Minimum Wage Impact Study

Hot off the press: here’s the Montgomery County, Maryland Minimum Wage Increase Impact Study.  The report addresses the impact on the county economy and labor market; the impact on the county government; the impact on county businesses; and the socioeconomic impacts. When the Council reconvenes in the fall we will take up Bill 28-17 that would increase the minimum wage to $15 by 2020 for many workers in Montgomery County. The current minimum wage is $11.50 per hour, and there are no requirements in law for further increases. In January the Council enacted a minimum wage bill in a vote of 5-4 that was subsequently vetoed by the County Executive. If you would like to weigh in on Bill 28-17, sign up to testify later this month at the public hearing to be held in late September; or send your written comments to county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov.

New Green Landscaping Business Certification Program

The Green Business Certification Program has expanded to include the Green Landscape Business Certification Program, and I was glad to help congratulate the first seven certified businesses yesterday in Garrett Park.

The new program expands eligibility for the Green Business Certification Program beyond businesses with office-based operations to the landscaping sector. It emphasizes actions landscape companies can take for their clients to enhance County environmental goals, including reducing or eliminating pesticides and fertilizers; planting native canopy trees; installing rain gardens to capture and filter stormwater; creating conservation landscapes; reducing mowing areas to cut emissions; and conserving water.

Landscape businesses, such as garden centers, or those offering design, installation or maintenance services are eligible for the program. To be certified, a landscape business must meet requirements from a checklist of over 130 actions. Learn more.

Nominate Your Business for a Small Business Award

This just in from Department of Economic Development: don’t miss the chance to nominate your company for recognition at DED’s first annual Small Business Awards luncheon. The invitation:

Join us and several hundred of your colleagues from throughout the County's diverse business community as we honor individuals and local organizations who have made significant contributions to the vitality of our local economy. We are currently accepting award nominations through COB April 22 in the following categories:

Bioscience Company of the Year
IT Company of the Year
Montgomery County BIN Company of the Year
Small Business Award (1-10 Employees)
Small Business Award (11-50 Employees)
Small Business Award (51-200 Employees)
Start-up Business of the Year
Workforce Development Award

Nominate your company or a deserving company you know today! Hurry, nominations are due by COB April, 22!

Plus, the awards luncheon will provide countless opportunities to show your appreciation for the estimated 33,000 small businesses in Montgomery County—businesses that contribute directly to the strength of the area's economy and that could become your next client, sale, supplier or partner!

Whether your company is up for an award or not, we hope you'll join us on May 24 to share in this celebration of the County's top small businesses and to be a part of this great business appreciation and networking opportunity!

Businesses: Sign up Now for 50+ Employment Expo

Business owners: sign up now for your table at the 50+ Employment Expo. This is your chance to network with thousands of mid-life and older jobseekers at an award-winning program sponsored by the Jewish Council for the Aging and Montgomery County. The event is free to all employers, community resources and participants, and this year’s speaker will be Maureen Bunyan from ABC7/WJLA-TV. You can still participate even if you have only one or two jobs available by sharing a table with others in your industry.  Although the event is free, employers must pre-register. The program is scheduled for Friday, May 17, 10:00-3:00 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.

Green Business Forum on January 22

The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce (MCCC), the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection and Montgomery College will sponsor a Green Business Forum next week on “Greening Government Procurement: It's Coming!” The event will be held Tuesday, January 22 from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, 51 Monroe Street, Suite 1800, Rockville.

Featured panelists include David Dise, director, Montgomery County Department of General Services; Nancy Gillis, director, Federal Supply Chain Emissions PMO, U.S. General Services Administration; and Maribeth Malloy, director, Environmental Sustainability & Governance, Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Registration is required due to space limitations. Register at the Chamber’s website.

The Montgomery County Green Business Forum is free and open to the public and is held four times a year. Each forum features experts offering unique perspectives on the advantages of being a green business.

The Green Business Certification Program helps County businesses by providing them with a “greenprint” for introducing sustainability into their day-to-day operations and supply chain decisions. Organizations that embrace green practices enhance environmental quality while promoting economic development. More information about the program and how to become certified is available online.

Cross-Agency Effort to Streamline Building and Land Development Process

Today I joined the County Executive as he announded a major cross-agency effort to further streamline County government operations. This latest initiative will make meaningful changes to the development application process by streamlining reviews and inspections. As an initial streamlining step, the County is consolidating construction inspections currently being done by the Department of Permitting Services (DPS) and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS). The Montgomery County Planning Board (MCPB) is kicking off this effort with a change to the way in which it reviews DPS issued building permits. All three agencies, along with others, have committed to collaborate to make their customer service more business-friendly, and make it easier to navigate the development process and obtain building permits.

The streamlining initiative kicks off with:

• Collaboration between the departments of Permitting Services and Fire/Rescue Services to transfer the inspection of fire protection systems in connection with new building and renovation construction to DPS. Previously, both MCFRS and DPS inspected new construction and customers had to schedule and await separate inspections and pay for multiple inspections. This new approach will result in construction project time and cost savings through a more complete “one-stop shop” approach. Inspections will be performed by DPS inspectors trained in the National Fire Protection Codes and Standards. This change will take effect February 1, 2012.

