County Council. This afternoon we have two proclamations to begin with. The first proclamation is recognizing Megan Jones honoring her life of advocacy and service and councilmember Luki will be presenting this. Everyone here for Megan's proclamation, please come on up and join us up here because we have a lot of friends. Yes. How are you? Good to see you. Good to see you. See you in the live-in. You're not going to find them. We're ever you like to see. Wherever you want to be. It's time for my resume to... Yeah. Sorry. Oh, 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. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You can. I'm going to go back. I'm going to go back. I'm going to go back. I'm going to go back. I'm going to go back. I'm going to go back. I'm going to go back. I'm going to go back. I'm going to go back. I'm going to go back. I'm going to go back. I'm going to go back. I'm going to go back. I'm sorry. I think you can all tell from the audience. I think you can all tell from the gathering we have assembled here just how special and remarkable a person Megan Jones was to our community and how she is living on in each of us as we move forward. Megan was an extraordinary person who lived a life of service, whose motto was nothing about us without us, correct, as a consummate advocate for the developmental disabilities community and in her life of service in faith and in overall community building. She was beloved by all who knew her and although I only got to know her for a very short time over the past few years, the absence and the announcement of her passing at the age of 35 on January 8th was shocking and I know it was shocking to everyone here because everyone loved her so much and respected her commitment and her work and the joy she brought to all she did in our community and and I am thankful that she shared so much of herself with everyone up here, friends of all ages. Many of you viewed her as family, family of choice. Yes, family of choice is a very important thing these days. Now more than ever, we recognize that family means something much, much bigger and much stronger than just those you are related to by blood. And so I wanted to make sure we had the opportunity to honor her, her service. She was vice chair of the States Developmental Disabilities Council, a position she was appointed to in 2022. Governor Moore and First Lady Dawn Moore mourned her loss and knew her personally through her advocacy. And I know we will continue honoring that as we all move forward. And I want to say a special heartfelt condolence to her parents, Sylvia and Bob, who were here today. And to also commend them because despite their loss, their extraordinary loss, I know Sylvia's been out fighting the good fight on behalf of this community and continuing to advocate strongly and passionately for the developmental disabilities community. I know I saw her at developmental disabilities day and she was down there ready to make sure she was heard and that this community was uplifted. And so for that, that is a very hard thing to do and we all owe her a debt of gratitude for her continued service and continuing to honor Megan's work and Megan's legacy on behalf of this incredible community. So thank you Sylvia. Mm-hmm. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you. I just want to thank you very much. Yeah. Absolutely to thank everybody for supporting us and through these hard times and her passing your prayers and your thoughtfulness. And thank you for coming today. This means a lot to Bob and I and Alex and Keegan. Thank you again. I'm going to put the chicken in the oven. I'm going to put the chicken in the oven. I'm going to put the chicken in the oven. I'm going to put the chicken in the oven. I'm going to putegan. Thank you again. I'm looking for Jen Lynn Carwin. Oh, okay. Yes. She disappeared. Yes, yes, ma'am. I would love for Jen Lynn Carwin, Director of Up County Community Resources to speak for a moment as well. Oh boy. I've been crying in the back. Yeah, I wasn't ready for this. Yeah. Wow. Megan is a force. And she remains a force in this community. I can hear her telling me, use it out. This is not your day to work. I'm the boss. And I will never forget it as one of my, the founding board members. For UCR, UCR wouldn't exist without Megan and Sylvia. Right? I mean, this is an incredible organization built on their backs and their tireless efforts for advocacy and love and making sure everybody is accepted and included in all parts of the community. That's what all I can do because I'm just are crying now. And I don't know if Rachel Chung would have a word or a board chair. I'm just being sweet. Yeah, there she is. One, two, three. It's untowel, but I'm not going to say it. Let me go back. board chair. Thank you again so much to the Montgomery County Council for recognizing Megan. I think this is why this proclamation is so important. Megan did not need us. We needed her. Megan created a better rockville, a better Maryland, a better giant where she worked, and a better church. She was a very faithful Catholic. Through her advocacy, joy, and love of life. When our communities are inclusive, we all benefit. Megan helped me grow as a disability rights advocate and a better member of the church. So again, thank you again for this proclamation. Let's honor the memory of Megan now. Let us be strengthened and resolved to continue our work towards a gentler and more inclusive world. Thank you again. And I know there's information posted on up county community resources website about the memorial service that will take place to celebrate Megan's life on July 12th at St. Francis of Assisi in Derwood. So stay tuned or check the website for additional information if you like to join us in that celebration. And with that, I will read the proclamation. The Montgomery County Council of Montgomery County, sorry, let me start that over again. The county council of Montgomery County, Maryland, whereas while Megan Jones left us far too soon, her life is a legacy of determination, commitment and advocacy for people with disabilities. And whereas Megan and her mother Sylvia were major forces in creating a sense of community within the Down syndrome population, by launching up county community resources to foster inclusion and acceptance in everyday life for people with developmental and intellectual differences. whereas Megan's advocacy led her to the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council where she was elected vice chair in 2022, she testified numerous times before state legislators in Annapolis, most recently on a bill that removed harmful and outdated language from state laws. And whereas a woman of deep faith, Megan was a long time lecturer, usher, and alter-server at St. Francis of Assisi in Derwood. While in high school, she was the first person with a developmental disability to serve as a lector at a mass with Pope Francis at the National Shrine in Washington, DC. In constant pursuit of how best to serve others, she completed an American Sign Language Certificate Program at Montgomery College in 2023, enabling her to interpret readings, homilies, and hymns during masses for the hearing impaired. And whereas upon her passing, Megan was recognized by Governor Moore for her important role in advocating for Maryland's disability community, calling attention to challenges and working to be an active part of the solution. Now therefore be it resolved that the County Council of Montgomery County Maryland hereby recognizes and pays tribute to the life and legacy of Megan Jones. And be it further resolved that Megan Jones lived her life with joy, spirit, and as an example for all of us as a strong and tireless champion for individuals with disabilities presented on this fourth day of it in the oven. you you Thank you. Thank you to everyone who joined us today. Thank you councilmember Luki for putting this together and it's a great afternoon that we can celebrate and honor the life of Megan Jones. Next, we have a proclamation recognizing Mill Eastern Heritage Month presented by myself and the County Executive who 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 put to the next slide. I'm sorry. All right. Good afternoon, everyone. Everyone who is here for our Middle Eastern Heritage Month proclamation, please come up. And we are so glad to be able to have you all with us today. We come together this afternoon to celebrate the Middle Eastern Heritage Month here in Montgomery County. We're joined by I have some residents here and I will have them introduce themselves in a moment but we just want to say thank you to all members of our Middle Eastern community. We know our Middle Eastern community comes from diverse backgrounds with roots in countries like Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Turkey, and more. And each community brings its own rich cultural heritage to Montgomery County. It's a unique traditions, languages, and perspectives. And we're just so thankful that all of you are here. We also know this is the start of Ramadan. It was this past weekend and we just want to wish everyone who celebrates Ramadan Mubarak and hope for a joyful Ramadan season and now I'll turn it over to our liaison who are To the Arab American community who will provide remarks Thank you so much, Council President Good afternoon,, Council President Kate Stewart. Steemit members of the county council and also our distinguished guests and our cherished member of the Middle Eastern American Advisory Group, David and Anjad. It is with the great bride we are gathering today to honor the remarkable contribution of the Middle Eastern American and Montgomery County. Of course they contribute in all walks of life in Montgomery County and today we are gathering to celebrate the month of March and announce it as Middle Eastern Heritage Month. I am honored today to have Dr. Debitrend who's going to the level remarks on behalf of the Middle Eastern American community. Very low for me. Okay. I come with greetings from all of the Middle Eastern American advisory group to our fellow residents of Montgomery County, the County Council, and our appointing official county executive Mark L. Rich. I'm honored to be speaking here on behalf of our 10 volunteer members, having resided in Silver Spring and now Kensington since 1988. Most of the Middle Eastern American advisory group or MEAG and including Arleazon, Arwa, are immigrants. The rest of us have descendants from the broader Middle East and Southwest Asia or we married up into the MEA community. I call myself a mutt with 50% Lebanese roots. Who exactly are Middle Eastern Americans? There is no accurate estimated data about Middle Eastern Americans. The 2020 U.S. Census reports 3.5 million respondents identifying its people of Middle Eastern or North African roots. But those numbers don't capture the diversity of our MIA community, which is blessed with residents of Pakistan, Afghan, Pakistani, Afghan, Israeli, Turkish, and even more diverse heritage. MIAC has been fortunate to count those cultures among our members since 2008. In addition to our diverse heritage and thinking about a message underlying these remarks, our gratitude for our certain touch tones, our communal culture, our gratitude for life here in the county, our concerns, our opportunities, and our hopes. I landed on civic responsibility, the challenges and hopes of being responsible. President John F. Kennedy intoned civic responsibility at his inaugural address on January 20, 1961. According to the National Archives, the climax of the speech and its most remarkable phrase, and memorable phrase, asked not what your country can do for you, asked what you can do for your country, was honed down from a thought about sacrifice that Kennedy had long held in his mind and had expressed in various ways in the campaign speeches he made. Prior to that, Kennedy's question has been traced to Gibran, Khalil Gibran, the Lebanese Arab poet, journalist, and artist who wrote in 1925 to his countrymen and country women, Are you a politician asking what your country can do for you? Or a zealous one asking what you can do for your country? If you are the first, then you are a parasite. If the second, then you are an oasis in the desert. All of us here carry that legacy. It is in the spirit of our communal life and heritage, especially during these challenging times. And you saw some of that challenge in and out of the room today. That meag will celebrate this month with a community resource fair on Saturday, April 5th at the executive office building cafeteria across the way. You now have your save the date. Invitations are forthcoming. We hope to see many of you there because we are stronger together. Miag looks forward to continuing our cultural and educational work this year and beyond. Thanks again. Thank you for those words and now I'd like other folks who have come to celebrate this day with us to introduce themselves. This is Amjit Chaudhary from the Bethromon Mosque and I'd like to invite you, on March 16, we have dinner and Interfate dinner. Thank you. Hello, everyone. Thank you for this wonderful honor. My name is Samir Hasein and I am a friend of the Middle Eastern American Adversity Group. Assalamu Alaikum. Peace be with you all. Ramadan Mubarak. My name is Dr. Wafa Huzyan and the Islamic Center of Maryland Academy School Principal. Thank you for doing this for us. Hello, my name is Shahzad Naqosni. I am a M.I. member, Middle Eastern Advisory Group. Thank you for having us. Good afternoon