We are here for a council session. We are going to begin this morning with a proclamation recognizing Rosa Parks Day with councilmember the If you are here for the Rosa Parks Day Proclamation, please join us. Do you want to pass the mic on to introduce? Yes. Yes. Come on in. Come on in. Feel it. Feel it. Feel it. So you could say everybody. Come on. I feel I feel I feel I feel I speak to say everybody. All right. I want to thank my colleague councilmember Joando and the county executive for joining me today in this important proclamation and all of our distinguished guests. Before we get started, we're going to have everyone introduce themselves and share the organization that they represent quickly. Jeremiah Poe with the African-American Advisory Board. Frederick Hawkins, African-American community liaison. Dr. Suresh Gupta, Human Rights Commission, Montgomery County. Sheenika Whitehurst, Action Committee for Transit. Good morning, Brooke Holmes, President of the Potomac Valley Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Good morning, I'm Angela Powell. I'm the third Vice President of Montgomery County Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Good morning. Vice President of Montgomery County Alumni, Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Good morning. I'm Mayanda Hanson, second Vice President of Montgomery County, Maryland's Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. Good morning. I'm Alicia Valentin, Investigator, Montgomery County Office of Human Rights. Good morning, Wilkin Law Department of Transportation. Good morning I am Bachelors Deetress Wallace of A to theta Sigma chapter of Sigma Gamma Roe sorority Incorporated. I'll agree veterans commission Montgomery County. Thomas Spon free, but I'm in the stills conference of Montgomery. Thank you. So nearly 70 years after her passing, Rosa Parks symbolizes resilience and determination. Today we come together to honor her brave act of defiance and unwavering commitment to justice, actions that continue to ignite our collective spirit and motivate individuals to pursue social change. While Ms. Parks was the seamstress in her professional career, it's crucial to acknowledge her role as a dedicated activist in the Civil Rights Movement, where she served as a secretary of the local NAACP at the time of her protest. In December 1955, when Rosa Parks boarded a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama, she had no way of knowing that her refusal to give up her seat would catalyze a monumental shift. Her refusal was not motivated by physical fatigue from work, as she was just 42 years old. Her fatigue stemmed from her exhaustion with pervasive injustices, particularly in light of the recent murder of Emmett Till. She expressed that she was tired of giving in to systemic discrimination. With steadfast support from fellow activists and leaders, Rosa Parks played a crucial role in orchestrating the subsequent Montgomery Bush boycott. Initially planned for one day it lasted over a year, severely impacting the city transit system and drawing international attention. This courageous stand came at a personal cost, resulting in her arrest, job loss, and even threats to her safety. We honor her bravery and commitment to a cause greater than herself. Now, recognized as the first lady of civil rights, Rosa Parks continues to inspire generations of advocates for justice and equality, spanning from Montgomery, Alabama to Montgomery County, Maryland. At the County Council, we take great pride in collaborating without standing county agencies and local organizations committed to advancing racial and socioeconomic equity. Together we remain focused on realizing misparks of vision of transportation equity for all residents. Now I'll turn it over to my colleague Councilmember Jolando, then Councilmember Elrich, and then our guest speaker. He was a council member. Okay. Um, is, um, good morning. And thank you to my colleague and friend, council member sales, uh, for putting this proclamation on and allowing me to join. I'll just be additive. Um, and if you're here for it, please come on up. Yeah. The, I want to piggyback on something Councilmember Sales said. While Rosa Parks, Ms. Parks didn't know she would catalyze a movement. She wanted to catalyze a movement. I think it's important to remember that when she sat on that bus that it was not a happenstance. It was a planned event based on a strategy that was had actually played out in other parts of the country. She wasn't the first to do it, but she strategized with many others, with the NAACP, with this young preacher who no one would had heard about, named Martin Luther King, and created a moment. Yes, it was wrong in the moment. Yes, it was rooted in deep injustice, but it was a strategic decision to challenge an unjust law. And she knew there would be consequences to that decision, but she sacrificed herself for the greater good of others. I think it's important to remember that, especially now, where we are likely going to be in a period where we're going to need to challenge unjust and wrong maybe laws or regulations or decisions. Rosa Parks did that in a strategic way, in a way that did catalyze a movement, and through great personal sacrifice, but we are all better for it. I want to thank our Department of Transportation who created these awesome slides to honor Rosa Parks' memory and what it means. We know that folks who take public transportation today are largely black, Latino, and immigrant people in low income people. That's who takes public transit. And making sure that folks have access, that it's high quality, that it's equitable, that it's affordable, has been a commitment of this county executive, of this council, and of this county. So I wanna honor Rosa Parks and also thank my colleague for putting this forward. And I'll turn it over to county executive average. Interesting, interesting warning. So good morning everybody and thanks for being here today. It was 69 years ago, December 1st, and it's one year after the pivotal decision on Brown vs. the Board of Education. When people were beginning to say enough was enough and stand up for civil rights and take the actions that put themselves at risk. And that was a necessary part of the struggle in this country. Civil rights did not come easily. When I was growing up in the 50s, every major institution opposed civil rights. It's frightening to think of most of the Democratic Party was no friend to civil rights. It's frightening to think of most of the Democratic Party was no friend to civil rights. Regardless of what we like to say, it was not the friend of civil rights, most of the churches aligned against civil rights, did not want to integrate. These are battles that we're going on, fundamental level in our society. And we've moved away from it. I thought we had moved farther away from it. And it's been alluded to, you know, we may have work to do again, but there is absolutely right what she did to stand up and break the law when the law is wrong. We are not cheap. And you cannot ask people to be endlessly hurt to do things that are wrong. People have the right to stand up and they have the right to resist. And she was an example of somebody who stood up and she resisted. She is what was referred to as good trouble. She made good trouble. And her trouble, good trouble that she made had an effect. And that's why we remember we want people and they got embusses in Montgomery County to understand the historical moment that occurred you know 69 years ago we want them to be able to appreciate what she did and why she did it and to think about our own circumstances today and hopefully give everybody the courage as we go forward to always stand on the side of what's right to fight for rights right and to resist anything that tries to roll back what's right and return us to a previous age, which is not exactly America's best moment. Our better days are ahead of us, that is for sure. We all, I think, are inspired by people like Rosa Parks who stood up. It was the best boycott. There were the lunch counters it is. There was Orville Favis and the governor at the school saying we're not letting kids into the school. There's George Wallace who actually sought campaign in Maryland when he ran for President of the United States. Talking about how we weren't going to let people into our schools. There's a long past behind all this, but we're in a better present and we will go to a better future and thank you for putting us forward today. Here's next. Thank you, County Executive L. Rich and now we're going to hear from our special guests, Ms. Chanika Whitehurst. Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to thank the council, especially council member sales for inviting me to speak this morning. Transportation, as we all know, has always been a battleground for equality and the work of organizations like my own, the Action Committee for Transit, contains honor Rosa Parks Legacy. Act fights for accessible, sustainable, and equitable public transportation, recognizing that mobility is not just a conveyance, it is a cornerstone for opportunity. By advocating for better and more transit systems, act, act for people of all backgrounds to have access to jobs, education, and community resources, breaking down barriers and building connections. Rosa Park stands or stand on that faithful day back in 1955, reminds us that the fight for equality requires those vigilance and a collective effort. As we celebrate her courage today and recognize her great acts of that day, we hope that people will continue to support organizations such as Act as we continue to advocate and support the good people of Montgomery County but also in the Washington metropolitan area. Thank you guys. Thank you Miss Whitehurst and now we will read the proclamation. the council of Montgomery County Maryland Proclamation. Whereas Rosa Parks Day is an annual commemoration that recognizes the impactful contributions of Rosa Louise McCauley Parks and American Icon whose actions help spark the civil rights movement and continue to motivate generations to advocate for equality and challenge bigotry and discrimination and. Whereas Rosa Parks most notable act of bravery was refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery Alabama on December 1st, 1955, when she responded to the bus driver's racist request to sit at the back of the bus to separate herself from white bus riders with the right-westerly defiant, no, I'm not. She ignited a spark of courage that continues to inspire generations. And whereas following Mrs. Parks arrest, civil rights leaders including Martin Luther King Jr. were inspired by her courage and swiftly organized the bus boycott that began on December 5th, 1955. And 1955 and. We're as for over a year Mrs. Parks and other civil rights organizers who participated in the Montgomery County Montgomery bus boycott face numerous hardships including arrests finds job loss and difficulties with transportation and and whereas on November 13th 1956 the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on public transit was unconstitutional. A month later on December 21st 1956 the sacrifices and unwavering commitment of the Montgomery bus boycott led to the K. R. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K and propelled the nonviolent resistance that the nation would come to know as the civil rights movement. And as a testament to the unity and determination of over 42,000 African-American residents who organized against discriminatory public transit policies and garnered national attention for their steadfast activism and. Whereas Mrs. Parks courageous resistance in the face of oppression is a testament to how a single person can take one action that ignites a mass movement. Changes the course of history inspires millions in their fight to advance equality and up lifts the disenfranchised against injustice. And whereas in light of Rosa Parks' legacy, we recognize that transportation equity is a civil right, and crucial to ensuring that all residents benefit from public services and programs equitably. In moving towards equity, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation has reduced bus fares to $1 since the pandemic and provides free rides to seniors, disabled residents and our youth. Now therefore be it resolved that Mark Elvrich as county executive, council member sales, council member Jawando and the entire county council of Montgomery County Maryland here by recognized Rosa Parks Day. In Montgomery County, we call on residents to embody the steadfast dedication that Rosa Parks demonstrated in her relentless pursuit of a just world. We must confront intolerance head on regardless of the personal sacrifices involved to ensure community is genuinely welcoming and fair for every individual. We are committed to upholding her legacy as we advance toward a society prioritizing equity and equality. Let her powerful example serve as a rallying cry for future leaders to take bold action against oppression and lead the fight for justice. presented on this third day of December in the year 2024 by Councilmember Jawando, sales, county executive, L. Ridge and Council President Angie Freetzin. Thank you. I'm going to put it on the top. you I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. All right. Thank you so much to our guests for joining us this morning. We're going to move on to our next item on the agenda. The next item on our agenda is a proclamation recognizing the only chamber of commerce's 60th anniversary. Presented by District Council Member, Dalooki. Thank you as everyone's making their way down here. Thank you, Council President Friedson, and thank you, Oli Chamber, for being here today, and give us a chance to celebrate the important work that you do. We're here celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Oli Chamber of Commerce, and I want everyone to know how awesome the Oli community is. I don't live in Oli, I live in Ashton, I call it affectionately a suburb of Oli with our one traffic light. But Oli is a community with an incredibly strong civic culture. And the Oli chamber is a huge part of that. And the folks you see standing up here today from the chamber also tend to wear many other hats in many other organizations in and around the only area like the greater only civic association and the only civic fund. community is how frequently everyone steps up and rises up to make things happen for the betterment of the whole. And I truly appreciate everything that you all do. It's been a pleasure to work with Matt, who is the president, Matt Quinn of the Chamber, and Terry Hogan, who's the executive director of the Chamber. And many of you here today to help give only a bigger voice here in Rockville and in terms of collaborating as well with my colleague council member Balkham to help give the up county a bigger voice here in Rockville as a whole. So just a few things to highlight about stuff going on in the area that the chamber has played a critical role in. We are continuing to make progress on the NOAA Leota Police Satellite Station based in ONI. We're going to keep making progress both on that and on providing nonprofit community space for the ONI community that's in and around that hub of Georgia Avenue and Route 108. And we're going to continue to keep working together to solve issues like public safety when they happen. And I'm deeply appreciative of Matt and the entire group for really taking time to assess options, talk to collaborative partners both in our nonprofit space and in our government space. So for example, last week, Matt and Terry and I went out with some of our folks from the police department to talk about the MoCo Connect security camera program with our business community. And that was a great day not only to talk to community members and talk to businesses, but to let them know that we're here not just in a moment of crisis. And a few weeks ago, the Chamber and delegate queen met with interfaith works to find ways that their peer support program can help those experiencing homelessness in the only community. That's just one example of some of the projects that we're working on with my office, with our state partners, to help work together with the only chamber for the betterment of the greater only community. And I also want to highlight a program that the chamber put together to help highlight the different nonprofit groups that are operating in and around the greater only community and it's called It's Only Time. And they've done that in partnership with Lone Oak Farm Brewery for two years now. It's been a great success. It's had a huge turnout and I truly appreciate that because it helps people know better what is out there and everybody learns a little something every time the chamber hosts an event. And that's important. So I want to make sure that I give Matt the opportunity as president to speak a little bit before we do the proclamation. Thank you, Don. Transitioning from something is plenty and is recognizing