When Council President Steve Silverman came to speak in Potomac before the approval of the Potomac Master Plan, he faced an audience of hundreds of Potomac residents who came to show their opposition to the issues of widening roads in Potomac and building a techway, among others.
The show of force at a West Mongtomery County Citzens Association meeting was the culmination of several years of intense citizen involvement in every aspect of the planning document that will guide land use in Potomac for the next 20 years.
Potomac residents have a tradition of civic involvement on every level, from PTAs and homeowners associations to the Planning Board and County Council to the Maryland General Assembly and beyond.
Virtually every issue that appears before a decision-making body in the county is preceded by at least one public hearing, and any written comments are included in the record and reviewed by decision makers.
Even residents who are not able to attend public hearings may submit written comment, and written comment is weighed just as heavily as comments made at public hearings. Comments should be submitted to the head of the body discussing the issue. Comments sent to the chair of the planning board, president of the county council and president of the school board are shared with all other members of that respective body and become part of the public record.
<sh>County Council
<bt>In the current nine-member council structure, every resident in the county is represented by one district member and four at-large members, so each citizen of the county is represented by a majority of the council.
The council is the county’s legislative branch. It drafts legislation and passes a budget for county services. Last year's budget was just over $3.3 billion, with approximately half going to schools.
The council also sets property tax rates, oversees zoning regulations and sits as the board of health.
The full council meets on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. with committee hearings typically meeting on Mondays and Thursdays. The council agenda, which is updated frequently, can be found online at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council.
The council Web site also includes minutes of past meetings, council member biographies and contact information for individual members of the council.
Written comments can be sent to Steven Silverman, president, Montgomery County Council, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD 20850.
<sh>Park and Planning
<bt>The Park and Planning Commission consists of five members appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the council to four-year terms. No more than three members may be members of the same political party.
The planning board decides how to best administer the county’s zoning laws, decides if proposed projects meet with county requirements and provides input into changes in the county’s zoning laws.
The Planning Board meets on Thursdays starting at 9 a.m.
The Planning Board agenda is published on the Friday before the meeting takes place, and, on Monday, staff reports are added to it. It can be found at the Planning Board’s Web site, www.mc-mncppc.org.
Written comments can be sent to Derick Berlage, Chair, MC-MNCPPC, 8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD, 20910.
<sh>Mailing List
<lst>Groups or individuals wishing to have the Park and Planning Commission’s weekly agenda e-mailed to them should send an e-mail containing: Name, Organization Name, Mailing Address, Phone Number and E-mail Address to Nellie.Carey@mncppc-mc.org.
All information must be provided in order to be added to the database.
<sh>Board of Education
<bt>The eight-member board (one of whom is a student member whose vote does not always count) is the county’s official educational policy-making body and is responsible for the direction and operation of the public school system.
Annually, the board makes a request to the county council for its budget. It then administers the given funds (for FY05 it received approximately $1.6 billion) as it sees fit. The board does not have taxing authority.
The board typically meets twice per month on varying days. Its agendas are posted several days before the meeting.
The calendar of future meetings, and agendas are available the board’s Web site, www.mcps.k12.md.us/boe.
Each regular business meeting of the Board includes a public comments period in which any citizen, group representative, parent or student may make a statement regarding an item on a past, present or future Board agenda, or a matter of general policy over which the Board has jurisdiction. Individuals may sign up to address the Board by calling 301-279-3617 after 3 p.m. on the Monday preceding the meeting.
Written comments may be sent to Sharon Cox, president, Board of Education, 850 Hungerford Dr., Rockville, MD 20850.