Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton and city staff were scheduled to bring the following requests for federal support to an April 28 meeting with the city’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C.
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- Metro funding: Federal funding to make urgently needed safety improvements to Metro rail system, to expand cell service in tunnels, to improve radio signals for emergency responders and to address Metro’s aging fleet. Metro is critical to Rockville’s transportation network and is heavily relied upon by residents, workers and city visitors.
- Stormwater management utility fee legislation: A request for federal legislation requiring states, instruments of the state (e.g. public school systems and colleges), and counties to pay municipal stormwater fees for public properties within municipal city limits. This would be modeled after legislation sponsored by Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin and enacted in 2011 that pertained to federal properties.
- Community Oriented Policing Services grant: A request to maintain funding for the federal grant program known as “COPS.” The Rockville City Police Department is reviewing program criteria and could apply for a COPS grant of up to $125,000 to expand community policing.
- Community Development Block Grant: A request that this federal grant funding, which has been cut significantly in recent years, not be cut further. The city puts the funding toward housing rehabilitation for low-income homeowners and other low- and moderate-income housing rehabilitation.
- Infrastructure upgrades: Requests for federal funding for bridge rehabilitation, sanitary sewer system improvements and stormwater system renovation.
The city also planned to update the federal delegation on plans to extend Maryland and Dawson avenues to support the second phase of Town Center development. The $12 million project may be suitable for a spring 2017 Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant application.
Find more information, including video of the Mayor and Council’s April 18 discussion of the federal priorities at www.rockvillemd.gov/AgendaCenter. For more on Rockville’s federal priorities, contact Linda Moran at [email protected] or 240-314-8115.