A work session focused on the proposed Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and a vote on legislation that would modify hookah lounge hours top the Montgomery County Council’s agenda this week.
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:
Montgomery County Public Schools Capital Improvement Program
The council will hold a work session with MCPS officials to review the proposed CIP for school system projects for fiscal years 2025-2030.
County Executive Marc Elrich’s (D) proposed county CIP is $91.8 million less than the Board of Education’s request, which included 36 projects. In February the council asked the board to develop a list of “non-recommended reductions” that could resolve the proposed shortfall between the board’s request and Elrich’s recommendation.
One particularly controversial non-recommended reduction would delay the construction of auditoriums at the new Charles C. Woodward and Crown high schools in North Bethesda and Gaithersburg, respectivelyl, until after they open.
Council President Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1), Vice President Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) and councilmember Kristin Mink (D-Dist. 5) wrote a letter to fellow councilmembers, included in the agenda packet, expressing concern about the potential delay of construction of the auditorium.
“Many of our Northwood High School students who will be attending school at Woodward High School will have faced construction in their schools for years on end,” the letter says. “It is our duty to ensure that all of our students have minimal disruptions to their learning and social experiences while at Woodward High School.”
Hookah lounge hours
The council is set to vote on a bill that would restrict late-night business hours for hookah lounges and tobacco and vape shops, requiring them to close at 2 a.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends.
The legislation is sponsored by council Vice President Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) and councilmembers Gabe Albornoz (D-At-large) and Evan Glass (D-At-large).
Stewart said the bill is intended to align the late-night business hours of establishments that serve and sell tobacco and hookah with establishments that serve and sell alcohol. Under current county law, businesses that serve or sell alcohol must close by 2 a.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends, but there is no restriction on the hours of businesses that serve or sell tobacco.
“There has been an increase in calls for service [in downtown Silver Spring], particularly from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m., which has resulted in a drastic increase in the need for police presence in our central business districts at this time, and excess overtime expenditures,” Stewart said.
At a public hearing in March, downtown Silver Spring residents voiced support for the bill, which they said they hope would lead to a decrease in crime, while hookah lounge owners argued it discriminated against minority business owners.
Public hearing on J.O.B.S. Initiative
The council will host a public hearing on the Jobs, Opportunities and Business Support (J.O.B.S.) Initiative. The $20 million special appropriation would create three funds with money from the county’s undesignated reserves in the 2024 budget–a $10 million job creation fund, a $7 million innovation fund and a $3 million equity fund.
The bill is sponsored by Friedson, who says it aims to create jobs and support businesses in the county.
The job fund would provide employers with $10,000 for each new job created, as long as it is salaried at $100,000 or more. Employers would be required to create a minimum of five jobs, with a limit of $500,000 in grants per company.
An employer could receive $12,000 per job if it is located in one of the county’s Equity Focus Areas, which are characterized by Montgomery Planning as “high concentrations of lower-income people of color, who may also speak English less than very well.” The Equity Focus Areas are primarily located along the I-270 corridor, the Route 29 corridor and in the southeastern part of the county.
The innovation fund would grant up to $100,000 to companies working to develop new technologies, designs and processes. The equity fund would grant up to $80,000 to businesses in the Equity Focus Areas that are considered to be in early or growth stages.
Takoma Minor Master Plan
The council will vote on an amendment to the Takoma Park Minor Master Plan. The proposed change “re-envisions” the original 2000 master plan’s boundaries in the area that includes the former Washington Adventist Hospital and Washington Adventist University campuses and the Erie Center, as well as multi-family properties, parks and the Takoma Park Community Center along Maple Avenue, according to a county news release.