On Tuesday, the Montgomery County Council will hold a work session with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) officials about potential changes to the county Capital Improvement Program (CIP) that would impact funding for school projects.
The council will also hold public hearings on legislation pertaining to home rental and community ownership fees.
The council will meet at 9:30 a.m. in the Stella Werner Council Office Building in Rockville for its regular weekly business meeting. Here’s what to expect:
Changes to MCPS capital improvement projects
The council will meet with MCPS officials, including Superintendent Thomas Taylor, to discuss proposed amendments to capital projects that are being funded by the county’s six-year CIP for fiscal years 2025-2030. Fiscal year 2025 ends June 30.
While the CIP was approved last year by the council, councilmembers are able to revise it annually through amendments. According to a council staff report, MCPS is requesting $1.85 billion in amendments to spending for district projects. The six-year level of funding is the same as in the originally approved CIP, but the proposed amendments could change how that money is spent across each year.
The amendments outline proposed changes including:
- Increased construction costs for the new Crown High School in Gaithersburg, expected to open in 2027;
- Increased funding for amenities for a new Northwood High School building, under construction in Silver Spring;
- Increased funding for Woodward High School reopening projects, including the build-out of the auditorium at the Rockville school;
- Increased HVAC expenditures;
- Decreased budget for early childhood center projects in order to reallocate funding to other projects; and
- Decreased budget for sustainability projects in order to reallocate funding to other projects.
The CIP reconciliation process will take place in May alongside the council’s decisions concerning County Executive Marc Elrich’s (D) recommended $7.6 billion county operating budget for fiscal year 2026, which begins July 1.
Public hearing on proposed changes to rental licensing fees
The council will hold a public hearing on legislation that would change how annual licensing fees for rental housing units are set.
The county requires landlords to pay a licensing fee in order to legally rent units. The proposed legislation, sponsored by council President Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) at the request of Elrich, would allow the county executive to recommend an appropriate amount for the licensing fee, subject to approval by the council. Currently, rates are determined through the Department of Housing and Community Affairs. The department would still be able to raise rates that way, but the legislation would also give the county executive and the council the authority to determine the rates.
Public hearing on proposed changes to common ownership communities
The council will also hear from the public on legislation that would change the process for setting registration fees for common ownership communities. According to the county’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs, a common ownership community is a group of homes with its own government and binding rules. Common ownership communities in Maryland can include condominium associations, cooperative housing associations and homeowner associations. Common ownership communities must register annually with the Commission on Common Ownership Communities and pay fees.
The proposed legislation, sponsored by Stewart at the request of Elrich, would change the way these fees are administered. Currently, rates are determined through the Department of Housing and Community Affairs The proposal would instead allow the county executive to recommend an appropriate rate for the fee, subject to approval by the council.
