Council Agenda: Great Indoors Annexation, Strategic Goals, Budget Tweaks

A letter objecting to Gaithersburg’s proposed annexation of the Great Indoors property on Shady Grove Road, strategic goals and fiscal 2012 budget tweaks are on the Rockville City Council’s agenda for Monday.

The at Meetings are broadcast live on Rockville 11.

The City of Gaithersburg is . The properties, totaling 28 acres, are owned by Sears and Roebuck Co. and are home to , a soon-to-close home goods store. They are currently part of the county, with an address of unincorporated Gaithersburg.

A report by City of Rockville staff raises two concerns for Rockville:

1. Shady Grove provides a “logical boundary” between Gaithersburg and Rockville, staff wrote. Because of this, Rockville did not consider annexing land north of Shady Grove Road when it drafted the “Municipal Growth Element” portion of its master plan in 2009.
2. The property is a gateway to other sites at Rockville’s boundaries, namely the U.S. Postal Distribution Center and , which is being considered for closure, and, just beyond the post office site, land that is the focus of the county’s Shady Grove Sector Plan for redevelopment. “If Gaithersburg annexes the Sears property, one pathway for Rockville to access the properties in the Shady Grove Sector Plan will be blocked,” staff wrote in the report.

A draft letter, to be considered by the council for delivery to Gaithersburg’s mayor and council and to the Montgomery County Council, expresses these and other concerns.

“Rockville objects to Gaithersburg’s annexing the property in question and any other properties on what we consider to be the Rockville side of Shady Grove Road,” the draft letter states.

Click here to read the entire draft letter.

The council is scheduled to vote on its strategic goals and principles.

Council members John Hall and Mark Pierzchala each drafted five-year strategic plans for the council based on goals discussed by council members at a retreat on Dec. 1. The council discussed a compilation of those plans on May 21. The full plan addresses the following goals:

• Fiscal responsibility.
• Responsible growth management.
• Public service and public safety.
• Responsive government.
• Effective communications.

Click here for a draft of the proposed goals and principles.

The council also is scheduled to discuss proposed changes to the city’s building codes.

Click here to read a summary of the proposed changes.

The council also is scheduled vote on changes to the budget for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. The changes would:

• Add $1 million to the parking fund to cover an estimated $2 million in legal fees for litigation related to the garages. The fund can already cover $1 million of the fees.
• Transfer to the capital budget $100,000 in general fund savings on heating fuel due to the mild winter and $111,000 in general fund savings on snow removal. The transfer will allow the city to fund the design of a barrier in West End Park to block noise from Interstate 270 in fiscal 2013, which begins July 1.
• Add $85,000 to the fund for to cover the cost of accumulated sick leave payouts to former RedGate employees who were let go when . The increase also will go toward installing new utility meters at RedGate, allowing BCG to pay accurate utility bills. The course currently shares meters with the city's Gude Drive Maintenance Facility.
• Add $2,100 to the recreation fund to reflect contributions to purchase supplies for the city’s holiday drive and to the .

The council’s consent agenda for Monday includes:

• A $1.4 million, five-year contract for purchasing ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel for city vehicles from Mansfield Oil Company of Gainesville, GA.
• A resolution changing the maximum heights for two buildings that are part of the approved project. The change is a correction that would make the approved resolution consistent with approved exhibits that show the maximum height of Building 2 as 120 feet and the maximum height of Building 3 as 150 feet. (The maximum heights were reversed in the approved plans.)
• A $350,000 contract to Human Circuit, Inc. of Gaithersburg for high-definition camera and audio system for the council chambers at City Hall.