All right, good afternoon everyone and thank you for being with us this afternoon. We have a couple of public hearings and some other items this afternoon. So the first one is a public hearing and action on a resolution to approve supplemental appropriation 25-79 to the FY 25 capital budget Montgomery County Public Schools relocatable classrooms in the amount of $5 million dollars the source of funds is Covent current revenue Council action is scheduled immediately following this hearing there are no registered speakers for this hearing the public hearing is now closed We'll now move on to the action portion of this item is there a motion to approve supplemental appropriation 25-79 some sounds of Vice President Jumandwando moved. Council Member Lutki seconded. All those in favor, please raise your hand. And as unanimous of those who are here. Next, we have item two is a public hearing on recommended and potential amendments to the FY25 to 30 capital improvements program and the FY26 capital budget. Council actions tend to leave scheduled for May 22nd, 2025. Those wishing to submit materials for council considerations should do so by the close of business on May 14th, 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 and are appropriate for a public meeting. You will hear a tone when your time is up and we appreciate everyone by abiding by their allotted time. I will call up now the two speakers we have here who are in person. The first is Patty Winters and James Walters. I'm going to put the I'm going to put the water in the pot. I'm going to put the water in the pot. I'm going to put the water in the pot. I'm going to put the water in the pot. I'm going to put the water in the pot. Okay. Miss Winters, you can start whenever you're ready. You can push that button. Yeah. So good afternoon, Council President Stewart, Vice President Chawando, County Council members. My name is Patty Winters. I am the proud team leader of the Rock and Volunteer Group Phoenix Rising Maryland Recovery School Advocates. I'm going to go off script a bit because by Providence I caught your press conference this morning and then I will read the most relevant portion of this testimonial.'m trusting that you will read the full revised document uploaded this morning. And all the photos I emailed yesterday because of the file size, but they are part of this testimony. Everything shared at their past conference added to the pride and gratitude. I already had in calling Montgomery County home because of your commitment to DEI practices and values. I want to commend and thank you for putting your heart and soul and brains in everything you did to make the budget work. I also want to recommend to each of you if you don't already have it. This book that documents the history of recovery schools by Dr. Andy Finch. He's a Phoenix Rising member. A whole third of it documents how our Phoenix School was the very first ever recovery school. And then I also wanna acknowledge Laura Mitchell for helping me with the portion that I'm about to read. So the CIP connection with refunding the Recovery Academic Program that opened in 2018 is that its ideal location was not a problem thanks to MCPS's partnership with Shepherd Pratt who agreed to house rap at their landing site. They will now need to find a new home for rap because Shepherd Pratt, like most entities, supporting school and community-based mental health and substance use services, law-significant federal funding. This loss of funding foreshepard prep to cut many programs, including RAP. Consequently, they can no longer fund recovery services or a space for RAP beyond the end of this academic year. This raises the possibility that when MCPS does refund RAP, it might not have a suitable space to house it in this requiring CFE funds. Operational funds for recovery support might also be required depending on the provider that they have when they do reopen it will refund it. Deeper dive reasons to refund wrap include how it is help students avoid relapse, regain their self-respect, and become responsible for the citizens is that it will avoid. Yes, Ms. Winters, that's the time. Okay, I know you'll be the rest and we will take shares and buy the book. Thank you so much. Thank you, Mr. Walters. Good afternoon, Council President Stewart and esteemed Council members. My name is James Walters. I serve as an incubator member and a partner of Bethesda Green, a partner at the Greater Baltimore Committee, and I'm CEO of Abo Spiral Energy. We're proud to represent the kind of innovation, sustainability, and entrepreneurship that Montgomery County can become. Known for turning climate challenges into economic opportunity and advancing real solutions born from this region. I'm here in full support of the material recovery and biological treatment facility with a critical recommendation that the county uses moment to unlock a public, private academic partnership partnership framework and incorporate pilot integration of the reimagined Dickerson initiative alongside MRBT implementation. The county executives $38 million request to begin replacing the incinerators an important step forward, but we propose going one step further without disrupting procurement or vendor selection. Our proposal has been reviewed by DEP, MEA, and several R1 University partners, and we've received explicit encouragement from DEP to explore pilot inclusion regardless of which vendor is selected. In other words, we're not bidding. Instead, we're proposing a high impact, multi-intitede coalition focused on local innovation and enterprise, with public leadership, anchors, private capital, and academic research to build long-lasting infrastructure at Dickerson. What we're offering is a pathway to sort and convert 100% of mixed-solid waste streams into valuable climate smart commodities, like clean hydrogen, singas, biofuels, and biochar, all without the combustion driving our current emissions. These are proven systems that have been validated by researchers at the University of Maryland, MEI, MEA, and elite scientists across the RGGI region. This model of industrial symbiosis has been working for over 50 years in Denmark, where the waste from one company becomes the resource for another and connects a power plant with 20 separate businesses. This ecosystem has been cited over 1,500 times and is a globally recognized success. And we are well positioned to replicate that success here in Montgomery County, transforming a misappropriated asset into a zero-waste biomeconomic. Our initiative activates a closely borrowy generating biotech campus that completes the Montgomery County's I-270 corridor. Rather than relying on taxpayer spending, we propose structuring this as a public private academic partnership. A portion of the county's $800 million general reserve for FY26 serves as a catalytic anchor, matched by safe funds for the next generation energy act and enhanced by grain and social bonds to attract local private capital. This model spreads risk, drives long-term, long-term return, and keeps infrastructure under public control, mirroring the research triangles success and turning academic R&D until we $13 billion per year economic engine. This council and county executive has demonstrated integrity, vision, and courage. DEP is done everything possible with the tools they've inherited and their efforts are commendable. However, this challenge is larger than any single agency. We will never be able to justify exporting our ways to underserved communities in Virginia. That is not sustainability. That is a bomb-nable abdication. We must take responsibility. We must seize this moment to lead with equity, science and strategy. I'll close at the wise words of Albert Einstein. We cannot solve our problems with the same thing we use when we created them. Let's create something new. Let's reimagine Dickerson and elevate Montgomery County. Four Maryland from Maryland. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony today. Now we'll go to our virtual testimony and first we have Courtney Evans. Hello, can you hear me? Yes, yes we can, Courtney. Okay. Good afternoon councilmembers, my name is Courtney Evans and I want to be here by thanking you. Your work to 599.8% of the MCPS operating budget without raising taxes is nothing short of extraordinary. And in a year where tough choices have to be made, you found a way to give our schools the breeding room they need. And that leadership matters. Thank you. But love is a moment to recognize how far we've come. I want to speak on the families who are still holding their breath because every spring families like mine are called out to plead again for the right of our children to be included in public education. This year we were nearly put in the difficult position of advocating for a tax increase on ourselves to preserve a program that I wouldn't wish on anyone's child, but one that is the only public option still extended to them. Even when the Council fully funds the school system, these programs design for students who cannot safely attend their person remain vulnerable programs because they don't exist as a school. And without the recognition and accountability that comes with being a school, they're always at risk and students are always short-change. This is now an annual funding crisis, but with the simple structural change it doesn't have to be. Montgomery County has over 160,000 students and every single one of them deserves access to school community. And for some, that access can only come through a virtual platform. When he is school that is recognized, resource and protected like any other, and only thing can we ensure that dollars meant to educate students are actually reaching all of them, including those who are often left out. We're so grateful that you've keep the system afloat. And now I ask you to help us move towards something stronger so overwhelmed parents don't have to beg again next year. Help us advocate for a county-wide solution for a school that brings these students back to the heart of public education where they belong. Thank you so much for everything you've done to get us as far. Let's keep going. Thank you. Next we have Robert Nelson. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Robert Nelson, the homeowner in Billshot and Bass Chair of the Upcanny Citizens Advisory Board. There was a big announcement last week that Flash BRT is being extended to Columbia in Howard County. That's great for the Route 29 Carter, but for Upcanny we're still awaiting transportation solutions. There are 350,000 residents in the Up County. And at their four major infrastructure projects serving the Up County that are envisioned in County Master Plans, including the expanded capacity on I-270, the Carter City's transit way, bus rabbit transit, one or near Maryland 355, and the extension of Mid County Highway a M. A. M. A. D. 3 North of Montgomery village Avenue and only one of the four of his currently proposed for funding the 355 BRT and it only extends north to Germantown. Last Thursday I saw a presentation on the Germantown sector plan amendment showing that the economic development has not proceeded as envisioned and there actually less jobs now in Germantown than there were 15 years ago. On February 13th, the Montgomery Planning Board voted that a comprehensive study of travel needs, along the Clarksburg to Germantown Carter, be conducted, to determine if there is sufficient master plan transportation capacity to accommodate planned development. Well, last week there was a presentation to the Up County Citizens Advisory Board on the Central section of Maryland 35 BRT and a number of the board members expressed reservations as to the effectiveness of BRT in the Up County and they asked where is the justification. Well instead of pursuing a piecemeal Up County transportation approach is currently proposed in the County Executive CIP. Let's perform the comprehensive study of travel needs instead of funding just a small portion of Maryland 355 BRT. And regarding existing infrastructure, back on February 6, I joined you in person and I advocated for the replacement of the brick-rode bridge over great Senate concrete. Well, when I testified, it was scheduled for FY 26, but now it's FY 28 or 29. When the meantime, the county executive singled out the Brink Road Bridge project as the only one to be deferred in the entire county. Yet the deteriorating Brink Road Bridge carries nearly as much traffic per lane as the key bridge did in Baltimore. I again request that this project be accelerated with a plan for no closure of the road during construction. And they have county we utilize existing public transportation and I'm fortunate to have a bus stop at the end of my street. But unlike the purple line and flash BRT stations, the bus stop at the end of my street is just a concrete slab, has no shelter and not even a bench to sit on. Congratulations on the 50th anniversary of the ride on bus transit system. Aloha. Thank you Mr. Nelson. Those are all the speakers we have for this public hearing that this public hearing is now closed. is now closed. Our next public hearing is on a resolution to increase the county income tax rate. And I do want to just note as a number of speakers are already noted that we did hold a press conference this morning with Montgomery County Council, President Montgomery County Council Board of Education, President Julienne, Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor, and many members of the County Council and laid out a plan that could help move us forward to fund MCPS into the fiscal year 26 and this plan looks at how we can do that and given the reductions that we did last year. There is a potential way forward to pass our budget this year without a tax increase though we're here to listen to everyone and we will continue our deliberations this week but I just wanted to note that since some of our speakers are already noted today. So we'll move on now to item three, which is a public hearing on the resolution to increase the county income tax rate. Council action is tentatively scheduled for May 14th, 2025. Those wishing to submit material for the council's consideration should do so by the the clothes of business today 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 and are appropriate for a public meeting. You will hear a tone when your time is up and we appreciate everybody abiding by there a lot of time. I think the council member make, you want to speak to something at this