The Mayor and Council continue their work on the Fiscal Year 2023 budget in January and are scheduled to vote on how to spend some of Rockville’s portion of funds received through the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
ARPA’s goal is to aid state and local governments in recovering from the budgetary, economic and financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Dec. 13, the Mayor and Council directed staff to apply $1.1 million of the city’s $9.6 million in ARPA funding to sewer and electrical infrastructure for the King Farm Farmstead, $533,000 to the recycling transfer station at the city’s Gude Drive Maintenance Facility, and $300,000 to cybersecurity for the city’s water treatment plant. They are scheduled to vote Monday, Jan. 10 to finalize the spending plan for that portion of the federal aid. A work session on Monday, March 21 will focus on how to apply the remaining $3.8 million in ARPA funding.
In October, the Mayor and Council directed staff to apply nearly $3.9 million in ARPA funding toward water infrastructure improvements and assisting city water and sewer customers in paying past-due utility bills incurred during the pandemic. New water and sewer rates and a new rate structure, adopted by the Mayor and Council in November, take effect on Jan. 1.
For more information, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/budget or call the Finance Department at 240-314-8400. A budget survey, on the webpage in English and Spanish, allows community members to identify their top budget priorities, initiatives for reducing the negative impacts of COVID-19 and options for maintaining a balanced budget. The public response to the survey will provide valuable input to the Mayor and Council for their FY23 budget discussions.
The Mayor and Council’s upcoming budget process for FY 2023, which begins July 1, includes:
- Monday, Feb. 28: A presentation of the city manager’s proposed FY 2023 operating budget and Capital Improvements Program.
- Monday, March 7: Public hearing.
- Monday, March 21: FY23 budget public hearing, and work sessions on the budget and the use of ARPA funds.
- Monday, April 4: Public hearing.
- Friday, April 15: Close of budget public record.
- Monday, April 18: Work session.
- Monday, April 25: Final direction on FY23 budget.
- Monday, May 9: Adoption of the FY23 operating budget and Capital Improvements Program.
- Friday, July 1: FY23 begins.