Good morning everyone and welcome to this session of the Montgomery County Council. I'm glad to be with all of you this morning We have two proclamations this morning. The first proclamation is recognizing National Public Health Week by Council member Albinas with the County Executive and I'm gonna turn it over to Councilmember Albinas. Everybody's here. I'm here for that proclamation. It's come on down. All right. All right. All right. Well, good morning. Good people. I am Councilmember Gabe Albernaz and chair of our County's Health and Human Services Committee. And it is a privilege and honor to be here this morning with all of you. I want to take you back in time to April 2019. It's about a month after the first few positive test cases of COVID here in Montgomery County. Things were chaotic, crazy. Our procurement director was contacting random contacts in South Korea and China trying to procure surgical masks and and basic supplies that we were trying to get a handle on. We didn't know what we were dealing with, and that was when the governor said that we were in a state of emergency and everything shut down for almost three weeks. Nobody could go anywhere. During that time, a neighbor and friend, Moore McCarthy, was about to celebrate a very big milestone birthday with her family. Moore was also a nurse at the ICU at suburban hospital and that morning she got the call from her boss. That she was needed to come in on an emergency basis because their hospital had been completely as all hospitals at that time overwhelmed. So she left her family and was about to do a 12 and later we would find out 24 hours shift at suburban. But before she left, her husband Bob sent out a text message to a handful of us who lived right by their home asking us to come out, bring some signs and cheer on more as she was going to report for work later that afternoon. Well, somebody in that text message posted that on our list, sir, who posted it on another list, sir, who posted it on another list, sir, and a couple of hours later, every single neighbor surrounding their home stood outside and front of their house with signs. But it wasn't just them. People from neighboring jurisdictions came over as well. I've been to the nationals parade. I've been to presidential parades and they didn't hold a candle to the emotion that we were feeling that morning. Recognizing an incredible leader in our community, an unsung hero in our community who was leaving her family to help take care of all of us. Public Health Month reminds us that these unsung heroes who every day train and work their butts off to get to where they are to take care of all of us. During those months, we didn't take for granted public health. We recognized how acutely important it is to all of our lives, and we also didn't take for granted the medical professionals who every day keep us safe, keep us well, and take care of us in our greatest hour of need. So this month, let's remember and Try to forget some of those moments, but remember the times where we do recognize these professionals and also recognize that for God's sake public health cannot be a political football Science is what must rule the day not not some random person posting inaccurate, random information that's praying upon our fears and anxieties. Our public health professionals are extraordinary and we have to uplift their work, we have to support their work at every conceivable level. In here in Montgomery County, we know that. And we are blessed to have the best of the best among us. Many of which are representative behind me today, but many of which are in our community and in our region. So thank you all for being here today as we celebrate Public Health Awareness Month. And once again uplift their sacrifice and dedication. Now our county executive. I guess it's logical that we all pivot to COVID because it's probably like our greatest experience that the importance of public health. Public health does their job every day and they deal with the myriad of problems in the community every day. But COVID kind of showed you what this was all about, and the amount of dedication that people put into that. I had the opportunities to visit hospitals during COVID, and to see emergency rooms overwhelmed, and doctors struggling to deal with patients, and all of these people going to work every day when everybody else was zooming zooming and you know, you can't zoom this job in. If you're not there, you're not there and you're not helping. And these folks showed up every day. Nobody said, this is too dangerous for me to go to work. I'm not doing this. People were there no matter how dangerous it was and they recognized how important it was. Macarby County was able to find supplies. We did scour every portion of the universe. We got large shipments from China, of masks. I did a video at home on how to make your own mask. I cut up one of my t-shirts and turned it into a mask. And I found that had lots of views. And people doing the same thing. We actually, the county actually sold at what we paid for materials, masks and gowns to hospitals during this. And not only hospitals in our county but outside our county because we had managed to get a supply that other people didn't have. And I think one of the things we learned out of this, we went into it without a supply of masks and gowns who ever thought you would need a supply of masking gowns. We understand you probably ought to have a supply of masks and gowns. It takes a while to scale up and be able to get everything you need and we saw the pain of scaling up. If people didn't respect health professionals before that, they have to respect them after that because you could see the pain and the tribulations that people had when they were going through work. This was not easy to be dealing with this. It was hard particularly in the beginning to maintain the kind of protection that people knew they needed and yet they persisted in what they did. And I think we're stronger for it. And I will reiterate what Gabe said about having somebody at the highest level who does not take public health seriously who thinks she can take vitamin A for everything. This is not the way the health system, this country ought to run. It's not the way it's run historically. It's been fact-based. It's been delivery of service-based. It is not hoped that people will get better if you take some magical formula. We had a presence suggested bleach, that would have been nice. The work these people do is too important and too valuable. And it needs to be taken seriously. And people occupy positions overseeing this need to take the work seriously and cannot pretend that they're a magical solution. This shouldn't be an ideological thing. There's no left and right on healthcare. Disease to disease, cures are curts and politics should not have a damn thing to do with how we deal with healthcare. So I'm happy we're here today to honor all the professionals that do this work. You made people's lives in this county a lot easier than it would have been. And none of us here, and I remind people this all the time. The county gets a lot of credit for stuff we do and all that stuff we do is done by other people. It's done by nurses, it's done by doctors, it's done by our social workers, it's done by all the people who work for the county. We provide money. They do the work and without them the county wouldn't look the way it is and we wouldn't feel about the county the way we do. So happy to be here this morning. So on a much later note, although it's an important time, I'll note that the T-shirt that the county executive cut up was not one of his spring-sting T-shirts. Alright, we're going to have everybody introduce themselves quickly and they're titles and then we're going to hear from Dr. Ashford. Good morning, Dr. Nina Ashford, Chief of Public Health Services, the Department of Health and Human Services. Good morning, becouse, senior administrator for school health services in HHS. Good morning. Dr. Patrice McGee, the chief of Aging and Disability Services within the Department of Health and Human Services. Hi, everyone. Miriam, I am the community engagement manager for the Latino Health Initiative. Good morning, everyone. Dr. James Bridgers, the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services, and I will save my stories for later. Good morning, Mariana Sarani, Manajula Del Latino, Jalitini Shateval, the Department of Health and Human Services. Good morning, Kim Mayo Administrator for Community Sport Network and Aging and Disability Services and the Department of Health and Human Services. Thank you. Now we will hear from Dr. Nina Aschert. All right. Thank you, HHS Chair Elwin. I know as thank you, Mr. County Executive, for recognizing Public Health Month. While I am one person standing here, I represent the Public Health Services Service Area, which is over 600 dedicated employees. But we are part of an integrated health department led by our fearless leader, Dr. Bridgers, of over 2,000 employees. And I'm joined here by my colleagues across the agency, because the fact that we are integrated is one of our superpowers. And it is an honor and a privilege to get to do this work every day. As you heard, when public health works well, you often don't even know that we're here, right? And so we tend to be the unsung heroes behind the scenes, keeping the trains running, keeping the community safe. And I wanted to take a moment and just to the horn of the incredible work that our team does. So we start at the beginning of the lifespan. Our maternal and child health teams, they are screening the newly enrolled Medicaid patients, moms and their babies to connect them to our services. We see over 1,600 moms and babies every year providing in-home visitation and case management, as well as programs focus specifically on our black and African American moms as well. Our school health services team led by Becca Urgasa behind me. We have nurses and health room texts and all 211 elementary, middle and high schools across the county, 163,000 students. And because we have health rooms in schools, 78% of kids that came to visit a health room were able to return back to class. Which means that kids are staying in school, getting education, they don't have to leave, they don't have to get picked up, they don't have to go to a doctor, they can continue to focus on their education, which is why they're there. If you have enjoyed a restaurant or a spotty with your girlfriends or a local swimming pool or your kid goes to camp, those are all safe because our environmental health specialists are literally out here every day ensuring that those organizations and entities are in compliance with Colmar in the state regulations partnering with our business community to make sure that these facilities are safe for our residents. Our community and population health team, our mobile health clinic team has seen over 1,000 patients, clients across the county who might not be able to make it to a health care facility. They are taking services out into the community where we live. They provide primary care access to over 25,000 uninsured individuals to over 12,000 uninsured children in this county. Dental services to 6,000 individuals every single year that might not be able to afford dental care. And last but not least, our Dennis Avenue Health Center team that is doing all of our immunizations are infectious disease tracking. I think you guys have probably heard measles has been in the news, right? Any infectious disease that pops up, our contact tracers and our team is on it. Bird flu, our tuberculosis clinic, our sexual health and wellness teams, our public health emergency preparedness teams who are literally preparing God forbid it doesn't happen, but the next disaster. So, if it does, we will be ready. We were just at a tabletop exercise last week where we were preparing for a potential radiological event because the time to get ready is not when the event happens. We make sure that we do all of the planning and place beforehand. And then of course our health planning and FB team which provides the data to fuel our work. So that is just a snapshot of what the T and I could probably talk here for the next three hours about everything that we do. I'm so proud of our team of what we do every day to keep our residents safe. Last Tuesday, for those of us in public health, we kind of viewed as public health D-Day. That is when we saw the dismantling of our public health systems at the federal level. It was a heartbreaking day and seeing the fallout of those decisions at the federal level has been unimaginable. One of the priority areas for public health week is, it starts here, your health is our mission. And that is more important now, more than ever. Regardless of, and we need our federal partners. So I'm not saying that that's not important. And I also want to acknowledge we have a lot of Montgomery County residents who are public health heroes, who are public health champions that now find themselves. Okay. And while we are watching this happen, it starts here. Your health is our mission as a reminder that Montgomery County will continue to show up. We will continue to protect the health of our public. We will continue to follow the science. We will continue to focus on eliminating disparities. We will continue to focus on achieving health equity. We will continue to focus on supporting our residents and keeping our community safe. Our children safe. It is an honor to get to do this work every day. It is an honor of a lifetime to be able to represent this amazing team and this fantastic department. And I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you all today. Thank you. Thank you. Applause. Thank you, Dr. Aschard. All right, the county executive and I will now read the proclamation the County Council of Montgomery County, Maryland Hereby proclaims whereas this year marks the 30th anniversary of National Public Health Week and the 2025 theme it starts here highlights the importance of public health that starts with each of us focused on making a difference in our homes and communities and And where as science is the foundation of public health providing evidence-based methods to understand diseases, develop effective interventions, and shape health and policies. Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines public health as the science of protecting and improving the health of people and communities by promoting healthy lifestyles, researching disease and injury prevention, and detecting preventing and responding to infectious diseases. And? We're as according to the CDC, health care, access, education, economic stability, and community are essential social determinants of health and encompassing physical well-being and psychological wellness with mental health being fundamental to overall well-being and whereas while Montgomery County is recognized as one of the healthiest counties in Maryland and the United States we continue to prioritize health equity and work to eliminate health disparities and whereas while Montgomery County is recognized as one of the healthiest counties in Maryland and in the United States we continue to prioritize health equity and work to eliminate health disparities and whereas the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated our public health infrastructure is critically important prioritizing continued investments as well as essential services and resilient systems and whereas current massive cuts to our federal workforce are relentless and are relentless assault on evidence-based health interventions and methods and a threat to the progress we have made in tracking outbreaks developing vaccines and implementing effective public health measures. Now therefore be resolved at the county executive, county executive Mark Elrich and the entire County Council of Montgomery County, do hereby proclaim April 7th through April 13th, 2025 as National Public Health Week and calls on all residents to observe this week by recognizing our public health professionals for their dedicated service in addressing public health challenges facing our community. Presented on this eighth day of April in the year 2025, signed by the County Executive and our Council President. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to here for the National Public Health Week Proclamation. And thank you, Dr. Ashford, for all your work and the departments. Everyone's work on public health and keeping our community healthy and moving forward. Next we have a proclamation recognizing autism acceptance month and that will proclamation is led by council vice president Jouwando with the county executive. Come on up. Hey, how are you? Come on down. How are you? I'm okay. Just confirm it. Good morning, everybody. Come on down. I'm going to slide as far up as I can here to make sure that there's space behind me. behind me. Let's on both sides here. You come on the side. Yep. All right. Good morning. Yeah, a lot of people. Hello. Good morning. Hey. thank you all for being here today. As you can see, we've even got theme music for you coming on the back there. It means a lot to see so many people coming together for Autism Acceptance Month. This is a time where we pause not just to raise awareness, but to truly embrace, uplift, and celebrate our autistic neighbors, friends, and family members. This month, like so many behind me, and I'm sure in the audience and watching is deeply personal for me. I'm the proud dad of a brilliant and beautiful daughter, Addison, who's on the autism spectrum. Addison experiences the world in a way that's full of wonder, depth, and deep, deep, and vital it is that we protect and strengthen systems that help all people with autism thrive. We had a big win that you're going to hear about in a little bit. We have the Grand Thames here, Eric and Linda. Eric's ID law is going to become law and we will have that on all IDs in the state of Maryland. You'll hear about that. One of the many ways we're lifting up this year's theme, which is celebrating differences. And I couldn't think of a more fitting message, especially right now. At a time when critical services and protections for folks in the disability community face unprecedented challenges nationwide, we're coming together here in Montgomery County to send a powerful message that we don't just acknowledge differences. We celebrate them. Across the country support systems for folks, adults, and children with disabilities and autism are under threat. These are representative and shifts from special education funding to oversight, to cuts to medical research and services. Now, and I'll be honest, these changes can have a profound impact on our ability to take care of those that we love, but today, we're here to say with the resounding voice that we are reaffirming our commitment to building a community where everyone belongs. I've learned that when we recognize neurodiversity early and when we create supportive environments for those individuals in our schools and our workplaces and healthcare systems and communities, it benefits everyone in our community. It's not just about an accommodation. It's about recognizing the incredible strengths and perspectives that neurodivergent individuals bring to our community. So I'm inspired to be here today and thank you all for joining. I'm going to have the county executive speak and then we'll do some high level introductions because this is a big group here. And then we will get into the proclamation, Mr. County executive. So thank you. Again, really happy to be here this morning. And autism spectres disorder is a complex life-long developmental condition. It appears early in childhood and can impact the person's social skills, communication relationships, and behavior. And the autism experience is different from everyone. Not everybody's case is the same, the circumstances are the same. But what's consistent is the need for acceptance, and that's what I appreciate about the changing of the word from awareness to accept this. I think we've been increasingly aware for a long time. Awareness is way different than acceptance. When somebody to apply for a job and have the chance to be evaluated and see is there a role for them in an organization. That is when you've moved to acceptance. That goes beyond awareness, and I think it's really critical that change in wording. Every autistic individual brings unique strengths and perspectives and talents, and this month we are moving beyond the awareness. In Montgomery County, we believe that acceptance is creating a world where everyone who has autism is connected to the support they need and when they need it. And based on commission on people with disabilities, annual report, number of students and MCPS between three and 21. Diagnosed with autism has increased from 3649 in 2022 to 4205 in 2023. That's a 15% increase from year to year. As the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder continues to increase, the demands for support and services increases as well. And thankfully, Montgomery County Public Schools provides a myriad of services for these children diagnosed with autism until they're 21 and or leave the school system. The supports are federally mandated and hopefully they'll stay federally mandated. And we also have providers who provide direct support to children and adults with autism. I've been involved in the disability, IDD community for a long time. I have a, I've had a foster son with Down syndrome for 50 years now. And so I know what it means to go from awareness to acceptance from when people were terrified if you're walking around with a kid who moved a little bit differently or said things a little bit differently and everybody would scatter because they didn't know what they're dealing with to a time now when it's kind of normal. And there's an awareness of it. You don't see the kind of public fear of consternation when confronted with people with differences. That's a big change. It's a change that my kids noticed when that started to change when they were younger, they knew what it was like when everybody would move away from them. They were sitting in the stands at a baseball game. They didn't understand why that happened. When people came back, they understood that that was a good thing. So I can see this at a personal level and I know how important it is to people in the community that we do this work. We've got amazing resources in the counties testified by all the people who are here behind us. We have the tools we can make a dent in this, we can really make a difference for people. And that's what we're going to keep doing. And we don't need the federal government to do it. That's the one thing about local government that's really great. You can do what you need to do, even if nobody else recognizes what you need to do. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Canexec. All right. We're going to have just remarks from a couple of our guests. We have EESNC, Board President Azab Adiri. Hey, how are you? So, I'm going to give you a round of applause. I'm going to give you a round of applause. I'm going to give you a round of applause. I'm going to give you a round of applause. I'm going to give you a round of applause. I'm going to give you a round of applause. I'm going to give you a round of applause. I'm going to give you a round of applause. I'm going to give you a round of applause. Thank you. Good morning, county executive, council members, distinguished guests and all families of ASNC here. Thank you for joining us. On behalf of the Ethiopian air transmission needs community. My heart is full as a stand before you today This recognition isn't just a ceremonial moment. It represents years of tears Struggles and ultimately triumph for our families When we started a sensey we did so because we saw parents crying alone Children being being misunderstood, and cultural barriers preventing access to critical services. I remember one mother who told me with tears streaming down her face. Before he ascends, I thought I was alone in this world. The memory still moves me today. Every day we witness a pain of exclusion and the joy of belonging. We see the light in a child's eyes when they are truly understood for the first time. We feel the relief in the parents' shoulders when they finally find a community that speaks their language, both literally and figuratively. Our work is personal. It's about real families with real dreams. It's about the father who feared his autistic son would never find acceptance in our community. Now beaming with pride as his child showcases his artistic talents. It's about the mother who unsheathed her daughter's diagnosis out of cultural shame. Now leading support groups for other parents. This proclamation recognizes not just an organization, but a movement of families refusing to accept the status quo. It honors every parent who has stayed up all night researching resources, every child who has brave to make a living, to make a living, to make a living, to make a living, to make a living, to make a living, to make a living, to make a living, to make a living, to make a living, to make a living, to make a living, to make a living, to make a living, to make a living, to make a living, to make a living, We embrace it with our whole hearts and renewed passion for creating a Montgomery County where everyone truly belongs. Thank you. One of our many amazing organizations that is helping our young students, parents, and community members that are dealing with autism spectrum disorder. Next we're going to hear from X-Mines, board president Sue Kaisler. I can't be about acceptance and not move the mic. Thank you. Okay, so first I want to thank Council Vice President Duwondo. There you go. I want to thank Council Vice President Duwondo for hosting this event and for inviting our organizations to talk briefly about our work. I want to thank you for being a leader in the autism community and also specifically for in the past year your efforts to address the issue of children who are autistic wandering into dangerous situations. I also want to thank our county executive Mark L. Rich for his strong support of the County Commission on People with Disabilities. So I'm Sue Keisler and I'm representing the organization called X-Mines, which is short for partnership for extraordinary minds. Our core mission is to address a problem that is familiar to anyone who has a child with a disability. Under federal law, a child with a disability is entitled to accommodations and specialized education in their public school. But parents frequently find that the support their school is willing to offer doesn't come close to meeting their child's needs. If kids don't get the support they need at school, they won't be successful or happy. And that's a problem in itself. But it also sets up for a longer term concern, because children who are miserable and failing at school won't be as ready for employment and independence when they graduate. X-Mines was established by parents of autistic kids in Montgomery County to help empower other caregivers of autistic students to advocate successfully for the special education supports their kids need. We empower parents and caregivers in several ways. We offer individual consults to answer their questions about navigating special education. We host a speaker series with monthly webinars that include autistic voices and cover important topics like how to handle bullying. And we maintain a website full of resources about MCPS, programs, and many other topics, including one of our most popular, a guide to autism-friendly summer camps. But we know that parents and caregivers need more than just information. They need a supportive community and connections to other caregivers who can share their experience. That's why we sponsor parent discussion groups and playground meetups and social events for autistic teens. And through these efforts, families are finding social connections and nurturing support, not only for the parents, but also for their kids. And everything that X-Mines offers is completely free. Any family of an autistic student is welcome to make use of our resources and participate in our community without cost. Our goal is for autistic students to have the same opportunity to thrive at school as any neurotypical kid. And we have found that the hundreds of families that participate with X-Mines every year are much better able to support their child at home and so much more able to get their child's needs met at school. Those parents and caregivers can be their child's best advocate and their kids are getting a real chance to thrive. Thank you again, Council Vice President, Juando and County Executive Eldridge for everything you're doing for autistic kids and their families. Thank you. Applause. All right, our final speaker and then we will read the proclamation is Blue Run for autism, Linda, Carpenter, Grantham and Eric Grantham to talk briefly about the great victory that just happened last week. Good morning. I am Linda Carpenter Grantham and this is my amazing son, Eric, bless Carpenter Granrantham. Thank you so much, Vice President Will DeWondo, and thank you so much, County Executive, Mark Elrid, for your amazing letter that you sent in support of Eric's ID law. Thank you to every person in Montgomery County, Washington, DC, Virginia, and everywhere else who gave support to Eric's ID law. I'm a single mother of an amazing 20 yearyear-old son standing here who is highly functioning autistic. I had a conversation with my son. Once I realized that more and more people of color are being hurt, harmed, and killed when being stopped by the police and having an invisible disability. So I set Eric down at my table and I had a conversation with him. And I said, you be stopped by the police put your hands up Don't reach for your phone to call me that could be dangerous. Yalada have autism Yalada my number and Yalada someone called my mom Eric started to cry He said mom I could do that But the police would shoot my friends that have autism Please just think about that for a moment because everybody is different on the spectrum. Everybody responds differently in certain situations and especially out of fear. Eric said, Mom, we gotta do something and we gotta do something now. I said, what do you wanna do? Eric has always been a person who loves politics and God. Those are his passions. He came to me later, he said, Mom, I have an idea. I would like to put something on Maryland State IDs or driver's licenses that will let the police know that we have an invisible disability. Down here in this corner, you see a butterfly, very colorful. Erg drew that and he drew three others, one for autism, one for hearing impaired, one for mental health, and this butterfly for all hidden disabilities. At that point, I said, Eric, I am so proud of you. He said, Mom, can you take me to Congress? I need to speak to Miss Nancy Pelosi, who was the house speaker at that time. Ha ha ha. About bills that are laws that could help me my friends and everyone else in the world that have an invisible disability like me to be safe should we be stopped by law enforcement. I said, Eric, I'm going to do my best to get you there. So we met without Melan State Senator Willce Smith and he decided to write the bill. He loved the idea. Well, it didn't pass the first time last year. It didn't go through because of some opposition. Okay, we prayed about that. We rounded up going onto the view, where Ms. Wuppie Goldberg, we winded up going onto the Sherry Shepherd Show where we received over a million views and comments about please make this legal in our state as well. We need this. We're concerned for our loved ones to have disabilities or autistic or mental health or bipolar dementia, all these invisible disabilities. So that's what Eric and I have been doing. We are so happy to report that this bill has passed in the state of Maryland. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You unanimously. Not only did it pass, we had an extra 48 delegates to support this bill in an extra 13 13 senators to support this bill. We say thank you to everyone and our next mission is to get to Congress to make this world wide. We need your support. Please support us. Please meet my son, Erin. Good morning, everyone. Thank you, Vice President, William, for inviting me and my mom to speak on all ten of her words. I'm Eric Blascarven, the Grand Thumb. I am a proud 20 year old, and I have highly functioning autistic. I create the law errors I devol, I create this law because I want to protect people like me with a visible disability, should we ever be stopped by law enforcement. I have made the hidden disability logo that is a butterfly that resident pull peace free and change and inside of the butterfly of the wings are the color that resident for all Hendus Abilities. Senate bill SB 618 passed on able to first and house bill 707 says passed yesterday while all delegates and senators voting yes for the bill. We were honored to have 48 extra coalsponsors for the House and 13 senators who coalsponsors for the bill for the Senate, wishing who the Maryland Senate president, Bill Ferguson. I want to thank Montgomery County Council and County Executive Mark Elrich for your support for Arizona D Law. Happy all to the awareness of everyone. Thank you all and God bless you all. All right. We are going to read this proclamation. I just want to acknowledge are we have great law enforcement partners here who are one of the best in the country at recognizing when folks have an intellectual disability like autism. Now they're going to see it right on the ID and and that that training is gonna kick in even earlier. We have MCPS here, we have the Maryland Department of Disability, we have the Autism Society of Maryland, Community Support Services, we have Madison House who has their great online breakfast, right? Jaylin coming up this week, we have Christopher Draighten from CSAC, the Ivy Mont School, Up County Community Resources, Jen Lynn I saw here, Community Support Services, Blue Runway for Autism, we mentioned X-Mines and EES and C, we have so many great organizations, I just wanted to make sure they all got mentioned, please give them all a round of applause. All right, and we'll start this off. Whereas Autism Spectrum Disorder, AST is a complex lifelong developmental condition that typically appears during early childhood and can impact a person's social, communication, and self-regulation skills as well as their relationships. Today, one in 36 children are born and diagnosed with AST in more than 7 million residents in the United States are on the autism spectrum and Whereas the theme of autism acceptance month in 2025 is celebrate differences Which invites us to rejoice in neurodivergence and all the ways autism expands our understanding of the human experience Autistic individuals of all ages face unique challenges and possess unique talents and perspectives that contribute enormously to our society and. Whereas Montgomery County has a long history of investing and partnering with agencies and dedicated organizations that provide high quality direct support and services to autistic individuals and their families to create a strong network of resources and by promoting direct communication among families and private and public organizations about programs and services and by establishing the intellectual and developmental disabilities commission the IDC to provide best practice recommendations to the county for all individuals and families. And whereas autism acceptance month emphasizes the need for public awareness to promote acceptance and prioritize the full inclusion of autistic individuals and their families. Acceptance and inclusion can range from life saving efforts, including preventing tragedies like drowning in the loopment,enhancing ones like connecting residents to valuable resources and providing new pathways for understanding. Now, if there before we resolve the draconian executive, Mark Owich and the county council, Montgomery County, hereby celebrate the month of April 2025 as autism acceptance month and presented the state of April in the year 2025. All right. Yay! You get that one. Thank you. Thank you. You get that one. Thank you. You get that one. Thank you. You get that one. Thank you. You get that one. Thank you. You get that one. Thank you. You get that one. Thank you. You get that one. Thank you. I'm going to start with the first one. I'm going to start with the first one. I'm going to start with the first one. I'm going to start with the first one. I'm going to start with the first one. I'm going to start with the first one. I'm going to start with the first one. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. All right. Thank you, everyone, for joining us this morning. Thank you to Council Vice President Juwondo and the County Executive for the wonderful proclamation. And to all our nonprofits, advocacy groups, families, and our government and school agencies who work on these issues day in and day out. We got to get going on our council session. So I thank you all for joining us today. Madam Clerk, will you share the announcements for today? Good morning. Thank you the Montgomery County Council has extended the deadline for applicants to serve on the board of Investment trustees for the Montgomery County employee retirement plans and the board of trustees for the consolidated Retirey health benefits trust Applications for the vacancy or due by 5 o'clock PM on Monday, April 21st, 2025. Cover letters and resumes can be submitted by email to council.clurk at Montgomery County MD.gov. More information is available on the council's website. Thank you very much, Madam President. All right, thank you, Madam Clerk. The minutes from the March 18th, 2025 council session have been circulated to the council for review. Are there any objections to approving these minutes? Seeing none, these minutes stand. All right, the council will now sit as the district council. We have four items to consider this morning as the district council. The first item is 1A, is action on the Bethesda Downtown Minor Master Plan in Memo. I'll turn it over to Council Member Andrew Freetzin as Chair of the Planning Housing and Parks Committee. Thank you, Madam President. I'm very proud to be the Chair of the Committee, but more importantly in this particular, to be the district council member representing downtown Bethesda and a resident. Bethesda's home to world-renowned medical research in international headquarters like Marriott International. It's a global talent magnet and the economic engine of the county. This minor master plan builds on that success of downtown Bethesda. It prioritizes important public amenities like parks, a new full service recreation center, and more housing so that more residents and families can benefit from all of what downtown Bethesda has to offer. As we talked about last week, downtown Bethesda has added almost 2,500 new residents. In over 4,200 jobs since the adoption of the original 2017 plan, according to the Council staff report, the new development is expected to generate approximately 39 million in annual tax revenue for the county. And that includes the cost of providing services to new residents, including public education is estimated at $22 million. So it results in an annual net fiscal impact of 17 million, which benefit the whole county and not just downtown Bethesda. As we talked about last week, this update contains many things that improve the quality of life for residents and implement the vision of the 2017 plan, including creating more family-sized MPDU units, increasing the park impact payments and prioritizing a full service recreation center, which I have and many of us have been championing for many years. We also voted in committee to include a five year comprehensive review, which was advocated very strongly by businesses and residents, especially the IAC and many other community stakeholders. I'm very pleased that these changes will help us fulfill the public sector promises that were made to the community in the 2017 plan and very excited to have this unanimous committee recommendation. Appreciate the work of committee colleagues on this as well as council and planning staff in particular who work through a number of issues, including the last minute change we made last week to ensure that we were facilitating a process to allow our Department of Transportation at the state level, our county department of transportation to work with our partners at Womada to facilitate better bus service, which is part of the plan as well. With that, happy to turn it over to staff to if I miss anything and thank Miss Dunn for all of her work. Good morning, Council. Thank you. The chair of the PHP community, Chair Freedson, has covered everything I believe you did hear a work session last week in which you took straw votes to approve all the changes that are represented in the resolution attached to today's cover sheet for the vote. It was posted last week online right after the committee or the Council took its straw votes. So the community is how to look at it. There weren't that many changes. Actually, it's quite a short resolution given this as a minor master plan amendment. So with that, I turn it back to the council. Great. Thank you, everyone. Thank you to council member Feetson and Miss Dunn and everyone who worked on this. Since we have a resolution before us, I will entertain a motion to approve that Bethesda Downtown Minor Master Plan amendment. So moved. Councilmember Freason, moved. Councilmember Luki II, it's not seeing any questions or comments. All those in favor, please raise your hand. And that is everyone. All right, thank you, Ms. Dunn. All right, next on our, as we're still sitting as the district council, I wanted to take a moment and because sometimes we go through each of our items individually in isolation and step back for a moment. And because this council has been taking action on a number of items tackling the persistent issue of vacant commercial properties. Office vacancy rates in Montgomery County remain an ongoing issue since the COVID pandemic. And this issue we know is not unique to us. It's something that our region is struggling with and around the country. In 2023, the council's Economic Development Committee began work on this issue and received a report noting that there was a permanently diminished demand for existing office stock in the county. And I just wanna thank Council Member Natalie Fendingan-Zalis and the committee for all their work. In the first quarter of this year, the office vacancy rate was 19% here in the county, which is higher than the average healthy vacancy rate of about 8% to 10%. So we're at nearly double the amount of vacant office space then in a healthy office market, which means we have a lot of vacant under utilized office buildings. Furthermore, we know that today's market conditions, given rents, wages and the job market, have made it very difficult for the commercial market to develop and for new construction. And as we know with the national context, with ongoing conversations of a future recession, tariffs and other things, there are a lot of unknowns and uncertainties as we look at the future. We also know there's no one-size-fits-all solution. However, it is this council's responsibility to take policy actions that will increase our occupancy rates and not diminish them. So I also want to thank Councilmember Klas, who put forward the Move Act, the Make Office Vacancy Extinct Grant Program that codified a grant program in the county, and we're already seeing that come to fruition and folks take advantage, county businesses take advantage of that so that we can tackle vacant buildings in that way. So today we're going to discuss a number of other tools and the first one is our zoning text amendment ZTA 25-, self-storage civic and institutional, or more affectionately known as, the SAVE ZTA, Street Activation and Vacancy Elimination. And I'm going to turn it over to Chair of the PHP Committee to talk about the committee's recommendation. Well, thank you, Madam President. Thank you for your leadership on this item. And I think it might be the first time that I've heard the reference to a zoning tax amendment with affection. So, as the chair of the Committee of Jurisdiction of Zoning, the Planning Housing and Parks Committee, very pleased the level of affection that you and this council has for the zoning code, which really appreciate that. With that, Zoning Text Amendment 2501, the self-storage civic and institutional street activation and vacancy elimination affectionately known as the SAVE ZTA, allows self-storage above the ground floor in the CR zone with a charitable or philanthropic institution or a cultural institution on the ground floor. In the current zoning ordinance, self storage is only allowed in the CR zone if it is in the basement or seller of a building used for other purposes. So the intent of ZTA 2501 as