[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6340464,"mediaKeyId","2259364-9cfd8bbc415527861ccfdafdbeee5f44","parentId",2259364,"title","Council introduces tax relief, tech and housing bills; enacts carryout-bag ban and procurement trafficking rule","audioSeconds",1992,"startMs",3052000,"endMs",5044000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2259364-9cfd8bbc415527861ccfdafdbeee5f44&start=3052&end=5044","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2259364-9cfd8bbc415527861ccfdafdbeee5f44/thumbnail_3052000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6340464/Montgomery-County/Maryland/Council-introduces-tax-relief-tech-and-housing-bills-enacts-carryout-bag-ban-and-procurement-trafficking-rule","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6340464-4a7fea815cbee298d6fe74a1db3dd806/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174436&Signature=R6NPF7eUy2BkivlJYtN26~zX13PG15pLLk8N7-XZFpIoRZ-5lPfcTpACsRuTUhNDS8SuYxhnFyE0CIPguF7j079s0SlHO6abfmd1cV3z0tNtgzhSRtxTQ9Rd~3fmItTPc1vTL6jfO8VkZzbYy0GyV3o~~voobwW7~aB~c2zddVFE8OSozxs34VIwvvP~LWRlzkbM64G53PHgneiNKMPaXW918mSFAAjGuFsRzek7DkArhqWC52ZrVWaiuKSRNNCY1fg4yZfsgivrBX-GwnG93vSOw3npJK4DisAuevw5MeDO9gorYkDqiGv5FImLr4pGsc16txG8Kw6mWuEAizyhaw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Montgomery County, MD","date","2025-02-04T21:39:05Z","article","The Montgomery County Council used its Feb. 11 legislative session to introduce several bills on tax relief, technology oversight, housing and consumer protections, and to adopt two measures on final reading: a procurement provision tied to human-trafficking compliance and a prohibition on plastic carryout bags with an updated effective date.

Introductions

- Bill 3–25, Homeowners Tax Credit (HOTC) county supplemental amendments: The Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee introduced a draft to expand eligibility for the county supplemental to the state-administered Homeowners Tax Credit, raising maximum income and net-worth thresholds and increasing the property-assessed-value eligibility so more households on limited or fixed incomes can qualify. Council President Kate Stewart and committee members emphasized that the proposal uses the state-administered system to ease implementation and target relief. Councilmember Andrew Friedson, who led a senior tax-credit effort last year, and several council colleagues supported adding co-sponsors.

- Bill 4–25, Administration: Public-Safety Technology Acquisition and Use: Sponsored by Council President Stewart and Councilmember Mink, the bill would require community outreach, published regulations and public review before the county acquires or changes use of surveillance-capable technologies. The bill grew from prior discussions about a drone-as-first-responder program; sponsors said they worked with the Montgomery County Police Department, the ACLU of Maryland and community groups.

- Bill 5–25, Demolition Tax for Affordable Housing Production: Councilmember Mink introduced a demolition tax that would direct revenue to the Montgomery Housing Initiative Fund (HIF) to support production of affordable housing through the county’s Housing Opportunity Commission financing tools. Sponsors cited an estimated revenue potential of roughly $4,000,000 annually to bolster long-term housing production.

- Bill 6–25, Consumer Protection: Defective Tenancies as Deceptive Trade Practices: The bill would remove a current exemption that prevents landlords from being subject to the county’s consumer-protection law, enabling the Office of Consumer Protection and the county attorney to pursue repeated bad-actor landlords with stronger legal remedies and reduce the burden on tenants to pursue individual court actions.

Final readings and votes

- Procurement and human trafficking: The council enacted on final reading a contracts-and-procurement bill that requires certifications of compliance with human-trafficking laws in procurement bids and clarifies enforcement and debarment language. The Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee recommended enactment with amendments developed with the county attorney and procurement office. A roll-call vote was recorded in favor of enactment; all council members present voted yes (see Votes at a glance).

- Carryout-bag prohibition and fee (Bring-Your-Own bag bill): The Transportation and Environment Committee recommended enactment with technical amendments. The bill bans single-use plastic carryout bags and raises the paper-bag fee from 5¢ to 10¢ per bag, splitting the fee so retailers retain 5¢ and 5¢ is allocated to the Water Quality Protection Charge Fund. SNAP and WIC recipients are exempt from the fee. Councilmember Balcom moved to delay the bill’s effective date from July 1, 2025, to Jan. 1, 2026; Councilmember Friedson seconded the amendment and the council approved it unanimously. The council then voted on final enactment; the roll call recorded unanimous yes votes.

Votes at a glance

- Procurement and human trafficking (final reading): outcome — enacted (committee recommended enactment with amendments). Roll-call entries recorded the following yes votes: Lukey; Mink; Sales; Friedson; Glass; Katz; Albanos; Balcom; Truando; Stewart.

