OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Rockville City Council Meeting: Election Code Rewrite, BRT Updates, and Budget Amendment - June 8, 2026

Meeting Portal — Monday, June 8, 2026
BodyRockville, Maryland
SessionMeeting Portal
DateMonday, June 8, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:58:31

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Good evening, Rockville.

0:00

Today is June 8th, 2026, and we're convening meeting 16-26.

0:05

Please join me as you're able in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:33

We'll now move to agenda review, Miss Sarah Taylor Pharrell.

0:39

Madam Mayor and Council members, there are no changes to the agenda for this evening.

0:43

Excellent.

0:44

Thank you.

0:45

Now move to the city management report, Mr.

0:48

Jeff Mahalick.

0:50

Mayor Ashton, members of City Council, ladies and gentlemen, good evening.

0:53

To say we're busy is an understatement, but it's all good things.

0:57

We are in high season for community events.

0:59

We had a wonderful pride event this past weekend.

1:03

I mean, the turnout was incredible considering how hot it was.

1:07

Great turnout.

1:08

A lot of really happy people running around.

1:10

It was wonderful.

1:11

And then this coming Saturday, we have another really popular event, which is Suds and Souls.

1:15

So we're looking forward to that on Saturday evening.

1:18

We're also doing a number of park improvements in the city.

1:21

One that's really popular in the community is we just installed a bunch of new pickleball courts, both at Israel Park and Welsh Parks.

1:28

And we continue to plan for future parks, like working on our final plans for the much awaited Redgate Park improvements.

1:36

Then lastly, I'll just mention that we're continuing to work on implementing our climate action plan, including working on the last phase of our LED streetlight conversion plan and the acquisition of brand new electric uh senior buses.

1:50

We're excited about that as well.

1:51

That's all I have to report, Mayor.

1:53

Thank you.

1:54

Thank you.

1:54

I also wanted to extend uh thank you to everyone who came out in the community and to staff for pride.

2:00

It was fantastic, and thank you to the Human Rights Commission.

2:03

You also had a number of important other events that happen in the city.

2:07

Uh the Neighborhood Connect at Scarborough Square.

2:09

It's our effort to get out into the community, bring council to the community.

2:13

And we had a chance to hear detailed information to meet with children as well as adults on uh their ideas, their concerns, and I know staff is following up on that.

2:23

And then some of my colleagues and I jumped in the pool on Saturday for a summer kickoff.

2:29

It was so nice to see the teens just the teen community having fun talking to each other, not on their phones, just really engaging in a positive and healthy way.

2:40

So I want to thank staff and the Wreck and Parks Foundation.

2:43

Uh and then RCPD came out and really had a strong partnership with Main Street and many other public safety professionals from the state to the county to the fire uh leaders.

2:54

I just want to say thank you for that, as well as the um public safety awards with the chamber.

3:01

So very, very busy week, and uh I know it takes lots of work and want to thank my colleagues for coming in and being a part of it.

3:08

Councilmember Van Grack.

3:10

Um, so aside from echoing all of uh what you had to say about the great uh wonderful events, um, I know that as much as there were some wonderful things, we did get an alert, and I want to thank the Rockville City Police Department with regard to the fact that there appears to be a rabid fox that has been attack a few different individuals and dogs.

3:29

And Mr.

3:30

City Manager, I don't know if you want to just either elaborate on the alert that was issued and maybe just confirm that if there is any capture or confirmation that the city will also follow up with alerts.

3:41

Yeah, thank you for the question.

3:43

Yeah, unfortunately, we do have um a rabid fox um at large, if you will, out in the community.

3:49

If any member of the public see a fox that is acting weird in any way, they should call us immediately.

3:55

Um we do have animal control, that's part of our uh police department.

3:59

We will send someone out.

4:01

We just don't want somebody trying to take matters under their own hands.

4:05

Um if we see a specific location where we know the fox is, we will send out an alert.

4:10

And equally important, when we capture the fox, um, we'll make sure that people are aware of that as well.

4:16

And and as I understand it, the number that we're asking people to call is 240-314-8900.

4:23

If there's any fox that they observe or any animal that seems to be uh having erratic behavior, that's correct, and thank you.

4:32

Thank you, Councilmember.

4:34

I would also be remiss that uh since last we met.

4:38

Um it is graduation season, so I do want to give uh congratulations to all of the students in Rockville who are graduating, and of course, a very special shout out.

4:49

Um, I was present and I saw Madam Mayor as well at the Richard Montgomery graduation, and it is always just a very joyful uh uh event and evening, and I just want to express my congratulations to everybody and to the all the parents and guardians of those who graduated.

