• Vote on November 2
• Council Approves Montgomery Business Development Corporation
• Council Terminates Clarksburg Development District
• Apply Now to Grants Advisory Group
• One Position Open on Commission on Redistricting
• Fast Fact
• Green Tip of the Month
• Note to Newsletter Editors

Remember to vote in the General Election on November 2. 

In addition to national, state and local races, there will be a question on the Emergency Medical Transport Fee (ambulance fee).  I voted in favor of Question A because I'm confident there will be no adverse effects of the fee.  No County resident will ever get a bill for ambulance transport, co-pays or deductibles.  Insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid will pay the fee for covered patients, and those without insurance will get a waiver.  With so much at stake in the County budget, we can't afford to leave insurance money on the table.

The question will appear on the ballot as follows:

"Shall the Act to require the collection of an emergency medical services transport (ambulance) fee from: (1) County residents to the extent of the resident's insurance coverage; and (2) non-County residents subject to a hardship waiver become law?"

If you are in favor of establishing the ambulance fee, you should for "for." If you are opposed to establishing an ambulance fee, you should vote "against."

I'm pleased that we designated the Montgomery Business Development Corporation to advise us on economic development issues and to work toward retaining businesses and attracting new ones to the County. I was the chief sponsor of the bill that authorized this group, and I expect that this apolitical organization will focus on the jobs we need for a robust future.

The Board members are Robert Brewer, Bryant Foulger, Brian Gragnolati, Deborah Marriott Harrison, Douglas Liu, Brett McMahon, Matthew Mohebbi, Susana Nemes, Ron Paul, Lawrence Shulman and Daisy Wallace. This group represents a good mix of businesses and expertise. I thank all of the members for their hard work up to this point and for the hard work they still have ahead of them. For more information on the business development corporation, see my July 20 blog post.

This week we voted to terminate the Clarksburg Town Center Development District by approving a resolution I co-sponsored.  I believe this action will finally allow Clarksburg residents to move forward and build the community they want and deserve.  The Council created the development district in 2003, but it was never implemented. Clarksburg homeowners raised concerns about how they were notified of the development district tax and the burden it would impose. As a result, the County never issued any bonds to fund infrastructure improvements, and the residents and businesses in the Town Center continued to lack the roads and community buildings that would make their community the vibrant one they envision. 

The resolution terminating the development district calls for the creation of an infrastructure working group which will meet to identify infrastructure items for Clarksburg and recommend how to finance them by April 2011. By passing this resolution, we have laid the groundwork for the creation of an Upcounty retail center that will benefit local residents and help create a thriving town center.

Apply by November 12 for the FY12 Grants Advisory Group. We will appoint the volunteer community panel to review grant applications and advise us on proposals received from the non-profit community.

We believe that a strong partnership with non-profit organizations is critical in meeting the County's needs. We have established a grants process in which we accept applications from non-profit organizations seeking funds, forward proposals to the Grants Advisory Group for advice and comments and then make funding decisions during our spring budget deliberations.

We anticipate that the Grants Advisory Group will be appointed in December and will be asked to report to the Council by the end of April 2011. Panel members will need to attend training sessions and review relevant materials during late January and February. The applications review will take place between March 1 and April 15.

The Grants Advisory Group will be asked to provide us with comments on each of the grant proposals. The workload will vary based on the number of applications received and panel members appointed; however, it is expected that each member would review approximately 20 applications. Panel members should anticipate approximately six to eight meetings between the beginning of February and mid-April with the potential for weekly meetings in March.

Volunteers for the Grants Advisory Group can come from panels reviewing Community Development Block Grants or Community Service Grants, as well as from other advisory boards or community groups. Applicants for the Advisory Group cannot be employees of, or members of a board of, a nonprofit group applying for grant funding.

Submit your letter of interest and a resume to: Council President Nancy Floreen, Montgomery County Council Office, Stella B. Werner Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850 or via e-mail to county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov.

We're looking to fill one position on the County's nine-member Commission on Redistricting, so apply by November 15.

The Montgomery County Charter states that the County shall be divided into five Council districts for the purpose of nominating and electing five members of the Council. Each district shall be compact in form and be composed of adjoining territory. The new districts will be in effect for the 2014 Council election.

The one Council appointee will join eight other members--four from each party. Those appointees are selected by the Council from a list of eight individuals submitted by each political party.

Send your letter, with resume, expressing interest in a position on the Commission on Redistricting to the Office of the Montgomery County Council, 100 Maryland Avenue, 5th Floor, Rockville, Maryland 20850. 

Get your nomination in by November 26 for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian and Children of the Dream Awards.

The Humanitarian Award will be presented to an adult who has made contributions to Montgomery County residents through community-based or civic activities. The Children of the Dream Awards will be presented to one male and one female student in grades nine to 12 who demonstrate outstanding character and community/school involvement. 

The awards ceremony will take place at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration on January 17 at Strathmore Music Center.            

Find out more about your local streams or watershed through the Department of Environmental Protection's new interactive maps.  Enter your street number or click on the map for the names of local streams plus information about the aquatic species found in the stream and their sensitivity to pollution as well as a narrated description of the watershed.

Urban stormwater runoff is a key stressor of water quality in the County's watersheds.  Stormwater pollution is difficult to control because it is not channeled like a piped discharge.  When it rains, trash and litter, lawn clippings, fertilizers, leaking auto fluids, sediment and other pollutants on the ground can be washed down the stormdrain and flow untreated into local streams.  Under the County's stormwater permit, DEP must control both the volume of urban runoff and the pollution that results from it.

Did you find something useful in this e-newsletter? Some people have asked me if they can use the material from my newsletter in their own civic association or HOA newsletters. The answer is yes. I provide this information to help residents find what they need and participate in the legislative process, so feel free to use it.