Montgomery County Welcomes ÜberOffices

Here's the press release from the Department of Economic Development:

The Montgomery County Department of Economic Development will join in celebrating the opening of ÜberOffices’ new Bethesda location. The new, affordable and cutting-edge co-working office space at 7315 Wisconsin Avenue is the company’s first location in Maryland. 

Designed with start-ups, entrepreneurs, small businesses and freelancers in mind, ÜberOffices offers everything from a single desk, to mid-sized offices, to impressive corner suites – all fully furnished. Tenants also benefit from shared amenities including conference rooms, private call rooms and ultra-high-speed internet. 

“ÜberOffices provides just the type of low-maintenance, high-yield office space that today’s savvy entrepreneurs and small businesses are looking for to help them grow and succeed,” said Steve Silverman, director, Montgomery County Department of Economic Development. “We welcome this new wave of boutique-style office space to the County and have no doubt Bethesda will prove to be a hugely successful market for ÜberOffices’ first Maryland location.”

White Oak Master Plan Overview Changed to June 17

There has been a change to the Draft White Oak Science Gateway Master Plan schedule I announced last week. So that all Councilmembers can benefit from the Planning Board's overview of the draft plan, we will hold it at the full Council meeting on June 17 instead of at the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee meeting on June 16. There will be no PHED meeting on June 16.

Council Approves Budget

Today we took our final vote on the FY15 budget. Overall, this is a good budget that maintains fiscal responsibility while restoring some of the cuts we had to make during the recession, particularly in the areas that serve our most vulnerable.

The really good news is that we were able to provide Montgomery County Public Schools with all the resources it requested. We achieved this through a collaborative effort with the County Executive, the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Schools. We also increased funding for Montgomery College to provide for additional staffing and programming, especially in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and biomedical fields.

I’m very pleased that we made economic development and job creation a high priority in this budget. We fully funded the Montgomery Business Development Corporation so that it can continue to provide us with an invaluable business perspective on expanding our economy. We also added new positions in the Department of Economic Development that will allow the department to enhance its programs. With these decisions, we are investing in long-term job growth. Only through job creation will our residents, and our county as a whole, be able to achieve the future we envision.

Also with an eye to helping families and businesses thrive, we decreased the proposed energy tax. While I wish we could eliminate the energy tax increase from FY11 entirely, I’m glad we at least were able to reduce it by seven percent. Times remain tough for many of our residents and businesses, so any relief we can provide will help.

One other highlight--this budget increases spending for roadway and tree maintenance, which I know will make a lot of people happy as these programs really needed the boost.

Thanks to our Council President, Craig Rice, for his steady leadership throughout the budget process. There were a lot of moving parts this year, and he did a great job managing it all. Learn more.

Local Farmers Markets Now Open

From now through the end of October, Montgomery County’s farmers’ markets will offer customers fresh, healthful produce and artisanal products at 25 locations across the County.

The markets offer traditional items like fruits, heirloom tomatoes, cut flowers and preserves. Adventurous shoppers will also find unique items including free-range meat, micro-greens, layer cakes and even a fish truck that sells mahi tacos. Chocolate and Tomatoes, a Poolesville farm, plans to sell epazote -- a Mexican herb, indigo rose tomatoes and the shoots of hops.

To ensure access to healthful products, many Montgomery County farmers’ market vendors accept SNAP, WIC and senior farmers market nutrition program benefits.

Apply Now to the Board of Appeals

Here is the full press release:

The Montgomery County Council is seeking applicants for a vacancy on the Montgomery County Board of Appeals. Catherine Titus’s second term will expire in September 2014.  She also serves as chair of the board.

County law provides that the Council may designate a member of the board for the position of chair.  The Council will select a new chair from among the current or new members of the board in conjunction with this appointment process. 

Applications for the position must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 16.  Interviews for the vacancy are anticipated to be scheduled in September.

By law no more than three members of the board shall be from the same political party. The position can only be filled by a Republican or by a voter who declines to affiliate with a party; or by a member of another party officially recognized by the Montgomery County Board of Elections. In addition to Ms. Titus (Republican), the other members of the board are John Pentecost (Democrat), David Perdue (declined to affiliate), Carolyn Shawaker (Democrat) and Stan Boyd (Democrat).