everyone. Ramadan Mubarak. My name is Shahzah Ahmed. I am a mom. I am a resident of Montgomery county and I'm just like you know one of the FETs who have been like you know fired lately. And it's my honor to be here. And I am one of the Middle Eastern Advisory Group. Thank you so much. Good afternoon. My name is Suzanne Borna. I'm a retired Montgomery County Public School teacher. It's an honor to be here. Thanks everybody. Thank you so much. Thank you for being here and exemplifying the diversity of our Middle Eastern community. And for all you do in our community. Now I will read the proclamation. Whereas Montgomery County is a vibrant and inclusive community enriched by the diverse skills, values, and knowledge of its multicultural residents. And whereas the Middle Eastern American community is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multilingual group that has significantly contributed to the cultural, social, and economic fabric of Montgomery County. And whereas the observance of Middle Eastern American heritage month serves to honor the achievements and contributions of residents of Middle Eastern descent, promote the appreciation of Middle Eastern customs and traditions, and amplify the voice of the Middle Eastern American community. Now, therefore, be it resolved that Mark L. Ridge, as county executive and myself, Kate Stewart, as the council president of Montgomery County, Maryland, hear prior proclaim March 25th as Middle Eastern American Heritage Month in Montgomery County. We encourage all residents to join us in recognizing and celebrating the invaluable contributions of Middle Eastern American community and to participate in the many many upcoming events and activities this month. Thank you so much. Everybody. you you you I'm going to start with the next one. I'm going to start with the next one. I'm going to start with the next one. I'm going to start with the next one. I'm going to start with the next one. I'm going to start with the next one. I'm going to start with the next one. Alright, We have a few minutes before we can begin our public hearing. I want to again thank everyone who is here for the proclamations this afternoon. And to let you know that our colleague, Christen Ming, Council Member Ming, is joining us virtually. I think we'll just wait a minute until we, 130 until we'll start our public hearing. So just relax for three minute. All right, we can do the announcements. All right, why don't we do that? Madam Clerk, please share today's announcements. Thank you. I'll try to speak slowly. Good afternoon. Public hearings on the proposed FY26 operating budgets and FY26 to 31 public services program and fiscal policy for the following Montgomery County government, Montgomery College, Maryland National, Capitol Park, and Planning Commission, WSSC Water, and Montgomery County Public Schools will be held on Monday, April 7, 2025, at 1.30 pm and 7 o'clock pm, and Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at 1.30 pm and 7 o'clock pm. Those wishing to provide testimony in person or virtually must register in advance via the Council's website beginning on Friday, March 7th, 2025 at 9 o'clock a.m. Written, audio, and video testimony may be submitted via the Council's website. Also, the Montgomery County Council is seeking applicants for the Board of Investment Trustees for the Montgomery County employee retirement plans and the Board of Trustees for the Consolidated Retire Health Benefits Trust. Applications for the vacancy are due by 5 o'clock PM on Monday March 31st 2025. Cover letters and resumes may be submitted by email to council.clurk at Montgomery County MD.gov and more information is available on the council's website. Finally, as council members do excuse me council presidents do are announced council member sales and council member mink are expected to be participating in today's meeting virtually thank you madam president thank you so much for the announcements. All right, our minutes for today, we have February 11th, 2025 Council session and they have been circulated to everyone. Are there any objections to approving the minutes from February 11th Council session? Seeing none, these minutes stand approved. Still got a minute. I think we had one person in person today. Mr. Kevin Do we take the thing. I'm just all discombobulated this afternoon. So this is what happens when we take the morning off. And we only start the council meeting in the afternoon. It just completely throws me off. All right, item one is a public hearing. I'm bill 3-25 homeowner's tax credit, county supplement amendments. This bill would alter eligibility requirements to receive the county supplemental to the homeowners tax credit, alter the amounts of the county supplement to the homeowners tax credit, and generally amend tax credits available to county residents. A government operations and fiscal policy committee work session is scheduled for March 13th, 2025. Those wishing to submit material for the council's consideration should do so by the close of business on March 6th, 2025. As a reminder, a 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 a lot of time. And now we will begin the public hearing. Thank you President Counsel. Counsel, President and members of the Council. My name is Kevin Doxie and I offer testimony today as President of Montgomery County Chapter of the Military Office of the Association of America. Moeer is the fourth largest military service organization in the country and we advocate for all parts of the Military Office's Association of America. Moa is the fourth-largest military service organization in the country, and we advocate for all parts of the uniformed services community on issues of interest. Having recently heard separately from Council Men Freedson at our January chapter event of his concerns regarding the housing affordability within the county. As a chapter, we heard the message and are pleased to lend our voice in support of an acting bill 325. While it is highly unlikely that any of the retired or former commissioned officers would be beneficiaries of the legislation, the same cannot be said for those veterans from the from the enlisted community wishing to reside or continue to reside here in Montgomery County. In the interest of advocating a potential means of helping alleviate the financial burdens for those of lesser means, we respectfully ask for the Council affirmative consideration of Bill 325, respectfully, Kevin Doie Colonel us on me retire. Thank you. Thank you very much Mr. Doxie. That is our only in-person testimony today next will go Virtual and the first is we have may a to Alicia Cierce Thank you Council President Stewart and Montgomery County Council for the opportunity to speak today. The City of Tacoma Park supports County Council Bill 325 and we urge you to act to update eligibility requirements for the county's supplemental low income housing tax credit in four ways. the income limit, the network, the amount of assessed value the credit applies to and the annual adjustment based on the consumer price index. The City of Tacoma Park offers a tax rebate to homeowners based on the criteria established under the state's homeowners property tax credit program. Today, about 100 low income households into Tacoma Park receive the credit tax rebate. However, we often hear that there is a greater need for property tax relief due to the escalating cost of living in the area. Based on analysis of the comprehensive housing affordability strategy data set, city staff estimate that up to 20% of the Coma Park owner occupied households may be considered as cost burden based on household income and home expenses. Moreover, even very low homeowners may not qualify for the state tax credit. In 2024, the area median income for a family of four in Montgomery County was $154,000 over $154,000. The 50% AMI was 61,900 for a household of two people and 77,350 for a family of four. The tax credit program, as currently designed, does not reach the residents who need it the most. The current income eligibility thresholds are woefully out of date. All three components must be adjusted to recognize current fiscal realities of our low income household homeowners. Recent social security payments increases have put some of our low income homeowners under over the $60,000 income limit. Inflation has lowered the value of a $200,000 net worth and rising home assessments reduce the impact of the credit in a alleviating tax burden. Additionally, we must all acknowledge that inflation has a significant effect on residents tax burden. If an annual adjustment of inflation is not included as part of 325, we will be right back here in a few years requesting an additional adjustment. Therefore, Tacoma Park considers Montgomery County property tax bill 325 to be a step in the right direction to address the needs of our low income homeowners. Thank you for the opportunity to comment and support of this bill. Thank you Mayor CSE. Next we have Sarah Reading here. Good afternoon. My name is Sarah Ridinger and I'm the Vice President of Housing and Community Strategies with Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland. And Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland is a nonprofit that serves Montgomery and Princeton or just counties. We build and sell and preserve affordable home ownership and partnership with limited income families. And on behalf ofitat, I want to thank Council President Stewart and Council Members, Friedson, Katz for sponsoring this bill and so many of your Council member colleagues for co-sponsoring as well. I know that you all know that lack of access to affordable housing is a pervasive issue and that in order to solve this crisis, we need to develop new housing while also ensuring that existing homes remain affordable. And for the past 15 years, Habitat has worked with hundreds of homeowners unlimited incomes to ensure that they could afford health, safety, accessibility, and energy efficiency improvements in their homes. And much of that work we have done in partnership with the county. While these services are a necessary step to ensuring long-term affordability, many homeowners are still at risk of losing their homes due to increasing property taxes. As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has had long lasting effects on the lives of many, whether that be through loss of income loss of loved ones, inflation, skyrocketing home values, and increasing interest rates. And every day, our neighbors are making impossible choices between paying for housing and all of their other needs. Increasing the income limit asset cap and maximum assessed value for the income-based property tax credit are critical steps to ensuring that homeowners can afford to stay in their homes. The current income limit of 60,000, I don't think has been raised since 2009 in the asset value cap since 2016, meaning neither have been touched since the start of the pandemic. For homeowners, the inability to pay property taxes can cause the forced sale of their homes or the loss of their homes through tax sale. This leads to displacement, disruption of stability, and the destruction of generational wealth. High property taxes also make it difficult for lower income families to enter home ownership. As an example, Habitat and many other lenders ensure that borrowers don't pay more than 30% of their income on housing. For Hab that includes principal insurance, association, dues, and property taxes. The higher portion of that 30% that's taken up by property taxes, the less families have for principle, for their mortgage. So for habitat that means that our subsidy per unit increases, as we are forced to decrease the sales price of the property taxes can take up more and more of that 30%. This bill would make it easier for lower income families to enter home ownership by increasing the sales price they can afford. And this bill would actually directly affect many of the future buyers of the condo units at the Randolph-Rodg project as well. And we certainly understand that property taxes are a critical source of income for many important services in our county. But we also appreciate the recognition that we must ensure that we're not jeopardizing home ownership for vulnerable residents and the stability and generational wealth building that comes with it. So thank you for your time today, and thank you to the Council for their support of affordable housing. OK, thank you so much. Next we have Neil Teplitz. Hello. Neil Teplitz I live in a small 1150, 1000 150 square foot house and downtown Bethesda. In 1987, my property tax was $1,090. Last year, it was $11,100. More than a 10-fold increase. The reason it's gone up so much is twofold. One, developers have been up the prices of small houses, walking distance to downtown Bethesda. Second, Laven Montgomery County allows a 10% increase on the taxable assessment per year, which is much more than neighboring counties. In Baltimore City and Baltimore County, the maximum is just 4% a year, in Howard and Fritzcher County, the maximum is just 5% a year, and a Rumble County just 2% a year, and Prince Durgas County 3% a year. I had many, many years of the full 10% increase. It's impossible for someone to plan for a retirement like this, and I had several friends and neighbors who had to sell their houses in my neighborhood because they could no longer afford in retirement these enormous property tax increases that we've received here at the neighborhood. My property tax has increased more than fourfold the national inflation rate over those 37 years. DC and Northern Virginia have far more sensible and well thought out senior property tax credit programs than anything that exists in Montgomery County. In DC, the sole criteria is your age 65 and your just a gross income from a recent year has to be below a certain amount and it's much higher than what is even being considered today. Similarly, in North of Virginia, you can get between a 25 and even 100% senior property tax credit depending on two criteria there. Your adjusted gross income as well as wealth levels. And I believe neither DC, North and North of Virginia is there any long-term ownership requirement like exists the 40-year requirement here and even Prince George's County is just the 10-year ownership requirement. Howard County has a good program. After 30 years you can get a text credit for the first $650,000 and even if your assessment is higher than that, you still get it for the first 650 Something like that should be copied here if not completely eliminating the cap because it's people like me who have seen the highest increases We're never going to be eligible because of the way things have been bit up here Finally, I want to say when a similar bill was being considered almost exactly a year ago one council member spoke out against it saying quote It would still disproportionately in a significant way benefit white homeownership. Or white homeowners, unquote, has a racial equity analysis ever been done on the county's property tax itself? If not, why not? Homeowners in the same zip code, so the ones who are being paying a disproportionate amount of the county property tax, all this we do is slightly decrease the level that we're being gouged. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for sharing your feedback on this item. This public hearing is now closed. Next, we have a public hearing on Bill 6-25, Consumer Protection Defective Tennises as Deceptive Trade Practices. This bill would expand the definition of person to include a landlord. Clarify consumer goods and services include rental housing, remove the exemption for defective tennises or complaints related to landlord tenant matters. Clarify the enforcement impalities under Chapter 11 and Chapter 29. And generally amend county law related to consumer protection. A public safety work session is scheduled for March 17th, 2025. Those wishing to submit material for the council's consideration should do so by the close of business on March 10th, 2025. 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 everyone abiding by there a lot of time. Our first group of folks testifying, we have Mr. Ken Hartman, Dr. Jeffrey Johnson, Chris Bruce Brew, Robert Presstock, and Nancy Adrod. I'm Mr. Hartman, you can start when you're ready. Thank you so much, Council President Stewart and members of the Council. I'm here to testify for the record. My name is Ken Hartman,. I'm Assistant Chief Administrative Officer from Montgomery County. I'm here to testify on behalf of the county executive regarding this bill. The county executive very much appreciates a sponsor, council member, Mink, and co-sponsors, President Stewart, Vice President, Joando, and council member, Luke Key. We really appreciate the way this bill was drafted in partnership with the executive branch and with our departments. Bill 625 makes it clear to a fact we all know. Renters are consumers, and like purchasers of cars, home improvements, and gym memberships, they should benefit from the same protections. Consumer protection laws are designed to ensure fair and equitable treatment. Our current law ignores the reality that renters are consumers. They deserve the protection against unfair practices, deceptive agreements, and unsafe living conditions. This bill will help ensure landlords maintain properties, in the capital condition, including making the necessary repairs, ensuring safe living environments, and complying with health and safety codes. They will help us regulate lease agreements, ensuring that terms are clear, fair, and not biased against the renter. Yesterday at the PHP committee, a question was asked, what can we do to ensure our renters are protected? Well, this bill simply removes by simply removing the exemption that the current consumer protection law has for Chapter 28 will enable the Office of Consumer Protection and the County Attorney to take landlords who have consistently not abided by Chapter 29 to the circuit cord to seek injunctions and damages. DHCA currently is only able to access the district court through citation process, but usually results in significant reductions to the original fines. The executive respectfully asks the council to support this bill. His administration looks forward to continuing work with the sponsors and the committee throughout the council process to enact this fundamental protection for renters as consumers of housing and to further promote fairness, stability and safety in the rental market. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Hartman. Now we have Dr. Jeffrey Johnson. Council President and members of the county council thank you for this opportunity. I am the county chair for the community action board and the Montgomery County Community Action Board, the county's local state and federal identity and anti-poblet group is in support of county council bill 6-25, which will allow renters to seek remedies for defective rental properties under the Consumer Protection Law. As advocates for the economic disadvantage in marginalized communities, our board continues to support tenants' rights and policies that remove barriers to safe and affordable housing. Montgomery County around 62% of renters earning less than $50,000 annually spend over half of their income on housing, indicating a severe housing cost burden. In addition to the lack of affordable housing in the county, renters also face challenges addressing maintenance and facilities issues in their rental properties. In one example, a board member shared a county resident with two young children reported to her landlord that the refrigerator installed stopped working in her apartment. When neither appliance was fixed, she decided to withhold her rent. She later had to pay back rent even though the issues were never addressed. In the end, this resident had to vacate the property or face eviction. Bill 625 would offer another avenue for renters in similar far too common situations to have these types of issues addressed. With our own community action agency for which our board is the governing body, staff report that it is common practice that landlords, for landlords to simply let a lease expire if the tenant has expressed concerns about health and safety in the building. Instead of addressing these issues directly, marginalized members of our community, including undocumented residents, refugees, assailees, residents with disabilities, and families with modest incomes are especially at risk for such unfair practices. This bill would offer another option for renters facing unsafe housing situations to have their concerns address. The Community Action Board strongly supports the County Council Bill 6-25. We ask the County Council to vote in favor of this bill and continue to explore policies that will lead to more stable, safe, and affordable housing options for residents. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Fru. Good afternoon, President Stewart. Members of the council, my name is Chris Perroup. I'm a Democrat and a resident of the county for the past 61 years. I'm also CEO of the Donno Company. He's 141-year-old business headquartered here in Montgomery County. Bill 625 is a solution in search of a problem. you are legislating for the 2% bad actors at the expense of the 98% reputable landlords. This legislation is duplicative as our state and county already have laws, restrictions, codified procedures, and requirements that protects tenants from bad landlords. Remedies include the State Tenant Safety Act that took effect last October, which allows tenants to file class action lawsuits against their landlord for defective tenancies and tenants can sue for damages. The county's DHCA 40-person code enforcement team can use its authority to enforce housing code violations, including trouble at risk properties, which prevent landlords from enraising rents. The county's OLTA can issue decisions in order that have the full force of law. These consumer protections already exist in state law, which the attorney general has used to go after many bad actors. Just in three short years, Montgomery County has gone from one of the most desirable multifamily markets for investment in the nation to one of the worst. Thanks in part to rent control, vacancy control, and a never-ending slew of unnecessary regulations like this one. For those in a multiffamily space, it feels like death by a thousand cuts. Let me explain to you how a developer finances a new build, 200-unit project. Cost is $100 million. We take out a 60% loan, which means we have to raise 40% or $40 million in cash. A typical developer only puts up five to ten percent of this equity. So I need to raise $35 million. I do that by pitching the project to institutions, life companies, and pension funds. They have zero interest in investing in Montgomery County. They have essentially redlined us. Your brand, Montgomery County, is in serious trouble when your housing policies are criticized nationally by the Wall Street Journal and the National Rural State Investment Conferences where we've been signaled out as the only DC sub-market to avoid. Because we cannot attract capital, new starts are at an all-time low. When we aren't building market rate housing, we aren't building NPDUs. This is a very dire situation for our housing supply. Of course, there's a snowball effect to pass policy decisions. Red interest in Montgomery County results and fewer buyers, fewer investors, and reduced property valuations, and ultimately tax collections. Eventually, refinancing risk when borrowers may choose to hand back the keys. This housing crisis now coupled with federal and contractor job losses and a significant reduction in federal space is setting us up for a local recession. I have two suggestions to reattract investment in Montgomery County and stimulate new market rate supply. However, I'm about out of time, so please see my written testimony. I urge you not to pass this unnecessary and duplicative legislation and thank you for your consideration. Thank you, Mr. Pashronak. You can turn on your mic, Si. Thank you. For the opportunity to speak with you this afternoon, I am Robert Pestronk, a renter. I wish to make two requests for inclusion in Bill 625, both concern transparency, both bear on potential eviction. The first addresses lease language. The second addresses the availability of utility cost and utility fee documentation and the ability of renters to calculate and determine the basis for their individual utility bills and utility fees. First, lease language should be plain spoken. On their face, lease terms should be compliant with local county state and federal law. A lease term stating that if another lease term is against a local state or federal law, it will not prevail. Is illegal and administrative efficiency for a landlord with properties in multiple jurisdictions. It allows a landlord to include the most landlord-fabricable language for a state in which they own property in all of their leases. But it encourages a tenant in another jurisdiction to believe that those illegal terms apply. The rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords should not be hidden behind such language. Tenants should not have to bear the time and dollar cost of legal research or of an attorney for an interpretation of the lease or law. Tenants should not have to believe legally non-compliant terms prevail. My current proposed lease clearly has terms that are not compliant with the law. One example concerns eviction in the case of building renovation during lease term. There are others. Second, transparency should be required in utility buildings and utility fees. Current county regulations cap a water fee at $1, and under current regulations landlords must respond to a resident request to view the underlying gross water bills and be provided with common area deductions to calculate how the county's ratio utility building system formula is used to calculate the individual apartment charge. However, now there is no limit on fees for other utilities and there is no requirement for landlords to share how third parties or landlords calculate or allocate these fees to an individual renter. As a result, the details for Rubs formula calculation are not transparent. These are landlords and the third party billers are required to provide or display data for gas electricity or other utility calculations. No common area deductions must be displayed. These bills are an increasingly expensive component of monthly rent. Their calculation should be transparent. Failure to pay them can lead to eviction. In summary, lease terms should comply with county regulations and Maryland law. Access to the details for all utility and fee billings should be required. Thanks for considering these requests for transparency. Thank you. Next we have Miss Nancy on dry. Estimados con señales y personas present en esta sala tengan todos muy buenas tarde. Mi nombre es Nancy Andrade. Actualmente vivo en los apartamentos no es park. Una propiedad de que ya parme. Estoy aquí porque creo que este proyecto de ley es