Mayor and Council pass Rockville FY-2016 budget, add $1.2M reserves amendment

Rockville's Mayor and Council passed the budget for FY2016 last night, with no increase in property taxes, but a hike in the trash fee from $379 to $400. The general fund budget grew 4.6% to $123,418,080, but the capital budget decreased 14.1% to $63,536,662.

Councilmember Beryl Feinberg proposed an amendment to the budget, which would set aside $1.2 million from the unassigned general fund balance to pay for the Compensation and Class Study costs, which have not yet been determined.

The addition was opposed by Councilmembers Tom Moore and Julie Palakovich Carr. Moore said "there's no one of us who cares more about the employees than the other," but argued that setting a specific amount would raise expectations, and box the city in at a later date.

"I respectfully disagree," Feinberg said. She described the amendment as being "a transparency issue for our residents," to give them advance notice of a possible expense not covered in the budget being passed last night. City Budget and Finance Director Stacey Webster said the city would not be tied to a specific figure even if one was included in the budget. Feinberg said the reserves would be simply a "placeholder," not a fixed expense.

Palakovich Carr was concerned that the Mayor and Council "may be sending the wrong message," in only setting aside funds for those employees who are compensated from the general fund.

Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton said it was "incumbent upon us as stewards of this city...that we show a good faith effort" regarding employees and the budget.

The reserves amendment passed 3-2, with Moore and Palakovich Carr opposed. Ultimately, the Mayor and Council unanimously passed the FY2016 budget. The trash fee vote was unanimous, as well.

Photo courtesy City of Rockville

Storm causes power outages in Rockville

Over 1000 Pepco customers are currently without power in Rockville, after a violent thunderstorm passed through Montgomery County. The majority of outages are between I-270 and the Rockville Pike corridor, in the West End, Rockville Town Center, College Gardens, Woodley Gardens and Lincoln Park/East Rockville areas.

Pepco is projecting restoration for these areas in the 6:00-7:00 PM hour tonight.

Vilardo next-door neighbor charged in Rockville double murder (Photo)

Montgomery County Police homicide detectives have reportedly found their man in the horrifying double murder of a Rockville couple. Police say it was the next-door neighbor of Richard and Julianne Vilardo who killed the couple over the Mother's Day weekend last week.

Detectives caught up to Scott Tomaszewski on a cruise ship in Juneau, Alaska on Saturday afternoon eastern time. They say they found evidence, including blood, allegedly tying Tomaszewski to the murders. Tomaszewski is also suspected of having robbed the Vilardos in the past, as well as in burglaries on the street all three call home, Ridge Drive, just last month.

In fact, police report that the Vilardos entrusted Tomaszweski as a house sitter, giving their longtime next-door neighbor access to their home while they traveled.

Tomaszewski has been charged with two counts of first degree murder, two counts of armed robbery, and one count of first degree burglary. Once the extradition process is completed in Alaska, Scott Tomaszewski will be transported to Montgomery County for arraignment.

The Vilardo family has released a statement thanking Montgomery County Police, saying their efforts  have helped them "take the first step on the long road to healing."

Photo courtesy Montgomery County Police

Montgomery County-funded health initiative to reward students with sugary Starbucks drinks

Healthy Montgomery, a Montgomery County Government initiative co-chaired by County Council President George Leventhal (D-At-Large) and largely funded by taxpayers, was chartered to "improve the health and well-being of Montgomery County residents." Among its primary stated goals are the reduction of diabetes and obesity.

So you might be surprised to find that Healthy Montgomery plans to reward county students with gift cards for sugary, fat-filled drinks at Starbucks.

County high school students are invited to a Healthy Montgomery-sponsored "community conversation" at Suburban Hospital on May 21, to "discuss what they think about health and the quality of life in Montgomery County." For attending, the event announcement says, the students will be rewarded with a free "$5 Starbucks drink card". They'll also get a Chipotle gift card.