Members of the board receive $15,032.30 annually, with the chair receiving $21,245.62.  Salaries are adjusted annually each December to reflect 50 percent of the change in the Washington Area Consumer Price Index.

Duties of the Board of Appeals include making decisions on most applications for special exceptions as provided in the Zoning Ordinance; hearing and deciding requests for variances from development standards contained in the Zoning Ordinance; and hearing appeals from certain administrative decisions rendered by county government agencies.

The board normally holds weekly hearings all day Wednesday and worksessions every other week. If necessary to accommodate an extended caseload or continued hearings, the board schedules hearings on other weekdays. Members are expected to prepare for the hearings by reading the cases to be heard and to share the workload of drafting and editing opinions or to follow-up on investigations on specific cases. Members work approximately 15-25 hours a week.

The principal jurisdiction of the Board of Appeals (concerning special exceptions and variances under the Zoning Ordinance) does not include the municipalities of Barnesville, Brookeville, Gaithersburg, Laytonsville, Poolesville, Rockville and Washington Grove.  The normal Council practice is not to appoint residents of those municipalities to the board.

Letters expressing interest, including a resume listing professional and civic experience, political party affiliation, home and office telephone numbers and an email address, should be addressed to: Council President Craig Rice, County Council Office, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20850 or can be emailed to county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov.  Applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. on July 16.  It is the Council’s policy not to consider applications received after the deadline.  After the application closing date Councilmembers will review the letters of application and select applicants for interviews, which will be held in September.

Letters of application and resumes are made public as part of the appointment process. Interviews are open to the public and will be televised.  A financial statement of assets, debts, income and family property interests will be required of all applicants. Only the appointed candidate will be required to make the financial statement available to the public.

Holiday Schedule for Memorial Day

Here's our holiday schedule for Memorial Day, Monday, May 26:

~ Libraries – closed
~ County liquor stores – open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
~ Recreation – all indoor and outdoor aquatic facilities will be open; administrative offices,
   senior centers and community recreation centers will be closed
~ Montgomery Parks – for operating schedules, including Brookside Gardens, ice rinks,
   tennis centers, trains and carousels, visit www.MontgomeryParks.org.
~ Ride On – Sunday schedule
~ Metrobus – Sunday schedule
~ Metrorail – Sunday schedule
~ TRiPS Commuter Stores (Silver Spring and Friendship Heights) – closed
~ Refuse/recycling pickup – no collection*
~ Transfer Station – closed
~ Parking at public garages, lots, curbside meters – free
~ MCPS Administrative Offices – closed
~ State offices and courts – closed

* Collection provided one day later for remainder of week (last collection day is Saturday).

Schedule for White Oak Science Gateway Master Plan

We now have the tentative schedule for the Planning Housing and Economic Development Committee and the full Council's consideration of the Draft White Oak Science Gateway Master Plan. The first of six planned committee meetings is scheduled for June 16. The full Council is tentatively scheduled to meet on the plan on July 22 and to take action on it July 29.

The White Oak Plan provides the County Council with the opportunity to shape the long-term goals and objectives for the area that spans Hillandale, White Oak/Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Cherry Hill. When the federal government consolidated the FDA at the White Oak Federal Research Center, it created the catalyst for business opportunities related to the federal agency. The County will re-examine the master plan as a first step toward realizing those opportunities.

There is tremendous economic development potential in the White Oak area. We are going to work as quickly as we can on this plan so that we can start bringing good jobs to that part of the County sooner rather than later.

The Planning Board’s Draft Master Plan envisions the reorientation of the area’s shopping centers from the existing auto-dependent suburban model to a mixed-use area served by transit. Residents there have expressed a desire for expanded dining and shopping opportunities and more jobs closer to home. 