- Paper carryout bag prohibition (final reading, as amended to change effective date): outcome — enacted with amendment. Council amended the effective date to Jan. 1, 2026 (mover: Councilmember Balcom; second: Councilmember Friedson). Final passage was moved by Councilmember Glass and seconded by Councilmember Lukey; roll call recorded unanimous yes votes including Lukey, Mink, Sales, Friedson, Glass, Katz, Albanos, Fanny Gonzales, Balcom, Gerando and Stewart as recorded in the meeting minutes.

What’s next

Introduced bills were referred to the relevant committees: the homeowners-tax-credit bill has a public hearing scheduled for March 4, 2025; the public-safety technology and affordable-housing/demolition-tax bills are scheduled for March 18, 2025; and the consumer-protection bill is scheduled for March 4, 2025. Committee work sessions and additional staff reports will inform further council deliberations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Feb 11, 2025 - Council Session (pm)","oneSentenceSummary","The Montgomery County Council used its Feb. 11 legislative session to introduce several bills on tax relief, technology oversight, housing and consumer protections, and to adopt two measures on final reading: a procurement anti–human trafficking provision and a prohibition on plastic carryout bags with an updated effective date.","taxTitle","Montgomery County, Maryland","taxId",3351,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":44,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6340469,"Speaker alleges abuse, retaliation at county-funded shelters during public hearing on EMS insurance bill",484,2568000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2259364-9cfd8bbc415527861ccfdafdbeee5f44&start=2568&end=3052","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2259364-9cfd8bbc415527861ccfdafdbeee5f44/thumbnail_2568000.jpg","/articles/6340469/Montgomery-County/Maryland/Speaker-alleges-abuse-retaliation-at-county-funded-shelters-during-public-hearing-on-EMS-insurance-bill","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6340469-a9af133e967f59e473aa1648cadb1fd2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174436&Signature=SdxSsDEuYjaEMSCYMzi8nUDH-1XdZOZaN96gCQgAp~54g0Fi-kTDs97b-UCXky-UnjuiWaNO2lFWK7vpN2vRjRMuDwnmj1P-x8y60RaNtAv2~I4Vn-q9SOSs8r4CdyjtN59o8CinvO4oq0lcJkR0heKfW~ZTgLd~O9sz4fm~id0ER1TUpYDGZLBxpWT235VTtN9-vr6Rv5vRxEH-aE7k-rF4cmMQKybAe8tJvgSJOhTuk4LKvsZnhuvSK8~S2youRRveK00sRzudzl9c6lt7QLbqDF0760WqpbyMdEllgxyncbGUbxREWM0iu1h6aor2d6ECtv3G~rnABdY8cXd~HA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Montgomery County Council held a public hearing Feb. 11 on Bill 1-25, the Emergency Medical Services Transport Insurance Reimbursement Program, which would permit fire and rescue personnel to inquire about insurance coverage in certain situations. One registered speaker, Rabita Moses, used the allotted six minutes to describe alleged systemic abuse and retaliation in county-funded shelters and to urge council intervention and transparency.

Moses said she has been an advocate on behalf of women in publicly funded shelters and accused the shelters’ leadership, including Interfaith Works, of \"abuse, coercion, retaliation, intimidation, and denial of basic human dignity,\" particularly toward women who are disabled, elderly, veterans, domestic violence survivors or living with mental-health conditions. \"If taxpayer money is funding these shelters, why is the county allowing these abuses to continue?\" she asked.

She described a personal history of advocacy and asserted that, after raising concerns, she experienced retaliation, including claims that letters from Interfaith Works sought to discredit her. Moses said county officials have met privately with Interfaith Works leadership and that public advocates were not afforded comparable consideration. \"Instead of holding shelters accountable, the government works to silence the voices of those trying to expose the truth,\" she said.

Moses also described separate housing problems and ongoing eviction proceedings that she connects to what she characterized as failures of county offices to respond after she advocated for residents. She said the landlord-tenant office would not assist her because of a past relationship between an official and Interfaith Works and said she is now facing eviction despite having disability and health needs.

