To:  Members of the Montgomery County Council

From:  Nancy Soreng

Re:  Addendum to Testimony on FY 08 Operating Budget

Date: April 17, 2007

 

Please consider the following comments, based on information submitted by the Chair of the League’s Land Use Committee, as you review the budget proposal for the Department of Park and Planning.

 

We support the allocations in the budget for completion of the management reforms and improvements to the development review process.  The League promotes an open government system that is representative, accountable, and responsive.  In light of the insufficiencies that became apparent in Park and Planning’s handling of the Clarksburg development review, and the heightened community sensitivity to such issues, we must make sure that the best practices are in place. 

 

Leagues across the nation have been working for years to promote an environment beneficial to life through the protection and wise management of natural resources in the public interest.  Therefore we were pleased to hear Chairman Hanson state that this year’s budget request begins to place increased emphasis on the stewardship of the 10 percent of the county’s lands, forests, and waterways that are in the park system and are the primary natural infrastructure and site of much of the cultural history of the county. 

 

The budget recommendations include additional support for the first phase of a functional Master Plan for the Environment and Energy Conservation.  We hope that this new functional Master Plan would consider Green Infrastructure as a component of environmental and energy conservation and support adequate funding for this effort.  Our Green Infrastructure study resulted in a position supporting the use of the concept of Green Infrastructure as a criterion in park acquisition and management plans.

 

We have testified several times about the need for improved maintenance on all levels, not just for the parks system, but also for Legacy Open Space Management Plans.  We continue to support adequate funding for maintenance.

 

The Montgomery County League of Women Voters has had a long time interest in land use plans.  We support a general plan providing for structured growth and including areas of concentrated development separated by clearly defined areas of open space.  The Park and Planning budget request asks for money for completion of the county Growth Policy, including design and development of policy tools requested by the Council to implement the Growth Policy and resulting technical services needs.  We urge you to make sure that the Planning Board has sufficient resources for Growth Policy design completion, evaluation and implementation.

 

In our previously submitted testimony, we noted that the League just completed a study of the zoning and special exception process.  The budget submitted by the Director of Park & Planning, includes money for “staff and consulting services to undertake the first phase of comprehensive revision of the Zoning Ordinance.” The Zoning Ordinance has grown very convoluted and confusing over the years with the help of a lot of Zoning Text Amendments.  Our positions included “Standards should be clear, specific, understandable and enforceable.  We would hope that sufficient money will be budgeted to use experienced consultants as advisors in the beginning planning stages of the rewrite.