The PHED Committee schedule regarding the White Oak Master Plan:

June 16 – Planning Board overview of the Draft Plan
July 1 – Discussion of transportation issues
July 3 – Transportation issues, continued
July 7 – Discussion of land use issues
July 10 – Land use issues, continued
July 16 – Land use issues, continued

The full Council’s schedule regarding the White Oak Master Plan:

July 22 – Full Council worksession
July 29 – Final vote

The meetings will be held at the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. They will be televised live on television or online by County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon). The broadcast will be streamed at:
 www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/ondemand/index.html.

The September 2013 Planning Board Draft of the White Oak Science Gateway Master Plan can be viewed at:
http://www.montgomeryplanning.org/community/wosg/documents/PlanningBoardDraft_002.pdf.
The REVISED pages of the Planning Board Draft Master Plan (approved by the Board on December 19, 2013) can be viewed at:
http://www.montgomeryplanning.org/community/wosg/documents/attachment_1_masterplan_%20revised_pages_web.pdf.
The Planning Board's proposed amendments to the 2012-2016 Subdivision Staging Policy (approved by the County Council on November 13, 2012) that support recommendations in the Draft Master Plan can be viewed at:
http://www.montgomeryplanning.org/community/wosg/documents/attachment_2_proposed_SSP_amendmentsfinal.pdf

Interactive Storm Map Shows Road Closures

With this heavy rain, roads that are open and closed are rapidly changing, as crews work to reopen roads and close new areas reporting problems. You can check for storm-related road closures by using the Montgomery County Department of Transportation’s storm map. Enter an address or intersection to see whether an area has been closed due to floodwaters or downed trees or power lines. If the road is marked with a thick black line, it is closed. A barricade icon indicates that an intersection is closed.

Council Reaches Tentative Agreement on Budget

Today we tentatively passed the FY15 budget. Overall, this is a good budget that maintains fiscal responsibility while restoring some of the cuts we had to make during the recession, particularly in the areas that serve our most vulnerable.

The really good news is that we were able to provide Montgomery County Public Schools with its full funding request--achieved through a collaborative effort among the Council, the County Executive, the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Schools. We also increased funding for Montgomery College, which will provide for additional staffing and programming, especially in the STEM and biomedical fields.

I’m very pleased that we made economic development and job creation a high priority in this budget. We fully funded the Montgomery Business Development Corporation so that it can continue to provide us with an invaluable business perspective on expanding our economy. We also added new positions in the Department of Economic Development that will allow the department to enhance its programs. With these decisions, we are investing in our long-term growth. Only through job creation will our residents, and our county as a whole, be able to achieve the future we envision.

Also with an eye to helping families and businesses thrive, we decreased the proposed energy tax. While I wish we could eliminate the energy tax increase from FY11 entirely, I’m glad we at least were able to reduce it by seven percent. Times remain tough for many of our residents and businesses, so any relief we can provide will help.

One other highlight--this budget increases spending for roadway and tree maintenance, which I know will make a lot of people happy as these programs really needed the boost.

I want to thank our Council President, Craig Rice, for his steady leadership throughout the budget process. There were a lot of moving parts this year, and he did a great job managing it all. We will take our formal vote on May 22. Learn more.

Radio America Tomorrow

Tune in to Radio America tomorrow at 2:00, where I will discuss affordable housing, women in elected office and of course the budget with host Julie Rios Little. The Council has really stepped up its effort to provide information and outreach to our Spanish-speaking residents, and I'm glad to be a part of it.

Gazette Candidate Profile

The Gazette does a great job educating its readers about their options in local elections, especially with their candidate profiles. I've re-printed mine below, or you can check out the original.

As president of the Montgomery County Council in 2010, Nancy Floreen watched the toll that the country’s economic crisis took on the county.

It seemed as if every week brought another phone call from the state telling her that it would be sending less revenue to the county, Floreen (D-At Large) of Garrett Park said.

The recession was a “very jarring experience” for the council, she said.

But if you’re honest about challenges that need to be confronted, people will accept that, she said.

It was a formative experience for members who served at that time, Floreen said.

Only Council President Craig L. Rice (D-Dist. 2) of Germantown and Councilman Hans Riemer (D-At Large) of Takoma Park, both elected in 2010, were not on the council then.