justi necesario para los en clino. Grafiné. My name is Nancy Andrade. And I live in Northwest Park, a property managed by K. Apartments. I am here because I believe this bill is necessary and fair for tenants in the county. Los habitantes de la comunidad del Condado de Montgomery actualmente viven condiciones no adecuadas para una dignidad humana segura. Tomando en cuenta que los propietarios no asumen su responsabilidades correspondientes. In Montgomery County, tenants live in poor conditions because landlords do not fix the problems in their properties. And it seems like the county has no way to force just said just a second ago, and this is not just happening in my neighborhood. It is a reality in many apartments buildings across the county. Al darme cuenta que otros inquilinos, al igual que yo, no estamos protegidos por las mismas leyes que otros consumidores me parece increíble y con poco sentido, que los excluyen de exigir por el servicio que pagamos. When I found out that tenants are not protected under the same laws as other consumers, I was shocked. It makes a new sense that we are excluded from demanding the services we pay for. Al comparar los apartamentos que promocionan en los sitios web con la realidad en la que vivimos, los inclinos del condado de Montgomery es engañosa y preocupante. If we compare the apartment's advertising property websites to the reality that tenants in Montgomery County are living in, the difference is huge in alarming. En nuestro apartamento el mayor problema es la humedad, el mod sumado de esto las plaga de ratones, cucarachas, cucarrones. In my neighborhood, the biggest problems are humidary in mold, along with infestations of roaches and other pests. As in a couple of years, I had an infection of cucarachas and the team of maintenance only used a matter of time to eradicate the plague of the rat. no functioned and I gave the team of maintenance only used the material to dedicate the plaga to ratons, which didn't work and gave me the task to buy more effective pesticides. A couple of years ago, when I had an infestation, maintenance only set a few traps. I had to buy poison, wake up multiple times every night times every night to spread. Replace my kiss in every single corner to get rid of them. I'm going to repeat once again. Once again, I had to by poison wake up a multiple times every night to spread. Replace my kiss in every single corner to get rid of them. What they are proposing. I'm going to repeat once again. I'm going to repeat once again. multiple times, I had to by poison wake up multiple times every night to spread, replace my kiss kitchen utensils and clean every corner to get rid of them. In December, the roundabouts were significantly in my apartment, causing more serious problems in places not accessible and this caused lots of damage to health. Last December, a right died inside a bathroom cabinet that I couldn't open. When I reported it to the leasing office, they told me that the only solution was to replace that cabinet, but they didn't have any available and couldn't do anything about it. without taking into consideration that there are kids in our home. And this has continued for the past three months and there's still no solution for my family. Pondiendo en riesgo a la salud de mi familia. Poring at risk the health of my family. Y la respuesta de ellos es que, y la respuesta de ellos cuando hice de su conocimiento de mi problema fue que no, no tienen material y están desabastecidos para solucionar mi problema. And when I ask for help, their answer is that they don't have the sufficient materials to fix the problem. Y tenía que esperar para solucionar mi problema y que esta es este momento aún no se result and that I had to wait to get this resolved and until this day nothing has been taken care of. It's an obligation in a commitment from the owners of a good and that I had to wait to get this resolved and until this day nothing has been taken care of. It's a obligation in a commitment of the owners to give a good service of maintenance to our apartments in changes we are protected and vulnerable. I don't think I'm asking for anything unfair is there responsibility on landlords to provide a solution to our request. I continue to request, I help for them to take care of this issue, and I have not received any questions. I continue to request, I help for them to take care of this this issue and I have not been, I, that allows the Condado to fulfill the propitaries with the norms and the consummidores. And that is why I support this bill and I ask you to support it as well. It is time for the county to do more to ensure that landlords follow the law so that we can live in decent conditions. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you for the testimony from the first panel. Now I'd like to call down others who are here in person. Surgein Yango, Tonia Chesnut, Leon Diange, Derek Tomenko, Monica Roberts, Sharon Litton-John. Sir, John Yango can start when you're ready. Good afternoon, members of the Montgomery County Council. My name is Seijin Yengo and I am a member of the Inclave Denny Association, where I have lived for 15 years and I am a member of Action in Montgomery. On behalf of Action in Montgomery, I am testified today in support of Bill 625. What used to be a luxury apartment as deteriorated? In the summer of 2023, I knocked door by door and here for my neighbors that they share the same maintenance challenges that I have. Air conditioner units that do not work in the summer causing links and damaging the apartment. Toxic mold which you can read about in the news. A man in Hasmat suit opened a selling planet and it ran dead mice just piles of them. Imagine for how many years the dead neglect the issue for it to get so bad. Ten and Adventure property throughout Montgomery County, side of the apartment in Montgomery Village, Westchester West apartment on Hollywood Avenue, Avenue, and North West Park Apartment in Silver Spring are facing the same challenges. As middle and low income families, we have been left behind with soil rain and utility bills. Why not receiving the level of service we are paying for? We are often told call 3-1-1 and report the issue to code enforcement. In the summer of 2023, when we meet with the Department of Housing and Community Affairs, we hear that there has been over 2958 code violations. We support this bill 625 because it gives our county another tool to address the fear of negligent landers. If we can ask that renting unit is a business where a service is provided and the tenant pays for that service through rent and order fees. And as a consumer of that service, we should be able to benefit from the consumer protection laws. Our council members must tend with us and support this bill to ensure that we are treated fairly and with the respect we deserve. Thank you. Thank you so much. Here we have Tenea Chesnut. Councilor Lleighte, thank you for giving me this opportunity. Once again, my name is Tenea Chesnut. I'm the president of Progressive Maryland's On Clay Tenant Association. I will be speaking on three apartment complexes today. First complex is spring part apartments in Silver Spring. They have issues concerning mice, mold, roaches. They have condemned apartments that people still live in. They also have their management that calls authorities on their teds for just coming into the office to report issues. I'm going to move on to Coastville Tower apartments, which they have issues with the fitness center, but they have many broken machines. They have issues, again, control to access to their garage. It stays open all the time. That's to the garage. The end of the comp system doesn't work. Just last week they complete 21 days without gas. They had no hot water, they had any heat. They had issues cooking. I'm not sure if you heard about that. Now we're going to get to the enclave. Broken elevators we have had for the longest type of time. Rats run across your feet when you're trying to walk to the building from the building. You stand outside, told to your friends. In the station of roaches, we have mold, potholes in the parking lot. Issues with our fitness center as well. We supposed to have computers that we supposed to be able to have access to. We do not. I could keep on going, but I'll be here all day long. So let's you know we are here. We're here standing together as tenants. We are speaking together and coming together for all these three locations. And then you know that it is unfair for people to pay their rent and stay and live in these type of conditions. We are in favor of this bill. Thank you. Could give me a chance to speak. Thank you. Thank you. Now we have Leanne DeAngry. For the record, my name is Leanne. Sorry. Thank you. Thank you for the record. My name is Leanne. So I'm here disfying on the behalf of HIPP. And to begin with, about HIPP, Housing Initiative Partnership innovative, affordable housing, revitalizing, neighbors, equips people to achieve their housing and financial goals. Our vision is that every single person living, living in a high affordable housing and a thriving community, we maintain offices in high school, Preserve County, and German Town in Gearsburg, in Montgomery County. I am in the support of Bill 625, because I'm a court everyone's in the Fridays. I cannot tell you how many accountants come in complaining, thinking like they can hold their rent to make the landlord comply to help them basically do what they paid for, but still. So many renters face tremendous challenges that are unfair, like trade, practice it by landlord Montgomery County. As I told you, every single week, I'm twice at court. Landlord promise, great amenities, services, get renters to the door, sign in, leases, renters move then, find out that bathroom fixtures, dishwasher, other major appliances do not work. They experience terrible conditions such as racks and frustration, falling ceilings. Like just tell me who on us will buy a product which is not working and you are forced to live with. What you do first is just return it and ask for your money back Now we we we do urge To report like this violence it like this violation of Montgomery County We urge them to report this violation of the Montgomery County then tenant and landlord affairs, but It will be helpful to create an additional penalties for landlord as laid out as this bill, which will hopefully deter landlords from leasing units, which are with these problems. Over the past 20 years, hip staff have helped over 40,000 renters and landlords struggling, and home owners struggling with housing costs. We support this bill to increase protection to help renters to secure adequate and safe rental units in this county. Thank you. Thank you. Next we have Derek Tomenco. Thank you so much, my name is Derek Tomenco. I'm here to testify to oppose this bill. While bill 625 is being promoted as the way to hold landlords accountable, it is unfairly targets small independent landlords who lead to serious unintended consequences from Montgomery County rental market. This legislation is disproportionately harm mom and and pops landlords discourages middle class investments in rental housing and versions housing affordability by increasing cost and reducing rental supply. Many of rental housing in Montgomery counties provided by small independent landlords they own just a handful of properties they personally manage the properties, handling repairs, 10 relationships and finances themselves. They often always offer flexible, affordable housing options. By removing the landlord exemption from the consumer protection laws, the county will lump small landlords with large corporations, subjecting them to legal and financial burdens they're simply unequipped to handle. Large landlords have legal teams and compliance departments while small landlords operate on thin margins and do not have the same resources to navigate complex legal challenges. One of the biggest problems with this legislation is that being proposed without giving a fair weight to the voice of small or any landlords, especially small landlords. Tenants vastly outnumber landlords. In this policy discussion, as renters, I often allow us voices simply because they are the majority. While tenants deserve protections, landlords also have rights, and they concerned should be heard. Unlike large real estate corporations that can influence policies, middle-class landlords who own handful of rentals have no organized voice to push back against harmful legislation. This bill assumes that all landlords act in base bed faith, ignoring the fact that many landlords are fair, responsible, and provide much needed housing. For many middle-class Montgomery County residents' investment in real estate property is a way to build financial security while providing much needed housing to the community. However, this bill sends a clear message. If you invest in the real estate market in Montgomery County, you will be treated as emergent rather than property owner. If a tenant files a complaint, even in bad faith, you could face legal actions and fines. If the government decides that you practice is untransparent enough, you could be penalized. Why would any middle-class residents to take risk of becoming a landlord in these conditions? This bill dissuades small-scale rental investments and ensures that only large corporations, if they actually can do it. As we heard from the earlier testimony, I'll typically make in rental housing less diverse, less affordable and less flexible. Thank you. Thank you. Next we