The Montgomery County Council will return to session Tuesday after a month-long recess and is scheduled to tackle reproductive health, growth and infrastructure,.
The council will meet at 9 a.m. in the Stella Werner Council Office Building in Rockville for its regular weekly business meeting. Here’s what to expect:
Commitment to reproductive rights
The council will vote on a proposed resolution that would affirm its commitment to reproductive rights by recommending that county agencies pursue opportunities and coordinate with each other to protect people and entities that are providing, assisting, seeking, or obtaining reproductive health services in Montgomery County. The proposed resolution would also support a proposed Maryland constitutional amendment to protect the right to reproductive freedom and encourage residents to vote in favor of the constitutional amendment when it appears on the election ballot this November.
The vote will be followed by a press conference led by council Vice President Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) that’s expected to provide more details on actions the council wants the county government to take on the issue.
Growth and Infrastructure Policies
The council will be briefed by planning officials on proposed county Growth and Infrastructure Policies for the years 2024-2028. The policies are adopted by the council periodically to enforce the county’s Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance, which has a goal of “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 that the tools used for evaluating the impacts of development reflect the latest growth patterns and trends in the county. The policies are also written to help determine if the county’s public infrastructure is adequate to meet the demands of certain development. The Montgomery County Planning Board produces the policies proposal for council approval.
The 55-page proposal focuses heavily on the goals of the Thrive Montgomery 2050 plan, an update to the county’s general master plan that was adopted in 2022 and is expected to guide development for the next 30 years.
The plan focuses on topics such as where growth should occur in the county, what type of housing is needed, what new communities should look like, how to grow arts and culture countywide, transportation networks, 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. 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 proposal abstract from the Planning Board says.
Following the presentation by planning officials, the council will host a public hearing for residents to share their views on the proposal.
Because of the proposed policies, the council will also introduce a bill at the request of the Planning Board that would update the county’s transportation impact tax districts. It would also modify when development impact tax exemptions are applicable for development in certain locations the policies focus on, including areas such as the Great Seneca communities, White Oak and North Bethesda that the county is working to develop.