Never a dull moment!
by David Humpton, Executive Vice President
Montgomery County is at it again - At the direction of the county council, the Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) completed a study of the operations of the CCOC and published a report on March 10, 2015 that recommended a number of changes.
In June, 2015, the County’s Public Safety Committee and Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee, sitting as a joint committee, reviewed the OLO report, and they requested that the county executive come back with a plan for providing administrative and physical support to the CCOC and recommend other changes as necessary. At the end of October, the county executive sent a memo to the joint committee outlining recommendations to amend Chapter 10B, Common Ownership Communities.
No draft legislation has been forwarded by the county executive to the county council, but is expected to be before the county council by Tuesday, Dec. 1.
This legislation is expected to address moving the function and staffing of the CCOC from the Office of Consumer Affairs to the Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Mediation of all complaints, which is currently optional, will be made mandatory. The composition of the CCOC will be changed from eight owner/resident commissioners and seven professional/manager commissioners to five owners/residents, five professionals/managers and five public, at-large individuals. Staffing will be increased significantly, and a new case management system will be developed.
To fund these changes, the CCOC annual fee that is charged to each common ownership community unit will be increased from $3/unit to $5/unit annually. At a work session on this matter, the joint committee noted that the earliest the legislation could be adopted and the fee enacted would be late spring 2016.
It was also noted that a public hearing and work sessions would be held to hear from both the CCOC and residents who live in common ownership communities, including Montgomery Village. A copy of the OLO Report can be found at: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/olo/reports/2008.html.
Vision 2030 translated into new Montgomery Village Master Plan - The county council will hold a public hearing on the draft Montgomery Village Master Plan on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at the County Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville. After several work sessions, the Planning Board approved the draft Master Plan on October 22. After the public hearing by the county council, the Planning Housing and Economic Development Committee of the Council will hold a work session, probably in January.
Enhancing our Marketing Efforts - The third edition of Flourish magazine is out and is being widely distributed in areas outside Montgomery Village to showcase what a wonderful place Montgomery Village is to live, work and play! A copy of the magazine can be viewed online at www.montgomeryvillage.com or stop by the office and pick up a copy.
New website - It is almost here and will be launched on Monday, Nov. 23! The new site is easier to navigate, has better functionality and just looks much better. A website is always a work in progress so we look forward to your comments.
Holiday Fun - On Wednesday, Dec. 2 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., join Santa, the MV Community Band and the Watkins Mill High School Chamber Singers to light the Christmas Tree in the Village Center parking lot adjacent to Montgomery Village Avenue. This event is free!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!