Montgomery Community Media

Redevelopment will not threaten affordable housing in Rockville’s Halpine View Apartments due to a county agreement to preserve its 564 affordable units. Any redevelopment of the apartments must include a one-for-one replacement of market-affordable units with income-restricted affordable units, County Executive Marc Elrich explained during a press conference at the apartment complex Thursday. The units […]

Montgomery County’s minimum wage has finally reached $15 an hour for large employers with at least 51 employees. July 1 marked another annual incremental increase in minimum wage, which began after the council’s minimum wage bill was passed in 2017. County Executive Marc Elrich was lead sponsor of a bill, as a councilmember. Now, large […]

The Montgomery County Council on Tuesday unanimously approved regulations to implement the “More Housing at Metrorail Stations Act,” which aims to incentivize high-rise housing construction at Metro stations by providing a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT), with some criteria for development. According to the council, the bill offers the PILOT for 15 years for […]

This post has been updated to include comments from Councilmember Will Jawando. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has concerns with a proposed council bill that would require prospective police officers to complete a 30-hour community-informed policing program prior to acceptance into the academy, said County Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Caroline Sturgis, who testified on Elrich’s […]

Effective Saturday, May 15, all Maryland indoor and outdoor dining establishments, including restaurants and bars, can resume normal operations, Gov. Larry Hogan announced at a press conference Wednesday. The same goes for other indoor and outdoor venues. All outdoor entertainment, arts, and sports venues, as well as all indoor entertainment venues and conventions can resume […]

The Montgomery County Council voted unanimously Tuesday to limit school graduation ceremonies to 50% of venue capacity for outdoor ceremonies; capacity is limited to 25% for indoor ceremonies or 250 people, whichever is fewer people. Read the regulation detailing new graduation guidance.  Schools that want to have an indoor graduation must obtain a letter of […]

During a joint committee meeting Wednesday, Montgomery County councilmembers and police officials discussed a recent Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) report analyzing the county’s public safety response to mental health situations. The OLO works to provide independent findings and recommendations to the council and made two recommendations in the report: “request that the Executive discuss […]

The Montgomery County Council approved several changes to COVID-19 restrictions during a meeting Friday. The following changes go into effect Friday, March 12, at 5 p.m.: 1. remove all local restrictions on childcare facilities and therefore require them to follow State requirements; 2. changes maximum capacity to align with fire or other occupancy permit; 3. […]

In a letter Tuesday, Montgomery County Councilmember Andrew Friedson asked County Executive Marc Elrich for specific metrics the jurisdiction must meet in order to move to the next stage of COVID-19 reopenings. “While we must continue to do all we can to follow public health guidance to protect the safety of our residents, the County […]

Montgomery County Council announced the appointment of 11 residents to its new Commission on Redistricting. In the 2020 general election, voters opted to amend the county charter so that there will be seven districts, each with one representative, and four at-large members. Currently, there are five councilmembers representing a specific district and four at-large members. […]