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Record of Proceedings

Rockville Mayor and Council Meeting - August 3, 2026: Grants to Nonprofits Work Session and Proclamations

Meeting Portal — Monday, August 3, 2026

BodyRockville, Maryland

SessionMeeting Portal

DateMonday, August 3, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:11:04

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

Good evening, Rockfell.

0:01

We are beginning our meeting on August 3rd, 2026 in all virtual.

0:07

And we thank you for joining us here today.

0:10

I'm going to start with the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:20

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.

0:36

Thank you, Ms.

0:37

Sarah Taylor Pharrell.

0:39

Have there been any changes to the agenda?

0:44

Madam Mayor and Council members, there are no changes to this evening's agenda.

0:49

Thank you.

0:50

Excellent.

0:51

Thank you.

0:52

We'll now have the city manager's report, Mr.

0:54

Jeff Mahilwick.

0:57

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

0:59

Good evening.

1:00

I only have one item tonight, and that's just to invite people to participate with our economic development strategic plan.

1:07

We're just starting that process right now.

1:09

We've loaded that project up on to Engage Rockville, and we have a new survey.

1:14

Also show you a hard copy of it.

1:15

There it is.

1:16

The surveys available for people to go online or to hit the QR code.

1:21

They pick it up live.

1:22

And please provide their comments.

1:24

They can track the progress of the Economic Development Plan Strategic Plan Development and provide their comments.

1:30

We would appreciate it.

1:31

Thank you, Mayor.

1:33

Thank you very much.

1:34

And I just wanted to flag one thing between the city manager's office and the city clerk's office.

1:38

We did have several agenda items added on Thursday for consent.

1:43

They were trying to get busy and make sure that we get a lot done before the recess.

1:47

So just wanted to flag that if you downloaded your agenda earlier in the week to please feel free to check that out.

1:52

Excellent.

1:53

Thank you, Mr.

1:54

City Manager.

1:55

Thank you, City Clerk.

1:58

We're now moving on to boards and commissions appointments and reappointments.

2:03

We do have a few, and I wanted to make sure that it's at least for the human rights commission that we can move forward.

2:12

Would anyone like to make the motion?

2:14

Councilmember Valerie.

2:17

Sorry, Madam Mayor, I just had uh I was raising my hand um for the previous um section.

2:24

I just wanted to that's okay.

2:26

I just wanted to I just wanted to remind folks that tomorrow night is national night out, so that if they don't know of a gathering, um, you know, you can you can uh check it out.

2:38

Um apologies, I don't know what's going on here.

2:41

Um I will just note that we are gonna have a proclamation for that and we'll speak to that a little bit more, but please feel free to go ahead.

2:49

No, no, that that's totally fine.

2:51

I I forgot we had a proclamation.

2:53

That's great.

2:54

Thank you.

2:54

No problem.

2:55

Thank you.

2:55

Teamwork.

2:57

Does anyone want to make the motion for our human rights commission appointees?

3:08

Madam Mayor, I'm happy to do that as well.

3:10

If that's helpful.

3:11

Please do thank you.

3:14

Not a problem.

3:15

Let me just pull it up real quick.

3:17

I apologize.

3:20

I am having some slow connectivity issues.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Grants Management████████████████████████████████████████40%

Community Engagement████████████████████████24%

Economic Equity██████6%

Public Safety█████5%

Youth Programs█████5%

Procedural███3%

Affordable Housing███3%

Economic Development██2%

Public Works██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Rockville Mayor and Council Meeting - August 3, 2026: Grants to Nonprofits Work Session and Proclamations

The Mayor and Council of Rockville met virtually on August 3, 2026, at 5:30 PM. The meeting featured proclamations for National Night Out and the National Day of Service and Remembrance, approval of the consent agenda, and a detailed work session on proposed changes to the city's grants to nonprofits program. The work session focused on three key questions: adopting five impact focus areas, prioritizing one or two areas in FY28, and creating a streamlined renewal pathway for high-performing programs. Council provided feedback and direction to staff, with majority support for the impact focus areas and the renewal pathway, but no consensus on prioritization at this time.

Proclamations

National Night Out: Mayor Ashton read a proclamation declaring August 4, 2026, as National Night Out in Rockville, highlighting over 20 community events across the city and the Rockville Police Department's participation to build community trust. The proclamation was moved by Councilmember Willary and seconded by Councilmember Van Grack, passing unanimously.
National Day of Service and Remembrance: Councilmember Jackson read a proclamation declaring September 11, 2026, as a National Day of Service and Remembrance, honoring victims of the 9/11 attacks and encouraging community service. The proclamation was moved by Councilmember Jackson and seconded by Councilmember Van Grack, passing unanimously. A remembrance event is scheduled for September 11 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM at Courthouse Square Park.

Consent Calendar

Item 9A: Award and authorization for the City Manager to execute a contract with Ferguson Enterprises, LLC (Tysons, VA) for RFP 30-25 – Advanced Metering Infrastructure Project.
Item 9B: Approval and authorization for a change order (Contract #18-24) with Boulevard Contractors Corp (Owings Mills, MD) for the Lincoln Park Community Center Renovation Project, in an amount not to exceed $316,719, for a revised total of $1,277,738.
Item 9C: Approval and authorization for the City Manager to execute the Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit Rental Program Agreement and Declaration of Restrictive Covenants for Twinbrook Place between the City and Twinard Limited Partnership, subject to legal form approval.
Item 9D: Authorization for the City Manager to execute a grant agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration for FY2023 Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program for the Maryvale Park to Redgate Park Shared Use Path Study.
Item 9E: Award of MWCOG/Montgomery County Cooperative Lead IFB #1180960 for road deicing salt to Morton Salt, Inc. (Chicago, IL) in an amount not to exceed $1,000,000 per year, aggregate not to exceed $5,000,000.
Item 9F: Authorization for the City Manager to execute a Settlement Agreement with Norair Engineering Corporation. All consent items were approved unanimously via a motion by Councilmember Van Grack, seconded by Councilmember Jackson.