point? Oh not this one. Okay. Then I will make sure we have C-A-O rich Madelina was with us. Then we have Hong Le, Xi Kun Fu, Angela Franco and David Stein, our first group of folks. And Mr. Madelina when you're ready to speak you're good to go. Thank you very much Council President, Story Council Vice President Jouando, members of the County Council. For the record my name is Rich Madelino. I'm the Chief Administrative Officer for the County Government. I'm here representing County Executive Mark Elrich in support of this resolution. First, he asked me to congratulate you, Madam President and the council members, for coming together with the path forward. As you know, the county executive has spoken once or twice about OPEB and desire to have a rational approach to balancing our long-term needs with our short-term obligations. And he certainly supports this plan to use those funds for FY25 and 26 and looks forward to supporting that moving forward. With that being said, the county executive still believes for the long-term interest of the county and our fiscal stability, making this change and the income tax is still important. I want to start by thanking our entire resident state legislative delegation for supporting this authority and of course Governor Moore for approving this authority and for all voting for a variety of revenue measures which included retroactive tax increases, income tax increases as part of the fiscal plan for the state. I have in my career had the opportunity to be a legislator and vote many occasions to raise the income tax. Each and every year when the state approaches an income tax and this can be sometimes confusing, it is done retroactive because when you're doing the income tax, you really have two opportunities to do it prospectively to a January first or retroactively to a January first. Unlike the other taxes, it can really only change with the calendar year, with the tax year. I look back in history and when delegate Hickson led the charge to create our current tax structure in 1999. It in fact was done retroactively. And so each and every time I looked in the over the last 30 years of the state when there's been an income tax change, it has been retroactive except for once and that was during the 2007 special session which happened in November. So January right around the corner, those taxes went in January first. So it's not at all surprising to do a retroactive change. And of course, the county executive believes in the need to do this because of the very large tax changes that are happening at the federal level, which are driving some of the actions that federal government is doing. And those will all be retroactive to January 1st. That being said, clearly he would like you to consider the rate increase for January 1st of 2026, balancing the actions you are now taking with the OPEB transfer towards making sure that for the remainder of 26 and moving to the future, We have the revenues necessary to remain a stable county in order to meet all of our outstanding obligations, including to our school system and to all the other parts of the Montgomery County government. Thank you very much, Madam President. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Madeline, very much. And please send our regards to the county executive and thank you for sending his congratulations on what we were able to do this morning. Next we have Hong Lee. Hong Lee, pardon. Hello, welcome to the Hwang Li, a group of Hwang Li, I want to show you the importance of the area were sent to the M.V.M.A. In the past, the people of Vietnam were sent to the M.V.M.A. The program is a great program that will be a great program that will be a great program In the past, many of the M.V.M.A. helped to help the people who helped to improve their health and health. and the next question is, please help me to make a decision on the S.N.A.S. and the decision of the S.N.A.S.S.S. food and to the MVMA's food will help the people to eat, eat, and eat you. and then up the Miss Wannlee Testify. Here what it is, good afternoon, Council of Montgomery County. My name is Hwang Lee, a resident of Montgomery County. I want to testify to the important role of the Maryland Vietnamese Mutual Association, referred to as a MVMA in assisting the Vietnamese community in assessing welfare and social services in the stay-up Maryland in general and Montgomery County in particular. Personally, I have received a right view up here from MVMA in the Jesuit-Busenau documents I hit last. The Association hit translate letters and documents between English and Vietnamese. They also assisted me in applying for food assistance SNAP, which I was approved for, or simply may forecast due schedule appointment and register with the Social Security Administration for Social Services. Now continue operation and direct services provided by NVMA. We'll make the Vietnamese community safer and better. And for me, personally, this means having a place to go and yet here from NVMA whenever I needed. Therefore, I support our tax increase so that MVMA can receive funding to continue maintaining its direct services to support the Vietnamese community in Maryland in the coming year and beyond. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next we have Si Kuan Phu. The to Nguyen Ngoc Boree, Ngui Rieng, Ka Nhan Tui, đã được hồi mbme giúp đỡ dìu, Trong Wuyet Lạm Đơn, Bảo Hiem I té, Dịch Thật Cắc, Thư Từ và Giấy Tờ, Từ Tiến Anh Sang Tiến Wuyet, Quà Ngua Tlai, Lạm Giấy Tờ về vắng đề, Jee Choo Hock Dong Gyeong and the government to the right of the NBA will help the Vietnam War. So, the more and more important the situation is, the more the NBA helps the country to get closer and to the right of the NBA. and help me to help you to help me to help you to help me to help you to help me to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you to help you Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. He was a certified Good afternoon, Council of Montgomery County. My name is a C. Kung Fu. I am a resident of Montgomery County. I am here today to testify the imported role of the Maryland Vietnamese Mutual Association referred to as the MVMA in supporting the Vietnamese community in assessing welfare and social services throughout the state of Maryland and particularly in Mongolia County. But, no, I have received significant assistance from MVMA in applying for health insurance, translating correspondence and documents between English and Vietnamese, handling immigration paperwork, and even symbol tags should be making for course to schedule appointment and register with the Social Security Administration for retirement benefits. The continue operation and provision up direct services by MVMA will help the Vietnamese community thrive and if ensured that I too have a play to return to whenever I need help. For the reason I support the robust tech increase, it would allow MVMA to secure funding to maintain and expand it direct services to support the Vietnamese community in Maryland, in the coming year and beyond. Thank you. Thank you very much. Councillor Mourning. Thank you. I just wanted to take a quick point of privilege. Take a moment to recognize our translator, Ms. Hua, I, IV Tran, who was up till 10 p.m. last night, preparing to translate to testimonies and Vietnamese today. And I think it's worth noting that this is the first time the council has had a Vietnamese speaker testify at a public hearing. It is in fact the first time we have had any AANHPI speaker testify with translation that a public hearing. And in the wake of our AANHPI heritage month celebration as we consider our work to provide equitable access to government services and to the ability to advocate. I just wanted to make sure that the significance of this moment was recognized, thank you to our our cons team to the Office of Community Partnerships, to our speakers, today, to Ms. Hoai, and to MTA NVMA for making this moment happen. And thank you for the indulgence matter president. Thank you, Council Member Mink, and thank you very much for being here today. Next, we'll move on to Angela Franco. Good afternoon, Council President Stewart, Vice Presidentondle and members of the Council. A mantle of Franco President and CEO of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. Thank you for allowing me to testify in a position to increasing the income tax rate. The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and the business community strongly opposes increasing taxes. We don't believe that increasing taxes will solve the financial challenges of the county. We really applaud and commend the announcement this morning that the Council President and some of the Council members made this morning with the Board of Education the Superintendent and many of the members of these county council. These are certain times and it is important for the Council to make both fiscal and policy decisions with that in mind. We strongly believe that there should be a partnership between the county government, the business community and MCPS and it's crucial for the well-being of our students and the workforce development of the future. Many of you have already acknowledged that is not the time for new taxes. Residents and businesses have real economic anxiety and are already struggling in out of economy and can not bear additional taxes. The burden is further compounded by raising but rising assessments and this states the decision to raise 1.6 billion in taxes and fees, most of which comes directly out of Montgomery County. Our county has been experiencing virtually no economic growth in recent years and we're falling behind. The solution is to make the county a more inviting and affordable place to leave and work and our tax climate is part of that. We are here to support your efforts to make our government more efficient and of course to grow our economy. Again, thank you for your work on this budget doing this very trying times. Thank you for allowing me to testify today and as I always say we're here to support and help in any way we can. Thank you. Thank you David Stein Stein. Good afternoon, President Stewart, Vice President Joondo and County Council members. My name is David Stein. I'm the President of Montgomery County Education Association, representing 14,000 public servants who are a Certificated Educators and MCPS, Teachers, Counselors, Speech Language Pathologist, Media Specialists, and so much more. I originally came here today to champion a small increase in the county's income tax rate that would generate the revenues we need to support a vast array of publicly supported programs, including public education. And we remain convinced that a tiny increase in the income tax rate is a sacrifice that our residents are willing to make to fund the myriad of needs our county faces. But with this morning's announcement it is clear we have a solution for next year with or without this increase. For weeks educators and community members have been sounding the alarm about the potential impacts under funding next year's budget would have had on our students and our schools. We have signed thousands of petitions, mailed hundreds of postcards and made countless calls to members of this very council Montgomery County's education community rallied its unions its Board of Education Superintendent its students and its families we all spoke as one and considering this morning's announcement it is clear that we have been heard this announcement is welcome news The council's decision to use one-time funds ensures that next school year the district will be able to meet at special education obligations to support emergent multilingual learners, take measures to improve school safety and continue to attract and retain the very best educators. Collaboration and transparency have been a theme in this year's school budget process and we are grateful that the council has worked with the school district to find a path forward. But the path forward announced this morning is no panacea. This solution is only for one year will not address long standing challenges that are facing this district. This fix cannot resolve staffing standards or reduce class sizes or ensure greater equitable access to programs. And enduring solution is still needed and if this council wants to live up to its commitment to students, educators, and schools. Not addressing revenues today delays the decision that you all as council members will have to one day make. Whether to approve fiscal measures that provide long-term stability for our school system. We remain hopeful that this body will take future action that will ensure that our schools don't just remain viable but flourish. That funding streams are reliable and predictable and don't require a battle royale every single year to meet our students needs. That will be your task going forward and MCA is ready to be a partner in finding these long-term solutions. So thank you very much and onward. Thank you. Thank you to that panel. Next I'll call up Dustin Jeter, Gordy Bren, Joe Schifrin, Stephanie Gullinsky, and George Henderson. Hernandez, I'm sorry. I can't read the name. Mr. Gita, you can start us when you're ready. Thank you and good afternoon members of the County Council. My name is Dustin Jeter and I'm MCPS alum as well as a 19 year veteran social studies teacher and resident at Montgomery County. I've lived and or worked in the county for almost my entire life. And during this time, I've come to believe that I'm the promise and potential of Montgomery County. It's people and it's students. I believe in the promise because in my MCPS education, it was all made all the difference of the world for me. Like others, I was pleased to hear about the council's announcement today and its decision to use one-time funds to help nearly fully fund MCPS's budget requests for the upcoming school year. However, this decision does not let the council off the hook to come up with substantial funding for funding solutions for the future, including seriously considering this proposal to increase income taxes by marginal one-tenth of one percent. I'll be honest, I don't really want to pay more taxes. I don't think there is anybody who wants to really go out and pay more taxes. Now or in the future, we would also, we would all like to keep our more of our hard-earned money in our pockets, the save and spend as we see fit. We are also increasingly living in a time that seems unsteady and unstable, particularly as many of us witness the