Both Sides Of The Montgomery County Ambulance Fee Issue, Proposed Cuts

The Maryland Court of Appeals recently ruled to include the question of Ambulance Reimbursement on the ballot on November 2, 2010, so Montgomery County residents will be able to decide. The County Executive and County Council have already approved Ambulance Fees and the budget was formulated with the expectation that Montgomery County would begin to collect payments from health insurance companies for all ambulance rides this year.

Here is the Ballot Question A:

Referendum on Law Enacted by the County Council
Emergency Medical Services Transport Fee
Shall the Act to require the collection of an emergency medical services transport (ambulance) fee from: (1) County residents to the extent of the resident’s insurance coverage; and (2) non-County residents subject to a hardship waiver become law?

Voting “No”

The Montgomery County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association (MCVFRA) has worked to get this decision on the ballot, and are urging a “No” vote because:

• Charging for ambulance service already paid for by taxes is wrong.
• Residents will have to make-up the difference between what is charged and what is collected.
• Some people won’t call 911 in an emergency.
• Insurance rates will go up.
• It is wrong to charge for service provided free by volunteer fire and rescue personnel.

The estimated (and disputed) $14 million revenue anticipated in the current fiscal year was not going to be directed to the fire/rescue budget anyway (according to the legislation approved by the County Council). Regardless, $14 million is only 0.3% of the total Montgomery County budget. If the revenue from an ambulance transport fee is not available, it can easily be made up from other budget sources.

Voting “Yes”

The Montgomery County government urges a “Yes” vote for the following reasons:

• No Cost, No Tax, No Bills for County Residents
• The Same Excellent Quality Services
• $170 million Dedicated by Law to County Fire & Rescue Over 10 Years
• Improved Ambulance Response Times
• Additional Fire & Rescue Equipment and Personnel

If the vote is “No”, what might the buget cuts look like? Yesterday WTOP reported on the County Executive’s “just-in-case” scenario if voters repeal the county’s ambulance fees. These budget cuts would have to be approved by the County Council. Here are the proposed cuts:

• 118 public safety jobs, including nine police officers in school
• 11 ambulances would be pulled out of service
• $1 million in road resurfacing
• 4 sports academies that serve “at-risk” teenagers
• 8 of 15 “RecExtra” programs for “at-risk” middle school kids
• Sunday service at area libraries
• Cuts to “Care for Kids”
• Cuts to Maternity Partnership

The Chief’s Blog from the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service includes an observation about volunteer crews being free. The vast majority of EMS calls are handled by career staff. The cost for an all volunteer crew is not free because of the expenses for equipment, gas, uniforms, and wear and tear on vehicles. Montgomery County provides many of the volunteer stations with funding to help with operating expenses. Many of the vehicles have been purchased by Montgomery County taxpayers.

A more detailed case detailing why voters should vote “Yes” has been listed on the Montgomery County government website under Ambulance Reimbursement Facts:

Ambulance Reimbursement will raise $14-$17 million a year in revenue that will be dedicated to maintaining and enhancing Montgomery County’s world-class emergency medical services.

County residents will not pay anything. Ambulance reimbursement will be billed directly to residents’ insurance companies, which have already factored the cost of patient transport into their rate schedules. Ambulance reimbursement will be waived for uninsured residents and will be covered by their tax dollars.

Montgomery County is one of the few jurisdictions in the region that is not already collecting ambulance reimbursement from insurance companies. Fairfax County collects the fee, as well as Frederick, Prince George’s, Carroll, Charles, Arlington, Washington, and Prince William counties. Cities such as Alexandria, Baltimore, and the District of Columbia also collect ambulance reimbursement.

There is no evidence that those in need of transport will be dissuaded from calling 911 because their insurance is going to be billed or because they are uninsured. In the jurisdictions that have been collecting ambulance reimbursement, there is no evidence of that happening. Montgomery County will fund a public education campaign to make sure that residents know there are no charges to them for emergency medical services and no changes in service.

There is no evidence that ambulance reimbursement will raise insurance rates. Ambulance bills are in the “hundreds” of dollars, compared to hospital, physician, surgeon, rehab, device, and drug bills, which are typically in the “thousands and tens of thousands.” Ambulance expenditures account for less than 1 percent of insurance expenditures. Since most insurance companies determine rates on a regional basis – and most jurisdictions in the region bill insurance companies for this charge – in most cases County residents may already be paying for ambulance service as a part of their premiums.

The quality of patient care will continue to be the highest priority for Montgomery County’s Fire & Rescue Service. A resident’s ability or non-ability to pay will never be considered when providing service.