introduced is to encourage street activation, which is very important in our downtown areas by allowing self storage and buildings that have 90% vacant for at least two years. If that community serving use is on the ground floor. In addition to the vacancy requirements, site plan approval will be required. Further structural improvements will be limited so that future conversion to a residential or commercial use is not discouraged. The Planning Housing and Parks Committee recommends approval with amendments to require the applicant to obtain a use and occupancy permit within two years of obtaining site plan and to clarify that the Boulevard Street Restriction for on-site loading and unloading is any Boulevard Street classification that's become a broader question and dynamic that we've been consistent on at the committee, but that is what came up and was a recommendation from staff and coordination and consultation with planning staff as well. So committee recommends three to nothing approval of this measure. It was personally proud to be a co-sponsor of it and thank you again to the Council President and District Council member of one of the items that were this could benefit for moving this effort for Mr. Dude, did I miss anything? No, I have nothing to add. I will yield back to you Madam President. Great and I just want to add my thanks to the committee and all my colleagues who co-sponsored this, and particularly to Ms. Nadu for all her hard work, zoning texture amendments. When you get into the weeds of them, they're in the weeds, and I very much appreciate you working on this and looking at keeping the goals of having the street activation and making sure that we were repurposing these ghost buildings in sight. So thank you. We have a recommendation from the Planning Housing and Parks Committee. This is a roll call vote and so Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Council Member Lutki. Yes. Council Member Lutki votes yes. Council Member Ming. Yes. Councilmember Ming votes yes. Councilmember Sales. Yes. Councilmember Sales votes yes. Councilmember Freason. Yes. Councilmember Freason votes yes. Councilmember Glass. Yes. Councilmember Glass votes yes. Councilmember Katz. Yes. Councilmember Katz votes yes. Councilmember Albernos. Yes. Councilmember Albernos votes yes. Councilmember founding Gonzales. Yes. Councilmember founding Gonzales votes. Yes. Councilmember Bbernos? Yes. Councilmember Albernos votes yes. Councilmember Fountain González? Yes. Councilmember Fountain González votes yes. Councilmember Balcom? Yes. Councilmember Balcom votes yes. Councilmember Duwando? Yes. Councilmember Duwando votes yes. Councilmember Stewart? Yes. Councilmember Stewart votes yes. Great. Thank you. Next item is item one C. This is action on zoning text amendment 25-03, expedited approvals, commercial to residential reconstruction, the planning housing and parks committee, recommends approval with amendments, and I will turn it over to Chair Freeden. Thank you, Madam President. You noted well the office vacancy dynamics that we have been working through, the previous effort and this effort are an important part of that strategy. Our county's lack of housing supply and excess office vacancies are a scourge in our communities and a drain on our local economy. Transforming vacant offices into housing is a win for residents and for businesses and a strategic investment that will ultimately yield more housing, more revenue and more opportunities to live and work in our community. Before I go through the community report, just wanted to thank Councilmember Fonding-Gonzalez for her partnership as the co lead of this and the accompanying effort will be taking up later in the meeting to provide incentives to actually make this happen. We need to have a process that works, that's easy and consistent and clear, and then we also need to incentivize behavior and actions that we hope to see, and that we think that ultimately will be a benefit. Zoni Text Amendment 2503 will create a commercial to residential reconstruction use Provided an expedited approval process for that use and allow an increase in residential uses in certain employment zones the expedited process is a very similar process to the one that was laid out in the bio-health DTA that I sponsored in the previous council and the next income community zoning text amendment, the council member, Lorianne sales, and I both introduced and led in the early part of this council. It will create a commercial to residential reconstruction use, which will be defined as a building that is converted or demolished from a 50% vacant commercial building to a residential building. This new use will be allowed in the commercial residential neighborhood retail and employment office zones. ZTA-2503 will also remove the residential restriction on FAR density in the NR and EOF zones. The Planning Housing and Parks Committee recommended approval of ZTA-2503 with amendments to include general retail. The GR zone removed the 30% gross floor area cap on household living uses in the GR NR and EOF zones. Place a cap on commercial development. Amend the intent statements for the GR NR and EOF zones. Eliminate retail use from the GR and NR zones. That was a two to one vote, but was approved by the committee and there is an additional amendment to allow ancillary. Retail with office that Council staff has shared, Miss Nadu, appreciate you working on that that the committee had already approved. The intent of that and Council staff has shared the language that is part of the committee recommendation and there were some technical amendments as well. There are also subsequent to the meeting a number of potential amendments regarding retail that are included in the packet. I know there's two by Coley sponsor, Fondin Gonzales, which are reflected there. I believe there may be one other one from Councilmember Juwondo as well. And so I'm sure we will get into those items after Miss Nidu shares anything that I have missed from the committee summary. Nothing missed. I'll just try to attend to the two amendments that council staff drafted based on the committee recommendation. First is revising the intent statements that language is on page seven and then the language about allowing ancillary non-residential uses is on page eight and that was it for the committee report out. And just to clarify again those are included in the committee recommendation there are a couple other amendments or maybe a few that maybe discussed today that are not part of the committee recommendation would have to be voted on. I'll go back to you, Madam President. Thank you. Thank you very much. Before I turn it back to Mr. Nidu to walk through anything else on the packet. I have Council Member Fanny Gonzalez, the co-lead on this CTA. Can I talk about the amendments now? Should I wait? Yeah, is that okay? You're the next in line. Do you have a general question? Or can we go to the amendments? Okay. Yeah, perfect. Thank you so much. I appreciate the chair of the the BHP committee for his remarks. And I am very proud and happy that we are moving forward with this with the ZTA and the bill after this. I have two amendments and they are actually the opposite of each other. So I mean you have to say it that way. The first one is on page nine of the staff report. staff report. It is allow retail in the regional shopping center overlay zone. To be completely transparent, there's only two properties where there is an overlay zone and they are by the same company. It's the Westfield. One of them, one of their properties is in my district in in Wheaton, the Wheaton Westfield Mall. And the second one is on the on the colleague of this whole effort in District one with a council member Friedsen. And it's basically allowing retail to occur for to be to apply here in places where you have regional service, this, are you center, overlaid zone. So that's the first one that I'm moving forward. And I need a second. Okay, so first and a second on this amendment, Mr. Judy, do you have anything else to say on the amendment to Clara Hayer? Nothing to say, the language is at the, in the little box at the top page 10. Okay. Great. Um, did you want to speak to this from it? Okay. Councilmember Joanda. Thank you because it's all kind of connected. Um, I won't bury the lead. I'm going to support the amendment because it's I think gets to the core intent what we tried to do in committee and we didn't really understand all the tools and and puts and takes and we'll get into that to the next but when you talked about this bill and the vacancy rate We're talking and I think the vast majority of the public and the intent here is for office building vacancies not small retail We talked actually the planning board presented in there semi-annual or and-annual or whatever, however, yeah, semi-annual, that they're gonna be doing a retail study. And- I'm doing a retail study. Well, you're gonna be doing it together. You're gonna be using their strong expertise to explore retail in the econ committee. And that's something that is really important. The discussion we had in committee was that while we all want to convert vacant office space to either to get it not vacant or to a really good use, retail is a different animal, and we have a lot of small mom and pop, small businesses, other things. We saw a letter from Council staff that suggested that some early data that there might actually be not enough retail space in the county. So we don't want to incentivize through this expedited process and certainly not through tax breaks, which we'll talk about later, the getting rid of retail that communities desperately need. So that obviously the two malls, Westfield centers, are very different. And if they want to have some development, we want them to be able to take advantage of the expedited process, and that is not small retail. So for that reason, I'll support it, and just wanted to give that context. Thank you. All right. Not seeing any other council members who want to speak. We have an amendment on the floor. All those in favor of the amendment, please raise your hand. And that's unanimous. So, Council member, yeah, you want to continue? Yes. The second and final amendment and it's something that council member will, you know, want to just mention. The intention of this whole process, the whole year that we spent in the economic development committee. Man. I got to love him. It's to focus on office and have vacant properties, right? The intention was never to target retail spaces, especially small retail spaces. So this is one putting forward the second amendment, which is on the staff report page 10. It says remove retail from the commercial residential zones. I want to take the opportunity to thank council staff for doing more analysis on this after the PHP committee work session. And there are very few properties for this will qualify, but they matter. And again, the economic development committee is starting this fall. We're going to have an entire few months. So they're ready. Just talking about retail and we're going to be focusing on that then. So that's why I move forward to remove retail from the C our zones at this point. And I want to and I'm going to stick with my vote at BHP to have everything remain in the employment office. Zone staff should remain. It's just this one in particular, the CIR zone should be removed. I need a second. Thank you. The second? Councilmember Faniganzal is moved. Councilmember Freason seconded, Councilmember Jawando in the queue. Councilmember Fanning Gonzales, we had a good discussion about this. I think we were aligned on the intent of not having the small retail. amendment which I have is the other one in the packet here, which is related to this, is different in just one way. And that, and I asked Ms. Nidoo to clean up anything I say incorrectly, but that it would not allow, it would remove all retail that's not ancillary from any zone, including EOF. And if you could maybe speak to what that includes, because I got what is in EOF. So what's in CR, how many properties and what's in EOF? So people can just understand what we're talking about here. I think that'll be helpful. So I don't have the number of properties in CR, I know it is a lot. But for the EOF, there are two retail properties. There is a bank and a post office. And those would be the retail properties that qualify in the EOF zone. So that is correct. That's the difference between the two amendments that are in the packet is one would still allow those retail buildings to qualify. Councillor Maffani calls us, and then the one that we will hear next would not allow those retail buildings in the EOF zone. So we're literally talking about two properties. I do think those fall in the category of like uses that community members one in their community, and so you know, the post office obviously would be tied up in a whole bunch of federal stuff. A bank is a different scenario. So it's not a huge distinction, but I prefer my amendment obviously because it's my amendment. But also because it just says that we allow the ancillary. Could you just explain the ancillary? Because I think that's important to neither one of these amendments would remove if you have a big office building and there's retail at the bottom. Could you add the comments? Yes, something that came up at the PHP committee is that often in these office parks there might be ancillary retail to the office. Imagine like a laundromat or a coffee shop, things like that that are part of the office park and you still want those offices to redevelop because that was the main intent. So what the language that this both amendments would preserve as well, that the PHCPEC mini-HITS Council staff to draft, would still allow ancillary non-residential uses that are part of the office use so those could still redevelop. So if you had a little bit of retail on the first floor, but the rest was office building that could could still be included, and this amendment would preserve that. Thank you. So that's just wanted to make that point. Thank you. Thank you, Council Vice President Juando, Council Member Lorianne Sales. Thank you, Madam President. Just wanted to thank the Council Member for introducing this amendment. It's similar to the amendment I introduced for the pilot to ensure that we were very safe with how we apply this along different areas in the community and just understanding how important the retail spaces are and how crucial they are in ensuring vibrancy in the community. And I mean, these are the places that people want to build because they already have that infrastructure built in. So I wanted to better understand the exclusion of the EOF zone and just wanted to, cause I think mine had the CRGR and NR zone. And this one is excluding the same. All three. Miss Nidu, do you want to clarify what was already done in committee and then what the amendment on the floor will do? Yes, can do. So what the committee did, luck shall back up even further. So the original ZTA had GRNR,O-F, and then all of the CR zones, which is CRN, CRT, and CR, sorry for all the acronyms. So what the committee did, because they were discussing that smaller neighborhood retail is removed the retail piece from the GRN and N-R. So to clarify, an office building in those zones could still take advantage of the ZTA. But if you were doing retail in those two, GR and NR came out. And then, as was just voted on, RSC was put back in, which has those two malls. And then what this amendment would do would say, retail buildings and the commercial residential would not be eligible, but the retail buildings in EOF still would be. Okay. All right. Yeah. I think she's done. Yeah. I think she's done and then I had done you and then Council Member Malcolm. So just to, I want to make sure I'm clear now. I thought I was, but I want to make sure. So in the CRT, so the retail in other zones that aren't listed would still be allowed to be redeveloped under what you just said. So retail under this amendment and... CRT is that part, that's a family of the CR zones. Yes, CR, CRN, CRT, as you make sure that's clear. Yes. So anything that starts with a CR, is going to be pulled out with this amendment. Yes. Yes. This one makes sure that the retail part, yes. If it's an office building, obviously, in that zone, it would still be eligible. Okay. Thank you. Great. Councilmember Malcolm. Thanks. I'm going to support the amendment, but I just want to, for those who are watching this and listening to this, it's really complicated and it's really important. So there is a website, emceeatless.org, backslash-zoning-backslash, and it shows all the zones in all the neighborhoods. So when I was assessing this particular amendment, I had to go into this map and really look at how this impacts the area. So it's very confusing and I just wanted to bring them some transparency as to what we're discussing. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Council Member Balkham and I just want to say thank you very much to the PHP Committee and Council Member Sales for raising these points. And I think we're at a good place. I am not. We have, so the amendment, we just said we are clear. The amendment that we have before us right now is just on the CR zones that Council Member Fannie Gonzalez put forward, we will take care of that first and then turn to Council Vice President Jawandos and amendment. So all those in favor of removing the retail from the CR zones from this ZTA, please raise your hands. And that is unanimous for that amendment. And now Council Member Vice President Jawanda. So we've beat this horse pretty good, but I think the only difference would be, the only question I would add is that if something, if there were retail in an EOF zone in the future, which could happen, I presumably, I think we would wanna say, even though it's currently only a bank in a post office, I think to be in line, the reason I put forward my amendment, which is on page, uh, would pages that on page 11 page 11. It just basically says that any retail that's not ancillary again, ancillary still to an office building still allowed, but any retail in any of these zones, that's the type of retail we're trying to protect that might there might not enough of, would not be allowed. Did I state my amendment correctly in your view, Mr. Duke? Yes, that is a correct summary of your amendment. Okay, so I think it's belts and suspenders and I think it doesn't take away from the intent of the last amendment, but it would just present and it down the line, when we're all gone, that could happen. I think, you know, I hope that's so I would move that amendment. Thank you. We have a motion for another amendment. Council member, sales seconded, and then I have council member Freason. Appreciate it. I'm not going to be supporting the amendment for the kind of the opposite reason of what the future could look like in an EOVA F zone and what an EOF zone is. So there's a big difference between the CR family of zones, which I am sensitive to the locations where a lot of our local businesses small retail exists. That is a challenge that we navigated through, ultimately I want to see underutilized buildings that are vacant that I think are a scourge in the community be redeveloped to the extent. Possibly, there is a real sensitivity to a potential impact on a small retailer. An EOLF zone is a office park. That's what these are. We just spent a painstaking effort to go through the Great Seneca life sciences corridor where we're trying to reimagine and rethink these. These are largely huge surface parking lots and the retail that is likely to be in these surface parking lots are big box retailers. If it's standalone, if it's ancillary, it's going to potentially be a small retailer, like a coffee shop or some small business that it could potentially be. We didn't want that included because you can't survive as a small retailer serving the building that is vacant. But the idea of protecting big box retailers is not what I think the intention of the previous amendment was. So, this only currently impacts one business because the post office isn't really, frankly, impacted by this, which is a bank. But the likelihood is these are office parks that we would want to see the entire office park be redeveloped into housing community. The idea that you would prohibit one big box, you're going to end up potentially with like a Lord and Taylor situation in White Flint Mall or potentially the Sears issue that we just essentially address where you have a potential single retail big box dynamic that is likely not a local business that is likely not a small retailer just by the nature of the land use that we're talking about in an employment and office zone which are office park focus. So I think it's very different than a downtown area. It's very different than CRN, which can be shopping centers that can have and are much more likely to have and do often have small retailers. And so for that reason, even though it has a limited, if non-existent impact, today the future impact of what it could mean in an employment office zone of what a vacant property could look like, I think would potentially be problematic and counterproductive. So I will not be supporting this. Okay. Councilmember Fannie Gonzalez. I also would not be supporting this amendment. I mean, the whole notion of this entire ZTA and the spirit from the Economic Devon and Committee when we undertook this whole effort was to focus on the office area targeting the employment of the zone makes no sense and I will not be supporting this. Thank you. Council member Cass. Thank you very much. I just went away in and Council member Freightson mentioned it a couple of times but I wanted to double tap. The EOF zone stands for Employ employment office zone and it's intended for employment activity and flexibility in the building, circulation and parking lot layout. This is not ancillary, this shouldn't be ancillary and I'm not gonna support the amendment as well. Thank you, Council member Ming. Thank you, I just wanna, I think that this is a really important conversation to have. So I appreciate bringing it to the forefront as I'm trying to understand all the nuances of the previous amendment and this one. And these are some details that do impact in my district. And I want to thank the constituents who have reached out and the stakeholders to talk about some of the potential impacts on retail. So appreciate the opportunity to kind of hash out these nuanced differences in public like this. I do think that Councilor Fanny Gonzalez's amendment covers what we need to accomplish here, but I appreciate the opportunity to have this conversation here. Thanks. Thank you. Councilmember Duan. Council vice president Duan. Thank you very much. Well I'm glad to hear my colleague and chair now agrees with what he voted against in the committee that we shouldn't have in retail. Small retail. But I just want to be clear that there's not this is not limiting a Lord and Taylor. There's two properties in the county right now in an EOF zone that would apply for this DETA. One is a bank and one is a post office, again, that are used as a community resource. This is not a prohibition on anything. The anything could redevelop. This is about an incentive. This is about making it a faster process to redevelop a property in this zone. So it's not a, just want to say it's not like this wouldn't stop anyone to redevelop if they wanted to redevelop the bank. That being said, I think we covered most of what we're trying to cover. I guess my question to staff would be, and just so Councillor Catson understands, the Ansler uses R allowed. Yeah, so they are allowed. I'm very much aware of that. And this is far from answering. Yeah. Yeah, I'm just making sure the way you're saying that is, I just make sure you're saying. I can't leave, please. But what's the, so how many EOF zones are there in the county? Do we have a sense of that? What's the, how many properties are covered in those I have a map it might take me a second to count though. You want to go to the map? We have 131 properties, which does mean parcels. So might sound bigger than it is because it's the individual parcels. There's 130 one. Thank you for the MC Alice shout out. So 131 parcels, two of which would be covered by the ZTA and just explain the difference of why I'm just trying to understand the difference of why those would count. Sorry, that's the the zone that's how many parcels we have in the EOF zone in the county total. and then the two properties that show up as retail when you do a search are the bank and the post office. So just to be I just thank you that's I needed that because I want to explain just make sure my amendment is explained even if it doesn't pass the other 101 because you said 103 131 so the 129 Would not be impacted by my amendment Not with their current uses correct, so like what so for example whatever those are you know Lord and Taylor Sears whatever those things you know whatever they are They would not be impacted it would still be able to take advantage of this It's only if they have the only the two that are designated as an answer to their retail use. Or as a retail use. As a retail use, yes. Okay. Just want to make sure that that's clear, but I see the writing on the wall, so I'm just going to withdraw my amendment. But thank you for making it clear. Great. All right. The amendment has been withdrawn. Councilmember Luki, did you? Yeah, I just had a quick question. Our federal post office, because a post office is a federal property. Is it considered a federal enclave? That I am not sure of, actually. I would have to look that up and get back to you. All right, because if so, it would not be subject to who are zoning anyway. Yes, correct. Okay, sorry, just a weird esoteric point, but I was curious because this discussion brought it up. Thanks. Council vice president Joanda. Thank you, so amendments to suppose that. Thank you for seconding it, Council member, sales. I just wanted to bring up this, if the, with the Council President's permission, there was an issue, a DPS issue that was brought up with the language about the reviewing of the application through permission. I think they're here. Department of Permitting Services. Come on down. Yeah. So I'll just tee it up. The County Executive Senate letter a couple days ago, or April 3rd, bringing up the issue about reviewing one of the things that the ETA requires here is that, in line 414, that the state and county reviewing agencies, DPS, would be one of them, must submit their comments within 15 days after the application is accepted. There was some concern that I'd like to hear them explain about that timeline, I think, and that not being workable and maybe creating some issues, so I wanted to hear from you on that. Good morning. Thank you. My name is Eson Motazidi. Good morning, President Astur, and the members of the council. The issue with this is there is no state automatic approval for a Stonewall, the Council plan or a Stonewall, the settlement control and erosion plan. So what we are asking in lieu of the 15 days, we are asking for 30 days to ensure a staff are doing a complete review and make sure there are no mistakes made that down the road it could have some impact on the community or on the environment or it could have some environmental issue or impact. That's really the reason that we are asking to have the 30 days. Because you do the review for the state. We do. We are the reviewer. You're the check person. So there's no like other entity. It's you. And you're saying 30 days is something that you think you need to make sure there's not a mistake. To ensure. To ensure absolutely a mistake. And again, not knowing the number of these type of projects coming, and also with other type of priorities that we have to deal with, this would ensure that staff have the adequate time to do their due diligence. So that would mean just changing the language from 15 days to 30 days, that would be the amendment. Mr. Duda, do you have anything to, how does that impact the goal here? Yes, I'll answer the second question first. So as Councilmember Freightson noted earlier, this came up when we were working on the Biohealth Priority Campus Plan, which was another expedited approval. And then this language is also in the zoning ordinance for the mixed use income plan. So the intent of the expedited approval process was to shorten the 120 days down to, I believe, 60 days now. So the reason that 15 days were given to the agencies and utilities is to make sure that planning board can keep the application moving. So when it was discussed at that time, the way the language is written is, the agency has 15 days, and if they don't reply, then it's deemed approved and the planning board keeps going through the approval process, the applicant gets their site plan. But then they still have to go back to DPS. So if DPS found, actually this doesn't need the requirements, they could do a waiver then or the approval could be amended. And also the planning board, when they approve site plan, have to make sure that it complies with chapter 19, which is where that stormwater language is. So while it is DPS, who is the enforcing agency of that, the planning board also does have to look at that and make sure it's being followed. And so that was the discussion at the time when we did the bio-health of why the language is in there. So to answer your first question, what the amendment would be is it would still say the 15 days, but it would strike the sentence that says it's deemed approved if you don't hear from the agency, which would just raise a question of what the planning board is supposed to do if they don't hear back. So any response that I'm trying to be, I understand your issue I mean it is the amending part is the process that was described is that okay because the other thing you don't want to do is like move someone forward and then it's like oh hey wait wait wait there's a huge issue with stormwater. Well you just said what I was going to tell you so during the DRC review We want to make sure everything's done correctly, because if you punted to later on during the building permit, that could delay the building permit process, from the standpoint of us being able to approve it if there are some issues. So I just want you to be aware. Either you can, if you are not able to handle it at the DRC within that 15 days and is postponed, so automatically it's approved. Then when they come and apply for a building permit, at that time, they have to meet the criteria. So, okay, sorry, if I could jump in. I just wanna make sure. So what you're saying is that if we didn't change it, it was the 15 days and goes to planning board there is the you has to have to come back to you. So the idea that I just want to clarify that there are different points at which a project needs to come back and it would not nest would not move forward without you all saying yes it meets the requirements or you need a waiver or something else. A project I just want to clarify a project is not going to move forward until DPS and now it may delay it it may delay it at a different time but I just want to clarify that. Well for that I think I need the help from our park and planning friends to ensure because if we don't approve it, would that delay your approval of the site plan? Good morning, Robert Cronberg for the record. So when an application is submitted and it goes to DRC, what we get is a concept approval. It's not a final final plan approval. And that concept approval tells an applicant and the agencies kind of what the broader scale is in terms of what they're proposing. And yes, that kicks it down to a permanent stage where the DPS has to review the plans in a much more detail than a concept phase. So we can always condition it. We always do condition it with the board. So it does definitely go back to DPS so that they can do the plans they need. Thank you. And can you just tell us what DRC is? I just hear a lot of acronyms. I want to make sure everybody. So DRC is the development review committee. Thank you. I know. But I just want to make sure everyone yeah. All right. Okay, I just wrap up. Yeah, so okay, so it sounds like the worst case scenario would be it's a cost to the applicant if there's a problem that comes up later. But because there's no way to get around the requirement around stormwater because DPS does have to, as the reviewer for the state, it's a state law, it has to happen. casest case scenario, you know, it might be, they're saying we could do it in 30 days. Let us get it all done, but you're saying it's conditional approval anyway, and it's got to come back to them. So it might actually slow the applicant down, but it's not going to stop the work from being done. That's correct. Or the requirement that it be done. Would you agree with that? Oh yes, absolutely. I mean, that goes without saying. We just want to make sure that if I didn't estate it. So DPS, we strongly support this ETA from the standpoint of, you know, conversion of office into residential. But I just want you guys to be aware of that 30 days, there is no automatic approval by the state. I just want us to be clear. And of course, if it's condition, if we are not able to perform our job within that 15 days, it can be conditioned. And then later on at the building permit, we have to review it. And in more details, and then hopefully we approve and move on. Yes. Like any other project. you got to make sure it's right. Okay, right. Well in that case You know, I won't I would get in this past three oh out of committee. I supported it And so I will thank you. I just want to bring that issue up. Thank you. All right Council member Freizen I would just very briefly say it goes without saying, I think it goes without amending. So appreciate that the approval is key. That is the entire magic to the expedited review process whether it was the bio-health priority campus or whether it was the mixing-come communities. The main mechanism, the main focus of that, the key point is this idea that departments and agencies can't just not respond and hold up projects in perpetuity. That definitive ability for the planning department and the planning board to move forward, even with conditional approval is essential. So I appreciate the fact that we fleshed this out, but that we didn't gut the key focus of the expedited review, because that is the essential part. More important than any number of days or anything else, the idea that no response is deemed approval. Even if it's conditional approval, is critical to all of these expedited review process, including this zoning text amendment. Okay, Council Member, you're last. Thank you, Madam President. Really important conversation, and to distill it down, what DPS is saying is that there is still regulatory review that will proceed even under an expedited process. Full stop. Thank you. Council member Almondas. Thanks. I don't have a lot to add. I just, this has been very helpful, like the full circle conversation, because initially when TPS brought this issue to our attention, I'm very sensitive to when an executive branch agency comes forward to us and says, if we understand what you wanna do, we support it, we just need a little help to make sure we get it right the first time. That, I think, should in more instances than not prevail, but because we went full circle in this conversation It was helpful to acknowledge that there are unique circumstances here that make me feel better knowing it will still move forward and there will be other checkpoints Okay, so there's no motion there And I just want to clarify that on the earlier amendment was with John and councilmember sales since you second that you were fine Yeah, that we're fine that thank you councilmember luki for checking, but Just wanted to make sure it's clean. I think those are all the things with the zoning text amendment So now since we had a committee recommendation, but we did make amendments to it in our session today We need a motion to approve ZTA 25-03. Move amended version of the ZTS. I have a council member of Freetson. Move council member Fannie Gonzales. Second is a roll call vote. I will turn to the clerk. Council member Luki? Yes. Council member Luki votes yes. Council member Mink? Yes. Council member Luki votes yes. Councilmember Mink? Yes. Councilmember Mink votes yes. Councilmember Sales? Yes. Councilmember Sales votes yes. Councilmember Freedson? Yes. Councilmember Freedson votes yes. Councilmember Glass? Yes. Councilmember Glass votes yes. Councilmember Katz? Yes. Councilmember Katz votes yes. Councilmember Albernos? Council Member Alvarnález-Fot yes. Councilmember Fondagans always yes. Councilmember Fondagans always votes yes. Councilmember Bacchum. Yes. Councilmember Bacchum votes yes. Councilmember Jawando. Yes. Councilmember Jawando votes yes. Councilmember Stewart. Yes. Councilmember Stewart votes yes. All right. The last item for us as a district council is consideration of action on subdivision regulation amendment 25-01 Administrative subdivision expedited approval plan the planning housing and parks committee recommends approval with amendments and I will turn it over to chair Freedson Yeah, hopefully this one will be easier as colleagues know the SRA is just the subdivision requirement in order to implement the zoning text amendment to make the requisite changes from the zoning text amendment if a subdivision is occurring. We need it to mirror the subdivision policy as well as the zoning text change. And so this amended version would do that. Just my only question for council staff is whether or not we need to make any adjustments here based on any of the amendments that we made from the day. Formally. No, so the amendments that committee did was just to consolidate some sections, make it cleaner, make it shorter. And so no changes in the ZTA affect the SRA. And didn't think so, but just wanted to confirm that for the record. With that, we have a committee recommendation for the SRA, and I will turn it back to you, Madam President. Thank you. So with a committee recommendation, this is a roll call vote. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? 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 Freason yes, council member Freason votes Yes, council member glass yes, council member glass votes yes, council member cats yes, council member Katz votes yes Council member Albernol yes, council member Albernol Yes. Council Member of the House of the House of the House of the House of the House of the House of the House of the House of the House of the House of the Jawando? Council Member Jawando? Council Member Stewart? Yes. Council Member Stewart? Great. Thank you, everyone. We'll do a switch of our attorneys and now we're at our legislative session day number nine. We have two agenda items. The first one is expedited bill 2-25 taxation payments in lieu of taxes, affordable housing amendments. There was a joint operations fiscal policy and economic development committee and we voted on this six to one, one upstanding to recommend to the full council. What this bill would do is establish a minimum payment in lieu of taxes for certain conversions of high vacancy commercial properties to residential use. Second, it would establish the amount of payment in lieu of taxes. And third, generally amend the law governing payments in lieu of taxes. The joint committee's had a very robust conversation on this and made a number of amendments. The first is to increase the affordability requirement to 17.5%. reduce the number of years from 25 to 20 years, and put in place a 10-year sunset. The committee also adopted an amendment to include a transition provision so that properties have already applied to either the Plane Department or Department of Permitting Services as appropriate, may be eligible for the pilot without reapplying under the new expedited process. In addition, the committee adopted an amendment to clarify that property developments that do not require planning department review may still be eligible for the pilot if they otherwise meet the same requirements. And that the relevant time for the vacancy requirement is at the time of application to the planning board or when the application to the planning department is not required at the time of application to the department of permitting services. And again, I just want to thank all the committee members for the robust discussion on this. I know we do have a couple of amendments and continue discussion. But before we turn to the staff to go over things, I'm going to turn to my co-chair, Councilmember Fannie Gonzalez. Thank you so much, Madam President. I only want to say a couple things because I feel that I have been talking about this for so long and I even get bored. So, one, two things that I want to remind folks, as I mentioned a few minutes ago, retail conversation, please post that. We're Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council, Council talking about half-baked properties at least. These are properties that are actually paying very little in property tax. Very little in property tax right now. They're not producing anything. Here we're talking about making sure that we are incentivizing the property owners to convert them from empty office buildings or have empty into housing because yes, we are dealing with a housing crisis and we as a government have a responsibility to actually, you know, create incentives to you know, update your zoning laws to ensure that we are doing our very best to meet this current crisis Once you convert this empty or have empty office buildings, you're going to have people move in in, they're going to have to be paying impact taxes, they're going to have to be paying in contact. I mean, the investment is huge. And this is nothing new. We have all other jurisdictions that are already doing this. DC is one of them. We are just catching up really. And with that, I'm gonna turn it back to the council present to move us forward with this bill. Thank you so much. Great. Thank you very much. I will turn it over now to our council staff, Mr. O'Gerzallik. Thank you. It was a little bit better than the Council President. The Council President did a fantastic job summarizing what occurred at Committee and the substance of the bill in addition to the five committee recommended amendments. The staff report contains the text of eight proposed amendments covering six distinct topics. Staff recommends that Council move through those topics in the order set forth in the staff report. Sounds like a good plan. All right, then the first item was Council Vice President Joando offering an amendment. I'll turn it over to you if you want to discuss it or Mr. do you want to? Who wants to? Absolutely. Which one of you wants to lay out? I'll let you correct me. I appreciate it. Thank you Madam President. I want to start by noting that I think it's a really good idea to convert unused office space to either used office space or to some other use like housing. We did that in the last, that's what the whole last unanimous ZTA was about to speed that process up. But it's a big, but if there's no other use for that office space, the best thing would be, if that office space would be filled, the next best thing would be to turn it into another productive use like housing. And as we, I just want to clarify, what we did in the ZTA, the retail that we took out, that impacts this pilot as well, or do it correct? Correct, yes. However, the ZTA stands as presently drafted, the pilot is inextricably linked. So whatever happened in the ZTA, we carry through to the pilot. And you could pass the ZTA and not pass the pilot, for example. And the expedited review would still be in place. Correct. Just not the perfect. Just want to get that out there. I'm channeling Councillor Murrath-Balcom here. So, you know, when I first heard about the pilot and we've done this before, the intention, again, to focus on vacant office space is something I generally in favor of. We already have the ability to do pilots and we've done them on a case by case basis. But this one is much, much more broader than I think a lot of folks realize. And it's a mismatch in the kind of impact statements. I think demonstrate this. The fiscal impact statement, for example, said that it included office and residential buildings, including demolitions and lasted in perpetuity, such that we would be telling developers long time from now that they could sign up for a 25-year pilot. But the mismatch there in the economic impact statement, on the other hand, based their analysis on 15 office buildings only, and where the county where conversion was deemed, quote, feasible. So there's a different understanding in how both of these statements took the issue. One looked at all the office buildings that our potential others looked at 15. So we got different information both in the fiscal and the economic impact statement because of that different sampling. So a lot of my amendments