TAKE ACTION: Contact the Montgomery County Council ASAP – FUND THE PEOPLE’S COUNSEL!

On March 15, 2023, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich recommended that the County Council appropriate monies for the Office of the People’s Counsel in the FY24 Operating Budget.

The Office of the People's Counsel (OPC) is a valuable resource that offers legal assistance to help Montgomery County residents understand and assert their rights on land use, zoning and planning measures that affect their homes, the environment, pedestrian safety, transportation, and other important issues.

OPC also promotes economic and racial equity by providing access to (and representation by) an attorney with knowledge of complex zoning issues that residents without lawyers lack. Residents need a fully staffed OPC with the skills to protect the interest of ordinary people.   

County Executive Marc Elrich’s 2024 budget recommends funding this important office. But Councilmember Andrew Friedson and Councilmember Dawn Luedtke have introduced new legislation that would REMOVE THE OFFICE OF THE PEOPLE'S COUNSEL and its powers from the Montgomery County Code. That means residents will have fewer rights and much less help in navigating the complicated  and confusing land use processes, while developers, insiders, and well-heeled campaign contributors will have much more influence than they have now.  

In the past, Councilmembers have tried to gut the Office of the People's Counsel, but have come around to admit their mistake. See this letter from former Councilmember Roger Berliner, explaining why he did NOT want the Office of the People's Counsel removed from the County statute (but was looking for ways to provide land use assistance for County residents. He regrets the mistake of giving the opposite impression). (Link). In last year's elections, members of the County Council expressed support for the Office of the People's Counsel. See the video clip.

If you believe that you and your neighbors need critically important support to fully understand and exercise your rights under the Montgomery County planning process--and that the County Council should not take this assistance away from residents--please call or send an email to the Council and tell them to SAVE THE OFFICE OF THE PEOPLE'S COUNSEL. 

The Council needs to hear from you right away because they will hold a hearing on this bill April 18 and could vote soon after that.  Please tell them to reject Bill 18-23, Structure of County Government—Community Zoning and Land Use Resource Office--and to fund the Office of the People’s Counsel. 

Here's a sample letter you can email to the County Council.
(If this letter seems too complicated, just choose a few points, and stress the unfairness to the average resident that eliminating this Office would cause.) 

Montgomery County residents are strongly encouraged to send letters of support for refunding the Office of the People’s Counsel to the Montgomery County Council as soon as possible.  The Councilmembers' email addresses are below.

____________________________________________________________

Here's a sample letter you can send to the County Council.

Werner Council Office Building

100 Maryland Avenue

Rockville, MD 20850

RE:  Funding the Office of the People's Counsel - FY 2024 Operating Budget

Dear Councilmember:

I am writing to request that funding be restored to the Office of the People's Counsel (OPC), an agency that is authorized by the County Code to represent the public interest in the County's land use regulatory process. The County Executive has recommended renewed funding in his FY23 Recommended Budget.

Continuing to withhold funding for this agency is not in the public interest and defunding the OPC has led to an imbalance of representation on issues related to land use.

The Office serves to protect the public interest in land use hearings by promoting full and fair representation of relevant issues to achieve balanced administrative records.  The Office also provides technical assistance to residents so that they can effectively participate in the County's land use control process.  Reestablishing the OPC will help to restore a balance of trust and integrity to the planning and public engagement process.

Furthermore, the County Code requires that prior to introduction, any proposed Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) be reviewed by a ZTA Advisory Group that includes the OPC. One of the reasons often cited by the Planning Department for the complete rewrite of the County's Zoning Ordinance (which was a seven-year process) was to discourage the use of Zoning Text Amendments that bypass the master planning and land use public processes. However, since the Zoning Rewrite was adopted, there have been over 100 ZTAs proposed by a small number of Councilmembers.  All of the ZTAs were proposed without the benefit of the OPC review.

Other Maryland jurisdictions have established offices of the People's Counsel including Prince George's County, Baltimore County and Harford County.  It's time to restore Montgomery County's Office of the People's Counsel.

Thank you for this opportunity to submit our recommendation for the FY24 budget on this very important matter of public interest.

Sincerely,

(Insert Your Name Here)

Contact information for the Montgomery County Councilmembers

Gabe Albornoz  Councilmember.Albornoz@montgomerycountymd.gov 

Marilyn Balcombe  Councilmember.Balcombe@montgomerycountymd.gov 

Natali Fani-González  Councilmember.Fani-Gonzalez@montgomerycountymd.gov 

Andrew Friedson. Councilmember.Friedson@montgomerycountymd.gov 

Evan Glass  Councilmember.Glass@montgomerycountymd.gov 

Will Jawando  Councilmember.Jawando@montgomerycountymd.gov 

Sidney Katz  Councilmember.Katz@montgomerycountymd.gov 

Dawn Luedtke  Councilmember.Luedtke@montgomerycountymd.gov  

Kristin Mink  Councilmember.Mink@montgomerycountymd.gov 

Laurie-Anne Sayles  Councilmember.Sayles@montgomerycountymd.gov 

Kate Stewart  Councilmember.Stewart@montgomerycountymd.gov