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Montgomery County Council Committee Meetings on March 14, 2022

MARYLAND, November 3 - For Immediate Release: Friday, March 11, 2022

Committees will review a special appropriation for the Housing Opportunities Commission, the County's Draft Economic Development Plan, the Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities Plan, the FY23-26 Capital Improvements Program for Montgomery College, legislation on building energy use benchmarking and performance standards and receive a briefing on the Building Energy Performance Standard Technical Report

The Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee will meet on Monday, March 14, at 9:30 a.m. to discuss a $3 million special appropriation for the Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC), the County's Draft Economic Development Plan and the Planning Board Draft of the Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities Plan.

The members of the PHED Committee include Chair Hans Riemer and Councilmembers Andrew Friedson (Lead for Parks) and Will Jawando.

The Education and Culture (E&C) Committee will meet on at 1:30 p.m. to review the recommended FY23-26 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) for Montgomery College. 

The members of the E&C Committee include Chair Craig Rice and Councilmembers Will Jawando (Lead for Libraries) and Nancy Navarro.

The Transportation and Environment (T&E) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to receive a briefing on the Building Energy Performance Standard (BEPS) Technical Report and review Bill 16-21, Environmental Sustainability - Building Energy Use Benchmarking and Performance Standards - Amendments.

The members of the T&E Committee include Chair Tom Hucker, Council Vice President Evan Glass and Councilmember Hans Riemer.

More detail on each agenda item is provided below. 

Special Appropriation to the FY22 Operating Budget, Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC) Non-Departmental Account (NDA) - $3,000,000

Review: The PHED Committee will review a $3 million special appropriation for the Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC). According to HOC, which is the County’s public housing authority, the County has seen a significant loss of revenue as tenants are unable to pay rent and make up arrearages. This funding will assist in filling a portion of HOC’s revenue shortfall. HOC and its tenants may also receive rental assistance through other federal and state programs.

The lead sponsor is the Council President, at the request of the County Executive.

Those expected to attend and provide information include Kayrine Brown, acting executive director, HOC; Tim Goetzinger, chief development funds officer and acting CIO, HOC; Terry Fowler, Budget Officer, HOC; Patrick Mattingly, director of human resources, HOC; Ilana Branda, deputy chief, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Services to End and Prevent Homelessness; and Anita Aryeetey, lead fiscal policy analyst, Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Draft Economic Development Strategic Plan

Review: The PHED Committee will review and consider amendments to the County's Draft Economic Development Plan. Previously, on Feb. 10, 2022, the PHED Committee received a briefing on the approach and process needed to complete the plan from members of the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC).

The Committee requested two updates from MCEDC to review during this meeting. The first, was a request to update the draft plan to include additional context and details about the background materials supporting the recommended goals and actions. The second, was a request to include appropriate metrics within the priority areas of the plan to measure progress toward those goals.

Council Bill 10-21, which was led by Councilmember Friedson and cosponsored by Councilmembers Riemer, Navarro and Katz and Council President Albornoz, was enacted in May 2021. The law shifted the responsibility for drafting the County’s Economic Development Strategic Plan from the County Executive to MCEDC. Section 15A-4A of the County Code details the requirements and procedure for the Economic Development Strategic Plan. The Council must review and adopt the plan by April 15, 2022. 

Those expected to attend and provide information include Jake Weissmann, assistant chief administrative officer, Office of the County Executive (CEX); Ben Wu, president and CEO, Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC); Bill Tompkins, executive vice president and COO, MCEDC; Brad Stewart, senior vice president of business development, MCEDC; Christy Blake, special projects manager, MCEDC; and Phil Singerman, MCEDC.

Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities Plan

Review: The PHED Committee will hold its second meeting to review the Planning Board Draft of the Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities Plan. The plan makes recommendations within the Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities Plan area for land use and zoning, housing, economic development, urban design, transportation, parks and public spaces, environmental resiliency, community facilities and historic resources.

The first meeting held on March 4, 2022, covered the introduction to the Plan and an overview of four of eight districts that make up the Plan area. At this second meeting, the Committee will review the remaining four districts. Two additional meetings are tentatively scheduled to review transportation and school infrastructure, parks, open space, and resiliency and the other plan-wide recommendations. These meetings will also address any other community facilities, historic resources and Plan implementation.

