Water Rate Increase, Council Salaries, Rapid Bus Network on Montgomery County Council, Planning Agenda

The Montgomery County Council gets back to work Tuesday after a two-week break, taking on an amendment to the Commercial/Residential Zone, a study of salaries for councilmembers, the county executive, sheriff and state's attorney, and its twice-annual meeting on the County Planning Board's work schedule.

DECISION ITEMS

• Zoning text amendment on the CR Zone. The council will decide whether proximity to a MARC station should meet the requirements for parking and mass transit requirements. The Town of Kensington supports MARC stations qualifying, but property owners there say that doing so would undermine the Kensington sector plan.

• Support Wheaton-Long Branch-Silver Spring for a Community Legacy Grant

• Support use of state funds to rehabilitate Tanglewood and Sligo Hill apartment complexes in Silver Spring

• Approve the transfer of $1.8 million for MCPS projects

• Approve three appointments to the county’s Disability Arbitration Board: John Monahan, M. David Vaughn and Barbara Franklin

 INTRODUCTIONS

• Creation of a committee to study the salaries for members of the county council, county executive, sheriff and state’s attorney

• Creation of a food recovery work group--Councilwoman Valerie Ervin’s initiative to coordinate and enhance the ability of non-profits to give food to low-income residents

HEARINGS

• A recommendation to increase the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission rate by 8 percent. The council expects to settle the rate increase on Oct. 16, so that Montgomery and Prince George’s can agree by Nov. 1.

The council will also have its twice-annual meetings with the Montgomery Business Development Corporation and the County Planning Board.

The Planning Board meeting will update the council on the study for a countywide rapid-bus network and on the revision of the county's zoning ordinance, which is on track to present to the council for approval in December. The Planning Board will also hash over its work schedule of updates to master plans and sector plans:

• Chevy Chase Lake – January 2013
• Long Branch – May 2013
• Countywide Transit Corridors – June 2013
• Glenmont – July 2013
• White Oak Science Gateway – September 2013
• Gaithersburg East (Montgomery Village) – December 2014
• White Flint Phase II – February 2015
• Lyttonsville – February 2015
• Westbard – March 2015
• Aspen Hill – June 2015
• Bethesda – July 2015
• BRT Land Use – December 2015

PROCLAMATIONS

• Silvia Rodriguez-Macdonald being named as a “Champions of Change”

• The 40th Anniversary of Interfaith Works

• White Cane Safety Day

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Note: The council meeting is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. in the council hearing room at 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD. Call 240 777-7803 to testify. The meeting is also televised live on CCM Channels Comcast 6, RCN 6, Verizon 30. For more information, go to www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council.