Tuesday, May 22, 2012
New REDI director introduced; council zeroing in on city manager.
The Rockville City Council on Monday adopted a roughly $107 million operating budget and $70 million capital budget for fiscal 2013. The vote was unanimous but was preceded by a lengthy debate about spending and the prospect of tax increases in fiscal 2014. The council’s final budget discussion included approval of a 2 percent salary increase for city staff, with a 1 percent salary increase for 13 senior staff members. Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio, backed by Councilwoman Bridget Donnell Newton, made the proposal for the first time on Monday. The council also approved another Marcuccio proposal that shifts $17,990 from the Rockville Emergency Assistance Program fund to several community caregiver agencies as follows: “This does not cause the …
Monday, May 21, 2012
Proclamations on public works and boating safety weeks also on the agenda.
The Rockville City Council is scheduled to vote on a proposed fiscal 2013 budget and to discuss its strategic goals as part of its agenda for Monday. The council meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall. The meeting will be broadcast live on Rockville 11. The budget The council is scheduled to adopt the city’s fiscal 2013 budget for fiscal 2013. The proposed operating budget is $107.1 million, a decrease from the fiscal 2012 budget by $88,848 (0.1 percent). The proposed capital budget is $69.6 million, a decrease of $2.6 million (3.6 percent) from fiscal 2012. It includes funding for 47 projects and a $3.9 million transfer from the general fund. The plan for fiscal 2013, which begins July 1, maintains the real property tax rate of 29.2 cents per $100 …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Corridor Cities Transitway is touted as a backbone of biotech and commercial development between Rockville and Germantown.
Gov. Martin O’Malley has endorsed the use of bus rapid transit for Montgomery County’s Corridor Cities Transitway, the proposed north-south line from the Shady Grove Metro station to the COMSAT facility near Clarksburg. The governor’s office made the announcement Friday, more than two years later than O'Malley (D) had expected to declare a mode for the much-anticipated transit line. Capital costs for the 15-mile line were estimated at around $828 million. The system would comprise 68 BRT vehicles characterized by low floors and multiple doors that open at sidewalk level, allowing people to walk on and off as they would on a Metro car. The BRT vehicles would make 16 stops and will travel mostly in rights of way separate from traffic. …
Monday, May 14, 2012
Hall proposes a 24-point plan aimed at offering a $100 rebate; Pierzchala looks long-term.
One Rockville City Council member is pushing a package of spending cuts with an eye on a tax rebate. Another is offering an analysis with his eye on next year's budget debate. The council on May 7 delayed one of its final discussions before it is scheduled to vote on a proposed $107 million operating budget and $75.1 million capital budget on May 21. The discussion is scheduled for Monday's meeting. The delay gave the council time to consider budget reviews by council members John Hall and Mark Pierzchala. Hall is proposing a 24-point plan for trimming $1.5 million from the budget and using it to give homeowners a $100 tax rebate. The rebate had been included in four previous budgets before being cut in fiscal 2012. City staff provided …
A hearing on building codes is also on deck.
A budget discussion, an increase in legal fees, a public hearing on green building codes and a discussion of conservation districts are on the Rockville City Council’s agenda for Monday. The council meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall. The meeting will be broadcast live on Rockville 11. The budget The council is scheduled to discuss the city budget. The proposed operating budget is $107 million. The proposed capital budget is $75.1 million. The plan for fiscal 2013, which begins July 1, maintains the real property tax rate of 29.2 cents per $100 of assessed value for all properties and the personal property tax rate of 80.5 cents per $100 of assessed value for commercial properties. Last week, the council decided to delay the discussion so that …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The new city police station will be Rockville's first public building to feature a 'green roof.'
When the old U.S. Post Office in Town Center reopens as the new Rockville City Police Department headquarters this summer, a new annex attached to the historic structure will feature a roof with a field of green. Officials behind the plan say that a "green roof"—making the police station the first city building topped with plants—will cost more up front for installation and maintenance, but will save the city money in the long-term. The roof will pay for itself with its many benefits, said Burt Hall, the project manager overseeing the station's construction for the city. “With the green amenities, including the green roof, we will see sustainable stormwater management, a longer lifespan of the roofing membrane, and a reduction in heating …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The City Council recognized police, parks, bicycling and fallen heroes with proclamations awarded Monday.
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Tuesday, May 8
The Rockville City Council on Monday recognized children winning bicycles through the city’s TERRIFIC bike program and awarded proclamations marking Rockville Bicycle Awareness Month, National Kids to Parks Day, National Police Week and Poppy Day.
Mayor: City 'committed' to keeping probe participants 'free from unlawful retaliation.'
Rockville has retained the law firm of Saul Ewing LLP to conduct an "internal investigation of various workplace matters," Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio announced during Monday's City Council meeting. City attorney Debra Verg Daniel sent an email to city employees Monday informing them of the investigation, Marcuccio said. The probe follows reports of former city employees claiming discrimination and harassment by supervisors. Saul Ewing LLP is a Mid-Atlantic regional law firm with offices in Washington, D.C. Get daily and breaking news email updates from Rockville Patch by signing up for newsletters here. The firm will mail information about the investigation to employees' homes this week, Marcuccio said. "I want to stress that the city is …
Monday, May 7, 2012
New budget analysis finds $352,190 the council could spend.
A final vote on an ordinance to block the Robert A. Pumphrey Funeral Home from building a parking lot, the final public hearing on the city’s fiscal 2013 budget and a budget discussion are on the Rockville City Council’s agenda for Monday. The council meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall. The meeting will be broadcast live on Rockville 11. Pumphrey parking In a 3-2 vote on April 16, the council moved to reverse a 2010 decision by the previous council that was intended to allow Pumphrey Funeral Home to build a parking lot on property adjacent to the existing funeral home. Get daily and breaking news email updates from Rockville Patch by signing up for newsletters here. The council is scheduled on Monday to take a final vote on an ordinance that …
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Mayor: City finalizing contract with firm to probe discrimination claims by former employees.
A panel to review Rockville’s charter will comprise 11 members, the City Council decided after a lengthy and sometimes contentious debate on Monday. Each of the four council members will choose one panel member, whose appointment cannot be vetoed. The mayor and council together will select another five members. Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio will select an 11th member, the chairperson. Marcuccio formally proposed the commission last month. Get daily and breaking news email updates from Rockville Patch by signing up for newsletters here. The appointment process, proposed by Councilman Mark Pierzchala, was a compromise that broke a council deadlock after about 45 minutes of debate. The commission will examine the city election calendar, term …
Rocky
2:44 pm on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Piotr---I would suggest we keep this non-partisan. Neither party can claim sterling financial management -- more ›