The Montgomery County Council is set to elect a new president and vice president and hold public hearings on proposed legislation regarding the county’s development impact taxes and local human trafficking laws during this week’s session.
The council will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the Stella Werner Council Office Building in Rockville for its regular weekly business meeting. Here’s what to expect:
County Council to elect new president, vice president
The council will elect its new president and vice president for the 2025 council legislative session. Council Vice President Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) is likely to be elected as the council’s president for 2025, as council tradition dictates that the current vice president follows as council president the following year.
Stewart has served as a councilmember since December 2022 and previously was the mayor of Takoma Park. She is the chair of the council’s government operations and fiscal policy committee and serves on its transportation and environment committee. She represents the district that includes Takoma Park, parts of Silver Spring, Montgomery Hills, Kensington, Garrett Park, North Bethesda and parts of Chevy Chase.
Council President Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1) will preside over his last meeting as president. Friedson served as vice president from December 2022 to December 2023 and has been on the council since December 2018. He chairs the planning, housing and parks committee and serves on the government operations and fiscal policy committee. He represents the district that includes Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Potomac.
Councilmembers have not spoken publicly about plans to run for the vice president role, which presides over meetings in case the council president can’t attend. Friedson, Stewart, and councilmembers Gabe Albornoz (D-At-large), Evan Glass (D-At-large) and Sidney Katz (D-Dist. 3) have already served in the role.
This means councilmembers Will Jawando (D-At-large), Laurie-Anne Sayles (D-At-large), Marilyn Balcombe (D-Dist. 2), Kristin Mink (D-Dist. 5), Natali Fani-González (D-Dist. 6) and Dawn Luedtke (D-Dist. 7) are the most likely to run for the seat.
Public hearing on development impact taxes
The council will hold a public hearing on proposed legislation that would alter how development impact taxes are collected in the county. The council voted to approve new development impact tax policies Nov. 12 after passing the county Planning Board’s proposed Growth and Infrastructure Policies (GIP) that will help govern county development for the years 2025-2028.
The assessment of development impact taxes is directly impacted by the size and geographical designations in the GIP. Developers are required to pay the taxes on approved projects to help fund local school and transportation infrastructure. The designations and rates differ based on the location of a proposed development, as illustrated in maps attached to the council’s resolution.
Development impact taxes directed to school infrastructure spending are calculated for new housing developments based on estimated school construction costs as well as the expectation that the housing will generate new students. The taxes are used to help offset the costs associated with increasing school capacity.
The proposed legislation would require the collection of development impact taxes at the “final inspection” of a completed structure, according to the council agenda packet. Currently, an applicant for a building permit does not pay impact taxes until six or 12 months after the building permit is issued, depending on the type of building, or the structure’s final inspection by the Department of Permitting Services, whichever is earlier. The bill would change county law so that applicants do not have to pay the tax until their building project is completed.
The proposed legislation is sponsored by Glass and co-sponsored by Friedson and councilmembers Albornoz, Katz, Fani-González and Luedtke.
Public hearing on human trafficking prohibition
The council will hold a public hearing on a bill that would require companies contracted by the county government for goods and services to be compliant with the county’s human trafficking laws.
The proposed legislation, sponsored by Luedkte and co-sponsored by Friedson and Stewart, would require companies to disclose whether any of their employees have been found in violation of the human trafficking laws. It would also require the companies to include certificates of compliance with human trafficking laws as part of their bids or proposals to provide goods or services to the county government.
If a contractor is found to be in violation, its contract with the county could be terminated or the company could be debarred, losing its license to contract within Montgomery County.