When a resident makes that 911 call, the first priority will be to take care of that patient’s immediate medical needs. If deemed necessary, the patient will be transported to the hospital. If not, ambulance reimbursement will not be charged to the insurance company.

It’s up to the Voters

As County Executive Ike Leggett recently pointed out, the County had to make $1 billion in budget cuts this year. If voters reject Ambulance Fees, the decision requires additional cuts in personnel and services, which he is beginning to propose in advance of the vote. This allows voters to have a clearer understanding of the choices, because they will decide.

Montgomery County Celebrates National Snapshot Day

Ike Leggett Photo by Aileen Klein

This morning County Executive Ike Leggett kicked off Snapshot Day for the Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) at the Rockville Memorial Library. Snapshot Day is an American Library Association initiative to give libraries a way to show what happens in a single day by taking photos.

Throughout the day, customers have been photographing programs and services to document the variety of activities that take place. The photos will be uploaded to Flickr on the Maryland Library Association’s site.

Snapshot Day gives advocates the chance to prove how their libraries are appreciated and used. In addition to taking photos, the staff is collecting statistics by actually counting people. Today our Rockville Memorial Library will highlight how many books were checked out, but they’ll also be asking people what they are doing in the library to find out if they are seeking a job or doing their homework, etc.

Laura Berthieume Photo by Aileen Klein

Children from the kindergarten class at Beall Elementary and first grade of Christ Episcopal attended the event and they were treated to stories read by Mr. Leggett, Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger, Past President of the Friends of the Library, Rockville Chapter and School Board Member Laura Berthiaume, and District 17 Senator Jennie Forehand. Mr. Leggett in particular knew how to interact with the kids and was just as good as any first grade teacher would have been. To show their appreciation for Mr. Leggett’s efforts, the Friends of the Library (FOLMC) presented him with his very own READ poster.

Jennie Forehand, Tom Mangers & Laura Berthieume while Ike Leggett reads. The children reacted to his storytelling. Photo by Aileen Klein.

Aileen Klein from the Friends of the Library thanked Mr. Leggett and Senator Forehand for all they have done to keep our county libraries among the best in the country. She also expressed appreciation for the expert guidance of library director Parker Hamilton. During her remarks, Ms. Klein explained how FOLMC will be helping during the county’s budget shortfall:

The Friends of the Library has been adjusting to its budget cuts and just recently voted to step up – on an emergency basis – money designated for collections. Even though we cannot come close to making up for the $3M collections budget cut, we will be helping to lessen the gap and our chapters will be helping too. Even though this may mean a temporary reduction in new technologies, programs, and other projects that we have traditionally bought for MCPL, we realize these are unusual times, and both staff and patrons have been telling us that collections are the area that is feeling particularly squeezed, so we will be trying to respond as best we can.

Ari Brooks (FOLMC), Parker Hamilton, and Irene Padilla (State Libraries). Photo by Aileen Klein

The 16 champters of FOLMC want to do everything possible to help. Today’s snapshots should encourage their efforts by demonstrating how loved and utilized these community hubs are in our County.

Free Flu Vaccinations In Montgomery County

County health officials are urging residents to protect themselves by getting vaccinated. The 2010-2011 seasonal flu vaccine offers protection against the H1N1 virus, along with influenza A and influenza B strains, so only one vaccination is needed. Because influenza viruses change each year, people need to be vaccinated each year.

Montgomery County will offer free flu vaccinations by appointment only at these locations on the dates specified:

In Rockville:

Tuesday, November 16, 2010
4:00pm – 7:00pm
Universities at Shady Grove
9630 Gudelsky Drive, Bldg. II
Rockville

Throughout the rest of the County:

Saturday, October 23, 2010
9:00am – 3:30pm
Silver Spring Health Center
8630 Fenton Street, 10th floor
Silver Spring

Thursday, October 28, 2010
8:30am – 3:30pm
Germantown Health Center
12900 Middlebrook Road, 2nd floor
Germantown

Monday, November 1, 2010
(Clinic for school-age children ages 2 to 18 only)
10:00am – 2:00pm
Einstein High School
11135 Newport Mill Road
Kensington

Monday, November 1, 2010
(Clinic for school-age children ages 2 to 18 only)
10:00am – 2:00pm
Gaithersburg High School
314 South Frederick Avenue
Gaithersburg

Thursday, November 4, 2010
8:30am – 3:30pm
Germantown Health Center
12900 Middlebrook Road, 2nd floor
Germantown

Thursday, November 18, 2010
12:30pm – 3:30pm
Germantown Health Center
12900 Middlebrook Road, 2nd floor
Germantown

Thursday, December 2, 2010
8:30am – 3:30pm
Germantown Health Center
12900 Middlebrook Road, 2nd floor
Germantown

Thursday, December 9, 2010
8:30am – 3:30pm
Germantown Health Center
12900 Middlebrook Road, 2nd floor
Germantown

Intranasal (FluMist) vaccine will be available for children 2 to 18 years old. FluMist has no preservatives (including thimerasol) and is approved for use in children 2 to 18 years old who are healthy and not pregnant.

