The Montgomery County Council convened on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at 9:03 a.m. for a full-day session featuring proclamations, district council actions, legislative session, public hearings, and worksessions on the FY27-32 Capital Improvements Program (CIP). The Council approved multiple zoning text amendments, enacted the County Values Act (Bill 3-26), adopted resolutions supporting the Wheaton Arts District redesignation and the COG Local Food Procurement Challenge, and held public hearings on the ICE Out Act and the Vehicle Recovery Act. All votes were unanimous (11-0) unless noted.
Approved unanimously (11y) the following items:
Public Hearing on Supplemental Appropriation #26-53 (MCPS Blueprint Career Advising): One speaker (Remai Kimei, a high school student) spoke in strong support, sharing a personal story about a friend's father being detained by ICE and urging investment in career readiness.
Public Hearing on Wheaton Arts District Redesignation: One speaker (Nestor Alvarenga, director of Regional Services) testified in support, highlighting Wheaton's cultural and arts ecosystem, including the future arts center, food scene, and public realm improvements.
Public Hearing on Expedited Bill 13-26 (ICE Out Act): Multiple speakers testified in support, including students, community organizers, and faith leaders. Speakers shared stories of family separation, described poor conditions in detention facilities, and urged the Council to prevent private immigration detention centers. One speaker opposed the bill, criticizing its title and expressing concerns about undocumented immigrants.
Public Hearing on Expedited Bill 14-26 (Vehicle Recovery Act): Four speakers testified in support, including representatives from CASA, Takoma Park Police Department, and mutual aid groups. They described challenges families face when a detained immigrant's vehicle is towed and urged clearer documentation rules. One speaker suggested expanding acceptable IDs to include student IDs from MCPS and Montgomery College.
District Council Session (9:30 a.m.)
Legislative Session (10:15 a.m.)
FY27-32 CIP Worksessions (10:35 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.)
The meeting adjourned at 3:03 p.m.
Good morning, everyone. Uh, today's March 24th. Welcome to the Mongame County Council. My name is Narali Fanny Gonzalez, and we have two very exciting proclamations today. We're gonna start with a proclamation recognizing National National Agriculture Day by Council Vice President Balcom, Council Members Fritson and Luki. Anybody who came for that proclamation, please move forward. I'm sorry. It's all good. Okay, everyone, come on in. Anyone who's here for ag day? Come on up. So uh welcome everyone. And today we're we're uh uh uh honoring our farmers, our ag producers, and we should do this every day. We eat food every day, we should recognize where it comes from, and we should appreciate our farmers and uh and we're doing that today. Uh we were down, we had a little breakfast this morning in our newly renovated uh cafe, and one of our farmers looked out the window and suggested we needed goats to to instead of the lawnmower on our side. So thank you, Doug, for that. Where's Doug? Thank you for that. Thank you for that suggestion. So um, so we'll be getting little baby goats to for our SAT. Um, so I just wanted to, as I said, um our farmers wake up every morning and and work very hard every day to make sure that we're fed and we appreciate them. And um, and I just want to turn this over to my colleagues to say a few words. Think thank you. Um farming, agriculture is a business, but it is a business that we cannot live without. It is a it is it is not an easy business. Uh it is intensively hard, laborious work. It's also heavily regulated, and I think people forget that sometimes. Um, but there's a lot that goes into the business of agriculture. And time and time again, our agricultural community has showed up. They have been outstanding partners to us in problem solving so that we can make sure agriculture is sustainable in the 21st century and delivers on behalf of our residents and our nearby residents because food insecurity isn't just doesn't just stop at borders. We are a regional um agricultural area. And and I can't say enough about how much they do to assist with resolving our food insecurity issues. And I know Heather Ruskin, our director of the Office of Food Systems Resilience is here today. And um, and and I don't know that people appreciate how much the logistical work of making sure what is grown in our agreserve gets to the people who need it, how much work that takes to make that happen. It cannot happen without deep personal partnerships and without deep personal commitment of all the folks you see up here and all those who they represent who aren't here with us today in making sure that that work is done day in and day out. Um this has been an incredibly challenging time for our community as a whole, and our agricultural producers have stepped up to meet the moment and have been 100% committed to having those conversations and engaging in that dialogue with each of us and with other stakeholders in the community to make sure that we are doing the very best we can under these difficult circumstances. So this year more than ever, I express my sincere gratitude for all that you do in your businesses and all of who you are as people. Thank you for all that you do. Good morning. It's great to be here with the two council members who represent the agricultural reserve. I had the great privilege of being able to represent the agreserve for four years and continue to advocate for the protection and preservation of the ag reserve as chair of the committee that oversees agriculture. And each and every day we eat our food, and I don't think we think intentionally enough about how it got to where we are. And the work, the sacrifice, the efforts that have been undertaken by families in our community who make that food possible. Today we celebrate that. We thank that there is not a tradition that doesn't express appreciation, gratitude, and bless their food before they eat it in some form or fashion. And I think it's important and incumbent upon all of us to think and show our gratitude for the people who actually make that food possible and the hard work that goes into getting it to your farmers market, getting it to your grocery store and getting it to your family to sustain each of us. We are truly sustained by our agricultural producers. It is not an easy time economically in any industry. The agricultural community is an example of that. Not only do they have to deal with economic dynamics and trade dynamics, they have to deal with weather.