The Montgomery County Council will vote Tuesday to reenact a bill that looks to address the housing crisis by converting vacant office buildings throughout the county into homes.
County Executive Marc Elrich vetoed Bill 2-25, Taxation – Payments in Lieu of Taxes–Affordable Housing, on April 22. Supporters of the bill will attempt to override Elrich’s veto on Tuesday.
“The council enacted this bill by a vote of 10-1, and I expect we will override the county executive’s veto tomorrow,” Councilmember Kate Stewart said in a meeting Monday afternoon.
The Council is looking at neighboring jurisdictions, such as Northern Virginia and Washington, for ideas. The process to repurpose vacant office buildings has already begun in these areas.
“At the end of 2024, the office vacancy rate rose to 18.5 percent with vacancies concentrated in older, functionally obsolete office buildings,” Stewart said. “We all agree that we have a housing crisis, and we have a responsibility to take action for the residents who live in our community today and future generations.”
In addition, the Council will introduce a resolution Tuesday to potentially change Montgomery County’s income tax rate, according to Stewart. The resolution, if accepted, would increase the tax rate from 3.2 percent to 3.3 percent.
“At this point, increasing taxes on our residents needs to be considered very carefully,” Stewart said. “That is because many of our residents, given what is happening on the federal level, are greatly impacted, either directly or indirectly. Some have lost their jobs or could lose a job.”
Stewart added, “Council committees are deep in their budget reviews right now, looking for potential budget savings before increasing any taxes.”