Rosa Parks to recognizing the 60th anniversary of a local chamber. Wasn't something I was particularly prepared for. So it's very important that we recognize that, and so I'm humbled. I'm humbled to be here, humbled to receive this award for the chamber. The only community, the only business community is very diverse. We have over 300 members and we strive to raise all of those members up. The number of women who are engaged in business in the greater only area is amazing. The number of women who have post graduate degrees, who choose to be members of the only community, just their moms predominantly, but they have chosen all need to live. Multiple times the county executive has come to all of me and said, boy, something really neat going on here and all of me, and I said, Mark, you need to come out here more often, because it is. It's where I live, I've lived there for a long time, I've raised my family, I love the community. The Greater Only Civic association is fabulous. The only civic fund is great at raising money and giving that money away. So it's a fabulous community. Again, we're humbled to be here and humbled to recognize, or to be recognized by the council today. Thank you. And for everyone to mark ahead for 2025, the last weekend in April is the only days weekend, which is a full weekend a stuff happening in and around the community. So please come out and join us and experience all that there is to really collaborate to bring something special to the area. So with that, we will read the proclamation. Whereas the only Chamber of Commerce had its first meeting on April 1st, 1964, with 22 business leaders attending, and now has more than 300 members including companies of all sizes, for-profit, nonprofit and government entities and whereas through its Chamber Connect program the Chamber supports professional development and the growth of minority-owned businesses, women in business, nonprofits, young professionals and those serving our aging population. And whereas the only Chamber of Commerce has been the driving force in establishing the officer Noah A. Leota, only satellite police station, and sponsors the Act responsibly scholarship in officer Leota's name for high school students interested in pursuing careers in community service. And whereas the only chamber of commerce hosts one of the largest annual national night out celebrations, which I didn't say but was ranked 14th overall in the universe for national night out events for cities of 15,000 to 50,000, a testament to the strength and spirit of the only community. And whereas businesses in only Sandy Spring and Ashton, and in Montgomery County as a whole, benefits substantially because of the only chamber of commerce is significant contributions over the past 60 years. Now therefore be it resolved that the Council President Friedson, Council Member Don Luki, and the full Council of Montgomery County, Maryland, hereby recognize and thank the only chamber of Commerce for 60 years of service to the greater only community and its residents presented on this third day of December in the year 2024. Thank you. you you Thank you to our colleagues and our guests for two important recognitions this morning. We're now going to move on to general business. Madam Clerk, we please share today's announcements. Good morning. Thank you. The Council is seeking applicants to serve on the Mer Business Madam Clerk, we please share today's announcements. Good morning, thank you. The council is seeking applicants to serve on the Merit System Protection Board. Applications for the vacancy are due by 5 o'clock PM on Monday, January 13th, 2025. Cover letters and resumes can be submitted by email to council.clurk at monkumerycountymd.gov. More information is available on the County Council's website. md.gov. More information is available on the county council's website. Also, today's agenda has changed. Agenda item one, an interview for the chief of children, youth, and family services in the department of health and human services has been postponed. As a result, the timing of the remainder of the morning items has been adjusted. Agenda item two, the district council session is now expected to begin at approximately 1010 AM. Agenda item three, the legislative session is now expected to begin at approximately 1015 AM. And item four, the consent calendar is now expected to take place at approximately 1025 AM. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Madam Clerk. There are no minutes today for approval, so we are going to move on to our next agenda item. And colleagues, it has been such a profound privilege to serve this 11-member body and the 1.1 million residents of Montgomery County. With an unexpected virtual start to my council presidency a year ago, and a number of unanticipated challenges that arose throughout the year, this 20th Montgomery County council proved that we are greater than the sum of our individual parts. We demonstrated how much we can accomplish when we worked together to advance shared priorities toward the common good. There is no one on this day. I counted on more this past year than Kate Stewart. Our council vice president, my trusted partner, and someone I am very proud to call a dear friend. I've leaned on her from the very first day when she stepped in to preside over our first meeting while I was isolating at home with COVID. She rose to every challenge. She stepped up to every difficult task and exceeded even my highest expectations for the year that we would be able to serve together. Council vice president Stewart demonstrated her commitment to her district's safety and well-being with her late-night establishments bill and led efforts to fund the MoCo Pride Center. And Councilmember Balkham continued to be a fierce advocate for the Up County, securing funding for several critical capital projects, including the Clarksburg Library and the Western County Recreation Center. Councilmember Fondigan-Zalas championed the bill to provide disabled veterans a much needed property tax relief and navigated collaboratively with Up County Council members to allow overnight stays in the county's agricultural reserve. Councilmember Alvernos played a pivotal role in the new world class Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center and in launching the MC Groceries program to address food insecurity in our community. Councilmember Katz championed the extension and expansion of the drone's first responder program and played an integral role in standing up the first under the lights event to increase youth access to high quality fields. Councilmember Juwando championed record funding from Montgomery County Public Schools and led the Education and Culture Committee through more in-depth reviews into the MCPS budget outside of our compressed budget cycle. Councilmember Luki worked with community leaders in our planning department to bring the place making festival to Main Street, Damascus, and help envision what a future rockable, bikeable, and in live in Main Street could be. Councilmember Mink advocated for her East County schools, like Burton's Ville Elementary, and also champion increased funding for our public schools. Councilmember Sales promoted equity and opportunity with her ban the box legislation, and uplifted historically marginalized communities with the extension of the minority female and disabled business program. And lastly, Councilmember Glass worked with colleagues on the Economic Development Committee to expand our Make Office vacancy Exist Move Program and has overseen an exhaustive review of the Building Energy Performance Standards at the Transportation Environment Committee. Colleagues, each of you has accomplished a great deal this year and the residents of Montgomery County are so much better off for your dedicated service. And even more than the incredible work each of you has done on your own, I am so proud of how we've come together to fulfill the commitments we made on our shared priorities while holding the line on taxes. As we approved the county's 7.1 billion dollar budget in May, the council funded our public schools at a record $3.3 billion, including the difficult choices we made to add more than $26 million above the county executive's recommended levels. As we added funding to address growing needs with finite resources, we also included transparency and accountability metrics for the first time ever, and increased MCPS oversight, because our students, educators, families, and taxpayers deserve nothing less. Collectively, this council continued our efforts to address our housing supply and affordability challenges with $168 million in funding for a housing initiative fund, establishing an innovative new $50 million non-profit preservation fund. And with the joint leadership of council vice president Stewart facilitating affordable inclusive housing opportunities with our community faith partners. With the dedicated funding made possible by the passage of the Green Buildings Now Act, we also committed $19 million to the Montgomery County Green Bay to help our residents and businesses navigate their way towards a more sustainable future. Because there is no greater responsibility than keeping our community safe, we leverage new technology to assist our police and provide additional resources for our houses of worship and nonprofits so residents can freely and securely live, learn and worship in our county. None of these resources would be possible without a thriving private sector economy, which is why I'm so proud of how we fulfilled our commitment to enact bold economic development action, including the $20 million new jobs initiative, demonstrating the urgency needed to compete and win regionally and globally. We started the year with a shared dedication to embrace our oversight role like never before, with the formal process now underway for base budget reviews beginning with MCPS, with the help of Director Chris Conklin and the OLO team. Following through on making our county's motto to guard well our governing doctrine, and we made transparency and accountability our guiding principles with unprecedented levels of community engagement. We set out to be intentional and inclusive in our work and to combat hate and bias in all its forms. Under the capable guidance of Selena Singleton, we implemented key recommendations of the Anti-Hate Task Force with cultural competency, anti-hate and anti-biased trainings, as well as a formal update and adoption of our Council Racial Equity and Social Justice Commitment Statement. We recognize that we only serve as momentary caretakers of this storied institution and that we stand on the broad shoulders of those who came before us. That's why I'm proud to have worked with the County Executive and all of our Council colleagues to rename the Executive Office Building after three term Council President and three term county executive Ike Leggett whose 28 years in county leadership exemplifies public service at its finest and what government at its best can and should be. The council presidency is a humbling honor that comes with a myriad of additional responsibilities that I could not possibly carry out without the day-to-day assistance of a remarkable council staff whose contributions keep this institution moving forward, help keep our community engaged, and play an instrumental role in our legislative and budget reviews. First and foremost, I want to thank our executive director Craig Howard, who has proven himself time and time again to be the glue that holds this organization together, always ready to answer a question, to offer advice or to solve a problem with his unflappable demeanor. Thanks also to Sonya Healy, leader of our extraordinary Emmy award-winning PIO team, who always has the best interest of this body at the forefront, offering steadfast, valuable guidance to us throughout the year. And I want to recognize Sarah Tendenbaum, who masterfully maintains our agendas, keeps us organized and on track, and provides invaluable support for all our council functions. To the PHP team, you have done herculean work this year, and we are grateful for your continued dedication to ensure our land use policies and master plans are carefully crafted to reflect our priorities. There are so many committed members of this institution who make our work possible. Our analysts, our attorneys led by Christine Wellens and our administrative support team led by Sandra Marin. I wish I had enough time to acknowledge each and every one of you, but please know just how much you and your public service are appreciated by all of us. To my outstanding office team, my chief of staff Cindy Gibson, Matt Higgins, Angela Gear, Andrew Resnick, and Warren Hanson, you all stepped up in countless ways to meet the relentless demands and added responsibilities of the council presidency. Thank you for being consummate professionals and true public servants. Finally, nothing that I've done or can do is possible without my family. Everything in my life starts with my wife, Demi, who I'm pretty certain had no idea what she was getting into when she agreed to marry me. She has been my rock and my reason, the person who brightens my days and lightens my load. I have no idea how I would have managed this year without you. To the other woman who shares my heart and has always been the compass guiding me throughout my life. My incomparable mom, Leslie Freetzin, you have continued to show me the path forward with your remarkable strength and your resilience. To my dad, John Freetzin, who I expected to be here today watching from the audience, it's his values and legacy I carry with me as I continue to work in his memory. For me, for my family and for our team, this year was rife with unforeseen personal challenges, including devastating losses, sick and struggling family members, health battles, and medical emergencies. Throughout it all, our team persisted with tremendous personal sacrifice and carried out the important work for the residents of Montgomery County. I am so grateful for your fidelity to the service of our community through every single twist and turn. It has truly been the privilege of my professional life to serve this extraordinary community as Council President with such an exceptional group of public servants. Despite the obstacles before us, I have no doubt in our capacity as a county to overcome them if we continue to live by our values and bring out the best in one another. Montgomery County can and must be a beacon of light and hope at a time when it is needed more than ever. I look forward to continuing the work together to be a county government as strong as the county were privileged to serve. Thank you colleagues and with that I want to return to our PIO team who has a video presentation. The 2024 was a year of bold new thinking, exciting opportunities and transformation in Montgomery County. Council President Andrew Freetzen began his council presidency with a promise that transparency and accountability would be at the heart of all the council's decisions. Under Council President Freetzen's leadership, the council unanimously approved his $20 million new jobs initiative, the largest economic development package of its kind in county history, which aims to create high-paying jobs, promote innovation, and support underrepresented entrepreneurs and under-resourced communities. If you are willing to invest in Montgomery County, in our community, the Montgomery County is willing to invest in you. Significant strides were made to double down on Montgomery County's global leadership and health sciences. To create such opportunity and such potential to not only change the lives of residents in Montgomery County but to literally change the world. This year, the council made strides in promoting more housing and affordable living near transit hubs. Council President Freighton led efforts to establish a new $50 million nonprofit preservation fund and work with colleagues to pass legislation allowing houses of worship to build affordable housing on their land and eliminate parking requirements for new housing near transit. If we are gonna solve these challenges, particularly the housing challenge, we have to make it easier to build housing. And a county broke ground on major developments like the Hill and Dell Gateway Project and Strathmore Square, made possible by Council President Freetz and previous legislative achievements. The topic at hand tonight is a serious one, the housing challenges that we face. Freeton encouraged robust community conversations about proposed housing and zoning reforms, an oversaw unprecedented public engagement that included hundreds of residents at meetings across the county and online. That is unanimous. Okay, we have a budget. During the busy budget season, the council passed a $7.1 billion budget and funded our public schools at a record-breaking $3.3 billion. And for the first time ever, the council included transparency and accountability metrics in the budget to ensure every dollar went to