Injectable (shots) only will be available to adults over 18 years old and they will not be preservative free.

County health officials encourage everyone to help prevent the spread of flu and many other contagious diseases by practicing the following good hygiene habits:

• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue; immediately discard used tissues.
• Sneeze and cough into the upper sleeve; not the hands.
• Wash hands frequently throughout the day.
• Wash hands by scrubbing together for 20 seconds with soap and warm water.
• Stay home from school and work if symptoms develop such as a fever, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, headache and body aches.

To make an appointment online, go to www.montgomerycountymd.gov/flu. If you need to call to make an appointment dial 311.

County Executive Visits Rockville Chamber of Commerce

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett joked that if he was taken aside and told that the County had just been invaded by locusts in biblical proportions, “I would not be surprised.” It’s been that kind of year after the weather challenges, budget gap, and even an earthquake.

Rockville Chamber of Commerce Board Member, Brian Barkley, introduced Mr. Leggett by recalling The Washington Post line “steady leader skillfully navigates lean times”. During his talk, Mr. Leggett described the tough decisions he has been forced to make.

People ask Ike Leggett why he would even want to be Montgomery County Executive during this difficult economic period. He believes this is the most important time to be helping the public.

Every decision is a crucial one. When there is plenty of money, you can make mistakes. But if I don’t get it right, it could have a profound impact on the future of this County.

This year alone, the County has had to cut $1 billion from the budget and Mr. Leggett emphasized we’re “talking serious business here”. The County’s budget is larger than many states including New Hampshire, Montana, North & South Dakota, and Alaska. He continually asserts that the top three issues in the County are the budget, the budget, and the budget. Back in 2007 when he first said “cut spending now” many thought he wasn’t painting a rosy enough picture but his predictions have come true.

Almost 85% of the budget gap was closed with sacrifices by employees so that the County’s AAA bond rating could be maintained. Montgomery County has had this top bond rating from all three of the big credit rating agencies for almost 40 years, which is the second longest continuous record. Although the County was forced to reduce the reserves from 6% to 5%, he is committed to raising it up to 10% by growing the reserve by a ½% each year. Wall Street was impressed and re-issued the top bond ratings.

Compared to other places, Montgomery County is much better off. People from outside the County incredulously ask “This is your problem?” when they hear about the Seneca Science City controversy. They can’t believe that having Johns Hopkins build in an area designated for development to provide up to 50,000 jobs would even be considered a problem.

Business-wise Mr. Leggett knew the County had to make smart growth decisions. When he first proposed moving County facilities such as the bus depot and fire/rescue training center away from the Shady Grove Metro, people told him it couldn’t be done. But the valuable land was swapped and this development will occur without expense to the County.

When speaking about income taxes, Mr. Leggett explained that 82% of the Maryland State “Millionaire Tax” would have come from Montgomery County. 3% of the wealthiest families contribute 45% of the County’s income taxes. Even though the law never went into effect, the number of taxpayers in the high tax bracket went from 10,000 to 7,300 so “either they died in a hurry or they moved.”

With yesterday’s news from the Maryland Court of Appeals, Mr. Leggett spoke about ambulance fees. The County budget was approved with $14-$15 million per year in ambulance fees. If voters force the County to remove them, the difference will have to be made up with reductions in programs or additional taxes totaling $170 million over ten years. The ambulance fee is used by surrounding jurisdictions so Montgomery County residents are already impacted. If health insurance companies were billed for ambulance services instead of using tax funds, 2/3rds of the amount would be paid by Medicaid or Medicare.

During his comments following the County Executive, Steve Silverman, the Director of the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development, described the County’s efforts to keep the U.S. Health and Human Services agency in Rockville as “very aggressive”. Also, the County is competing to attract the corporate headquarters for Choice Hotels. Although competitive, one “huge problem” is the distance to an airport.

Rockville Economic Development Director, Sally Sternbach, also spoke about air travel. Mid-tier companies need to land their corporate jets, so she advises the County to take a good look at infrastructure and talk about the issue.

As the Chamber works to promote businesses in Rockville, Executive Director, Andrea Jolly, concluded the event by inviting both Mr. Leggett and Mr. Silverman to take their wives out during the upcoming Rockville Restaurant Week.

