Votes on bills pertaining to campground zoning, office vacancies, veteran tax credits and tenants rights plus the introduction of legislation to regulate vehicle noise top the Montgomery County Council’s agenda this week.
The council will meet at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in the Stella Werner Council Office Building in Rockville for its regular weekly business meeting. Here’s what to expect:
Campground zoning
The council will vote on a bill introduced last month that would allow campgrounds to be built in more types of zoned areas throughout the county, including the upcounty Agricultural Reserve.
Currently, campgrounds are only allowed in the Rural (R) and Residential Estate 2C (RE-2C) zones under the county zoning ordinance.
The proposed zoning text amendment is sponsored by councilmembers Marilyn Balcombe (D-Dist. 2), Sidney Katz (D-Dist. 3), Natali Fani-González (D-Dist. 6) and Dawn Luedtke (D-Dist. 7).
If passed, it would allow campgrounds for tents and recreational vehicles in the Agricultural (AR) and specific Residential Rural (RC) zones. The Agricultural Reserve is a 93,000-acre zoned area in the upcounty where only one house is allowed per 25 acres, according to zoning laws. Overnight stays would be allowed, with a goal of boosting agritourism in the county, according to county officials.
Under the county code, a campground is defined as a “parcel, lot, or tract of land used for two or more tent or recreational vehicle campsites.” This definition does not include manufactured homes.
At a July 16 public hearing, members of the county’s farm community expressed divided views on the proposed zoning change.
MOVE Act
The council will vote on the Make Office Vacancy Extinct (MOVE) Grant Program, which would provide office rental grants for eligible businesses that want to move to the county or expand their local offices and county businesses looking to increase their existing space.
The bill is sponsored by councilmembers Evan Glass (D-At-large), Fani-González, Balcombe (D-Dist. 2) and Laurie-Anne Sayles (D-At-large), who are all members of the council’s Economic Development Committee. Co-sponsors include council Vice President Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) and Luedtke and councilmember Kristin Mink (D-Dist. 5).
The MOVE Program was introduced as a pilot program in March 2014 by then-County Executive Ike Leggett (D). However, it was never codified. This bill would establish the program under the law as part of the county’s Economic Development Fund. It also would increase the maximum financial incentive that a business could receive from the county from $80,000 to $150,000 by increasing the eligible amount of space. Under the program, a business can receive $8 per square foot of office space.
The revamped program also would allow county businesses to apply for the funding. Under the current iteration, only businesses looking to move into the county are eligible.
Veteran tax credit
The council also will consider legislation to establish a new tax credit that would be available to honorably discharged veterans who are certified at least 50% disabled by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and who earn an annual income of $100,000 or less.
Veterans considered 50% to 74% disabled could receive a 25% credit of the county property tax imposed on their homes and those considered 75% disabled or more could receive a credit worth 50%, according to the bill sponsored by Fani-González.
The proposal received strong support at a June 11 public hearing.
‘Ban The Box’ amendments
A bill sponsored by Sayles that would amend the county’s current Ban the Box law by clarifying to renters what their rights are when a landlord performs a background check will also be up for a vote Tuesday.
“Ban the box” laws aim to end discrimination against formerly incarcerated people. The county’s Housing Justice Act of 2021 prohibits a housing provider from conducting a criminal background check or credit history before making an offer to a prospective tenant during the rental application process.
The proposed legislation aims to ensure tenants are aware that they have these rights when seeking to rent a home. It would require landlords and complexes to prominently display information about the county Housing Justice Act on their websites and in rental offices. Sayles said when introducing the bill in March, that it doesn’t change the content of the law itself but requires better education about it.
Introduction of vehicle noise legislation
Stewart and Fani-González are expected to introduce legislation that would establish a pilot program to use “noise abatement monitoring systems” to enforce limits on motor vehicle noise, according to the agenda packet.
This legislation is permitted after the Maryland General Assembly passed a bill earlier this year allowing the county to start a pilot program, which would deploy three monitoring systems in the county. Signage indicating the location and existence of the monitors would have to be displayed.
Under the pilot program, a first offense would result in a warning, and a second offense would be subject to a $75 fine.