Work Session: Grants to Nonprofits Program Design Changes

Staff (Nick Shushka, Collective Impact Manager, and Sarah Mazel, Program and Grant Specialist) presented proposed changes to the city's community services and enrichment grants and community empowerment matching grants. Key proposals included:

Adoption of five impact focus areas: Housing Stability, Economic Mobility, Youth and Family Success, Service Access and Navigation, and Community Enrichment and Belonging.
Streamlined renewal pathway for high-performing programs (up to two years of renewal with modest cost-of-service adjustments, subject to available funding).
Creation of a mini-grant program for awards up to $10,000 with simplified requirements.

Council discussion included:

Councilmember Van Grack supported the impact focus areas and the streamlined renewal pathway, but opposed prioritizing one or two areas in FY28, preferring to allow nonprofits to align with any of the five.
Councilmember Jackson supported the overall direction, raised questions about definitions (e.g., household stability vs. housing stability), and emphasized the need for data before prioritizing specific areas. He supported the streamlined renewal pathway.
Councilmember Shaw supported adopting the impact focus areas but wanted more data before prioritizing. She also raised concerns about terminology, suggesting 'community resiliency' might be more inclusive, and stressed the importance of including seniors in the youth and family category.
Councilmember Valerie strongly supported the impact focus areas as a necessary prioritization tool, supported the streamlined renewal pathway, and suggested incorporating equity focus areas aligned with the city's JEDI strategic plan. She also raised concerns about grants to Montgomery County-run programs and the use of grant funds for lobbying.
Councilmember Dr. Miles supported the five areas, did not see a need to prioritize one or two, and supported the streamlined renewal pathway with appropriate guardrails.

Key Outcomes

Question 1 (Adopt five impact focus areas): Majority support from council; staff directed to proceed with adoption.
Question 2 (Prioritize one or two areas in FY28): No consensus; council generally opposed prioritization at this time, preferring to allow all five areas to be competitive. Staff will not prioritize specific areas for FY28.
Question 3 (Streamlined renewal pathway): Unanimous support; staff directed to implement the pathway for high-performing programs, with criteria including meeting at least 80% of metrics and compliance with grant requirements.
Next steps: Staff will finalize program changes based on council feedback, communicate changes to grantees via application materials and technical sessions in September, and launch the FY28 application in October 2026. The mayor requested that staff review timing to ensure continuity for existing grantees, especially for the mini-grant program.

Boards and Commissions Appointments

Anna Day Long was appointed to an expiring three-year term on the Human Rights Commission until April 1, 2027.
Richard Hoffman was appointed to an expiring three-year term until July 1, 2028. Both appointments were approved unanimously.

City Manager's Report

City Manager Jeff Mahilwick invited participation in the Economic Development Strategic Plan, with a survey available on Engage Rockville.

Mock Agenda and Old/New Business

The council reviewed the mock agenda for a future meeting (no action taken).
Mayor Ashton noted that the council will be on recess during August, with no meetings scheduled, but city operations continue.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at approximately 7:05 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, Rockfell. We are beginning our meeting on August 3rd, 2026 in all virtual. And we thank you for joining us here today. I'm going to start with 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. Thank you, Ms. Sarah Taylor Pharrell. Have there been any changes to the agenda? Madam Mayor and Council members, there are no changes to this evening's agenda. Thank you. Excellent. Thank you. We'll now have the city manager's report, Mr. Jeff Mahilwick. Mayor Ashton, members of City Council, ladies and gentlemen. Good evening. I only have one item tonight, and that's just to invite people to participate with our economic development strategic plan. We're just starting that process right now. We've loaded that project up on to Engage Rockville, and we have a new survey. Also show you a hard copy of it. There it is. The surveys available for people to go online or to hit the QR code. They pick it up live. And please provide their comments. They can track the progress of the Economic Development Plan Strategic Plan Development and provide their comments. We would appreciate it. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you very much. And I just wanted to flag one thing between the city manager's office and the city clerk's office. We did have several agenda items added on Thursday for consent. They were trying to get busy and make sure that we get a lot done before the recess. So just wanted to flag that if you downloaded your agenda earlier in the week to please feel free to check that out. Excellent. Thank you, Mr. City Manager. Thank you, City Clerk. We're now moving on to boards and commissions appointments and reappointments. We do have a few, and I wanted to make sure that it's at least for the human rights commission that we can move forward. Would anyone like to make the motion? Councilmember Valerie. Sorry, Madam Mayor, I just had uh I was raising my hand um for the previous um section. I just wanted to that's okay. I just wanted to I just wanted to remind folks that tomorrow night is national night out, so that if they don't know of a gathering, um, you know, you can you can uh check it out. Um apologies, I don't know what's going on here. Um I will just note that we are gonna have a proclamation for that and we'll speak to that a little bit more, but please feel free to go ahead. No, no, that that's totally fine. I I forgot we had a proclamation. That's great. Thank you. No problem.

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