Rockville Mayor and Council Meeting – June 2, 2025
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Rockville Mayor and Council Meeting – June 2, 2025
The Mayor and Council of Rockville convened on Monday, June 2, 2025, at approximately 5:30 PM for Meeting 15-25, with a brief recess at 6:00 PM and reconvening at 6:30 PM via WebEx. The agenda included proclamation presentations, a budget amendment, work sessions on green building regulations and childcare solutions, and other routine business. Councilmember Fulton was absent; all other members were present.
Proclamations & Recognitions
- Environmental Excellence Awards presented by Environment Commission Chair Will McLean:
- Ingleside at King Farm received an award for its residential compost program, which collects approximately 300 pounds of food scraps per week from residents.
- Dawn Seyman received the Carl Henn Award for 18 years of daily litter cleanup in the Twinbrook neighborhood.
- Gun Violence Awareness Day (June 6-8, 2025) – Proclamation read by Mayor Ashton. Maria Pakala (Moms Demand Action) noted that from 2021-2024 an average of 558 people died by homicide in Maryland annually and guns remain the leading cause of death among children and teens. The city’s gun buyback program has collected and melted about 1,000 guns.
- Men’s Health Week/Month (June 9-15, 2025) – Councilmember Jackson read the proclamation. City employee Craig Semeno, a five-year prostate cancer survivor, spoke about early detection.
- Flag Day (June 14, 2025) and 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army – Proclamation read; accepted by American Legion Post 86.
- Juneteenth (June 19, 2025) – Director Jean Booth accepted the proclamation and invited the community to the June 21 celebration at Black Rock Center.
- World Refugee Day/Week (June 16-22, 2025) – Proclamation recognizing the 122.6 million displaced people worldwide.
- Caribbean American Heritage Month – Althea Gray Mackenzie accepted on behalf of the National Steering Committee.
- LGBTQ+ Pride Month – Mayor Ashton read the proclamation; Human Rights Commission accepted and noted that Rockville hosted the first Montgomery County Pride in 1993.
Consent Calendar
- Item 9A: Approved authorization for the City Manager to execute FY2026 agreements granting RESTCO status to Rockville Little Theatre, Rockville Musical Theatre, and Victorian Lyric Opera Company for performances at F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre.
- Item 9B: Approved minutes from the May 5, 2025 meeting. (Approved together on a motion, all in favor)
Public Comments & Testimony
- Gwen Rifle (age 10) – Spoke in support of celebrating Independence Day, emphasizing the importance of July 4, 1776.
- Deborah Moore (Human Services Advisory Commission) – Thanked the Mayor and Council for continued support of caregiving organizations in the FY2026 budget, noting the Rockville Emergency Assistance Program (REAP) helps residents avoid eviction or utility disconnection.
Discussion Items
Budget Amendment #4 (FY2025) – Introduction, Waiver, Adoption
- Staff Presentation (Mary Sue Martin, Stacey Webster, Kim Francisco): The amendment primarily covers administrative adjustments, long-term leases, and depreciation. Key items include:
- Arbitrage liability payment of an unspecified amount for water/sewer/stormwater funds (interest owed to IRS due to delayed spending on bonds). City Manager Mahalik explained this is not an out-of-pocket loss; interest earnings are being returned.
- $80,000 General Fund transfer to REAP to assist seniors at Bethany House with rent arrears and prevent loss of affordable housing. Part of a partnership with the county and property owners.
- Overfill authorization for two police officer positions.
- Additional funds for the Blue Plains wastewater treatment plant and water treatment plant safety improvements.
- Council Discussion: Questions on arbitrage history, Bethany House conditions, and police pay evaluation (planned for July). Councilmember Leary requested an update on arbitrage mitigation. Councilmember Valeri asked about a second mental health specialist; the City Manager said a study will occur in summer. Councilmember Leary expressed concern that the current mental health specialist is no longer embedded at the police department; the City Manager said services continue via MOU and he will circle back.