its best and highest use. We're continuing to strengthen public safety with major investments in our police department, fire rescue service, and first responders, including providing ongoing funding to continue the highly successful drone-ist first responder program in Silver Spring and Wheaton and expanded to the up county and Bethesda. successful drone-ist first responder program in Silver Spring and Wheaton and expanded to the Up County and Bethesda. Additionally, with unparalleled levels of community outreach, the council heard from a greater breadth and diversity of voices during the budget, with a record-breaking number of residents testifying. Let's go! Three! Two! Three! A-h-h-h-h! In addition to welcoming hundreds of new and expanding businesses to the county this year, Freighton was active at various community events with the county's nonprofits and houses of worship. We can ensure that no one ever again passes by. That's small white church and doesn't know what it means. To honor the last 100 years, the remarkably resilient Scotland community who was stood every single obstacle thrown in their way, years to the second century for Scotland. Council President Friedson embraced new ideas and forged consensus to move the county forward. He ably led the council throughout 2024, while fostering a culture of collaboration focused on meeting the needs of today and planning Montgomery County's future. Thank you to our PIO team for an outstanding job with just an amazing video for all the work that this body has done over the past year. With that, let me turn it over to Council Vice President Stewart. Thank you, Council President Freetzin. On behalf of the county council, I want to present you with a small gift, an appreciation of the leadership that you have shown this year. The steadiness in which you have guided this body through challenges both personal and professional. We thank you for all that you have done and in particular your fidelity to this body. And you have you said before that we are here momentarily. But your leadership and what you have done this year will give us a good foundation to meet the challenges ahead and are here lasting for our residents and this body. I want to thank you personally for the partnership this year and the friendship and I look forward to continuing to serve with you. All right. Thank you, Councillor VICE, President Stewart. Thank you to colleagues. Thank you again to everybody who makes this place work on a day-to-day basis. And now I will open up the floor to entertain motions for the next president of the Montgomery County Council. Council Member Vaughan. Thank you. If there's one thing that I've learned in the past two years, it's really hard to follow Andrew Freedson. But I'll do my best. I first want to thank Council President Freedson for your leadership and your friendship and your commitment to the county. You have set a really high bar, and I appreciate that we all do. It is my great honor to nominate Council Vice President Kate Stewart as Council President. When the new Council members came in two years ago, we all had to rise above the buzz of being the six women elected. Each of us had to individually make our own path and make our own mark. No one did that better and with more grace than council vice president Kate Stewart. As the committee chair for government operations, Council Member Stewart oversees the council's fiscal policy and is an expert on our spending affordability guidelines. The DO committee deals with some very complex issues, and not only does she have a great command of these issues, but she promotes transparency and really strives for efficient effective processes that going forward. As a legislator, Council Member Stewart has introduced and passed zoning to allow affordable housing adjacent to places of worship, which will add one more tool in the toolbox to address our housing shortage. After a tragedy in her district, she strengthened tenant protections by requiring landlords to notify tenants of fire safety, insurance, and building maintenance issues. She led the unanimous resolution to confirm the County Council's commitment to protect reproductive rights, which called upon residents to support Maryland's ballot question one, to codify reproductive rights and guarantee abortion rights in Maryland. And fortunately, Maryland listened. Appreciate that. And along with Council Member Fannie Gonzalez, Council Member Stewart introduced the noise camera legislation that was so popular, everyone on the council has volunteered to have that pilot in my district. that they need. Last year she launched Buckets and Beats, a youth activity in Silver Spring that was so successful I stole the idea for my district and she was so gracious when I did so. As a colleague and a confidant we all rely on Kate for her thoughtful deliberations, her calm demeanor, her in-depth knowledge and her unwavering commitment to our county residents. Kate Stewart is a leader among leaders and it is my honor to nominate her as council president. Second. We have a motion and a second I don't see any other colleagues wishing to nominate another colleague. Those in favor of Appointing Council Restored as the third president of the 20th Council, please indicate by raising your hand. That is unanimous. Congratulations, Madam President. Before we open up the floor to nominations for Vice President, let me yield to Councillor Fondaganzalis, who is present, just in speaking. I am so excited to have Kate Stora's next next council president for the past year as a council district six. You know, it's trying next to council district four. We have worked in collaboration, especially in public safety. The drone program that was profile in the video for the council president for the next. Actually, you're not a longer council president. I'm. It was beaten in theasprin the first places where we launched this drone. And there were so many questions from the community. And Kate and I took the hit of Ed from everybody. And, um, and we proceeded to answer questions and to bring people together. And then we moved on with a muffler build. And I think it has been wonderful to work with you. And I look forward to seeing you shine as your next classroom president. And I'm here for you for anything you need. Thank you. Appreciate that I'll note we are all momentary caretakers of this story of institution. I'm exceptionally momentary caretaker of this particular seat here, so I appreciate you reminding me of that. Let me now entertain nominations for the Office of Council Vice President. Mr. President is my honor and privilege to move the nomination of my colleague and friend. Council member Will Opiemiiume Jawando for Vice President of the Montgomery County Council. I have known Will since 2010, when I helped staff the nighttime Economy Task Force in Montgomery County. In Sidebar, how Montgomery County is it to name a task force whose job it is to make Montgomery County cool for young people the least cool name possible. But I've had the opportunity to work alongside with Council Member Joando ever since then. Shortly after that work together on that task force, I helped him in his efforts to launch the summerized program, which has been an extraordinary and resounding success here in Montgomery County, impacting generations of youth for years to come. And Will is a son of Montgomery County, born in Silver Spring to a Nigerian father and a white Kansas mother. And he has spoken openly about how his biretial identity, strengths and deepens his personal understanding of the varied experiences of life here in America. During his tenure on the council will his demonstrated a passion for education and youth. He has moved forward social justice issues and affordable housing and he is not afraid to push the envelope to put forth policies and legislation that support the issues that affect all families across Montgomery County. He has helped pass groundbreaking legislation here, focusing in areas of housing and rent stabilization and the Relocation Expenses Act, and much, much more. But what's important to note is it's not just the passage of those laws, but the deep work that he did to bring his colleagues along to ensure their passage. Compromising, willing to show leadership and doing it in such a way that advances our community forward. And I will note that while his legislative accomplishments have been profound and deep, I think the experience that I'd like to uplift has been as a member of the Education and Culture Committee where he serves as chair. And under his leadership these last several years, I have seen firsthand his leadership skills, his grace, his humility, and moving our body and our community and our council and our school community forward in a way that was desperately needed and rose to the occasion under unprecedented challenges and circumstances. And I have been proud to work with him on legislation such as the guaranteed income as well as an anti-baping initiative several years ago. And although Councilmember Joonder has had many titles in his career, lawyer, presidential appointee, author, council member, I know, I know that the one that he is the most proud of and the one that means the most to him is husband to his incredible wife, Michelle, who is in the audience and father to his four beautiful children. Will and I are doing our part collectively. I have four children too to ensure we have plenty of taxpayers in Montgomery County moving forward, but he is able to balance all of that in a way that is truly extraordinary. And as a cherry on top, he has a great team, led by Chief of Staff Dave Cunes, who will now be going on his second go around his Chief of Staff to accounts of members serving in leadership, which will be important and service well moving forward during what we know will be a challenging year. So it is for all those reasons and more that I am proud to move the nomination of my colleague and friend council member jwondo for the role of vice president. We have a motion by council member albernars we have a second by council member mink. Thank you. I'm so pleased to second the nomination of my colleague and friend council member jwondo rounding out the education and culture committee trifecta. My first encounter with Councilmember Javando were one I was a private citizen with no plans of running for office and I saw him show up to speak with here from and support community members on a range of issues. He patiently heard me out in my advocacy as well and now as his colleague he has to hear me out and he does. We don't always agree which out and he does we don't always agree which may surprise some people we don't always agree but the door is always open and one thing that struck me to some extent back then but that I have now seen from my time on the council is genuine is that councilmember Jawondo is someone who applies an equity lens to his work by default on and off the day is it is part of the foundation never part of the paint job. And in many workplaces that can be isolating. So I'm proud today to name and recognize that here as a valuable asset and an important one. I had the opportunity to work with him and his team on rent civilization, tax reforms to increase school construction funding, and a bill to put impacted community members in the driver's seat for distributing tax funds from the sale of cannabis to communities most harmed by the so-called war on drugs. As councilmember Albrino described, councilmember Joana's leadership on education and culture has been significant. It has moved that committee and this council into a new way of engaging with MCPS budget. We now have a shared focus on transparency and substantive deep dives as an intrinsic part of our responsibility to ascertain and deliver the level of funding needed to ensure one of the largest school systems in the country also remains one of the best. Councilmember Joando has also been a champion for the thoughtful substantive reimagining of our public safety space working closely with community members, colleagues, and MCPD to move hallmark reforms. And as a council member representing the district with a plurality of Black or African American residents, I must note that not only is this role well-earned through council member Drowandas' work and experience, it is also deeply meaningful to the fifth of our county who have not seen a council member who looks like them selected for leadership by their council peers in close to a decade. So for many reasons, I'm honored to second the nomination of Councilmember Joando for Vice President Ayylde. Thank you. We have a motion and a second. I don't see any other colleagues wishing to make a nomination, so I will call a vote for Councilmember Juwando for Vice President of this Council. All those in favor, please indicate by raising your hand. That is unanimous. Congratulations, Council Vice President. I will note that the county motto is to guard well, the state motto is to increase and multiply. And we have two colleagues who have taken that quite literally and one member of the audience who has played an integral role. With that, let me yield to Councilmember Juwanda. And Councilmember Luki has also played her role in having a lot of children there, as well as other colleagues. Let me first congratulate my friend Council President Stewart for your leadership in stepping into this role with such dedication and grace. I know we're going to hear from her shortly once we move seats. But we've been friends and allies for a long time before you served on this body. And I'm really excited to see what your leadership will bring. I also want to acknowledge your chief of staff, Cecilie Thorne, who I know pretty well. And in the entire Stewart team, I know all too well chief of staff, Cecilie Thorn, who I know pretty well, and the entire Stuart team. I know all too well the tireless work they put in behind the scenes to make you look good and to make sure the council looks good. To our outgoing president, Andrew Freetzen, thank you for your leadership over the past year. I deeply appreciate how we've been able to work together as we've served on the Planning housing and parks committee in particular. I think people will be shocked to know we often get a lot of three old votes out of the planning housing and parks committee on a lot of issues and when we do disagree we do so agreeably and respectfully. I truly value the steady hand that you brought to this body during what was a very difficult for you personally and for us professionally. I want to express my gratitude to my friends and colleagues on the Education and Culture Committee Council members, Alvarnas and Mank, for nominating me for this role and for their ongoing partnership into each of my colleagues for supporting me to serve in this leadership role. I know our work makes a difference on this council and on our committee, and I thank each of you for your support. I wanna thank my team who's in the audience, Dave, Marisa, Christina, who's home sick. My former chief of staff, Michelle Whitaker, who's here, Michelle Liena, Sab, our intern, and all those who have worked to help us Jaime who's here as well to make us successful. A very special note to the love of my life, the rock of our family, the much better, Joando. Michelle, Joando, who's here in the audience today. None of this would be possible without your support, love, and counsel. Thank you, honey. It's an incredible honor to have the trust and support of my colleagues in this role, and I know we're gonna work collaboratively to get things done on behalf of all of our residents. We're heading into a challenging time for our county and with the pressures and uncertainties that will certainly test our resolve. I know this body and this leadership team will rise to the occasion as we've done before. We'll protect the values that make Montgomery County a beacon of inclusivity and progress. We will face these challenges head on and we will lead with compassion, vision and purpose to ensure that every resident is supported and valued. As I step into this new chapter I want to leave you with the words of the late great John Lewis a hero and mentor of mine. Do not get lost in the sea of despair. Be hopeful. Be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or even a year. It is the struggle of a lifetime. Never ever be afraid to make some noise and to get in good trouble, necessary trouble. These words remind us that the work we do here is not just about the immediate challenges we face, but about shaping the future of our county for generations to come. And in the difficult moments ahead, I'm confident that with this team, this council, the hope optimism and courage that we will lead with, that Montgomery County will continue to move forward with integrity and purpose. Thank you very much for this honor. Thank you. Thank you. Congratulations again to our new leadership team. We have a couple colleagues wishing to speak. Let me turn it over to Councilmember Luki. Thank you and I almost said