impact of the unpredictable executive actions on our families, friends, and colleagues. But I also know that all of us in this room pride ourselves in believing that there is something special about Montgomery County. And there is. Our County is a special place because of our collective belief and the social contract that deeply values the public sector that invests in its people. Whether that's funding, emergency rental assistance programs, investments in our public health and its infrastructure, our programs that invest in students with disabilities and non-native English speakers so that they can succeed academically and in life. The income tax rate increase would support funding these critical programs needed to sustain mocos exceptionalism. And our public schools are at the heart of that exceptionalism. If the county council does not find a long-term solution to MCPS's funding needs this week. We all know that we're not going to have preventative measures in the future. We will have significant obstacles. I know for one, I don't like being the person and having a lot of people come before you every single year with the same asks and demands. I would like to see a long-term solution. We will not have only strengthened our social contract if we pass this increase, but we will also McGonnie Residents know that their local government has their back. As a lifelong teacher, McGonnie Residents, I know its marginal tax increase will help us, and a goal without a plan is just to wish. I don't think we should continue kicking the can down the road. I think we should actually come up with a long-term plan and solution for how we can fund not just this budget, but many budgets down the road. Thank you for your time. Gordie Brenney. Gordy Bernie with the Tax Pairs League. In light of this morning's announcement, which was rather headspinning, the idea of digging into health trust fund reserves to pay for operating expenses. We were going to ask that you a couple in the increase in the income tax to a 4.7% property tax rate increase while making spending cuts like Howard County is doing. This will reduce the regressive impact of property taxes offset some of the economic development impacts and lower the structural deficit that's looming. The 4.7% increase was based on a bulbous education emergency that didn't fix a very real management emergency. Our analysis showed most of the money went to pay for other county programs, subplementals that weren't in the approved budget. Basically, the council robbed Peter to pay Paul, and Peter's a blind taxpayer who will get retroactively sucker punched if you go ahead with the income tax increase. The structural deficit time bomb will explode in two years. When home assessment and capital gain revenue gushers stop growing. But the council just increased the deficit by unanimously approving above market union pay races. The structural deficit also grows because of new revenue subsidy programs. Recent approval of a pilot program to convert offices to residents will reduce property tax revenues by at least $130 million. Maybe this will override the high cost of building in our county due to regulations the county's imposed. But who will pay to make up for the revenue loss? I'll tell you it's less wealthy residents who live in unimproved housing and they'll be subsidizing more expensive homes. Our revenue analysis shows that those lucky enough to live in new homes and tear down rebuilds, benefit from delayed reassessments and are often assessed at below market value. That's inequitable, as our appeal delays. Also, income taxes are less stable than property taxes because capital gains require growing income stops at timing risks and increases will lose wealthier residents and reduce tax revenues. Basically, a new economic development model is needed to pace government costs with commercial job growth and reduce our dependence on government jobs and income taxes to pay for growth. Restructuring the property assessment process with a county takeover pilot test is a way to increase accountability boost revenue efficiency so that spending cuts that reduce the structural deficit can be matched to property tax rate reductions thereby increasing the tax base. State audits have shown that S-DAT was doing less than half the assessments they were assigned. More recently, there were issues with reassessment notices and credits. County staff can do a much better job in assessments. Combined with economic development from lower property tax rates, our property tax revenue efficiency could increase by at least 20%, perhaps is 50%. That's 500 million for tax rate reductions. Thank you, Mr. Renny. Thank you. Joe Schifrin. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. My name is Joe Schifrin and I live in County District 1. I'm giving this testimony today on behalf of Jews United for Justice. I want to begin by thanking the Council, the Board of Education, Superintendent and School-based unions for coming together to find a solution for MCPS funding in the short term. We know it has been a difficult budget year and it took a lot of creativity and collaboration to find a workable plan. We look forward to the Council taking the necessary votes this week to move forward that plan and to fund 99.8% of the Board of Education's proposed MCPS budget. As you are taking those votes, we want to highlight two items on the reconciliation list related to critical housing staffing. First, we urge you to approve two full-time staff for the Office of Consumer Protection needed to implement Bill 625, which was passed unanimously by the Council in order to ensure that landlords are held accountable for serious violations. Second, we urge you to approve two diversion specialists in the services to end and prevent homelessness program within the Department of Health and Human Services. This is a continuation of a highly effective strategy to keep people out of shelters by connecting them to other housing solutions. We know you have more work to do on this year's budget, but we're also looking ahead to the future. These are difficult times, and everyone in our community is feeling the impact of what is happening at the federal level. You will hear testimony today from people who say we should never raise taxes, but it Jews United for Justice, we know that Montgomery County will need additional revenue in the years to come for education, housing, food, and health care. We believe it will be necessary to capture the additional 0.1% in income tax revenue now. Allowed by state law and we believe it is the right thing to do to ensure everyone who lives in Montgomery County has what they need to live and to flourish. Thank you for your work on this budget and we look forward to finding solutions together to the challenges that lie ahead. Thank you. Next we have Stephanie Golancki. Good afternoon, President Stewart, Vice President Jawando and County Council members. My name is Stephanie Golancki and I am a special education teacher at Sherwood High School, where I support inclusion algebra classes. Over the last 12 years, I have taught special education in every grade, K-9, across settings that span from those that are fully included in general education to students in discrete programs who need support even with the most basic of life skills, like going to the bathroom and eating. I have experienced the significant safety and learning concerns that occur when special education classrooms are understaffed. When I saw Superintendent Taylor's proposed operating budget, special education line item, I was ecstatic. Special education was represented in a big way, in an essentials only budget, not as some sort of additional add-on. Finally, we were going to be able to invest in special education to allow MCPS to hire teachers and pair educators that students desperately need to succeed and remain safe. For fiscal year 26 anyway, like others in this room, I was heartened to hear the news this morning from President Stewart, President Yang, and Superintendent Taylor that the council has proposed a path forward to fund next year's school budget at nearly the requested amount. While this is excellent news for FY26, it's not a long-term solution. The special education needs will continue to exist long past this one-time funding. This action does not resolve the chronic challenges that we have faced in special education, including underfunding and under staffing. Special educators and students with disabilities should not have to fight every single year to get the resources that we need. With that said, I am still here to ask the county council to secure a revenue solution moving forward to ensure that my students with disabilities have consistent and reliable funding to receive the supports and services that they need to reach academic success. I will also add that my students are legally entitled to these services under the Federal Law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. I love my students. I love their passion, their drive, their curiosity, and their will to learn. And most days, I love my job. I get to help my students find their place in the world. I get to help them take their dreams and make a concrete plan for how to make it happen. That's why I'm here today to make their path to success attainable and to reduce the number of obstacles that they face in their academic careers. Today, I'm asking you as the council ensure ongoing funding sources rather than the one-time solutions. I apologize. I lost my place. Rather than the one-time solutions of the last several MCPS budgets, increasing the income tax rate by one-tenth of one percent would ensure that these investments and special education are long term. As Montgomery County resident, I would gladly pay this increase to help my students flourish. I want to reiterate that I'm grateful to the council and moving forward now is the time to ensure that future budgets do not need to be balanced on the backs of students with disabilities. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Hernandez. Good afternoon. Regarding the revenue. Because of the federal government, you may know that there may be less revenue coming in to this county. And that's a problem. This tax increase is a very small increase as has been noted. But I think what passing it would do would signal that at your earliest convenience this county is eager and almost insatiable in their desired tax. Us. What would you be able to do with 5% or 10% tax? There would be a lot of programs you could find, a lot of good you can do with more and more tax money under a certain form of thinking. And regarding expenditures, MCPS is a very large expenditure on my MCPS alum. And you probably know a lot of the data regarding enrollment, decreasing birth rates. There's going to be fewer and fewer students. It's all that could be seen in elementary schools and in kindergarten. For the foreseeable future and whether people migrate here from other countries, you may maybe think about that, but birth rates are also declining in the developing world as well. Maybe people would move here to start families, vis-a-vis other states, maybe if you think Montgomery County is a place that is attracting young families. I think that it will be wise for the fiscal security of this county to not pass a tax increase and we consider expanded trends for the foreseeable future. Thank you. Thank you and thank you to all the panelists who are here today. Next I'll call up Stephanie Helsing, Christine Handi, Samuel Sanchez, Paula Ross Ross and Shredi run Naran Nana and apologies if I got the last one incorrect And Miss Helsing you can start when you're ready Good afternoon, Council President Stewart vice- President Gerrondo, and distinguished council members for the record. My name is Stephanie Helson, and I'm the president and CEO of the Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce. On behalf of the chamber, which represents more than 320 employers, mostly small and minority own businesses in Greater Silver Spring, we would first like to applaud County Council President Kate Stewart and MCPS superintendent Thomas Taylor on finding a solution however temporary to continue robust support of MCPS without putting increased financial stress on the business community who are taxpayers in the county and on the residents of Montgomery County at the present time. However, while the strategy is good news now, we know that these proposals for tax increases will be made again. So we ask our county leaders to focus on creating an environment where economic development is welcomed, not just in the tagline, but in reality. One that invites investment into our county includes incentives for growth, creates competition with our surrounding jurisdictions rather than a non-permissive and non-competitive environment that disincentivizes the workforce from considering Montgomery County as a viable option and makes it difficult for business owners and residents to continue to choose Montgomery County as a place to live and to do business. We do understand you guys have a difficult difficult job, and we are here to support you. We urge the council to continue to protect businesses and residents who are already facing affordability issues. We believe in supporting funding priorities that enhance our overall quality of life and increase our ability for local businesses to be competitive because in a competitive environment, we will grow businesses who in turn will support the entire community as well as their social agenda. So as you move forward, despite what we may have put off for temporary time, we do need you to think in the long term that right now we can't absorb any of the increases in taxes, whether their property or income at the business level or residential. Thank you for your time today. Thank you. Next we have Christine Handy. Good afternoon, Council members. My name is Dr. Christine Handy and I'm here today on behalf of our county students. I live in Montgomery County and have a child in the ninth grade attending high school. Each morning more than 160,000 students walk into our schools with dreams, potential, and the hope that they'll receive the education they need to thrive. They're not thinking about budgets or income taxes but about learning, belonging, and becoming who they are meant to be. And their future is on the line and in your hands. We appreciate you working with our superintendent and Board of Education to develop a budget solution or as you put