- Outcome: The ordinance was introduced, layover waived, and adopted (all in favor).
Work Session: Green Building Regulations – Article 14 Amendments
- Staff Presentation (Chris Dumbolf): Proposed updates to the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) and National Green Building Standard (NGBS) to align with climate action goals. Key proposals:
- Third-party green verification required for all new structures.
- Mandatory on-site solar (with flexibility for off-site community solar).
- Enhanced EV charging infrastructure beyond current energy code.
- Six-month implementation period post-adoption.
- Council Feedback: General support. Councilmember Leary raised lessons from the 2024 code cycle, including a flood of permit applications before the deadline and concerns about project financing. She asked for more detail on third-party verification timelines. Councilmember Shaw asked about bird safety and soundproofing; staff noted that both are addressed in the codes. Councilmember Jackson asked about county interplay; staff agreed to provide more data.
- Outcome: Council indicated support for moving forward with the proposed amendments, with additional information to be provided to the Environment Commission and council.
Work Session: Childcare Solutions to Meet Community Needs
- Joint Presentation (Andy Lett, Elsa Kenfack, Jim Wasilek): Reviewed county data showing only 17% of infant/toddler care needs met (shortfall of ~18,000 seats). The city currently offers licensed programs (Montrose Discovery Preschool, Twinbrook After School Club), summer camps (nearly 200 camps, serving ~4,800 children in 2025 up from 1,600 in 2021), and housing/community development programs (RockKids mentoring, Latino Youth Development, Links to Learning).
- 11 Strategies Proposed:
- Increase funding for Rockville Recreation Assistance Fund.
- Revise qualification criteria (add financial need self-declaration, MCPS attendance, etc.).
- Enhance outreach/marketing.
- Expand slots in out-of-school programs and summer camps.
- Expand existing youth mentoring/development programs (e.g., Latino Youth Development, at-risk youth).
- Add REAP funding for childcare costs (up to $2,000 per family).
- Incorporate childcare focus in FY27 Community Services & Enrichment Grants.
- Streamline zoning for home-based childcare (increase capacity up to 12 children as matter of right).
- Streamline zoning for larger childcare centers in residential zones (conditional use).
- Streamline zoning in mixed-use/non-residential zones.
- Explore property tax credits for childcare providers (state-authorized).
- Council Feedback: Broad support for all strategies, but with concerns:
- Prioritization of Rockville residents for subsidized programs (especially if waitlists exist).
- $10/month increase in Strategy 1 may not reflect true inflation; need better data.
- Strategy 2 should maintain residency requirement; Councilmember Jackson urged focusing on residents first.
- Need more data on local childcare deserts and usage by age group.
- Coordination with Youth Commission, Education Commission, and RCPD for at-risk youth.
- Consider separating pre-teen and teen programs.
- Outcome: Council expressed support for pursuing all strategies with additional data refinement and resident prioritization. Staff will bring back detailed plans.
Key Outcomes
- Adopted Budget Amendment #4 (FY2025) via introduction, waiver, and final vote (all in favor).
- Approved Consent Calendar (Items 9A and 9B) (all in favor).
- Moved Agenda Item 15 (Chapter 15 revisions) to the next meeting on June 9, 2025.
- Supported advancement of Green Building Regulations amendments, with a six-month implementation and additional information requested.
- Supported all 11 Childcare Expansion Strategies as a direction to staff, with clarifications on residency and equity.
- Directed staff to send a letter to Pinneburg, Germany requesting the clarinet ensemble perform during Rockville’s delegation visit in September 2025.
- Agreed in principle to hold a work session on the Climate Action Plan (and potentially Vision Zero) rather than a special presentation, to allow council prioritization discussions.