Council President, but you're not anymore. So I'd like to thank our outgoing council president before we do the pause and the seat shuffle that's going to come for your work over the last year and your friendship. And also to congratulate our new leadership who I know will steer us forward positively. And I know this is just an incredibly challenging time for us as a body for our constituents, for everyone. And so I wanted to speak to that because the election of officers is always an opportunity to reflect on the body's work as you've been able to hear both now council member Emeritus, Council President Emeritus Freedson talk about each of our accomplishments in our districts and our work over the past year for us to think about what is coming as well. And to that, one of the things that is the hallmark of where I sit and feel and how I am hardwired for anyone who knows me well, is the focus on the body as a whole and the body as an institution, especially at a time when democracy itself is maybe under threat, well not maybe it is. And we have to elevate fidelity to bodies and ideals and what we need to do to best steer the ship moving forward. That allows this council, this public body, to make the best possible decisions on behalf of our residents who expect nothing less of us. And we've now elevated folks who can steer that ship accordingly. I also believe that that is something that of course our council president and vice president who have now been elected will take to heart over the coming year. And I know that council president Stewart has, I'm trying to make sure I'm identifying everybody correctly. It has already reached out to all of us about the upcoming year and priorities and focus and emphasis and that's really important. Because putting this body first will help us grow and importance as we deal with the incoming federal administration and we deal with the state's budget challenges, which are incredibly real. There's no easy button for any of this. And as you've heard here today, emphasized time and again, we're all human. We're all individuals. And to Councilmember Balkham's point, as she nominated President Stewart, we aren't all one person, not the six women, not any one of the 11 of us, but individually we have to keep as a top priority focus on the body as a whole. And many of us in addition to being parents of large flocks of children are also in the sandwich generation. And so we have also collectively been dealing with our own challenges in that regard as well. We're real. There's going to be ups and downs. But if we stay the course and we each step up and we each focus, we can keep the train on the tracks and preferably keep the trains running on time. So my hope and we will talk about this more next week but that we truly commit to that principle of the body first. And myself and Councilmember Fanny Gonzalez are putting forth an amendment to the council's rules of procedure to help us do that as a housekeeping measure, to help keep the focus on the good of the body, the good of the whole, and making sure we have a backup plan for our backup plan and continue to make sure we are taking appropriate steps to keep the body functioning in the best way possible moving forward. So I look forward to subsequent conversations. I know each of 11 people sitting up here is up for the challenge. Challenges plural that lie ahead for all of us. I look forward to the year ahead and again, a hearty congratulations to Council President Stewart and Council Vice President Jowondo. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Seals. Thank you. I am so thrilled to share my enthusiasm for Council Vice President Jawando, a dedicated public servant, and remarkable individual. I've had the pleasure of working alongside him in many capacities from serving alongside me when we heavily led the African American Democratic Club of Montgomery County to spearheading legislation to ensure equity for small business owners to strengthen our economy. I can confidently say that he embodies the qualities of a true leader. Council President Stewart, she is a passionate advocate, serious about this work and deeply committed to the community she serves. Having worked alongside her as a council member and then mayor in the city of Tacoma Park, her ability to listen attentively and engage with constituent's unmatched, making her a trusted advocate for our diverse communities needs and concerns. She consistently demonstrates a profound understanding of our community's issues and approaches them with innovative solutions and a wavering determination. And last but certainly not least, my friend and outgoing President Freedson, his collaborative spirit sets him apart. Councilmember Freedson, Foster's partnerships across various sectors, bringing people together to affect positive change. His keen insight and strategic thinking have led to impactful initiatives that benefit our community from enhancing public services to growing our economy and advocating for social justice and equity. I am so honored to work with all of these members and I am excited to see the continued positive impact this new dynamic leadership team will undoubtedly have on this body as we navigate the uncertainty that awaits us. Congratulations and thank you. Thank you, Council member Katz. Here we go, my help. Yeah. Congratulations, Mr. Mr. Congratulations, Mr. former president. As one who was also a former president, I have to tell you, being a former president is much more fun than being president. And I think all former presidents will agree with that. I congratulate my friend and colleague, Council Member Jawondo, as a new vice president. We look forward to working with him, continue to work for working with him. And I think one of the reasons he ran was so he no longer have a sit next to me. Evan, Evan, you're in for a real treat. I'm telling you. But today is really a day to congratulate the Madam President. And I certainly congratulate her as well. There's no question in my mind that she will do a great job just as she did as mayor of Tacoma Park. And I've mentioned time and time again, we're in for a very different federal government. And I think everyone has mentioned that. And we need to figure out how best we can help the people of Montgomery County. And it'd be to the benefit of the federal government if they would work with us and other local governments across the United States to do that. So let me just say very, very clearly and plainly, I am proud to be serving with each and every member of this council. And Madam President, I can think of no better person than you and council member Juando to help figure out what we're gonna need to do. Thank you and congratulations. Thank you and Council Member Glass. Thank you very much, Council Member Friedson. Let me first by saying Council Member Katz, I look forward to being your seat mate. I say that now. There you go. I also wanna thank Council Member Friedson. It was an incredibly tough year for you, but you handled your professional duties and your personal duties with grace, with the support of your entire staff. And we managed, and you led, and we appreciate you. I also want to congratulate our leadership team, look forward to the year ahead, but I especially want to say congratulations Madam President. If we can't say that at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, I am really glad we get to say that at 100 Maryland Avenue. You are also my district council member, of which I am very proud and last year, when I did serve as council president, we had a lot of initiatives together. We worked to make sure that the nightlife in downtown Silver Spring and in other parts of the county were enhanced for both businesses and residents and we also organized a community summit to make sure that residents felt that they were heard and that action after that was taken. So look forward to more work ahead. And as has been noted, it's not gonna be easy. There's budget uncertainty and job uncertainty at the federal level. There's budget uncertainty at the federal level. There's budget uncertainty at the state level and our resident here in Montgomery County are understandably worried about their jobs and about continuation of services. But I'm confident that under the leadership of this body, we will continue being fierce advocates for all of our residents. But that advocacy is not just immediate planning. It is also planning for the future. It's long-term planning. Leadership is not just about the present, but it's about laying the groundwork for the future. And that brings me to an important concern, succession planning. As we look towards 2025, we are entering a political season here in Maryland. Thankfully, these seasons only come once every four years, but when they do come, there is heightened speculation and shifting dynamics. There's already chatter about who might run for county executive, who might run for at large seats, who might go from a district seat to an at large seat, and then there are other offices as well. And so while those conversations unfold, it is incumbent upon the Council President and Vice President to bear their critical responsibility of guiding this body through the legislative, administrative, and political challenges putting the institution's best interest at heart. Because leading this body is not just about representing individual perspectives or politics, about it's about safeguarding the integrity and effectiveness of this body. And I understand that there was a resolution submitted for introduction today that would have required our leadership to step down from that leadership role if They announced a run for another office not at the council. I wish that conversation was being discussed today because it's about succession planning It's about planning for the future and it is Under the underlying principle of that is about leadership accountability and, and putting the council first. And let me be very clear, this is not about limiting any one's personal aspirations. It is about planning thoughtfully and responsibly for this body's future. It's about ensuring the stability and continuity of the council. And it is ultimately about prioritizing our residents and the collective good. Two years ago, on the first day of this 20th council, there were comments from a few colleagues sitting on the dais about emphasizing the need to reform how we choose leadership. Statements were made about increasing transparency and about moving leadership conversations into the public view. Those observations remain as relevant today as they did two years ago, and I hope we can reflect on them as we have this discussion about continuity of this body. But make no mistake, Madam President. I am absolutely confident in your ability to lead this body during these challenging times. I look forward to having the tough conversations that we need to have on behalf of all of our residents, because ultimately we serve with integrity and purpose. Thank you. Councilor Mink. Megan, thanks. Just wanted to take a quick opportunity to also thank you Councilmember Freedzen. You truly have been a fair and faithful and reliable steward of this body. And there have been many occasions when I have really in that moment appreciated that that is who you intend to be and who you are and who you have been. I have seen you have opportunities to play political games to advance, you know, whatever might be like this or that. Priority, but the Council President's seat is not for that. The Council President's seat is not for that the council president's seat is for steering the ship and I have seen you make that choice time and again and I deeply appreciate it and want to make sure I had the opportunity to recognize that so thank you and council president Stewart I am looking forward to your to your presidential leadership and the you know the number of times that I have come to you to say, I'm looking at this difficulty in my district or this problem that we're seeing in the county. What are your thoughts on how we could help address that? And you have been a great thought partner and strategic partner. And it is deeply appreciated. And I'm really looking forward to this next year of your leadership as well. So thank you. And to both of your teams, fantastic. Thank you, thank you. And to both of your teams, fantastic. Thank you, thank you. Here here to the teams and thank you, Council Member Albernaus. Thank you, had a brain freeze. My second cup of coffee had not kicked in. When I nominated Council Member Jawondo, I failed to do two things that are both very important. One is, I have sat in that seat. Several of us on this dios have. They talk about an October surprise in presidential elections. And there are many surprises and curve balls that any council president has to face that nobody could have anticipated. But this is the first time I've seen how deeply personal some of those challenges have been for us in leadership. You have never wavered. You have stood strong. You have supported us. You have put this body ahead of you many, many, many times. And did it during a year that was unimaginably difficult, filled with beautiful milestones but also amazing challenges. So Andrew, I just want to say thank you for your steadfast leadership, your friendship, for guiding us through. All of us have had many midnight conversations with you over the course of this year, dealing with a myriad of separate issues. But you have helped facilitate us and served as a very strong mediator. And I also do want to thank Cindy and your team in particular who didn't unbelievable job. Unbelievable job. Holding down the fort while Andrew was dealing with personal circumstances and never missing a beat and never slowing down. Truly remarkable. And to my good friend, Council President Kate Stewart, I like all of us have had the opportunity to work with you before sitting on this dius and that work started when COVID hit and I served as chair of HHS and we had numerous calls together as you helped facilitate your municipality through that unamounted jimmy challenging time which makes me sleep well at night knowing I can't think of a person more prepared to help lead this body through challenging time, which makes me sleep well at night knowing. I can't think of a person more prepared to help lead this body through this next year of transition than you. So we will have your back. We will work with you. We know that you will put this body ahead of yourself just as all of us try to do. And I can't thank you enough in your team. And Cessli, you know what's coming? But we're going to have your and your teams back as well. So thank you. I just had to say that. You'll back to you. Thank you so much for all of the comments. Thank you to colleagues again. Thank you to our team, to my team, to my family, to this council family for navigating us through this year, and for being such an important part of the fabric of our community, to do the critical work that we do each and every day. It continues to be a great honor to serve this body, and I look forward to serving it in this new role. I've been reminded of multiple times that I will be serving in. With that, we're going to take a brief recess to reset the seats. And so we can properly identify Madam President here in Rockville in her appropriate new chair. So we are temporarily adjourned. All right. Welcome back, everyone, to the Council session. I'm glad to be here as the new Council President, and I just want to say thank you to everyone who is here. Thank you to my colleagues, particularly to Councilmember Balkham for nominating me this morning and to all my colleagues for their words of encouragement and support as we start on this next year together. I do want, again, want to thank Councilmember Freetson for his leadership this last year. As we've all said this morning through unanticipated challenges, you have really led this body with steadiness under pressure. And we thank you for that. You double down on your longstanding commitment to transparency and efficiency in government while fostering good government. And you've continued to uplift the values that make Montgomery County an outstanding community. I appreciate your leadership and friendship and as I said earlier today while we sit in these seats for a moment in time the mark you have left on this county is going to live for generations so thank you. To my council colleagues again I greatly appreciate all of your support and trust in me to lead this council. My priority is to ensure that our work is collaborative, accountable, and that we always strive to find the best path forward for our residents. This year will be a challenge, as we have all said, but what gives me hope right now is that I will be part of a group of people who share the goal of ensuring Montgomery County lives up to our values of being a welcoming and inclusive community with a thriving economy and the best education system to prepare our young people and families for the future. I'm really looking