Ambulance Fee Repeal Now On Ballot

In a swift ruling, the Maryland Court of Appeals has ordered that the ballot initiative asking whether or not to repeal the Montgomery County ambulance fee be placed on the November ballot.

From Rockville Central editor Cindy Cotte Griffith’s piece on this subject:

On Thursday August 19, 2010, the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association submitted the final group of signatures on petitions to place the law authorizing an ambulance transport fee on the ballot in November. On their website they report over 52,000 voters in Montgomery County who signed the petitions against the fee. They believe the number of signatures gathered for these petitions was the largest number ever recorded for a ballot referendum in Montgomery County and likely the State of Maryland.

However, in a case last June, Jane Doe v. Montgomery County Board of Elections, the Maryland Court of Appeals decided that the state law requires a voter to sign his or her name on petitions exactly as it appears on the statewide voter registration lists. So, if you have a middle initial on your voter registration or a hyphenated name, etc., you must sign petitions the same way. Apparently, many signatures were rejected under these more stringent requirements.

The Court of Appeals in this instance appears to have been very skeptical of the Board of Elections’ reasoning in rejecting the signatures. According to the Washington Post, “‘No physician would ever be able to get his or her name on the petition,’ quipped Court of Appeals Judge Joseph F. Murphy Jr.”

More from the Post:

In the culmination of an extraordinarily swift challenge that made it from Rockville through the high court in Annapolis in just a month – not the years it can sometimes take to fight government overreach – Maryland’s highest court ruled in favor of the petition signers. In a 5 to 2 decision, with an opinion to come later, the majority ordered the lower court to have the referendum placed on the ballot in November.

“It’s a crucial victory for democracy and common sense,” said Montgomery County Council member Phil Andrews (D-Gaithersburg-Rockville), who was irked after some of the signatures he gathered were among the thousands elections officials threw out.

Primary Voting Begins Today

For the first time the State of Maryland is implementing Early Voting for the Gubernatorial Primary Election. You can already vote in person for the primaries. You don’t have to wait until September 14th.

When I arrived at the polls at the County Executive Building, 101 Monroe Street in Rockville, at 9:45 AM this morning, two voters were already in line in front of me. Betty Hughes and Dorothy Kozikowski were seated and waiting. They are going away on a cruise next week to Newfoundland. Since they always vote in person, they were glad for this opportunity. They were “pretty definite” that they would not change their minds.

At exactly 10 AM Brigitta Mullican, who is volunteering at the Voting Center, announced that the polls were open and that there were seven people in line. Two more walked up as we filed into the room to vote. By the time I had finished the process, about 20 had voted. A steady stream of people arrived throughout the first hour.

Jerold S. Garson, President of the Board of Elections, was at the County Executive Building polling location. He and the other Board Members were at all the locations to make sure the Early Voting was off to a good start. They all are going to be on call 24 hours-a-day during the voting period. He explained that two years ago the voters in Maryland approved early voting. Every single county voted for it because people wanted more hours. He told me, “As you can see, people are voting! The people are here.”

Jane de Winter, who is running for a Montgomery County Council At Large seat, was in the first group to vote. “I have my vote in the bank! It’s great to be able to come in and vote. Now I can work on Election Day. It’s great to give people other options.”

If you are voting early at the County Executive Building, parking is free for one hour at the County garages on Rt. 28 and Monroe Street. After 10 AM, voters can also park in the Jury Lot at the same intersection. Although there are signs at the southernmost doors on Monroe Street directing you into the cafeteria, when you enter through these doors, there is no indication as to where you should go until you walk through the whole cafeteria and see a sign pointing up the stairs. The polling location is on the lobby level so it is best to use the main entrance by the circular drive.

Maureen Fong, a resident of Courthouse Square, explained, “I couldn’t find it. I know the area but wasn’t sure where to go. Thank goodness for the big sign”, then she added, “We did it!”

People are discussing whether there really were funds to publicize the early voting. Some stated there was no money in the budget while others believed it was co-mingled with the new voting system funds. Either way, the general consensus seems to be that money wasn’t spent on publicity to get people to the polls early. Many people passing by the County Executive Building weren’t aware of this new option.

One woman had not received her ballot in the mail and she knew they had been mailed in batches. State Delegate Jim Gilchrist explained the ballots already went out. When he was door knocking this week, people were aware of the election and had received their ballots. Since you can already vote, let’s hope so!.

If you are still researching the candidate, a helpful online Voter’s Guide is provided by The League of Women Voters of Montgomery County.