The most popular Starbucks drinks are loaded with sugar, and are often high in fat, as well. Many have more grams of sugar than the often-demonized 12 oz. Coca-Cola. They certainly exceed the recommended daily intake of sugar.

Chipotle isn't exactly health food, either. The average order at Chipotle comes in at around 1,070 calories, 75% of the recommended daily intake of saturated fat, and a whopping nearly-2,400 milligrams of sodium.

This is not only hypocrisy at taxpayer expense, but absurd when one considers Council President Leventhal's longstanding crusade against fast food restaurants in the county.

In 2008, Leventhal was quoted as saying, "school policies should support parents, and not let junk-food marketers go around parents’ backs directly to young children." Yet, the Healthy Montgomery initiative he co-chairs is literally going around parents' backs, and delivering Starbucks and Chipotle marketing and food "directly to young children." "It’s incredible, the extent to which our kids are subjected to [fast food] advertising," Leventhal told an audience of students and parents in 2007.

Sure, you can absolutely order healthy food and drinks at Starbucks and Chipotle. But you can at McDonald's and Wendy's, as well. Leventhal memorably took a publicity stunt trip to Wendy's, remarking on the nutritional content of the Baconator. He didn't mention that Wendy's also offers a line of salads and baked potatoes that are far healthier than the average Starbucks or Chipotle order.

The county just added new taxes on electronic cigarettes and Airbnb. And as Bill Turque writes in the Washington Post, the just-approved County budget increases spending by about $90 million, and your property tax bill "will tick upward slightly." A new property tax increase is being floated for next year's budget. And a majority of the Council voted to keep the Energy Tax the same, despite having promised to eliminate the massive increase it passed in 2010 in 2012. They lied to taxpayers. Period.

It's amazing that residents will be paying more and new taxes, under a new county budget that is bigger than last year's, and yet there is somehow money left for escapades such as this.

Burning bed at Americana Center evacuates residents

Montgomery County firefighters responded to the Americana Center last night around 9:45 PM, after a mattress caught fire on the 13th floor of the building. A partial evacuation was required due to smoke, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer. Firefighters quickly got the fire under control, however. No injuries were reported.

Rockville adopts new development extension policy

The Mayor and Council approved a new development extension Zoning Text Amendment for Rockville at Monday night's meeting. Under the new regulation, developments that receive extensions from the city can have that time suspended (tolled) while the project is involved in litigation. Once a court decision is handed down, the extension time would resume again.

Developers will also now receive a possible two extensions - the first will be a one-year extension, and the second, a 6-month extension.

Establishing the new policy "gives the applicant an opportunity, and the city, to get all of their ducks in a row. I think this is a good rule for us to have," Councilmember Tom Moore said prior to the vote.

The Mayor and Council voted unanimously to approve the Zoning Text Amendment. A development at 1900 Chapman Avenue filed the ZTA. Its final extension would have expired this August.

Photo: City of Rockville

Vilardo deaths ruled homicides by "sharp force injuries"

Montgomery County Police report that the state medical examiner has ruled the deaths of Richard and Julianne Vilardo of Rockville as "homicides that were caused by sharp force injuries."

Detectives are also investigating new information that Richard and Julianne Vilardo were in the Charles Town, West Virginia area on Saturday evening, May 9. The couple had dinner with friends there, police say. The Vilardos came home that evening, and were found dead by family members the next day at their home on Ridge Drive.

With the ruling of the medical examiner, the possibility that a murderer is at large is now confirmed. Whether that person or persons lives in the area, or remains in the area is a major question - as is the motive in the homicides - in relation to whether this indicates an ongoing danger to the community, or an isolated incident.

Anyone with information regarding the deaths of Richard and Julianne Vilardo is asked to contact Montgomery County Police at 301.279.8000. For those who wish to remain anonymous and be eligible for up to a $10,000 reward, please call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).