The Mayor and Council of Rockville convened on May 12, 2025, at 10:45 AM (reconvened in the evening) for Meeting 13-25. The session included multiple proclamations, a community forum, a special presentation from the District 17 state delegation, approval of consent items, and a work session on the proposed annexation of the Shady Grove Metro Station property.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Today we have a lot of celebrations and proclamations, and we are going to move to the front. I'm going to ask my colleagues to join me. Our first proclamation will be read by Dr. Miles. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Thank you all for attending and coming out so early. I have the honor of reading the proclamation, National Public Service Week. And it goes as follows, whereas National Public Service Recognition Week has been recognized and organized annually since 1985 by the Public Employees Roundtable and its member organizations to honor the men and women who serve our nation as federal, state, county, and municipal employees. And whereas the goals of public service recognition week are to connect and educate citizens nationwide about the work in their government, of their government, rather, to improve the perception and morale of public service, and help ensure, help inspire rather a new generation of public service. Now, therefore, the mayor and council of the city of Rockville to hereby proclaim May 4th through the 10th, 2025 as National Public Service Recognition Week in the City of Rockville, Maryland, to thank and appreciate city staff for their dedication and service to the Rockville community. With that, Madam Mayor, I move the proclamation. Councilmember Fulton seconds. All those in favor, please raise your hand and say aye. Aye. I believe we have Barack Matite receiving. Mr. City Manager, do you want to do it in his stead? I know you love the camera, so I'm happy to give it to you. Do you want to say it? I do not. Thank you. I have it. Take a picture. Yes, it is. It absolutely not. It's on. Judy, you want to just thank you. Thank you. Hello, everyone. So I am honored to read the proclamation declaring this police week. May 15th is National Peace Officer Memorial Day. And the week it falls in is National Police Week. So this week is National Police Week from Sunday, May 11th to Sunday, May 17th, is a week of activity to honor and remember those officers who have sacrificed so much for the public safety. Closer to home, I've come to know the men and women of the Rockville City Police Department. Our CPD does a phenomenal job, not just in keeping the peace and in public safety, but with community engagement, getting out in the neighborhoods at neighborhood events, and getting prescription drug checkbacks and gun buybacks, and in being a presence at Rockville area schools. Whereas the Congress and President of the United States have designated May 15th as Peace Officers for Moral Day, and the week in which it falls as police week. Now, therefore, the mayor and council of Rockville, Maryland do hereby proclaim May the 11th to May the 17th, 2025 as National Police Week, and May 15th, 2025 as Peace Officers Memorial Day in the City of Rockville, and call upon the residents to commemorate this observance by thanking our police officers, past and present, who by their faithful and loyal devotion have established an enviable enviable and enduring reputation for preserving the rights, safety, and security of all residents of Rockville and the surrounding communities. Madam Mayor, I move the proclamation. Councilman seconds, all those in favor, please raise your hand and say aye. Aye. And now I would like to invite uh acting chief Jason West up to uh accept the proclamation. Do you want to say a few words? No, not not really. Good evening. It's my great honor to read uh National Women's Health Week proclamation. Uh, not just because I'm a city council member, but also because I am an NIH employee and a public health. Uh thank you. Whereas National Women's Health Week celebrates the extraordinary progress in women's health and recognizes that more needs to be done to safeguard the health of women and girls for generations to come.