it, a path forward for FY26. This budget is not about nice to have, it's about must have fundamental support that every child needs and deserves. We're talking about safe classrooms, strong instruction, mental health support, emerging language learners, services, and special education services. We are talking about high quality teachers and administrators in every school and every office. These aren't extras. These are essentials. That's why I'm urging you to consider this as we move forward. We need to raise revenue in Montgomery County so that we are not in this same position a year from now. A few years ago, we were using one-time money, ESSA funds. You remember that? To fund ongoing expenses, which led us to some tough financial, to a tough financial place. What we need is a stable and consistent investment in education. Without this investment, our school system will continue to be at risk of you, our county council, being unable to fund the budget request. We cannot risk fewer teachers, larger class sizes, reduced services, or fewer opportunities for our students who need the most. This is a defining moment. We are healing from the disruption of the pandemic. Many of our students are still catching up socially, emotionally and academically. Their knees are more complex than ever before and they require more support, not less. You know what is happening? The federal government is pulling back its investment in public education. Nationally, we're seeing threats to funding and even discussions about eliminating the Department of Education. If Washington won't step up, Montgomery County must. This council debated a 10-cent property tax increase two years ago and ultimately approved just four cents. It helped, but it wasn't enough. This year, the union stepped up and found ways to say $30 million in health care costs. The superintendent made deep cuts to central office services. School leaders stretched every dollar as they do every day. But let's be honest, there is no more room to stretch. We cannot ask our schools to do more with less. This is about more than math. It's about values, priorities, and what kind of community we want to be. In conclusion, I thank you for your concessions and for working with the superintendent to identify one-time funds for FY26. I urge you to consider how we will raise revenue as other districts have. Check out what Fairfax Virginia just did. Our students are counting on us. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Handy. Samuel Sanchez. Yeah, hi. Thank for inviting me here. I'm inviting myself. My name is Samuel Sanchez. Computer Sciences for the Internal Revenue Service. I chose Montgomery County for its quality. I could have picked any place pretty much in the world to live, but I picked here. Just some quick background. How did I make it here? I make it here from a single mother New York City housing project because of wear fair public education, K through graduate school, all funded back taxpayers. I'm in the 95% out income living leisure world with my wife who also has a beat Latina. And I'm in favor of the increase. And I explain why, because I'm an example of public education. In 1989, I came here with three little kids. I created the first Hispanic STEM programs of volunteer in Blair High School. I quickly became a foster parent and worked out with three foster kids with the government agencies that helped me, those all three are professionals, my kids are professionals, all eight of my grandchildren are native of Montgomery County, six of them have graduated from MCPS, some had challenges, some didn't, in fact one of them helped Mr. Joando campaign when he first ran who's now 25 years old because I picked this county. I live in leisure world world because I wanna stay here and retire here and plan to stay here and today I die and be around my family. And I think this increase is important. And one important thing for all of you to understand, I tell everybody throughout the world, I have a big international email list that I am successful because your great-grandparents pay taxes to help you to where I am today and I owe it to your children, your grandchildren, your future great-grandchildren to pay my due to them and hopefully make this country in this country at this county number one and I brag to everyone especially Floridians that my life are always on in the streets because we pay taxes and the kids are worth it. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Ross. Thank you. Hello, Council President Stewart and members of the County Council. I'm Paula Ross, President and CEO of the Gatherersburg, German-Tun Chamber of Commerce. Speaking to you today on behalf of over 450 businesses along the upper I-270 corridor. Our Chamber serves Gatherersburg, German-Tun clerksburg and Damascus with over 65% of our members comprising very small businesses with fewer than 10 employees. I spoke to you at the previous budget hearing in opposition to the property tax and fees increase. I also spoke in support of certain public safety initiatives, very important economic development initiatives, and in support of Montgomery College's request. That support is again detailed in the letter I submitted to you this morning on behalf of our members. Today, I want to further impress upon you the business community's strong opposition to new taxes and fees, including the newly proposed retroactive income tax. We recognize that you have a difficult job in balancing the county's budget. However, we know that you can revise the budget in ways that support the hardworking residents and businesses driving Montgomery County's economy and not chase people out of our county with continued tax and fees increases. This morning's work is a testament to that hard work in balancing a budget and making sure that we're not raising taxes on our hard working residents. Many will be struggling with financial impact of recent legislative changes in Annapolis, including increased taxes and many increased fees from the state on top of increased property tax assessments. An accounting property tax rate increased just two years ago. This area will also struggle with the impact of federal job losses. Montgomery County is becoming known as a less competitive county to attract and grow business and a more expensive county in which to live. That this income tax increase proposal is retroactive for six months is difficult, and our businesses and residents cannot afford it moving forward. The $30 million in increased fees proposed is for a project that hasn't yet been vetted by the council. President dictates that this new fee increase won't sunset. First MCPS I spoke last time about the school system's piece of the budget. The growth in the county budget and the MCPS budget have far outpaced inflation and county population growth and MCPS enrollment. Of course, we need a top-notch school system. I've said this before, it's the very best economic development tool to attract and retain talent here. Our chamber was happy to host Dr. Taylor for a conversation about the vast challenges facing MCPS. Dr. Taylor was honest in his sharing of troublesome outcomes in reaching, reading, and math benchmarks. The taxpayer's money over the past several years isn't yielding improved results, even with continued funding over MOE. With this new $200 million spend over MOE for 2026, we hope that you will begin to hold MCPS accountable to the taxpayers for improved outcomes. And if MCPS needs continued financial support over M.O.E. in future years, we purport that you need to create a permissive and competitive environment to further grow the tax revenue base instead of increasing taxes. Second, addressing... Well, I have a lot to say. You have a full letter in your inboxes from our chamber from this morning. Thank you. Thank you. Great. Mr. Niran Yenan? Hi, my name is Sri Narayanan. I'm a resident of Silver Spring. I'm a physician and a taxpayer and a homeowner and I am testifying in support of the income tax increase. I feel that you know income taxes when we talk about increasing them they're you know an investment in our communities and it's not something to be taken lightly but that there are programs throughout the county that benefit and strengthen our communities. And this is a time that we need that mutual aid to strengthen our communities and build our communities up as much as possible. I'm specifically wanting to advocate for the continued funding of our health care safety net programs, which in my line of work, I see more and more people relying on year after year. Montgomery cares and cares for kids are such an essential part of the health care safety net and primary care preventive care for a lot of residents in the county. In my line of work, I see more and more people relying on health safety and net usage for circumstances beyond their control. People lose jobs, they lose their health insurance because they've lost those benefits. There's a catastrophic illness that forces somebody to stay in a hospital and then they may lose their employment. There's somebody maybe taken off state Medicaid role and then they have to look for insurance elsewhere and that is very hard to afford. So I think having these safety net programs in our community is something that is going to strengthen our community and not being able to fund those will mean sort of more Families are put in crisis when they're already living when a lot of families in our County are already living paycheck to paycheck sometimes and so I'm an advocate for The continued funding of those programs. Now, I understand that I'm with my job. I'm lucky to be in a higher tax bracket. And even I and people in people that I know, my friends, my neighbors who are in a higher tax bracket, they benefit from the services that Montgomery County provides. I take the ride on bus. I take my kids to the county pool in the summer. I work out at the rec center near my place. These are all things that are out there that the county provides for. My kid goes to public school and my younger one is going to go to the same public school fairly soon. And so I think we all benefit from the sort of combined effort of the tax revenue that the county puts to good use for everyone in our county. And so I want to thank you for considering. Thank you. Thank you to the you for considering. Thank you. Thank you to the panel for being here today. Our next panel is Mauricio Vasquez, Pia Morrison, Samantha DiMato, Dr. Catherine Kelly, and Wang Dong. Thank you. Mr. Vasquez, you can start when you're ready. Thank you. Good afternoon, Council President Sur and Council by Spresen Yawando. My name is Maurice Vasazquez, Executive Director of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Montgomery County. On behalf of our members and the broader Latino and minority business community in Montgomery County, I send here before to oppose the proposing tax increase from 3.2 to 3.3%. The tax high proposed as a substitute for the 3.4 property tax increase is deeply concerning for Montgomery County's minority communities and small businesses. Our county faces economic challenges that disproportionately impact Latino and minority businesses and residents. The recent federal layoffs affecting over 70,000 federal workers and county contractors have hit our communities hard as many relied on these jobs for stability. Property assessments have risen by up to 40% squeezing homeowners and small business owners already grappling with rising costs. The state's reason income tax increase with Montgomery County residents' children nearly half the burden further strains our families and entrepreneurs. In times when our county residents and minority communities are threatened by actions from the federal government, we look to our local government for support. Many of our members are diversifying their portfolios by exploring opportunities in Montgomery County. In each of the light resources for displaced federal workers from workers in Montgomery, the Office of Procurements Montgomery County is open for business event, and the free career services for displaced federal workers at Montgomery College exemplify the commitment and support this county has shown in the face of adversity. We ask our council to continue this support by rejecting the proposing and tax increase this fiscal year. This proposing and tax include a retroactive clause that would tax income errands in January 1st, 2025. This unexpected burden will hit small businesses on minority household particularly hard as many operate on tide margins and lack the resources to absorb certain tax abilities. County budget analysts have cautioned that income tax revenue is volatile, making it on reliable source for funding critical services like Montgomery County Public Schools. We recognize the need for a broader and stronger revenue source in Montgomery County. Small businesses, the backman of our economy, are still recovering. We recognize the need for a broader and stronger revenue source in Montgomery County. Small businesses, the Beckman of our economy, are still recovering from economic disruptions. Many eight, many of our members, restaurants, retailers and service providers, report that rising cost, staffing challenges, and now unexpected rights are already threatening their survival. An income tax hike with reduced consumer spending power for hurting these businesses and the minority communities they serve. We applaud this morning's announcement, even if temporary. And we stand ready to collaborate with the council to find sustainable solutions that uplift our communities and small businesses in Montgomery County. Thank you so much for your consideration. Thank you. P. Immoreson. Honorable Council members, thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is P. Immoreson and I am the president of the C.I.U. Local 500, which represents 10,000 support staff professionals in Montgomery County public schools. They are bus drivers, transportation and depot workers, mechanics, pair of educators, office workers, food services, media and IT workers building service maintenance, security staff, and many more. While I am extremely grateful that Board of Ed, President Yang and Board of County Council, President Stewart and Superintendent Taylor were able to come up with a solution to fully fund the FY26 budget. There are still challenges to come. While Montgomery County is known for its excellence in public education, that excellence is only possible when we invest in every person