Politics & Government

Budget Report, New Police Station and Zoning on Council's Agenda

Council meets at 7 p.m. on Monday.

A task force report on the city’s budget, a construction bid for a new police station and changes to zoning text highlight the agenda for Monday’s meeting of the Rockville City Council. 

The council will discuss the city manager’s response to the report of the Finance and Budget Task Force. The report, presented to the council in September, sought to review the city’s financial management policies, the budget process and how the city presents budget data.

The task force, proposed by Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio in her 2009 inaugural address and convened in January 2010, made 57 recommendations in its report. The recommendations were aimed at how the city calculates its general fund reserves, at how—and how early—citizens become involved in the budget process and at presenting the budget in a way that adds context and makes it more understandable.

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“The consensus of the members of the Task Force is that Rockville’s budgets attain a very high quality but their formulation can be improved,” the task force report said.

The council will discuss how the recommendations can be used in the future.

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The council also will vote on a construction contract for converting the old post office in the Town Center into a new police station. City staff recommends that the nearly $6.4 million contract be awarded to Costello Construction of Maryland from Columbia.

About $6 million of the contract is for renovations and improvements to the historic post office, at  the corner of South Washington Street and West Montgomery Avenue, construction of a stand-alone annex building and site work.

The contract also includes $405,000 for add-ons including evidence storage lockers, a blast-resistant curtain wall system and personnel and storage lockers.

The council also will discuss city zoning text amendments that include changes to the definition of “family” and of “dwelling units” and changes to the site plan review process.

The changes must go before the city’s Planning Commission on April 13 and will be the subject of a public hearing on May 9 and will be up for adoption by the council on June 20.


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