Town Hall Meeting for Students - Wednesday, November 29 at 7:00 p.m.

The Council will hold the always-popular Town Hall Meeting for Students on Wednesday, November 29, at the Council Office Building in Rockville. The meeting will be held in the Council’s Third Floor Hearing Room beginning at 7 p.m. A pre-meeting reception will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the building’s second-floor cafeteria. 

This meeting is open to high school, middle school and local college students. This event provides an opportunity for the participants to let Councilmembers know how they feel about specific issues and to ask us questions in an organized, but informal, setting. 

The meeting will be broadcast live on County Cable Montgomery (CCM—cable Channel 996 on Comcast, Channel 1056 on RCN, and Channel 30 on Verizon) and rebroadcast at various times in the weeks following the meeting. The meeting will also be streamed on Facebook Live and YouTube (FB.com/CountyCableMoco and YouTube.com/CountyCableMoCo).

If you need more information or have questions about the meeting, email sonya.healy@montgomerycountymd.gov or call 240-777-7926.

Holiday Schedule for Thanksgiving

Montgomery County government will observe the following holiday schedule for Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 23:

• County Offices – Closed 
• Libraries – Closed
• County Liquor stores – Closed
• Recreation- All programs and facilities are closed
• Montgomery Parks - For operating schedule, visit www.MontgomeryParks.org
• Ride On – Sunday schedule (Riders can access the schedule for their route and find the Sunday schedule.)
• Metrorail – Information available at www.wmata.com
• Metrobus – Information available at www.wmata.com
• TRiPS Commuter Store at Silver Spring Transit Center – Not operating
• TRiPS Mobile Commuter Store – Not operating 
• Refuse/recycling pickup – No collection; collection for Thursday and Friday provided one day later for remainder of week (last collection day is Saturday)
• The Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station – Closed
• Parking at public garages, lots, curbside meters – Free
• State offices and courts – Closed Thursday, November 23, and Friday, November 24

Montgomery County Executive's Ball - Sunday, December 3, 2017

Join me at this year’s Montgomery County Executive’s Ball on Sunday, December 3 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. This annual event supports the invaluable education programs of our County’s arts and humanities organizations. Purchase tickets here or visit www.mocoexecball.org for more information.

Metro Red Line Takoma Station Closed and No Train Service From Silver Spring to Fort Totten Stations from November 25 through December 10

Beginning Saturday, November 25 through Sunday, December 10, there will be no Red Line trains operating between the Silver Spring and Fort Totten stations, as the Takoma station will be closed for a major improvement project. For more information and travel alternatives, visit the WMATA website.

Holiday Schedule for Veteran's Day

Here's the County's schedule for Veteran's Day:

Montgomery County government will observe the following holiday schedule for Veterans Day, Friday, November 10.

County Offices – closed  

Libraries – closed

County Liquor stores – all County liquor stores will be open normal hours.

Recreation – aquatic and community centers open as scheduled with the exception of the Germantown Indoor Swim Center, which is closing at 2 p.m. on November 10 and closed all day on November 11 for a swim meet; classes and programs will meet as scheduled; all senior programs cancelled, and administrative offices and senior centers closed.

Montgomery Parks - For operating schedule, visit www.MontgomeryParks.org

Ride On – will operate on a special modified holiday:  http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DOT-Transit/holiday_schedules.html.  .

Metrorail – Information available at www.wmata.com

Metrobus – Information available at www.wmata.com

TRiPS Commuter Store at Silver Spring Transit Center - open 6 a.m. - 6 p.m.

TRiPS Mobile Commuter Store – not operating 

Refuse/recycling pickup – Regular schedule

The Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station – Regular schedule

Parking at public garages, lots, curbside meters – free

State offices and courts – closed

Full Council Approves Minimum Wage Bill Increase to $15/hour

Today we unanimously approved Bill 28-17, Human Rights and Civil Liberties – County Minimum Wage – Amount – Annual Adjustment, that will increase the County’s minimum wage to $15 per hour on July 1, 2021 for large employers with 51 or more employees. Mid-sized employers with between 11 and 50 employees must raise wages to at least $15 per hour on July 1, 2023. Small employers with 10 or fewer employers must pay workers $15 per hour on July 1, 2024. Non-profit
organizations with 501(c)(3) designations and eligible service providers must raise wages to $15 per hour by July 1, 2023, unless they are considered a small employer. In addition, Bill 28-17 provides that the minimum wage must be adjusted annually for inflation according to the Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W), starting July 1, 2022.