who contributes to the success of our schools. A fully funding the MCPS budget is not just about protecting class sizes or maintaining programs. It's about supporting our students intellectually, emotionally and academically and honoring the dignity of the people who do that work every single day. It's about ensuring that support staff and all other MCPS employees, many of whom are living paycheck to paycheck, can afford to live in the very communities that they serve. Because when we underfund schools, support staff professionals are the ones who feel the consequences first. A modest and progressive tax adjustment is a responsible and moral investment in our county's future, and it is vital to raising the necessary revenue for education. It is important for us to honor our labor commitments and give the children and the adults who support them what they deserve. Kicking the can down the road with no plan to supplement costs with revenue is short-sighted and will bring us back to an even bigger financial crisis next year. The question before us today is not just fiscal, it is ethical. Why is it okay to ask a predominantly woman-led workforce with some of the most diverse workers in this county to consistently bear the brunt of budgetary shortcuts. Will we choose to lead with vision, values, and the courage of our convictions? I urge you to adopt the income tax increases, ensuring that MCPS workers and students are getting the support that they so richly deserve. Thank you so much. Samantha Dammatto. Good afternoon. My name is Samantha Dammatto. I'm the president of the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors, G-Car. And if you feel like we've done this before, it's not because there's a glitch in the simulation we have. I, for the third time in the last six weeks, I am testifying on behalf of our 11,000 members and real estate professionals and hundreds of residents who have sent thousands of emails through our campaign to urge you to stand firm against the tax hike. After the property tax increase was proposed, many of you did spook as fiscal watch stocks dismissed the proposal as it will timed unnecessary and just another strain on our residents. Thank you for that stewardship and for using the strength of your voices to reject it. Yeah, where do we find ourselves now? The specific tax proposed and on whom it is levied may have changed, but all the fiscal implications and economic indicators are the same. The proposed budget still includes hundreds of millions of dollars in new county government expenditures and hundreds of new positions. Our county faces volatility in its revenue outlooks, economic uncertainty, as many of the industries and residents that rely on federal dollars are under threat by the administration. The ripple effect of this upheaval will inevitably have the county businesses who rely on foot traffic of those workers and the partnership of those industries facing hardship. Our county government cannot operate the way it has for the last 15 years. Taxi in our way in two more revenue. Please continue to protect our residences, our businesses, and our economic future. Thank you for your upcoming vote. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Catherine Kelly. Good afternoon, Council President Stewart, Vice President Jowondo and Council members. My name is Dr. Catherine Kelly and I thank you for the opportunity to come and speak and support of the income tax increase. I'm a board certified internal medicine physician and owner of Kelly Collaborative Medicine, a primary care practice in Silver Spring. I wear many hats in the county through my work with health care for the homeless, the ICH, the Montgomery Care Advisory Board, where I serve as chair, TORCA, the Montgomery County Medical Society, and other organizations. But I stand before you today as a concerned county resident, the mother of three, of which two are matriculating students in the county, public schools, a former high school teacher, school teacher and a physician committed to being a catalyst for change in the health of my community. I stand before you as a nonprofit founder working to advocate for health inequity for our most vulnerable population, and most importantly as a human being, advocating for those who do not have a seat at the table or a voice in the room. My youngest daughter attends Bartmer's Elementary School, which is our home school in the Spanish immersion program. My home and my practice are both in the middle of a beautifully diverse community where our school has been designated as a community school with free breakfast and lunch as well as numerous other student programs that I fund about tax dollars. My son is a graduate and senior at Paint Branch High School in the bridge program for students with autism spectrum disorders requiring additional resources to complete their high school diploma and allowing them to be in the least restrictive environment. Our family is dependent on our public schools for our children's educations. Additionally, my son has mental health challenges with ADHD, depression and anxiety that have required us to utilize county resources included in the crisis center and the autism task force through the Montgomery County Police Department resources that have been invaluable to us in our ability to parent our child funding of community programs also helps numerous safety net clinks who provide essential medical services that alleviate some of the burden off the emergency rooms in Montgomery County that I had to use in October when I was short of birth and Hipoxic and went to the ER and was dying, no sort of pulmonary embolism in my right lung. The drive, I drive on county, maintain roads, my daughter plays volleyball at a county maintain recreation center and we have utilized county supported summer programs for free or significantly reduced costs. As we maneuver through federally initiated cuts to the workforce, county residents are disproportionately affected. As a primary care physician, almost half of my patients are either federal employees or connected to federal work. We as a county will be called upon to uplift and support our neighbors through more than just thoughts and prayers. Through this increase, we'll ask the citizens to support our neighbors who need food and healthcare and to support our schools, teachers, and other programs. We as the wealthiest county in Maryland are being asked to put in more at a time when others push to put in less to make our community work. We do not live in a bubble. The consequences are failing to find our schools, our infrastructure, our health care safety nets, our police fire and rescue, and most importantly, our marginalized communities are dire. And with effect, each and every one of us no matter your privilege or status. I therefore ask our elected officials to do what is necessary so that we can do what is needed to foster a county that lives up to the promise of the beacon on the hill and to example of what true developed society looks like. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Council President Stewart, Council Vice President Joando and County Council Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. in light of today's announcement to address the budget shortfall with a short term solution, we believe that tax increase is a necessary step to address the long-term budget shortfall in Montgomery County and would be preferable for the low income, low English proficiency, Vietnamese, American residents that we serve. We believe that a modest increase in the income tax would have significantly less impact on our community members compared to potential increases in property taxes or other taxes. We know that increasing taxes is no trivial matter regardless of how small the increase, but we are living in extraordinary times. And so we ask that you unite to take extraordinary action in your official capacities as county council members to counteract the deep cuts at the federal level that are disproportionately impacting our county. We also like to take this opportunity to ask for your continued support to fund MVMA's contract with DHS to provide critical safety net services to low income LEP residents because the county doesn't have Vietnamese speaking staff that can provide the services with cultural competence and our clients don't trust giving their personal information over the phone to an interpreter whom they've never met. Even setting up an appointment with a county, state, or federal staff member is a challenge for them. As many are not computer literate and cannot set up their appointment online or they get very nervous when speaking directly to a government official or staff member. For fear that they may be saying the wrong things. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, NVMA's caseload increased by 500% from an average of 100 services per month to an average of 600 services per month. Due to our limited staffing resources, NVMA tried to refer clients to the county, but without much success, as clients had trouble setting up appointments by phone or online. Thanks to our contract and longstanding partnership with HHS, NVMA had experienced staff and infrastructure already in place to work around the clock, helping LEP clients sign up for critical affordable health insurance through the Maryland health benefits exchange and other critical services such as Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, and sending up appointments for COVID-19 vaccines. Renewing MVMA's contract with DHSS would not only help sustain the essential safety net services that MVMA currently provides to our most vulnerable residents, but it would also help MVMA plan for future crisis, whether they be natural or man-made. Thank you for your time. Thank you, thank you so much. Thank you to everyone on this panel. Our next panel is Charles Vella, Jeffrey Brown, Richard Parsons, Carlene Buttpooitt and James Allrich. And Mr. Vella, you can kick us off when you're ready. Good afternoon. Thank you for allowing me to make up to more presentation to you. My name is Charles Vella. I'm an engineer in scientists. I live in Potomac and I lived in Montgomery County for 28 years. The reason why I moved to Potomac is because of the quality of life that it provided its residents. I came from California from an area that used to provide lots of services to citizens. I went to public schools, I went to public universities, and eventually I became a little scientist in the country. I am most well known for having coined and developed the concept of STEM education back in 1992. I have worked in very key projects for the country multi-billion projects, such as the mapping of the brain, the modernization of the telecommunication system, the modernization of the IRS, the withdrawal from Afghanistan during President Obama's presidency. And I have always committed myself to living in a environment where children have a future that they can look forward. I am also known for having developed the very first street vaccination in the world. And so when I come here to give you my opinion on this tax increase, I do it with a lot of meditation and with a lot of thought. And given the situation that the country currently is facing, with lots of people in the county, losing jobs, with reductions in the federal budget to the county with an increase in members of our communities living paycheck to paycheck. I want to support this small one time tax increase to be able to sit around the table and map out a long-term solution. I also want to encourage the county to convene a tiger team of some of its best citizens. To look at our budget, to look at our economic plan that will guarantee the Montgomery County will one day become the Silicon Valley of the East Coast. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next we have Jeffrey Brown. Good afternoon Council members. My name is Jeff Brown. For the past 10 years I've led Roberto Clemente Middle School in Germantown, a vibrant school community of over 900 students and 109 staff. I want to start by telling you about Maya. Maya is in sixth grade. She has an IEP and is in a discrete special education program at Clemente. She's trying her best to make it through her day, but instead of one consistent paraeducator like she needs, she sees four different staff members rotate through her day, a result of critical staffing changes. At 12.40pm, a para educator is pulled from a seventh grade science class to help Maya use the restroom. The science class now has 34 students, up three from last year, and 15 of them receive special education services. Gerald is one of them. He has an IEP, is learning English, and trying to navigate life with a disability all at once. Maya and Gerald are bright. They're capable, but the systems around them are breaking. And that's what this is really about. Not spreadsheets, not systems. It's all about kids like Maya and Gerald. Our budget is not about luxuries. We're asking for essentials. Special education staffing, security support, class sizes that don't climb higher. In other words, a fully funded MCPS budget. We've listened. we've done what you've asked. We've negotiated and saved 30 million on health care. We've reorganized and slimmed down central services. We're working together all three unions in full alignment. Our superintendent, Dr. Thomas Taylor, has presented a plan that's both realistic and forward thinking. But this plan can succeed without the revenue to implement it. Montgomery County must raise additional revenue to avoid us being in this exact same position next year. We need stable, consistent investment in education. This is the difference between survival and collapse of our schools. Meanwhile, federal support is drying up costs arising and we cannot do more with less. We already have. I walk our halls every day. I see students managing anxiety grief and unfinished learning. I see educators in every union stretch beyond capacity and stressed. I see staff stepping in where systems have failed. And I ask you, what more can we expect from them without the resources to match? We cannot afford another year of underfunding, not if we want our students, your constituents, to thrive. We appreciate the plan that you have communicated today, but we must prepare for the future. It's not a handout. It's a promise to Maya, to Gerald, and to every child who deserves more than survival. They deserve opportunity. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Good afternoon. Council President Stewart and members of the Council. It's great to see all of you. As a former member of several economic advisory groups for the past two counties, the Economic Advisory Council and as a former member of several economic advisory groups for the past two counties, executives, the economic advisory council, and as a former president of the county chamber, one of the share, we use some thoughts about the budget and the proposed tax increases today. From the outset, let me just say that Montgomery County's been a great place to live, work, and grow a family. They call us, feel that way. But that is changing when you look at the economic metrics. The alarm bells are ringing and we need to respond. This county is not thriving economically. It is either stagnant or declining by most, almost all economic metrics in fact. And a tax increase at this time of any kind will only hasten that decline. Employment in this county is not increased since FY 2005. That's 20 years of flat job growth or net zero job growth. Montgomery County is losing prime working age families and population at five times the rate of the rest of the region due mainly to affordability and lack of job options. These are sobering facts and I think we need to keep these front and center when we consider how we approach some of the structural fiscal issues that you're facing. None of which are easy and I greatly appreciate the announcement made this morning and the good effort that you're all putting in to deal with this. But I just wanted to be honest about what's actually going on in the economy. Our local economy is lagging far behind our neighboring jurisdictions and much of the state of Maryland that we like to compare ourselves to In current federal policy shifts and some of the self-inflicted economic rooms we're seeing from the federal level are going to only make things worse We need to focus on growing our tax base is the bottom line not raising taxes And that's really why I think this this morning's announcement is a good start But like one of the previous speakers said, we in the business community and the nonprofit leadership of this county have a great deal of expertise dealing with flat revenues and growing expenses and making tough decisions. We stand ready, whether it's a tiger program, as Mr. Vella mentioned. You have resources and expertise out there in the community that we're more than happy to work with you to help identify longer term solutions to the structural issues you're facing. I want to also mention the fact that this is really a spending problem within a revenue problem. County budgets are 2.4 times today what they were in FY 2005. 2.4 times greater. MCPS budgets and staffing have increased despite leveling off of enrollment. To put it bluntly, we're not living within our means. And this is a hard truth that I think you all have to wrestle with a little bit more. Most of our neighbors and peers are already spending and taxing much less than Montgomery County. In Baltimore County, it's 27% less. In Hartford County, it's 5% less. In Princeton, it's 14% less. So I want to encourage you to continue working with us to identify long-term solutions. This is a structural problem. And I think it's going to take a lot more than just tax increases to fix it without taking our economy further. Thank you. Thank you. Carlene Butt. Good afternoon, Council President Stuart, Vice President, Joando and esteemed members of Montgomery County Council. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Carlene Butt Perwood and I serve as the Executive Vice President for the members of SEIU Local 500 who compromise the education or who comprise the educational support staff at MCPS. I was and am here to urge you to fully fund the Montgomery County Public Schools operating budget request of $3.65 billion for fiscal year 26 and I thank you for your efforts this morning to fund the budget. The budget is not merely a financial plan. It's a commitment to our students, educators, support staff, and the future of our community. The proposed budget represents an increase over the previous year, reflecting the pressing needs of our growing student population, and the challenges our schools and staff face in providing that quality education. In the previous fiscal year, MCPS faced a budget shortfall, leading to significant cuts that impacted classrooms and support services. We cannot afford to repeat this. Our students deserve better. Our members have gone to the negotiation table and good faith doing what the county and MCPS asked us to do in health benefit cost savings. And here we are, our were facing another budget that stood as a house of cards. The county executives recommended budget funded most of the Montgomery County Board of Education's request, exceeding the state mandates and minimum funding. This demonstrates a strong commitment to education, but we must go further to meet the needs of our students and the community in the long term. Fully funding the MCPS budget will, one, support student success, providing necessary resources for academic programs, mental health services, and extracurricular activities that enrich student learning. Two, address staff he needs, ensuring competitive salaries and attracting retaining quality teachers and support staff, reducing those class sizes and improving student teacher ratios, and three, promote equity. Allocating funds to address disparities and support underserved communities, ensuring that all students have equal opportunities to succeed. I understand the fiscal challenges and the difficult decision-share facing, however, investing in our school is investing in the future of Montgomery County. The benefits of a well-funded educational system extend beyond the classroom, contributing to a more prosperous, equitable, and vibrant community. With the recently off, of tens of thousands of our friends and neighbors from federal jobs, there is much pause in raising the funding necessary to revenue to fund our vital community services. These decisions are in your power, and they ask you to think about them in a different way. Too often, we have seen the needs of our students students pit against fully funding other services. I encourage new thinking as approach that goes that does not view this as a choice. I believe we can fully fund our schools and keep our communities safe and vibrant. Thank you for your time and dedication to looking at the long-term impact in funding. Thank you. Next we have James Oliver. Good afternoon members of the County Council. Thank you for stopping between the speech today, and thank you for finding a way forward. I'm James Arge, Vice President and Middle School, Chapter Chair of the Montgomery County, Association of Administrators and Principles, and for the past 10 years, Proud Principle of Argyle Middle School. Last Friday, our students' access scores arrived. I was really, really excited. Access for English Language Learners, and that's in stance for assessing comprehension and communication in English, state to state for English Language Learners. Say that five times fast. This is the test that determines whether our emergent multilingual learners continue to receive English language development services. A year ago, only two of our students actually exit it. This year, 15 students exit it. You know, in some of those students also receiving special education services. This dramatic improvement reflects the hard work of our teachers, of our administrators, of our staff, of our district. That reflects the impact of the resources that you fund. By funding the superintendent's budget recommendations, including the expanded supports of ELD and special education programs, we are ensuring that our students have the supports they need to reach the gains we know are possible. We are building back stronger since COVID. And in some cases, we are already surpassing our pre-pandemic performance. We cannot afford to lose this momentum. And we cannot afford to go back and forth every year about funding our budget. We need a stable, consistent investment into education. With federal education funding on the decline, this one-cent increase in taxes to continue to fund our budget is more important than ever. This ends a clear message. While Washington may pull back, Montgomery County will continue to invest in what matters most, which is our students and our future. Our teachers have made sacrifices. Our unions have negotiated concessions. The superintendents made cuts. Now we respectfully ask that you find a way to consistently fund our schools. Investing in education and education consistently is not discretionary. Let me say that again. Investing in education consistently is not discretionary. It is a fundamental necessity. It is an investment in the future of our students, the safety of our schools, the well-being of our dedicated staff, and the overall strength of our community. Thank you for your dedication and for finding a way forward this year. We are hopeful that together we can establish a stable foundation for the continued success of Montgomery County Public Schools. And lastly, approve this increase. Our students deserve it. Thank you. Thank you to the panelist. The next panel is Mr. Courtney Ellis, Marist Chang, and Manuel Jean Philippe, Janelle Martinez, and Robin Ficker. Yeah. You guys like the sun. The sun is the sky. Oh, you're like. Well, thank you. Thank you. All right. Mr. Ellis, you're up first when you're ready. I'm not giving like a dress. You don when I came out of the room 79 years ago. I would rather not give my address because after I last testified I was attacked by a man and his son who told me that old white rich men such as I should give up our big houses and make way for them. One big happy family. That's a quad-fecta of discrimination. You are between a rock and a hard place because on the one hand you have people who came here for the benefits, like the benefits and want to stay here for the benefits. On the other hand, you know, people at Mr Parsons who say we're going broke and how much more can individual taxpayers pay. And then you have Mr Hernandez, who points out the big picture, you have a slowing birth rate. So do you want to build more empty schools? So you have to think about all these things. I oppose, yet another Mo tax increase as a taxpayer who at one of many who has already suffered you will 5% property tax increase and who now pays like many others over half is social security in property taxes. Half my social security goes in property taxes. Is this the American dream? Enough is enough in tax increases. It's time to control the spending because at some point in the immortal words of Margaret Thatcher who succeeded Harold Wilson, the great socialist vivisectionist who drove more people out of Britain and William the conqueror, including me. At some point you will run out of other people's money to spend. This council seems to be an odds with itself. On the one hand you say you want to make it easier for people to live here by providing affordable housing paid for by other people's property taxes. On the other hand you plan to raise the local income tax which will penalize the very teachers you claim you want to help and drive people away to live in jurisdictions that don't have this punitive tax. Oh dear, what do you want to do? Attract people or drive them away? Think about it. If you need money for schools, why don't you get more from the Paris the Thought Developers who take in hundreds of millions using the great MCPS schools as a selling point for their overpriced houses. For example, you could retract the 20-year property tax holiday you have given to developers when they convert commercial property to residential. The county executive opposed this as unnecessary because developers were already doing the conversion without a tax break. He was right. What is wrong with taking money from developers who can afford it? Why is your default always to stick it to individual struggling taxpayers? Also, before hiking taxes, why not do a government efficiency analysis to cut wasteful spending budget before you spend? Look before you leap and don't waste our money. In some, stop wasting our money, cut tax rebates to developers, then you won't have to constantly stick it to taxpayer to close with a rhyme for your amusement. It's time to use your spending axes instead of always hiking Texas. Thank you. Marish Chang. Thank you for having us come and speak today to you, President Stewart, Vice President Gerando and the council members at large. I am a county resident for many, many years. Came here when I was in fourth grade and you can figure back how many years that might be since I'm going to be 86 this month. I have been paying property taxes myself in Montgomery County, other than my parents, since 1964. I no longer have children in school. My grandchildren are no longer in school. I am, however, the Proud recipient of a diploma from BCC High School, and I went to Montgomery County Schools from fourth grade through 12th. I have an excellent experience. Montgomery County needs a good school system. It has had an excellent school system, certainly in my day, I think. But you have new problems in schools now. You are dealing with things that you never had to deal with as a council when I was in school. It takes more money. There are students with more problems that need to be addressed. And you have more safety issues that you have to be concerned with than we used to. I support the tax increase. I think that we need to have a stable, not coming to beg hat and hand every year from the school system. Otherwise how can they plan? You can't plan for the future well when you never know where your income is coming from. So even though I don't have children in school anymore and even though I am now retired and living on my fixed income, I have empathy for you, sir. I support supporting the school system. It makes a difference. You know, the post has a motto that says democracy dies in darkness. I feel democracy dies when children don't get a good educational learn how to perform critical. Thank you. Good schools bring good businesses to come and open jobs. The Montgomery County School System's reputation has been a plus for this county and for this state for many years. I would like to see that continue. I would like perhaps my great grandchildren, which may be coming in any year since my two granddaughters are graduating. One graduated from, will be graduating from