After more than a month off for its annual summer recess, the County Council returns to its third-floor chambers in Rockville on Tuesday — marking the final stretch of service for four members who will be leaving office at the end of the year.
At-large member Hans Riemer, District 2 member Craig Rice and District 4 member Nancy Navarro are facing term limits and must vacate their seats. Riemer finished third in the Democratic primary for county executive in July while Navarro ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor with gubernatorial candidate Rushern Baker, a former Prince George’s county executive.
None of the three have said publicly what their next professional step is. Neither has County Council Member Tom Hucker, who served District 5 for two terms and ran unsuccessfully for an at-large seat, finishing in sixth place. The top four candidates in the Democratic primary advance to the general election.
Here are the top items that council members will discuss on Tuesday.
Thrive Montgomery 2050 update
The council will continue its work on Thrive Montgomery 2050, the proposed update to the county’s general master plan. 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.
The proposed plan has generated controversy, with supporters saying it is the appropriate roadmap for how the county should grow, and opponents saying it will lead to greater gentrification and displacement, and that much more expensive infrastructure improvements will be needed to execute the plan’s overall goals.
Based on community feedback and through a review by council staff, the council hired Nspiregreen, a consultant, to solicit feedback about Thrive, specifically through the lens of racial equity and social justice. Nspiregreen will brief the council on its report, which includes recommendations to improve the plan in those specific areas, including a separate chapter on the matter.
The council is also scheduled to extend the deadline to vote on Thrive to Nov. 15, an action required by state law if the governing body wants to vote on the plan by Oct. 25. That’s the target deadline, according to a County Council staff report.
Purple Line
The council will be briefed on the 16-mile, 21-station light rail project connecting Bethesda to New Carrollton in Prince George’s County. Recently, a local labor union announced it had reached an agreement with the Maryland Department of Transportation and Purple Line Transit Partners, the consortium of contractors assigned to complete the project.
The Purple Line has faced multiple delays since construction began, and is now scheduled to be finished in the fall of 2026. Project officials will describe the status of the current construction, ranging from utility relocation, the reopening scheduled for the Capital Crescent Trail between Bethesda and Silver Spring, construction of a mezzanine at the Silver Spring metro station, and other activities.
Health update
The county’s public health team will provide an update on the coronavirus and monkeypox.
County health officials have not enacted any restrictions such as indoor mask mandates or capacity limits for businesses, since the indoor mask mandate ended in February. Now they are also focusing on monkeypox, a disease that has spread in Maryland; dozens of cases have been reported in the county.
Montgomery County Public Schools officials will also update the council on its current response to the COVID-19 pandemic and monkeypox, including the location testing and vaccine clinics and guidance on masking.