have Monica Roberts. Honorable Chair Stewart and members of the Montgomery County Council. I am Enika Roberts, President of 500 Forever, the Retire Committee for SEIU Local 500. I am the Retire of Montgomery County Public Schools, and I am here today to urge you to support Bill 6-25, Consumer Protection, Defected Tenancies, as Deceptive Trade Practices. As a retiree on a fixed income and a renter in Montgomery County, I have firsthand experience with the vulnerabilities tenants face when landlords fail to maintain safe and habitable housing. For those of us living on fixed incomes, rent is often our single largest expense, and we have little financial flexibility to deal with unexpected costs resulting from landlord negligence. In my own experience, I have encountered issues such as pest and fentase infestation of mice with numerous calls to the rental office for support. It took them two months to clear up the mice. Leaks from an apartment above me, which resulted in a cave-dense ceiling, which needed to be of course repaired in my apartment, the floor above me, and the floor in my apartment, which was destroyed. And then my apartment was not ready for me to move in when I rented it. So I took pictures to send to the rental office for them to fix it. Some of those things that were unprepared for have still not been fixed. And this went through the heat not working properly, and it was cold. Despite repeat repeated requests for repairs, my concerns were often ignored or met with temporary inadequate fixes. Under the current system, tenants facing these issues have limited options for recourse. Many landlords exploit loopholes, delay repair, necessary repairs, dismissed tenant complaints without fear of consequences. Bill 6-25 is not necessary to own an overdue step toward closing these gaps by ensuring that deceptive and unfair rental practices are recognized as violations of consumer protection laws. By expanding enforcement authority and holding landlords accountable under chapters 11 and 29, this bill would provide renters like me with stronger protections against housing conditions that threaten our you by the state of the state. The state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of affected by housing, instability, and financial burdens caused by unscrupulous rental practices. We need a legal framework that prevents landlords from treating effective tendencies as a mere cost of doing business. I urge the council to pass Bill 6-25 and ensure the renters have protections they deserve. Thank you for your time and commitment to improving tenant rights in Montgomery County. Thank you. Next is Sharon Litton-John. But have the new president to do it and extend members of the Montgomery council. My name is Sharon Little John. I'm a senior, I'm a renter, and I'm the president of the Tenet Association and my senior community. Engaithersburg, sorry, it is an honor to speak today as a Casa member on behalf of the organization. Across Montgomery County, countless residents never anticipate that the community they have chosen to call home will devolve into a place that is marked by fear, negligence, and ultimately loss. Imagine living in a home plagued by rodents and insect fects tation, mold creeping through AC vents, unaddressed leaks and a lack of security, so severe that even basic safety is out of reach. Now imagine the frustration of exhausting every avenue working with management the county and the code enforcement only to be met with stark reality that these responsible that cannot be held accountable despite numerous violations and fines. This is everyday experience for residents and multiple communities throughout Montgomery County. When residents have nowhere to turn, many are forced to leave. Feeling violated, not just as renders, but as consumers. After years of seeking meaningful solutions to hold irresponsible landlords accountable, we finally have a mechanism that could make a real difference. Casa, wholeheartedly, supports the Consumer Protection Act, which would empower Montgomery County's Office of Consumer Protection and the County Attorney's Office to hold landlords accountable for repeatedly violating tenants' rights. To those who seek to build housing in our communities, we say this. We welcome your efforts to provide homes for all, but not at the expense of our families, our safety and our health. This is about people. This is about dignity, most importantly, this is about holding those who feel accountable. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to everyone who is here to testify in person. We'll now go to those who are virtual. And we have Constantine to make go. Mr. Tom and echo, you can start whenever you're ready. I will prepare it. Well, I'm sorry, I lost my text. Okay, thank you, time. Please proceed with somebody else now. All right, I think we have Yuri, Tom and Ego. Yes, here we go. Yes. Hello, my name is Yuri Tomello. I'm a small landlord based in the Coral Park, Maryland. As a small landlord I need to be able to wear different hats. I need to be a salesperson, a repair tech accountant, desk clerk, a secretary, and as of today a housing activist. And whatever else a predictable situation might throw at me. Among these hats, I need to make sure that I comply with current regulations. The number of regulations has dramatically increased since I started the business 20 years ago, and complying with them has become really difficult. My recent, the recent look past Ren Control Law combined with unreasonable code enforcement practices Made it increasingly difficult and mostly and more costly to run the business Eventually this costs get passed down to the consumers However, if this cost cannot be passed to the consumers the smaller landlords will have to sell out to the big corporations selling to the big corporations means less competition and eventually increase in housing costs. It used to be that complying with the paperwork used to take 10 to 15% of my time. At this point, it takes 40 to 60. Overall, in the past 20 years, I have not seen any legislative actions that would reduce the cost of running the rental business or help help small landlords to be competitive, thus again contributing to the increasing housing costs. This bill, 625 will cause additional hardship. This bill does not contribute to improve the improvement of the business this, um, the environment, especially when it comes to small and large. It will only contribute to bureaucracies and ultimately increase cost of housing. My plea is not to pass this bill and for to look into less evoculation in the housing, repealing of rent control, standardizing, simplifying and reducing housing code enforcement. Ultimately, the affordable high quality housing comes to abundance of supply and competition, increasing amount of regulations will come close, will never come close to selling decisions. Thank you. Mr. Tamanco is still on if you found your notes. I believe you're on mute, sir. Oh, I maybe turn up your volume. Okay, can you hear me now? Yes, we can hear you now. So, yeah, I'm also very small property owner. I do establish very warm relationship with my clients and make sure that they're really happy because the most how I try to present it. Just the real market try to compete with others makes me to work very hard and make sure that my tenants are really happy. And I do work very hard. This is my, I work full time at the job, but this is my kind of part time business. I work very hard to retain tenants and make sure that they're really satisfied. Just in the recent five years, my taxes went like 40% more. I tried to survive, and this thing is going to make my life more complicated. Even like last October, it was mentioned before, new regulations like affordable housing was enforced and implemented. I think everything was already done and explicitly expelled, spilled out in the previous law. So I am apposing this bill. Thank you for listening to me. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony this afternoon. Those are all members of the public who are here to testify today. Thank you for sharing your feedback on this item and this public hearing is now closed. Next we are moving on to our legislative session. This is day number six, agenda item three and it's's the introduction of bills. The first bill for introduction is expedited bill seven-25. Common ownership commues, registration fees, the lead sponsor is myself at the request of the county executive. A public hearing is scheduled for March 25th at 2025 at 1.30 pm. Miss Wellens, do you have anything to speak to on this? I'm happy to provide a brief overview if you'd like or answer questions or just let it be. I'm not seeing any questions. Let's just roll and this bill is introduced. Sounds great. Thank you. The second bill for introduction today is expedited bill 8-25. Landlord tenant relations fees lead sponsor is myself at the request of the county executive. of Public Hearing is scheduled for March 25th, 2025 at 1.30pm. Anything to add as well as at this time? We're not seeing any questions from colleagues. This bill is introduced. All right. Now we're going to move on to agenda item number four, which is the call of bills for final reading. We have expedited bill bill 29-24, transportation parking permit for specialized service providers, establish the Transportation Environment Committee, recommends an ethnic with amendments. Before I turn it over to the chair of T&E and as our guests come up to the table, I just want to say as the lead on the bill, I want to thank my colleagues for recognizing the need to assist our providers who work with the unhoused in the downtown Silver Spring area, and childcare providers with assistance in parking as we face a great deal of disruption because of the purple line and metropolitan branch trail construction. I also do want to say thank you to our department of transportation, especially director Conklin. We really appreciate all the collaborative work that we've engaged in to find a solution to the situation. I know we'll walk through the bill in a moment and it is structured a little differently than what we thought, but I believe we've come to a good place where we are achieving the goals we all wanted to achieve. It's been a long road. We have a lot of work with our partners on the ground, Shepherd's Table and our frontline workers and volunteers. And even last week we heard about the loss of volunteers at Shepherd Table, even when we've seen a dramatic increase in those experiencing housing insecurity and hunger. So I think as we move forward with this, again, I just want to thank the Department of Transportation and thank enormously the work of Miss McCartney-Green on this bill as we again kept the goal in front of us, shifted the direction and and the approach on this, and thank you for all your work. And I will turn it over to Chair Glass. Thank you very much Madam President. Appreciate your leadership on addressing this much needed issue. And so, I expected Bill 2924 came before the TNE committee and as just outlined would establish a parking permit for social service providers, namely, as originally intended in downtown Silver Spring, but the TNE committee adopted a number of amendments that will walk us through right now. First there were amendments offered by MCDOT that the committee unanimously adopted. First of those were to provide three categories of organizations that will be able to apply for the reduced parking that would be Department of Health and Human Services, specialized social service providers, and qualified childcare centers. The legislation as amended would also set a maximum cap on the number of parking permits issued by the Department of Transportation. And then the committee unanimously accepted an amendment recommendation from Council members, Fonic and Dallas and Freedson to expand the program beyond downtown Silver Spring to include Wheaton and Bethesda Central Business Districts. Also, last amendment that was adopted by the committee would establish a method 2 regulation for the Department to administer this program. That was a split 2-to-1 committee decision, split between a method 2 regulation and a method one regulation. And then finally, the committee also reserved discussion for full council as to whether or not there should be a sunset provision. And with that, I'll yield back. Thank you very much. I'm Miss McCartney-Green. I'll turn it over to you. Thank you, Council President, and thank you to your glass for giving the synopsis of all the amendments. I do want to note since committee to now, after merging both MCOT, DOT, amendments, and what was introduced, one of the discussions that happened at TNE was what would be provided in the regulations on the method 2. And we discussed that the cap could be modified by MCOT if needed. Council staff and consultation with OCA went back through that and looked and realized that there would be legal impediment in terms of superseding the law. We allowed DOT to do that. And so what's in before you right now actually removes that. So there's a cap in the law, but there is no ability for MCDOT to modify that via regulations just because that would conflict with what's going to be reviewed on adopted today. Other than that just the there's initial parking rate that's established in law as well that's $10 per space which we've also discussed in Tini committee that could be amended by Council resolution usually through the budget process as well. Other than that, just for the discussion for today is the sunset provision