forward to working with each of you individually and as a group, because each of us have unique expertise and talents, and together, as we bring all that together, we work wonderfully for the people of Montgomery County. Councilmember Joando, I look forward to working with you in your new role as Vice President of the Council as we navigate both the challenges and opportunities. I am going to guess I am saying this is a little disconcerting being up here like in this different in the different seats. I think we get we're creatures of habit and it's going to take a little bit to get used to it. I want to thank my office family, my chief, Cecilith Thorn, Paul B. Ellis, Diana Carrillo, Kering Coacher-McCabe, DeBora Gettuchu, and Andrew Gellman for their support and commitment to our work, and also for really centering the people and the residents we serve. And I would be remiss if I did not also thank the Freetson office for all the great work that has happened this year. And particularly the Chief of Staff Cindy Gibson, thank you so much for everything and for being such a support to my office. And I know moving forward into this next year, you'll continue to do so. And I want to thank our Executive Director, Craig Howard, and the entire Council Central staff for their dedication, knowledge, and thoughtfulness and overall amazing work that helps keeping us moving forward. I say this with all sincerity. It is a privilege and an honor to come to work with each and every one of you every single day. You represent really what is best about our government and our community. So thank you. And of course to my own family who is still here, all this features from your love and support to my mother-in-law Barbara. Thank you for your encouragement and support throughout the years and in particular for making sure I at least eat one home cook meal sitting down a week. Thank you to husband, who is a wonderful listener, and takes long walks to help me keep grounded. To my children, who probably aren't watching. Just know, though, you are my inspiration and a constant reminder of why we do this work. And to my dad, who we may not always see eye to eye on politics, but who has always supported my work. I just want to thank everyone. We've done some looking back already this morning on the last year. And this council has been very unified in advancing many of our shared priorities. We've balanced many urgent needs in our community, increased funding for programs to assist the unhoused, tackle food insecurity, address our mental health crisis, bolster services for our LGBTQ plus community, and provide a record funding for our public schools. And we did it all. Thank you to the leadership of Councilmember Freetzain with record levels of public engagement. We've passed measures to strengthen tenant protections, address our urgent affordable housing crisis, and reduce waste and noise pollution. We continue to work to attract new businesses and industry to our county and support those businesses that are already here. We've worked closely with Montgomery County Police and the executive branch to make our community safer by advancing the use of technologies in ways that also protect our living civil liberties and privacy. And before Maryland is voted to enshrine abortion rights in our state constitution, this council doubled down on Montgomery County's commitment to protect reproductive rights. We've been able to do all of this together because this council understands that we are bigger than one person alone and we are stronger when we put our heads together, roll up our sleeves and work to support the coming good. So looking ahead, with a new administration coming into the White House, we know our local communities will be uniquely impacted by federal changes. In the face of adversity, we must be united in one sense of purpose. As we enter Montgomery County's 250th year and reflect upon our shared history, it is up to all of us to come together and keep Montgomery County moving forward. Like we did the last time we saw this president and through a global pandemic and economic recession, we will continue to stay true to our values by advancing the programs and services and institutions that make Montgomery County so great. We already started to do this work and under the leadership of Council Member Freetzen and myself we've been working with our colleagues and county departments to hold a resource fair this Sunday December 8th from 1 to 4 p.m. across the street at the executive office building because we wanna make sure that right out of the gate here, people know the resources we have in the county to support them. As we face this coming January, we wanna make sure that we are prepared as possible here in Montgomery County. And we wanna make clear that while the occupant of the White House may change in January, we are not changing who we are in Montgomery County. And also over the next year, we're gonna continue to focus on growing our economy by supporting businesses and entrepreneurs in a fair and equitable way, and continue to forge a path as a global leader in the life sciences. Last week, a number of us celebrated the second year of the Institute of Health Computing, and we look forward to the advances that collaboration will foster. As we said last week, the future of health is happening now, and it's right here in North of Bezda. We commit to boosting the availability of housing and affordable housing, especially along our transit corridors and your job centers. We will advance engineering, enforcement, and education to make our streets safer for all road users and work with regional partners on a sustainable future for our metro system. As we advance our climate, transportation, and economic goals. We will continue to support the Green Bank and advance our climate change goals while working to cut energy costs. And renovations are always really important. Making the county more resilient and our own buildings more resilient in the face of potential disasters. We will advance strategic measures to keep our streams and waterways clean by protecting our local ecosystem that inspired Rachel Carson 62 years ago to write Silent Spring. We will bolster our world class education system by working in partnership with our new superintendent and our Board of Education. I just want to say congratulations to the new Board of Education members who were just sworn in yesterday because we're going to provide our students and educators the tools they need to succeed and continue the strong partnerships we have with Montgomery College and the Universities of Shady Grove. We'll expand comprehensive mental health services and work collaboratively across county agencies and community partners to address the mental health needs of our community with a multi-pronged approach and amplify services and advance our welhtomy inclusive Montgomery County. And we're going to do that by continuing our work on racial equity, both internally here at the council and externally to ensure that policies we pass are advancing equity and dismantling historic institutional racism. It has been five years since the prior council passed the racial equity and dismantling historic institutional racism. It has been five years since the prior Council passed the Racial Equating and Social Justice Act under the leadership of Council Member Nancy Navato, and we've done so much work to advance this. And we still need to do more and we'll continue to do so. We will continue to uplift immigrant rights and ensure the safety of all of our community members. We commit to providing funding for services to support our LGBTQ plus community, assist those in the federal workforce who call Montgomery County home, and ensure that pregnant individuals continue to have access to the best reproductive care and control over their health care decisions. We will do all of this because this is who we are in Montgomery County and this is what we believe in. As Chair of the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee, as Council Member Belfam pointed out, I will continue to ensure all of our actions are guided by a responsibility to the Montgomery County taxpayers. For years, we've continually put forth sound fiscal policies that have shown up in our consistent triple a bond rating and our strong workforce. This council has and will continue to carefully maintain both bold and progressive policies and strong fiscal responsibility. Specifically over the next year we'll be working with our community partners, departments and agencies to ensure we have an interconnected, accessible, and holistic system to address mental health issues. And I know this is something this council is going to rise to because so many individuals on this body have expertise and a passion for this work and I look forward to working with all of you. Because we have a duty to make sure that mental health services are treated the same as physical health services. And to provide a comprehensive approach for those in need of assistance, regardless of age, background, or income. We must work with our community partners to address stigma and create not only culturally competent resources and services, but ensure that we are culturally humble as we engage on these issues. The mental health crisis is not unique to us here in Montgomery County. Since COVID-19 across the country, we have seen a rise in youth mental health crisis, the crisis around serious mental health illness such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and the ongoing substance use and addiction crisis. What is unique here about Montgomery County and our strength is our diversity, our compassion and our dedication to creating the best systems and policies to address these crises. I look forward to working with all of you to raise awareness of the excellent work already taking place and uncovering the gaps where more work needs to be done. So, with unity and accountability to our residents, I'm confident that the Montgomery County is well prepared to meet this historic moment. I look forward to getting to work on behalf of this great community that I am privileged to serve and grateful to call home. And that is the end of all the speeches I think this morning. So thank you all for your patience. Thank you. All right. Our next item up is we will sit as the district council as the clerk previously noted agenda item one the interview for the chief of children, youth, and family services. In the Department of Health and Human Services has been postponed, so we're moving on to agenda item number two. We will now sit as the district council for the introduction of a corrective map amendment, H-151, 1-2 0 1, Piedmont Road, Parsles P541 and P549. A public hearing is scheduled for January 14th, 2025 at 1 30 PM. The corrective map amendment, Ms. Nidu, do we have anything else to add to this? No, nothing to add. Thank you. All right. So no speakers. That corrective map amendment is introduced. Next, we will turn to our legislative day number 30. All right, seeing no speakers, that corrective map amendment is introduced. Next, we will turn to our legislative day number 30. This is agenda item number three on our agenda. It's the introduction of bills and the first one is bill 27-24, animal control, empowerment and disposition. Leads sponsors are council members, cats, a luki and mink. A public hearing is scheduled for January 21st, 2025 at 130 PM. I'll turn it now to council member cats. Thank you very much Madam President. Along with the co-lead sponsors. So the public safety community. Council members, you know, I'm missing Jawando already. You know, who would have ever thought? Along with the co-leaf sponsors of the Public Safety Committee, Council Members Luki and Mink as well as the co-sponsor, Council Member Malcolm, I'm pleased to introduce Bill 2724, animal control, impowerment and Disposition. Under current county law, an impounded animal is considered abandoned and becomes county property if the animal is not redeemed by its owner within five days after the owner is notified of the impowerment. This bill will reduce the hold time from five days to three days, which will reduce overcrowding at the animal shelter, reduce the time that the animal is held at the shelter, and accelerate the timeline for the adoption process. The change for the stray, hold period from five to three days was a priority policy recommendation of the Maddie's million pet challenge consult with the Office of Animal Services and Adoption Center. A quote from the report is as follows. Length of stay in a shelter is the biggest risk factor for overcrowding, infectious disease spread, elevated fear, anxiety and stress and pets, and therefore high levels of compassion to TIG for people. When capacity for care is exceeded, staff lose the ability to care properly for pets and cannot provide a free, a fear-free environment. Therefore reducing length of stay by reducing these strails will address many of the challenges that office of animal services faces with its shelter population. Moreover, per FY24 office of animal services data, only 3.6% of cats and 5.4% of dogs were reclaimed after three days, indicating that the vast majority of cats and dogs are either reclaimed within three days or go unclamed. Therefore, decreasing the stray hole to three days does not significantly affect owners who reclaim their pets and does significantly benefit the animals who will ultimately go unclaimed because they have been re-homed more promptly. These changes are consistent with state law and as mentioned, a public hearing is tentatively scheduled for January 21st. Thank you very much, Madam President. Thank you. I have a couple of colleagues in the queue. Council Member Gilles. Thank you, Madam President. I appreciate the Public Safety Committee work on this. I know this has been a priority for supporters of pet rescue and adoptions, and I'd like to be out as a co-sponsor. All right. Council Vice President Jolando. Thank you, Council President Stuart. I also appreciate the public safety's work on this and I know you're working with, we have to reduce the shelter population. Also, I hope we can really publicize this for owners because you know, that's going to, it's a significant change. And we're going to need to work on with the communications and with the public safety apparatus to do that. But I'd also like to be added as a co-sponsor. Great. Thank you. Councilmember Albinaz. Thank you, Madam President. On behalf of our rescue dog Coco, I would also like to be listed as a co-sponsor. Yes. should be listed as a co-sponsor. Yes, and I think Gracie would get very annoyed with me if I was also not listed as a co-sponsor. So please add me as well. Council member Lori and Sales. Thank you, Madam President. If you can also add me to the legislation as a co-sponsor, please. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Council member Freetzen. Please add me as a co-sponsor. Okay. All right. Not seeing anything else. Do you have anything to add on that? Nothing to add. Thank you. All right. Bill is introduced. The next bill for introduction is Bill 28-24. Employees, retirement system, and other post-employment benefits administration. Powers and duties. The lead sponsors are myself, Council Member Freetzin and Council Member Katz. And I believe Council Member Luki has been added also as a co-sponsor. A public hearing is scheduled for January 21st, 2025 at 1.30 pm. I will say as the chair of government operations and fiscal policy, since it's our whole committee that has taken the lead on this, that this is a continuation of the work that the GO committee has done when we look at prioritizing and working with our retirees to make sure that in Montgomery County that we are taking care of our retirees and making sure that we have strong fiscal policies and The person who's really led on this has been council member Freetzin. So I'll turn it over to him Thank you, Madam President It's very exciting to be able to say that I look forward to being able to say that many many more times I wish I could say that for more people But it's great to be able to say that here on this dayus and on this Body and take it from me, Madam President, the Council President's speech, the show is definitely better live. So, great job and really excited for the year ahead and please to join you as Chair of GO in your ongoing role, as well as Council Member of Cats as a committee to introduce this bill 2824. The mission of the Board of Investment Trustees is to manage prudent investment programs for the members, their beneficiaries, of the employee retirement plans. The consolidated retiree health benefits trust was established to provide funding for retiree health benefits and their dependence, and the board is responsible for the management of the trust. The purpose of this bill is to alter and clarify the governing structures and responsibilities of the board, of both the board of investment trustees, the BIT, and the Consolidated Health Retiree Benefits Trust, this CRHBT, along with the Chief Administrative Officer. In investing the funds of the trust, an appropriate balance has to be struck between risk-taken and return sought to ensure the financial well-being of the trust dollars that need to be safeguarded. This issue originally came up and came to light as you noted and raised concerns for us on the GO committee when we were establishing fiscal policies under your leadership for our OPEB trust fund. It's about fiduciary best practices aligning risk with long-term actuarial assumptions rather than short-term budget constraints. And above all, it's about protecting the harder and commitments we've made to our retired public servants. Really appreciate the ongoing work of our government operations and fiscal policy colleagues as well as the co-sponsorship of Councilmember Luki. There are a number of ways that we are looking at addressing how to firm up the fiscal policies that we have around these crucial funds, these commitments that we have made to our retired public servants and this is one of those efforts and an important one at that. So appreciate the opportunity to work together and introducing this bill and I was looking at you, Mr. Vice President, and to be able to continue our ongoing engagement with our retirees and all stakeholders on this particular issue. Great. Thank you, Councilmember Freeden. Ms. Wellens, is there anything you'd like to add? No, thank you, Madam President. All right. This bill is introduced. Agenda item number four is our consent calendar. I will entertain a motion to approve the consent calendar. Council Member Luki, did you want to speak first? Okay. Council Member Luki would like to speak before moving. Yes, and then I will move. Just wanted to thank you, Madam President. Just wanted to speak briefly on item 4C, which is the $3.6 million special appropriation for services to end and prevent homelessness. As noted, during Madam President's remarks, this is a significant crisis that we have here in the county where we have a substantial number of folks who are already experiencing homelessness or on the verge of facing homelessness. And I want to commend the work of director Christine Hong, of SAF and her whole team for the care and attention they put to this issue and their collaboration with many of us up here on these issues. This happens to be to my knowledge, the first major special appropriation we approve this fiscal year using county reserves. And we know that during the last budget cycle cycle we ended up pushing our county reserves almost to its very limit to increase funding for lots of priorities in our current budget. And I believe in the mission of Seth I believe Clemence Johnson, because I know she has reached out on behalf of all of us with different questions or concerns and look forward to the responses we get back, including what, if any, annualized costs there are, that are going to extend beyond this FY25 appropriation and into FY26. So I look forward to hearing back from our folks at CF and to our consideration and care for this next week's full council session. And with that, I will move to approve the consent calendar. Great. Second, Council Member Mink. And just before I call a vote, just a note, this item that Councilmember Luki was talking about is for public hearing and action at 9.30 a.m. next week because we only have a half day for that. So that's why the public hearing is at 9.30 a.m. All those in favor of the consent calendar, please raise your hand. That is unanimous. The consent calendar passes and we are now in resource until 130 p.m. Thank you everyone. Madam Mr. Rotor-Town. Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to the county council meeting. We have a number of public hearings today and we're going to start with our first public hearing for the sectional map amendment, H-152, to implement the approved and adopted to come apart minor master plan amendment. Council action is tentatively scheduled for January 14th, 2025. Those wishing to submit material for the council's consideration should do so by the close of business on January 7th, 2025. There are no registered speakers for this hearing, so this hearing is now closed. Our next public hearing is item number six and is a public hearing on bill 25-24 contracts and procurements prohibitions against human trafficking enforcement. This bill would require procurement bids and proposals to include certifications of compliance with human trafficking laws. Prohibit county county contractors and subcontractors from violating human trafficking laws. Require county contractors and subcontractors to make certain disclosures regarding human trafficking charges, claims or violations, authorize debarment and other remedies for non-compliance compliance with the law and generally amend the county law regarding procurement and human trafficking. A government operations fiscal policy committee work session is scheduled for June 30th, January 30th, 2025, which we're thinking. Those wishing to submit material for the council's consideration should do so by the close of business on January 23rd, 2025. We have one registered speaker who I don't believe is with us yet. Ms. Suelle. Is she in person or? Okay, we don't see her. So. All right. So this public hearing is now closed. Our next item is item number seven is a public hearing on expedited bill 22-24 taxation collection of development impact taxes. This bill would require collection of development impact taxes at final inspection of the building. A government operations and fiscal policy committee work section is scheduled for January 23rd, 2025. Those wishing to submit material for the council's consideration should do so by the close of business on January 16th, 2025. Those wishing to submit material for the council's consideration should do so by the close of business on January 16th, 2025. Each registered speaker has three minutes to speak and you will hear a tone when your time is up. We have three people in person and two virtual. So I'll call up the in person first. We have William Comaners, excuse me, Brendan McKay and Brian Levine. Mr. Cominer, you can kick us off when you're ready. Thank you. Good afternoon, Council President Stewart and Vice President Joando. Congratulations and members of the Council. My name is Bill Commoners. I'm an attorney with the firm of Lurch Early and Brewer, but I'm here as an individual today to speak strongly in support of Bill 22-24. This bill makes good economic sense. In preparing to testify on this bill, I went back 13 years to look at my testimony on Bill 2611. That bill moved the payment of the impact tax from the time of building permit to the current schedule. Bill 22-24 is a good successor for the same reasons that Bill 2611 was a good start. This bill puts the resources of a builder, that means money, first into building the building, and then makes payment for the impacts the schools and roads when those impacts actually occur with occupancy of the building. What could be more logical? Carlating the payment of the impact tax with the real-time creation of the impact is more appropriate and better fulfills the underlying basis for the impact tax. Delaying payment of the impact tax will likely allow more approved buildings to projects to proceed, because the shift in time of payment reduces the upfront costs. This greater ability to finance the projects will increase the ultimate likelihood of payment of the impact tax because more projects will actually be able to be built. No project at all means no impact tax at all. Thus bill 22-24 will increase the opportunity to collect greater impact tax revenue. The county never gets revenue from the building that is not built. There's neither impact tax nor long term revenue. With this proposed delay, the county receives both. That seems like a win-win. The bill will cause a simple one-time delay in the immediate revenue stream, but in reality, the long-term result will be a much better revenue return to the county. The project can now be built because of the lower upfront cost, and will generate real-estate tax and other revenues to the county for its entire useful life. The impact tax is not lost, it is only delayed. The short-term revenue loss through the impact tax delay should be more than offset by the long-term revenue gain of the tax revenue over the 40 years of the building's life. That seems like a good investment decision. Spend a little to gain a lot. In summary, the bill sends a very positive message about Montgomery County and the council's efforts to address the current economic challenges by acting to encourage and facilitate the creation of homes and businesses and jobs. In addition, the bill supports the underlying principle of the impact tax, the nexus of the payment of the tax to the creation of the actual impact. I urge you to act quickly to enact this bill. It does what is needed and is fair. Thank you for your consideration. I'll answer any questions if you have them. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. McKay. Thank you. There we go. Thank you, President Stewart, Vice President Truanda. Congratulations and the rest of the distinguished council members appreciate your time on this issue. My name is Brendan McKay. I'm a Montgomery County resident business owner and I'm here on behalf of the Bethesda Chamber of Commerce to fully support this bill introduced by Council Member Glass. Thank you very much. We see this as a simple timing change. That reduces the young for our cost of development Montgomery County and is gonna in turn create more development. Impact taxes in Montgomery County are substantial. So substantial in fact that they're typically include in the financing of these projects, meaning that the developers are not only paying the impact tax, but they're paying interest on top of that. And by moving the timing from having this do it, the beginning of the process to the end, that simple timing change is gonna reduce a barrier entry, encourage more positive development in Montgomery County by just lightening this financial burden significantly. We see the bill as a home run and a win from all sides. It encourages more development in Montgomery County, but it doesn't cost the county any money. In fact, this gentleman's argument is probably going to make the county more money, because if you're reducing the up front burden on development, you're going to see more development and more impact taxes collected. So we love this bill. We hope to see more of it in the future and also hope this kind of opens the door on maybe a wider look at impact taxes and the impact that it's having on development Montgomery County. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Lovie. Council President and Council Vice President, congratulations, Council Member Freetz, and thank you for your year of service as Council President and Council Vice President, congratulations. Council Member Freetz, and thank you for your year of service as Council President. Council members, good afternoon. I'm Brian Levine with the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. My testimony is very similar to this gentleman's here. But I'm here today in support of Bill 2224. Thank you for looking at this change. It's seemingly small, would have an outsize impact on Montgomery County's economy in a couple different ways. First, the current law that impacts, that impact taxes are charged early in a project which contributes to higher upfront costs. That was said, this is largely due to borrowing considerations. This bill instead creates a revenue neutral way for the county to help lower upfront housing construction costs for developers. Delaying when developers are required to pay impact taxes can reduce their overall financing costs, and this change will more closely align the payment of these taxes with the delivery of actual housing units. Moreover, we think this change increases the county's regional economic competitiveness. And second, it's not just the economic impact for developers and on the county. There's a positive impact on the county's housing stock, which is just as important in our mutual priority, the chambers and yours, to address the housing challenges that Montgomery County faces. This change will increase the housing stock of affordable residential units by creating more opportunities for development. And I also want to draw your attention to the terrific analysis done on this bill. If you take a look at the staff analysis, you'll see that for one, there are no anticipated significant impact on operations or revenues with the passage of this bill. And here's something that the Chamber always likes to see. The Office of Legislative Oversight's Economic Impact Analysis anticipates a positive impact on economic conditions in the county. So in closing, I wanted to add that our Chamber, the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, applaud the council's efforts to take a closer look at the policy side of impact taxes, and we ask that you include the Chamber and the business community, of course, in these conversations on any workgroups that are examining this issue and the impact of impact taxes. So thank you again. The chamber is in strong support of this bill. Thank you to the sponsor for introducing and the co-sponsors for supporting it. And we ask for your favoral consideration of 2224. Thank you very much. Now we'll go to our virtual speakers and I think first we have Ms. Harris. Good afternoon, Council President and members of the County Council. I'm Pat Harris with Lurterly and Brewer on behalf of many developer clients to express strong support for Bill 2224. A lot of what I'm going to say you've already heard this bill falls under the category of common sense legislation. It's helpful to development and comes at no cost to the county. It's certainly a win-win when we thank Councilmember Glass for introducing for sponsoring it and also to all the other co-sponsors. Allowing impact taxes to be paid at the time of final inspection of the building is beneficial in two ways. First, postponing the payment until the time of final inspection of the building is beneficial in two ways. First, postponing the payment until the end of the process lowers the upfront construction costs, which makes obtaining the needed financing more viable. As we are all too well aware from our experiences over the past few years, a number of projects have stalled or have in fact died because the financing was not available. Lowering the construction financing costs in whatever way possible increases the ability to secure the necessary financing so that these projects can move forward. Secondly, it is financially more feasible to make the impact tax payment at the end of the development process when an income stream is imminent. So we thank you for the introduction of this and we encourage the county council's support of the legislation. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next we have Peter Sivari. Hi, good afternoon. Thank you, council members, for your time this afternoon. Peter Sivari, I'm an attorney with McMillan Metro Ferber. Today I'm here in my role as the chapter chair for the Montgomery County chapter of Maryland Building Industry Association. MBIA supports Bill 2224, and you've heard from a lot of really effective speakers so far, and I'm essentially going to repeat most of what they said, and also we submitted similar comments by a letter. But I do want to touch on a few points. We see this as the first step in logically re-examining Montgomery County's burdensome development impact tax structure and requiring payment of a development impact tax at the time of final inspection by DPS makes far more sense practically speaking than the current model of six to 12 months after building permanent issuance. The impact as other speakers have said, the impact of development does not actually occur until the building is occupied, so there is no real nexus for tying payment of the tax to the sort of arbitrary timeline rather than a point in time that is more reliably certain to relate to when the impact will occur. So to put it another way, there is no impact on schools or roads until occupancy occurs and there cannot be occupancy until there's a final inspection by DPS. So again as some other speakers have mentioned depending on the project, those timelines and the obligations that lead up to that inspection can vary greatly. And in some cases, the payment of a substantial impact tax fee will create material delays or stall the project entirely by pulling too early from the budget. Their instances where construction loan funds are used in order to pay the impact taxes and then that all affects the cash flow later to actually perform the task of getting again to the final inspection. So again, those cases may create sort of the absurd structure of slowing or stalling a process on the actual construction of the building that would eventually and we continue to encourage the council to look at the The statutes that currently exist and we would be happy to have future means on those policies, but as a broader That's a broader topic for another day this narrow topic. We are in strong support of this bill and we think it's a fair step forward. Thank you Thank you very much. Those are all the registered speakers we had today, so this public hearing is now closed. Thank you for coming today. Next, we'll turn to item number eight and it's a public hearing on a resolution to approve supplemental appropriation, number 25-35 to the FY25 operating budget, Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services infrastructure positions 189,087 dollars the source of funds is general funds undesignated reserves a joint health and human services and government operation and physical policy Committee work session will be scheduled at a later date. Those wishing to submit material for the council's consideration should do so by the close of business on December 12, 2024. There are no registered voters, excuse me, speakers for this hearing. The public hearing is now closed. Item 9 is a public hearing on a resolution to approve supplemental appropriation, number 25-30 to the FY 25 operating budget Montgomery County Government Department of Health and Human Services youth vaping and nicotine addiction response for 1,672,848,000 dollars the source of funds is general funds HHS restricted other for the jewel Altria settlement a health and Human Services Committee work session will be scheduled at a later date. Those wishing to submit material for the council's consideration should do so by the close of business on December 12th, 2024. There are no registered speakers for this hearing, this public hearing is now closed. Moving on to item 10 is a public hearing on a resolution to approve supplemental appropriation, number 25-15. To the FY25 operating budget Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, behavioral health and crisis services, competitive victims of crime act. It is a grant for $387,925. The source of funds is a state grant. Council action is scheduled immediately following this hearing. There are no registered voters for this hearing. So this public hearing is now closed. Is there a motion to approve supplemental appropriations 20 to 5-15? So I have council, my council vice president, Jawando moved it and I heard council member, sales second, all those in favor, please raise their hands. And that is unanimous. The next item is also a public hearing and item, an action item is item number 11 and the public hearing is on a resolution to approve supplemental appropriation 25-27 to the FY 25 operating budget Montgomery County government department of police federal federal FY 24 Bureau of Justice Assistance invited to apply discretionary grants program crime laboratory information management system awards of 960 3000 dollars The source of the funds is a federal grant. Council action is scheduled immediately following this hearing. There are no registered speakers for this hearing, so the public hearing is now closed. Is there a motion to approve the supplemental appropriations 25-27? So moved. I have a council member, Luki, moved and council member Kat seconded it. All those in favor please raise your hand. And that is unanimous. Moving on to item 12, which is also a public hearing and action item. It's a public hearing on a resolution to approve supplemental appropriation 25-26 to the FY25 operating budget, Montgomery County Government, Department of Police Bureau of Justice Assistant Grant Program, Federal FY24 Burn Discretionary Grants Program, Crisis Co-Response Team Award for $700,000. The source of funds is a federal grant. Council action is scheduled immediately following the hearing. There are no registered speakers for this hearing. This public hearing is now closed. Is there a motion to approve supplemental appropriation 25-26? I have Council member Katz, move council member, Lukey second, all those in favor, please raise your hand. And that is unanimous for that. Moving on to item 13, also a public hearing and an action item, this is a public hearing on a resolution proof supplemental appropriation 25-2 to the FY25 Capital Budget Montgomery County Government Department of General Services Energy Conservation MCG Number P507-834 in the amount of 1,384,533 dollars the source of funds is utility incentives Council action is scheduled immediately following the hearing there are no no registered speakers for this hearing. This public hearing is now closed. Is there a motion to approve supplemental appropriation 25-2? So moved. Councilmember Luki moved. Councilmember Balkham seconded. All those in favor, please raise your hand. And that is unanimous for that supplemental. Item number 14 is a public hearing and action item. This is a public hearing on resolution to approve supplemental appropriation 25-31 to the FY 25 capital budget Montgomery County government department of general services, excellent PEPCO merger fund number P362105 in the amount of $2002,000, $2002,000, $2002,000, $2002,000, $268,000, a source of funds, is utility merger funds. Council action is scheduled immediately following this hearing. There are no registered speakers for this hearing. The public hearing is now closed. Is there a motion to approve supplemental appropriation 25-31? Thank you. Council Member Glass-Mood, Council Member Balkham II. All those in favor, please raise your hand. As unanimous. Item number 15 is also a public hearing in action. Is the public hearing on a resolution to approve supplemental appropriation 25-28 to the FY25 operating budget Montgomery County Government non-departmental account working families income supplement in the amount of $746,521 source of funds is a federal grant. Council action is scheduled immediately following the hearing. There are no registered speakers for this hearing. the public hearing is now closed. Is there a motion to approve supplemental appropriations 25-28 council member sales move do I have a second? Council member Malcolm second all those in favor please raise your hand and that is unanimous. Great that they are all our supplemental. I'm going to get your go out. We will now move on to our next agenda item, which is item number 16. It is an interview for a vacancy on the advisory commission on policing. And we're welcoming Mr. Mollzak to join us. We appreciate you coming today and joining us and for your interest in serving on the Advisory Commission on Policing. The duties of the Advisory Commission on Policing is to advise the Council on policing matters, provide information regarding best practices on policing matters, recommend policy, programs, legislation, or regulations, programs, legislation, or regulations for council's consideration, comment on matters referred to it by the council, conduct community outreach for community input on policing matters, accept correspondence, and comments from members of the public and engage in public education. Bill 32-23 established that each council member must nominate an individual to serve on the commission. There is a vacancy on the commission for council member Luki and we're here to interview today to fill that position. Mr. Mohsack, I have a few questions for you and then I will turn it to my colleagues for any additional questions. Again, thank you for joining us today. Our first question for you today is please describe why you would like to be on the commission and provide some of your background and experience and what makes you qualified for this position. Sure, thank you. Thank you council members for inviting me here today. Councilman Lutkay, thank you very much. I decided to volunteer for this commission because I wanted to provide relief for the hundreds if not thousands of Montgomery County residents that served on these various commissions to advise our elected officials for the 20 years that I've been a resident here in Montgomery County. And also for the many Montgomery County residents who's because of their jobs or family obligations are unable to serve on these commissions at this time. I feel that I am eminently qualified to be a representative commission, the advisory commission to policing for my background. I'm a retired detective for the New York City Police Department for 20 years. I served in the New York City Crime Scene Unit. In some court testimonies, the between district attorney and the legal officials there, they determined that I had been present or investigated over 7,000 crime scenes in the city of New York. The most notable of which was on 9-11. When I myself and my unit, my partner, we'd first crimes unit to respond to the disaster at the World Trade Center. I was to retire one month later. However, due to the gravity of the situation, all retirements were put off put off in the next extra nine months. My retirement didn't last long. For a few months later, I was chosen to be a special agent in the Office of Inspector General with the Peace Corps. In that duties, in detecting waste, fraud, abuse, and promoting economy effectiveness and economy in the agency. I had to go to approximately 40 countries to aid Peace Corps volunteers who were the unfortunate victims of crimes in those countries and also to aid those police departments so that those volunteers would receive justice. I stayed there for about five years in transition to the Department of Defense. The Peace Corps has had at that time a five year rule for membership. I went to the Department of Defense and served also with the Office of Inspector General of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. I conducted investigations there and also assisted the Inspector General in preparing the semi-annual report to Congress to HIPSEE and SISI, which is the House Permanent Committee for Intelligence and the Senate. And for the last since 2014 2014 I've been retired. Thank you so much for that. My next question is one of the commission's primary purposes is to provide information to the council on best practices on policing matters. How do you determine what a best practice is and what are some important policing practices that you'd like to explore? Yes, it's ironic that some of the best police practices are emanating from, emanate from some of the worst. It's a diagnosis of what problems and situations have gone wrong to improve upon them. And at the same time here to look at various other policies to how situations were handled, where an optimal ending has come out of that situation. The in in past policing is a evolving profession in that people have a need to be a certain that the police are there to serve and protect their community and at the same time here to make certain that tragedies that happen during policing don't re-acquire. Thank you. Another part of that question is how do you plan to bring to the forefront racial equity and social justice issues related to policing practices? That's a very difficult task. It's a problem that's nationwide. Finding police officers to take these jobs is a difficult situation. In going around the world, seeing police departments around the world, the profession of policing is many times a very coveted position. But here in the United States, we have a history, particularly among African-Americans, where it's not always been that way. We have images doing as separates, Gira. You have images of John Lewis scaring across the bridge, Martin Luther King being taken to a Birmingham jail by a police force who did not look like them. And it's important that our police forces around the United States look like the people who live in the neighborhood, who are part of their community. In the past, various different types of efforts have been made to encourage various ethnic groups to join the police force. And these things have not, they have not run into the types of results that we really wanted so far. I think we have to also go to other fraternal organizations, such as Noble, which is the National Organization, Black Law Enforcement, there's other types of fraternal organizations that might be able to help bring these things about. Also, an item that the ACP may also all look into is the lateral transfers of law enforcement agents offices from other police departments here in Montgomery County. Montgomery County is a beautiful place to live. And it's something that the Montgomery County's schools do, where they look for expertise outside of our region. There might be offices in the rank and file, or even executive positions that might want to move to Montgomery County to help and build up the personnel that we have there now. These are items that need to be looked into and examined if it's feasible. Great. My next question is how do you envision community engagement to help the ACP better understand what current MCPD policies and practices are effective and identify policies that warrant further examination? First up, what I would do is I would look to learn and analyze what has been done in the past and how those Efforts might be in print upon and also at the same time here too Might look into the ACP looking into What they term sometimes as second signals intelligence or More common new known as social media. What our public is saying virtually, these items might be examined to find out where there's a need for our police to get engaged and how to engage the community. Thank you. My last question before I turn to colleagues is are there any conflicts of interest that you are aware of and you have the time to commit to serving on the commission including mandatory training that will be required? No I don't believe I have any type of conflicts and I'd be amenable to any type of training that would be necessary. Great I will turn it first to Vice President Joando. Thank you Madam President. Thank you Mr. Mosec. Yes. I pronounce that right. Great. For applying and putting you so forward and thank you for just participating in community affairs. Thank you for your service as well. I really appreciated your resume. You said from 2014 to present, which I now understand meant you were retired, where it says, on hiatus and engaged, and things not done. I wanted to to ask, what have you been doing the last 10 years and just for my edification, but also in any way, has any of that helped color or prepare you or pique your interest for this role that you're now seeing. Sure. The way I, of course, of time I've done reading and writing. A lot of times the reading and writing that was necessary for the job was not exactly my preferable reading and writing material. Also. Making it related to that. Yes. A lot of times too, I've been engaged with the American Entomological Society. I'm a board entomologist, a board certified entomologist, which came handy in a crime scene unit in the fields of forensic entomology. Also, from my background with the NGA, I stay with alumni groups with a deal with like-minded cartographers and geo-intramational systems analysis around the world. So my wife and I, we have done traveling various places around the world that we were not able to in the past. Well, I really appreciate that. I'll keep those things in mind. And you're going to round out, hopefully, the whole group. And we have a full commission. It's really important work. So thank you for putting us in the mold. Thank you. Thank you. Council member Katz. Thank you very much, Madam President and Mr. Mosec. Thank you for your willingness to serve. When you started out, you said that you were certainly uniquely qualified. I believe we have never had anyone with your background, any more unique for a committee. And so it's truly very impressive. Because of your background, and of course we're going gonna need to call on your expertise to to help us Because of your background do you have Suggestions for the best way for a police department to engage the community everybody has a good heart to do it The question is how do we get people? How do we get each side the police as well as the public to engage with each other? Do you have any suggestion? That's an excellent question. And Maryland should be proud of itself for in the 90s. One of my first police permission was Benjamin Ward, he was the first African American police permission in the city of New York. And he instituted something known as community policing. And it was something that was grabbed upon by police departments all across the United States. It started in Glen Arden, Maryland, where they instituted what was known and still known as midnight basketball. And this was a time where police officers made the basketball courts a safe place where African-American youths could come and play basketball without fear of violent crime. And it was an opportunity at the same time that police were able to meet them and they were able to meet the police. Community policing is a wonderful way for community to handle problems together. We discuss these things. Sometimes in this era that we're in, there was an effort to defund the police and community policing is kind of at odds at that because it requires police officers more manpower. It