State Program Open Space Funding Joins Priorities on Past Lists
Money for schools and for providing stormwater management and other services again make the list of priorities the City of Rockville will advocate for at the county level in 2017, along with a new priority – a fair share of state dollars to help the city add to its recreation facilities.
The priorities, approved Feb. 13 by the Mayor and Council, set a framework for promoting and protecting Rockville’s interests when working with county officials on issues of mutual interest. Under the approved priorities, the city will advocate for:
- Capital projects at Rockville schools, including construction of Richard Montgomery Elementary School No. 5 to a student capacity of 740, expansions of Twinbrook and Maryvale/Carl Sandburg elementary schools and Thomas S. Wootton High School, and an addition to Lucy V. Barnsley Elementary.
- Payments by the county to reimburse the city for providing certain services, such as road and bridge maintenance and police services. The county currently does not reimburse the city, despite city police responding to 73 percent of the calls for service within the city limits.
- Payment of Rockville’s stormwater management utility fee for county-owned property. The city is projected to lose $541,000 in Fiscal Year 2018 because the county government, county schools and Montgomery College do not pay for city-provided stormwater management service to their facilities, including many in Town Center. A memorandum of understanding with the county is expected to recoup about $285,000 of the lost fees. Legislation introduced in the General Assembly this year would require the state and county to pay future fees.
- Funding through Program Open Space, which provides counties with state aid for planning, acquiring and developing land for recreational facilities. State legislation passed last year will result in an additional $15.5 million to be shared by all counties in fiscal years 2017 and 2018. Rockville will advocate for its fair share of the aid, which could help to meet parkland acquisition goals outlined in the city’s Rockville Pike and Parks, Recreation and Open Space plans.
For more details on these priorities, contact Linda Moran at [email protected] or 240-314-8115.