, frankly, the more intellectually honest one. Alternatively, suspend the whole GIP and development tax system for four years. See what you get. An incidental benefit is that you would save huge amounts of staff, review time, and cut out the cost of private consultants. But you would certainly improve Montgomery County's economic competitive status. And you'd open the doors to a more equitable system of housing for all. Give it a shot. Be bold. Be better than what we did. Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Vince Biazi. Good afternoon, President Friedson and members of the county council. I am Vince Biazi with the law firm of Lurch Early and Brewer stepping in from my colleague Pat Harris on behalf of URW, the owners of Westfield Montgomery Mall. We respectfully request a minor revision to Section 5247B of the Impact Tax legislation to extend the Impact Tax Credit Validity Period for four years in instances where the applicant has made significant transportation improvements of $3 million or more. Attached to our written testimony is the recommended revised language. My testimony briefly summarizes our August 28th letter to the council. In summary, in 2016, URW constructed the $7 million transit center on the county-owned property adjacent to Montgomery Mall in advance of the approved development that triggered the required transportation improvement. URW subsequently filed revised development applications in 2018, proposing a significant amount of residential development on the mall site along with increased retail, hotel and office space, and these applications were approved in July of 2020. As we all know, the world was a very different place in 2018 than it was in 2020. The upshot has been that development on the mall site has been delayed as a result of the pandemic, a school moratorium, and a few other factors. As a result, development likely will not occur on the site prior to the expiration of the impact tax credit. We want to emphasize that unlike some of the other impact tax credit provisions that the council is considering, the proposed revision to extend the validity period by four years does not result in the applicant paying less than what is currently required. It only ensures that they do not end up paying the impact tax twice, simply because they front loaded a needed transportation improvement. There's no reason that they should be penalized for this, and in fact, the county encourages the front loading of transportation improvements as it results in the benefit of the improvement without the impact of development. The proposed revision is limited in scope. It only applies to improvements made between 2016 and 2022 and excess of $3 million in the extension as only for four additional years. Importantly, prior to 2004, there was no expiration on impact tax credits. Moreover, there is precedent for this request. Recognizing that a $3 million improvement is significant, the county's APF legislation currently allows for a 12 year extension of APF periods, when improvements of $3 million or more have been made. We appreciate your consideration of this important request that will help ensure the development of much needed residential units at the Montgomery Mall site. Thank you. Thank you. James Clifford. Good afternoon. I'm James Clifford. I am an attorney in up county in the Ag reserve mostly. I'm going to stay in my wheelhouse today and not to try to deal with this whole piece of legislation. Last time I was here, think, Nancy was president, Sidney was still staring the ship of state in Gathersburg and I say all that so you know I'm not a lobbyist. I'm here on a matter of great consideration for me. Would you speak in less I mentioned cats. Can I get more time if I mention cats? Oh yeah, that's true. three minutes to speak unless I mention cats. Can I get more time if I mention cats? Okay. Oh yeah, that's true. So I wish to limit my comments to section 52, 49, I of the subject legislation regarding single family and square footage. This provision addresses a critical problem and inequity, as Nancy said, that exists in a current development impact tax rates, especially in the green zone, which encompasses the agricultural reserve. For seven years, I've tried to help my client orchestrate a small lot, small house subdivision in Poolsville. I've spoken a number of you all about that. This project is to address the town's desire to add missing middle housing primarily for first time home buyers and move down seniors like myself. They're all moving to Frederick County to meet their housing needs. Because of the current development impact taxes do not differentiate between a 2,000 square foot home and a 4,000 square foot home and the cost in these impact fees approached $60,000 for a single family dwelling in the green zone. Builders are reluctant to build small houses for the same impact fee they would otherwise be able to build a larger home and make more money. On the Poolsville project, we have approvals and a record plat for 62 new homes and our lot sizes are 4,000 square feet, not the house sizes, the lot sizes are 4,000 square feet. Those lot sizes are smaller than a lot of the houses that are being built elsewhere in the county. We anticipate a lot of these homes will cost at least half of what the other houses cost in the up county. It only makes sense that a smaller house should be in zenefized, in zenefized, excuse me, by the county by having smaller income taxes to relate to the house size. This would help all zones that are in short supply of missing middle housing. My client's small house project in Poolsville will offer two and three bedroom homes. The homes are all adjacent to or within a short walk of public and commercial areas as well as elementary school and high school. This will be a prototype development for a small walkable community, community needing little or no vehicles to navigate the everyday living. I also have clients with similar properties in Potomac and in Bethesda, and they'd like to do this sort of small house development. If the impact tax fees fit the formula as proposed in this piece of legislation. However, I just want to be pragmatic for a minute and Nancy's already mentioned this. We've asked architects to design these homes with first floor master bedrooms and I have a letter to you guys that tells you a little bit about that math that goes into that and