Montgomery County Early Voting Centers will open from 10 AM until 8 PM, Friday, September 3 until Thursday, September 9, 2010 excluding Sunday. Voters will use the same voting equipment as on Election Day. All the lists for every district have been loaded into each machine so you can cast your early vote at any location. A poll worker confirms the proper ballot loads before you begin. Mr. Garson confirmed that all the voting machines have all been tested.

Early Voting Centers are located at:

Bauer Drive Community Recreation Center, 14625 Bauer Drive, Rockville 20853
Germantown Recreation Center, 18905 Kingsview Road, Germantown 20874
Marilyn J. Praisner Community Recreation Center, 14906 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville 20866
Montgomery County Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville 20850
Silver Spring Civic Building, 8525 Fenton Street, Silver Spring 20910

During Early Voting hours, the Board of Election website will display a scroll bar giving the wait times at each of the five Centers, updated hourly. This is a cool feature to help make voting as quick and easy as possible.

You can still vote by Absentee Ballot until September 7th.
Last chance to vote is at your assigned Primary Election location on September 14th.

MCPS Back To School Fair Draws The Largest Crowd Yet, Weast Thanks ABC7/TBD

Families started to line up for free backpacks of school supplies at the Carver Educational Services Center at 8 AM on Saturday. The Third Annual Back-to-School Fair wasn’t scheduled to open until 11 AM. By 2PM all 5,000 backpacks had been distributed to kids who needed them to get their school year off to the right start.

The City of Rockville booth

The white tents spread across the entire parking lot to accommodate over 10,000 visitors to the Fair, up from 8,000 last year. Booths had information on recreation programs and resources available in the County. Kaiser Permanente provided health information. Nutrition was an important theme. A human-sized bunch of grapes and a banana traversed around the crowd. Kids jumped in the moonbounce, ate Carmen’s Italian Ice, and talked to a robot. Throughout the day, the main stage was jumping. The organizers understood that kids like to move. The Washington Talent Agency kept the crowd upbeat and dancing.

Dancing to the beat

During the Corporate Sponsor Recognition, School Superintendant Jerry Weast emphasized the importance of the sponsors and volunteers who make the event possible. The total sponsor amount has grown from $80,000 to $200,000 in three years. Representatives from all the corporations, organizations, and schools received awards of appreciation from Dr. Weast and Eric Davis, the director of Family-Community Partnerships which organized the event.

Jerry Weast, Eric Davis and Leon Harris

From the beginning, ABC7/TBD have been the main sponsor of the Back to School Fair. ABC7 Nightly News anchorman, Leon Harris, accepted the award then stayed to talk with his fans and sign autographs. As a MCPS parent, he’s always willing to help out. 

In case you missed it, News Channel 8 is now TBDTV. TBD.com is the place for all local news in the DC region. In addition to producing their own stories and linking to other news outlets, the site networked 130 blogs together including Rockville Central. Therefore I was on hand to help distribute t-shirts and answer questions. If you haven’t yet, visit TBD.com and put in your zip code for your local community news. Try it on your phone too. The apps are a terrific way to stay connected when you’re on the go.

Leon Harris and Cindy Cotte Griffiths

Fewer Washington Area Commuters Are Driving Alone

According to the Commuter Connections program sponsored by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG), a higher percentage of people in the Washington metro area are either taking public transportation to work or teleworking.

In the past ten years, the number of workers in the region driving alone to work has declined from 70% to 64%, while those who use transit one day a week has risen from 17% to 21%, and those who telework at least one day a week went from 3% to 6%.

The economy might have something to do with it since 18% of the people who started using alternative modes of transportation did so to save money.

Over 600,000 people describe themselves as teleworkers, which is more than twice the number from 2001. Another 500,000 “could and would” telework if given the opportunity, so the trend is likely to continue upward during the next decade.

A quarter of those surveyed said their commute was more difficult now than it was a year ago. 59% gave the reason as a more congested route.

Everyone is being asked to give an alternative method of transportation a try. Join Car Free Day on Wednesday, September 22, 2010. Montgomery County Commuter Services wants us all to join this worldwide movement to celebrate sustainable transportation so walk, bike, bus, rail, or telework.

As the City Staff reported in the Strategic Scan 2010, the majority of Rockville residents are close to public transportation so we can do it. Almost all of us are within a half mile of a bus or rail stop. We already do a slightly better job of using alternative means to work with 62% driving alone in a car, so plan to give Car Free Day a try.

New Early Voting Starts Next Week In Montgomery County

You’ll have many more opportunities to “go to the polls” this election season. When you receive your sample Primary Election Ballot in the mail, don’t leave it in the pile until Election Day. Now you can go to certain polling locations and vote before Election Day.