Those expected to attend and provide information include Casey Anderson, chair, Planning Board; Gwen Wright, Director, Planning Department; Elza Hisel-McCoy, chief, DownCounty Planning; Atara Margolies, planner III, DownCounty Planning; Larissa Klevan, master plan supervisor, Down County Planning; and Atara Margolies, planner coordinator, Planning Department.

Montgomery College FY23 Capital Budget and FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program

Review: The E&C Committee will review the recommended FY23-26 CIP for Montgomery College. The request from Montgomery College for the FY23-28 CIP is more than $347 million during the six year period, which is more than $58.4 million or a 20.25 percent increase over the amended FY21-26 CIP. The County Executive’s recommended FY23-28 CIP is slightly more than $327 million over the six yeas period, which is a $38.4 million increase from the current amended CIP and slightly more than a $20 million reduction from the College’s request. At the request of the Committee Chair, the College is expected to transmit non-recommended adjustments to meet the County Executive’s affordability constraints. 

Those expected to attend and provide information include Dr. Jermaine Williams, president, Montgomery College; Sherwin Collette, senior vice president for administrative and fiscal services, Montgomery College; Marvin Mills, vice president for facilities and public safety, Montgomery College; Kristina Schramm, interim director, Capital Planning, Design and Engineering, Montgomery College; Rafael Murphy, fiscal and policy analyst, OMB.

Building Energy Performance Standard (BEPS) Technical Report by Steven Winter Associates, Inc.

Briefing: The T&E Committee will receive a briefing on the Building Energy Performance Standard (BEPS) Technical Report. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP),  contracted with Steven Winter Associates to identify performance standards for building types, undertake comprehensive data analysis on the magnitude of energy savings and greenhouse gas emission reductions achievable through BEPS, and do a cost-benefit analysis of BEPS implementation. This analysis was completed in February, and the T&E Committee requested that DEP provide a briefing on this technical analysis to support Committee discussion on Bill 16-21 Environmental Sustainability - Building Energy Use Benchmarking and Performance Standards – Amendments.

Those expected to attend and provide information include Stan Edwards, chief of energy, Climate, and Compliance Division, DEP; Lindsey Shaw, manager of energy and sustainability programs, DEP; Emily Curley, commercial energy program manager, DEP; and Chris Pendley, senior building systems engineer, BODE – CEM, Steven Winter Associates, Inc.

Bill 16-21, Environmental Sustainability – Building Energy Performance Standards

Review: The T&E Committee will review Bill 16-21, Environmental Sustainability - Building Energy Use Benchmarking and Performance Standards – Amendments, which would modify the County’s current environmental benchmarking law to include additional County-owned, commercial and multifamily buildings to meet the long-term energy performance standards.

The legislation would create a 15-voting member Building Performance Improvement Board that will advise the Department of Environmental Protection on the implementation of building energy performance standards and establish a Building Performance Improvement Plan (BPIP) process for properties that cannot reasonably meet performance standards. The bill also requires reports to the County Executive and Council on building energy performance for covered buildings.

Those expected to attend and provide information include Adriana Hochberg, acting DEP director; Stan Edwards, chief of energy, Climate, and Compliance Division, DEP; Lindsey Shaw, manager of energy and sustainability programs, DEP; Emily Curley, commercial energy program manager, DEP; and Chris Pendley, senior building systems engineer, BODE – CEM, Steven Winter Associates, Inc.

The Committee meeting schedule may change from time to time. The current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review can be viewed at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.

The Council and committees are currently meeting via Zoom because of ongoing construction and technology upgrades in the Council's Hearing Room and the inability to conduct meetings in a socially distant way in other areas of the Council Office Building with television broadcast capacity. Councilmembers continue to hold meetings in their offices by appointment.

The virtual Council and committee meetings will be streamed live on the Council’s web page via YouTube and on Facebook Live and can be watched on County Cable Montgomery on Xfinity/RCN 6 HD 996/1056, Fios 30, and on the CCM live stream.

Release ID: 22-108 Media Contact: Sonya Healy, 240-777-7926 , Benjamin Sky Brandt 240-777-7884