THE 5 CUTEST PETS YOU CAN ADOPT THIS WEEK IN ROCKVILLE (PHOTOS)

Here are 5 animals in search of a loving home. All are currently residing at the Montgomery County Animal Shelter. (Please note: the location and hours of the shelter have changed since last week) You can visit them Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Or on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The shelter is located at 7315 Muncaster Mill Road, in Derwood.

Call the shelter at 240.773.5960 to check on the availability of a specific animal. When you call, have the dog, cat or small animal's name or ID number, and the 6 digit AIL number (A######) ready.

Good news - someone appears to have adopted Ollie, who was featured here last week. Congratulations, Ollie! Number 137 and Patches are also off the shelter roster, hopefully to good homes.

DOMINIQUE - ID#A380069

Dominique is an unaltered, black and white female pit bull terrier. She is around 4 years old, and has been at the shelter a long time - since October 4 of last year. Can you end her wait for a home this week? Let's make it happen.

Dominique

CATHY - ID#A383829

and

KIM - ID#A383828

Cathy and Kim are unaltered, black and tan, female mixed Yorkshire terriers. They are both around 8 months old. It seems like they should stay together. Do you have room for two?

Kim and Cathy

KALI - ID#A383649

Kali is a spayed female blue domestic shorthair, approximately 4 years old.

Kali

PETTY - ID#A383746

It's got to be extra tough to be a duck in an animal shelter. Let's help bring Petty's awkward moment to an end this week.

Petty

ROCKVILLE POLICE FORMALLY REQUEST MAYOR AND COUNCIL GRANT COLLECTIVE BARGAINING RIGHTS

Jan Seilhamer, president of the union representing Rockville's city police officers, formally requested the mayor and council grant officers collective bargaining rights, at Monday evening's regular council meeting.

A few weeks ago, Seilhamer testified that the city's continued failure to reinstate salary step increases had left police force morale "at an all-time low." At that time, she presented the report of a forensic accountant, who concluded the city could afford to resume step increases immediately.

With no progress since that Community Forum appearance, Seilhamer returned with a formal petition requesting the mayor and council amend the city's charter to give police officers collective bargaining rights. Seilhamer said the city's public works employees already have such rights, which would include non-binding arbitration.

After outlining many months of delays and poor communication with the city, Seilhamer said the union has recently learned that its previous requests to the mayor and council were never even delivered to those elected officials by city staff. She also cited the city's own employee policy, which states on page 14, that step increases are to be based on "employee performance and availability of funding." Since the former has been outstanding, and the latter proven to be true, Seilhamer said it is clear that "the city is not bargaining in good faith."

The police union, FOP Lodge 117, has retained a lawyer, Pat McAndrew. McAndrew also spoke at Monday night's meeting, and presented a draft charter amendment. "The system in place now is broken," McAndrew concluded. Noting that Bowie, Frederick and Greenbelt are among nearby cities that have granted collective bargaining rights to their police officers, McAndrew asked the mayor and council to  “recognize what the officers in the Rockvile police department contribute to this community.”

THIS MORNING'S ROCKVILLE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING IS CANCELED

The Development Review Committee meeting previously scheduled to be held this morning, in the Black Eyed Susan Conference Room at City Hall at 9:00 AM, has been canceled. Call 240-314-8228 if you have any questions. No reason was stated on the city website's announcement.

ROCKVILLE CITIZENS NEEDED TO SERVE ON NEW ETHICS COMMISSION

Citizens willing to volunteer their time are asked to consider serving on Rockville's new Ethics Commission. Volunteers need to be a resident of the city, and fill out a disclosure form. With elections, development and other matters becoming far more complicated than in Rockville's past, this is certainly a vital and worthy service to consider on behalf of your neighbors.

The newly-chartered commission will advise the Mayor and Council, assist in creation and implementation of ethics policy, and handle ethics complaints when those guidelines are violated.

The commission has openings for five members. One of the initial members will serve a one-year term, two members will serve for two years, and two members will serve for three years. Eventually all members will serve three-year terms.

The deadline to apply is March 14.

To apply, candidates should complete the Statement of Financial Interests and submit it along with the Expression of Interest Form, which can be found on this page.

ROCKVILLE TO SUPPORT OCEAN CITY EFFORT TO MOVE ELECTIONS TO PRESIDENTIAL YEARS

Over the dissent of Mayor Bridget Newton, four Rockville councilmembers approved a motion by Councilmember Tom Moore to back Ocean City's effort to have city offices appear on the presidential year ballot.

All four councilmembers who voted affirmatively were part of the Team Rockville slate in last November's city election. However, only Moore has fully endorsed the idea of moving Rockville's city elections to presidential election years. Virginia Onley, Julie Palakovich Carr, and Beryl Feinberg said they support Ocean City's effort only as an endorsement of home rule - essentially the resort city's right to set the date of its own elections.

Moore noted that Hagerstown already holds its elections in presidential years on Election Day.

Prior to the vote, Moore asked city staff to support the legislation in Annapolis that would allow Ocean City to move its election date. "You can't direct city staff," Newton responded.

The mayor challenged the majority's assertion of home rule. She said city voters had made clear they don't want elections moved, through their rejection of a ballot question last November. For the city to now use funds and resources to support the contrary elsewhere in the state would be inappropriate, Newton argued.

CHIPOTLE AND CAVA MEZZE GRILL COMING TO WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY MALL

Westfield Montgomery Mall is adding two more dining options, and both are already favorites in downtown Bethesda. Chipotle and Cava Mezze Grill are the latest additions to an exploding roster of restaurants. Like last summer's addition of Starbucks, both provide mall patrons with popular brands, and should be a draw for the sizable lunch crowd from the office parks and high school nearby.

WATCH UFC 170 ROUSEY VS. MCMANN AT HOOTERS OF ROCKVILLE SATURDAY

Hooters of Rockville is once again UFC headquarters this Saturday night at 10:00 PM, when the always-controversial Ronda Rousey squares off against Sara McMann, with the bantamweight title on the line.