Early Voting Centers will be open from Friday, September 3 to Thursday, September 9, 2010 excluding Sunday. This means you can vote on Labor Day! The polls will be open from 10 AM – 8 PM.

Early voting has increased participation in other states. You can find a more convenient time to cast your ballot. With several days to choose from, you needn’t worry about last minute problems, Metro delays, or sickness. You can easily make voting fit your schedule.

The Maryland State Board of Elections conditionally approved five (5) Early Voting Centers for the 2010 Gubernatorial Elections:

In Rockville:

• Bauer Drive Community Recreation Center, 14625 Bauer Drive, Rockville 20853
• Montgomery County Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville 20850

Other Montgomery County locations:

• Germantown Recreation Center, 18905 Kingsview Road, Germantown 20874
• Marilyn J. Praisner Community Recreation Center, 14906 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville 20866
• Silver Spring Civic Building, 8525 Fenton Street, Silver Spring 20910

On Primary Election Day, Tuesday, September 14th, voting precincts will be open from 7 AM – 8 PM. Check your sample Primary Election ballot for your location to vote or enter your information in the locator. If you don’t take advantage of the Early Voting, remember that lines can form during peak hours immediately before work (7-9 AM), during the lunch hour (11 AM – 2 PM), and immediately following work (5-7 PM).

Early voting will also be available for the General Election from Friday, October 22, through Thursday, October 28, 2010 during the hours of 10:00 AM and 8:00 PM. Polls will be closed on Sunday. The Gubernatorial General Election Day is Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Polls are open from 7 AM to 8 PM.

If you make up your mind early, you can vote early. No excuses!

For further information on the voting process, call 240-777-VOTE.

Join ABC7 And Me At The MCPS Back-To-School Fair

This Saturday over 8,000 people are expected at the Carver Educational Services Center for the school system’s Third Annual Back-to-School Fair from 11 AM until 2 PM. I’m going to be at the ABC 7 booth telling everyone about TBD.com and Rockville Central. Please stop by and say hello!!

The City of Rockville will also be on hand with information about City programs, services, recreation programs, and foreign-language resources. They’ll have registration information to get you started.

You’ll also be able to find out about NOAA, the Newseum, the Audubon Society, the Nationals, and the Girl Scouts, among many others.

Besides visiting the information booths, A full line-up of entertainment will be hosted by Angel Santiago on the Washington Talent Agency Main Stage. Here’s the schedule:

11:00 AM Watkins Mill HS Marching Band
11:30 AM Kaiser Permanente – Professor Bodywise’s Traveling Menagerie
12:00 PM Washington Talent Agency Performance
1:15 PM InToneNation singers from Montgomery Blair HS

On the Kaiser Permanente Stage Bill Grimmette will tell stories at 12 noon and the Kids on the Block puppet show will grab your attention at 1:15 PM.

The Imagination Stage will give 20-minute demonstrations:
11:45 AM Create a Story for grades K-1
12:30 PM Create a Character for grades 2-3
1:15 Fundamentals of Acting for grades 4-5

You’ll also find hip hop, salsa and Haitian dance every 25 minutes and reading every hour, plus demonstrations from Kicks Karate, Leap on Love Art, and Gymboree. Vision and hearing screenings will also be provided.

With so many people attending, you can be assured of getting there by taking a bus from your local high school starting at 10:30 AM. They will leave from Richard Montgomery, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Blair, Einstein, Kennedy, Northwest, Seneca Valley, Springbrook, Paint Branch, Wheaton, and Watkins Mill.

See you there!

Looking Back at the Montgomery County Fair

The largest Fair in the State of Maryland was a major attraction last week and Rockville residents were out in full force.

Before you even entered the Fair, you were greeted by friendly faces from Rockville.

Boy Scout Troop 447 from Rockville worked long hours to direct the cars in the parking lot. On the last Friday and Saturday nights, the lot was full and closed down early in the evening then reopened after the very popular Demolition Derby. The place was packed with friends and families enjoying the temporary fun on the fairgrounds.

The Fair is only possible because of volunteers. People helped in many different ways. The Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville collected food for Manna outside the entrance on Monday.

On those hot days, our own Carmen’s Italian Ice was on hand to cool everyone down. Notice the free samples!

And of course, as I mentioned before, Ruth Hanessian from the Animal Exchange held the Hermit Crab Races on Wednesday even though the weather was iffy. As you can see, members of the Royal Court did attend again!

When the kids and I spent the day at the Fair I thought we would run out of things to do, but we didn’t even make it through all the displays and buildings. We did however join in the square dancing which the young ones had never experienced and enjoyed ourselves immensely. I wouldn’t miss the Fair!