Council president Kate Stewart closed the speaker’s six-minute time and the council took no immediate action on the testimony. The hearing on Bill 1-25 itself remains in the committee schedule; the council packet notes a Public Safety Committee work session on the bill is scheduled for March 17, 2025, and materials could be submitted by March 10, 2025.","During a Feb. 11 public hearing on Bill 1-25 (Emergency Medical Services Transport Insurance Reimbursement Program), one registered speaker used the allotted testimony to allege systemic abuse and retaliation at county-funded shelters and to call for greater transparency and accountability from county agencies and shelter operators.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6340473,"Residents urge council to block incinerator contract extension as public hearing opens on 10-year solid-waste plan",2119,419000,2538000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2259364-9cfd8bbc415527861ccfdafdbeee5f44&start=419&end=2538","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2259364-9cfd8bbc415527861ccfdafdbeee5f44/thumbnail_419000.jpg","/articles/6340473/Montgomery-County/Maryland/Residents-urge-council-to-block-incinerator-contract-extension-as-public-hearing-opens-on-10-year-solid-waste-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6340473-167944dcf1806192d563097adef6bb7e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174436&Signature=EOEghNB-HerGc48lBR0yHP1HTEsELvUjNA4v8HOMQK2NCmpoJgUWTgxy9eEXSq-Renvj-fcl9wpsk2u8JrBxu2~iuVkV7-nOpgh4-~WTvIak6qxBxyQ9iUMNwGwQ3xvgfU9YQofhBeic02OjMnW8X5Kj6PI7PyyjdFiKCYOoFbAWYUdfqlIyoOremzEhnO7vs4F0lwDuu~RQG3ISeUrJ6sJsVxphOlY0jt66CZwL5ktVDj47afNcAUsx5owqTgCIC44JHDbuF58ZtSHL-1r7PQjycDGyfvodN5hk34exsLYBFoICc2OiOLAYs4IZ0Aw96oyZtDO71oE~C-STVYdeqA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Montgomery County Council opened a public hearing Feb. 11 on the Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan 2025–2034 as dozens of residents and local advocates urged faster action to close the county’s waste-to-energy (WTE) incinerator and demanded full cost and emissions information before any contract extension is approved.

Speakers told the council that the county’s Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) in Dickerson generates electricity and revenue but argued its environmental and health costs merit ending incineration while alternatives are pursued. \"Montgomery County has long been a leader in responsible waste management and our resource recovery facility stands a testament to that commitment,\" said Rebecca Smondrowski, a registered speaker, noting county figures that the RRF provides enough electricity to power about 26,000 homes and that the facility generated $12,234,000 in renewable energy credits in fiscal 2024 (2025 revenue was described as an estimated $10,000,000).

The hearing drew sustained testimony urging the council to introduce a resolution denying a planned incinerator contract extension and to hold a separate public hearing on that extension prior to the extension taking effect. Multiple speakers said the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has not provided the cost analyses, life-cycle assessments or other data they say are necessary to evaluate an extension. \"For you to have a legal say regarding this extension, we have just learned that the council must introduce a resolution to consider the incinerator contract extension and then hold a public hearing in 14 days before approving it all before March 25,\" said Karen Mechis, who aligned with other speakers in requesting clearer public process and more data.

Speakers framed the issue along environmental, health and fiscal lines. Several referenced county and outside analyses. Diana Conway, representing a countywide group advocating for zero-waste programs, asked the council to restore two regulatory options from the previous plan — including bottle-deposit legislation and local bans on single-use foodware — and repeated calls for a public hearing on the contract extension negotiated by the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority. \"To properly evaluate the contract extension request, you need the information,\" she said.

Other witnesses disputed consultant modeling and urged the county to consider immediate options for hauling waste to regional landfills while diversion programs ramp up. Elad Fernberg criticized the WARM model used in some county analyses, calling it \"a deceptive model\" that undercounts certain incinerator emissions and noting a separate peer-reviewed tool (the MebCalc model) was used in the 2020 Beyond Incineration report that the speakers cited. Mike Ewall, founder and executive director of Energy Justice Network, urged the council to consider an expedited closure plan and a \"what if the incinerator burned down tomorrow\" contingency so the county could move rapidly to alternate disposal without a crisis.

Speakers also raised technical and local-environment concerns. Caroline Taylor of the Montgomery Countryside Alliance asked the council to explicitly exclude the county’s Site 2 in Dickerson from future landfill consideration because of the federally designated sole-source aquifer in that area. Residents who live near the plant asked for continuous stack monitoring and additional pollution controls; Sue Carr said the incinerator currently emits nitrogen-oxide levels she described as \"90 PPMs\" and asked that the county install upgraded scrubbers and continuous monitors if burning continues.

Several witnesses noted transportation and revenue trade-offs. Smondrowski and others said the RRF supplies in-state electricity and rail-transfer logistics that keep trucks off local roads; others pointed to ash shipments out of state and the costs of building new composting facilities if alternatives are chosen.

The council took no formal action on the plan or a contract resolution during the hearing. The public hearing record closed at the end of the scheduled comments. The council’s meeting packet notes that those wishing to submit material for the council’s consideration should do so by the close of business on Feb. 20, 2025. The Transportation and Environment Committee said a work session will be scheduled at a later date.

The range of testimony — from calls to preserve the RRF for its revenue and rail advantages to demands for immediate closure and independent life-cycle analyses — underscores the policy trade-offs the council must weigh before any decision on a contract extension or a long-term disposal strategy.","At a Feb. 11 Montgomery County Council public hearing on the Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan (2025–2034), residents and advocates pressed the council for a resolution denying a proposed incinerator contract extension and demanded fuller cost, health and emissions data from county staff.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council introduces tax relief, tech and housing bills; enacts carryout-bag ban and procurement trafficking rule

Speaker alleges abuse, retaliation at county-funded shelters during public hearing on EMS insurance bill

Residents urge council to block incinerator contract extension as public hearing opens on 10-year solid-waste plan