Sign Up for Public Hearings Online

Starting this fall, you can sign up for public hearings online. The Sign Up to Testify feature appears in two places--within the header and under the Council Activities tab. Of course, you can still sign up by calling 240-777-7803. Also new, you can get the speakers list online about three hours before the public hearing begins.

Public Hearing on Development Ombudsman Position

Sign up now if you want to testify at the public hearing on Expedited Bill 58-14 that would create a new non-merit position of Development Ombudsman in the Office of the County Executive. The public hearing is scheduled for January 13 at 1:30 p.m.

The Development Ombudsman would act as a facilitator for commercial and residential development projects by working as an intermediary to address challenges, issues and concerns during development. The ombudsman would promote regulatory efficiency, accessibility, transparency, predictability and consistency across agencies and departments. He or she also would identify systemic challenges in the entitlement process, permitting and general regulatory procedures and would facilitate necessary changes that bring about tangible improvements that save both time and costs.
 
Call 240-777-7803 to sign up to speak. If you can't make the hearing, you can send your written testimony to county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Tips on Testifying

When the Council returns next week, we will take up some important topics ranging from budgeting to land use to our local economy. We have public hearings on a variety of issues scheduled nearly every week, and we want to know your views. For newcomers as well as seasoned veterans, here are a few tips to make the most of your testimony:

• Keep it simple. Put your request or main point at the beginning of your testimony. Use plain language and put technical points at the end.
• Keep it short. The Council adheres to the three-minute limit, so make sure your points come across in that time frame. You don't have to use the entire allotted time, though. Sometimes good things come in small packages.
• Bring 15 copies of your testimony with your name, contact information and main points clearly identified.
• Let your personality shine through. Levity or a personal anecdote can help you stand out in the crowd.
• Relax. Don't be afraid of the formal setting or the television cameras. Just be yourself.

I understand public speaking isn't for everyone, so you can also call or e-mail. To have your written correspondence included in the public record, send it to county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov or Council President, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20850. To sign up to speak at a public hearing, call 240-777-7803.

Smoking Bill Public Hearing Postponed

The public hearing on my proposed smoking ban has been rescheduled to January 22 at 1:30 p.m. If you would like to testify, call 240-777-7803, and remember to check out my tips on testifying.

Council Back in Session Next Week

The Council will be back in session next week. If you would like to follow along, you can find our full council and committee agendas on our website. For background material, click on packets and meeting summaries. To sign up to speak at a public hearing, call 240-777-7803.

Testify at Public Hearings on Budget

Let us know your thoughts on the County budget at one of five public hearings spread over April 5-7.

The public hearings will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 5; at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6; and at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 7. All hearings will be held in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. The number of speakers for the week is limited due to the number of spots available. To register to speak, call 240-777-7803.

The hearings will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon) and also will be available via streaming through the County Web site at www.montgomerycountymd.gov.

The County Executive presented his recommended budget to the Council on March 15. Over the next 10 weeks, the Council and its six committees will analyze the recommendations and will adopt the FY12 budget in late May. The budget will take effect on July 1.

If you can’t make the public hearing, you can still let us know your views by e-mailing county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Testimony to SHA on Corridor Cities Transitway

Thank you, everyone who attended last night’s public hearing for the I-270/US 15 Multi-Modal Corridor Study (which includes the Corridor Cities Transitway). Your advocacy on these transportation and transit priorities makes a difference. For your reference, here’s the testimony I presented last night:

Good evening and thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. My name is Nancy Floreen, and I am an at-large member of the Montgomery County Council. I also serve as the chair of the Council’s Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee. In that role I have been committed to and continue to be committed to making sure Montgomery County has the best possible transportation infrastructure.

As an elected official, I know how challenging it is to meet current and future demands, and I appreciate the hard work that has gone into the Multi-Modal Corridor Study. The County Council will take up the details of the study and make its specific recommendations in July after the Planning Board completes its analysis.

Today I want to emphasize the Council’s overarching dedication to improving our transportation options. In particular, the Council has ranked the Corridor Cities Transitway, along with the Purple Line, as its top transit priorities. Adding HOV lanes on I-270 is also a very high priority.

I have long believed that providing the appropriate transportation infrastructure is one of government’s most basic jobs. For the Upcounty, that means supporting our growing biotechnology industry, the emerging Germantown Employment Corridor, and the ongoing build-out of Clarksburg. There’s no question that the Upcounty needs improvements to its roadways as well as new transit.

It is not just the Upcounty that will benefit, though. Our proximity to the nation’s capital provides us with invaluable opportunities not just for cultural and educational connections, but especially for the entire County’s economic vitality. We can’t afford to have the buck stop in gridlock on I-270. Traffic on this highway is intolerable and getting worse.

Additionally, Montgomery County, along with many other counties across the country, has pledged to reduce emissions that cause global warming 80 percent by 2050. To do that, we need to reduce vehicle miles traveled and spend less time idling in traffic. That’s good not just for the environment but for our quality of life too. What’s more, Metro’s dramatically increased ridership numbers indicate that commuters are hungry for transit options.

The proposed I-270/US 15 Highway and Transit Improvements will go a long way toward meeting these goals. That’s why I enthusiastically support the broad concepts of this plan, and I look forward to conducting in-depth analysis after hearing from our residents about what the plan means to them.