Montgomery County Ambulance Fee Not On The Ballot

The Montgomery County Board of Elections (BOE) did not find the required number of valid signatures on the petition to bring the “Ambulance Fee Bill” on the General Election ballot as a referendum question in November. The BOE verified only 13,021 valid signatures meeting the requirements set by Maryland Election law, but 15,366 valid signatures were needed on or before August 4th.

Under the Montgomery County Charter, in order to have a local Bill placed on the ballot as a referendum question, a Petition must contain the signatures of five percent (5%) of the registered voters in Montgomery County, Maryland. 50% were due on August 4th with the remainder due on August 19th.

On Thursday August 19, 2010, the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association submitted the final group of signatures on petitions to place the law authorizing an ambulance transport fee on the ballot in November. On their website they report over 52,000 voters in Montgomery County who signed the petitions against the fee. They believe the number of signatures gathered for these petitions was the largest number ever recorded for a ballot referendum in Montgomery County and likely the State of Maryland.

However, in a case last June, Jane Doe v. Montgomery County Board of Elections, the Maryland Court of Appeals decided that the state law requires a voter to sign his or her name on petitions exactly as it appears on the statewide voter registration lists. So, if you have a middle initial on your voter registration or a hyphenated name, etc., you must sign petitions the same way. Apparently, many signatures were rejected under these more stringent requirements.

Montgomery County’s Ambulance Reimbursement program was approved by the County Council in May and signed into law by the County Executive. County residents will not pay anything under the new fee. The fee will be billed directly to residents’ insurance companies. If County residents don’t have insurance, the fee will be waived. Non-residents would be responsible for the fee unless given a “need-based waiver”.The fee is projected to net at least $12.7 million in the first full year of operation. Surrounding counties with ambulance fees include Fairfax, Frederick, Prince George’s, Charles, Carrol, Arlington, Washington, and Prince William. Close-by cities with the fee include Baltimore, Alexandria, and Washington, DC.

The Montgomery County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association warned that studies show citizens hesitate to call for help when there is a fee. They contend that the fee could make fundraising much more difficult for local fire companies and it’s unfair for the county to charge for a service provided by volunteers.

Contributor Opinion by Aileen Klein: Montgomery County Public Library Cuts

The following piece was submitted by Aileen Klein and edited by Cindy Cotte Griffiths. The information on policies, fees, and the budget was provided via memorandum from Parker Hamilton, the Montgomery County Public Library Director.

The operating budget that was approved for MCPL was $28.8 million and 348 positions, an approximate 23.1% reduction in budget since the FY10 approved budget. This is a drastic cut considering that in FY07 the operating budget was $40M. Collectively, these reductions will increase waiting times for customers at services desks, result in slower accomplishment of library operations functions, and decrease the accessibility and availability of library materials.

Not only has the budget decreased, but the number of library patrons has increased tremendously during this time period. It seems when the economy is bad, people turn more and more to their libraries to help them find jobs, use the free computers, access the free internet, and get free help from the librarians. Many people applying for jobs are unfamiliar with doing so on-line and need help from the library staff.

Changes in policy and fees

The following changes in policies and fees were instituted on July 6, 2010:

• The number of holds a customer can place was limited to 15 holds (down from 35) per library card. This includes Interlibrary Loan requests.
• Library accounts of customers who owe more than $25 (was $15) were blocked. Customers are not be able to place holds, check items out, or renew items.
• A $2 replacement fee for lost or stolen library cards was reinstated.

These are the major features of the FY11 MCPL operating budget:

1. Consolidation and reduction of library service hours into three levels, effective July 6th, 2010.

2. “Year round” service on Sundays runs from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at seven branches (it was eight
branches). For the seven branches (including the interim Gaithersburg location which hours have yet to be determined) that are open on Sundays, there will be a reduced complement of both information and circulation staffing. The Sunday branches are Bethesda, Germantown, Marilyn J. Praisner, Rockville, Wheaton, Silver Spring, and the Gaithersburg Interim Facility.

3. A reduction of 80 merit system positions from virtually all units and position classes in the Department; a countywide staff furlough; and reductions to Sunday, Substitute, and Page authorization levels.

4. Staff-led programs will focus on early literacy, all other programming will be done by Central Administration (using FOLMC grant funds) and/or volunteer-led efforts, with a substantial amount of volunteer-led programming being supported by the Friends of the Library Chapters as supported by local book sale efforts.

5. A 45% reduction in the library materials (books, magazines, CD’s, DVD’s, etc) budget, down to a base of $3 million.

6. Significant reductions in administrative and support staff and general operating expenses, and support for the Literacy Council of Montgomery County. These reductions include substantial reductions in office supply budgets for all units, suspension of equipment purchasing, and aggressive targets for the reduction of paper, toner, and mailing costs.