today and questions are that I think we need to slow this down because it's a big, big decision. It was mentioned a couple times about DC. DC was, that's my first amendment. DC program has some differences. It is a competitive program that has caps. The bill as introduced is a non-competitive program that's anyone can take advantage of that doesn't have any caps on fiscal, on the output of what could be the actual cost of it. My staff met with the DC staff. And my understanding is that was the only meeting that they had, but that's been referenced quite a bit in how this is going forward. You can be for conversion of office to residential, but you can be on, you can also be for a cap that makes sure we don't spend too much and that we evaluate each on a case-by-case basis. The DC process also allows for some discretion regarding the projects that actually receive the abatement based on factors that are set forth, like how fast can you deliver it? What's the level of affordability? Other factors. So DC gets some discretion through their Department of Housing to do that. So I think when you're talking about something where the fiscal note says it could be hundreds of millions of dollars, they said up to $2.6 billion, you could argue whether that would happen or not. It's a big difference saying we're going to let you do that and just hope it works out to saying we have some caps. We're going to look at how fast you can deliver it, some mechanisms, and if you meet these requirements, you'd be allowed to do it. So I think we need to understand these questions and make sure that we're proceeding with due caution. The first amendment that I'd offered is to put it in alignment with the DC model for conversions of commercial buildings like their housing in downtown, head program as was mentioned by the sponsors and has been mentioned very, very many times. Another big difference DC program, they require the building to be 100% vacant by the time as they move through the process. So not 50% full. You know, I said this and I said this said you could 50% vacant is 50% full. We're receiving property tax on that. So I think that's something that we want to look at as well. So I would turn it over to you, sir, to say, just to state my, I'm gonna move this amendment, which is the number one in the packet, it's on page eight, which would align, to make this a competitive pilot with an annual cap, similar to the DC model to make sure that we're offering this incentive, which is a very generous incentive. Some have estimated over $25 million on an average size property to, you know, Ish. But that we're also making sure it benefits us in that we're doing it a fiscally responsible way. So could you state the amendment for me please? Yeah, so it's set forth on pages eight through 11 within the staff report. So functionally what the amendment does is it deletes the by-right amendment that had been introduced at Bill and introduction, sorry, and creates a new paragraph D. So basically there are some discretionary pilots already within County Law and there are some by-right pilots within County Law. This would essentially, because it's a little bit different than both just this normal existing discretionary and existing by-right pilot. It creates a new program wherein the director of finance, because that's the entity that within the code functionally is actually charged with handling these pilots. Obviously, DHCA, DPS, all of these, and planning, all these identities have a role the property, as offered, the amendment would allow the director of finance to receive applications, presumably through, for example, the way that the District of Columbia does this, they put out an RFP, functionally is what they do request for proposals. And developers can submit an application to the county and they would include various information response to factors that might be set forth in NRFP. The amendment offered would require 25% of the dwelling units located to be affordable. So just in terms of the conversation that was had at introduction and at committee and will occur related to one of the other amendments being offered. And two individuals households earning 60% or less of the area meaning income, which mirrors the bill as was introduced and as it was recommended by committee. So the director would review the applications as they were received in that order, looking at the various factors that were set forth, and there would be a cap, an annual cap associated with how much pilot could be awarded. The cap is set forth in the offer to amendment for fiscal year 2026. It would be up to 5.8 million. The next year, 11.8 million, the following year, 17.8 million, the following year, 20 million. And then for each successive year, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's 100, 3%. But it's a 3% increase on the preceding year. And get into the hundreds of millions. Exactly. Exactly. It just keeps keeps a limit count of so from 20 you would have a 3% following year 3% from the following year and ultimately the director would Exactly. It just keeps keeps a limit count of from 20 you would have a 3% following year 3% from the following year and ultimately the director would have some discretion in awarding a pilot in issuing that that agreement up until the point when the annual cap for the county has been reached at which point no more pilots could be issued for that year. Thank you. So I would like to move that a bit. Okay. Have a second. Council member, May second. I have council member sales in the queue. Yeah, I just had a question about the cap. Like what are we capping? Are we capping how many people can take advantage of the pilot for one particular parcel or capping how much the taxes are? What are we capping? So the actual cap would be the amount of taxes that are abated for that particular year via agreement. So it's not 100%. Well, so the way that the DC, and this is model off the DC model, the DC model allows the director some discretion in terms of how much because certain, as part of it, and set forth as in this amendment, the applicant needs to provide some performance and some a little bit more detailed information about exactly how this development's gonna work. So that would leave the director finding some discretion to say, this project might not get there without 100%. This project might get there, and so it gives a little bit discretion. So for a particular project, that amount abated could potentially shift, but the actual cap that's in place is related to like the total sum dollars that have been abated through the pilot program for that particular tax level year. All right, thank you. Council Member Freeton. Thank you, Madam President. I won't be supporting this amendment and hope that we will move forward with what came out of committee. I think the key point here is if we want these conversions to happen, we have to incentivize them. And that is the entire purpose of this effort. And we need to make the process very clear, very consistent. And importantly, not get caught up in the bureaucracy of an executive's county departments who has Suggested very clearly that he has opposed to moving forward with what we're trying to do even with our nonprofit pilot that the previous Council approved That by right pilot and it was it is a by right pilot Was held up for months and months and years and years for our nonprofit affordable housing providers, at which point there needed to be numerous meetings, conversations, and even efforts at the state level to be able to move that forward. And that's by-right. That's not discretionary in that effort. And those are only affordable housing nonprofit providers that were being held up in that process. Speaking of the comparison to DC, I think it is important to clarify that they have multiple conversion programs that range from 20 to 40 years of property tax abatement, that the affordability level in the aforementioned program is 10% at 60% AMI, as opposed to the 17 and a half percent that we have set up here as amended in committee. The affordability in that program spans for the duration of the abatement and not longer than the abatement, so different than ours as well. And it exempts a number of requirements under DC law, including the topo law, the reinter protection law, which is exempted as part of that effort. We're not proposing and suggesting to do that here as another version of their incentive. But most importantly, it's run by a mayor in DC and the deputy mayor's office in DC that overwhelmingly supports it and wants to see these happen and wants to provide incentives to make them happen, which is really important. Approving this amendment would dramatically reduce if not completely eliminate the effectiveness of this effort to convert vacant offices and to deliver housing. Based on economic models, our staff has run, these redevelopments will be a net positive for county revenues with income and income taxes and an exponential increase in property values moving forward after the abatement expires. The joint committee thoughtfully went through the issues, increased affordability requirements, lowered the years of the benefit, set a sunset, and with a majority of the council at that joint committee approved a very strong measure that will deliver positive results for the county. I hope that we can move forward with this, and I hope that we will not support this amendment. Councilmember Almanaz. Thank you. So I'm just going to make some overarching comments here. I wasn't sure quite when to do that seems like now is the appropriate time. So first These conversions are exceedingly rare and the reason they are rare is because they are very expensive and there have to be a lot of moons aligned in order for commercial property owners to be able to do this in a way that makes sense economically for them. We've only had one that I'm familiar with in downtown Silver Spring that has actually been very successful and as I've stated before publicly, I used to work in that building when it was a commercial office building before it was converted to the microocondos that have created condos that are between six and eight hundred square feet, which we just don't have enough of in our market, and have become very popular. I also get a little anxious when we compare ourselves to the District of Columbia, because it's very much an apples and oranges comparison. When you look at our commercial suburban properties, they are really struggling, and they were even before COVID. And COVID just put a nail in the coffin. And so we do have to think even more creatively about how to convert spaces like that that aren't near transit, that don't have aren't near the amenities that people are looking for and are even more difficult for property owners to be able to convert. So I appreciate and agree with us being as aggressive as we possibly can be, and obviously like all of my colleagues agree that it makes a heck of a lot of sense for us to do what we can to take existing properties and then convert them to a more effective use. And this is a big swing. And we've taken other big swings. I supported the effort to provide additional tax revenue, tax relief on the development of properties on Walmata properties. And but, you know, I'm going to say the quiet part out loud. One of the reasons why we have to take swings like this is because of policies that we've enacted over several councils with the best of intention that we have to look at and analyze to ensure that we aren't creating more problems than we're trying to solve. And so I think the review by the planning board staff of the pipeline projects and why those projects remain in the pipeline and aren't moving forward is going to be very telling. And it's going to force us to look at ourselves in the mirror and examine existing policies to see what can or should be changed in order to free up other opportunities. But in the meantime, we have to chip away in the edges and the margins. And this is an example of that. So am I comfortable with everything that's been proposed? No, I'm not. But what I am feeling very strongly is that while on our watch we have to do what we can to do things that make a lot of common sense. And to me that fundamentally is what this effort is trying to do. So I won't support this amendment, but I wanted to provide the context and background from which I'm coming from and why I'm not supporting it. But I acknowledge and respect the concerns that you've raised, Councilmember Jawondo. But I also recognize the great work of the committee and the conversations I've had With the number of key stakeholders here. I feel comfortable that this effort as a whole will help improve our current circumstances Thank you councilmember. I Thank you Madam President I appreciate the spirit of the amendment and Discussing the context of fiscal responsibility. Wanting to make sure that we're good stewards to Montgomery County taxpayers and I think it's really important that we are talking about this at the same time we are actively taking up the FY 26 budget. Fiscal responsibility should be our through line right now. And for the specifics of the amendment, I think we need to even have a better understanding of the commercial office market in Montgomery County, visa V, the District of Columbia. Mr. Oli has our analyst on this issue. Can you talk about the difference in the commercial markets and how much of the tax bases they make up? Sure, I appreciate the question. I don't have a full understanding of the size of the inventory in DC but I know that as a portion of their property tax base offices over 40% compared to in total about 7% of our property tax base in the county. So commercial office spaces here in Montgomery County are about 7% of our tax base yet in DC they're about 40%. Is that what you just said? I can understand why DC has a very different timeline because almost half of their tax space, our commercial office space is when hours is 7%. And that is very, very different. because almost half of their tax space, our commercial office space, is when hours is 7%. And that is very, very different. The fact that the impact statement also has produced a very high number. Councilmember, Albernaz just mentioned the Womata Metro Bill that we passed in the last council. A very similar goal to create more housing on metro stations because none were being built. The impact statement for that bill was a range of 340 million to 415 million over 15 years. Mr. Arlene, how many projects have been built? There's one under construction in Strathmore Square and I believe there's another approval near North Pizdez as well under that pilot. So is it fair to say that that fiscal impact statement was off by hundreds of millions of dollars? That's hard to say without looking at the numbers because of the vintage of that study, but it's, you know, it would definitely, to the extent that it presumed the same amount of development sort of occurring and taking the pilot as had occurred in the past, it would be hard to see how that- It was wildly off, we'll leave it there. And I think the important point is, is even if the impact statement for this bill is not wildly off, it's a different people assess it differently. There is a safeguard, and the safeguard the 10 year sunset clause. So that as we start approaching in five years, six years, we will see how much of this tax burden has changed and we can make plans accordingly and signal to our property owners that we're reaching the limit. we're not going to continue this. The program has been wildly successful, which would be a good thing, but that's what the Sunset Clause is for. And so for those reasons, I appreciate the attention to fiscal responsibility, but I think there are apples and orange comparisons to the District of Columbia. And even if this fiscal impact statement is more on target as opposed to the previous impact statement on the Womada Metro bill, we have a sunset clause to adjust for that. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you, Council Member Fannie Gazzali. Thank you, Madam President. Making it very short and sweet. I will not be supporting this amendment. I said Washington DC has a program, but I as the chair of the economic development committee did not meet with Washington DC. You know why? The whole experience and the whole, I mean, they're really urban. They're experiencing how we compare to Washington, the sea are completely different. It's not apples to apples. They have one. We need to, what we're doing here and what in all the time that we spend in the economic development committee and then with a joint session with GO was based on the realities that are happening Montgomery County. Not in DC, not a reality symbol, Virginia, not a reality symbol California, the reality is in Montgomery County. That's what you have in front of you. With that, I hope we can please vote on this amendment so we can move forward. Thank you. Can you? Council Member Mink. Thank you. Appreciate the conversation. I think again, I think that these conversations are important to have and I know that the committee spent a lot of time. That said, this is a big bill. It's a big opportunity. It's also a lot of money potentially, but I think these are important and valid conversations until I appreciate my colleagues, patients in having them. The aspect of this amendment that I think is most important is that it opens up the possibility for some kind of negotiation. And I hear my colleagues on some of the downsides as well. That said, the opportunity, like we've got some amendments coming up about looking at percentage of affordable units, etc. We want to make sure that these projects can pencil, right? That's the purpose of being able to, of having this bill in the first place. We want to incentivize, we want to excite people, we want to get things going, we need to make sure that their projects can pencil in a way that is going to have them moving forward. Every project at every location is going to be a little bit different. And so, you know, the calculation here I understand is that difference is not big enough to be worth spending a lot of time diving into everyone and negotiating. We've seen that, seeing that, at least with this county executive, that that's not really happening. That said, there is going to be a new county executive, fiscal conditions and the landscape is going to be changing. And there's also, there's variables with every project, at every different location, that impacts, that impacts how they would pencil. And so, having, not having any ability or any space to negotiate at all, does make me concerned about what we might be leaving on the table. And so, that is the aspect of creating some kind of function that would allow for some kind of negotiation. That's the aspect of that I like and appreciate. And I understand if people are making the calculation that the dip they don't they think that the difference air is going to be negligible enough and that the benefits are going to be big enough that it doesn't seem worthwhile. But I think that that is a that's it's a reasonable question to be asked and that's what I'm weighing for myself right now. You know looking at increasing the required percentage of affordable units which we're going to be talking about shortly, so to be continued on that. But, you know, we need to make sure that the products are going to pencil. We also don't want to leave anything on the table. And so, that's where I think, you know, if there was a way that we could allow for some kind of negotiation, then we kind of address that the question of required percentage, like within the scope of that negotiation for each project, that would be my preferred mechanism for making sure that we're maximizing what we can get out of these projects, as opposed to baseline increase in the percentage which I'd like to do. But I have again questions about making sure that we are accomplishing the goals of the bill if we were to do that. So to me, looking at this amendment or at a version of this amendment, some kind of mechanism that would allow for negotiation based on the variables of the particular projects, but still again having the incentive there, expediting, etc. That to me would be the sweet spot. Council member Katz. Thank you very much, Madam President. And I too appreciate the spirit of the amendment. I'm not going to support it. And I was not a co-sponsor of the legislation in the beginning. And I agree that with that air market is not the same as the District of Columbia. I candidly, I think the best problem we could ever have would be that we have to deal with we have more interests than what we would like. In fact, I don't know how we could have more interest than what we would like because I think we need the interest. I also agree that this is not perfect, but perfect is the enemy of good and this is good. We have a problem now. Let's be clear. We have a problem now. And unfortunately, we're going to have a bigger problem because of the federal leases and other things that are happening. Vacant commercial buildings help no one. Underline that. Tax assessments are based on the leases in the building. They're reassessed every three years. And if a developer, if a building owner, if a building owner doesn't have a tenant, they can appeal this. They can appeal the assessment, and they can go back and the appeal says, look, I don't have a tenant. And the next week they get a tenant and they don't come back to the assessor and say, good news, I get the higher assessment. We're not doing that. We are losing for three years when there's no tenant in that building. This is an investment. This is not in the short term. It's in the longer term. We need to do something and I think this is a proper way to do the something. We also need to try to figure out and to make certain that with this legislation that we do have people that are built. I have heard from some developers that they would convert, that they would be of interest and I've heard from others that say I'm not sure. I think we need to show that we're doing this and I think we need to show it as quickly as we can. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you, Councillor Emberto Wanda. Thank you. I appreciate the conversation and comments from colleagues. I want to just make a couple of points and ask a question of of of OMB with Council of Presidents, permission since the fiscal statement was brought up. I think they're here. The, our market, our market is not the same. Our market is not the same. And the point of this amendment, and I appreciate Councilor Mix comments comments is that you can incentive but there's a difference between 100% by right for 20 years and nothing. There's a big difference between those things. And what I'm trying to interject into this is as other communities that have tried or trying this some level of Fiscal constraint and under not even fiscal constraint some level of understanding of What is needed? This the other thing and you know, we got it. This is a big deal This is not just for conversion. It's for the demolition you could just knock it down and you can get this tax rate is that is this tax abatement is that correct you don't have to do anything with it yes this contemplates both a conversion within the shell of the building as well as demolition and reconstruction right or you could build on top of it, or you could convert it, you could convert what's actually standing as well. Correct. Right. So, and folks have brought this up. Half empty is half full. We're getting property tax revenue from these buildings. 7% is not 40% like DC, but 7% is still 200 million million. Correct? Ish? Yeah, I'll talk about it. I'll talk about it. I'll be sorry. So if you could just walk us through the assumptions. These are big numbers. There's a lot of properties that fall into the category here. And I just, I think it's important to understand that. Todd Fett, Department of Finance. The fiscal impact statement did analyze the first version of the bill that went to the Geo-Egon Committee and has subsequently changed a fair bit. It did anticipate a 25-year pilot without a 10-year sunset. Were we to redo it today? There would be a number of very different assumptions with regards to the length of the pilots. And with the sunset, we would assume at this action today it ends at 10 years and there's no new properties after that. In terms of how we arrived at the number, the key assumption there was that there is sufficient or was prior to the removal of retail sufficient property in terms of acreage Potentially eligible for the pilot and beneath that sufficient property with older buildings that Have a low ratio of assessed building on it to assessed land, meaning the existing structure is not worth very much as compared to the potential use of the land, that you could fit our entire past 10 years of residential market rate development on that property and have plenty to spare. And so our assumption was that developers facing a complete abatement of taxes, which is highly valuable, would choose to target properties that could get them that pilot and that they would find plenty of land available with which to use it. such that we should expect our future supply of multifamily to make use of the abatement and that our future supply of multifamily would resemble the prior 10 years of development which we use as a proxy for the future because of how difficult it is to forecast future development levels and that in some years we would have lots of development and some years we would have very little, but that across the average it sort of looks like our relatively recent past. I appreciate that. And we've also made it retroactive in the committee, right? So actually before we move on, I had a couple of questions since we were there. I guess I understand, believe me, how difficult it is to do these models. And there's a lot of different assumptions. I believe council staff had sent over a number of questions regarding this. Because I think looking back at the last 10 years and projecting that forward, completely understand why you did that. But given the situation we are in right now, with tariffs, with the volatility of this country, with what's going on, with federal leases and other things, if you were to, would you make the same assumption that our development in the next few years is going to mirror that development that we've had in the county? We attempt to look to the future as best we can given how humbling that experience is We do our tax forecast every year and every year we are wrong and so and And sometimes good and good way and sometimes yeah and by year we are wrong. And so, and by wrong. And sometimes good and good way and sometimes, yeah. And by wrong, we attempt to, you know, we try to get within a very small percentage slice, but it has never landed on the dollar. Yeah. We would proceed with the same manner, because whenever we have tried to forecast impact taxes or anything with the development in a different way, we have been more wrong that that we have found taking the 10-year average has simply kept us as close to the ballpark as we can expect to be for what is the hardest thing we forecast One of the other questions I had, which is that this looks at the property tax credit that would be given, but doesn't look at any of the income that would be generated, you know, where we're looking at income taxes. And even a, you know, conservative model on that, even if we're saying people are moving within the county, we are going to probably pick up some new people. So even conservative models I think look at potentially a million dollars in income taxes, but even if we cut that in half, you know, it's still a decent amount of money when we're looking at some of these projects. In addition to that, we're not looking at if somebody purchased a bill then to do this project. then we have recreationation taxes and we know we have discussed those recordation taxes here on this council and some people didn't agree with what we did on them but there we also did increase recordation taxes in the last few years but the models don't look at any potential income that would be coming is that correct? Correct. The Dennis Hepattman Department of Finance. Great. One of the key things in most of the modeling that we do is we get to see how the curve goes in the future years. And in this instance, the reason these caps are potentially really important is because it goes logarithmic. It goes vertical. It's not linear. So it's compounding on itself, and that's where the real egregious totals start to actually be realized as in those out years. And in terms of the income, that is a lot more of the second derivative elasticity effects. There, it is difficult for us to understand what our income taxes are going to be on a quarterly distribution two years from now, none the last 27 or 25 from now when this would be done. So it's very tangible the property tax lost. The income is one that again is a second derivative elasticity of that that is tough to wrap a number around. But we would get that. I completely understand and you're bringing me back to my master's degree and I certainly appreciate that. But the point is we would get that and that is not and I understand why it's not there. And I understand why you're doing the 10 year but just one other point on this is that the modeling does look at having the property tax abatement in this year FY26, if we were going to go forward with that and in FY27, which my understanding is that pilots come at use and occupancy. And I got to say, even if you are the fastest person possible to get a construction project through in FY26, even if we are to pass this today, it would be pretty remarkable. We mistakenly read into the bill a grandfathering clause that, frankly, is not there. We would instead have kicked our analysis out two years at sort of our state, or at the inflationary term that we had put into the assumptions and instead of providing 25 years, we would have provided it at 27 years with the first impact starting in two years. Great, thank you very much. I appreciate that. Yeah, Councilor's President. Thank you, thank you for those questions and answers. The Grand Funding Clause is in there though. By Grandfathering and me. by just projects under construction now. Under construction got it, okay. But so the retroactivity was, which is where I was going was for his four approvals. Okay, you explain that. Correct, yes, so I can get in touch on this. The FIS have contemplated the application of a pilot to projects that already had been approved or were actively under construction, which is sort of from a realistic construction standpoint, the only way that you could possibly touch on an FY26 error. Maybe FY27 impact just on speed of construction. The retroactivity amendment that was recommended by committee still would require the applicant to go through the DPS process and then the actual construction of the building. So even if they were at the very, very and they still wouldn't get to this. They still it would still be hard to it be a very, very aggressive construction schedule to reach FY26 potentially tail end of FY27. But just to be clear on that, on that amendment. So someone who has approved has gone forward with the project to convert office to residential or demolish an office building that has already gone through the in gotten approval and is moving forward and did not need in their performance to move forward. This tax very, very generous lucrative tax abatement, they would now be able to receive it even though they didn't ask for it and didn't need it. Without commenting on whether they asked or needed it, I would say yes. They would receive it. They would certainly receive it. And they already have approval from Planning Board as of the effective date of the bill as the way that the amendment was. Yes, right. I mean, that's the commentary, but it wasn't an existence, but they would be the beneficiary of it now, even though when they applied it did not exist. Absolutely, yeah. Okay. Again, I think the issue here is not should we do anything, it should we do all of this in forgo, all this revenue. And not have any cap, a guardrail, the compounding, even at a 10 year sunset, you're still compounding, compounding those numbers getting very high, very quick. And we're gonna say you already had a project that you're approved for, let's give it to you too. At the same time, we listened to 100 people last night, talk about needs $150,000 to convert a house for someone who's disabled. I just, the other thing is we are getting money right now. This flip side to the council president's point, that income tax may come and will come if these places are built and people move in. And I that 100% and that's a good thing is That we are receiving property tax revenue now. That's also not factored in to the impact statement either In the sense that what are we actually receiving on these properties that are eligible? And so that cut that cuts both of them were the we are literally unlike the Wal-Mata, where we were receiving nothing, because nothing was there. Here we actually are receiving something. And we'll get into affordability in a second, but I just think, on the next amendment, but we also have to ask what are we getting for this? And under the Womada pilot that was mentioned, there are rents that are $11,000. $11,000. I'm sorry, Councilor Sprysport, can we keep, we're just, I just want to keep to this amendment, because I have other people in the queue that want to speak to this amendment. Okay, I'll come back to the, we want to come back to the, the affordability that is another amendment. So just my, my, my, my just last point and I'll yield is that we can be favor of this conversion, but also want some level of analysis and some level of negotiation and not just say here, take everything. And we don't we just hope it works out. That's just not a plan. I have council member sales. Thank you, Council President. You know, I agree with the sentiments of this amendment. We all heard about the story's last night of the need for affordable housing, so I'm glad we're going to get to the amendment next about the percentage wise. But this is why I introduced the amendment during the joint committee session for the sunset. Because we really want to assess and evaluate how this pilot, how this bill actually improves our housing supply. If it supports the goals of increasing our housing supply, my goal is increasing our affordable housing supply with the thousands of people who are on the wait list. And so I don't think we're going to get the support for this amendment, but I appreciate the sentiments of creating a competitive market for folks to bid on which project is most feasible and most appropriate for a particular parcel. But I hope that we can reach the same evaluation method and ultimately get to the goal of creating a competitive market for more developers to quickly build more housing and more conversions. Thank you, Council Member Glass. Thank you, Madam President. I don't envy your task of following the bouncing balls, but it is all important conversation. First, I want to thank OMB for further explaining how an economic impact statement is generated. Important conversation here. And important for you to note that the economic statement that you provided is different now because the bill is different and the assumptions that were made were very different than the reality we are in now where the federal government is firing, eliminating and in destroying the way of life that Montgomery County has been used to for 40 or 50 years. And so things have to change. I want to go back to a point that was raised by the amendment sponsor about, well, sorry, I have two points. want to raise. Tax abatements. Can someone explain how tax abatements work? Because I think they're getting confused as summer stating that they are tax expenditures when we have a $7.7 billion budget with lots of needs as has been rightly pointed. How can you explain the difference there? So the tax payment under the agreement would simply be that each for each year in which the payment lieu of taxes is in place, whether it be 20 years, 25 years for each tax levy year when that property owner receives their property tax bill from the county, it would be zero if it's 100%. Abatement, of course, there are other taxes that are not affected by the pilot, but for each of those 20 years, 25 years for which the agreement is in place, the property tax bill on that property would be zero. And so a property that is 50% or more vacant is already contributing far less in their commercial tax, right? And a point that Councilmember Katz was making. That's right, yeah. And a new building that is full of people who are working, provide additional income tax, and also sales tax and other types of services, right. There was one in the economy also economic impacts and addition to the fiscal impacts. And that tax or those taxes and economic activity were not included in the fiscal impact statement. Is that correct? Which tax are you speaking about specifically? Income tax. Sales tax. We do not include economic activity. We do not collect sales tax here at the county level that goes to the state, but we do not include income tax, recreation tax, fuel, energy, or any of the other major taxes that we collect. Thank you. That's the full economic impact of these projects that were not necessarily included in the economic impact statement. And then last point because it was raised about projects that are currently in the queue. The amendment that I offered and that was supported by the committee simply is about the very first stage of a project and it is specifically for site plans. Can you explain how a site plan application works? So this would be for it. So this would cap your amendment that was recommended by committee would allow for those properties that have already received approval from the planning board for their site plan, which is sort of that large scale. There's a little bit discussion about this at the during the colloquy but with planning and DPS related to the ZTA but sort of that first level review from planning for those entities first level review Correct. This was contemplated in the expedited process in ZT-250 and so if if a project has already received a site plan, and then this package is approved, what would that home builder have to do in order then qualify for this? So, functionally without the amendment, without the amendment that home builder would have to reapply back to the planning board, pursuant to ZTA, 2503's changes to 4.4.3 and 7.5.3 the expedited process. And then how long would the process restart? So that would set them back, because we still stuck with 60 days for that. So let's get back into reality here. If a home builder has a project and it's the very first stage of that project and then this package is approved, all they have to do is withdraw their application and put it back in the next day. That's what's going to happen. And then the second thing that happens is their project is delayed by at least 60 days. And if the intention of this is to get as many homes built as quickly as possible, why would we want to delay it by 60 days? That's what the amendment did to allow those in site plan to move forward under this bill. Thank you. I know we have an amendment in front of it, but I know we're going off in different directions. I think I took accidentally Council Member of Fannie Gonzalez out of the queue. Did you want to say something and then we'll close up on this amendment. I took this out. I am going to call the question. All right. You're going to call the question on this amendment. Do I have a second? Second. Council Member Baltham's second. There's no debate on calling the question. It's a hand vote. We need seven affirmative votes to call the question. All those in favor of calling the question, please raise your hand. And... In our Malcolm's second, there's no debate on calling the question. It's a hand vote. We need seven affirmative votes to call the question. All those in favor of calling the question, please raise your hand. And we have one, two, three, four, five, just to vote on it, to close conversations. Yeah. To have no further discussion. No further to this amendment. So we have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Discussion of this amendment is closed. Now I will move the vote on this amendment. All those in favor of Council Vice President Joandos and amendment will just shorthand it to be a cap amendment. Please raise your hand. And that is one, two. that amendment does not move forward. Moving on now to number two. Also, Council Member Juwanda, and this is where we started again into conversations about affordability as a reminder in committee. The joint committee, we changed the affordability, and as the bill stands now, it is at 17.5% MPDU. Thank you, thank you, Madam President. The This amendment would require a greater percentage of affordable units at 25%. If folks remember, again, we are giving a modified in committee. There's a 17.5% right now, up from 15. The mandated by law over since the 70s is 12.5%, which has been effectively been 15% in most projects now. And so the bill is introduced was pretty much as close to the minimum that's already required under law for a very massive tax abatement. And I just want to give context for what that means. It is real dollars because if you look at one of our tax abatement pilot agreements, that tax property tax bill, I've seen a couple of them over the years. It shows that for that year, it shows how much you would have paid. And for a 200 person multifamily building, let's say it's a million dollars or something like that or 800,000, depending on where you are in the county, it'll say you don't have to pay that that year and it's zero. So it is an impact on both sides of the ledger as has been discussed. So the question is, what are we getting, again, not being against the conceptual idea here, but what are we getting for that? Are we getting above what the level of affordability that is required under law already? In deeper levels of affordability, because as we hear and we've heard last night and we continue to hear that's what is needed, or are we subsidizing high end, mostly market rate luxury apartments and as I mentioned before The one of the test cases this under the will-modapilot is you have rents that are $11,000 and 15% MPDU at a workforce level that is not gonna solve our Affordability crisis. It's just not. And if someone wants to build that, that's fine. But we shouldn't be subsidizing that in my view, without getting deeper levels of affordability. So this would require that there be 25% affordable units as at 60% similar to what the bill has introduced earning 60% of less of the area meeting income. And I think given what we're given away or foregoing, that's a reasonable number. So that would move that amendment. Thank you. Councillor Marra-Balcom. Oh, sorry, second. Second, Councillor Marra-Mig. I was just trying to speed it, sorry. I just didn't know there was a second. Thank you. So I co-sponsored this bill. I think it's very important that we move forward. And throughout the year that we looked at vacant commercial property, somebody in the discussion and the same discussion of needing affordable units. Someone invariably will say, why don't we just convert these empty office buildings to residential? Great idea and the reason that it doesn't happen is because it's extremely expensive to do that. We cannot do it without incentivizing the process. And so the original bill came up with 15% restricted income units and with a 25 year pilot. And that's a balance, right? So when we talk about penciling out a project, it has to work from a financial perspective and what that incentive is going to be. And so we got lots of testimony, we've had lots of conversations, phone calls, we've all had those conversations. And so in committee, in joint committee, we listened and increased it to 17.5% and reduced the pilot to the term to 20 years. And in doing so, we had to really think about the balance. And if that balance, if it's too, if we require too many income restricted units or if we have too short of a time for the tax abatement, it just doesn't work from a financial perspective. And so I don't support this amendment. I feel strongly that we need to move these forward. We need to incentivize this. It's a great idea. I think everybody agrees that conversion from commercial to residential solves two problems that we have in the county. It won't happen unless we incentivize it and it won't happen unless we have that balance, the correct balance. So I want to stick with, I'm going to stick with the Joint Committee recommendation. Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember Katz. Thank you, Madam President. I'm going to try to be very brief. I will not support the amendment. I remember vividly when you had commercial property or office property that if you decided to change the zone to residential, the property owner jumped up and down and said you were down zoning and that you were killing everything that you had ever wanted to do. And now it's certainly a very, very different world. It is very costly to reconfigure these office buildings to residential and you can start with the plumbing from when I've been told it's very sometimes it's easier to change from residential to commercial because you already have the plumbing in place. And I certainly am somebody that understands that we could get something done with the 17 and a half percent. And 17 and a half percent of something is a whole lot more than 25% of nothing. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Mank. I mean, ultimately we're trying to make it comparison that's very difficult to make because we're comparing against an opportunity cost and it's just hard to, you know, it's just math that doesn't exist. And so I really appreciate the sunset being put in place so that we have an opportunity to go and compare and I look forward to talking about that amendment also. My preference really would have been again to open up some kind of mechanism that would allow for some kind of negotiation as we move through this, but that moment has passed. And I do want to make sure that projects move forward, that the purpose of the bill comes to fruition. And it looks like as we consider, you know, whether or not we're leaving too much on the table, that that's gonna be a conversation that we have retroactively. So I think I'm gonna, I'm gonna hold that part of the conversation till we get to the sunset one. And I think this certainly emphasizes how important that conversation is. Does Council Member Duwando? Thank you, yeah, just, I appreciate Council Member Balkham's point and Council Member Makes point about one this the math doesn't exist that even the 17 and a half percent is kind of a number pulled out of a hat. It's no there's no way to know what the only way to know is to actually have a conversation in a and see performance and do have some sort of engagement on it. That's really the only way to protect the taxpayer. Otherwise, it's just saying, you know, here's what you got. I hope it works. And again, it's not against doing nothing in that. It's against how do we have some level of balancing. And I agree. I think we're just ending up on a different side of the back. You know, what the balance is. So I don't know where 17.5 came from, but 25 seems reasonable to me given the cost, but that's where we are. Thank you, Council Vice President Javana. I just wanted to give our staff an opportunity because I think there was a lot of thought that went into the 17 and a half. There were models run on looking at different percentages on this, and just wanted to give Miss Dalie an opportunity to talk about all the work he's been doing. Thank you. No, it's it was a lot of fun. No, we ran a lot of models. We consulted with various experts both at the planning department who ran a lot of detailed models as well about existing on existing qualifying sites and they ran really detailed cash flow models that I utilized in my own analysis. Also spoke with members of the development community who shared some of their own pro form as between all of that in my own sort of analysis. I was able to come up with a few scenarios that I think generally captured the type of development that we think could happen here. It's a high level, it's not meant to be rigorous in terms of capturing every possible scenario, but landing on that sort of stick bill five over one multifamily building as our baseline. Just as an example, we were able to sort of test the difference between in trade off of the sort of feasibility metric of yield on cost and how increments of 2.5% of affordable, you know, above and beyond the, above the 15% would change the performance and then also how the affordability level would change that. And so you were able to measure that in terms of the change to yield on cost. And again, it's sort of more of a indication of the order of magnitude to change more so than a scientific analysis, but it does provide some sense of the trade-off, which was I think accounted for. Yeah, I appreciate that. And I know you work very hard and have worked very hard, Mr. Ali. So thank you. My point being that obviously every site is different, every property is different. Where in the county is going to be different. The project, depending on the project, if you've already approved for a project, obviously had a performance in mind that you thought could work and you know now you'll you'll get this even if you might not need it and so the the idea is what are we getting for that foreground revenue I totally appreciate your point that you know for example like the the guy co property if that's, if they're leaving to move to a different headquarters, right, they will be vacant. Would this, that would be eligible under this? I believe so. Yeah, I'm right. So like in a very, so they're not leaving because it wasn't, there wasn't anyone there. It was fully leased, but they're moving to a nicer place, which we're happy. Thank you, Geico. But then they will still own the building. They Geico, or whoever owns that building, I think it's them. Yeah. So then they're they're going to be moving to a bigger place. And a place that's very desirable in friendship heights that could probably be filled with folks who want to be there, because the market rent is very very high and it's a desirable place. They could benefit from this to demolish or so or redevelop that property there, right there, under this bill if it passed as is. Yes, yeah. But they would be tied to the timeline as well that's required on the bill. Again, I think something in a highly desired desirable office place, I don't know if that's something we would want to be incentivizing. But I appreciate the work that went into it. My, again, my point is that it's hard to nail down exactly what. In the basis of your performance is on, you used information from planning is in large part based on what you think the returns would be, where the capital's coming from, what could you talk a little bit about that? Sure, yes. I mean, you sort of industry standards for the, what I would say is the metric of feasibility. In this case, the yield on cost. So when you have a cap rate in the market, which sort of measures the sale price of net operating income for multi-family buildings, you want roughly 100 or one percentage point above that as a metric for feasibility. And so the question was, does our analysis show with that with the pilot do they achieve that? And that's sort of a minimum standard. And I would just say that that's slightly different than the profit margin, because those are sort of assumed elsewhere in the pro forma, right? Like different developers will have different construction costs, different, you know, relationships with builders where they may have lower or higher labor costs depending on the situation they may already own the material, they may already own the land. And so, you know, the yield on cost reflects all of those profit margins that are within the performance, and they're different for different developers. So the yield that we target is sort of the minimum that's just what anybody is trying to achieve and you don't really necessarily attempt to achieve more than that because your profit margin is not your yield on cost. It's the sort of cost savings that you're getting from or the revenue that you're generating from your building more so than that minimum yield, which is the baseline metric in my performance. I appreciate the work you've done and appreciate the caveats as well. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Almanaz. Thanks, just going to state the obvious here. Clearly, we need affordable and deeply affordable housing units, but we need housing units of all shapes and sizes to address many of the needs that we're facing right now which will have a positive net effect if we have more places for people to go people to be able to downsize to people to start their first home in so it really creates a positive cascading effect. Thank you council member M workers. I appreciate the work in the analysis that went into coming up with the number and also acknowledging that this is just not that again we're working with numbers that are kind of out in the ether to some extent having that discussion when we get there. And I'm gonna withdraw my second. Thank you. On the amendment. All right, so we have a withdrawal of the second on this amendment. So I think this amendment then is done. All right. Moving forward, then Council Member Sales since the amendment on the 25% was done. I'm gonna fight it out all afternoon. No, I'll withdraw my amendment. Thank you. Much gratitude for moving us along. I appreciate everyone. And I appreciate our representatives from WSSC who are here waiting. So then we're on number three. And this goes back to Council Vice President Jouando and the prevailing wage requirement. Great, I'll be quick and clear here. We're giving a subsidy to developers because it's something that we want to see happen. If this bill were to pass, that we just talked about the affordability. This is about who's building it. And similar how we when we built schools and we had discussion about this or other places and we put in public money or forego public money. I think the folks that working on these projects should be paid the prevailing wage or banking. And so that would be moving that amendment recognizing the dignity of work for these folks. Thank you. I have a motion and a second by council member sales. Council member Lutkey. Thank you, Madam President. I have a lot of concerns about doing this and sort of the intrusion into the private market. We certainly want to encourage it, but I don't think we should be putting obstacles up. When in fact, the whole point of what we're doing is to try to incentivize this type of development. In terms of schools, we've had case example here where we've had multiple discussions this year where MCPS didn't use prevailing wage, right? So that's not even a constant in our schools. It is something we do as as county government though. We want to make sure because builders have choices that the choice they're making is Montgomery County. And the success of this depends on private industry, private developers coming in to do this work. We cannot increase our supply and therefore we cannot increase more affordable housing without developers choosing to be here and we've already had plenty of other challenges that have gotten in our way and reason why things are scald in the pipeline. I don't want to add an impediment in this bill that would reduce the efficacy of the action we're trying to take. So with that, I would oppose the amendment. Councilmember Vanagan-Sales. Thank you, Madam President. I will also agree with Councilmember Lutke. I will oppose this amendment. We're talking about private land. This is an incentive to ensure that we're moving forward projects that will create more housing, that will update their stone water management, that will activate places in the entire county. I think we have a problem, I say, I'm going to say it as a government sometimes, that we over-regulate every single thing in the end, we get nothing. And I think this is going to be one of examples for that. On public land and all for it, MCBS, you know, parking planning, land, but this is now what we're talking about here. So thank you. Thank you, Council Member Mink. Noligen, that it's really important. There's a lot of benefits to having prevailing wage and to providing those benefits to our labor force that there's downstream economic benefits as well also acknowledging that we want these projects to move forward wishing that I had time to have more information about how this could you know could impact it in both directions. I don't have time so I'm going to abstain from this one. All right, not seeing anyone. All of those in favor of the amendment of requiring PLA, a prevailing wage requirement, please raise your hand. I have two for that. All those opposed. I have what's two eight and one abstaining. Thank you. God, I had to talk to finance about their report. Now you make me do math here. Okay, next we're on the sunset. And this is Council Vice President Joando. Thank you, you're here. Sunsetting, we're getting home. Coming home here. So there was as was introduced, it would have gone on in perpetuity, the GOE committee, I think wisely decided to set some limit on this bill of 10 years. Although the agreements that are entered into prior to the sunset maintain, I just think we had a little bit of discussion about that earlier with finance about how those compounding even so as whatever's done, it keeps going, which in would remain for the full pilot period, which is now 20 years. I'm recommending a shorter period here, which is again another fiscal control. It also allows us to give some data and that does the minor master plan. For example, we removed the cap. And we're looking at a five year implementation to just see what's going on. I think this is another way, again, we could always extend it. It says it's the best things in sliced bread or hold on. We need some controls or we need another program. I think it's a prudent step to do it at five years, but also still very appealing for people that, when if you get in in the five years, you've got it for the whole time. So I think it just allows us to have a quicker review. Well, it won't be me, but somebody. So I would move that sunset to go to five years. I have a second. Council member, make second and you're up first. Council member. Okay, y'all. I think that, I do think that this This is a really important mechanism and I don't know and I appreciate the implementation of the 10 year. That does feel too long to me. The economic conditions, you know, four years from now, hopefully, could be wildly different than what we're seeing right now, like wildly, wildly different. Or not. And that's going to be important to know also. This is an opportunity to ensure that we come back and check in and really do a deep dive in an analysis on the impact that's happening, which again, I wish we were able to do now, but one, there's a time constraint because we're trying to get this done, I understand that. But two, because we don't have the actual data, right? So we will have some data in a few years. Now, whether five years is the right amount of time, I understand the questions around that also because we have to get to occupancy. And as the council president noted, that can be, you know, that's a couple of years there. So, but again, I don't know that it take, we don't, I don't think that we need tenure. So I would propose a friendly amendment to the amendment of shifting it to seven years to add on that couple of years, additional time for occupancy, recognizing again that yes, it's retroactive. I understand all the points that the council vice president made. But I do think that with every year that this goes on, we are adding potentially an opportunity cost, and we're going to better understand that a few years from now. I think we're going to be able to start to understand that before 10 years from now. My hope is that this goes awesome and that we're really able to see tremendous benefits and that we're going to be extending this and continuing to grow the amount of officer residential conversions that would be my hope obviously. But I think that it would make a lot of sense for us to have as early a check-in period as we think we would be able to have valid data to assess and to ensure that the council, whoever they maybe at that time and the county executive are forced to have that reckoning. I also see a benefit and encouraging developers to get a now and get it going. I see a benefit there as well to shortening the time period there. So I'll second the amendment but I would ask that we amend it to seven years. I'll ride with the person who got me on the train. Okay, so the amendment before us is now seven year sunset as opposed to what was amended in committee to ten years. Council member sales. Yes. Yes, I introduced the 10-year sunset that doesn't preclude us from evaluating the projects success or the program. Before that, it just amends how quickly we can stop the program, the option to stop the pilot at 10 years or actually sunset it. I'm'm open to seven years. If that will incentivize developers to get in quicker, I would be open to supporting seven years. Thank you, Council Member Malcolm. Thank you. First I want to thank Council Member Sales for proposing the sunset in the Joint Committee. It makes sense. It's a complex program and it really makes sense to take a look at this, give the program a chance to work out the kinks and it was a unanimous recommendation and I continue to support the 10 years. So for me, the issue is, the commercial real estate industry right now is in flux. And we know, for instance, we know that it's a 19% vacancy right now throughout when the Economic Development Committee studied it. We heard anecdotally that and talking with a lot of brokers, there's an edge out, there's a cliff out there in terms of increased vacancies. So every time a lease is renewed, we're hearing stories that the least is taking less space. So, so, for in one aspect, I think that 10 years, five years is too short, seven years I think is too short. It's real, these real estate deals take a long time. Leases take a long time. And if there are, I accept the issue of, if projects are going to happen, let's move them along and let's get them going. But the flip side is there are going to be properties that are on the bubble, right? They might be 60% vacant, they might be 40% vacant, and those property owners are trying to make a determination about do they keep this in commercial, do they keep it, or do they move to residential. And I think that we need to let the market help dictate what happens. And I think that having a seven year, now seven year, it's not enough time. I think that 10 years makes sense to give this program a chance only because of the complexity of these projects, their complex real estate projects, even in the best of times these projects take a very long time to determine they have to come up with financing because it's the finance aspect is an important aspect too. So when you go from the idea in someone's in the owner's head of converting to actually going to site plan review, that's a long time. And so I'm going to stick with 10 years. Thank you. Council Member Fannie Gonzalo. Thank you, Madam President. Is there somebody else waiting after me? No, you're done. Oh, beautiful. I will say. How's somebody? Oh, great. No, I'll do it. I will say, honestly, if you haven't made up your mind at this point, I will say a couple things very quickly. I'm going stick with the recommendation that cancel member sales, giving committee. I thought it was very smart of her and it was right on target. And let's just please remember that all this work, just like rent stabilization, gets review every year by the PHP committee. So we are tracking this. You don't need to say, oh, we need to have a sunset so we can, at seven years or five years so we can see what's been happening. No, we're looking at this on an annual basis. So I'm gonna stay with it. Thank you, Council Member Cells, for presenting this. I hope we can vote. Yes, okay. All those in favor of the amendment, which is now a seven year sunset, please raise your hand. I have one, two, all those opposed. That is nine. All right. Now I have a question about the next couple of highlights given on pilots, given amendments, given the what we did on the ZTA. So Council Vice President Joando? Yeah, the retail amendment, I think I asked at the beginning of this, is not necessary since of what happened in the ZTA, so I will not be offering that amendment. Okay. And Council Member Sales for your amendment, do we take care of everything in the ZTA on the retail piece? Yes, that's fine. Great. And now we have the four-sale option and so council member sales this was your amendment. Yes and so during the joint committee session I introduced this amendment. We didn't have time to update the packet at the time with the correct language for this amendment but there are a lot of residents who not only won affordable housing but also want pathways to home ownership. We know that following the pandemic, rent stabilization was passed in this county because renters did not have the predictability of a mortgage. of a mortgage. They couldn't lock in their interest rate like homeowners. And as we are thinking about incentivizing developers to build and to add to our supply, I wanted to include an option for sale affordability. And so for rental, I know that originally, I had introduced the amendment for 30% of moderately priced dwelling units for a 20 year pilot at 60% AMI. We've already agreed that we're not interested in the 30%. But for for sale, speaking with our development community and penciling out what would be most beneficial, we decided on 30% MPD use split evenly with 60% area median income or less and 120% area median income or less for a 25-year pilot. This amendment ensures that we not only provide dense multi-family housing, but we also provide the options for people to build equity and to build intergenerational wealth by becoming home owners. We know that, you know, we heard from quite a few people last night during our first public hearing about the health disparities that accompany not just homelessness but poverty impoverished populations and to ensure long-term sustainability to ensure we are getting the return on our investment long-term. We're building stable communities through home ownership options and believe this is a good opportunity to do so as we are all working towards increasing our supply of all types of housing, not just rental, but also housing. housing and these are not deeply affordable. This is a workforce. 120% area median income. You know, I learned some things as well because when I first introduced this during committee, I was still talking about 30% area median income and 60% area median income until I found out what those numbers actually meant. And so, 60% area median income and 120% area median income is close to $100,000 that you need to make in order to purchase one of these homes that are built. But a 25-year pilot would with the sunset of 10 years, would be beneficial for our developers to create home ownership opportunities with this legislation. Do I have a second? Council member Ming second, I have Council member Luki. I think I'm a little confused about, like I understand what you just explained and what the intent is and certainly we do want to incentivize home ownership and we have lots of other programs that we do in the county to try and get people into home ownership. the county does and the state does as well. Make that conversion from renters to owners. But are you, is this a rent limit or are you proposing that the tax credit go to someone else? So the tax credit would still be paid by the home owner but would go back to the developer. Okay so I mean and this is I guess a question for for you for yes. Councillor O'Gorzellac. Did I get it? That was absolutely perfect. Rock'm going on. All right. I know everybody's hungry and tired, but you deserve that. So my question is, is that, you know, like when there's a property tax credit and if you're not the primary homeowner anymore, like so the tax, the credit goes to the owner of the building and then if you you're selling the unit, then you're not the owner anymore. And the credit goes to the original owner and the slash the builder, right? So I'm confused about whether that's possible under state law. So the way that the pilot would work is that the tax evapment shows up on the annual tax levy for that property. So whoever is the current at that time owner of the property would receive a tax bill that says zero because the assessed amount was zeroed out. For the force option to work in council member Sal's intent is that that abated amount would be in some mechanism, and ultimately this would be up to the executive to determine how it wants to implement either by regulation or through sort of routine implementation of the law, how it might contemplate or effectuate the transfer of that tax abatement benefit to the developer and the intent of the bill. Okay, and there's no state law issue there at all. Not in terms of, it would probably presumably be by a separate side agreement or some sort of covenant that runs with the land. So it would not be set forth in the pilot. So that's why state-enabling languages like in Dover Touch on this. And then I guess so that was like the law question and then there's the capacity question, right? Because that's like this sounds somewhat cumbersome to administer and do we have the capacity to do that? Was that what you want to come back? That would be a question for for DH I mean ultimately the pilots are implemented by DHCA and finance And so presumably the capacity question would be best situated to them they requested additional FTE and the FIS, so presumably there would be additional FTEs requested, but ultimately that would be their decision. To backtrack to your prior question, just to make sure I understood, the state enabling legislation does permit a pilot when there is an interest subsidy, so something like an FHA loan or an MMP, something like that. So from a purely legalistic standpoint, a pilot could legally be implemented with a four-cell option. Okay. Okay. I think that's good for now. I mean, I have concerns. I'm going to not vote for it, but I just thank you. Thank you very much. I'm just going to say thank you to Councilmember Sales. We had a good conversation and I appreciate you bringing this back to us and would very much like to explore this in another vehicle moving forward. I think for this pilot, I feel like we're at a good place but would like to explore a a 4- option in a specific pilot that was for sale. Because I think there are some complexities on how it would be actually administered and would like to spend time hammering that out, but just very much appreciate raising that. So all those in favor of the the court of the Madam President. So after this package passes, we will get into the regulations and how this will be administered and how the departments are actually going to fulfill what's laid out in this bill. Potentially 52 24 already sets forth the regulatory mechanism for all of the pilots. I do not believe that 5224 as it presently stands has any regulations. The Womada Pilot 52248 does have regulations attached to it. Okay. Okay. All right. Thank you. Thank you. All right. All those in favor of the amendment for the four cell option. Please raise your hand. That is one. All those opposed. That's 10. We're not moving forward with that amendment. I believe those are all the amendments that have been proposed. Are there any other matters before we move to a vote? Nothing against that. All right. We did not amend this in full council. We have a recommendation that stands from the joint government operations, physical policy and economic development committees. This is a roll call vote. Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Madam President, I'm sorry. Yeah, I don't know if anyone has any comments. I'd like to make a comment. Okay, council member Gus. Great. Thank you, Madam President. We are in a housing crisis and Governor Moore has stated that the state of Maryland needs to build 96,000 units. And over the last 10 years, Maryland has underproduced at a rate of 5,600 units per year, meaning where that short every single year. And having low housing supply and incredible demand to live in Montgomery County means that our housing value is now about $615,000 for the median single-family home. And I was not an original co-sponsor of this legislation because I had some serious questions and those questions needed answers. First I wanted to know why we only required 15% of units to be set aside for low-income residents and why the proposed tax abatement would last for 25 years, especially when regional partners offered shorter abatements. And when the level of public investment, whether this level of public investment would help meet our housing goals. And those were important considerations that we have talked through throughout the committee and full council. And at joint committee, we made significant improvements. We increased the required percentage of low income units from 15% to 17.5%. We decreased the length of the tax abatement from 25 years to 20 years. and we added a 10 year sunset to the bill so we can reevaluate it in the future. And the bill was improved. That's why I supported it in committee and that's why I'll support it today. It's also important to note that there are a lot of people in our community who support this effort. I've been receiving emails since last summer when the attainable housing strategy was first proposed. And there was a lot of concern people had about attainable housing. And they wrote and shared those concerns with me, but they also said, quote, while the goals of affordable housing, mix around the county are good and important, there are other options such as conversion to office buildings that Washington, DC, is now experimenting with. Another email said we should look into the use of vacant buildings for residential units. These vacant spaces to create residential living make sense without impacting already established neighborhoods. And one last email said if you really want more housing stock, look at the areas already ripe for development or conversion, such as the former White Flint Mall property or any of the unused, underused office buildings. And so when we look around at other jurisdictions around the nation that are leading in this effort, be it Washington, D.C., Boston, or Seattle, they're leading in this conversion because they're supporting the conversions. We currently allocate about $169 million in our operating and capital budgets to build and support subsidized housing. And that funding largely goes to help, an example here, that funding largely goes to help a family of four that makes between $60,000 and $80,000 a year, a family of four making between $60,000 and $80,000 a year. But we have a housing crisis. So what about a family of four that earns $100,000 a year? They don't qualify for our programs right now. What about a married couple, both of whom are MCPS teachers with graduate degrees and step level three, and they earn a combined $167,000. They don't qualify for subsidized housing, but they need housing. And so all of these efforts that we are, will be approving today, help us create more housing for more people. And it's also important to note the fiscal impact statements that have been noted to not be correct for the bill that is before us. And we can take that up as we move forward, especially with the 10-year sunset, but in order to tackle the housing crisis for low income and middle class residents, and let me say that again, low income and middle class residents, we need more housing. And this amended legislation is better than what was originally proposed, and I'm proud to support it. Thank you. Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Council member Lutki? Yes. Council member Lutki votes yes. Council member Mink? Yes. Council member Mink votes yes. Council member Sales? Yes. Council member Sales votes yes. Council member Freason? Yes. Council member Freason votes yes. Council member Glass? Yes. Council member Glass votes yes. Council member Katz? Yes. Council Member Freason, vote yes. Council Member Glass. Yes. Council Member Glass, vote yes. Council Member Katz. Yes. Council Member Katz, vote yes. Council Member Alvarnos. Yes. Council Member Alvarnos, vote yes. Council Member Fonding and Zalas. Yes. Council Member Bacchum. Yes. Council Member Bacchum, vote yes. Council Member Duwando. No. Council Member Duwando, vote no.member Stewart? Yes. Councilmember Stewart votes yes. Thank you. Thank you, everyone. Thank you to our staff for all their work. Thank you to finance and everyone who helped us in this conversation. Next, we have introduction of bills. We have agenda item three, which is the introduction of bill 11-25. Child Care Coordination Amendments, the lead sponsor is myself at the request of the county executive, a public hearing is scheduled, April 29th, 2025 at 9.30am. Miss Wellens, do we have anything we need to speak to on this? Just to add, Madam President, thank you. It's a relatively straightforward bill. It does two things, as you mentioned, it's at the request of the county executive. It would eliminate the childcare and early care education officer with the rationale that it's no longer a needed position. And then in addition, it would eliminate the early childhood coordinating council because the duties of the council have been transferred to the early care and education coordinating entity under prior legislation bill 42-21. Thank you. Thank you very much. This bill is introduced. Agenda item 4 is a work session on the WSSC water FY 26 to 31 capital improvement program. I'm going to thank profusely our representatives from WSSC for bearing with us this morning. Commissioner Bayonets here, we have our commission chair, Foster, thank you so much for being here. Hope you enjoyed the beginning conversation. And got to see our work, Ms. Lutenko, I will turn over to, you. Oh, cut for apologies. I will turn it first to Chair Glass, Chair of the T&A. Thank you very much, Council President. Appreciate WSSC being here and members of the board as well. What we have before us is a $4.8 billion request, which is a decrease of $1.8 million in the approved CIP. There are five new projects that are included. One is the fairly farm west main, what west water main. And then the other are informational projects, including important items like the lead reduction program, the PFAS management strategy, the master planning and facilities planning and investment program, and the high-influent infiltration basin rehabilitation. There are a lot of other issues to discuss in the future particularly, and especially the long-range financial planning and affordability issues. You've had that discussion here, but it will continue. And with that, I yield back, Madam President. Thank you, Mr. LeChango. We have WSSE Water staff here to answer questions. I think it's important to note that while the six year total is about the same, as Chair Glass noted, there are several new projects that are in there. Those were funded through reallocations from other projects in the CIP, so that's certainly one factor. Another item of interest that has been of interest to the Council is there is also work within the one of the other information only projects to restart the a metering infrastructure upgrade project. This project was in the CIP for many years but was pulled out around the time of the pandemic for mainly fiscal reasons. It is back and that project has a lot of implications both on the operating and the capital side and in terms of customer information regarding potential high bill issues which the council is familiar with and also just generally providing more real time or near real time data to customers and to WSSE water and maintaining their system. So I did want to know that that initiative is not its own project but it's within an umbrella project. Otherwise, we have a lot of ongoing reconstruction work in the CIP, which is where the bulk of the money is. But there is, as Chair Glass mentioned, the master planning and facilities planning and investment project. That's really a placeholder project with a lot of planning work ongoing as WCC Water is revisiting its priorities for the next six years. So that project will fill out over time with projects. So that's partly where some of the resources went from some of the existing projects was to that going forward. As Chair Glass mentioned, we also have the annual issue of addressing WCWaters affordability issues and long range financial plan. We'll discuss that in a bit more detail with regard to the operating budget in the committee later this month and then at the council in early May. But just to note that that long range financial plan does take into account the proposed WSSE Water CIP before the Council today. And with that, I'll yield back to see if there's any questions for me or for WSSE Water folks that are here. Great. Did we have a presentation? No. Okay, no. Okay. There was one in the packet. Right. The T&E committee did receive a presentation. That presentation, the slides for that are in the packet. And they're the same. Yes. Yes. Excellent. All right. Anyone have any questions? I am not seeing any. I just want to extend my thanks to all of you for all of your work and understanding how important the WSSC-CIP really is. And in terms of the making sure that we have the infrastructure for our region and particularly for our county, for our residents, as we have said before from this dias, you know, making sure our residents have access to water, clean water, and we take care of our sewage is one of the basic things we need to do. So just really appreciate all the work that you are doing at this time and look forward to continuing the process as we go through the budget. So thank you very much. All right. We will now move on to action on a resolution to approve the comprehensive solid waste management plan from 2025 to 2023. Excuse me, going backwards. From 2025 to 2034, the Transportation and Environment Committee recommends approval with an amendment. I will turn it over to Chair Glass. Thank you Madam President. The County Solid Waste Plan is required to be reviewed and updated every three years. And the current plan was approved by the Council in October of 2021. And as noted, the TNE Committee on March 24 did unanimously approve approval, recommend approval with changes. And I made an amendment that was supported by colleagues that amend Section 534, the resource recovery facility, and it's important for all colleagues to note this. The amendment that we made says, quote, as the county evaluates options outlined in the finalized solid waste management system analysis, it will concurrently explore feasible waste diversion and disposal alternatives while advancing efforts toward the closure of the resource recovery facility, also known as the incinerator. And so the committee approved the plan with that amendment 30. I yield back. Thank you, Mr. LeChenko. You want to give us the history. What are we doing here? Because there's been a lot of conversation about the RF, other things as we're doing the budget. But can you just level set for as chair's last just did what plan before us today? Right. The plan before you today is more of a status plan of where things are now. There will be a lot of discussion coming up for the Council with regard to future solutions for the disposal of waste. And that will ultimately take the form of an amendment to this plan again, but that would be at a future date. So this plan is intended to focus on what is in place now and the work that is ongoing now in terms of studying where we may go, but it's not defining what that solution is today. So that's very important. The other piece is a lot of this information as required by the state. a's a lot of data, a lot of updating. And as noted in the cover memo, this plan was sent to the state last fall. So between then and now, there's been more things that have happened and changed. So staff did work with DEP as well as with the planning department and WSSE water to update other elements of the plan as needed. So those, I would consider more technical updates. We didn't spend a lot of time on those in committee. Those are more just getting it factually updated and corrected, some erata, things like that. So those elements are also reflected in the April version of the draft plan, which is what this resolution today would approve. So we had those changes. We also had Council Chair's glasses, additional language for that section of the plan that he already referenced. But other than that, that's about it at this point. But a lot more to come in terms of the budget discussion in the next five, six weeks, as well as further discussion of the long range planning for the ultimate decision about how we're going to dispose of our waste long term. Terrific. Thank you very much. I am not seeing any questions on this. So we have a recommendation from the Transportation Environment Committee. Those in favor of adopting this resolution, please raise your hand. And that is unanimous. Thank you, Mr. LeChenko, for that work. Now we will have a briefing on the FY26 operating budget overview. Okay, good morning. Given the time, Mr. Smith and I will try to limit our comments to only one hour. It's actually afternoon, but that's okay. It needs to change your remarks. So Mr. Smith and I are excited to be here this morning on behalf of the entire Central Staff Team, provide an overview of the executives FY26 recommended operating budget and highlight some of the big picture topics the council will need to make decisions on over the course of the next month and a half. And so we will jump right into it. Just beginning we'll kind of go through the context, talk about the recommended budget, give a summary of the RESJ framework submitted with the executives budget, talk about some of the fiscal policies, and then talk about the operating budget approach requested by the council president and some of the scenarios that we were asked to develop as part of this presentation. So to begin with, the executive has recommended an FY 26 budget. Sorry, I'm sorry again, Mr. Howard. Can we switch what our monitors have because I'm looking at myself now to look at the PowerPoint? Yep, we will get that. We will get that happening while we're talking. The executive's recommended budget is about $7.66 billion, an increase of 7.4% from FY25. Of course, the federal and state news and decisions have kind of shifted the focus of the counties outlook and the budget. Unfortunately, many uncertainties remain. On the federal side, we don't need to go into all that detail because you've heard it before, but federal works force, federal economic policy, and then potential loss of federal funding of the big concerns. On the state side, they've been addressing and finished addressing partially yesterday, a $3 billion budget deficit for this current year, which will result in different implications for the county in terms of some cost shifts, as well as some potential options for revenue as well. And regionally, other local jurisdictions are also been faced with some structural budget deficits, as well that they've been dealing with. And there's also been risk of some bond rating downgrades for some local jurisdictions. This slide, before we get into the details of the budget, summarizes the racial equity framework that the executive submitted as part of his budget. As in past years, the Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice prepared an operating budget equity tool to analyze all the department's budget submissions. They moved away from a scoring system this year to a strengths and opportunities system. And so for each department, Council staff and analysts will be preparing information on that analysis to include as part of the committee's discussion. And also the different agencies have submitted RESJ statements along with their budgets as well, then we will include those as part of the Council discussion. And with that, I'll turn it over to Mr. Smith for the next group of slides. Thank you. Good afternoon, Council. So with that, the executive submitted a budget to the Council on March 14th, and rather than going through all the details, we'll hit the high broad strokes that are in that budget. Again, for those watching at home, lot of this is in the packet in more details. So one of the big strokes of the executive's budget this year is recommending again another supplemental and CPS property tax increase at 3.5 cents. That was also done in fiscal 24 and the council approved a 4.7 cent increase and set of the 10 cent increase recommended by the executive. That raises about $88.7 million new dollars for the budget and we'll talk about that in a few minutes. The executive also recommended a $168 increase to the income tax offset credit, totally $860. That is a tax expenditure in the budget at $32.4 million and we'll again talk about that in a few minutes. The executive representative recommended MCPS funding at close to $3.6 billion, a very large greater than 50% of the county's total budget expenditures. This is a $256 million increase over the state maintenance of effort level. And again, during the committees review, the council's review, they'll be discussed some more. The state, solid waste charges were also increased in this budget, about $100 per resident or 