the University of Wisconsin in next year. And the oldest one is getting her masters from Boston University. So I am proud of the education you all have offered previous councils as well. Please keep it up. Please have a stable income for our school system which has so many more requirements now than they used to. And I thank you all for doing a awful job. When you have to do this budget every year my heart goes out to you. Please keep up your good work. Thank you. The manual gene for lick Do you of the council, my name is Meijon Fleeve. And I probably serve as the principal of our Cola Elementary School and co-lead of the Title One Principal's Professional Learning Community. I also live, work, worship, and Montgomery County, and I care deeply about the future of our schools and our community. As many people have already shared, the news this morning put a twist on what I was going to share. I feel like the shirt makers for the championship games, you see the ones who win, and then you don't notice a box of shirts that's, so I have the box of speeches and I was going to share somewhere else. But similar to the championship team, you got to plan for the next season. And you celebrate. And so on behalf of MCPS families and staff, thank you for your leadership and thoughtful work on the fiscal year, 2026 operating budget for MCPS. Budget conversations never are never easy, but you, your commitment to fully funding our school speaks volumes. It shows that you're not just investing dollars but investing in our children families and the future of Montgomery County. Your support helps ensure equitable access to education, narrows achievement gaps and expands and expands vital services like early childhood programs and mental health services. Recently there was a tragedy in nearby family that lives in our community and the immediate next morning they called and wanted to speak to us and our school counselors to support them with what was going on. That type of situation happens many times a family came to see me on the way to the Philippines just yesterday and they wanted to outpour of the things that they were facing. Our families come to our schools. So we thank you as a principal, a parent of MCPS graduates, a resident whose purpose is tied to the success of our county, I urge you to continue working toward a long-term, stable funding plan for our schools. Let's secure a future where our students thrive, our educators feel supported, and Montgomery County remains a model for public education. Thank you for hearing my voice and being a champion for our children. Thank you, Janelle Martinez. Good afternoon, Council President Stewart, Vice President Joando and all other Council members. My name is Janelle Martinez. Thank you for allowing me to testify today as a knowledgeable professional on community health equity in the county through my role as administrator for the Black Physicians and Health Care Network BPHN. For those who may not know, BPHN is a program of the National Center for Children and Families and a unique robust and data-driven approach to ensure that Black health and well-being are improved in this county. So far, this fiscal year, the 200 black health providers in our network have provided direct care to approximately 1,500 people. I am here today because NCCF and BPHing are specifically concerned about the potential loss of funding for dental health care services in the East County region proposed by the Reconciliation List. East a significant non-white low income population who will suffer as a result of these cuts. While we understand the urgency and need for a reduction in the budget, we respectfully advocate for the necessary funding to ensure that dental care and health of people in East County is maintained. Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens of East County grew by nearly 5% and continues to grow. Programs such as BPHN or others like it are not equipped to absorb the anticipated increase of uninsured clients who will lose access to care as a result of these cuts. As a reminder, the the challenges that have already been brought before this council, BPHN is no longer permitted by the county to pay for root canals, local anesthesia for tooth extraction, or even the full cost of dentures. Our work directly aligns with the county executive's vision to decrease gaps in health equity across the entire county. However, this is all contingent on the council's continued funding of these necessary measures. Your trust and support have made critical and substantial changes in the county's health equity and I urge you to continue this work for the people of East County. I want to close out with two testimonies from recent BPHN dental clients who are residents of East County. Quote, thank you BPHN for the work you have done to assist me with finding an amazing dentist that has helped alleviate my pain, clean my gums, extract cavities that were beyond repair and get dentures so that I can chew my food properly. Lastly, a 46 year old-old woman came to BPHN with severe tooth pain. Though she had healthy smiles, Medicaid coverage, it only covered routine care. Not the extraction she urgently needed. BPHN arranged for her to receive care through one of our mobile dental vans where she received a much-needed extraction at no cost. This is what community care looks like. So please keep this in mind when considering a reduction in health care funding. Thank you for your time. Thank you very much. And last on this panel is Robin Ficker. Mr. Ficker, can you turn your mic? Please, so that it's transmitting. I would like very much to see how the Council's Economic Development Committee, Miss Fanny Gonzalez, Miss Balkham, Mr. Glass, and Miss Sayles, would vote on an increase in the income tax. How would that improve the economic development of Montgomery County? And I believe Mr. Friedson and also Mr. Cats were on such a committee before. I don't think it would help. Talk to some of the people as I have who work for Amazon in Seattle. Seattle found that Amazon split its company because they proposed income tax increases. Governor Moore and the nice people on the Montgomery County delegation recently passed what I believe to be the dumbest piece of legislation in America. They put a 3% technology sales tax into Maryland and into Montgomery County. What that does, that puts up a stop sign for every cutting edge CEO in America don't come here. Now, what would these CEOs say if they said, well, we were thinking of going to a place where they just had a 5% increase in property taxes where they just increased the income tax 3% and they also just gave us a sales tax on technology. What would those CEOs think? They wouldn't locate here and indeed none of the 70 projects under President Biden's chipback are in Maryland or Montgomery County. of the 500 billion that Apple's going to spend in the United States is programmed from Montgomery County. None of the 500 billion that NVIDIA has programmed for the United States is coming into Montgomery County. The 28th data center of Metta or Facebook, none of which are in Montgomery County so far. That's not coming here. If you want to bring in business, you have to make business friendly Montgomery County. Now let's look at the school budget for a minute. We can't program in 7.4% increases indefinitely. There's no part of the school budget that is tied to student performance. The overhead is 45% of the school budget and much of the recent increase is in overhead. I've been in Montgomery County for a long time, watch the budgets for a long time. I don't remember ever seeing that the overhead in the school budget was 45 percent. In Fairfax, it's 37 percent. Where are all these Aristotle's that we're paying who aren't seeing students? So please, I know you're earning 146,000 a year. Don't use that to give us a tax increase. Thank you. Thank you to all the panelists. We'll now go to some of our virtual participants. And the first one I have is Edwin Lyons. Okay. So I love Mr. Picker. He's been around for a long time. He makes me laugh. And actually do as far as cinnamon is concerned support what he says. No more taxes. Period. One time anytime because you asked for it now. You did back in that year like you were a couple years ago. All right. So why is it the answer to every budget shortfall is the tax residence. That's first thing comes up. What about seeking efficiencies? Montgomery County Public School they spend too much time on trying to be everything to everybody. Emerging languages. We got people that want to be in the mixed trans later. We want to Cambodian trans later. We want to translate it for this. The trans-ledged for that. Montgomery County has 136 different national analyses represented here. You have to have 136 different trans leaders. Let's just get back to the basis of good old English. 68 security officers. Why? Why do we need so many security officers? Because fundamentally, you can throw as much money as you want them on the county public schools. It doesn't change the outcome. You have to look at the root causes of certain issues why a school system would need so many security officers. How about some more police officers? So, additionally, why can't we leverage similar work the county has already done? The county has an artificial intelligence plan strategy they put forth. I think it was back sometime early last year. Artificial intelligence is being implemented in the school systems across this country. Those things are not being implemented in the Montgomery County Public School system. We can use some of those things to help decrease costs and provide better outcomes. So I say stop talking about efficiency, stop talking about spending money and try to become more efficient. And remember, a lot of little tax increases equal a big increase. Some other things to think about, okay? Highly increased. Those are some things to think about. Need to think about. Volunteer core. So why can't we implement some volunteers to be able to do some of these things to help some of these immigrant populations rather than throwing money at it. Okay? Additionally, some things that need to be looked at are schools are from nine to three, but the biggest problems are from three to midnight. So if you live in communities, you see some of these kids don't have anything to do. Nobody's speaking about that. We're talking about the big issues related to the school. What about after school? So these are some things that fundamentally need to be done to help that can counter spending money and look more at solving some of those issues that are being presented in school system and those kids that are going to school. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next we have Maureen Modi. Thank you council member and this is regarding for American diversity group free medical clinic and I'm so thankful that you would like to consider our medical clinic for the uninsured and this is going to help a lot of people in our community, especially in our Montgomery County. People who are getting discharged from the ER, who have no money, no insurance, and they are able to provide the care they need. This fund will help us to sound the people who at this stage, another new administration have got lost their job, who have no money, everything. This will help us a lot to our community and your blessings to help us this community would be a great need and any help to get these funds done and increase it would be great and I would really urge you to help and support American Diversity Group the free medical clinic. Thank you all. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next, Moorga Rao, Mitchell. All right. Thank you all. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next, we'll go to Laura Mitchell. Hi. Thank you for having me today. I'm here to speak in favor of the tax increase. You may not hear this often, but please take my money. I would love nothing more than to fund education and to fund the well-being of our students. I'm from a county that put off tax increases and put off tax increases for decades until they could no longer do that. And then they had a double-digit tax increase and the county voters passed a revenue cap, not a tax cap, a revenue cap, and said no more. And now they are one of the poorest counties in the state. And they get 98% of their income for the revenues for schools from the state. So we're still paying their taxes, we're just not paying it. They're not paying their share. Incremental taxes avoid that crisis situation that requires huge increases. And we run out of pots of money to drain for those one-time funding needs. This is not a one-time fix. It's not a one-and-done. It's not even a fix. It's kicking the cam down the road, the solution that we've come up with. Yes, I appreciate that it gets us closer to funding this year's budget, but it for MCPS and the county. Let's not forget this is not just about MCPS, but I am mostly focused in my advocacy for mental health and substance use prevention and the well-being of students with great education focused on their art school. So this band-aid still leaves an $8 million shortfall for MCPS with the change that you made this morning. That could mean that I could have a stake instead of a broker once a month for dinner, but would that be the expense of students having inequitable access to menstrual products? I did want to extra side with my carry out dinner once a month, once a week, even. But that could come with the expense of special education teacher or a pair educator that helps a child like my grandchild. there's about to graduate, and do that with confidence and strong education and be ready for life after high school. I could order an extra coffee or tea out instead of making it at home, but that could mean that we lose a mental health counselor or a substance use prevention intervention for a student in the schools or in the community through DHHS. For someone making $150,000 in coming year, that comes out to $2.88 a week or about $0.41 a day. I will give up my steak, my coffee, anything to make sure that that child lives through school and survives. Our schools are being asked to do many, many things they never were. Mental health, clothing, housing, all of it. And we have to be responsible and so on that. We owe it to our kids. Thank you. Thank you. Next we have Wendy Ayara. Good afternoon,. Good afternoon council members. I apologize for my voice I'm not feeling 100% today. My name is Wendy Ayara. I was