The Montgomery County Council is set to take a straw vote on the planning board’s proposed Growth and Infrastructure Policies and also is expected to receive public health updates during this week’s session.
The council will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the Stella Werner Council Office Building in Rockville for its regular weekly business meeting. Here’s what to expect:
Straw vote on the county’s Growth and Infrastructure Policies
The council plans to take straw votes on the Montgomery County Planning Board’s proposed Growth and Infrastructure Policies that would help govern county development for the years 2024-2028. The policies are adopted by the council periodically to enforce the county’s Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance. The purpose of the ordinance is “synchronizing development with the availability of public facilities needed to support that development,” according to the council agenda packet.
The policies are updated every four years to ensure the tools used for evaluating the impacts of development reflect the latest growth patterns and trends in the county. The policies also help determine if the county’s public infrastructure can meet the demands of certain development. The Planning Board produces the policy proposal for council approval.
The 55-page proposal focuses heavily on the goals of the Thrive Montgomery 2050 plan, a 2022 update to the county’s general master plan that is expected to guide development for the next 30 years.
The plan focuses on topics such as where growth should occur in the county and what type of housing is needed. Other topics include transportation networks, what new communities should look like, how to grow arts and culture countywide and the future of county parks.
“A growing, diverse community requires a mix of housing that is attainable for different income levels and household sizes,” the Planning Board’s proposal abstract says. “This housing must be accessible to jobs and other amenities through timely public infrastructure that also helps attract economic development and enhances environmental health and sustainability.”.
The council held a work session last week on the proposed policies and decided to continue the session this week due to time constraints. Planning staff will be on hand at the meeting to discuss the proposals prior to the straw vote.
The council’s decisions about the proposed policies will affect the council’s later decisions about development impact taxes in the county. The council is considering a bill introduced at the request of the Planning Board that would update the county’s transportation impact tax districts. The bill, if passed, would also modify when the tax exemptions are applicable for development in certain locations that are specified in the proposed Growth and Infrastructure Policies.
Semi-annual update on county public health issues
County Health Officer Dr. Kisha Davis will present a semi-annual Board of Health update to the council. According to the agenda documents, some of the top issues Davis will address include:
- Prevalence of fentanyl overdoses across the state;
- How budget cuts for HIV/STI services in the county will result in a reduction of services;
- Loss of pro-bono obstetrics and gynecology services in partnership with Holy Cross Hospital; and
- The availability of free COVID-19 and flu shots provided by the Department of Health and Human Services for uninsured and underinsured county residents.