5:00

And I just want to express my congratulations to everybody.

5:03

And to all the parents and guardians of those who graduated.

5:07

Thank you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Election Procedures██████████████████████████████████34%
Public Engagement███████████11%
Transportation Safety██████████10%
Voter Registration█████████9%
Procedural████████8%
Election Code Rewrite██████6%
Urban Planning████4%
Budget Equity Analysis███3%
Community Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Rockville City Council Meeting: Election Code Rewrite, BRT Updates, and Budget Amendment - June 8, 2026

The Rockville City Council convened meeting 16-26 on June 8, 2026, covering the city manager's report, a community forum, special presentations on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and the Planning Commission annual report, a consent agenda, a budget amendment, and a work session on election code rewrites. Key actions included approving the consent agenda and budget amendment, and providing policy direction for the election code rewrite.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved items 9A through 9I, including adoption of a revised investment policy (9A), LED streetlight conversion contracts (9B), concrete and brick infrastructure contracts (9C), Glenora Park stream restoration spot repair (9D), streetlight maintenance (9E), electric senior shuttle buses (9F, pulled for discussion then approved), dark fiber and internet upgrades for city facilities (9G, pulled for discussion then approved), amendments to professional services contracts (9H), and temporary labor services (9I). Councilmember Valeri pulled items 9F and 9G for questions; after clarification, they were approved by unanimous voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • David Weinberg (Rockville resident, PhD in political science): Expressed strong support for ranked-choice voting (RCV), citing benefits such as reflecting voter preferences, encouraging positive campaigning, and providing winning candidates with broader legitimacy. He noted RCV use in Takoma Park and Washington, D.C.
  • Michelle Whitaker (Executive Director, Ranked Choice Voting Maryland): Urged the council to adopt RCV, highlighting its potential to improve representation for women, people of color, renters, and other communities. She noted that Berwyn Heights, MD recently adopted RCV via ballot initiative.
  • Melton Halen (Frederick County resident): Encouraged Rockville to implement RCV, stating that no jurisdiction that adopts it wants to return to first-past-the-post voting.
  • Ellen Pack (Rockville resident): Supported RCV to engage more residents in the political process and provide practice for larger elections.
  • James Druva Kumar (J.D. Kumar, Democratic candidate for Congress, MD-8): Discussed his platform, including ADA support, interest-free mortgages, property tax freeze for seniors, and housing as a basic right.

Discussion Items

  • City Manager's Report: Jeff Mahalick reported on community events (Pride event, Suds and Souls), new pickleball courts at Israel and Welsh Parks, Redgate Park improvements, LED streetlight conversion, and acquisition of electric senior shuttle buses. Mayor Ashton highlighted Neighborhood Connect, summer kickoff, and public safety awards.
  • Councilmember Van Grack raised a rabid fox alert, with the city manager advising residents to call 240-314-8900 to report erratic animals.
  • Special Presentation: BRT Updates: Montgomery County DOT presented on Veers Mill Road (7.6 miles, 12 stations, $230M, construction starting spring 2026, opening late 2028) and MD 355 (15.5 miles, $517M, 14,000 daily trips, revenue service 2031). Council asked about station locations, equity, coordination with the city, and timeline challenges. The FTA grant for Veers Mill is expected summer 2026.
  • Planning Commission Annual Report: Chair Meng Sun reviewed 2025 activities: 16 meetings, 19 subdivision plans, 5 site plans (1,005 dwelling units, 719,000 sq ft office/R&D), recommendations on zoning amendments, and work on zoning ordinance rewrite. Highlights included approval of Shady Grove Metro annexation and affordable housing projects.
  • Work Session: Election Code Rewrite: The Board of Supervisors of Elections (BSE) presented recommendations for the 2027 municipal election. Council discussed and provided direction on:
    • Continuing vote-by-mail (unanimous support).
    • Establishing a third vote center on the east side of Rockville Pike (unanimous support).
    • Providing a stipend to BSE members ($2,500 members, $3,500 chair) – council agreed to reimburse expenses and have a broader discussion on board compensation.
    • Expanding campaign material definitions to include robocalls, texts, and audio (supported).
    • Adding definitions for campaign committee, contributions, and expenditures (supported).
    • Closing voter registration 60 days before the election (split; majority opposed, decided to keep 45 days but clarify language).
    • Allowing BSE to recommend vote center/drop box locations with council approval (supported with caveats on minimums).
    • Reducing mailers from 4 to 3 (majority opposed, kept 4).
    • Deleting absentee ballot provisions (supported with voter education requirements).
    • Retaining certification for voter assistance (supported removal; council decided to keep form for accountability).
    • Clarifying when one becomes a candidate (supported).
    • Requiring slates to disband after each election cycle (supported).
    • Adopting independent expenditure reporting rules (supported; further information requested on threshold amount and agent residency).
    • Increasing maximum late filing fee from $360 (supported; council indicated $1,000 or more).
    • Streamlining late fee procedures (supported).
    • Requiring opt-out for political text messages (supported; legal review requested on federal/state preemption).
    • Adding BSE authority section (supported; further details needed on investigation and citation authority).
    • Making threats against election officials a crime (supported, to align with state law).