• Modification of the process for the MCPB’s review of building permit applications. Building permits are issued by DPS, but Planning Board staff also reviews these applications and performs field inspections related to approved forest conservation plans. Inspections associated with an approved forest conservation plan will still be required, but they will no longer be required prior to issuance of a building permit. Implementation of the approved plan will be addressed in the field in the ordinary course of inspections – just as adherence to other approved plans is addressed in the field. This will help to streamline the permit issuance process without compromising the requirement that developers adhere to approved forest conservation plans. This change is effective immediately.

• Schedule a series of public forums on the topic of streamlining development, hosted by representatives of all agencies involved in this initiative. The public and users of the services of agencies involved with real estate development will be invited to identify points where plans and permit reviews and inspections can be consolidated; redundant reviews minimized; and inconsistencies eliminated. The first forum has been scheduled for February 14, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Another has been scheduled for March 9, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Both forums will be held in the Executive Office Building, Lobby Level Auditorium, 101 Monroe St., Rockville. A cross-agency panel will receive comments, observations and recommendations about experiences with development approvals in getting a project from idea to occupancy. In addition, a dedicated website is being created to receive comments and information on streamlining the development approval process.

Welcome International Baccalaureate Americas Global Center

I look forward to attending (and offering a toast at) Wednesday’s ribbon cutting for the International Baccalaureate’s new headquarters in Bethesda. The organization services nearly 2,000 schools in North, Central and South America and provides global services to 139 countries worldwide.

The IB announced its selection of Montgomery County for its Americas Global Centre in February 2009. The Center will grow to more than 100 employees over the next few years as part of the organization’s plan to expand capacity over the next 12 years in preparation for an estimated 2.5 million students and 10,000 IB programs worldwide by 2020.

The IB encourages students to be active learners, well-rounded individuals and engaged world citizens. It also serves in an educational advisory capacity to other educational organizations. I'm proud to welcome International Baccalaureate to Montgomery County.

Council Designates Montgomery Business Development Corporation

I’m please that today we designated the Montgomery Business Development Corporation that will advise us on economic development issues and work toward retaining businesses and attracting new ones to the County. I was the chief sponsor of the bill that authorized this group, and I expect that this apolitical organization will focus on the jobs we need for a robust future.

The Board members are Robert Brewer, Bryant Foulger, Brian Gragnolati, Deborah Marriott Harrison, Douglas Liu, Brett McMahon, Matthew Mohebbi, Susana Nemes, Ron Paul, Lawrence Shulman and Daisy Wallace. This group represents a good mix of businesses and expertise. I thank all of the members for their hard work up to this point and for the hard work they still have ahead of them. For more information on the business development corporation, see my July 20 blog post.

Change We Better Believe in

You'll find my op-ed column in today's Gazette. I've also reprinted it here:

Tough times should focus us all on what is important. When the economy is strong maybe we can endure a political conversation that focuses on peripheral issues and takes for granted our prosperity and high-quality basic services. But not now.

As Montgomery County faces the stark reality of falling home values, private sector layoffs, empty storefronts and dire economic predictions for the future, we must take stock of where we are and where we need to go. We always have valued a high quality of life. We usually measure this by the success of our schools, our diversity, our parks and the depth of community engagement in all things great and small.

That quality comes at a price. Despite the county's reputation for having an uninviting business climate, we have been fortunate to have a vital business sector as the backbone supporting a wide range of services. Yet our success has inflated both the cost of doing business and the cost of our housing, pricing out jobs and would-be residents, causing long commutes and road congestion. As the fiscal horizon continues to darken, government needs to reassess past practices so we can continue to support our expensive mission.

Economic development issues need to take priority. This means long-term policies that continue to work over time, not just the short-term injection of cash from the federal stimulus. Recently, Hilton Hotels chose to locate in Fairfax County, Va., to take advantage of tax incentives and a business-friendly environment. We need to start winning bidding wars with the Hiltons of the world, and we need to revamp our processes to encourage, not hinder, job growth.

We also need to support the elements of community that help us all succeed. We can do this at no cost to the taxpayer and to the benefit of many. For example, by creating incentives for the growth of child care providers, we make it possible for parents to go out and earn a paycheck. And why not make it easier for homeowners to have accessory apartments? That would have multiple benefits — allowing seniors to age in place and helping cash-strapped families pay their bills while providing the affordable housing our workers need.

We must change the way Montgomery County functions. If we are to continue to satisfy our community's high expectations for quality of life, let's focus on "yes," not "no." With more jobs and a stronger support system for them, we can spread the tax burden across a larger base, enhance our work-life balance, promote entrepreneurship, encourage diversity and ultimately make the county a more affordable place to live.

A practical economic plan will pay for all that is good in our community. That's what sustainability really means, and that's the change we all should believe in.