born and raised right here in Montgomery County. Today I virtually stand before you. Not only as a proud product of this county, but also as a homeowner and a proud parent of a current MCPS student. I know some things have changed as of this morning, but I will stick to my script. But I am here to speak to you about the critical importance of increasing support for our schools, specifically adding additional linkages to learning staff member to Greencastle Elementary, which is a Title I and Community School. The linkages to learning has made a transformative impact or it exists, providing wraparound services that address not only emotional but behavioral and social needs for all of our students and their families. In the East County area, we have historically lacked access to many of these kinds of resources. I mean, from healthcare to after-school programming, this side of the county has been underserved for too long. Adding just one more linkages to learning staff member means more students are going to be receiving the mental health support that they need. It means more families are going to be connected to housing, food, counseling services. I mean, all of the amazing resources that are available here in the county. It means more children staying in school focused, ready to learn because someone took the time to meet their needs beyond the classroom, which we know how vital can be. Now, again, I know there's an alternative solution being proposed, but I do recognize that increasing the county income tax rate, it's a serious consideration. And as someone mentioned earlier, none of us want to pay more taxes. As I mentioned before, I'm a homeowner, taxpayer myself, so I don't take this lightly, but when the investment is going directly towards uplifting our students, especially those who are in most need, it's not just a tax, it's a commitment. A commitment to equity, a commitment to the future of our county, our kids are worth it, our community is certainly worth it, and certainly want to make sure that East County gets the support it has long deserved. Thank you for your time. Thank you so much. Next we have said, don't move. No, she's off. Okay. Next we have Rachel Labory's. Can you hear hear me? Yes, you can Rachel. Thank you. Thank you. Good afternoon everybody. My name is Rachel Luribor. I'm a parent and a Montgomery County resident. And as someone who has seen firsthand how policy ripple through like policy decisions, how they can ripple through families, classrooms, and. I live on the east side of the county and my son attends an East County, Montgomery County Public School. We love it here. We found not just a great school but a supporting and caring community, one that lifts each other up and that shows up when it counts. And that's why I'm here today. Because the budget decisions matter to families like mine. Like many other families we rely on our public schools, not just for academics, but for stability, safety, and support. Proposing cuts to MCPS funding when the county needs money is not only deeply alarming, but it will have the greatest and negative impact on the eastern side of the county. The quality of education of our children who are the future of our nation should never be on the chopping block. I am very grateful for the council members who fought to protect the budget thus far, and I am hoping that tomorrow's vote will affirm our shared commitment to the public education. But let's be clear, putting MCPS funds is about more than just numbers on a spreadsheet. It's about real children, real educations, and have real consequences in our country. The difference between funding or not funding and CPS could mean mastery of, broken contracts, and less support for a vulnerable population or children. We cannot afford to let that happen. While I'm relieved to see some momentum towards restoring that fund, however, we need to think about the long-term solution. That means thinking about viable and tangible ways to acquire funding. We need to make sure our school continue to provide quality education. I also want to take the time that I have left to highlight two other budget lines that are still very much at risk and that need also support. It's also the East County Dental Program and the MVMA. I know I don't have much time to talk about that, but those are also very important programs that need funding. So because of it, I think that a small tax increase could help keep these programs in line so that we can continue to serve the people in our community. Thank you for the time. Thank you very much. Now we have Mary Jane. I'm hoping you can hear me. As a resident of Montgomery County for 64 years, I don't mind paying state taxes for infrastructure, fire and police protection, schools, and a safety net for the disabled. However, I do strongly object paying taxes for anything else. We pay sales tax, real estate tax, income tax, gasoline tax, utility tax, internet, cell phone tax, car emissions fees, inheritance in estate tax, toll road fees, refuse tax, alcohol, cannabis and tobacco tax. Grocery tax is now, mattress tax, car purchase tax, EV tax and more. And once these taxes are added, they're never repealed. And 1.1% increase doesn't seem like that much but it just has this cumulative effect on the real estate tax and also our assessments keep going up so the revenues just keep growing. We have affordable housing in the county but it's the taxes that make it unaffordable because landlords need to pay higher real estate taxes which then pass along to the tenants. I was ready to buy a beautiful home into coma of heart near my grandson but the real estate taxes are so high that I changed my mind. Comparable real estate taxes and Delaware would be 1200 per year on paying 6400 and of course it's climbing in Montgomery County so I have to make a decision on where to live between the zoning issues bike lanes and taxes I think the citizens of Montgomery County are waking up. Why should we pay more taxes? Why should we pay the taxes for the developers who are given the deal of a lifetime with exemptions for 20 years? I'm not sure why you voted for this. Maryland's rank 46 as the worst state for taxes. Montgomery County income tax is almost 9% when you add local and state compared to 5.75% in Virginia. So the most talented wealthy intelligent people and businesses are leaving the county. And I'm seriously consider leaving myself and encouraging my children to do the same unfortunately. The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result. So please do something different this time. Cut out the non-essential positions and expenses using the best business practices and consider engaging a volunteer task force to conduct a fact-finding audit. Montgomery County is at a tipping point in the citizens of Montgomery County want you to reduce spending and taxes. The College of Track Businesses and more grow more tax revenue. Thank you. I hope to live here for another 64 years. Thank you so much. Next we have Michael McDonald. Good afternoon and thank you for having me today. I live in the East County. I am the vice president of the life for the Burton's Field Elementary School of PTA. So I'm here speaking behalf on that PTA. I was going to come and say please fund the schools but it seems like you've already done that. So thank you. We applaud you for that. On the tech strings that I'm with and in the conversations I've had with other parents from Burton's belt, there's a palpable sense of relief knowing that school will be funded. But there's also a frustration that this is even on the table that our schools are potentially not being funded, that this could be a problem again next year. So I am here speaking in support of a tax increase because we have to find a sustainable solution for funding our schools. It boggles the mind that we would not fully fund our schools when so much is tied to the well-being of our schools, economic growth, property values, but most importantly, the development and education of our kids. So I support this for the funding of our schools, but also for funding of other programs. I think we've seen across the board, across the country, there are cuts being made most notably by the federal government which many have spoken about today. When we see those cuts being made they seem to be made with some disregard as to who they impact and the people that they impact the most seem to be education departments, the marginalized communities, immigrants and non-English speakers, underrepresented people. What I looked at the proposed cuts, we saw education, Montgomery Public Schools. We saw the East County Dental program. We saw the MVMA. We saw education, marginalized communities, immigrants, and non-English speakers, and underrepresented peoples. I hope, and actually I expect from Montgomery County, that we would be a stark contrast to the federal cuts and how they impact our citizens. And it seems like with the cuts that were posed, we were more of a reflection of what's happening at the federal level. And we should be a shining example of holding up those who are most in need, taking a tax increase when needed to support programs that support vulnerable people. So I encourage you to support the tax increase. I encourage you to continue to work on a long-term solution for Montgomery County Public Schools and for other necessary programs that would be funded. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. That is our last speaker for this afternoon for this public hearing. The public hearing is now closed. Next the council will now sit as the district council for the introduction of zoning text amendment 25-07. Retail sales and service cannabis dispensary. The lead sponsors are council member Albinaz and Katz. A public hearing is scheduled for June 17th, 2025 at 1.30pm. I'll see if Councilmember Albinaz or Katz would like to speak to us. Yes, thank you Madam President. I appreciate my colleague, Councilmember Katz, working with us on this ETA, but especially once again, thank Ms. Nidu, if she were were the started a rock band I think it would be called ZTA. She has become a national expert on these issues. So just by way of quickly background of context, I know it's been a long week, maybe a long year. So when the state passed, when the General Assembly passed SB 0215 legal in cannabis in the state of Maryland, they provided certain provisions on where these dispensaries could be located. And among those provisions, they are not allowed to be located within 500 square feet of what are called sensitive areas, which include child care spaces as well as faith-based congregations. And one of the provisions that was allowed was that, and this was greatly debated in the general assembly, but it was determined that local jurisdictions would have the opportunity through enabling legislation to set a boundary for residential properties. And they debated this and decided that 100 feet would be reasonable, that it would both address the potential concerns of local residents, but also not impede dispensaries abilities to be able to find locations, to be able to operate. Because this is, of course, a highly regulated industry in cannabis is now legal. So we are proposing and acting and taking advantage of the enabling legislation that would restrict the facilities, bringing within 100 square feet of residences. And I also want to give a big shout out to the Mayor and town council of Kensington who brought this issue to my attention. And I also want to thank publicly delegate Jared Solomon, who has been tremendously helpful in the development of this ETA as well. So with that, I yield to you, Madam President, I don't know if my colleague and friend, Council Member Katz, would like to say a few words as well. I don't only that I would download your album. Thank you very much Moon. Great thank you. I miss to do anything else on this. Nothing to add because you do not want to hear me sing. I appreciate that. I just want to check if whether or not I was a co-sponsor on this. I think we put my name in. Yes, you are a co-sponsor from. No, no, it's okay. There's a lot going on these days All right, this ZTA is introduced and Next we have a consent calendar, but before I entertain a motion to approve the consent calendar Is there a motion to waive rules of procedure rule 7D to allow for immediate action on item J the acknowledgement of the election returns from friendship heights village council? I have a motion by Council Member Freedson, a second by Council Member Balkham. All those in favor, please raise your hand. That is unanimous of everyone who is here. Council Member Freedson, do you want to speak to that? Yes, thank you, Madam President. Quick order of privilege here. As a district one be back in the next week. I'm going to be back in the next week. I'm going to be back in the next week. I'm going to be back in the next week just first of all, I want to congratulate all those who ran and all those who won everybody who's willing to serve. Want to thank especially Mayor Melanie White for her decades of leadership. Many of us had the opportunity to thank and congratulate her on behalf of the council in person. And I will just note as well, these elections as every single election has are conducted exclusively by volunteers from the League of Women Voters. And they are there well before seven o'clock in the morning when I arrive and they are there long after 9 p.m. in fact two years ago, the last election, we were there counting ballots until after 11 PM. It is a long day. It is a volunteer led effort and at a time. When democracy is under assault, when people are questioning our politics and the manner in which residents have the ability to engage in the process, it is a light in French epitome that was demonstrated yesterday, the peaceful transition of power at the local level in its absolute purist forms held up and lifted up exclusively by volunteers from the League of Win and Voters. So I just wanted to note and acknowledge that and the results of the election are in the packet that have been shared with the council and will be ratified by the body. Okay, thank you. May I now have a motion to approve the consent calendar? Council member Prisen moved. Council member Balcom second. All those in favor of the consent calendar the police raise your hand and that is unanimous of those who are present That is our last item today. This meeting is adjourned and we will be back tomorrow morning Thank you all Ten I have 930 in my mind