Elected officials learn the most about people in hard times, and the council was faced with making deep cuts to many programs that members valued, she said.

Now, as the economy slowly recovers, the council faces a time when “not so many lines have to be drawn in the sand,” she said.

Floreen said one lesson she took away from the recession was the need to grow the county’s economic base and rely less on federal government jobs to provide work for residents.

Before being elected to the council in 2002, Floreen was the mayor of Garrett Park. She also served on the Maryland-National Park and Planning Commission from 1986 to 1994.

She is one of six Democrats running in the June 24 primary for four spots in the Nov. 4 general election. Four Republicans also are running, along with one Green Party member.

Floreen said she ran for council in 2002 because she was frustrated with county delays in building the Intercounty Connector highway, an issue she understood because of her background in land use policy.

Floreen said she sees jobs and dealing with the county’s growing diversity as two issues the next council will face.

Improving the economic climate to fill empty office and retail centers around the county needs to be a priority, she said. Also, the county needs to provide local jobs to keep its tax base sustainable.

Most residents don’t appreciate the depth of the economic and ethnic diversity that has come to the county the past 10 years, Floreen said.

As recently as 10 to 15 years ago, Montgomery used to be “pretty lily-white,” but that has changed, she said.

Part of the challenge for the council is to get those new residents involved in the civic process. Constituents probably go to their district council representatives first to deal with a problem, Floreen said.

But even as an at-large member representing an entire county of more than 1 million residents, she said, her office tries to be responsive to everyone who calls.

She also attends a wide variety of functions to get a feel for the problems residents are dealing with.

“I rack up a lot of miles on my car,” she said.

Funding Agreement for MCPS Reached

Good news. Our Education Committee today unanimously recommended that the Council adopt a plan that will provide Montgomery County Public Schools with its full funding request for the Fiscal Year 2015 operating budget and also for the MCPS Technology Modernization project without exceding the Maintenance of Effort requirement. The plan was a collaborative effort among the Council, the County Executive, the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Schools. Here's the press release:

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 12, 2014—The Montgomery County Council’s Education Committee today unanimously recommended that the Council adopt a plan that will provide Montgomery County Public Schools with its full funding request for the Fiscal Year 2015 operating budget and also for the MCPS Technology Modernization project.

The Education Committee, which is chaired by Council President Craig Rice and includes Councilmembers Phil Andrews and Cherri Branson, voted 3-0 to recommend that the Council approve the plan. The recommendation goes to the full Council for consideration on Wednesday, May 14. The Council is scheduled to reach a tentative agreement on the overall budget on Thursday, May 15, and is scheduled to formally adopt the budget on May 22. The budget will go into effect on July 1.

The recommended plan provides resources for the full amount of the Board's requested FY15 operating budget. It also provides the appropriate local resources to reflect the State's Maintenance of Effort (MOE) requirement, the State's pension shift requirement and the full amount of the MCPS general fund balance. The plan additionally funds the Board of Education’s requested increase for its Technology Modernization project in FY15 and FY16 through a combination of local funds and Federal E-rate funds.

The plan primarily achieves its objectives through a combination of drawing down the large fund balance in the MCPS Retiree Group Insurance Fund and the Other Post Employment Fund (OPEB) trust and by reallocating funds within the MCPS budget request from Category 12 (Fixed Charges) to educational priorities.

The plan funds the Board of Education’s operating budget request by providing $11.2 million from the existing MCPS general fund balance; $13.3 million from the excess MCPS Retired Employees Group Insurance fund balance; and $27.2 million applied from funds from the MCPS OPEB Trust to retired employees pay-as-you-go group insurance costs.

“I am pleased to announce a funding plan for the FY 2015 MCPS operating budget that fully meets the Board of Education’s request,” said Council President Rice. “The Council has developed this plan in collaboration with Board President Kauffman, Vice President O’Neill, Superintendent Starr and the County Executive.

“All of us are committed to investing in our students, focusing on the achievement gap and maintaining MCPS’ position as a national leader in education.  This plan provides the needed resources. 