also means different hours and it requires some types of efforts for officers doing that type of during that type of work and I believe that we do need to get back to a community policing type of efforts. Thank you very much. Have you ever decided to write a book? I'd be more than happy to read it. I'm sure there are those who would be happy that you didn't write it probably but be more than happy to read it and I look forward to voting for you. Thank you very much. Thank you. I'm sure there are those who would be happy that you didn't write it probably, but be more than happy to read it and I look forward to voting for you. Thank you very much. Thank you, Council Member Mink. Hello, thank you very much for your willingness to serve and for being with us here today. You know, you have it, as Council Member Kat said, you bring a really unique mix of experiences here. And one of the ones that I'm noting is that you have been in the federal space and you've also been in the state space. And so you bring that perspective. And we're moving into a time in which some of the federal policies that we might see are going to differ from what our police are going to be doing here at the local level. And that's something that we have navigated before. We don't know exactly what it will look like this time, but it seems likely that we'll be navigating that again. But given your experiences and the perspective that you bring, do you have thoughts about how we can navigate that moving thoughts about how we can navigate that moving forward and how we can ensure that our residents here feel safe, including safe from policies that we may be asking our police not to participate in more than they need to. It's very interesting and it's a very good question. In a professional policing where the the adage is to serve and to protect we have other professions such as in a medical profession where physicians and nurses as far as do no harm. And there's a collaboration for in a medical profession where physicians and nurses as far as do no harm. And there's a collaboration for medical people in the same profession. They have to have some type of dialogue and have an understanding of what's needed and what needs to be done and how that's to be done. I know we all have doctors and physicians and sometimes some physicians have to consult with other physicians and you would like them to be frank as to the information and sharing that type of information even among attorneys. You have a type of collaboration. They may be on different sides of the aisle and stuff like that, but they collaborate in some manner. We have to find the same way too, while observing local, state local laws with the federal laws. We have to find some types of common ground. It will serve the best interest of nation and no further people in the community. Thank you, I appreciate that. And I also just wanted to thank you for your reference in your earlier remarks to the history of policing during the civil rights movement. I don't think that we have heard that before in answer to that question. And I think that that was important. And I thank you for including them. Thank you, Ben. Thank you, Councilmember including them. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Councilmember Luki. Thank you. And thank you, Mr. Mollzack, for your willingness to serve. And I did want to note, it was very clearly noted in your resume that you excelled in writing at college and that you are also a member of the Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators, which I have to say is super cool. So I don't know if in the past 10 years, any children's books have bubbled up, but there's still time for that. So my question for you, since the advisory committee on policing is a collaborative discussion space to work through issues and to then subsequently inform this body. How would you make sure that the advisory committee on policing creates unbiased spaces for residents to express their opinions on what is always a sensitive topic, including welcoming and encouraging individuals with differing viewpoints to participate? How would you do that? That's very important. How I would go about it is in many ways in my past professions is that to make people feel comfortable, we'd have to ask them, where could we perhaps wake or meet? And it definitely wouldn't be a police station. It would be, perhaps that it could be at the House of Worship, it could be at a place or library, it would be a place that they would feel comfortable. And also it's important that two members of the ACP be present, preferably of the opposite gender, and also perhaps even a person of a similar type of ethnic background, ethnic or cultural background, to make the people feel comfortable and to understand what their problem or grievance might be towards a police or even an issue. And that's how I go about it. Thank you. Council Member Sales. Thank you, Madam President. Good afternoon, Mr. Mollzac. Thank you for your interest. As the demand for mental health crisis intervention continues to rise, what role do you think the police should have in responding to these crises? Additionally, how would you advocate for alternative responses to mental health emergencies? That's another very good question. Because in another era, a person who was sleeping on a park bench might be brought up or just would a night stick by a police initiative summons for vagrancy. And we'd be, well, not myself, but police and we'd be attacking the individual rather than attacking the problem, attacking the problem of homelessness and perhaps of a mental illness. I'm glad to say that we don't handle that like that anymore. We shouldn't be handling it that way anymore. There's a greater integration of social workers who have joined forces with the police to address these problems and the issues and to aid the police in people who are having mental distress situations or might be homeless in these types of environments. It's something that which should have been done years ago and society has become more sensitive to these types of issues. And did you have any alternatives to recommend? I would say that they should continue that types of things, the integration of social workers when it is advisable, because the jury is still out on, or the success of psychiatrists and social workers and with police. We wouldn't want to have any situation where one of them were injured or we mismanaged the situation or the underestimated the gravity of the situation. So it's a tight integration that across the United States will still be in work done. Are you familiar with our CIT program? Excuse me? Are you familiar with our current program that connects counselors with first responders when responding to mental crises? No, I'm not completely aware about how that has that functioning. All right. Thank you. Thank you. I'm not seeing any other colleagues wanting to speak or ask a question. I just want to, again, thank you Mr. Mosec for putting yourself forward and your willingness to serve on the commission. And personally I just want to say having grown up the granddaughter of a New York City police officer, thank you so much for your service. And I just really look forward to working with you and your service on our commission. So thank you, have a wonderful day and that is all for thank you very much everyone. Thank you. Thank you. All right. The next item is our last one for today. It's item number 17. This is an action on a resolution to approve amendments to the comprehensive water supply and sewage systems plan. water and sewer category change request. The Transportation Environment Committee recommends approval with amendments. I'm going to turn it over to Chair Glass, who will share the committee's recommendations. Very good. Thank you very much, Madam President. I see everybody getting situated, so I will share for my colleagues in the public the three items that are before us right now. This is a resolution to approve amendments to the Comprehensive Water Supply and Suer Systems Plan. And there are three situations, as I noted, the first one, and I'm gonna go through all three, and then we can engage in any questions. Should there be any? The first one is a request from Logos Homes, and they have requested public water and public sewer to serve a proposed single family. The T&E Committee unanimously concurred with the County Executive, the Planning Board and Council staff to approve this public water hookup to serve a single family home and It's also important to note that the committee express support for the Planning Board's recommendation to consider a septic study of that particular area in the future Recognizing that these requests will probably become more frequent. The second item is a request from a home owner, Mr. Mohebby, who is requested public sewer, be hooked up to his single family home. This was actually a split vote on the committee, two to one. I was the dissenting vote. I express support for the hookup, but the committee ultimately deferred this request for public sewer pending further septic monitoring and improvements by the applicant in coordination with the Department of Permitting Services. There was an extra layer of conversation about the Maryland Department of the environment and how we work with them to determine what is a failing septic system and the thresholds for that and that is an ongoing conversation. And then the third item is from property owner Mr. Alash who's requesting public sewer for his single family home and the T&E committee deferred that request for public sewer for his single family home and the TNE Committee deferred that request for public sewer pending the result of a WSSC water study of the entire Palantine low pressure system because as I just noted that area of Montgomery County has a low pressure sewer system and adding any more capacity to it might have detrimental effects to all the existing property owners and single-family homes. And so DEP staff will work with WSSC to develop a scope of work for potential study of this area of how there can be more homes and more redevelopment should be needed while also accommodating the water flow that currently exists. I'll turn it back to you, Madam President. Thank you, Chair glass. Mr. Lichenko, do you have anything in addition to add? Yeah, just to note a couple items on the first item, Logus Homes that Mr. Glass noted. The executive planning board and committee were unanimous in their support for the public water portion of that request that Mr. Glass mentioned. The issue on that one is actually on the sewer side. They're also requesting public sewer. And there we had split recommendations, the executive had recommended denial, citing that the master plan that this area was outside of the planned sewer envelope, and that there were no exceptional water and sewer plan policies that would fit in this particular case. The planning board was sympathetic to the applicant's request for sewer and recommended approval. And also noted that a septic study of the area or perhaps a policy that there could be other avenues to approach if it were to be ultimately denied by MDE. And then on the a loss request, I did want to clarify that in that case there is a documented septic failure. So there's not an issue of, as there is with a heavy request, whether there's not clarity as to the status of the system and DPS has not identified a failure there in its inspection. With a loss, there is a documented failure. The problem is, as Councilmember Glass mentioned, the capacity of the low pressure system is such that WCC water does not recommend any additional hookups, unless a further study identifies capacity, or if it does not identify capacity, that improvements could be made to the system to provide that capacity for this property and perhaps others that are in this type of situation. Thank you, Miss. LeChenko. I have Council Member Luki. Thank you, Madam President. I just had a couple of questions or things that maybe you could clarify about the Norwood property, which is in my district. So my understanding is all the other properties surrounding this particular property, which is in my district. So my understanding is all the other properties surrounding this particular property either already have a septic, have, yes, have hookup or have had a category change approved for their properties. Is that right? Yeah, although the area, as I mentioned, is outside the planned envelope, those properties for various policy reasons were approved, whether it was under the private and institutional facilities policy or a failed septic system. They were able to get approval for their individual properties. Okay, and this is the last one left in that area. They are surrounded by these other properties. Yes, they're landlocked by them. And in fact, to serve this property, the extension would actually have to cross there have to be an easement either from the north of the west to serve them. Okay, and then I know you mentioned that there was discussion about doing some kind of study of the area. And I wondered if you could, because this seems different than to use another example that I think the body is intimately familiar with is the the Gwen Hills area. So our office has not had concerns raised in and around the area that would indicate the need for a sort of a geographic targeted the graphic targeted survey. But what I do think might be interesting, given this fact pattern, right, is to do an assessment of the fact pattern that was presented to see what gaps there are in our existing policies and how they maybe then subsequently applied to other similarly situated fact patterns in the county, right, that might help guide these types of things better in the future. Does that make sense? Yeah, certainly the council could consider a sort of a hole in the donut policy, if you will. Right. Like this case or last house in the block that's not served or, you know, that kind of situation. We didn't do that as part of this analysis, so we don't know the scale of what that would be countywide. But I think in this case, the committee was sympathetic because of those very reasons that it's a landlocked property surrounded by sewer, extending it to this property does not extend the envelope per se because you're surrounded by areas that are already served. So for all those reasons, the committee was supportive. The concern, certainly if the state would be that we don't have a policy specific to that. And that's something that we could look at. Right. And I guess that was my question, right, is what's the best mechanism for analyzing and finding a way to fulfill the state's concern of we don't have a policy for that. So how do we take what we were given with this fact pattern, do an analysis and sort of kick it around from all sides and then come up with a policy that then fills that gap that we are currently experiencing in our existing policies? Well, the council has the ability to amend the Water and Sewer plan at any time. As it turns out, we will be getting a comprehensive update recommendation from the executive next year. Okay. So that's certainly a appropriate time to consider a policy like this. What we would do is ask DEP staff to work with us to identify what a type of policy like this and what the implications would be, how many properties might be affected, what the guardrails would be on something like that. And then it would be brought, you know, the executive could weigh in on it, decide whether he supports it or not. And then the council could ultimately decide as part of the comprehensive update whether to support that. Then that policy would also have to go to the Maryland Department of Environment for their review, too, just like these category changes do. Right. Great. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you for raising those questions. I think we had a lively debate in conversation and transportation and environment committee on that. Let's see. Councilmember Balkham. A T& E committee member. Thanks, I was just gonna say the same thing. We had a lengthy conversation about how to look at the code and look at this hole in the donut. Because in this situation, it was very clear to the committee that we wanted to approve the connection. But it really needs to be a global study to look at how does that impact all the other holes and all the other donuts that we need to look at and capacity wise how that works. So I'm assuming that we would do that next year. Right, although I do want to clarify the committee's recommendation was to approve this particular request. Yeah. All right, not seeing any other colleagues who want to speak. We have a recommendation from the TNE committee, which serves as a motion. Those in favor of approving the water and sewer category changes as recommended, please raise your hand. That is unanimous. All right. That is our recommendations. So the committee recommendations move forward. That was our last item today. So this Council meeting is now adjourned. Thank you very much.