Rockville Mayor and Council Meeting and FY26 Budget Work Session - March 24, 2025
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Rockville Mayor and Council Meeting and FY26 Budget Work Session - March 24, 2025
The Rockville Mayor and Council held Meeting No. 9-25 on March 24, 2025, beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance, a city manager report, and unanimous approval of board and commission appointments. The agenda included community forum, consent agenda, the FY26 budget public hearing, adoption of zoning text amendment TXT 2025-00269, adoption of the Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan, and an FY26 budget work session focused on operating expenditures, grants, and fund balance. The meeting continued into the early morning hours.
Consent Calendar
- Approved consent agenda items: (A) award and authorization for the city manager to execute a contract for Lincoln Park Community Center Improvements; (B) award and authorization for the city manager to execute a contract for LED streetlight conversion phase two. Motion by Councilmember Van Grack, second by Councilmember Miles, unanimous.
Boards and Commissions Appointments
- The following appointments/reappointments were approved unanimously:
- Community Policing Advisory Board: Todd Simmons (term to April 1, 2027).
- Cultural Arts Commission: Howard Young (to April 1, 2028) and Michelle Cheat (to March 1, 2028).
- Ethics Commission: Brooks Hanner (to March 1, 2028).
- Environment Commission: Cindy McCabe (to October 1, 2025).
- Financial Advisory Board: Michael Wheat (to February 1, 2027).
- Human Rights Commission: Jacob Goodman and Ja Sierra (to March 1, 2028).
- Recreation and Parks Advisory Board: Vincent Chip Boylan and Tiffany Holland (to March 1, 2028).
- Senior Citizens Commission: Vicky Gollage and Doreen Wink (to March 1, 2028).
- Transportation and Mobility Commission: Irene Bowen and Mike Brooks (to March 1, 2028).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Community Forum speakers urged the council to reconsider rent stabilization, citing the 56% of Rockville renters who are cost-burdened, threats of displacement, and the impact of federal job losses. Speakers included Emily Towie (Montgomery County Renters Alliance), Chris Madden (Rockville Renters United), Joel Mercado, Dr. Brian Beekman, Justin Lee (who reported a 19% lease renewal increase), Aaron Slayzak, Grant Sams, Christine Garbodie, Tyler McClenathon, and Michelle Shen, many expressing full support for rent stabilization.
- Stephen Howlett (Rockville Little Theater) thanked the city for community grant support. Anita Neal Powell (Lincoln Park Historical Foundation) expressed support for the Lincoln Park Community Center improvement project. Gladys Lyons raised concerns about dangerous trees and traffic on her street.
- Meadow Hall Elementary School parents and staff testified in support of free English classes and tutoring, requesting continued city funding.
FY26 Budget Public Hearing
- Staff reported the public record would remain open through April 7, 2025, with over 730 responses to the community budget priorities survey (about 90% of responses received at this time last year).
- Speakers representing Community Reach of Montgomery County requested continued and increased funding for emergency assistance, senior home care, language outreach, and health clinic services. Peerless Rockville, Rockville Science Center, and Main Street Connect also spoke in support of full community grant funding.
- Christopher Cano (SEIU Local 500) criticized the absence of rent stabilization in the budget, stating that the cost of inaction can be measured in homeless families and council seats.
- Jake Jacobek and Shannon Brusher Shea spoke on behalf of expanded bicycle infrastructure, education, and staffing.
Discussion Items
- Zoning text amendment TXT 2025-00269: The public hearing drew no speakers. The council then introduced the amendment, waived the layover period, and adopted it unanimously. The amendment establishes three new floating zones in the Town Center, eliminates off-street parking requirements for much of the Town Center (while requiring accessible spaces), and allows ground-floor residential uses.
- Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan: The council adopted the resolution unanimously as amended. The amendment removed language requiring that a right-of-way charger only be allowed when installing a driveway or parking pad is not feasible, while maintaining safety and accessibility standards.
FY26 Budget Work Session
- Staff presented the proposed FY2026 operating budget of $173 million, a 4.5% increase from FY2025, with 49% allocated to personnel costs. Community service and enrichment grants were proposed at $1.5 million, a 22.3% increase. REDI funding was proposed at $1.6 million, a 10.8% increase.
- Staff recommended four commitments of reserves: the housing opportunities fund, a green space management plan, an emergency response vehicle for the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department, and construction of the senior center entrance from West Gude Drive.
- On retiree COLA, council did not approve a COLA this year but directed staff to provide comparative data from neighboring jurisdictions and study options for future consideration.
- Council discussed dedicating cannabis sales tax revenue to social services; no clear majority emerged, so the funds will remain in the general fund.
- Council directed funding of REDI's budget request except the proposed new business development FTE, and requested a future work session on economic development investment options.
Key Outcomes
- All board and commission appointments approved unanimously.
- Consent agenda approved unanimously.
- Zoning text amendment TXT 2025-00269 adopted unanimously.
- Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan resolution adopted unanimously as amended.
- Budget public hearing closed; written comments and survey accepted through April 7.
- Budget direction: increase community grants, fund REDI without the new FTE, and schedule a future economic development work session.
- Next budget work session scheduled for April 7, 2025, with procurement discussion moved to April 28, 2025.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, Rockville. Today is March 24th, 2025, and we'll begin meeting 9-25. Let's start with the Pledge of Allegiance. Please join as you're able. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And for which it stands. One nation under God. Indivisible with liberty and justice. Agenda review. Madam Mayor and Councilmembers, there are no changes to the agenda for this evening. Very nice. Thank you. And now we move to our city manager's report. Welcome, Mr. Mahalick. Mayor Ashton, members of City Council. Good evening. We have a very potentially very, very long meeting tonight, so I'll be super brief. We've been very involved with budget matters, as you might expect. Obviously, monitoring the legislative session, prepping our parks for the spring summer season and other important matters. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you very much. The City of Rockville has a renew and rise program for our federal employees, contractors, and grantees who have been impacted. There's information out in the FOIA and online if you look up City of Rockville federal workers, and it looks like this. And some of the classes are free. So please take advantage of that as you're able. In addition, in April, there will be a veterans fair on April 3rd. So if you go to our website, you can find out more information. All right. Now we'll move to boards and commissions' appointments and reappointments. We have appointments for the community policing advisory board, the cultural arts commission, the ethics commission, the environment commission, the financial advisory board, human rights commission, recreation and park advisory board, senior citizens commission, transportation and mobility commission. Colleagues, do we have a motion to approve the community policing advisory board? Councilmember Learie. I move the appointment of Todd Simmons to the Community Policing Advisory Board to serve an expiring term until April 1, 2027. Do we have a second? Councilmember Van Grag seconds. All those in favor, please raise your hand and say aye. Aye. Thank you. Now we move to the Cultural Arts Commission. Councilmember Jackson. Thank you, Mayor. Uh I move to reappointment of Howard Young to the Cultural Arts Commission to serve a full three-year term until April 2nd or April 1st, 2028, and the appointment of Michelle Cheat to the Cultural Arts Commission to serve a full three-year term until March the first, 2028. Seconds, Councilmember Shaw. All those in favor, please raise your hand and say aye. Aye. Thank you. It's unanimous. Next we have the Ethics Commission. Councilmember Fulton.
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