What people want most is a job. I am pleased this legislation protects small businesses, especially those with less than 50 employees, while providing a transition over five to six years to implement a $15 per hour minimum wage. However, this is a regional issue and I strongly urge our State legislators to expand this Council’s efforts and enact legislation so all Marylanders can earn a fair wage. We need to make sure we have an environment that supports job growth by retaining and attracting new businesses in Montgomery County. Here's the full press release and you can watch my comments at today's Council session.

Proposal To Address Congestion, I-270 and I-495

I testified last Thursday at the state delegation's Annual Statewide Transportation Investment Tour. I encouraged the state to think big and take an aggressive, multi-modal approach in the Governor's P3 program to address traffic on I-495 and I-270. here's the full press release:

ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov 3, 2017— Councilmember Nancy Floreen, member of the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee, testified yesterday at the State Delegation’s Annual Statewide Transportation Investment Tour.

Every year, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Office of the Secretary and representatives from MDOT’s business units visit Montgomery County to discuss transportation investments. This tour provides updates for local officials and the public on the Governor’s Administration Draft FY 2018-2023 Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP), and details of MDOT’s $14.7 billion six-year capital budget.

In her testimony, Councilmember Floreen encourages the State to “think big” and “to take an aggressive multi-modal approach in the Governor’s P3 program to address traffic on I-495 and I-270. By expanding the effort to include the Corridor Cities Transitway, a longtime County priority, in the P3 project, Maryland can be assured of assuming national leadership in multi-modal planning; linking highway improvements to transit needs; and achieving a truly comprehensive solution to our deep and abiding congestion problems.”

To read Councilmember Floreen’s entire testimony, visit https://tinyurl.com/ya67u6by .

County Maintains AAA Bond Rating

Good news: Montgomery County has maintained its Triple-A bond rating for 2017 from three Wall Street bond rating agencies. Fitch, Moody’s, and Standard & Poor’s all affirmed the “AAA” rating – the highest achievable -- for the County. They all termed the outlook for Montgomery County as “stable.” Here's the press release:

County Executive Ike Leggett today announced that Montgomery County has maintained its Triple-A bond rating for 2017 from all three Wall Street bond rating agencies.

Fitch, Moody’s, and Standard & Poor’s all affirmed the “AAA” rating – the highest achievable -- for the County. They all termed the outlook for Montgomery County as “stable.”

“The County’s budget management demonstrates a strong commitment to bolstering its reserve cushion in preparation for the next downturn,” said Fitch. “Given the County’s conservative management practices and emphasis on increasing reserves, operations are expected to remain strong.” Moody’s noted that “the county’s financial flexibility remains sound,” while S & P indicated that the County’s “financial practices are strong, well embedded, and likely sustainable.”

The Triple-A bond rating enables Montgomery County to sell long-term bonds at the most favorable rates, saving County taxpayers millions of dollars over the life of the bonds. The rating also serves as a benchmark for numerous other financial transactions, ensuring the lowest possible costs in those areas as well.

“What is remarkable about this is that Montgomery County has continued to receive a Triple-A bond rating from all three bond rating agencies even during these past few years when other jurisdictions – including the federal government – were seeing downgrades and despite federal shutdowns, budget sequestrations and the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression,” said Leggett.

“Our ability to maintain our coveted Triple-A rating affirms my approach to putting the County’s fiscal house in order and reducing unsustainable increases in County spending, while investing in making government more effective and creating opportunities for the growth of good jobs in the future.”

“The retention of the County’s AAA Bond Rating is important for saving millions of dollars over the life of our bonds,” said Council President Roger Berliner. “This has helped save our taxpayers significant money and is a result of the prudent fiscal policies developed by the Council in 2010 and 2011.”

"As chair of the Council’s Fiscal Policy committee, I am pleased to learn that Montgomery County has once again retained its AAA bond rating from all three major rating agencies,” said Councilmember Nancy Navarro. “The retention of our AAA rating is a testament to our strong commitment to responsible fiscal policy."