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda and budget amendment adopted by unanimous vote. Budget amendment (FY26 #4) included $4 million CIP transfer from excess reserves, revenue adjustments for recreation and red-light camera program, and senior assistance fund replenishment.
  • Policy direction provided for election code rewrite: Staff and BSE will draft revisions based on council feedback, with a target to return to council by August 21, 2026. Key directives include continuing vote-by-mail, adding a third vote center, increasing late fees, and adopting independent expenditure disclosure.
  • BRT projects to proceed with ongoing coordination between city and county on pedestrian safety and community outreach.
  • Planning Commission annual report accepted with appreciation.
  • Council directed staff to explore expanded reimbursement policies for BSE and conduct a holistic review of board/commission compensation.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, Rockville. Today is June 8th, 2026, and we're convening meeting 16-26. Please join me as you're able in the Pledge of Allegiance. We'll now move to agenda review, Miss Sarah Taylor Pharrell. Madam Mayor and Council members, there are no changes to the agenda for this evening. Excellent. Thank you. Now move to the city management report, Mr. Jeff Mahalick. Mayor Ashton, members of City Council, ladies and gentlemen, good evening. To say we're busy is an understatement, but it's all good things. We are in high season for community events. We had a wonderful pride event this past weekend. I mean, the turnout was incredible considering how hot it was. Great turnout. A lot of really happy people running around. It was wonderful. And then this coming Saturday, we have another really popular event, which is Suds and Souls. So we're looking forward to that on Saturday evening. We're also doing a number of park improvements in the city. One that's really popular in the community is we just installed a bunch of new pickleball courts, both at Israel Park and Welsh Parks. And we continue to plan for future parks, like working on our final plans for the much awaited Redgate Park improvements. Then lastly, I'll just mention that we're continuing to work on implementing our climate action plan, including working on the last phase of our LED streetlight conversion plan and the acquisition of brand new electric uh senior buses. We're excited about that as well. That's all I have to report, Mayor. Thank you. Thank you. I also wanted to extend uh thank you to everyone who came out in the community and to staff for pride. It was fantastic, and thank you to the Human Rights Commission. You also had a number of important other events that happen in the city. Uh the Neighborhood Connect at Scarborough Square. It's our effort to get out into the community, bring council to the community. And we had a chance to hear detailed information to meet with children as well as adults on uh their ideas, their concerns, and I know staff is following up on that. And then some of my colleagues and I jumped in the pool on Saturday for a summer kickoff. It was so nice to see the teens just the teen community having fun talking to each other, not on their phones, just really engaging in a positive and healthy way. So I want to thank staff and the Wreck and Parks Foundation. Uh and then RCPD came out and really had a strong partnership with Main Street and many other public safety professionals from the state to the county to the fire uh leaders. I just want to say thank you for that, as well as the um public safety awards with the chamber. So very, very busy week, and uh I know it takes lots of work and want to thank my colleagues for coming in and being a part of it. Councilmember Van Grack. Um, so aside from echoing all of uh what you had to say about the great uh wonderful events, um, I know that as much as there were some wonderful things, we did get an alert, and I want to thank the Rockville City Police Department with regard to the fact that there appears to be a rabid fox that has been attack a few different individuals and dogs. And Mr. City Manager, I don't know if you want to just either elaborate on the alert that was issued and maybe just confirm that if there is any capture or confirmation that the city will also follow up with alerts. Yeah, thank you for the question. Yeah, unfortunately, we do have um a rabid fox um at large, if you will, out in the community. If any member of the public see a fox that is acting weird in any way, they should call us immediately. Um we do have animal control, that's part of our uh police department. We will send someone out. We just don't want somebody trying to take matters under their own hands. Um if we see a specific location where we know the fox is, we will send out an alert.

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