Rockville Mayor and Council Meeting - September 2, 2026

This meeting focused primarily on setting the city's forthcoming six-month legislative and policy calendar, covering work sessions and public hearings for the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR), Election Code, Budget, Landlord Tenant Code, and other major initiatives. City Manager Jeff led the scheduling discussion, which prompted significant deliberation on balancing public engagement opportunities with the workload capacity of both staff and council. Staff provided brief updates on the current meeting's agenda, including a closed session at 5:30 PM, a city manager's update, and work sessions on CIP debt review and final balancing. An update on annexation recommended moving forward with annexing a portion of the JD Gove metro station.

Discussion Items

• Calendar & Scheduling: Staff presented a detailed six-month calendar from late April through July. The Council discussed the density of meetings and public hearings, adjusting time allocations and dates throughout the review.
• Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR): Multiple work sessions were scheduled. Staff recommended focusing on specific articles per session to streamline review. The public hearing time was extended from 20 to 30 minutes at Mayor Ashton's request.
• Election Code Update: Introduction was scheduled for April 27. The public hearing date was a key point of contention. Councilmembers Ashton and Valeri expressed strong concerns about holding it on May 18 alongside a Landlord Tenant Code work session and a community forum. It was subsequently moved to June 1. Adoption was tentatively set for June 29.
• Budget Adoption: Scheduled for May 4. Councilmember Valeri noted the city's transition to what she described as a time of greater fiscal austerity and requested the council allocate ample time for public comment beyond the standard estimate for this adoption meeting.
• Landlord Tenant Code: Scheduled for May 18. Councilmember Shaw requested that the Housing Needs Assessment data, specifically demographic data and statistics on tenant stability, be available to inform this work session. She cited specific data, stating that 46% of tenants are in their first year of living in Rockville, which she characterized as reflecting acute housing instability, and argued this information should directly guide the code's development.
• Housing Needs Assessment: Scheduled for June 8. Councilmembers Ashton and Shaw requested the presentation explicitly cover demographic data, equity impacts, and a detailed account of community engagement findings beyond just the code implications. Mayor Ashton noted that 68% of respondents in an open house survey indicated a desire to stay in Rockville, highlighting this as a critical data point.
• BRT (Bus Rapid Transit): Scheduled for June 8. Councilmember Valeri requested this item be structured as a standard presentation rather than a special presentation to allow council members to ask questions of county partners.
• Annexation Update: City staff announced a recommendation to proceed with the annexation of a portion of the JD Gove metro station, while noting significant work remains to be done on the overall annexation process.
• Scheduling Capacity and Public Hearings: Multiple council members, including Mayor Ashton and Councilmember Valeri, argued that the city should generally avoid holding three major public hearings or community forums on the same day. They recommended a limit of two and requested realistic time estimates for public participation to avoid overburdening the public.
• Street Tree Master Plan: Councilmember Valeri requested this be added as an explicit future agenda item to ensure it is updated in a manner complimentary to the recently adopted Forest and Tree Preservation Ordinance.
• Communications to County Council: Mayor Ashton announced plans to send a communication to the County Council regarding their proposed budget's impact on tax duplication payments, which he noted are codified into law.

Key Outcomes

• Election Code Public Hearing Rescheduled: Moved from May 18 to June 1 to balance the calendar and accommodate expected public participation.
• BRT Presentation Format Changed: The county partner update was changed from a special presentation to a standard presentation, allowing council members to ask clarifying questions.
• Data Integration Requested: Council directed staff to ensure key data from the Housing Needs Assessment, particularly demographic data and housing stability statistics, is shared with the council prior to the Landlord Tenant Code work session on May 18.
• Extended Time Allotments: Staff agreed to increase time estimates for public hearings on the ZOR and Budget adoption to better reflect expected high public engagement.
• Work Session Focus Areas Set: Specific chapters and articles were assigned to each ZOR work session, and the Landlord Tenant Code session was formally scheduled for one hour.
• Street Tree Master Plan Flagged: Councilmember Valeri's request to schedule the Street Tree Master Plan as a future agenda item was acknowledged by staff.
• Tax Duplication Letter: Mayor Ashton committed to drafting a letter to the County Council regarding tax duplication payments.