Rockville City Council Meeting - January 12, 2026
Rockville City Council Meeting - January 12, 2026
The Rockville City Council convened for Meeting No. 2-26 to conduct routine administrative business, hear public testimony, and deliberate on significant amendments to the city's forest preservation laws. The meeting featured a celebratory announcement from the City Manager regarding the first closing of the employee home-buyer program, unanimous appointments to city commissions, and a comprehensive review of the annual financial reports. The primary focus was a detailed presentation and vote on amending the Forest and Tree Preservation Ordinance to align with state law and incorporate public and council recommendations regarding native species and biodiversity, which was passed despite one objection.
Consent Calendar
- Contract Award: Approved a purchase order award to 72-hour LLC (National Auto Fleet Group) for one freight liner valued at approximately $300,000.
- Financial Reports: Approved the FY2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFER) and the Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFER), noting a strong financial position, no material weaknesses, positive fund balances for all government funds, and no tax increases.
- MOU Approval: Approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Rockville and the Montgomery County Board of Elections for the use of a drop box located at City Hall.
- Commission Appointments: Unanimously approved the appointment of Magna Brown to the Human Rights Commission until November 1, 2028, and the reappointment of Jamie Espinoza to the Planning Commission until February 1, 2031.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Ibo Alouch (Rangors Voting): Expressed support and requested the City Council's presence at an "RCV Day" event scheduled for January 23rd. Position: Speaker announced a plan to mail a sign-on letter to the Mayor and Council supporting the "can of the county enabling bill" (context unclear in transcript). Note: Speaker clarified they are not a Rockville resident.
- Dreva Diego Kumar: Advocated for a significant shift in municipal governance and terminology. Position: Speaker stated a preference for running for Montgomery County Council at Large or the U.S. House of Representatives, claiming a plan to bring "$20 billion" to the county. Position: Speaker explicitly called for the city to refrain from using the term "illegal undocumented," arguing it causes mental health issues, and suggested using "established themselves" instead. Position: Speaker requested the creation of a task force focused on safety and strategy against harassment and stalking, citing past experiences with the county council.
Discussion Items
- Forest and Tree Preservation Ordinance (Chapter 10.5):
- Presentation: Staff presented amendments to align the ordinance with Maryland Senate Bill 526 and incorporate council feedback. Key changes discussed included:
- Adding off-site planting as a mitigation option.
- Instituting a requirement that at least 80% of trees planted must be native species, defined as those native to the mid-Atlantic region, with a provision for biodiversity to the extent possible.
- Appointing a "forestry official" rather than a "code administrator."
- Extending the public notice period for tree removal from 20 to 30 days.
- Clarifying that cemeteries are not exempt under state law, though off-site planting offers a compliance path.
- Councilmember Dr. Miles: Expressed support for the work, specifically thanking staff for updating the job title of the overseer to reflect required expertise.
- Councilmember Fulton: Expressed interest in the "biodiversity" language, seeking clarification on the meaning of "to the extent possible," and received assurance from staff that achieving diversity is manageable.
- Councilmember Valeri:
- Position: Expressed support for the 80% native species requirement but voiced concern regarding the lack of specificity in the definition of "mid-Atlantic," arguing it is too ambiguous compared to EPA ecoregions. Request: Proposed investigating incentives for 100% native planting in the future.
- Position: Expressed support for using green roofs or pollinator gardens as alternatives to fee-in-lieu for off-site planting credits.
- Position: Expressed concern regarding tree planting in older neighborhoods and the potential for root damage in smaller lots; requested clarification on how lot size impacts the "three tree" requirement.
- Position: Expressed support for the equity statement but requested more detail on neighborhoods with disproportionate tree coverage benefits.
- Position: Expressed opposition during the final vote regarding the specificity of the native species definition.
- Councilmember Jackson: Expressed strong support for the ordinance, praising staff for exceeding state requirements and incorporating public comment. Addressed a legal question regarding potential conflicts between the Forest Conservation Manual and state law, receiving reassurance from staff.
- City Manager: Discussed the importance of the financial reports, confirming the city has exceeded reserve fund guidelines and has not raised taxes. Noted the need for an update on tree biodiversity strategies for street trees and parks.
- City Council Member/Staff: Discussed the procedural path to adopt the ordinance, agreeing to amend the previously introduced text to include a requirement for a summary of manual updates to be sent to the Mayor and Council.
- Presentation: Staff presented amendments to align the ordinance with Maryland Senate Bill 526 and incorporate council feedback. Key changes discussed included:
Key Outcomes
- Ordinance Adoption: The Council adopted the ordinance to amend Chapter 10.5 of the Rockville City Code (Forest and Tree Preservation Ordinance) to align with state law and implement council-directed changes.
- Vote Tally: Ayes: 6, Nays: 1 (Councilmember Valeri), Abstentions: 0. The vote was unanimous except for Councilmember Valeri.
- Procedural Directives: Staff is directed to update the Forest Conservation Manual to reflect the new code language, specifically including the definition of native trees and biodiversity requirements.
- Future Review: The City Manager is requested to provide a staff report on the best approaches to incorporate biodiversity into street tree planting and the Street Tree Master Plan.
- Budgeting: The City Manager confirmed budget formulation is underway for the upcoming year, emphasizing community values reflected in the allocation of funds.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, Rockville. Today is January 12th, 2026, and we're beginning meeting number two-26. Please join me as you're able for the Pledge of Allegiance. 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. We'll now move to agenda review. Miss Judy Penny. Good evening, Mayor and Council. There are no changes to this evening's agenda. Thank you. We'll now have the city manager's report. Mayor Ashton, members of City Council, ladies and gentlemen, good evening. I have some good news to start off with. A while ago, City Council decided to create a city employee first-time home buyers program. That's a wonderful program thought of by the council. Have a number of different financial incentives and education as part of that program. And the goal really is to provide city employees with an incentive to live within the city limits, but more importantly, to have safe, stable housing as your employee for the city. And today we had our first ever closing. So it's official. Really excited about that. And even better, we have five more closings lined up over the next month and a half. So congratulations to everybody involved, especially the city council. Second, just so you know, and I warned you guys about this now. We are building the budget. So I'm spending hours and hours and hours with staff in this room, um, going through all of our programs, policies, etc., doing the best we can to formulate a recommended budget for this council to consider later on this year. Um it's hard work, but it's exciting work because again, as we all say, if you want to know a community's values, look at its budget. That's all I have, Mayor. Thank you. Thank you. And I had a chance to engage with uh some seniors uh uh and uh they reminded us that not everyone uh can join or take the survey online, so we can mail copies of the survey. So please feel free to call City Hall if you would like one. We will send one your way. Thank you. All right, we next have board and commission appointments. We have a few today. The first is a human rights commission, and we also have a planning commission appointment. Who would like to make the motion for the human rights? Ms. Shaw, Councilmember Shaw. Madam Mayor, I move to approve the new appointment to the Human Rights Commission of Magna Brown to serve in an expiring three-year term until November 1st, 2028. Excellent. Thank you. Do we have a second? Councilmember Valeri Seconds. All those in favor, please raise your hand and say aye. Aye. And uh, she is here today. Please stand. Thank you. Thank you for your service.
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