The Mayor and Council are scheduled to vote Monday, May 10 on adoption of a city budget that addresses financial pressures on the Rockville community due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The community can offer ideas and feedback about the proposed budget through 5 p.m. Monday, May 3 after the Mayor and Council extended the public comment period. Review the proposed budget and offer ideas using the budget survey available in English and Spanish, or submit testimony in writing to mayorcouncil@rockvillemd.gov or Mayor and Council, City Hall, 111 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD 20850.
The Mayor and Council discussed changes to the proposed budget during work sessions on March 22 and April 19, including increased revenues from income tax, building rental and tax duplication.
The proposal includes a new recreation program coordinator; a social media specialist; consultants on new tax credit programs and performance measurement; an assistant to the city manager for equity, inclusion and diversity; and a mental health specialist for the police department. The Mayor and Council directed additional support to Rockville Economic Development, Inc., resident companies at the city’s F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, and caregiver agencies. They also directed funding of regular employee merit and step pay increases and a $15 per hour minimum wage for temporary employees.
The city’s current real property tax rate of $0.292 per $100 of assessed valuation would remain the same. All residential and commercial property owners pay this tax. Rockville has not increased its property tax rate in over 25 years.
City Manager Rob DiSpirito on Feb. 22 presented a proposed operating budget of $139.7 million, a decrease of less than 1% from the Fiscal Year 2021 adopted budget. The budget for Fiscal Year 2022, which begins July 1, is expected to benefit from a sizeable amount of federal aid through the American Rescue Plan, which provides relief funds to aid state and local governments to offset budgetary, economic, and financial impacts of the pandemic.
Visit our Agenda Center for Mayor and Council agendas and videos of past meetings.