and whether or not wanted to have that remain in the legislation and keep that. The sunset provision specifically says that it allows for this law to remain into effect until December 2032 or five years after the Purple Line opens for revenue service, whichever was first. I believe the impetus of it was front-facing businesses in Silver Spring were impacted on parking and so that provided that provision that we had that introduction. So the question is now expanding the bill to include the dozen we in and does that also apply there as well. So I'll stop there just for discussion. Before I turn it back to Chair Glass, Director Conklin, would you like to say anything? Sure, a few things. Thank you to the committee for working with us on amendments to this bill. I think we had a very productive discussion of how to get a program that's workable and easily administrative. I don't think that's a word. And can work for the providers in both of these communities, both in childcare and special service providers serving the homeless. Just a couple of clarifications. One, the bill does not provide for county employee parking, which is a very complicated measure that different employees in different departments and different locations have different parking provisions. We didn't want to specify one in law here. So this applies to volunteers and other service providers serving county needs at these locations and also to the childcare providers. And that's consistent with what's in the revised lobby before you a little different than some of the summary information. I also just wanted to mention that we appreciate the work on this and retaining revenue associated with these parking permits as all of you know the parking lot districts are enterprise funds and must fund their own operation and maintenance costs and we need to continue the revenue streams that support that in the bill that's before you does retain revenue associated with these parking provisions. So that's useful that we're not providing free parking for any particular community here. And again, just thank you to Ms. McCartney-Green and to the committee for their hard work on this bill. County Executive does support this measure and has been asking the department to come up with solutions and this legislative action provides the vehicle for developing that solution. Thank you, Chair Les. Thank you, Madam President. Again, appreciate our staff and DOT for working with the committee through this. And I know it wasn't a straight path from hearing from the social service providers and the volunteers in the community to where we are now. I want to share with colleagues the thought that I had when I made a recommendation at the committee to eliminate the sunset. The thinking was, as originally intended, the legislation was for downtown Silver Spring in recognition of the purple line problems and very much appreciate the District Council Member, Council Member Stewart for identifying that and having that written into the law. When the committee then expanded the scope of the program to include downtown Wheaton and downtown Bethesda, in my opinion, it changed the scope of the program. And because it wasn't directly tied to the purple line anymore, but as I viewed it and still view it, this is an ongoing issue where we have social service providers who we know are not getting compensated at levels that other other workers are that they do some of the toughest work day in and day out throughout our community and particularly these communities and the economic challenges that they are experiencing which is ultimately why this legislation was introduced to alleviate those economic challenges so that they could pay for parking. That is not going away when the purple line comes in or when 2032 arrives, whichever may come first. And so for that reason, I made the recommendation that we eliminate the sunset and open to the conversation that we have here. Thank you now, council member Friedson. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you to the T&E committee. Really appreciate your thoughtfulness and appreciate the opportunity to join the conversation at the committee and do appreciate the expansion but targeted nature of the way in which this bill proceeded. It was more targeted in the expansion than it was originally proposed, but I think ultimately landed in a very good place. I will also thank the department for your work in trying to maneuver and navigate the competing dynamics of a parking lot district and imperfect way to fund parking garages in public infrastructure, something that is becoming a theme around here with the interest in trying to address these acute challenges. I'll note, as I did during the committee, there are a lot of purple line-related issues in Bethesda, and there also are similar social service dynamics as well, certainly appreciate the work and the expansion. I'll say if anybody can make something administrative, I think that director Conclan can and really appreciate all of your work and your navigation and appreciate Mr. McCartan-Greene as well. I'll just say from my perspective after hearing the committee's discussion, I do think having the sunset provision makes sense. I understand what the chair is noting in his words, but I think there's an argument that we should sunset all of our revenue-related legislation or at least consider that, I think there's an opportunity after five years for us to assess and take a look, determine what the impacts are, whether we should revisit that. I don't think that's an unhealthy thing for us and a future council to do. And so I would be supportive of moving forward with the committee recommendation and really appreciate the work that was done and think that we're things landed including with the sunset makes a lot of sense so appreciate it and I'll you back. Councilmember Malcolm. Thank you. Thank you to everyone who worked very hard on this bill. In a course I support the the legislation, I co-sponsored the legislation. And so there's no disagreement about how valuable this is and how important it is for our providers. And I mean, there's a burden for them to do the work that we ask them to do and that they willingly do. So of course, I support that. I guess the question of the sunset, for me, as originally presented, it was an issue of the Purple Line construction. When we expanded it to the other districts, the other areas appropriately, the question is whether that made sense or not. I support the Sunset for two reasons. One is that I still think that the purple line will have a major impact on traffic patterns, which is the whole point of the purple line, is to have an impact on the traffic. So it's not a bad idea to look at, and that may or may not change the need for parking spaces in Silver Spring and maybe in Bethesda. So I think that's important. But I also think in general, I tend to think it makes sense to look at sunset provisions on a new bill, a bill like this that may have unintended consequences. And this body, we haven't had a discussion about sunsets and whether that's something that we should look at in more bills. There are often unintended consequences or various ways to improve legislation. And of course, any council can look at any bill at any time, at any legislation, at any bill at any time to change it, improve it, delete it. But I think having a sunset is a good way to have the body look at whether a bill is still effective, still does what it wants to do. And... have the body look at whether a bill is still effective, still does what it wants to do, and to make sure that doesn't fall through the cracks. So, you know, 10 years, 20 years, 50 years from now, we have all these bills on the books, and we don't even know where they came from. So I think it's a matter of good government to look at Sunsets, but in this specific bill, it's brand new and I think that a lot is going to change in the next five years that will impact this. So I support a sunset. Thank you. Thank you. Council Member Lutti. Thank you, Madam President. And thank you to all who have spoken thus far on this. And I too, if you look at the five, and I support a five year sunset, as proposed, without reference to the purple line because they don't think we need to reference the purple line project in the bill. But also as a built in housekeeping measure. And if we should extend it, later it is an easy fix to extend an amend to just correct a date on that or to remove the sunset provision altogether. If we decide we want to make it permanent, we know we have a high to meet high demands and high needs in our service provider continuum right now and things are challenging and we also know we're in epically weird period. I'm just going to put it at that. And so I do think that it's good for us to have that five year mechanism in place. We can all calendar it and we can all circle back and see where we are later and figure out what we should or shouldn't be doing or what adjustments might need to be made moving forward and we will have learned some lessons by then. Thank you. Thank you. I'm just checking back with Councilmember Glastig. Do you want to make a movement for an amendment or? I'm reading the room so I'll go along with the consensus. Okay and I just wanted to check one other thing before turning to Councilmember Baalkum. Can we just double check what the languages of the the sunset to make sure that we're all on the same page since there were so many changes made? I can read it into the record. Yeah. And this is Rick Leoman Circle page eight, line 160 to 162. And it says this act must sunset and must have no further force or effect at the end of December 31st, 2032, or five years after the Maryland Transit Administration opens a purple line for revenue service, whichever is first. So I'd like to move to strike the or from the or to the period at the end of what was just read into the record. Do I have a second? Council Member Balcomham seconds. I'm jumping to speak to it first. I very much appreciate it. And I would like it to be nice and clean December 2032, but having lived through the purple line the last few years. We put this in specifically to make sure that there was language because the community has seen so many fits and starts to this project and it is I have hope, all the hope in the world that we are going to see that purple line open but and 2032 is going to be a good date but given as council member Luki you just said said, we are in very unshattered territory right now in our county, in the state, and in our country. And so I would ask my colleagues to keep the language in here about the purple line. Not seeing any other speakers, all those in favor of the amendment, please raise your hand.. Yeah, so you. My amendment strikes the language with respect to the purple line because the bill was expanded to include other sites that aren't necessarily as directly tied to the purple line and I certainly appreciate what you're saying. Right. But yeah. Sorry. We got a couple of council member Friedzen for the assist. Go ahead. Yeah. What are you yielding to me? Well, we did have council member Boutka. So we do what? I'll we'll do. So. Yeah. Sorry. Too many buttons around here. So I'm going to defer to the council to the council president Council President and District Rap rap whose district this is in terms of so I'm going to take back my second and Because I think that that's a really valid point that I didn't consider. Thank you All right, so we have a rescinding of a second council member Freizen Yeah, I just want to know it's whichever is first just just to be clear whichever is first Whichever is later so if the purple line extends beyond the Natural light 2032 will be the hard and fast so in some ways this is a distinction without much of a difference The question is is there a sunset or is there not a sunset? And that's up to the up to the body but I just think there is a difference between whichever is later and whichever is first. The current language says whichever is first, just to be clear. So it is a difference with that distinction. So that would mean in effect, if the purple line comes online much faster than anyone would anticipate than it would sunset. Yes. Matter President. Yes. Madam President. Yes. Councilor. If I could just add the state and I'll defer to Director Conklin, the mid year of 2027 is when the purple line is slated to open. Emphasis unslated, but mid 2027. So this is. Correct. So it's whatever is first. So it's whatever is first. So right but it's five years after oh my gosh it's five years after the Purple Line opens for revenue. So if it's right or or December 31st 2032 so in the event that we can't get five years beyond the purple line opening, if it opens on November 1st, 2032, this will still sunset on December 31st, 2032. Does that make sense? Okay. All right. Then I would draw my motion to strike the language. I'm gonna make another motion that we do it as just discussed, and I think we're all on the same page. Yeah, so there would be no no, no, I meant me. I'm going to make another motion that we do it as just discussed and I think we're all on the same page. Yes, so there would be an, no, no, I meant me. I'm assuming you just go right through the list. Then it's fine as in the paper. Okay, good. So it's a committee. No motion needed. It's a committee recommendation. Let's vote. Councilmember Katz, do you know what I mean? Thank you. We stood this, everybody explained it. So what is the date that this would actually sunset? Do we know a year that this would actually, because we have so many different ways we're saying this? Said again? We have an outer limit for this to apply, which is 31st, 2032 period. And if the purple line comes in on line, you said 2027. So it would be at 20 on 2027. It would be because it's worded that it's five years after the purple line comes on. After the purple line comes on. Correct. Which if anticipated, which is saying it's anticipated to come online in December of 2027 would take you to December of 23rd. The purple line I think started when the Flintstones actually had their vehicles. So it's five years, it's either five years after the purple on comes the one or 2032. Correct. OK. I think we need to say that a little clear, because it really was not clear to me. Thank you. I know. I will apologize. I made it unclear. I will take responsibility. No, I was going to play. No. No, it is effective. It is my fault. The bill has gone through a number of revisions. My apologies to my colleagues. I think at the moment we're leaving the recommendation from the committee. Correct, everyone? Correct. And Council President, as you mentioned, the bill has gone through several revisions. I just want to be able to have the authority from the council to address any grammatical, stylistic, or technical changes that identify through for finalizing. And so I just want to make sure I have that authority to do that as well. Yes, absolutely without objection. Thank you, Ms. McCartney and Green. Please make any small edits, grammatical, that you need to. All right. I am not seeing anybody else in the queue. We have a recommendation from the Transportation Environment Committee. This is a roll call vote. Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Council member Luki? Yes. Council member Luki votes yes. Council member Mink? Yes. Council member Mink votes yes. Council member sales? Council member sales is absent. Council member Freason? Yes, Councilmember Freason votes yes, Councilmember Glass. Yes, Councilmember Glass votes. Yes, Councilmember Katz. Yes, Councilmember Katz. Yes, Councilmember Abinos. Yes, Councilmember Abinos votes. Yes, Councilmember Funningh Zalas. Yes, Councilmember Funningh Zalas votes. Yes, Councilmember Bauchum. Yes, Councilmember Bauchum votes. Yes, Council Joando. Council Member Joando votes yes. Council Member Soard. Yes. Council Member Soard votes yes. Thank you very much. Thank you again, Ms. McCartney. Item next on our list is item number five and we have action on expedited bill 22-24. Taxation development impact taxes. This bill was vetoed by the county executive on February 18, 2025. The council is considering action to override the county executive veto. The lead sponsor on this was council member glass. We had co-sponsors Luki, Fannie Gonzalez, Katz, Albinaz, and then Council Member Freetzin. Ms. Nadu, do you have any comments on this or? No comments other than noting that of course the veto will require seven council members approval and also that there was no legal bar to the reasons raised in the county executive's veto memo, which is included in the staff report. Great. Terrific. I will turn over to Council Member Bellas now. Thank you, Madam President. I also want to thank all of our colleagues for unanimously supporting this legislation when it was first before the council. If we want to reduce the cost of housing, we need to reduce the cost to build housing. That's what this legislation does. It reduces the cost to build housing without reducing the total amount of impact taxes collected for schools, roads, and infrastructure. It's that simple. Thank you. All right, not seeing anyone in the queue. Is there a motion to approve expedited bill 22-24. So go right the county executive's veto. I have Councilmember Luki motion. Councilmember Freetz in second. Madam Clerk will you please call the roll. Councilmember Luki? Yes. Councilmember Luki votes yes. Councilmember Mink. Yes. Councilmember Mink votes yes. Councilmember Sales. Councilmember Sales is absent. Councilmember Freesten. Yes. Councilmember Freesten votes yes. Councilmember Glass. Yes. Councilmember Glass votes yes. Councilmember Katz. Yes. Councilmember Albinos. Yes. Councilmember Albinos votes yes. Councilmember finding gizolus? Yes. Councilmember finding gizolus for the CS. Council Member Albinos. Council Member Albinos votes yes. Council Member Fahning-Gazalas. Council Member Fahning-Gazalas votes yes. Council Member Baalco. Council Member Baalco votes yes. Council Member Joando. Council Member Joando votes yes. Council Member Stored. Council Member Stored votes yes. All right. Thank you very much. Next we will now sit as the district council for the introduction of local map amendment LMA H-154 regarding the property located at 11900 Park Lawn Drive, Rockville, Maryland, further identified as lot six in the North Bethesda Industrial Center subdivision as recorded at plat number 9530. Action on this item is tentatively scheduled for March 11th, 2025. Mr. Do, I'll turn it over to you. Thank you. So this is introduction of a resolution from Ozah on local map amendment 824. It's a property in Rockville being rezoned from EOF to ILF. Next week during action, you'll hear a report from the hearing examiner. No requests for oral argument were received for this local map amendment. So you'll just hear from the hearing examiner next week. Terrific. All right, this local map amendment is introduced. Item number seven is the consent calendar. I will entertain a motion to approve the consent calendar. Councilor Vice President Duwando, seconded by Councilor Member Freetzen. All those in favor, please raise your hand. And I see everyone present, including Council Member Mink online. I do want to note on item H, especially given that it's women's history month, that Lieutenant Astrada, who we just appointed to the Commission on Juvenile Justice, has been with Montgomery County Police Department since 2006, and was the first and only Latina to achieve the rank of Sergeant and the rank of Lieutenant. So thank you to Lieutenant Astrada. All right, our next item now is interview with representatives on the nominating committee for the Montgomery College Board of Trustees. And they are joining us as they join us as background members of the nominating committee for the Montgomery College Board of Trustees have the important task of influencing the direction of Montgomery County's Crown Jewel of Post-Secondary Education by recommending candidates to the governor to serve on its Board of Trustees. The Montgomery College Board of Trustees is the institution's legal governing body. Today, we are interviewing three candidates for two vacancies on the Nominating Committee. Thank you, Dr. Kerrney-Sign, Dr. Ryan, and Mr. D'Resta for being here today and volunteering to serve on this important committee. I have a few questions that I will first ask you, and then I will turn over to my colleagues to see if they have questions. So my first question is, please share your understanding of the nominee and committee's primary function and the significance of its role in the appointment of Montgomery College Board of Trustee Members. If appointed, how would you contribute to the overall governance and success of Montgomery College in this role? Dr. Kusareni, I got it right the first time. Would you please respond first? There we go. The nominated committee for the Board of Trustees at Montgomery College has a really important job making sure that the college leadership reflects our community, diversity's qualifications, and commitment to serving the students. This committee reviews applications and assesses candidates based on their expertise. The committee reviews application and assess communities based on their expertise, dedication to higher education, and how they align our mission before recommending them before being appointed by the governor. The role is critical because the Board of Trustees is responsible for setting the strategic direction for Montgomery College. They oversee policies, financial decisions, and institutional priorities that affect students, faculty, and the wider Montgomery County. By thoughtfully vetting and recommending candidates, the Nominating Committee helps ensure that the Board stays strong, forward thinking, and committed to excellence in education, workforce development, and student success. If I am chosen, I'll bring a genuine commitment to fairness, quality, and community involvement in the Nominating Committee. With the background in education, professional development, and leadership, I get how insistial it is to pick board of trustees members who not just have the right skills, but also represent the very perspectives of Montgomery College of Students and the local community. I'll make sure we have a thorough and fair review process that focuses on candidates who can really govern the college, champion student success, and back strategic initiatives. Plus, I'm all about collaboration. So I'll work closely with other committee members to boost transparency, integrity of the nomination process, and making sure that the board is ready to lead Montgomery College into the future. Thank you, Dr. Ran. First up. We were get trained. I wanna thank you all for having me here today for this interview. The Nominating Committee will review resumes of potential candidates assessing their skills, experience to determine if they meet the qualifications for the position. And in reviewing these profiles, the committee will consider criteria that includes proven leadership, previous board experience, knowledge and experience in general, diversity including age, gender, ethnicity, race, disabilities, and geography. Experience with large and complex organizations is a must. Current or prior sea level or senior management level experience again is a must. Skill sets including finance, legal, auditing, government affairs, public relations, community experience, and knowledge of the organization Montgomery College. The nominating committee, knowing the college board bylaws, is stated by their long itemized rules and activities for board members, which by the way is 20 pages, will aid the committee in judging these candidates and making sure that their previous experience also facilitates them in being able to fulfill these bylaws. If selected, I would ensure that the highest caliber of trustee is presented to the governor. I believe my 30 years of business experience in the private and public sector make me uniquely qualified for this position. My professor position at Georgia State University will give me a knowledge base to draw from to aid Montgomery College. My patents and AI and product development of the first artificial intelligent radiologist I think will help with the new technology that is facing the college and the students want this kind of background and information. My role is a sea level executive with a hundred billion dollar federal agency. My role is the chief of staff for the IBM CFO of the another hundred billion billion organization. And my role as a sea level executive in London all gave me a level of business acumen that will aid Montgomery College coming into the future. My governance roles, my board roles at a university and several commercial companies in the US and the EU will aid the nominating committee achieve more if I am chosen. My roles in nonprofits here in Montgomery County enhanced my knowledge of the residents in Montgomery County will enable me to contribute more to Montgomery College. As a VP of the Greater Colesville Statistics Association which represents 3500 households here in Montgomery County. I have listened to issues from these households for 10 years about college education accessibility. And the 10 years working with this nonprofit lets me add this knowledge to my base in order to help the nominating committee and the Montgomery County College. As a former special ed teacher in my 20s, I am aware of the issues facing special ed students to go to college in general. We need to be sure board members are cognizant of all these unique groups within the county that want to go to college and facilitate how they will be able to do so. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. DeBresta. Well, that was very humbling. Let's think to that. I comment this a little differently. I come with this first as a parent. I have three kids in MCPS. Well, I have three kids in MCPS. I now have one in college, one on the way, and one hopefully on the way in three years. I also come from a little bit different perspective. My day job is I'm an opposition researcher. Meaning for the past 30 years, I have spent evaluating the credentials of people running for higher office. That goes all the way up to president, down to city council, and a governor. So I have learned how to review the background of the individuals. It also gives me the insight and the understanding of how important it is to have discretion. In addition to my job as a researcher, I am also a professor. I've been an adjunct professor for 14 years at two different universities. I've taught in the classroom. I've taught online. I taught graduates. I've taught undergraduates. So that's given me a little bit of perspective of how the administration works, what works, and also what doesn't work. And lastly, believe it or not, I am also a student. I am finishing up my master's, hopefully in May. So that does also give me a perspective as a student, albeit a much, much older student. Thank you. Thank you very much. The next question is, what criteria would you consider to be the most important when evaluating potential candidates for the Montgomery College Board of Trustees? And Dr. In, we'll start with you. In addition to the duties of basic planning and oversight, the Board of Trustee applicants must be able to address such issues as tuition affordability, job placement for graduates, quality of education, and competition with other institutions and online learning programs. They should have the strategic vision for the college, articulate a clear long-term vision for the college, be able to anticipate the effects of the changing federal funds and other potential risks that will affect the college in the next four to six years. They should demonstrate and ensure fiduciary responsibility. They should be able to show that stewardship of the college financial, physical, and human resources is prime in their role. All candidates should have these attributes for us to assess and thereby pass them on as a candidate to the government. They need to be able to show influence in both state, local, and hopefully around the US. Communication ability, conflict management ability, leadership, change catalyst, building bonds, collaboration and cooperation, and support of the mission of the college. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Daresta. Yeah, I think we have 10 board members. You're looking for a number of different things. You're looking for the ability to work with others, energy for reform, and then there's the old sports metaphor. The best ability is availability. But if I had to pick the most important criteria, I think the first thing I'm looking for is an expertise to use the budget to enhance the education experience for the students. As a parent, I know how important college degrees are. I also understand very well how expensive they are. And so I think whoever we pick has to maximize the budget for the student experience while also keeping it affordable. Second, as I want someone who has the best interest of the students at heart, if I read the budget correctly, there is less money in FY25 than there wasn't FY24. I think there is also likelihood that there is going to be less state money this year, which means whoever takes these roles in the future will have to deal with budget cuts. I want someone there who will keep the best interest of the students first. And lastly, someone who brings a valuable perspective and expertise on the board. I don't think any governing body performs well without some diversity of thought and or life experience. That doesn't mean we need ten different perspectives on the board, but I do think it's incredibly important to bring in multiple lead points. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Carnison. When evaluating particular candidates for the Montgomery College Board of Trustees, I would consider several key criteria to ensure that the board is composed of individuals who can effectively govern the institution and support is mission. And some of those important factors include a commitment to higher education and student success. A strong candidate should have demonstrated passion for education, particularly in the advancement of students' access, equity, and success. They should understand the role of community colleges and providing affordable, high quality education and workforce development opportunities. Strategic leadership and governance experience, so they would play a critical role in shaping institutional policies and overseeing college financial health, candidate should experience and engouvernment leadership and decision making, whether it's previous board service, executive roles or community leadership. Financial and budget budgetary awareness as stewards of the college's resources, trustees should have a solid understanding of financial oversight, budgeting, and physical responsibility to ensure it's the stateability and accountability in the institutional financial decisions. The vision for future from Montgomery College candidates should be forward thinking and able to contribute to strategic discussions about the college's roles and it's evolving higher educational landscape. Their insights and innovation workforce development and institutional growth and help position Montgomery College for long term success. And lastly ethical integrity and decision making skills trustees must uphold the higher standards of ethics, transparency and accountability for the role. Candidates should demonstrate sound judgment, a commitment to ethical leadership and the ability to make decisions and the best interests of the students, faculty, and the community. Thank you. The third question we'll start with, Mr. Daresta, how will you consider racial equity and social justice issues as you identify and evaluate candidates for the Board of Trustees? Well, see if we put representation matters. The students should see themselves reflected in the Board of Trustees. That means racial diversity. I believe it's a majority minority institution, so that has to be a factor. That means gender diversity. I believe there are more women than men as students at the university, so that has to also be a factor. And another factor that doesn't get mentioned that often, which is socioeconomic diversity. If I read it correctly, the students are majority part-time students. That means a lot of them go to school at night. It means a lot of them go to school with online. And I think we need someone on the board who, if they haven't had that experience themselves, at least understand that experience because those people have different needs than regular students. Dr. Carnison. First, I will prioritize the diversity of perspectives and lived experiences, ensuring that the candidates reflected diverse racial, cultural, and social economic backgrounds of McGarmer College student population. Representation manners as stated. Having trustees who understand a systematic barrier faced by underrepresented communities can lead to more informed decisions, making that and inclusive academic environment. I would also evaluate candidates' awareness of racial disparities in education and their vision for creating inclusive opportunities at Montgomery College. Those who recognize and actively work to dismantle inequalities, whether it's in curriculum, development, faculty, financial aid accessibility, or student support services would be strong contributors to the board. And lastly, I would ensure that the selection process itself is equitable by promoting transparency, mitigating biases, and actively seeking candidates from diverse backgrounds. This includes outreach to community leaders, affinity groups, and organizations that support racially equity in education. Thank you, Dr. Ran. We need to be knowledgeable of the student demographics and the county demographics in recruiting for the board. We should actively seek diverse board representation. This includes effective boards aimed for diversity including age, gender, race, and professional experience. Currently, the board has three Hispanic board members, two Black board members, and three White board members. But the student demographics are 28% Hispanic, 25% Black, 19% White, and 12% Asian. And for the county, the county demographics are 43% white, 28% black, 15% Asian and 13% Hispanic. We should keep this in mind as we evaluate each board member. For social justice, the nominating committee needs to be cognizant of socio and economic issues in Montgomery County as well as the state of Maryland to ensure that new board members are knowledgeable of these issues and can recommend solutions for the college to be able to represent equity. In this new environment of grants and potentially loans going away from the federal government research capabilities, board members will need to be able to think out of the box. I establish a scholarship at Georgia State University for students that are going to the Boys and Girls Club in downtown Atlanta. They need to be able to think of new ways to bring in revenue in order to bring a variety of students the capability to go to college and to have that kind of education. Thank you very much. My last question before I turn to colleagues will be will you be able to make the time commitment to the committee requires and are there any potential conflicts of interest of which we should be aware and Dr. Karnasam will start with you again. Yes I am able to make the time commitment. I am fully aware of the dedication and time and effort that it takes for the fulfill the responsibilities effective for this position and at this time I do not have any conflicts that will be of conflicts of interest that I am aware of that would inhibit me from being in this position. That's correct. Dr. Rain. Currently, I have no restrictions that would keep me from being able to fill the responsibilities of this role. And I look forward to the ability to do so. So, Dorasta? I have the ability to control my own schedule. My company is my own, so that gives me a lot of flexibility. And I don't know of any conflicts of interest at the time. Okay, those are all the questions I have. I will now turn it over to Council Vice President Jawondo. Thank you, Madam President. I just wanted to say thank you, and my capacity is chair of the Education Committee and a big fan of the number 10 rated community college in the country out of 1,000, that you will be interested with making sure that that keeps going up. And thank you for putting yourselves forward and really appreciate the time with you today. Thank you. Council Member Glass. Thank you very much. Thank you all for your interest in one and serve the community and our next generation of leaders here in the county. I do have a question for you and it's been something that you all have alluded to in some way. There are some challenges that we as a community are experiencing and very pointedly within Montgomery College, the enrollment has declined a little bit. Some of the costs have increased a little bit. I'm just curious what your thoughts are and how we provide, as was noted, the best education for residents of our community, recognizing that there are some of these challenges that exist. I don't know if we're gonna start right. Yeah, Ms. Caron, you can start. I think it's being aware of the community and where they stand as far as the resources that are available. A lot of times it's about not knowing what's available for them to actually participate in, to be a part of the community. My sororities, 85-85-85-24, I'm already a corporate, again, my off-a-80s chapter is hosting a women's fair at the college this month. That is something that brings the community to the college. It can be more aware of it, it can be more active, and what is available for them. So if they know what's there, they can actually participate more in it. And some of it is also being able to go out into the community and show, you know, this is what we have. This is the level in which we would like to present these opportunities to you and how we can actually put those in place that you can actually receive and put them in action for your family and your life. Thank you. I think one of the challenges for any family and of course I've heard this through GCCA, the Eastern County group that I'm with, they need to be knowledgeable of ways to get money to go to college. I mean it's pretty practical. I paid for all my degrees myself. My parents didn't have the wherewithal to do so. And I had to work. And so being able to look at, for instance, there are so many websites out there that can help high school students look for grants. For instance, for Fire Department employees to be able to get a grant, whether it's $500 or $10,000 to help them start their path down the path to go to college. Also being able to work and go to college, I think Montgomery College is one of the best institutions for facilitating this with nighttime classes. They just opened up a new center over on East County so that it is closer to where they may be working or where they may live. And I think that we need to facilitate through this process of finding committee members that are going to help facilitate that to the future and look to other revenue streams that they can possibly get either through corporations or through the county or through the state. And that way the students will have more of an ability to go to school and be able to access college education. When you're evaluating someone who wants to be on the board of trustees, I think we've learned or at least have, that the past is prologue. What have they done in the past when faced with situations where there needs to be some belt tightly? Is there first reaction to lay off lower staff if they've been in education? Have they sought to reduce teachers? Have they sought to reduce benefits for students? Or have they looked to the administration? Maintenance and organization? So I want wanna know what they've done in the past, and I think that will help us figure out what they're going to do in the future, because I think we all are very concerned about what's coming in the next six to 12 months for these universities. Appreciate your responses. Thank you very much. Thank you. Not seeing any other colleagues in the queue, I just want to say thank you so much for being here this afternoon. We appreciate you all putting yourselves out there and being so dedicated to our community and also to Montgomery College. So thank you very much and have a good afternoon. With that colleagues, that was our last item for the agenda today. We are adjourned. Thank you.