“The plan fully funds the Board’s FY 2015 educational request by repurposing excess reserves for current retiree health benefits, while protecting support for future benefits in the Council’s FY 2015-2020 Fiscal Plan. In addition, the plan fully funds the Board’s FY 2015 Technology Modernization request in both the operating and the capital budgets.

“This plan achieves multiple goals by making judicious use of both new County resources and excess reserves.  Going forward, we will work with MCPS, as we do every year, to address future enrollment growth, negotiated agreements, and strategic investments to improve student achievement.” 

Honoring our Fallen Heroes

I was glad to have the opportunity yesterday to join the Montgomery County Police Department in paying tribute to and honoring our fallen heroes. Please take a moment to remember these officers who gave their lives in the line of duty, and if you have not yet had the chance, I encourage you to visit the Montgomery County Public Safety Memorial. You'll be glad you did.

Patrolman Joseph A. Case, December 17, 1928

Patrolman Webb S. Hersperger, June 18, 1933

Patrolman James E. Shoemaker, February 4, 1938

Private David G. Bisset, October 1, 1952

Private Robert L. McAllister, November 23, 1952

Lieutenant Willam H. Jessie, December 30, 1964

Lieutenant Donald A. Robertson, March 9, 1972

Private William P. Conboy, Jr., December 29, 1973

Captain James E. Daly, Jr. March 28, 1976

Corporal John M. Frontczak, March 29, 1976

Officer Philip C. Metz, March 27, 1981

Officer Mark M. Filer, August 24, 1993

Officer James. E. Walch, January 25, 1994

Captain Joseph A. Mattingly, Jr., September 13, 2003

Officer Luke T. Hoffman, April 25, 2007

Sergeant Hector I. Ayala, April 4, 2010

Officer William D. Talbert, January 27, 2012

Council to Interview Five for Planning Board Chair

On July 8 we will interview five candidates for chair of the Montgomery County Planning Board. They are Casey Anderson, Norman Dreyfuss, Mike Knapp, Rose Krasnow and Meredith Wellington. Current Board Chair Francoise Carrier’s term expires on June 14, and she indicated that she would not apply for reappointment. Eighteen people applied for the vacancy.

If we appoint either of the current board members, Mr. Anderson or Mr. Dreyfuss, there would be a vacant seat on the board. In that case, we would conduct a second round of interviews, selecting interviewees from the remaining applicants on the list.

Interviews are scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. on July 8, in the third floor hearing room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. The interviews are open to the public and will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery. The broadcast also will be streamed through the Council Web site at and will be available on demand within 24 hours.

Register, Change Parties or Make Updates by June 3

Here is the press release from the Board of Elections:

Montgomery County citizens who wish to vote in the 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election need to complete and submit their voter registration application no later than Tuesday, June 3, 2014, by 9:00 p.m.  Is your voter registration up to date, your political party affiliation correct, do you wish to change your political party affiliation or make any other changes to your voter registration? Make sure you update your registration prior to June 3, 2014, to prepare to vote.

Registering to vote requires that you must be a U.S. citizen, live in Montgomery County, Maryland, and be at least 18 years of age on or before November 4, 2014.

Visit www.777vote.org. to confirm that your registration is up to date or to download a voter registration application to mail to the Board of Elections. You may also call 240-777-VOTE to verify your voter registration using the automated phone system or visit the office in person at 18753 N. Frederick Avenue, Suite 210, in Gaithersburg. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; on Saturday, May 31, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and on Tuesday, June 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Applications are also available at county libraries, regional service centers, all offices of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, the State of Maryland Department of Motor Vehicles, and U.S. Post Offices.

For more information on voter registration, call 240-777-VOTE, visit www.777vote.org, the Maryland State Board of Elections’ website at http://elections.state.md.us, or follow the Montgomery County Board of Elections on Facebook or Twitter.

Choose Respect PSA Contest Winners

Congratulations to the 2014 Choose Respect PSA Video Contest winners from Watkins Mill High School. Students Max Soto, Abby Ross and Sam Zahed took first place among 55 submissions in the contest to raise awareness about dating violence. Check out the video and you will see why. Thanks, Craig Rice, for inviting the students to the Council so we could congratulate them in person.