105% per commercial properties depending on their tonnage and their square footage. And that's going to fund ongoing expenditures both for annualization costs, the recovery, sorry, the resource recovery facility as well as the material recycling and biological treatment facility. All of these are self-contained increases and expenditures in the Department of Environmental Protection Budget and Mr. Levchenko, who is just here in Mexico, we'll be talking about those at the TN Committee this Friday. But those are part of the executive's recommended budget. And the executive also recommended several increased fees such as the water protection charge, 911 fees, community use of public facilities, rental fees, as we just talked about the WSSC rate fees. So, council staff out of considering all of these, each president and each property owner receives a consolidated property tax bill that includes taxes, solid waste charges, and water quality protection charges. And so this table, which is also in the packet, helps to see how all of these increases along with the assessment increases that most property owners are facing this year, how that will play out in the executive's recommended budget. The average residential property is seen about a 6.6% increase in their assessments. Commercial properties are a little lower at 6.1%. And that's the largest driver in all property tax bills each year. Assessment increases drive most of the increase in cost for residents or property owners. The table also breaks down how the tax rate increased, the three and a half cents, the eye-talk credit for those that are eligible, and solid waste. As you can see, the solid waste fee is kind of eating up 60% of the executives recommended eye-talk increase. And again as we noted in the packet assessment increases or decreases drive most of these property tax bills. And so certainly if someone's not coming in at average below or above they will see greater or less than what we've demonstrated here. This chart helps us see the total tax-supported increases over the last about 10, 15 years. As you can see, we have, the county's experienced significant increases in our revenues and tax-spot revenues for the last four years coming out of the COVID area, regardless of the property tax increases that were proposed in 24 or 26. And again, the 7.6% increase that's estimated for fiscal 26 includes the county executive's proposed tax rate increase, but without that, it would still be about 5.9%. I'm sorry, 5.1% or about $385 million new tax dollars to be used for expenditures. I think the most important thing or what counts as the most important thing coming in this table is that the expenditure or the tax growth expected in fiscal years 27 through 31 are significantly less than what we're seeing in 26 even with the tax increase. In total, real dollars we're going to see about $190 million annualized in terms of tax growth, which is about half of what's being programmed in new dollars this year. I'm going to go ahead and mostly skip this slide given our time because I've just talked about this, but the reality is our property taxes and income taxes over the last four years have seen significant tax growth. Property tax mostly under assessments, excluding the tax increase both proposed in 26 and approved in 24, and income tax has been growing at a healthy clip coming out of the COVID era. Again, given the numbers I just talked about for the estimated tax revenues in 27, 331, those are much less than what we see in the last four years. And certainly if they come in, excluding the comments and Mr. Howard just made about federal policy shifts and federal employment shifts. We will see a lot more, our lot significant reduction in our revenues compared to what we have been seeing for the last four years. And with that, I'll turn it over to Mr. Howard for the next set of slides. So this next slide just is a summary of all the different agencies and the changes in the budget. And you can see, while overall the tax-supported budget is a 6.8% increase, there is some variation amongst the agencies in the proportion of that increase with MCPS at the highest at about 8.8%, the college and park and planning just below 4%. And debt services actually decrease of 3% this year, which added about $13.8 million of additional room for expenditures in other agencies. This slide shows the different components for the different agencies kind of breaking down where the changes come. For county government you'll see and we'll talk a little bit more about this in a minute. A lot of the change is due to compensation adjustments. Beginning with the annualization of last year's compensation increases that were approved. That takes up 18.9 million dollars of budget room, the FY26 adjustments, FY26 new positions. And then you have about 37.6 million dollars of proposed additions or enhancements, net of new positions for county government that are recommended in the executive's budget For MCPS the majority of the increase is for the local contribution $250 million and there's about a $24 million increase in the non-county funds primarily in in state aid This next slide shows the FY 26 proposed pay adjustments for Montgomery County Government MCPS because that it's the bulk of the spending of the different agencies. For the County Government, the executive recommends general wage adjustments of 4.8% for police and PLS, or police management, 3.25% for firefighters and firefighter management, and 3.0% for McGio non-represident employees and MLS. I will note that all the pay adjustments this year for general wage adjustments are scheduled to start in July. So unlike prior years, there's not going to be an annualization tale that moves into FY27. There's a proposed 3.5% service increment for all employees as well as the performance space pay for MLS and PLS. For MCPS, there's a 3.25% general wage adjustment in July for all the different employee bargaining units as well as the standard service increment for MCPS employees as well, which varies a little bit based on employee union. So this next slide shows the cost of the FY26 pay adjustments as well as the cost increases to pay for existing employee benefit levels. And as we've talked about before, government is a people-intensive business. So understandable that the compensation costs often represent a significant portion of yearly increases. For pay adjustments in FY26, the recommendations would cost $38.5 million for county government and about $123.5 million for MCPS. Benefit cost increases are also showing significant jumps in FY 26, $28.7 million for county government and $93.6 million for MCPS. does include the proposed penchant shift for MCPS. But I want to highlight that group insurance costs increases are really the driver this year of the employee benefit pieces. And again, that's for current group insurance levels for existing employees. It's not an enhancement of group insurance benefits. In this last slide shows the percent increase in the executives recommended county government tax-supported compensation costs from FY 16 through FY 26 compared to the six year projected annual growth rate. The tax-supported compensation growth rate in FY 26 of 7.1 percent is more than two times the projected six year growth rate of 3.55%. The Geo committee will receive greater detail information of all aspects of compensation and benefit costs in their meeting on April 21st. I'll turn it back to Mr. Smith. Thank you. I'll close out with fiscal policies and then the Council President's approach and requests. So the county's fiscal policies help guide sustainability and throughout the years. And so for reserves, the recommendation or the policy level is 10% of adjusted governmental revenues. Fiscal 25 revised is coming in at about $906.6 million or 13.5% of that level, much better than what was expected when the budget was approved in fiscal 2024. And then fiscal 26, as recommended by the executive, it's gonna come in at 791 million or about 11.2%. The reduction is due to the executive's recommendation of using about $115.6 million in reserves to fund ongoing expenditures in the recommended fiscal 26 operating budget. And so the council will be looking at that throughout their time and committees. Quickly on the few other fiscal policy items, the revenues stabilization fund, which is a component of the county's reserves, summer to the last couple of years, the council will consider language to approve a budget resolution so that the revenue stabilization fund does not exceed the 10% policy level due to interest and other mandatory contributions. The spending affordability of the council approved in February, the county executive exceeded that in terms of that grading operating budget by $83.9 million and should the council approve the executive's operating budget as it will be an eight vote budget. OPEB is in line with policy and which is not much to talk about there but again the policy aligns with the council's policy of this budget and then Commensations, sustainability, Mr. Howard to spoke about but we're seeing compensation for the last few years greater than two times of what the annual six year revenue growth is. And finally, the council has been looking at this the last couple of fiscal years in terms of structural deficit this year as much less than what was estimated last year Primarily due to the fact that annualization costs for compensation are not going to be I have as big of a tale as mr. Howard said because they're starting in july and MME costs are not as high as what we expected because of enrollment projections The the biggest driver of this is the use of reserves in one time revenues for ongoing expenditures and based on the available resources and 27 council staff estimates that the structural deficit going into 27 should the council approve the budget as is about $57 million. The council president shared a memo with you all and we've afforded to department directors and council staff to focus on transparency and flexibility to this budget, primarily due to the ongoing federal instability and understanding what's going on there, as well as to some of the state stuff that's come into focus. So, similar to other things, the state has come into focus over the last 24 hours since we've written this packet. Since the council president has sent this memo, but nonetheless, those realities of needing flexibility are still there. We'll look at the different rate tax rate decisions in a couple of minutes that the council president asks us to do. And so the committees will be looking through this budget to identify potential reductions for flexibility. But unlike the last couple of years, the committees will be making recommendations based on the executive's budget. Should they approve or recommend for approval of the executive's budget as is, it will go to council and not go on the reconciliation list. The reconciliation list will include reductions that the council committees have identified or additions that are not included in the executive's recommended budget. And as always, the fiscal 26 compensation adjustments and nonprofit inflationary adjustments will be considered by full council as opposed to committees. So we quickly will go, I'll go through this quickly. We did three scenarios, two of them actually have tables because the third one is a little different. So given the recommended supplemental MCPS tax increase of three and a half cents, that's clearly one major policy item before the council in this. As noted in the packet, the council can approve three and a half cents, can improve more than three and a half cents, can improve less than three and a half cents. But we picked three and a half cents because that is the recommendation from the executive as the macro. The second scenario is that plus eye talk, as I'll explain in a minute, the income tax offset credit is an expenditure and so by approving the executive's recommendation, it is like a program budget, your adding expenditures to the budget and the final one is reserves. So the overall macro changes if the council does not approve three and a half cent MCPS supplemental increases 88.7 million dollars. Given rather than picking numbers we did proportional costs across the agencies that the council could reduce. The college is not included because it is at state of M.O.E.E, and so we cannot reduce their budget this year. And so amongst the three agencies, if the council wishes not to approve all of the three and a half cent tax increase, this is one scenario, unless, really, that the council would need to reduce each of these agencies by this amount to achieve that savings. Certainly, the council could shift it around differently, but that would be one way to do it proportionally. Under scenario two, it's only 56.4 million dollars. The council would need to find, because 32.4 million dollars in savings would be achieved by not approving the eye-talk increase that the executive recommends. Now that would be less of a tax credit for residential properties, but it would start savings immediately for the council, the proportional reductions would be that much less. Again, as we said, if the council doesn't want to do all the three and a half cents, that's what it would look like. If it does, part of that, these numbers would change budget goes into reserves for next year. And so certainly any funding that's required for the state shifts would add to the overall gap, so to speak, any savings found that would go towards reserves. Currently, the reserves are estimated to be at $791 million. As I noted, 76.1 of that is the undesignated funds. That's the portion that the council would increase during this budget should they find savings and not prove additional expenditures. And as context currently, there's $249 million estimated in federal direct funding, but not all tax supported in this budget. Most of that's MCPS. Should any of it or all of that disappear and the council wants to continue to fund that, that would be a draw on reserves. Secondly, during the Great Precession, we wrote down tax-supported revenues by $502.5 million over four fiscal years. As context, one of the largest ones was in fiscal 10, which was about 6.6 percent of our estimated revenues and fiscal 26 dollars that'd be almost $400 million right down in one year. Currently, all those numbers are less than $791 million total, but certainly if the council needs to find use reserves to fund any of these scenarios in the future as much as their extremes, the council would then need to have expenditures later on to refill those reserves back to the 10% policy goal. So understanding the time, we will fin here, turn it back over to the Council President, and see if the council has any questions. Thank you very much. Thank you. I very much appreciate the staff, OMB, finance. As we know, as we've been saying, this is a budget year like we've never had before. There are a lot of things that we're going to need to be considering. Thank you for the presentation. Again, all the details are online. We begin our committee sessions. Actually, I think ESE is the first one to start this week tomorrow. We will go through each of the committees, we'll go through their departments, budgets, and we are really asking this year to have the committees. Think about what reductions they would like to see on the reconciliation list just because a reduction gets on there doesn't mean it's going to be cut. But we want to make sure that we're having conversations that are transparent and everyone understands the pulls and takes of what our decisions are going to mean over the next couple of weeks. So I will turn it first to Council Member Aumannos. Thank you, Madam President. So she's, I don't know where to start. It's a sobering report. Obviously, I'm going to ask for a follow-up meeting individually one on one like as soon as possible because there's no way we're going to be able to get to everything that we need to get to in the next however long we've got. So I guess we have to start forecasting worst case scenarios. So right now we're at about 4.5% unemployment during the recession. We got to around 14% and what that would mean for the operating budget. And I think we should, as I know everyone agrees, start planning for the worst now, so that if there is the need for mid-year savings plan, if the reductions continue to go and affect at the federal level, what that will mean for us financially. And as we've heard from our colleagues in Annapolis, they are going to be reconvening in the fall. And so their budget was basically to be continued budget. And obviously we're still processing what came out of Annapolis in the last 24 hours. So, and I also, in preparation for the meetings that I'm going to have with you guys one on one, I want to better understand the salary and compensation packages that have been negotiated over not just this year, but the previous three years. and there has always been a debate or question about step increases and trying to make up for step increases that had not been honored during the recession and other negative points. So I'm definitely going to want a deeper dive on that so that we understand the various scenarios. And while I 100% agree with the process that we are going to follow through the committee structure in terms of reductions, as we all know, the reductions involve personnel. And so it's not as simple as reducing a program because you're reducing a person to go along with that program. And so there are marks that we will try to hit, but it's also compounded by the fact that there were a number of programs that were initiated during COVID with federal funds that are now permanent programs, and that were new to this year's operating budget. And we just have to figure out how that will work with looming potential reductions proposed for next year's operating budget. And I also think I prefer the process as laid out by the Council President because there was great frustration by stakeholders last time around when we passed things unanimously in committee, added a whole bunch of stuff to the reconciliation list, the math didn't add up, and then in the end people were left wondering what the heck happened, and very frustrated about it. And so obviously those are things that we're going to have to tackle as much on the front end as we possibly can, which will mean very painful decisions in committee. And it is going to be what it's going to be, but we have to sort of acknowledge that. I'll just put out there, I've been stating this. I'm very skeptical of tax increases right now in our current environment. Well obviously, have to go through this respective process, but we're going to have to pick least worst options at this point going into next year with so many unknowns. So those are all comments. I'll have more definitive questions when we meet in person soon, but thank you. You'll be back to you, Madam President. Thank you. Thank you very much, Council Member Abhinaz and given you with our County Government during the Great Year session, I know you've, you know, harkened back to that time, really looking forward to your leadership as we navigate these waters. Council member Malcolm. Yes, just to be brief, Council member, thank you, Council member Allen, as for bringing up the issue of the process and the transparency of the process with our community. And they get excited when it goes through committee and then at the end of the day, it's cut. And so I think that we just have to have discipline when we do this. So I appreciate Council President laying out this process. And I appreciate Council Member Eleanor bringing up the transparency with our community. I just have a question about when when county executive transmitted the budget to us he talked about the likelihood of sending over amendments once we see what happens at the state and I know that a lot is happening and and and that'll happen this week. So this packet is really fantastic and it really lays out the dynamics of what the decisions that we have to make. Will you be updating this packet when we get those amendments? And are you assuming that we're gonna get amendments soon I should ask OMB on that, sorry. Thank you. So Josh Waters, Deputy Director for Office of Management and Budget. So we're meeting with the County Executive later this week to discuss potential amendments. We're still evaluating what happened in an appless over the past 24 hours. Luckily, thanks to our delegation, we have more flexibility than we had 24 hours ago with some of the decisions that they made. So we'll be working with the executive this week and we hope to have something over to Council in the coming days. Okay. And from the Council staff level certainly as we get new information, big picture information will be figuring out the right vehicle and format to share that with with everyone. So we're all on the same page for things that have changed from what we put together just recently. Great, thank you. Thank you both. Thank you, Council Member Glass. Thank you. Very sobering presentation. And while it focused mostly on the tax-supported programming and revenue, what was missing were the fees. And the TNE Committee is going to dive into those fees for a number of programs later this week. But have you run any numbers or can you provide any overarching statements about some of the fees and what the decisions before us are if we do not make those fee adjustments? Yeah, thanks for that question. So one of the big picture, most of the fees are self-contained. So for example, with the solid waste fees, those are all within the solid waste funds. So the decisions will be, if you do not want to raise the fees as much as proposed by the executive, then you will need proportionally to do less. You will be able to do less within the development of our environmental protection budget. So there's not a one-to-one relationship between the fees, changes in the fees, and other things happening in the tax-supported budget. It's kind of its own self-contained decision point. And so just to follow up on that, if fees are, if we do not adopt the fees that have been proposed, is there another way to make up that difference? Either an operating fund, general fund. If you wanted to reduce the fees proposed for the, for South Waste, for example, and still funded at the level that the executive recommended, you would need to find operating dollars elsewhere in the budget and shift it over. That's what we all need to hear. Thank you. Council Member Ming. Appreciate this sobering conversation. And I wanted to make a request that we make sure that we include to the extent possible breakouts of details out of MCPS. So for example, within their contracts, their unions made significant concessions in their healthcare conversations. And I think important to have that, to give us kind of a full flavor of the picture that we're looking at. And also given that the approach of the current board and MCPS leadership, which has provided, you know, a very detailed spreadsheet and really encouraged us as a council to dive into that and given that that followed a request by this council to provide that level of transparency. I wanna make sure that we're able to take advantage of that. Obviously, we can't direct them right what to spend on, but they have invited us to comment on it. And that is, as we're talking about, the transparency that we want to bring. I think that's an important piece of that. Yeah, the breakdown of MCPS will be included both as part of the conversation and benefits discussion that the Geo committee has as well as the multiple discussions that the E&C committee is going to have on the MCPS budget. Great, appreciate it. And then noting and appreciating also the work that we're going to have to do in committee to try to make sure that cuts are made transparently. And also that kind of transparency, you know, the importance of bringing that when we come to the full council discussions as well. I think that's where a lot of the public took away that we were going to be funding things within those full council votes and things that didn't get funded. It's a big budget, so it's obviously it's hard to bring the level of transparency that we would all want, but I think that the process of the council president has laid out does provide for that. And so hopeful that we can make sure that we're approaching those cuts and conversations, including past committee at full council, and making sure that we are taking those difficult votes publicly as well. Thanks. Thank you, Councilmember Joando. Thank you, appreciate the presentation. I know there's a lot of moving pieces. As was mentioned, my role is chair of the Education Committee. We're gonna take up, start that tomorrow. We're gonna have four sessions. The good news is we don't make a funding recommendation till the end, but we go over all the buckets. And so as if we get, I will commit to the full council and to my colleagues, as we get, not if, when we get new information, we will incorporate that into future discussions well before the April 30th session where we make our final work. If when we get new information, we will incorporate that into future discussions well before the April 30th session where we make our final recommendation. The other thing I want to mention, I want to thank the Council President as well for the approach to the budget. You know, transparency is a huge, huge issue for the community and for I know for colleagues. And I've brought this up in past budgets and I think the way we're going to have this flexibility and adding both additions and subtractions onto the record list is going to and that will add a layer of discussion at full council that is needed. And it's always a challenge when the magic sauce happens of how that list becomes the final. And I think that's always a challenge when the magic sauce happens of how that list becomes the final. And I think that's always a challenge to try to make that as a transparent as possible. But I certainly will do my best to be transparent about the things that I'm supporting on or off that list as we make difficult decisions. I did wanna mention the income tax offset credit, which was in the chart. The increase of 168 proposed by County Executive, which would take it to 860 for eligible properties, is a significant relief of property tax for residents. And it's also a progressive relief in the sense that if you have a condo or a house that's under 500,000 right around, you won't have any increase of property tax. Obviously we have to consider that in the sense that if you have a condo or a house that's under 500,000 right around, you won't have any increase of property tax. Obviously, we have to consider that in the context of the fees, but there are some residents if you have a $350,000 condo where you get actually a tax property tax rebate under this proposal. So we need to make sure we're talking about that in the context of the fees. That said, I know there's a lot of anxiety around property tax increases. We just had a very lengthy discussion this morning about for gone property tax revenue. And so from in the case of conversions, but this is an issue. We were losing jobs every day. We just since as we were sitting here, the Supreme Court struck down one of the judges ruling saying that the fired employees who were probationary had to be rehired. There's still another ruling out there, but so we know that this is going to impact us. And it is already impacting us in a significant way. We'll continue to impact us. There's a balance there, though, right?, right? We're gonna have more need for services from residents that lose their job and income and that's a state and a county issue. I think we're gonna see an increase in the school's enrollment next year as a result of this. And I think we're gonna have to deal with that as well. I did wanna mention it isn't the packet, but there's still a lot of details to be ironed out as finance mentioned. There was some flexibility that's something I've advocated since like, join this council for us to have flexibility in making our income tax, not a flat, regressive tax, but a more progressive tax and to able to increase that rate. It's been at 3.2 for everybody for a long time. The state legislature passed a bill last night that will allow us to go to 3.3%. We have to see what those numbers are and factor that in. It's one of the many things that we're going to have to come back to. But there are potentially other options outside of the property tax to meet the needs of MCPS, which is a priority. My number one priority, but also of all of our other residents. So appreciate the briefing and look forward to the conversation. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Freason. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you more importantly to staff. It's a Herkulean effort for executive staff to put all this together and then a huge lift Once it comes over to us for council staff take this up this packet was really informative unfortunately very sobering and it demonstrates the challenges that we have ahead in Some ways this is going to be the easy budget most likely and this is going to be a very difficult budget But when we look at what the likely budgets are going to be where the economy is headed, where some of the challenges in our community are heading what the state is already experiencing where we are a lagging indicator of some of those dynamics in terms of our revenues. There are some real serious challenges ahead. I Work that is going to happen to figure out exactly all the puts and takes from the state budget that Mr. Waters talked about. We're going to need to really do a deep dive into that and really understand what the dynamics are. At a high level though, the structural deficit is something that we should be serious about because the state's decisions, some of which have been deeply unpopular, are in many ways caused by a structural challenge that had been many years in the making. And we have similar structural issues here that we need to address and we need to be serious about in the time to address it was probably yesterday. But certainly we need to address it today because we do not want to face the same challenges to have to make drastic decisions in order to fill a gap that is only going to get bigger. It's not going to get smaller as we face these fiscal challenges. The couple things in terms of takeaway here, the great recession, the note was the impact to the county in terms of revenues $502.5 million. That's correct over four fiscal years. We wrote down the approved revenues by $502.5 when they actually came in. I think it would be helpful to take a look at that number based on the proportionality of the overall budget because the budget at that time was between four and five billion dollars not seven point six billion dollars and so if we look at it in terms of what the proportionate amount in terms of revenue loss was based on those revenues, I think that analysis will be important because I think that will tell us what the real gap potentially could be based on the risk. So I would ask staff to handle that. But more or less, it's more than 10%. Over that period of time, that's 10% in one year, but the revenue losses, about 10% of the annual operating was actually more than 10% for many of those years. I just think that would be a really helpful data point for us to understand. In terms of the $249 million in federal money that potentially could be at risk. Do we have a detailed break? I know the Office of Grants Management looked at this and thank you to the Chair of the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee and Council President for really pushing for that. But do we have a breakdown in this exact budget of that $249 million in a sense of of what of that is potentially at risk for this fiscal year and what of it would potentially be at risk for future fiscal years even if this year it's already in cumbersome so to speak. So, I've come stuff with OMB using Schedule C of the, where the revenues are of actual ones that are federal. So we can share the list pretty quickly. In terms of that risk, we would need to take some time to, we were just given to macro numbers. So we can definitely the list pretty quickly. In terms of that risk, we would need to take some time to, we were just given to macro numbers. So we can definitely share with council the list of where those numbers came from. And then we can work with OMB and others to kind of get a sensitivity in terms of risk. Yeah, I would ask that council staff and executive staff work together to come up with a reasonable expectation of what is at risk and not at risk. Including what is at risk and not at risk this upcoming fiscal year and next fiscal year. We have the analysis from officer grants management of the grants that have already. That we've already relied on that may or may not come to fruition, but This is really about the expectation, some of these federal dollars, quarter billion dollars in federal support are just things that we expect to have. Just like the school system expects to receive those revenues. We essentially bake that in and take for granted that the federal government is going to continue to provide the level of support and services at a baseline of what it always has. That has completely been sent into a tailspin because of the chaos that's happening in Washington and I think we really need to have a clear sense of that. So those are my big pieces of this. I will just reiterate. Hope is not a fiscal strategy. I say it every year at this exact moment, I will repeat it here. And that is more true today than it has ever been in any time that I have ever said it. And the adherence to our fiscal policies and the sobriety that we're gonna need in this budget is gonna be more important than ever because in many ways as I noted at the top, the challenges that we're going to face into this year and into future years is probably more significant than the challenges we face right now, and the challenges we face right now are serious and significant. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you, Council Member Sale. Thank you, Madam President, and thank you for the update. I won't say sobering since it's been used, but I will say depressing. Feels like deja vu. You know, I'm thinking about all the people who are facing financial uncertainty, all the people who lost their jobs, a lot of the people who will be testifying to us over the next few days and those who are going to be suffering in silence over the next few months and years and the long-term impacts of these potential tax increases. I remember when we first passed the tax increases and people didn't feel the hit until they got their tax bill months later. And so with so much uncertainty, I am extremely hesitant to assess another tax fee with so much fiscal uncertainty. I'm hoping that the budget that we finally reflect on will reflect our values and protect our residents, especially those who are most vulnerable. I remember in my first year when I saw the first budget, I asked our executive director, our former executive director to send over recommendations to our request to our departments to find a 10% decrease in their budget. It was largely ignored. So I've sent over another memo and I appreciate our council president creating a more organized approach to this year's budget and hope that we are just very cognizant of the people who are testifying about the needs and so many competing needs within the budget. I did have a few follow up questions on page one of the staff report. I know that the county is expected to receive 249 million in annual funds from the federal government. Have we taken those into consideration if we don't get those funds? And that was kind of the third scenario. If we didn't get those funds or some portion of those funds and the county decided that they needed to fill that gap. That that's additional resources that would either need to be shifted in the budget or would need to come out of reserves, potentially depending on when it happens, how it happens, and all that kind of stuff. And if reserves do go below the 10% level, then we need to build those back up over the next three years. So then the reserves that becomes an expenditure in a future years budget. Okay. And then the 400 million from the Department of Education, do we know what impact that is to Montgomery County yet? Not exactly. Last we heard MCPS was still working on that and trying to figure out what the implication for them would be, I think the initial assessment was a smaller amount, one, eight, you know, in the one to two million dollar range, but let me share the EnZ committee's not in any of me, so I think that's generally correct, but we need final confirmation. Thank you. And, yes, I know council member Glass know Councilmember Glass mentioned of the fees. I know that during the first government shutdown under this administration, we suspended fees for certain placed employees. Will we consider scenarios if we explore that option, whether it's the community use of public facilities as some recommended or recreation fees? We would have to look into what mechanism was used to do that in the past to figure out how that could work potentially going idea. I think that's a good idea. I think that's a good idea. I think that's a good idea. I think that's a good idea. I think that's a good idea. I think that's a good idea. I think that's a good idea. I think that's a good idea. I think that's a good idea. I think that's a good idea. I think that's a good idea. note Lourian did not say so bring again all of which are very, very true. And for me the word is restraint and the need for it along with all of the other things that my colleagues have said is to be incredibly careful and cautious in what we are doing. Understanding as Council Member Freetz said, all the puts and takes that have to happen, but also understanding impacts. And for the past two budget cycles, this has been a recurring theme and everybody has noted that the way the reconciliation list has worked in the past hasn't been the most transparent and it's very hard for people to make difficult choices boldly during committee hearings. And yet that's exactly what the moment calls for and calls for us to be very, very realistic about what we can afford. And there were a great many things in the first budget year that I was here for the FY 24 budget that were we were told that these were things that were going to be stepping down that were COVID-related things. And instead they've just increased. And we can't sustain that. So we have two things happening at the same time. We have things that we can't sustain based on our incoming revenues over time. Plus what's happening at the federal level, that's disrupting the economy and disrupting our way of life, right? And those two things have now collided, and the only way to get through this is to do so very carefully, very prudently, very realistically, and with great restraint. We must do that for the sake of all. I do have a question. I know that over the last six years, let's say, so taking a little snapshot of pre-COVID and then time post-COVID, The budget has grown at a percentage rate every year that far exceeds the inflation rate. Is that right? I would say probably on average, yes. In some years we've had large inflation rates but I think on average that's correct. Right. We had a pocket during the pandemic where all the inflation, yes, absolutely. But sort of, I'd be very curious to see, when was the last time when our budget growth was within, let's say, 0.2.3% of the inflationary rate? Would love to know that question, the answer to that question. Happy to follow up on that. Because to the point that Councilmember Friedzen made about we have structural challenges that we need to deal with, that the state had to deal with, this is why. And we gotta meet the moment, and we've gotta meet the moment now. With respect to the $249 million in federal funding and wherever MCPS is right now, I am assuming that that number or that total does not include the announcement that came out about a week ago that the feds have decided they're not gonna reimburse the State Department of Education, which then comes out and reimburses our local school systems or LSSs and I don't know what the impacts of that are yet or will be to each local school system. Yeah, that does not include that number but that's the number that we think preliminarily for MCPS we think is going to be in the one to two million dollar range. So will not be potentially as bad as it could have been. 1 to 2 million out of the 249 million or 1 to two million out of the 300 million that the feds are saying they're not going to give this day now. Out of the 300 million that they're not going to give this day. Okay, great. Thank you so much. Hey, Council Member Katz. Thank you very much, Madam President. You know, I think first of thank you all very much for all your hard work and thank you Councillor Prisand, for laying out the ideas of how we're going to be doing this. But I think we always need to keep in mind that the dollars that we talk about for a budget come from our businesses and our neighbors. And we have to keep that in the back of our minds all through. And of course, we're talking about the potential for a property tax rate change, as well as an income tax change. And obviously, we're going to need to discuss all of that. But one of the things for the income tax change is that it would be for the people with the highest tax brackets. I think it's over 500,000 or whatever it is, brackets. And I would like to know, if you can put, I know it's tough to predict anything, but I would like to know if something like that were done, and I'm using the term if, it's very large, but if something like that were done, can you predict how many of the high earners would declare there, many times they have two residences. They have one here and they have one in Florida, they have one in Delaware, wherever they also have a home. But if they decided to declare that other residents as their main residents, then how much would we actually be getting if we did something like that? And how much would we be losing by doing something like that? I know it's tough to predict, but I think it's something we have to have that discussion. Thank you very much, Madam President. Thank you, and thank you to all my colleagues. As we said, I wouldn't say this is the beginning because I feel like we've been talking about budget now for a while. We always are talking about budget, but these are excellent questions that have been raised that we will continue to have the conversation and just really appreciate all the staff work, all the work from OMB and finance. So thank you to be continued. Our seventh item is our consent calendar. Councilmember Freetson had a request before we move it. Yeah, I just wanted to note item seven since we just talked about the consent calendar includes a number of items including implementing the county executive's budget, which includes a tax increase includes the I talk includes the labor agreements and number of other aspects of this is done as a matter of course in particular item seven C requires the county council to put forward a resolution and specific language in there in that resolution, which I'm not going to vote against, even though I don't support the tax increase. The language that the state requires us to use reflects the intention of the county council to consider increasing the real property tax rate for the general fund above the FY25 real property tax rate. And I just want to note and be very clear that I am voting and I'm sure others, likely feel the same way. I am voting as part of the county council to allow for a public hearing based on our consideration of this. Noting the fact that I have already stated that I am not going to support the county executive's proposed tax increase. But I just want to be very clear the reason why it stated this way is that that's how state law requires it to be published. And I just wanted to make sure that that was reflected as part of the approval of that item. It's approval of the public hearing to consider it not necessarily the county council's proposal. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you for that clarification. Do I have a motion to approve the consent calendar? Council Vice President Joondo, Council Member Luki, seconded it. All those in favor, please raise your hand. Perfect. That is unanimous. We have folks here for our Arab American Heritage Month Proclamation. I believe the county executive is here. I saw him. So before we go on to recess, we are going to do that proclamation. And then we will be, after the proclamation, we will then be in recess and begin our public hearing at 145. So I will now ask those who are here for the Arab American Heritage Month Proclamation to- No. I'm just trying to figure it out. Good to see you. Good to see you. Thank you everyone who's coming up for the Proclamation for Arab American Heritage Month. Just as a reminder, Arab American Heritage Month was officially recognized here in Montgomery County by Executive Doug Duncan in 1999. And today we continue honoring the longstanding tradition by gathering and celebrating Arab American Heritage and culture. As we know, the Arab American community spans 22 countries and countless traditions. Is it a vibrant part of our county and our shared identity here in Montgomery County? From the family-owned businesses that anchor our local economy to the compassionate and high quality health care services for the uninsured provided by Muslim-Run clinics. Arab Americans exemplify the spirit of resilience, generosity, and civic engagement that define Montgomery County. Unfortunately, we also know that many in our Arab American community, in our Muslim community, are the victims of discrimination, Islamophobia, anti-Arab anti-Muslim bigotry. And that remains a toxic force in our county, and unfortunately has been increasing. And so we do these proclamations, and we come together because we want to push back and say this doesn't happen we do not want this here in our county that we are standing together in support of each other and pushing back against the hate and so today we celebrate Arab American Heritage Month and we do it all year round to reaffirm the core values that make our county a beacon of inclusion and a place where every voice is heard, where we categorically reject hatred and discrimination in all its forms, and where we don't just tolerate diversity, we celebrate diversity and inclusion as our greatest strength. So thank you for joining us today, and now I'm gonna turn it over to the county executive. So I'm going to thank you also for being here. It's really important that we do these events, particularly in times like these, when there's certain political leadership at a certain level that would like everybody who's not doesn't look like me to disappear. It's important to recognize that you're all still here and we're all standing together today. The American community, the Muslim community have been very important. Two Montgomery County, you play a major role in lots of institutions here. You don't go to NIH or FDA or you don't go out in the business world. And you can't do that and not be aware of the role that many people play in our community. And we want people to continue to feel safe and to want to be here in Montgomery County. We understand the concerns people have over changes in immigration law. My vet people talked to me as recently as today about having their phones look that coming back from, and their American citizens having their phones look back from coming back overseas. And I can only imagine what kind of fear people would have if you're from an immigrant community. And you're allowed to be here, but maybe you texted something that somebody decides wasn't appropriate. It wasn't sufficiently supportive of the president that you could put yourself in jeopardy. It shouldn't be like that. So we want to reassure people who continue to do these kind of events to make sure that all communities, including this community, feel that this county is welcoming. We encourage you to be successful here. We want you to participate in the things we do and we're continuing to be willing to be out front and be very open about our support for the community. We don't want to fade into the background and say we support you and do nice, quiet things. And they don't necessarily resonate or people don't notice. We want people to notice that we're supporting and positive about our community here. We're going to continue to support you and want you to continue to thrive in Montgomery County. You're part of what makes us whole. You're part of what we talk when we go abroad and we've done some economic development missions. We talk about this county. We talk about the everybody who makes up Montgomery County and it really is everybody. And it's something that other cultures actually appreciate. So it works for us in an economic sense, but it really works for us in a moral and social sense. And that's the most important thing to do in this. We do this because it matters, we know it matters to you. And if matters to you and your friends, it matters to us as well. You are welcome. You play a big role here. Keep doing what you're doing. This council will continue to stand with this community. Thank you. I just want to recognize that we have our state delegate Greg Wims with us, which I just very much appreciate, especially given what a late night or early morning you had. So thank you, delegate Wims, for being here. Next, I'm going to turn the mic over to Samira, and just thank her for all she does in our community, and the work she does to speak on behalf of the Arab-American community here in Montgomery County. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Samira Hasey, and I lived in Montgomery County. Thank you ladies and gentlemen. My name is Samira Hesseyan and I lived in Montgomery County since 1982. So I have raised four children in Montgomery County of schools and I'm also a recent retiree over 30 years with MCPS. Thank you. I would like to start by thanking those who are the council members and the staff who attended our event last night. And also I wanted to thank all the citations that we could have received including my district 39 with the delegate Greg Wims. And also I just wanted to mention something without the committee partnership office, none of this would happen. And our lovely Arwa, where is Arwa? Arwa? She really works around the clock. I know she's a part timer, but believe me, I keep her busy all the time. And I really want to thank everyone of you. We received a proclamation. It's really an honor to receive a proclamation here. This is all of our hard work, all of us. And we don't expect things to happen overnight. But I was really moved this past weekend when I served hundreds of thousands of Americans taking the streets under one title, hands off. So, you understand the frustration that we have been doing all these years and with that representative's listening to us. So now you understand how we feel. So we join with all of you and thank you for this moment and I'll turn it to Dr. Wafa Haseyin to say something. Thank you. Assalamu alaikum, everyone. Peace be with you all. It's an honor to accept this proclamation as we celebrate Arab American Heritage Month. It's a time to honor the rich culture, history and contributions of Arab Americans in the state of Maryland. We are over 25,000 Arab Americans here and beyond. My deepest thanks to the City Council and the Multicultural Affairs Committee for this recognition and of course, all of you for coming here and doing the hard work and bringing us here. As we celebrate, we also have to reflect the late great Dr. Edward Saeed once wrote that every empire itself tells itself and the world that it is unlike all other empires, that its mission is not to plunder and control, but to educate and liberate. These words remind us that while we take pride in our heritage, we cannot ignore the systems that have shaped our community struggles. As Dr. Rashid Khaldi, the renowned Columbia University Arab American historian, reminds us, the Arab world struggles are not isolated. They're woven into the fabric of global power. So to heal, we must confront the systems that perpetuate harm. So this month is not just about celebration, it's about accountability. We must reckon with how foreign policies impact our families here in Montgomery County and abroad. And we need to work towards justice. So let us embrace hope through our workshops, our exhibits, and dialogues planned for this month. We will celebrate our vibrant traditions and build bridges. Together we can honor our past while creating a future where Arab Americans and all communities within Montgomery County and beyond thrive. And may this month inspire both pride and progress. Shokran Shahzillan, thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. So now I'll ask the county executive to come up and we'll read the proclamation. Whereas Montgomery County is a welcoming community enriched by the diverse skills, and knowledge of its multicultural residents and Whereas national Arab American heritage month is observed across the United States each April celebrating the rich heritage and contributions of Arab Americans and Whereas for over a century our Americans have significantly contributed to various facets of American society including medicine medicine, law, business, technology, government, and culture, and... Whereas, Arab Americans have shared their rich culture and traditions with neighbors and friends, bringing resilient family values, a strong work ethic, dedication to education, the diversity in both faith and creed. Thereby strengthening our nation and... Whereas, the Arab American community joins all American citizens in the desire to see a peaceful and diverse society where every individual is treated equally and feel safe. Now therefore it may resolve Mark O'Hourch's County Executive and Kate Stewart as Council President of McCarran-McCounty Maryland. Hereby proclaim April 2025 as Arab American Heritage Month in Macar Mecanine. We encourage our residents to join us in recognizing the contributions of the Arab American community and to participate in the celebrations. Great. Thank you. All right. Here you go. Thank you. Thank you. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm sorry. . afternoon everyone and welcome back to the Montgomery County Council meeting and this afternoon are public hearings. We will start with item number eight, which is a public hearing on a resolution to approve supplemental appropriation 25-58 to the FY 25 operating budget Montgomery County Government Department of Health and Human Services, Montgomery Cares, in the amount of $974,664. The source of funds is General Fund Undesanae Reserves, and Amendment to the FY25 operating budget resolution 20-526 Section G designation of entities for non-competitive contract award status, the primary care coalition of Montgomery County Maryland Inc. A joint government operation, a government operation is a fiscal policy committee and health and human services committee work session. It's scheduled for April 21st, 2025. Those wishing to submit materials for the council's consideration should do so by the close of business on April 14th, April 14th, 2025. There are no registered speakers for this hearing. This public hearing is now closed. Item number nine is a public hearing and action on a resolution to approve supplemental appropriation. 25-68 to the FY25 operating budget Montgomery County Government Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Services Mass Vaccination Cares Grant in the amount of $520,000. Source of funds is a state grant, Council Action is scheduled immediately following this hearing. There are no registered speakers for this hearing. This public hearing is now closed. We will now move on to the action portion of this item. Is there a motion to approve supplemental appropriations 25-68? So move. Councilmember Fanny Gonzalez-Mood, Councilmember Sales, seconded. All those in favor, please raise your hand. And I have that as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. All those who are present. 9. 9. 9. 9. 10. All right, moving on. Action is taken now. Item number 10 is a public hearing on a resolution to approve supplemental appropriation 25-61 to the FY 25 capital budget. Montgomery County Government Department of Health and human services diversion center in the amount of $650,000. The source of funds is partial go bonds and partial state aid a health and human services committee work session scheduled for April 21st to 2025. Those wishing to submit material for the council's consideration should do so by the close of business on April 14th 2025 there are no registered speakers for this hearing the public hearing is now closed Item number 11 is a public hearing on a resolution to approve an amendment to the FY 25-30 capital improvement programs and Supplemental appropriations number 25-63 to the FY 25 capital budget Montgomery County Government Department of Housing and Community Affairs County wide facade easement program in the amount of $500,000. The source of funds is state aid a planning housing and parks committee work session scheduled April 25th 2025. Those wishing to submit material for the council's consideration should do so by the close of business on April 18th, 2025. There are no registered speakers for this hearing, this public hearing is now closed. Item number 12 is a public hearing on additional amendments to the FY 25-30 capital improvement programs. Committee work sessions are scheduled in April as a reminder as of our public hearing testimony guidelines. Your comments must be limited to issues relevant to the public hearing topic for which you are testifying and are appropriate for a public meeting. You will hear a tone when your time is up and we appreciate everyone abiding by their allotted time. We have one speaker, Ms. Melissa McKenny. Here she is. You also signed up speak on the operating budget, so you can do both at the same time and be done with your testimony this afternoon, and you'll get five minutes for your testimony, whenever you're ready. Good afternoon, my name is Melissa McKenna. I'm here to start your afternoon off with something completely different. The MCPS Shady Grove Best Depot. It's been an accidental hobby since 2014. So here we are, still no closer to a solution. Quick recap. In 2022, I testified to Rockville Mayor and Council against the County Executive's plan to relocate some of the buses to the former Montgomery County Detention Center at 7 locks and Wooten Parkway. In 2023, the County Executive removed construction funding based on community feedback. The gentleman way of saying that Rockville vehemently opposed the unwanted dumping of the depot in yet another inappropriate city location. What site did that $250,000 identify? I have it on unofficial but good authority that the chosen site this time is the formal Rockville Landfill, an East Goody Drive, something former Rockville mayor Bridget Newton suggested Ion's ago. There's already remediation activity going on there, but nothing has formally formally put forward that I'm aware of. However, this is again an incomplete solution. This relocation will only accommodate 240, 250, excuse me, of the 450 buses at the Crab's Branch facility. As I have said many times to every government body, the only solution is a complete relocation. A piecemeal approach is unacceptable. The assertion of only electronic buses on the site is an attempted end-run around noise and air pollution objections, nothing more. And then there's the cost. The average cost of an electric school bus is around $400,000. For those 250 school buses, just a mere blip in the fleet of 1,300. That's over $100 million just for buses. Don't forget additional substantial infrastructure costs and charging stations. What of the rest of the roughly 200 remaining homeless buses? We still don't have a floating island for buses or schools. They can't and won't be parked at MCPS schools. I thank Dr. Taylor for that reassurance and it would also require state legislation to lock the school buses. Best thing I can say is at least it's not in the MCPS budget. As to the other CIP amendments, release the funds necessary to build complete woodward and crown high schools. Please do not scale back on library refresh products. Libraries are the hearts of the community after schools and are now under the threat of federal funding cuts. Redirect Montgomery connects money to MCPS so that every child can take home a Chromebook. One, because during my food deliveries the past five years people didn't want computers, they wanted food. That was a federal grant but now it's our choice. And number two, the the availability of Chromebooks beyond the school day has been restricted due to damage and loss because kids. But this could have could have catastrophic effects on learning at a time when educational resources are all digital and our students desperately need this resource at home. Which of course brings me to the FY26 operating budget. We are facing a cascading failure of the economy and it's already hit in ways I don't think you even realize. One of my deliveries was in tears the other night. Elise is an older proud woman with a list of unending medical problems longer than I am tall. She has grown children and her mother who also rely on her fragile health to support them. Her county case worker was let go because there is no more federal money, federal food money to distribute. Utility payment assistance programs have also been cut and the current cold snap has many trying to decide between extra heating costs or food or medicine. We heard from Anna Executive Director Craig Rice through the NAACP branch meeting that there is a six-week wait for new families to receive food. All that said, please support our nonprofits as much as possible to fill in what gaps they can. The choice is to cut now or face more disruptive cuts in the year. I'm sorry, not budget cuts. Savings plans as Dr. Derey and Pollard explained in a way that almost made sense. We have to be prepared for the unexpected and the worst from the federal government as their budget cycle is six months off from ours. I profusied Dr. Taylor's explanation and candor of the MCPS budget as a broccoli budget. Nothing fancy and not even solving problems, but fulfilling promised commitments. We've absorbed years of the state shifting teacher pensions and are about to absorb an additional 12 million of the already 90 million. Don't misunderstand, I believe our teachers and sports staff should absolutely be paid. It is our children and other people's children that bring me here today. They only get one shot. But please remember, there is a limit to the tax version that those who are able to shoulder it will bear. Thank you. Thank you very much. This public hearing is now closed. The third of the five public hearings on the FY26 operating budgets and the FY26-31 public services program and fiscal policy for the following. Montgomery County government, Montgomery College, Maryland, National Capital Park and Planning Commission, WSSC Water and Montgomery County Public Schools. The council council committees will conduct work sessions on budgets beginning Wednesday, April 9th and the full full council work sessions will begin on Monday, May 5th. The committee schedule is available on the council's website. Everyone who has registered to speak has and should be afford the opportunity to testify. We ask that you keep a pause and noise to a minimum, so we don't distract the speakers, and we can all hear them. Also, for our rules for the hearing room, please do not hold up signs that will block someone else's views and please keep the aisles clear so people can enter and exit. As a reminder of our public hearing testimony guidelines, your comments must be limited to issues relevant to the public hearing topic for which you are testifying in our appropriate for public meeting. You will hear a tone when your time is up and we appreciate everybody, a lighting by, a biting by there a lot of time. Ahead of time, it's already been a long day. I'm going to apologize ahead of time if I mispronounce anyone's name and ask for grace this afternoon. Our first panel up is Sarah Paxima, Alyssa Sanders, Hulia Guevara, Susan Jenkins, and Terry Blandon. And Sarah Paxima, you can start first when you're ready. Good afternoon. It's a different experience to be on the side of the bench. My name is Sarah Paxima. I am a Poolsville Town Commissioner. I'm also a founding member of Poolsville Pride Club and a parent in a queer family. For some context, Poolsville Pride Club is a growing grasswoods effort to meet the unique needs of rural queer residents in Western Montgomery County. We are funded by grants from the town of Pulsville and the Moogle Pride Center, which means from all of you. Rural residents of Montgomery County often feel invisible in county metrics. For queer residents, this experience is compounded. In the Montgomery County's 2023 LGBTQ plus survey report only one person out of 842 people who responded was from the Western County. We are hoping to change that. Poolsville Pride is working hard to identify and build queer community in the Western rural part of the county, centered in the town of Pulsville, with our monthly in-person meetups and other seasonal events. The next time the county conducts an LGBTQ survey, Pulsville Pride will help make sure that you hear from our rural queer residents because we are out here. Queer residents in rural areas have unique challenges, including distance to services and feelings of isolation. I spoke to a parent of a trans child in our community recently. This parent has been driving to DC regularly to participate in a support group for parents of trans children because there are no support groups for young trans children ages six to eleven years old in Montgomery County much less in the Western County. In addition to support groups for trans children this parents said the best way we could support their family was through public visible support. Trans youth see themselves villainized in the media every day. To combat this, they need visible and public support from their local communities. Events like drag story hour, pride celebrations, pride participation in regular community events, or the display of pride flags provide this type of public visible support. And this type of support is life affirming and life saving. Last year we worked with the queer student union at Pulsville High School to identify ways that the town could do more to support our queer youth. Students expressed that they would let feel more supported if they heard from adults who were actively advocating for them. And if they saw more visible public displays of support. We worked with these students and residents to adopt a commemorative flag policy that includes the Pride flag being displayed on an electronic signboard on Wayland Commons and a student mentoring and leadership training program. These types of events increase visibility both within our rural community and within the rest of the county. Every time a queer resident sees a poolful pride sticker in the window of a local small business, they feel that much safer. I thank you all for your past and continued support of LGBTQ services in Montgomery County, your support for the Montgomery County Pride, trickles down to local organizations like Poolsville Pride Club and is essential to the life saving and life affirming work that we do. Thank you so much. Lissa Sanders. Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Lissa Sanders and I serve as the director of advocacy at Every Mind, a nonprofit organization that has supported the mental health and wellness of Montgomery County residents for almost 70 years. You know, we I often come before you or everyone does asking for more funding or policy changes to support the communities we serve. Today, however, I'm here to share our support of the FY26 budget, especially grateful for the 3% inflationary increase in nonprofit contract funding. This funding boost comes at a time when many in our community are facing new economic instability, including job losses stemming from federal decisions that have shaken the region. Residents are confronting sudden unemployment. Neighbors included. And with that come stress, uncertainty, and an increased demand for mental health services. Non-profits like every mind are often the first call when individuals or families find themselves in crisis. But we can't provide quality care without investing in the people who make it possible. So this inflationary increase will help us retain and recruit high quality, compassionate professionals, particularly our frontline mental health staff who show up every day to meet residents where they are and walk alongside them through incredibly difficult circumstances. I also urge the county council to lean in from Montgomery County residents. Non-profits are not simply service providers. We are essential infrastructure. We fill critical gaps, especially when state and federal resources fall short or fluctuate. At every mine County funding allows us to operate the local 988 crisis hotline, provide mental health services in schools, support individuals experiencing homelessness, and serve veterans and active duty service members and their families. As I like to do, share an example, Marianne. She's a local Air Force veteran and single mother to a daughter with Down syndrome. Marianne is 100% disabled and came to every mind overwhelmed. A failed installation of a handicap accessible bathtub caused significant damage to her home. Her central air conditioner was broken and the cost of keeping fans running had driven her electric bills sky high. She was struggling with PTSD and military sexual trauma and trying to take care of her daughter alone. Our care coordinator stepped in to help Maryanne navigate home repairs, access funding, and advocate with her warranty company. She helped Marianne break down each challenge into manageable steps. And she later shared with us how grateful she was, not just for the solutions, but for the emotional support, the guidance, and the sense that she wasn't alone. That's what this funding enables. Real people, real lives, real relief. We're proud to partner with you to support the people of Montgomery County. We thank you for investing in this work and for continuing to lead with compassion and vision. Thank you. Thank you. Julia Guevara. Soy originaria del Salvador. Tengo 21 años de vivir en el Condado de Montgomery. On your post, Council Members, it is an honor for me to address all of you. My name is Julia Guevara, and I am originally from El Salvador. I have been a resident called the Adults of the New Year's, or the Dora's, we also offer another program. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Milagros Flores, who is a woman who works for the Latino community like few others do. Milagros is the founder of the organization, mujer fuerza y coraje. And in an nonprofit organization, whose mission is to provide tools and support to women and their families to help them move forward more effectively towards the future. I want to add for K. Fortalatino, elderly community whom I refer to as seniors, filled with wisdom, stories and experiences. Many of these elderly individuals are retired, and many of them are alone and forgotten. a People are offered too young to understand the importance of spending time with them, those of us in the middle age are too busy working to support our families, which creates a sense of abandonment and neglect in our seniors. Many of these elderly individuals are no longer employable and cannot work with the same ability as part of a community. That's why it is so important to maintain active spaces where they can have a safe place to share socializing at the same time, learn about health, physical activity, and mental and artistic exercises. Activities that are essential for the good physical, mental and emotional health. Actualmente, mujer fuerza y coraje of frece un espacio tan necesario para los adultos mayores latino. En el mes de octubre del año 24, se inestió el programa los años dorados o el adulto mayor. Hemos identificado la necesidad de proveer este espacio para nuestros adultos mayores. Currently the Mughare ofuerse Coraje Organization provides these much-needed spaces for Latino seniors. In October 2024, we launch those annuals orados, which stands for the Elderly Program, and we have identified the need to provide spaces for seniors. dynamic, games of wine, they have dances, they have songs, we do riffs, activities, physical activities and information about health. They express the happiness that they feel, but we also have limit that they do not allow us to serve as they wish, as they deserve. They need more frequent meetings, but our organization does not have financial funds to be able to do it. That is why I vote for the program so that we support this program is between 15 to 25 seniors and the meetings are held monthly from 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. during the meetings they chat with each other engaged in our activities, play games, participate in dynamics, play bingo, dance, sing, engage in physical activities, and receive as well health information. They express how happy they feel during these sessions. However, we also have limitations that prevent us from serving them as they wish and as they deserve. They have requested more frequent meetings, but our organization lacks the financial resources to make this possible. Therefore, I am advocating for support for this program asking for financial assistance. We already have very, very positive, incredible results. Again, we have a statistics showing the need for this program in our community. The program is currently operational, but we would like to offer it once a week. So we sit down on the amount of $30,000 to be able to support more effectively in year. requesting $30,000 to more effectively support our seniors for one year and to be able to hold the meetings four times a month, covering the needs and limitations. We firmly believe that it is urgent to attend to this vulnerable minority and we truly believe in your kind hearts to support our costs for our seniors. Our organization and special year seniors will greatly appreciate your support in collaboration. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next we have Susan Jenkins. Good afternoon, councilmembers. My name is Susan Jenkins and I'm the CEO of the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. I'm here today to thank you for your steadfast support of our sector. As Montgomery County has grown, so too has our creative community and you've been solidly in our corner. Today we're asking for your continued investment to meet this moment of growing demand. For FY26, we respectfully ask that you support the county executives proposed inflationary increase for AHCMC and other nonprofits. That you support the county executives proposed $408,000 for the public's arts trust. And that you support an additional 500,000 to help us meet projected grant making demand. Why is this important? Well in FY25 alone, our sector supported over 3900 jobs, generated 21 million in tax revenue, and contributed more than 141 million in household incomes. So you won't regret the return on your investment. But the demand for funding is rising sharply. Just next year we anticipate over $500,000 in additional need across our grant programs from general operating support for large institutions and small grassroots groups to project grants for individual artists and scholars and culturally specific community organizations. Arts and humanities aren't just a nice to have. They're essential and intersectional. They reduce crime, boost community health and well-being, build trust and contribute to economic development. In a time of social fragmentation and a mental health crisis, they create connection, pride, and a sense of place. We also urge your continued support for the Public Arts Trust, which maintains Montgomery County's collection of more than 1,000 public artworks and foster community engagement. Through projects and partnerships like the Department of Environmental Protection's Artists Residency, these programs align directly with counties drive 2050 goals, our research for a new cultural plan and serve traditionally under-resourced communities. Flat funding in FY26 simply won't meet the needs of our sector in these volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous times. This request for a modest increase will ensure that we can sustain and expand equitable support for the county's diverse multicultural creative community of over 500 arts and humanities organizations and 2000 individual artists and scholars. Thank you again for your ongoing commitment to the arts and humanities in Montgomery County and for considering our FY26 request. Thank you very much. Next we have Terry Blanton. Good afternoon. Thank you all for the opportunity to testify about the county's FY26 operating budget. My name is Terry Blandon and I have lived in the Wheaton neighborhood for the past 22 years. Councilmember Fanny Gonzalez, thank you for your leadership in serving our community. My neighborhood is wonderfully diverse, primarily Latino and Hispanic, but with a range of cultural and lived experiences. My neighbors include retirees, office workers, daycare providers, and tradespeople. At night, the trucks in front of the houses represent plumbers, electricians, landscapers, HVAC, and other needed services. As I take my evening walk around the neighborhood, I see people living the American dream, but I also see people living on the slimest of margins. Every day when I go to my job at Interfaithworks, I see people like my neighbors, people who work hard but then suffer shocks that cause them to lose their jobs or miserent or utility payment, pushing them into poverty and homelessness. I know the county's current budget situation is extremely challenging. I also know that it is far more cost effective to support programs to prevent people from falling into homelessness, keeping them independent, staplily housed, and out of our shelter system. Interfaith works provides two such successful prevention programs. The IW Vocational Services Program helps people prepare for and find jobs, and IW Connections connects people to vital services and provides emergency funding for overdue rent utility bills. The Blocatial Services Program has helped an average of 242 clients per year over the past five years. 75% of whom are women and the age range of these clients is 18 to 82 years. While this program helps people, it also helps the county or the past five years. The Blocatial Services Program has placed 540 people in jobs, resulting in $12 million in annual wages earned. That's money being spent on local businesses, but that's also county revenue in the forms of sales, property, and income taxes paid. The Connections Emergency Financial Assistance Program helps people stay in their homes and keep the lights and heat on. On average, Connections receive 20 to 25 calls a day from people in desperate need. We estimate that 60 to 70 percent of these calls originate for the county government, including many of you. Last year, the connections served more than 600 families with financial assistance, just bringing more than 281,000. However, that's not enough. There are hundreds more people who come to connections who we cannot help because we don't have sufficient dedicated funding. In conclusion, I encourage the Council to find support for these two vital programs and enable interfaith works to help more of our neighbors, particularly this time of economic upheaval for our community. The county's investment would represent a strong public private partnership, matching the support that both these programs receive from private donors, corporations and the state of Maryland. Thank you for listening. Thank you so much. Thank you to the panel. Our next panel is Anita Lampell, Clara Loveitt, Vernon Ricks, Katie Crump, and Tony Alter. Great, and I need a lap help and Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. myself for the last three years as a volunteer and supporter of Interfaith Works you just heard from Terry Blanton. IW staff combines the professionalism and caring needed to operate such a large and honorable enterprise. This is the one that Governor Moore visited in his first few days of office. Among there are many programs they use preventive strategies to keep people independent, housed, and out of the shelter system. Their primary programs for this are the vocational services program, which helps people prepare for and find jobs, and the Connections Program, which helps our neighbors find vital services, and which also provides emergency assistance to cover rent and utilities with a low bar for accessing this funding. Program is innovative, client-sensitive, and effective. Over 90% of those enrolled in these vocational training programs complete that program. And then through higher moco and other means, IW helps local employers find these qualified employees. Interfaith works is requesting $430,000 out of a fiscal year budget of $855,000 for this. They will get the rest of their funding from other sources. The Connections Program provides emergency financial assistance for past due rent and utilities to prevent eviction. IW had 1,698 inquiries in 2024 for assistance. They were able to help half of those people in large part because they simply ran out of money. For fiscal year 26, they are asking for $580,000 out of a budget of $975,000 to help an additional 1,150 families. That is 1,150 families and more who will not be addicted, who will be able to pay the utilities. In these present times, with our federal workers living in Montgomery County losing their jobs, with food prices soaring, I know that the choices that you are facing for this budget are painful. Please don't cut into nonprofit work, which is foundational to what it means to live in this caring and progressive county. Thank you very much. Thank you so much. Next we have Clara Loveot. Good afternoon, members of the council. Sorry. Good afternoon, my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. from Aliinger, from Alison Ylensby, who is another board member, and you have received written testimony from our executive director, Katie Richter. There is no need for me to replicate what you heard or read from them. We all wrote those statements together. What I can add, nor is there any need for me to convince you that the park system of our county is a great treasure for all residents of the county. We've been a nationally ranked program for many, many years. I don't need to repeat all of that history that you know very well. What I want to say is add a personal perspective. I happen to live in the village of French Pights, down county. The village itself manages three mini parks so there are green spaces right under my window. If I walk five minutes in one direction from my building I get to Willard Avenue County Park. Nice green area not a big park but it has a wonderful for young children, for instance. If I walk in the other direction, I get in 10 minutes or less, I can be at West Chevy Chase Urban Park. Wonderful larger resource with even better facilities. That isn't what is going on in other parts of the county. Since 2018, I have served on the board of the Montgomery Parks Foundation, which assists the Parks Department, essentially with one thought in mind. I wish that all families in our county had access to the same parks resources that are right under my window or within very easy walking distance. I wish that all children in our county had easy access to play grounds. Nothing fancy, but something that works to provide an outdoor experience, critical, critical now, that most of the growth in family and new residence in the county, most of the growth is taking place in parts of the county where developers are building apartment buildings and town homes. I live in an area where most of the housing is still single-family homes because we were developed a long time ago. I'm looking at parts of the county where people need the kind of access that folks in my area sometimes take for granted. The Montgomery Parks Foundation helps the department do their work, open new green areas, expand some that already exist, expand access through the existing facilities. That is quite, Ms. I heard that the time when you do your very best to narrow the gap between what the parks department has requested $7.2 million, at 7.2% increase in what your original budget submission allowed for. Thank you so much. Mr. Rex, you're up next. President Stewart and members of the council, when the countdown came on for the start of this hearing, none of the council people had come in and just President Stewart was here. and and I said wave out Mr. Luncheon on the fourth floor or everybody heard that I was going to be here testifying and left. I'm Vernon Rick's I'm also the vice president of the Montgomery community media board of directors. I have dedicated my life to public service civil rights and the fight for justice. Today I come before you with a simple message. Stand up for Montgomery Community Media. Stand up for free speech. I have witnessed history unfold, the victories, the setbacks, and the tireless pursuit of equality. At every critical moment, free speech and free press have been the foundation of our democracy. But today, those foundations are under attack. The media landscape is shrinking, independent journalism, general journalism is struggling and powerful forces seek to silence diverse forces. A war is being waged against the press, branding journalists as enemies of the people and undermining the public's trust in fact-based reporting. This climate of hostility has real consequences and we cannot afford to let it take root here in Montgomery County. Montgomery County, Montgomery Community Media is not just a local media outlet. It is a vital public service. It provides a platform for all residents. Ampl and marginalize voices and ensures that our community stays informed. When corporate media overlooks our stories, MCM is there. When our youth and future leaders seek media training and opportunities, MCM is there. to continue continue this mission, MCM needs your support. The question before you today is not just about funding, it is about values. Do we value independent media? Do we value diverse perspectives? Do we believe that all residents deserve access to truthful and community driven journalism. I urge you to answer these questions with action by supporting MCM. You affirm that Montgomery community and Montgomery County stands for truth, access and fundamental right to free expression. This is not just a budget decision, it is a statement about the kind of community we want to be. Stand up from Montgomery Community Media. Stand up for free speech. Stand up for the people of this county. Thank you. And I came dressed so you would say that community media is important. Thank you very much, Mr. Rick. Next we have Katie Crump. Good afternoon. Thank you for the opportunity to speak before you today. My name is Katie Crump. I am a lifelong resident of Montgomery County and live in Silver Spring with my family. I am proud to live in such a diverse, well-resourced community. As a social service provider for over 10 years, I have seen firsthand how devastatingly close people are to facing poverty, how having to miss work due to one illness or hospitalization, or having lack of reliable childcare, or how an unexpected car repair or medical expense can force someone to the brink of homelessness. How vital having social, family, or community support is, and how devastating it can be when you don't have that safety net around you or anyone to turn to. These issues are compounded by things like racial inequity, high cost of living, low wages, and rising rents. I hear from many people who, due to myriad reasons, have found themselves in a position where they need help. They need a trusted, listening ear, and someone to help guide them through the challenges they're facing, and to available community resources. They need financial support so that whatever their current circumstances are, their financial crisis is resolved immediately, thereby avoiding a domino effect in other areas of their life, which continue to set them back. Interfaith Works has two primary prevention programs, the Vocational Services Program, which helps people prepare for and find jobs, and the Connections Program, which connects neighbors to vital services and provides emergency financial assistance to cover rent and utilities. By providing financial support, these programs help to alleviate people's economic burdens. Interfaithworks Connections is a low barrier program, requiring only a handful of eligibility documents, including a past due notice to qualify for assistance. Many other programs, including county programs, can assist only when people are at the point of crisis, requiring an eviction notice or utility disconnect before intervening. Interfaith Works Connections, Proactive Approach, empowers people and helps them meet their financial obligations so that they can avoid being at risk of losing their homes, a devastating and traumatic event for families, requiring more intervention later on. I understand that the current budget situations is extremely difficult and uncertain. However, this makes it even more important to support essential programs like Interfaith Works Connections that prevent people from falling into situations that put them at risk of poverty. Prevention programs help keep people independent and in their homes. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you so much. Next we have Tony Alter. And my family and I have lived in Garrett Park for 27 years. I've served two terms as a council member in Garrett Park. I currently ride for the DC Wheels skateboard team. I think they helped me join because I helped pioneer skateboarding winning skateboard tournaments in California and I placed fifth in the 1966 National Skateboarding Tournament. So I've seen this sport really mature over the years. Skateboarding is for many youths, one of the only or main points of social contact. It also provides health benefits to increase stamina, strength, and skill training. I'm also a member of the skateboard design work group for the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. This group is helping shape the design of the skateboard park portion of the proposed Wheaton Action Park. It has become clear over several sessions that our views on the park mirror those beliefs of many community members that this facility will bring huge financial, health, social, and cultural benefits to our county. As you know, there is a large need, as we've already heard this afternoon, for well-designed facilities, for recreation, including skateboarding and family-oriented recreational options here in Montgomery County. proposed Wheaton Regional Park Master Plan is a practical use of underused land and a cost effective way to enrich our county. The design is revolutionary and I firmly believe it will work. It will bring families in as participants, each of whom can find at least one activity that they can participate in. This cost effective and relatively low maintenance skate park, the bike paths, adventure place surfaces, climbing facilities, walking paths, and open spaces would be a jewel in the crown of Wheaton area public facilities. It will stimulate commerce as well as social cohesion among the residents. Please plan for the near future so that the Wheaton Action Sports Park can become a reality for individuals, families, and our county. Please find room in the county executives proposed, just until you're 26 operating budget for Montgomery Park Department's request. support the many young people who have little to turn to but abored with wheels and provide a world class facility where they can meet others in a health promoting socially interactive environment of our own creation. Thank you, thank you so much. Thank you to the panel for your testimony today. Our next panel is Nancy McInerney, Alice Salomon, Byron Johns, Sandra Sach, Landis, able to do that. Nancy McInerney can start first whenever you're ready. Hello. I am Nancy McInerney. My testimony to the council is about approving the entire MCPS fiscal year 2026 budget. I am the PTI president for New Hampshire Estates Elementary School, which we call NHE. My kids attend NHE. I am humbled to represent the families that trust NHE with their children. We love this school. Principal Bob Geiger is a tireless advocate for the teachers, staff, and students at NHE. Our educators are passionate about teaching and love to work together. Unfortunately, NHE suffers from design and construction issues that go back decades. The lower level of the school is a basement that is located at the foot of a hill. Mold grows in these rooms because of high humidity and poor ventilation. These rooms are not safe for our kids or their teachers. MCPS already knows about this because our teachers and administrators have been reporting the problems for years. years Taylor visited NHG on our first day back. To school in August, he has seen these problems and has created an FY26 budget that addresses the lack of infrastructure funding that has plagued MCPS for decades. Right now, NHG needs portables to get kids out of the basement and a full cleaning of the air system with functioning AC in each classroom before the school starts in August. By summer, MCPS will have their contracted engineering firms building assessment and will know how to fix or rebuild NHG, which will cost considerable money either way. Today I'm asking the council to fully approve the MCPS budget because the mold ventilation and drainage problems in NHE that are persisted for decades must be prioritized and remedied. This is category 11, I believe, in the MCPS 26 budget. Additionally, we cannot overlook the inequity in this situation. NHE is a Title I school in the neighborhood of Silver Spring, which is composed of low income and historically underserved residents, more than 90% of our students qualify for free and reduced meals. We have one of the highest rates of students who qualify for free and reduced meals in MCPS. 72% of our students are Latino, and 21% are black. 65% are emergent, multilingual learners. Not only are they getting by with fewer resources, but many now must deal with increased safety concerns, stemming from changes in federal immigration policy. So this is my message. Now it is time to fulfill the council's mission to create equity for these county residents. I believe the Dr. Taylor's leadership, MCPS can provide safe schools for the kids of Montgomery County. The council must approve the full M.C. P.S. budget this year. Thank you. Thank you. Alice? Good afternoon. Okay. Yep. Got it. Good afternoon and thank you for having me. My name is Alice Solomon and I have been a resident of Montgomery County for as long as I can remember. There's no denying that more and more families are struggling to keep up with the high cost of living driven by stagnant wages, high housing costs, and ongoing inflation that has been made worse by an administration that either lacks understanding of basic economics or is deliberately starting a trade war knowing only the ultra wealthy will profit from this crisis. As a child of the Great Recession, this all sounds too familiar. Back when the housing bubble burst and my father subsequently lost his job, my family, like many others, found ourselves moving homes, living with others to afford rent, and struggling to put food on the table. And while I think my parents for making sure I always had enough, I also think our local community organizations that supported us during challenging times. Through work programs that helped my father find employment and food pantries that provided crucial support and government policies when government policies had failed us. Working in social services I see that the need for safety net programs is just as pressing as it was then. Last year, 34% of families among Montgomery County experienced food insecurity, 76% of which were working families. We are already living in a time of staggering wealth inequality, where the richest man in the world can spend millions of dollars trying to dismantle our democracy when working families can't even afford a carton of eggs. And now, federal layoffs threaten to make things even worse. Now I know the budget is tight and tough choices must be made, but this council has committed to centering the needs of residents. And it can do this by investing in services like Interfaith Works Connections Program, which provides individuals with rental and utility assistance to prevent evictions, and Interfaith Works Vocational Services Program, which equips job seekers with career skills, employment support, and paid training opportunities. These cost-effective programs address both immediate and future needs. Helping individuals remain stably housed and financial secure while fostering long-term stability. Therefore, I urge this council to ensure adequate funding for these critical programs as it is essential for their ongoing effectiveness. By investing in them, you can continue supporting families in need to keep our community strong and resilient in the face of federal changes that threaten the most vulnerable among us. Thank you. Thank you so much. Next we have Byron Johns. Good afternoon. I'm Byron John, some representing the NAACP Montgomery County Appearance Council and the Black and Brown Coalition First I want to say we deeply appreciate what the county leaders have done to provide stability and uphold the rule of law to protect our communities values You have asked as well as we for data transparency and I want to commend the superintendent for providing that to us. However, it's crucial to critically analyze what this budget attempts to achieve and what it fails to address. What the budget does, the budget has been referred to as a supernance broccoli budget. It is really a fixer-oper. It fundamentally addresses the structural cracks in the district's foundation. If we don't act now, the decay will worsen and the costs will escalate. A major investment outline in this budget is the underinvestment of special education services. Currently, four or five, four of five special ed students, approximately 8400, are below grade level on literacy, and one in five, or 2,300 students, are well below more than one grade. This investment is crucially needed. What this budget does not do, however, however, the budget does not adequately address the historical and foundational issues impacting our black and brown students. Specifically, black students, one in two, about 10,000 are below grade level in literacy and one in ten are well below. For Latino students, approximately 2 of 3 Latino students, approximately 19,000 are below grade level, with nearly 2 in 10 well below. In mathematics to sit, these statistics are even more alarming. For 5 black students, around 13,000 are below grade level, and one in three or 5,000 students are well below. For Latino students, 9 and 10, 24,000 students are below grade level. The State Board of Education has passed policies prioritizing literacy and math, including the retention of third grade students that do not meet grade level standards. If we fail to address these literacy and numeracy gaps, these policies will inevitably require some students to repeat grades, which will lead to increasing costs in the future. Given these facts, we ask the council to reconsider expanding after school and out of school time academic support funding that has demonstrated efficacy. The magnitude of these issues calls for explicit allocations to provide more for our children to access effective supports. Each $1 million invested provides 25 weeks of after-school or out-of-school time high-dose academic supports for 1,000 students. There is no miracle. Without investments and additional time on task, many of these students will not have a chance to recover. In closing, I urge the Council of Considerities priorities as you deliberate on the allocations for $7.66 billion FY26 operating budget. In ease on certain climate, we must hold fast protecting and providing a world-class education and not deny our students their freedom. Thank you, Mr. Jones. Next we have Sandra Sach Landis. Good afternoon. Thank you so much for the privilege of appearing before you today for the third consecutive year. Actually, it's the fourth to talk about the county's operating budget. I'm the leader of the Montgomery County chapter of Start School Later, a national organization to ensuring school start times compatible with health, education, safety, and equity. In the interest of the full disclosure, I want to share that I've also assumed the role of bell time subcommittee chair of the MCCPTA Health and Wellness Committee. Used to be important for me to distinguish that because it was the difference between five minutes and three minutes. But now that I'm at three minutes, I'm probably going to go off script and try to make this a conversation because I think that's warranted especially because I'm asking yet again for zero dollars. So this is not a money issue here, okay? But it is here at a budget hearing because it's about the base budget dollars that are being spent in ways that are not serving our students in the MCPS budget. And we need to put some oversight around it to rectify this. There are a number of areas where at first I was dreading going after Byron Johns because he's so eloquent. Now I'm not dreading it because these topics follow on. In sufficient sleep has had particularly bad impacts on teens. Compounding the sleep deficit is the fact that current bell times require our teens to be woken for school during the most critical time of their sleep cycle, which occurs toward its end. When higher level brain functions develop, including reasoning, problem solving, and good judgment, our operational disregard in setting safe and effective bell times for teens is harming them, and we're spending millions of dollars on curricula and many other things, and we're precluding them from developing the very critical thinking skills we want them to have, because we're forcing them to be woken during the most critical time of their sleep cycles. There's really a lot of hand shakes going on here. One of the hand shakes is between parents and schools. Parents set sleep times in their house. School sets start times. The biology of teenagers is such that they're not tired till 11 PM at night. It's just, it's been proven three decades of research. Every medical organization has concluded that the school start times should start no earlier than 8.30 AM. This body funded the Ride on Reimagine Initiative. Parents wrote in to try to serve the public schools. You did a 168 thousand dollar study that mcps funded at their base. That concluded that their bus service is unsustainable as it is now. That study took nine months to release. The only way I saw it was through a MPIA filed by another organization and then the news media picked it up. This body grappled with a million dollar cost over run on that, that then got rectified because another group got the study out. We need transparency. We hired a superintendent who has changed bell times in two of his grievous positions. This board needs to tell him to please do that. To please look at it. Thank you, Mrs. Next we have Colle Gunther. I'm from the other for two questions. Can you turn your mic on? Yep, you got it. Oh, it's on. It's on. Magic. Okay, thank you. Yeah, Colle Gunther from two friends, United. Our group of over 200 volunteers is cutting vines, ivy, other invasive plants, destroying our trees, neco systems in the Glen echo area. Councilman member Friedson joined us last year at MPS in Glen echo. We really appreciated that. We strongly support the Montgomery Park's funding request. However, that's conditioned upon changes in park policies that will both encourage and truly empower our communities to fight the spread of invasive plants. Nobody wants them. If you've been in the South, you may have seen how bad things can become. Cudzu and other invasives are consuming their parks and forests. We need to act decisively, or this will be our future. Over 10% of our county is Parkland. It's an amazing amount. But the Park Service's highly regulated approach to invasive plant management isn't working. They have a tiny invasive plant management team that's tasked with preserving our 417 parks, containing a total of 58 square miles of forests and fields. That's about 10 square miles per staff person that they have to maintain. They just can't do it. And small weed warrior program can't fill the gap. It's far more focused on restrictions rather than results. Parks regulations regarding the invasive management were established decades ago. The weed warriors are limited to hand cutting, for particularly aggressive species, such as kudzu and Japanese, not weed. This is totally insufficient. An internal park study performed in 2003 recognizes and the need for some use of herbicides. But after 20 years, nothing has changed. The spread of invasives continues to accelerate. So time is not on our side. As part of McCurmery Park's budget, we request that the Council mandate changes to park regulations. Let established groups such as the Little Falls Watershed Alliance and Friends ofligo Creek manage their areas and do what it takes to protect their woodlands they cherish. They have years of experience and dedication. Let's harness it. The risks are inherent in change but if you travel through the South you can see what's going to happen if we don't take these risks and freed the parks from decades of regulatory rigamortis. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you to this panel. Our next panel is Mindy Baden, Jeffrey D. Jane Hulahan, Thomas Murphy, and Maria Bryacon. Thank you. And Mindy Baton, you can start when you're ready. Thank you. Good afternoon, Council President Stewart, Vice President the Joando and the rest of the members of the County Council. I've been here before speaking about measures of pedestrian safety. As always, I have a photo here of my son, Brad. He died five years ago as he was crossing Rockville Pike to meet some friends for dinner. Everyone in the county uses the roads, whether they drive, they walk, they bicycle, or they roll. And I want to emphasize the importance of investing in transportation infrastructure that's safe, equitable, and accessible to all residents. Our Montgomery County community is growing, and our transportation systems need to grow also to keep up. In 2024, there were 47 traffic fatalities in Montgomery County. Sixteen of those were pedestrians. More people are walking, biking, and using public transportation. And we need to prioritize projects that protect the pedestrians and the bicyclists in our communities. I still see bus stops on busy roads that are a far away from the nearest intersection and crosswalks and it seems like people are playing Frogger to cross the street and to get to and from these bus stops. It's not a game and I'd like to see way more pedestrian hybrid beacons and cross walks in our county. I do see those in the budget, along with improved walkways and bikeways, traffic signal adjustments, neighborhood traffic calming devices, and more automated traffic enforcement. And I fully support all the traffic projects that will help in achieving our vision zero goals. On my 65th birthday, the first thing I did was go to the library and get my senior smart trip card. I was like a kid in a candy store. I was so excited to get half-price metro rides and free ride on trips. This budget includes free ride on for everybody, not just for kids under 18 and not just for people over 65. Public transit is essential for so many of our residents and the free fares will ease the financial strain on some of our families and encourage more to use RIDON. My son Brett used RIDON buses every day to get to and from his classes at Montgomery College and then to get to and from his job at the Health and Human Services. And my husband Joe takes the 53 RIDON bus every weekday to get to and from work. I urge you to continue to invest in transportation infrastructure. Thank you. Thank you so much, Mindy. Next we have Jeffrey D. Good afternoon, Council President. Stuart and other members of the County Council. My name is Jeffrey D and I am the President, CEO of Habitat for Manning, Metro, Maryland. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today on the FY26 proposed budget. We recognize that this is a difficult budget year for the county as it is for our organization, many other nonprofits and our fellow residents. That being said, there is still a huge need for affordable housing in the county as an example for our project, alien place upon Randolph and fierce mill. We had 27 home ownership slots, we had 143 applications for those slots. We are grateful for the housing funding included in this year's executive's proposed budget and we encourage the council to pass the budget with these funding levels intact. It's really important to point out that the funding levels as proposed by DHCA and the county executive will ensure that the projects that are currently in the pipeline can move forward as planned, which is really important. The one recommendation I would make to the Council as you evaluate this budget centers on the down payment assistance funds. As strong supporters of the More Housing Now package, Habitat, which calls for doubling DPA funds from $4 million to $8 million, we are of, grateful to see the County Executive proposed a $1 million increase, but we strongly encourage the Council to increase the program funding to $8 million. If we are serious about making long-term intergenerational changes for families in the community, the best vehicle in my biased opinion, of course, is a homeownership. Increasing the DPA to to 8 million is one way to help make home ownership possible for residents of Montgomery County. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next we have Jane Hullahan. Good afternoon. I'm Jane Hullahan and I'm on the Montgomery Parks Foundation Board of Directors, but I'm actually here today speaking as a resident of the county and also as an environmental engineer who studies the value of healthy environments. And I'm here to ask you to fully fund the FY26 budget request of the parks department. I have raised my family in this county and over the years we have biked and hiked and paddled and camped and you name it in our wonderful parks and we really enjoy the parks so much. And I just want to highlight three reasons to date of fully fund the parks budget request. The first really importantly is that parks offset the loss of green space that we're experiencing in some parts of the county. In my neighborhood in North Chevy Chase we've seen a lot of changes. is we have a new salt barn, the long closure of our local bike trail from the purple line construction and we're really navigating increased traffic from a lot of things including high density development from our growing population like at Chevy Chase Lake. And at the same time we've lost literally thousands of trees in our area as roads and rail rails expand. So we noticed this loss of green space and it's a trade-off for the benefits of development. But you know my neighborhood and the whole county are really vibrant and beautiful places to live and it's thanks in no small part to our parks. There are places we go to play and to connect and really to find a peaceful space. So parks are more important to us than ever as the county continues to develop. Second, parks are super important for our health and our well-being. They're the best medicine we have. Studies show that when we use parks, they boost our cardiovascular health, build bone density, they combat loneliness, they help with anxiety and stress. And of course, trees in our parks are natural air filters and natural air conditioners. They reduce harmful particulate pollution and they really cool down our neighborhoods on hot summer days. We all experience these benefits and really sometimes it's just as a feeling of gosh I'm really so glad I made it to the park today. So third just is that better parks mean better schools and my kids really thrived here and it's thanks in part to the synergy between our great public schools and our great public parks. Studies show that parks are really good for kids. They improve academic performance. They reduce stress and support healthier and happier children. So, as a very long time county resident, this is my ask of you, please do what you can to fully fund our parks department. This year, we all so much depend on our parks for the quality of life that makes our county so much better. So, as a very long time county resident, this is my ask of you, please do what you can to fully fund our parks department. you can to fully fund our parks department this year. We all so much depend on our parks for the quality of life that makes our county so special. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thomas Murphy. Good afternoon, Madam President. Members of the council, I'm Tom Murphy and I appreciate this chance to comment on the county execs proposed increase in the property tax levy for our schools. I submitted a written statement. I hope you'll have a time to read it. To save time here, I'll just quickly summarize my points. I'm a retired fed on a fixed income with no kids in MCPS and my current property tax is already exceed the salt limit. All are good reasons why I should oppose the proposed increase. But I'm here to support it and I urge you to support it. For three reasons. First, MCPS is a core element of our county's soul as a great community. Our schools are widely known and respected for academic excellence and for the values of inclusion, tolerance, and respect that they teach. Second, the proposal is reasonable and appropriate in the context of the overall county budget and our current economic climate. Although even with the increase, MCPS will still face significant critical unmet needs. Finally, and perhaps most importantly here, beyond this budget, there's a matter of principle. Public education today is under attack. And the attackers are folks on the far right politically who, for reasons I cannot understand, not only dislike our common values of decency in our community, but also want to suppress the teaching of them in our schools. They fear strong independent public school systems like MCPS because we embrace diversity and teach basic values like respect for each and every person as a human being. That quite frankly annoys the daylights out of them and it motivates their efforts to undermine public education. So it's especially important now that communities like ours demonstrate rock solid and unswerving support for public education even if it means accepting modest tax increases. Terry Learman, a prominent local leader and activist I admire often emphasizes the critical importance of public education by reminding us that our children or messengers we send to a future we'll never see. And the values these messengers will carry with them, will shape the world's future. We must therefore protect free and independent public education from efforts to undermine it, and budgets are likely to be a key battleground going forward. It's critical that we prepare for the future by staying current in funding our schools. For the above reasons, I urge you to support the County exec's request. Thank you. Thank you. Maria Barankhan. Do I have that on? We can hear me. Okay. Yay. Okay. Hi. County Council President Stewart. Thank you for the opportunity to address the county council today. I'm Maria Brionstone, president of Pulseville Area Senior Center, also known as Pulseville seniors. We're asking for your vote in favor of the county executives proposed budget regarding legacy grants. We're successful growing senior rep program in the up county. We're grateful to the county for having received a community grant annually since 2016 and also as an FY25 Legacy Grant Awardee. Despite lacking a permanent home and access to public transportation, we continue to offer quality, physical, intellectual, and social opportunities for seniors to stay active and combat the harmful effects of isolation and inactivity. Community grants about 25% of our budget in FY 25 OGM rejected our application. We learned we couldn't receive another community grant till FY 28. Given other grants that are offered by the county, don't meet the needs of mission We're grateful to have received that one year Legacy grant extension. We're growing big and fast in 24. We served 1164 unique attendees More than double what we did in 23 we offered 783 three events in 2024 about 520 and 23. Total attendance surpassed 11,500 in 2024. We're reaching out to more diverse audiences, and we now offer Womco clients our calendar of events in Spanish. Pickleball is huge. We have 200 registered players. 30 are competing in this year's Maryland Senior Olympics. 10 previous winners are going on to compete in Nationals in Des Moines in May. Our team jaws, we just clocked the fastest time for the second place, spinning by the beating the second place finishers by 30 seconds in the cardboard boat regatta contest that you all put on. Our program's popular. In March, we had 60 attendees for Shamarak, Shenanigans, Bingo, 100 for the Motown Dance Party. And now we've started Chair Fitness, a class for our less mobile patrons. We juggle different church rental spaces and now we're renting MCPS facilities too. Our chair class has doubled to 40 attendees since we introduced it in September and it was twice a month and now we're going to offer it weekly. Fun raising has improved, but not to the level we need to keep pace. We're thankful to both the county and the town of Poolsville for supporting us. Our board and tiny staff work hard to raise the remaining 50% of our budget. And we're mindful seniors live on fixed incomes and local businesses are stretched their own giving capacity. Support us please. Thank you, thank you so much. Thank you to everyone on this panel. I'd like to call up Kathleen Mim, Ruth Noel Leslie Graham, Bob Nidbajan, Nadine Mason Mort. And Kathleen Mim can start when you're ready. Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. I am a lifelong resident of Montgomery County having been born and raised here and have raised a family of my own in the county. In addition, I've worked in the Bethesda Rockville area for over 30 years. As the fabric of the county has changed over the years, one significant improvement is the availability and accessibility of natural surface trails and community parks. These trails in park areas provide an accessible respite from the grind of daily life for many residents. These green spaces provide a relatively low budget bonus to living in Montgomery County, making Montgomery County a desirable place to live and own a business which in turn contributes to a healthy tax base. In the scheme of things, the park budget is tiny, but the rewards to the county residents are measurable yet critical to the physical and mental wellness of the communities. I'm speaking in favor of fully funding the MoCo parks budget requests that the county can continue to maintain and expand the existing natural service trails and local parks in the county that provide so many benefits to the county residents. For myself, I volunteer a significant amount of time teaching basic mountain biking skills to encourage families and women, both young and old to get outside and enjoy the excellent trail system and the parks that are in their backyard. I encourage the county to fully fund the park budget so that the department can continue to make Montgomery County a highly desirable place to live and work by providing well-maintained and varied outdoor spaces and trails for the diverse communities that the county serves. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next we have Ruth Null. Hi, I am Ruth Null, a county resident, testifying on behalf of Presbyterians for Police Transformation, which is a Ministry of Tocome Apart Presbyterian Church. From our inception, as followers of the non-violent Jesus, we have strongly supported staffing, shifting a portion of the public funds, now going to policing to non-policing services and interventions that are less dangerous, particularly to our people of color, and more successful at de-escalating and preventing violence. This would help prevent the criminalizing of non-criminal behavior and address the real causes of a safety situation, which we've heard about today in terms of mental illness, substance abuse, and homelessness. Therefore we urge the council to amend the budget by transferring sufficient funds from the police department to achieve the following. One, further expand the mobile crisis outreach teams, including into Kamil Park and Down County. Two, increased salaries of therapists and peer counselors throughout the county government to be competitive with other local jurisdictions, including using large hiring bonuses to recruit this staff rather than police. Three, more quickly staff restored of justice in all schools. The results from Montgomery Public Schools show that this breaks the cycle of misconduct. Four, increase the number of recreational activities and sports leagues and provide scholarships so that families that cannot currently afford to participate may do so. And five, expand the team works employment program. These funds can come from eliminating community engagement officers in the schools, which have not proven to be effective in safety and we have consistently opposed. Two, reducing the number of MCPD community events, shifting these funds to parks and recreation, and we've heard a lot of testimony on why that's important today. Three, reducing weapons training and not purchasing weapons such as rifles and drones to perpetuate a warrior culture. Four, eliminating some of the vacant positions of MCPD. And five, taking out any funding from MCPD and the county's legal budgets for resources that support or maintain the memorandum of understanding with the fraternal order of police that undermines Anton's law. A law that supports transparency and accountability, and it is the law that the land and the county should be supporting it. And we ask the council advise the executive to terminate that MOU. Be courageous in standing up for equity by making the above changes to the 2026 budget. We stand with hope for an equitable and just county. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next we have Leslie Graham. Good afternoon council members. I'm Leslie Graham. I represent the primary care coalition as its president and CEO and myself as a long time member resident of the county. In both roles I recognize that this is the kind of budget year where everybody dreads the to paraphrase governor more. Only the hard choices are left for us now. And I'm here today to talk about hard choice that we must commit to. And that's to provide an increased budget to the county's health care safety net, specifically the Montgomery Cares and care for kids programs. It might be tempting to tell our nonprofit health centers that we simply have to wait. That for yet another year, they should just fundraise more. But these programs were built as public nonprofit partnerships, and the county is falling short of its share. As a reminder, the public part of these partnerships was to be 70% of the cost, the actual share has dipped closer to 40%. On behalf of PCC and our partner health centers, I'm here to tell you that more waiting, it isn't an option. The healthcare being provided for 35,000 uninsured neighbors, 3% of our county's population, it can't wait. The county executive recognized this in his budget proposal, allocating an additional 1.9 million for the Montgomery Care Support and 334,000 for Care for Kids program. Neither proposed addition is enough, but this I know is not a budget year of enough. This is a budget year of life support while we work on what is next together. And the CE's recommendation is that life support that is needed. As I speak today at our 11-partner health centers, specialists, et cetera, doctors, nurses, medical assistants, they're seeing patients, they're monitoring high blood pressure, they're offering cancer screenings, and they're asking patients, have you felt hopeless or depressed in the recent past? None of these things can wait for a better economic climate. These healthcare professionals do the job because they care deeply about the health of our community, even when their work is very hard. And these compassionate teams, they need to learn a living. And they'll leave if they're not paid or respected wage or respectful wage. Health centers must pay their bills, too, even as nonprofits. The CE's proposed increase will not make the jobs at our health centers easier, but it will make them possible. Possible to continue in the face of relentlessly rising health care costs, increasing need, and people who need the services at the health centers, and a fundraising outlook that quite frankly looks bleak. I remind you that the Montgomery Cares and Care for Kids budgets are largely excluded from the annual nonprofit inflationary adjustment, increases to the program budgets must come from you, the council. So I am asking you as partners to keep the healthcare safety out alive. We cannot do it by ourselves and I thank you. Thank you, thank you very much. Next we have, Badni, Badjan. Yeah, Babli Bajaz, I am a resident in Montgomery County and I've lived here for more than 30 years. I'm also a small business owner that does IT services and have been affected by the federal doge cuts and loss contracts within the federal government. And on top of that, as part of S. Moore's plan of implementing 3% service tax on IT businesses, we are going to face some very strong headwinds and not just at the professional level, but personally as well because as a LLC, it impacts us directly. And as all residents, we've heard a lot today, you know, how all of these programs are important and that's great. And I think it's a very tough decision for the council members to figure out what to fund and what not to fund and it's a difficult choice. But having said all of that, you know, we all face headwinds, you know, the, as you said, the climate is not very conducive and everybody is facing hardships. So are we, I mean, the cost inflation has gone up significantly for everyone in the county, including homeowners' associated home owners' cost in terms of insurance costs. And I am here today opposing the 3.5% hike in the property taxes. It affects all of us. The number of homes in Montgomery County is consistently increasing. The cost of homes have gone up well, the pricing in terms of when you go to buy a home, it's more expensive. So clearly there is additional revenue that's coming in, but it's up to the council members to really figure out how to balance the budget. A lot of us also have to manage with lowered budgets ourselves, and we are going to make cuts at a personal level and do things less than what we were doing before. One of the things that County Executive, or I'll mention that, you know, Donald Trump is going to cut the taxes, so the tax increase is justifiable. Let's wait for that to happen and then propose that tax increase. You know, I don't think we have seen anything. You know, I don't think we can trust what the President says and whether he's going to do it or not is another thing. So, you know, I'm requesting council members to really consider and say, you know what? Let's not raise property taxes more than what they are today. Thank you. Nadine Mason-Mort. Hi. My name is Nadine Mason-Mort and I've been a resident of Montgomery County since 1975. I've been a member of many organizations as officers and of volunteer as well as I've been a special education mediator for 40 years. Currently it's my privilege to serve on the Montgomery County Pride Family Centers Community Advisory Board under the leadership and guidance of Philip Alexander, Danny Arbrilliant and Inax CEO. I'm here today to turn the clock back to 1998. I don't always care, I have a locket instead of the site. I don't know. It's kind of a huge picture. When my twins were entering their teens and realizing that they were different from most of their friends, that was when their peers suddenly melted away and they found themselves without the support groups that most other kids had. We were lucky that they had each other and a supportive chosen family. Sadly, they had no one their own age to confide in, no safe place to go to be themselves and find support from other kids or adults to share similar experiences and to belong. So I know firsthand the fear, the deep loneliness, the desperate need we are asking you to acknowledge and address today to provide not just continued but increased funding for the Montgomery County Pride family centers. You all recognize that this is a very desperate time. The emotional damage the Trump administration's verbal attacks, demeaning policy changes, and outrageous scapegoating are like daggers into the heart. They take an enormous and physical toll on the citizens, your neighbors, young people, elders that you represent. Funding the LGBTQIA plus life affirming and life saving programs, safe spaces and wellness resources for youth, adults, and elders are a critical need. Today I'm asking you to do just one thing. The one thing that you can do to make a real impact on the lives of LBGTQ, IA plus families, individuals, and allies. That's a big group in this county. That one thing is to fully fund and hopefully expand the support for the Montgomery County Pride Family Centers. Finally, please accept my most sincere thanks for all you have done to make this amazing life-saving resource a reality. Thank you and thank you everyone on this panel. Our next panel is Mohit Sagal, Phillip Alexander Downey, Paula Ross, Kenneth Bauer, and Daniela Chivico. What? Thank you. Mojit, if you want to start. Yep. Good afternoon. Council members. Thank you for having us. Mohit Segal. I am a long time county resident as well as a business owner in Montgomery County. And I'm, you know, listening to all the people that came up today and gave that time I really appreciate why we love this county, why we live here and all the great things that we have. But I want to speak on the other side of the equation right we're asking for budget increase, some may consider it large, some may consider it small but it comes out of somebody's pocket. And I think that a lot of stakeholders represented the people that they represent and the people that all these programs are gonna benefit when they ask for an increase in the budget. But the one thing that's gonna impact everybody in this county is gonna be an increase in our property taxes. Whether you're a homeowner or a renter, it's gonna get passed down to you. And frankly, in I oppose that, I oppose an increase in our property taxes. As a business owner, I have spent the last two weeks talking to employees that we had to let go. People live in this county, people live in DC, people live in Virginia, and give them the hard news about how they don't have a job anymore, right? So because contracts got cut overnight. So let's look at the macro picture in the DMV and let's look at what's going to happen in the next six months, 12 months as people come off those jobs. You know, the immediate impact is not really known yet, right? Because first you get over the shock of losing your job. And then you say, you know what? I have six months in the bank. I can maybe make it through. But, you know, there's 280,000 federal employees, slated for cutting. And a majority of them are going to be in the DMV. So when we think about, you know, how do we, what's the next thing? I food on the table, how do I pay for my kids, educations and how do I pay for groceries. And then in September you're gonna get your tax bill. you know, how do we, what's the next thing? All right, food on the table. How do I pay for my kids, educations in there? How do I pay for groceries? And then in September, you're gonna get your tax bill. That's gonna be going up. You, in fits of $500, it doesn't matter. It goes up every year, by the way, right? So we all have seen, so if it's not the tax rate, is the assessment that goes up. And it's great. We get great benefits from that. But I think now is the time to propose on spending. So we all have to dig deep. I have to dig deep. My family does. And it's great. We get great benefits from that. But I think now is the time to put a pause on spending. Right, so we all have to dig deep. I have to dig deep. My family does. The people are getting laid off. They're gonna have to dig deep and think about how they can cut their budgets. I don't think that this is the appropriate time for us to ask them to pay more. And I'm not saying to cut off the services people are asking for, I think those are very important. I think they benefit our citizens and our community and make this a great people are asking for. I think those are very important. I think they benefit our citizens and our community and make this a great place to live. But I think that giving more at this point, I think instead we should be all located each other and say, how do we balance our budget? How do we make do with less right now? Or maybe not make do with what we have and not ask for more? Because I think that the job guards come into this community are, I don't think we've, and the tariffs, price increases. I don't think we've felt the effect yet. And I think that's going to happen over the next months, maybe years. So it's all worth to say. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Phillip Alexander Downey. Thank you all for having me. Good afternoon, Council President Stewart and seem members of the county council. My name is Philip Alexander Downey. Thank you all for having me. Good afternoon, Council President Stewart and I receive members of the county council. My name is Philip Alexander Downey. He and I have the honor of serving as the chief executive officer of the Montgomery County Pride Family, MoCo Pride Center. We're the consortium of LGBTQI plus service advocacy and arts and culture organizations, united in serving Montgomery County. Comprise of living your truth, Trans-Marilan, drag, Maryland, Virginia, MoCo Pride, Prom, the Coalition for Inclosures, Schools, and Communities. Maryland Trans Unity and Bullsville Pride. Together we support the wellness safety and empowerment of our communities focusing on those who are most vulnerable. We do this work at a time of extraordinary urgency. According to the Southern Property Law Center, there are currently over 500 active anti-LGBTQ plus bills in state legislatures across the United States. These bills attack education, healthcare, drag performances, school policies, and especially the right and dignity of transgender expansive youth. The impact is not theoretical, it is deeply felt in our schools, homes, and community spaces. Right here in Montgomery County, this moment for many of us is about survival. Local LGBTQI plus individuals particularly youth and people of color face disproportionately high rates of homelessness, mental health challenges, food insecurity, violence, and self-harm. These outcomes are not inevitable. They are the result of systematic discrimination. But when we invest in a farming community, let care, we save lives. That is why I'm here today to speak to the critical importance of continued and expanded funding for the Montgomery County Pride family. With your support, we have already built something extraordinary. Through creative programs, culturally responsive outreach and deep partnerships, we are reaching those who have too often been left behind. I hear the fear from community members and families daily, and unfortunately I also see the vitriol from those who don't believe in our humanity. But we are preparing monumental next steps in collaboration with the County Executive's Office. We're working to create the first ever LGBTQIA plus Pride Resource Centers in Montgomery County. These spaces will not just be infrastructure. They will be a lifeline, a place of safety, community, and healing. Spaces where someone can walk in 365 days a year and find resources, connection and care. Just like our programs throughout the county, our goal is to offer rotating wellness providers, crisis and mental health support, affirming community and so much more. These spaces will meet people where they are and walk with them as they move towards safety and self-determination. So I urge you to act boldly. Please continue to stand with us, invest in a future where every LGBTQIA plus person knows they belong, are seen, and are supported. Thank you so much, and I look forward to the work we continue to do together. Thank you, Paula Ross. Good afternoon, Council President Stewart and members of the County Council and Paula Ross and President and CEO of the Gatherersburg, Germantown Chamber of Commerce, representing over 450 businesses along the upper I-270 corridor. Our Chamber serves Gatherersburg, Germantown, Clarksburg and Damascus, with over 65% of our members comprising very small businesses with fewer than 10 employees. We celebrate that two of our communities, Gathersburg and Germantown, rank among the three most culturally diverse in the country. One of any Chambers primary mission responsibilities is promoting economic development. Through your support with the Emerging Business District Grant, we have been able to make progress in understanding what might make Germantown Town Center thrive over time. While there is much work to be done, as this is intended as a three year project, we appreciate your commitment to this important economic development work. We also express our support for public safety initiatives, such as the drone as a first responder program in Germantown. Our members also appreciate and support the County Executive's recommendation to fund Montgomery College's full request. Montgomery College has been an excellent partner in our business community to our business community and workforce development. However, we are concerned about the County Executive's proposed budget with regard to increased property taxes and new fees. Many are struggling with federal job losses and the financial impact of recent legislative changes in NAPLIS, on top of increased property tax assessments, and a property tax rate increased just two years ago. It's crucial to note that raising property taxes to support our school system is not yielding the desired results and is intertwined with our housing challenges. First MCPS, of course, we need a top-notch school system that's the very best economic development tool to attract and retain talent here. Our chamber was happy to host Dr. Taylor for a conversation about the vast challenges facing MCPS. Dr. Taylor was honest in sharing of troublesome outcomes in reaching reading and math benchmarks. The taxpayers' money isn't solving these problems. With the significant additional spending for MCPS over the past several years and a lower enrollment in that same period, we hope that you will hold MCPS accountable to the taxpayers for improved outcomes. Second, addressing housing affordability is vital. We see the property tax issue as part of the larger housing issue. Increasing property taxes will simply not help people afford homes or encourage investment in housing. All told, our small business members cannot absorb additional cost increases, especially given the already high expenses of doing business here, with Maryland ranking a troubling 46th in overall business climate in the country. Out migration of wealth to other areas is a significant challenge that weakens our tax space. Our population is lower than it was in 2020 and we offer fewer jobs than we did in 2005. Our county budget since that time is far outpacing inflation and population growth. We trust you to revise the budget in ways that support the hardworking residents and businesses driving Montgomery County's economy. It is essential to recognize that perpetuating wealth light through higher taxes and fees only deepens our budget issues. We must prioritize sustainable economic development that invites investment and strength in the services valued by our residents and our businesses. You will receive a written statement from the chamber that goes into more depth than three minutes allows. Thank you. Thank you very much, Kenneth Bauer. Good afternoon, Council President Stewart, Vice President Juando and Council members. My name is Kenneth Bauer. Unlike some of the other speakers, I'm here to save you money. And the FY26 operating budget, the coalition to stop stream destruction, urges you to decrease funding for the Department of Environment, Environmental Protection, and parks to stop the environmental destruction and loss of green space and countless trees caused by their so-called stream restoration projects. Specifically, salaries for DEP and parks personnel who have been promoting stream restorations should be eliminated because they are lying to the public and the county council about the purported benefits of stream restorations. An example of DEP's greenwashing is their My Green Month Gumree newsletter, which included the following utter nonsense. Quote, the video highlights the importance of stream restoration projects in preserving and improving the health of our local waters and the positive impact on the environment. Unquote, facts matter. These statements are demonstrably false, given the published science photographic documentation of the destruction stream restoration cause, failed projects in Montgomery County and DEP's own statements. DEP only does visual inspections to claim that their project stopped erosion. If DEP was your physician, they would say, let's skip the blood tests and the MRI, I'll just do a a visual inspection. We need to hold DEPN parks to a higher standard and demand facts not empty claims. DEPN parks attack on truth and science parallels what the Trump administration is doing at the federal level. This rises to the level of waste fraud and abuse. DEP and parks cannot refute the fact that scientific papers analyzed over 700 stream restorations and concluded that stream restorations do not work. Again, facts matter. DEP admitted in a private meeting that none of their past projects have improved stream ecology. Stream restorations do not stop erosion. One example is the failed lower Booth Creek project in Montgomery County that was repaired for $3.6 million. We need to control storm water runoff at its source in public spaces as much as possible and then require the private sector to stop dumping their stormwater into our public streams. The operating budget for DEP and Parks personnel who have been frankly lying about the bogus benefits of so-called stream restorations should be eliminated. to the details in my written testimony. Thank you for the consideration of this input. Thank you. Danila Shaviko. Madam. I've listed the details in my written testimony. Thank you for the consideration of this input. Thank you, Danila Shaviko. Madam President, distinguished council members. First of all, for the record, harsh words aside, I have to hold heartedly second, Mr. Bowers, testimony, D. P. Cannot cite a single peer reviewed study to back up their stream restoration strategy that has cost this county hundreds of millions of dollars. And unfortunately, biology and ecology are not the only sciences denied by the DP operating budget. The science of finance is denied as well. Most of the funds raised by the water quality protection charge do not actually finance investments in our water quality. Instead, this money is used to pay for DEP's operating expenses and debt service. Payments to Wall Street to rent our own money back to us. That's right, since DEP uses water quality funds for operating expenses, any actual water quality improvements have to be financed with debt. Why? Because DEP touts, there are 20-year, 4% revenue bonds, and asserts that debt like bonds is a cheaper way to finance than cash. A cert on the record, they do this. This is denial of science, right? Finance is a science. You know what the cost to finance a million dollars with a million dollars and cash is zero zero right? You know what the cost to finance a million dollars with debt with bonds with their bonds eight hundred thousand dollars. You heard that right. For every million dollars DP uses on these stream restorations another eight hundred thousand dollars goes to Wall Street. In the meantime, the Water Quality Protection Fund is used as a cash cow, milked to fund operating expenses and projects that have nothing to do with water quality, leaving only about 1% of all the revenue raised for projects that materially improve our waters. Only 1% of nearly a billion dollars raised. This is why our streams are not drinkable, not swimable, and not even waitable. This is why we can't have nice things. This is what Mahidla is talking about. Good water quality is not a pipe dream. Go to Baltimore. I can take you on a tour of Baltimore County, if you want, where we can snorkel in their crystal clear streams surrounded by trout. I'm serious. I've done it last year. I can take you there. That's what rational science-based water quality, water policy looks like. Alas, not here in Montgomery County. We're in extinction apocalypse, losing species to extinction forever, every day, losing them at a rate of between 25 and 150 species every day. This does not have to be this way, okay? The time to act is now. The time to stop denying sciences now. The time to stop denying biology and ecology and finance is now. The time to stop pointing fingers at DC is now. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you to everyone who is on this panel. Our last in-person panel for this afternoon includes Leigh Blender, Yula, Liba Deva, Latisha, Gassaway Paul, Gayatri, Girirajan, Trufina, Choti, and Makita Richardson. Latisha, what did I say? I'm sorry. You do get posted. All right. Lee, you can kick us off when you're ready. Okay, good afternoon. Council members, my name is Yule Lebedevah and I serve as Human Resources Director at Advanced Science Laboratories, ABL, located in Rockville. ABL is a CDMO specializing in drug development and manufacturing services. I'm here today to express our strong support for Montgomery College and in particular the biotrain program. ABL has partnered with Montgomery College for nearly three years and I cannot overstate the value this partnership has brought to our organization. Last year, 45% of ABL's workforce participated in at least one biotrain session at Montgomery College. Montgomery College is highly flexible and responsive to our soft and technical skills training needs. The quality of instruction and material in by manufacturing, quality control, compliance, and other core domains have been consistently high. This programs directly align with the rigorous standards of our industry and support the professional growth of our workforce. In addition to training, we have successfully hired Montgomery College graduates. Their readiness and ability to contribute from day one are a testament to the strengths of the academic programs and the dedication of the college's faculty and staff. Montgomery County is now home to the third largest bio hub in the US. This momentum results from investments in our workforce, infrastructure, and collaborative programs like biotrain designed to build and sustain a robust biotech ecosystem. I speak to you today not only as an HR professional in the life sciences sector but also as a Montgomery County resident and the mother of two young children. Montgomery College is a vital resource for our community and our industry. It is helping shape the future of our workforce and and in turn our local and national economies. Thank you for the opportunity to share our experience. I urge you to continue supporting Montgomery College and programs like by a train. They are an investment in our collective future. Thank you. Next I have a lead lender. Good afternoon Council President Stewart, excuse me, Council Vice President Chihuando and esteemed council members. My name is Leigh Blender. I use they then pronouns and I'm the Executive Director of Transmaryland. I'm also a proud member of the MoCo Pride family and the Chair of the Maryland Commission on LGBTQI plus affairs. I grew up here in the county. I went to school here. I became the advocate that I am here and I was proud to spend trans day of visibility with my Mocha Pride family last Monday. I spent that morning in Annapolis asking state leadership for more protections and resources for this community. And to be back in Montgomery County where words are put into real action and backed up by real dollars that are invested into this community who are in crisis means so much to me. We are doing something special here in Montgomery County and we are working to let people know that we want to lead in this state by continuing to invest in the trends and LGBTQI plus community. The material impact of physical spaces like the Montgomery County Pride Center that is building out is cannot be understated. The attacks in our community from the top office and the nation have been fast and furious with several executive orders attempting to remove us from public life. And a federal administration who have made their animus against this community crystal clear, we need our allies to understand the impact of this crisis on our ability to live our whole lives. The peril to our inalienable right to experience joy and to thrive is tangible. Your support of the Moco Pride Center family directly addresses this crisis. As we are considering the upcoming budget allocations for the Moco Pride family, we want to ensure that we have the funding allocated for a care navigator position. We are receiving constant inquiries for support from trans and queer individuals and their families. And we need a dedicated position to address those inquiries who will work to increase cultural competency with partner organizations in the county. As trans and queer people, we live at the intersections of identity, black trans people, brown trans people, indigenous trans people, disabled trans people, trans immigrants. Every vulnerable community is also represented in the transgender community, but not every service organization is prepared to welcome the LGBTQI plus community in an affirming manner. The service navigator position is the key link to bridge the gap between our community's needs and existing resources. Here at home, our county leadership knows that we cannot flinch. We have to say we love our trans and queer neighbors. We have to say we will protect the trans and queer people who live and work in this county, especially the most vulnerable of us. We have to continue to commit to not leaving anyone behind, even as it gets harder and harder to do so. Thank you all for making the ongoing commitment to us and for you continued investment into this community. More than anything I want to say thank you that we can do this incredible work together. Thank you very much. Let's issue gas away, Paul. Good afternoon, Council President and esteemed members of the Council. M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M- of Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival. A celebration deeply rooted in Montgomery County's history and grounded in the values of community, unity and forward progress progress. In just two years, our festival has blossomed into the largest Juneteenth celebration in the entire DMV region. With pride and purpose, we carry Montgomery County name far and wide, amplifying its legacy and its promise. Today, I come before you with the heartfelt ass to include our festival in the county's fiscal year 2026 operating budget. Our festival is a homecoming for all of Montgomery County's historic black communities. From Sandy Spring and Emory Grove to Lincoln Park and storytelling and everywhere in between, we gather to celebrate to remember, uplift the rich legacy of the role Black Americans played in building this county. Celebrating Juneteenth on land once belonged to freed slaves is truly a way to reclaim our legacy. Juneteenth is Freedom Day. It is sacred anthem of liberation echoing through our souls with every beat of a drum, every joyful dance, every voice raised in triumph praise. And while we are grounded in black history, the festival is a powerful celebration of all people. Our attendees reflect race, ethnicity, generation, and every walk of life. It is a mirror of the multicultural, mazoic that makes Montgomery County wanted the most diverse counties in the country. That inclusive spirit extends to faith as well. I have held hands, broke bread, and been in prayer with many of you. We proudly honor the full spectrum of our NFAVE community. Faith is the core of all of us. At the NFAVE brunch, we come together and love, united in word and in its truth. He is the God of every nation praise His name. In 2024, we invested over 375,000 to ensure our festival's success. And a 2025 that number is expected to succeed over 400,000. What's more, over 80% of those funds go back into the community that we all serve. This is economic, empowerment, and action. This is just an investment in a weekend. It's an investment in a movement. A movement with permission supporting minority nonprofits throughout Montgomery County. The story of Scotland and Jewelty is Montgomery County's history. And while parts of that history are painful, you have the power to make history and drive lasting changes. Make your mark, use your voice, approve the budget, and stand with me. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Gayatri, Gary Arajan. Good afternoon. My name is Gayatri, and I've been a resident among Montgomery County for 20 plus years. I'm testifying today to ask the council to end the grant to the Maryland Israel Development Center. In times of dire financial uncertainty particularly in housing schools and all of our vulnerable communities like we've heard today, it's important that we re-evaluate our priorities and make sure our investments and our budget do indeed benefit the well-being of the community as a whole. And I do not believe the MIDC is a beneficial investment, especially considering the thousands of dollars going to it that could be going to vulnerable communities. The MIDC facilitates funding for defense companies like RADA, ELTA, and the Rafael Defense Systems alongside its medical and business ventures. These companies are part of the defense apparatus that Israel has been famous for for decades. While one may argue that it is standard practice for all countries to develop international partnerships, it's most important to acknowledge that the Israeli defense industry is centered around quote-unquote testing its weapons in Palestine. In the 2013 Israeli documentary The Lab, Israeli Minister of Trade General Benjamin Ben Alayzer says that there is demand for Israeli weapons because, quote unquote, Israel, if Israel sells weapons, they've been tested. What this means is that Palestinians, since 2023, since 2021, since 2014, since 1980s, and really since 1948, have been subject to constant surveillance, invasions, bombings, tanks, walls, and other inhumane and internationally illegal methods of occupation that these companies facilitate. According to Oxfam International in 2024, the daily death rate in Gaza was higher than any other major 21st century conflict, and this continues to hold true in 2025 as the death toll rises every day. In the past 24 hours alone, 58 Palestinians have been killed. I would ask the council to think about what they would ask of the world if bombs and missiles were detonating in Montgomery County day and night for a year and a half. What would you demand from the world if it was your parents, friends, siblings, children and your community who had to run from explosions, rebuild their houses and bury their community members every day. The bare minimum you might ask is that communities around the world say no to the companies and people facilitating the production of this weaponry. The funding going to the MIDC could be used for essential services supporting the people of Montgomery County like we've seen here today. And at the end of the day, no matter how essential something might seem to business or reputation, if the cost is that hundreds of children are dying for it, it is not essential. Thank you. Thank you. Next we have Tufina Choti. Good afternoon, Council President Stoward, Vice President Yawandanda and esteemed members of the Montgomery County Council. My name is Dr. Truffin Aichuti, and I have the pleasure of serving as the CEO of Avery Thrive, a growing community based on profits that is based in Aspen Hill. And this community welcomed me and my young family 21 years ago when I came to this country as an international graduate student. And when I asked my professor where we could find a place to rent an apartment, she gave me 20906 as my zip code to search. And I've been a resident of 2096 for 21 years serving in District six with Council Member, Fan Gonzales and I'm proud member. In this zip code, we have raised our three children through MCPS schools, Montgomery College and the University of Melbourne who are now professional serving in the county. So I love this community and that's where I made a decision some six years ago to transition from international development to work in community service. And I'm here to thank you so much for the support that you're giving to community organizations in the county that are working in the trenches, including Avery Thrive. And as we get into this budget, I want to reintroduce Avery Thrive that we reach some of the most vulnerable individuals in our county, the low income immigrant community, who often struggle silently with hunger and hardship. Due to cultural stigma and past trauma, many of them find it difficult to refill their needs, but they have come to trust every thrive. And this is especially became clear during the pandemic. We currently serve over 1,000 families every month and at this level of service, we still struggle to find rent for an office space or a warehouse. At the same time, we run community gardening program and many of you have had the pleasure of coming to our Pulsefield Farm, which is being donated to us by a member of the community, but we cannot invest much in the infrastructure because we do not own or have a long time lease on this. So I'm asking the Council members, as you consider FY26 budget, remember capacity building for non-profit like every thrive that needs infrastructure to support the families. And at the time when this community has been traumatized by rhetoric that is happening, they are threatened and feeling excluded. I want you to invest in to help the families, not only to survive, but to feel safe, seen and included in Montgomery County. Every thrive is proud to be part of this fabric in Montgomery County and with your support, we will continue to serve, uplift, and empower those who call this county home. Thank you so much for believing in us and in the power of our community. Thank you. Makita Richardson? Yes. Good afternoon, council members, neighbors, and community members. My name is Makita Richardson and I'm a proud resident of Montgomery County. I serve as the board chair of Montgomery County Pride Family, MoCo Pride Center Inc., which is a local consortium of LGBTQIA plus service providers, advocacy groups, and arts and cultural organizations. I am also a black and Native American two-spirit at woman deeply rooted in this community. I am Hollow Sopone. I am in this community as a neighbor, a business owner, a coach, a care manager, and as an advocate. I would like to share a quick story with you. Last month, a young queer high school student came to visit the boxing gym that me and my partner own. They were nervous, quiet, and unsure if they belonged. Over the course of a few weeks, that same high school student started to smile more, show up more, speak more, and even offer to volunteer for one of our boxing programs. Their mentor told us with tears in their eyes that this is the one place, one of the first places that their mentee have felt safe in a long time, that they loved being at our gym and really looked up to me and my partner. This moment stuck with me because it's not just one young person. are many. Many that share parts of this mentee's story and have their own experiences of feeling trapped, cast to decide, overlooked, ostracized, dismissed, and under constant attack. When affirming spaces are available, people thrive. When they're missing, the consequences are hurtful and extremely heartbreaking. I've seen young people be isolated. Elders go unseen and trans and queer folks turned away from spaces and care, simply because the infrastructure to support and welcome them does not exist. Organizations like MoCo Pride Center live in your truth and Trans-Marilen feel these critical gaps from hosting support groups and educational events to connecting folks with housing health care and hope but these efforts are strained they're under attack and underfunded yet they are desperately needed. So I'm here today to say clearly funding LGBTQIA programs is not optional it life saving. We urgently need safe affirming spaces for people of all ages, political and health linkages to care, youth engagement and elder support, trans and queer expansive resources, outreach and education to fight hate with understanding and critical a physical pride resource center right here Montgomery County. So I urge City Council to continue and expand funding from Montgomery County Pride family and the MoCo Pride Center. So that these service, vital services, don't just survive but thrive. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you to everyone who came to testify today, everyone who came in person. We are going to now move to the virtual testimony for this afternoon and our first person we have is Karen Metchis. Yes, good afternoon. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Karen Metchis. I'm speaking today as an individual. I'm retired from USCPA and I'm associated with several local environmental and social justice groups. And frankly, I am actually at a loss for words. We're in a new state of paralysis precipitated by the extreme right wing agenda of the lying oligarchic want to be Donald Trump and the fascistic unhinged apartheid bred Elon Musk and their minions. I know you are under pressure to deliver services today that we've heard about earlier and that you're finding it hard to contemplate funding our responsibility to future generations to leave them a planet that is not racked by climate change. You have children, as I do, my 32 year old daughter is in a state of crisis. My friends, young adult children also, and yours are probably two. Do you know what I'm sorry knowing what they know about climate change, seeing the daily erosion of our government and our economy, how can they plan for the future? Yet the future is all they have, and as a mother, it's my future too. I implore you to fund the future, do not cut the Green Bank allocation, please fund this at the full 10% allocation, not eight and a half percent as proposed by the county executive. This is the wisest investment we have that leverages private capital. And while it may seem the parks department is a nice to have rather than a necessity, in fact, it plays a key role for climate change. Their efforts preserve forests and green space to maximize carbon sequestration, and perhaps actually more urgently is to cool the planet, given our lack of progress in stemming climate change. Parks and open space also provide a degree of respect to our stressed-out communities. Two options that Council did not fund in the past years are actually quite important to find more places to promote solar generation. We need a solar strategic plan. And to ensure our land use policies are informed by the best available information, we need a planner focused on climate policy in the planning department. And of course, to enlist the public to take urgent action, it's key again, to provide one time funding, one more time funding for the Climate Outreach Program for a second year. I'm urgently asking you, please don't let our children's future slip away. Plan for seven generations. Let's not just live for ourselves in this extremely delicate moment. Thank you for your time. Thank you, thank you very much. Next is Jeb Science. We will go to Kelly Buttsack. Kelly you're muted. Now we can hear you. Time starts now. Thank you President Stewart, Vice President Jawanda and our Honorable Honorable Council members for this opportunity today. I am Kelly Batsack. I'm speaking on behalf of the Montgomery County based nonprofit arts service organization, Story Tapestries and our Montgomery County partners. The arts represent the enduring legacy of our community. The arts are the means by which we experience and understand our collective and individual history and cultures. The arts are at the very core of humanity. At Story Tapestries, we see firsthand every day how the arts are essential to the well-being and socioeconomic health of Montgomery County because we use the arts every day as a powerful tool to create accessible open spaces and opportunities for individuals to reach their potential and to work together to address community issues for all ages across Montgomery County. Whether we are teaching literacy and STEM in an MCPS classroom, doing workforce development in a homeless shelter, offering digital literacy to young adults and seniors, or facilitating community conversations in Long Branch. We need the direct and indirect funding that the county provides to continue the work that we do, to continue to keep the arts accessible as a tool for all, for our constituents, our partners, and especially for those across our community who otherwise lack access to the arts and the tools and resources that provide the skills needed to increase educational and workforce development outcomes for the county. We collaborate with Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless and Work Source Montgomery to provide hard and soft workforce skills, resources and connections to opportunities. We partner with Montgomery College, MSCPS, and Montgomery County Parks to provide arts integrated educational programming and we advocate for the full funding of their proposed budgets as well as the county executives proposed 3% increase for the the Arts and Humanities Council and the additional $500,000 requested to meet the grant funding demand in FY26. I also ask that you consider funding a rec center in Montgomery Village, that you continue to fund the Black Rock Center for the Arts. And finally, that you designate funding for story tapestries to expand the critical work we do to address disparities in early childhood development, in shraxis to quality education and resources, and support students, individuals, and families through programs that bridge the socioeconomic gaps and promote equitable outcomes. In DC and across the state, the arts are facing marginalization. We have always appreciated Council's commitment and support for our sector, especially through these difficult times, both past and present. Your advocacy and support for the arts and humanities at the local level is needed now more than ever. Thank you. Thank you. Do we have Mr. Zion, son? Yeah. I hope we do. Yes, we do. We have you. Thank you. Do we have Mr. Zion? Yes, we do. Thank you, Council President Stewart, members of the county council. Thank you for allowing me to appear virtually. I wanted to share my testimony, but not my cold. Something's happened every springtime. Cherry blossoms appear. The baseball season begins, the NCAA basketball championships are won, and the executive recommends an operating budget that your changes the parts department. Some things never change. For example, when my wife looks me over as I start to walk out the door, she says, you're not wearing that, are you? The answer to the question is clear. Channeling my wife, I ask the council, you're not going to approve the executives recommended budget, are you? A property tax rate increase to fund a BOE requested budgets that's almost $300 million more than last year's budget for less students next year, and a parks budget that would not cover expenses from last year's is in defensible. The parks department needs 3.2 million more than the executive recommends a budget just to maintain services and avoid reducing personnel. about a million of the 3.2 million is needed for personnel. The park's budget in total is about 2% of the county's non-BLE budget. When I was working, I would undertake revenue authority facility inspections. Now that I'm retired, I admit that I play golf on park-owned land. I'm also a walker and appreciate the park systems well maintains bridges past trails and recreational infrastructure. You've heard other residents who are grateful for the park's department's contribution to the quality of life in the county. You have a tough job balancing everybody's interest. Many people have everyone has an ask and many people are concerned about taxes. I do not want your job. For that matter, I don't want any job. In retirement, I've grown humble. I do not have all the right answers. My golf partners let me know that every time expressed an opinion, but I digress. I'm confident the council will, once again, collectively adopt an operating budget that better reflects the public interest than the umbilial and operating budget recommended by the county executive. Thank you for this opportunity to speak. Thank you very much. Next we have Kimberly McBride. Good afternoon, Council President Stewart and members of the Council. My name is Kimberly Bride and I serve as Vice President of Community Health at Holy Cross Health. I'm here today to express our strong support from Montgomery College and to respectfully urge you to fully fund their FY26 operating budget request. That holy cross. That's first, the Montgomery College plays in shaping the future of our healthcare workforce. We are proud to partner with the college in a variety of ways. But perhaps most visibly, through our shared Germantown campus, where Holy Cross Germantown Hospital stands as the first hospital in the nation built on a community college campus. That partnership reflects our shared mission to create opportunities, expand access, and strengthen community wellbeing. Montgomery College is a vital part of our workforce pipeline. We rely on the college to help prepare the nurses, radiology technicians, lobotomists, pharmacy techs, and medical assistance to care for our community every day. These graduates are well trained, committed, and ready to meet the complex needs of a diverse population. We don't just partner with the college, we hire their graduates regularly. One of the most impactful areas of collaboration is our Career Pathways Program, which helps our entry-level employees gain certification and high demand fieldsand fields like certified nursing assistant, certified medical assistant, pharmacy technician, certified health access associate, and phobotomy. Montgomery College provides the instruction and home-and-cross removes financial barriers but covering tuition and offering wraparound support. We've seen firsthand how this program helps colleagues move from hourly frontline roles into skilled positions with better wages and growth potential. It's a powerful tool for promoting income equality and career advancement. And it's only possible because of strong partners like Montgomery College. What makes the college exceptional is that they don't just focus on graduation. They focus on the whole student. They work hard to address the social needs that can derail educational progress. Connecting students to food, housing assistance, mental health support, and more. The commitment ensures that students don't just start strong, they finish strong. At a time when our healthcare system is grappling with critical workforce shortages, Montgomery College is a key solution. They help us grow talent locally and keep that talent right here in Montgomery County. For all these reasons, I urge you to fully fund Montgomery College's FY26 operating budget. Your support ensures we can continue this essential partnership and continue building a healthier, more equitable future for all. Thank you for your time, your leadership, and your continued investment in our community. Thank you so much. Next we have Colleen Salinas. Good afternoon, my name is Colleen Salinas. I'm the Director of People and Culture for E. Infosol, and today I'll be reading the testimony of our President and CEO, Freddie Pesante. Good afternoon, Council members. Thank you for the hard work you do every day for the people of our county. I truly appreciate it. My name is Freddie J. Pesante, an Army veteran, Maryland resident since 2006, and the CEO of E. Infosol LLC, a leading IT solutions provider based here in Montgomery County. At E. Infos, we specialize in delivering innovative technology solutions to government agencies and private sector clients, ensuring they stay ahead in an ever-evolving digital landscape. With the team consisting of over 35% veterans and more than 30% Maryland residents were proud to support many families within this county. Our workforce continues to be one of the biggest challenges we face as a company. The demand for skilled IT professionals is ever increasing and finding great talent is paramount. That is why our partnership with Montgomery College and the TechMap program has been so successful. Throughout the years, Montgomery College has been a tremendous resource, providing a broad range of educational platforms that serve our team from cloud, cybersecurity, software development, and AI. We are extremely grateful to have a community college that can support our needs as an employer. When hiring a Montgomery College graduate, we know they are well prepared for the job. The up-to-date curriculum, hands-on experience, and top-notch professors make it a no-brainer for employers. The tech map program, in particular, has been instrumental in bridging the gap between academic learning and a real world application providing students with the skills and experience needed to excel in the tech industry. As an advisor to the TechMap program I have seen firsthand the passion and willingness to produce technology programs that help their students and the Maryland workforce. It is important to note that Maryland is home to a significant number of federal employees with approximately 142,876 federal workers residing in the state. This high concentration of federal employees is due to Maryland's proximity to Washington and D.C. And underscores the importance of having a well-educated and skilled workforce to support both federal and private sector needs. Montgomery College and the TechMap program play a crucial role in reskilling these federal employees, offering a wide range of courses and certifications in high demand fields such as IT, computing, cybersecurity, and AI. These programs are designed to help individuals transition into new roles, stay current with technological advancements, and enhance their career prospects. By providing flexible learning options, including online and in-person classes, Montgomery College ensures that federal employees can balance their professional responsibilities while gaining new skills. I understand you have difficult decisions to make in the coming weeks as you finalize the operating budget. I ask for your continued support of Montgomery College and its budget request. Ensuring this exceptional institute continues to thrive and continues to provide top talent to Montgomery County employers. These programs will benefit Maryland tax players. Thank you so much for your time today, Freddie J. Pesante. Thank you, thank you very much. I'm Asalena's for reading that. Next we have Richard Gallup. Council President Stewart and Council members thank you for your time today. My name is Rich Gallup and I became interested in giving testimony to the county council when I became aware that the county has continued to provide funding for the Maryland Israel Development Center via funds appropriated at the discretion of the county executive's office. Others have already provided testimony describing how the development center seeks to bring Israeli businesses to Maryland and Montgomery County. It is understandable that prior to this discussion council members were unaware of the funds being designated by the County Executive to go to the development center, amounting to approximately $45,000 this past year. It appears that the county executive will like this funding to continue as his dirty little secret. I can see why he isn't keen on discussing his support for the development center for a couple of reasons. One, the county does not provide similar support to any other country seeking to do business in the county. Only Israel gets this special treatment. And two, the companies receiving this support are, of course, based in Israel, a country that was cited by the International Court of Justice for plausibly committing acts amounting to genocide under the genocide convention. The ICJ ruling came down in January 2024, and at that time, the court encouraged Israel to take steps to minimize the chances of genocide. Instead, Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government has intensified his campaign, killing more than 50,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, demolishing most of the buildings in Gaza, and attempting to starve the population to death, most recently by blocking all humanitarian aid since March 2nd. And some of the companies, our members of the development center, are not mom and pop startups leading our health. Some are wholly owned, very profitable business. This is owned directly by the Israeli government. Included in the companies are military contractors such as Elta and Rafael systems that help turn dumb bombs into smart bombs actively participating in war crimes. In fact, it was a Rafael guided bomb that hit and collapsed in six-story apartment building in southern Lebanon last fall, killing at least 73 people, including 23 children and 19 women. Although some may claim that the development center brings jobs to the county, I would ask at what cost? Is bringing a few more jobs and presumably a bit more tax revenue to the county worth becoming a partner with a country actively committing genocide against the Palestinian people? As a resident of Silver Spring for over 27 years and someone raised in the Jewish faith, I want to let the council know that seeing my tax dollars Goot toward continued atrocities runs entirely counter to the values I was taught as a child And I think runs counter to the community values We would like to instill in the FY26 budget I ask the council to take a stand for humanity and please halt the funding of the Maryland Israel Development Center Not as a separate line item in the budget and not as an item left up to the discretion of County Executive. This afternoon I heard about many critical initiatives worthy of County funding, but the Maryland Israel Development Center is not one of them. Thank you. Thank you very much. That is the last person we have signed up for today for this afternoon. For our public hearing We will be back here again at 7 p.m. So thank you everyone and we are in recess till 7 p.m. Thank you.