why that doesn't make sense at 1800 square feet. Appreciate it. We will review your written testimony as well. Our next speaker is Elizabeth Rogers. Great. Good afternoon, President Freighton and members. As a council for the record, I'm Elizabeth Rogers with a lot from a flurge early in Brewer. While I certainly applaud formal council member Florine's bold comments and recommendations, my comments also relate to two specific issues that are intended to allow additional much needed housing developments to move forward in the county. The first issue relates to an exemption from development impact taxes for properties located near Metro where no parking is provided on site. Steve Robinson, I represent Community 3. In connection with their property located at 4725 Cheltenham Drive in the heart of Bethesda. They've obtained sketch, preliminary and site plan approval and even pulled their building permits to allow for the redevelopment of an underutilized property into a unique residential apartment building containing live work units and 102 dwelling units with 15% MPDUs and the market rate units of which are targeting workforce housing income levels. We use the term unique in largeUs and the market rate units of which are targeting workforce housing income levels. We use the term unique in large part because the approved project is not providing any parking on site. The county is thought to incentivize reduced parking given the important planning and policy objectives of this achieves, especially reducing auto dependency. To further this important public policy objective and help get projects like this one built, we're requesting an exception that would eliminate impact tax obligations for projects located within half mile of metro station that provide no parking on site. Why provide the exemption? Well, from a transportation perspective, certainly these projects are placing little to no stress on the transportation road network. And instead, these residents will be utilizing mass transit to help support those transit services. As far as school impact taxes are concerned, a building that has no parking on site certainly is providing smaller size units, primarily studios and one bedrooms which generate far fewer students if any. Not only does this promote an important policy objective but from a practical point of view, it would allow for the advancement of much needed additional housing near transit. Community three has been trying without much success to get this project off the ground, given the high construction costs and interest rates, and providing this exemption would serve to help close their gap and get this project built. The second issue relates to the proposed change in the definition of high rise units. The draft bill proposes to eliminate one bedroom garden apartments from that definition. Many developers have relied on this definition, which has been unchanged since 2003 in preparing their development budgets. This would have a significant negative impact on these currently planned projects. Learner enterprises, Black Hill development is a case in point. The Black Hill development is a mixed use multi-fased development. Several phases have been built to date. There are an additional 292 multi-family dwelling units that are approved, also building permit ready, pending favorable economic conditions. This proposed change would have a significant negative effect adding over $1 million to their development impact taxes, certainly taking it in the wrong direction. We urge the council to reject this proposed modification or at the very least grandfather of those projects that are well into the entitlement process and we've submitted written testimony on both these issues. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. That's all for our in-person speakers. We do have a virtual speaker, Rob Goldman, when you are ready. You have three minutes. Good afternoon. My name is Robert Goldman, testifying on behalf of MHP, largest nonprofit provider of affordable housing in Montgomery County. Impact taxes, I'll keep this short, but impact taxes are enormously consequential to organizations producing affordable housing in Montgomery County. And we've had projects like a forest-glen apartment community as well as a Neville street, which we're about to begin that have qualified for the waiver of the impact taxes and it's enormously consequential and beneficial to have gotten those. And so, you know, we want to make sure that we keep this in mind and no attempt to reinstate or add taxes for affordable housing, but I think as former councilmember Nancy Florene testified, there's more, I think the exemptions and waivers could be broader but to make sure that all school impact and transportation impact taxes are waived for a broader group of affordable housing development. And, yeah, so I'll leave it at that and appreciate the time. Thank you for your testimony. We have no other speakers registered for this public hearing, so this public hearing is now closed. Thank you for joining us. We're going to move on to item 6 on our agenda, which is public hearing bill 1724 administration, Department of Technology and Enterprise Business solution, non-marital positions, chief data officer in the Department of Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions by abolishing it, establishing the non-marital position of chief operating officer in the Department of Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions and generally amend the law governing non-marital positions. A government operations and fiscal policy work session scheduled for Halloween. Those wishing to submit material for the council's consideration to do so by the close of business on October 24th. There are no registered speakers for this public hearing. So this public hearing is now closed. We're going to move on to item number seven. Item number seven is a public hearing on the FY 26 WSSC water spending control limits, a transportation environment committee work session, is scheduled for October 7th, 2024. Those wishing to submit materials for the council's consideration should do so by the close of business today to be included in the public record. There are no registered speakers for this hearing, so this public hearing is now closed. Those are all the public hearings we had scheduled for today. So with that, colleagues, this meeting is now adjourned.