Meeting Transcript
Rockville, today is June 2nd, 2025, and we'll begin meeting 15-25. We're going to begin with our Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Okay. As you know, we started a little bit earlier on our days where we're doing rot recognitions and proclamations. I'm excited to see the people in the room today. And I'm gonna ask my colleagues to please join me down at the podium. I'd like to welcome Ms. Bill McLean here. Oh, hey, there you are. Uh he is going to be sharing some exciting news about environmental awards that we have going on in the city, and also want to acknowledge the work of the Environment Commission. Thank you for your service as chair and selecting these winners. Welcome. Good evening. Uh, thank you very much, Mayor Ashton. My name is Will McLean, and I'm the chair of the Environment Commission in Rockville. In 2003, the mayor and council established the Environmental Excellence Awards to acknowledge and bring community attention to the extraordinary accomplishments made by city residents, organizations, and businesses to enhance Rockville's environmental commitment and sustainability. Anyone can at any time uh throughout the year nominate an individual, organization, or business for these awards, and we strongly encourage you to go to our website and see the conditions and submit nominations anytime you want to. Joining us this evening is Jen Haas, another member of the Rockville Environment Commission, which is tasked with receiving the nominations, reviewing the nominations, and selecting the awardees. We thank the mayor and council for recognizing our two award winners this evening. First, the Environment Commission recommends Ingleside at King Farm receive the Environmental Excellence Award for outstanding leadership in environmental practices for their residential compost program. And please welcome Dave Martinson, co-chair of the Ingleside at King Farm Green Team to accept this award. You can stay with us. Stay with us. Ingleside at King Farm is a senior living community that embraces environmentally friendly practices. With encouragement from the volunteer green team, the dining department decided to participate in Montgomery County's composting pilot program for dining facilities. Maryland had previously required all non-restaurant food establishments with more than 1,000 pounds of food scraps per week to participate in food scrap collections. Once the dining program was up and running, the general manager of dining services at Ingleside at King Farm, Teddy De Missy, decided to expand the program's outreach. He invited residents to join this program. The resident personal food scraps composting began in July 2024 with a group of 25 participants formed by members of the Green Team at Engleside at King Farm and other interested residents. The Green Team provided each participant with a list of acceptable items and guidelines as how to collect and store the food scraps and other compos compostables until the collection time. Since Ingleside at King Farm Department offers only reusable or compostable containers for carryout, these are also available to be collected and composted. The resident food scrap collection was so popular that it soon expanded to 50 residents, and after three months, it was expanded to serve all community residents. Today, every Monday afternoon and Thursday morning for an hour, the residents are invited to bring their food scraps and compostable items to the collection area near the cafe kitchen. A volunteer resident monitor removes any contaminants prior to placing the scraps in the bin. And every week, in addition to the dining compost, the resident program collects approximately 300 pounds of food scraps and compostables, turning them back into soil. Ingleside at King Farm was nominated by Councilmember Barry Jackson. Thank you very much. We'll get a bit of a big The Environment Commission recommends Don Seyman receive the Carl Henn Environmental Excellence Award for Outstanding Individual Environmental Stewardship for her dedication to litter removal, removal beautifying Twin Brooks and neighborhood parks. Please welcome Dawn to accept the award. Don Salman has been picking up litter in the Twinbrook neighborhood for 18 years. Every day she walks down the path that goes behind the Twinbrook Community Recreation Center to Rockcrest Park, picking up trash. Don recycles everything that she can and throws the rest away. The only days that she doesn't go out is when it's raining or snowing. Don has just received the Twin Brooker of the Year Award from the Twinbrook Community Association. And for her efforts, Dawn has lived in the Rockville area her whole life. She's a self-proclaimed perfectionist, picking up even the smallest pieces of trash along her way. Her work preserves the homes of the animals that live in the area so that they too can thrive in our neighborhood. Dawn believes if one person from each part of our neighborhood did this work, we would have a much more beautiful place to live in Rockville. Due to her dedication, the Twin Brook neighborhood is cleaner and a safer place.
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