As the County Executive has stated in several forums, we find ourselves in an unprecedented crisis. Hard choices had to be made and acted upon. MCPL was given a target to meet, and we proposed the best library system we would build from the ground up, given our new and substantially reduced target.

These are difficult times for the County and the library system in particular. It is our continuing mission, despite the challenges we face, to connect our residents with knowledge, ideas, and information, and to be Where the County Reads, Meets, and Learns.

How You Can Help

The Friends of the Library (FOL) is the fundraising branch of the library system, much as a PTA is to the school system. The FOL is made up entirely of volunteers and is always looking for more people to help. There are so many things to do, especially now when our library is being used so heavily. The Friends of the Library is the one who will be paying for the children’s programs, arranging for and running author talks, special events, and book sales for the public.

Rockville is fortunate to have two libraries, Rockville Memorial Library in Town Square and the Twinbrook Library at 202 Meadow Hall Drive. Both are seeking new members and volunteers.

You may contact the Rockville Friends of the Library by emailing Rockville@folmc.org or the Twinbrook Friends of the Library by emailing Twinbrook@folmc.org.

You will be welcome at either.

Both of our libraries have programs and events which can be seen by going on the Friends of the Library website. There is a calendar on the front page and details of events can be found by selecting the individual library on the left side of the page.

The main way that the FOL raises money is through membership ($25/year), donations, and book sales. The Rockville Chapter holds weekly book sales each week at Out to Lunch Wednesday’s in front of Giuseppe’s Pizza from 11-2. Their big winter book sale will be held on Saturday, November 13.They are always seeking volunteers to help with their many book sales and book sorting activities.

I urge you to get involved and support our libraries.

By Aileen Klein, Vice President FOL, Rockville Chapter and FOLMC Board of Trustees

This is a Contributor Opinion. Rockville Central encourages readers to submit such pieces for consideration — the more voices the better. Simply send them to hello@rockvillecentral.com. We ask that all such contributions be civil and we reserve the right to edit (in consultation with the author) or reject. Contributor opinions should not be seen as reflecting opinions held by Rockville Central editors, as they are just as frequently at odds with our own views. That’s the whole point! Please also note that Rockville Central does not endorse candidates in election campaigns. Supporters of all candidates are encouraged to submit opinion pieces for consideration.

Registering To Vote And A County Council Candidate Forum

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As summer is ending, the primaries are heating up. Rockville Central ran a four-part video series from the forum held in the Casey Barn, but if you want to attend a discussion in person, here’s the details for the next event in Rockville featuring Montgomery County Council At-Large candidates:

Monday, August 23, 2010
7 to 9 PM
Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center
51 Mannakee Street, Rockville Campus
Parking in Lots 10 and 13

The Republican candidates are uncontested for the Primary race, so they are not included in the evenings proceedings.

The Forum is sponsored by:

• Montgomery College Alumni Association
• Montgomery County Civic Federation
• League of Women Voters of Montgomery County
• Organization of Chinese Americans, Greater DC Chapter

Moderated by Lon Anderson of AAA Mid-Atlantic & MC Alumni and Foundation Boards, the forum will also be televised live on Montgomery College TV Channel 10.

Some important Primary Dates:

The Primary Election is on Tuesday, September 14, 2010.
You must be registered to vote by Tuesday, August 24th.
If you want to change political parties, you must also do so by Tuesday, August 24th. (This is a change, it used to be 12 weeks so you still can!)

Details for registering and changing party affiliations can be found on the Montgomery County Board of Elections website.

The League of Women Voter ’s has a tremendously detailed Election Primer to answer all your questions.

Montgomery County Planning Director Compares Rockville To Silver Spring

Rollin Stanley, the Director of the Montgomery County Planning Department, has spent a Friday evening in Rockville Town Center and he’s written about his experience for his new blog, the director’s blog, where “no place is worth visiting that doesn’t have a parking problem”.

In Downtown Rockville On A Friday Eve, he compares Rockville to Silver Spring on a summer night and says, “While Silver Spring has much greater diversity, Rockville surprised me”. Both have break dancers and a fountain. He complimented the textures in our Square, such as grass, boulders, pavers, and wood, which provide varied spaces for people. He also believes the upper residential floors are an advantage and Rockville has a greater variety of shop fronts.

His conclusion:

There needs to be a mix in activity to ensure there is a reason for someone to be on the sidewalk all day long.

Read his entire comparison, which includes a three-minute video showing the activity he found in every direction.