Keeping Up with Christiana!
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Greetings!
Welcome to our November Newsletter! This week, the County Council recognized National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. While our county is regarded as one of the most affluent in the country, there are still so many families that experience housing and food instability in our community.
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is an annual program that advocates for those experiencing homelessness and educates the public on local programs and resources that are available.
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Coming out of our October legislative session, the County Council is considering a large docket of legislation in November. You can find details on some of the bills and resolutions before the County Council below. For the full list of November legislation, please visit
this website
, where you can read the legislation.
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As we head into the winter season, please don't hesitate to contact my office if you are experiencing any issues in your community or would just like to get in touch. We are here to help with your concerns and listen to your feedback. Wishing you a safe, happy, and healthy November!
Yours in service,
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Christiana Rigby
Councilwoman, District 3
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October Legislative Highlights
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I was proud to pass several pieces of legislation with my colleagues at our legislative session on November 4th, including one of the most significant bills this year:
CB42-2019
, legislation I introduced with Councilwoman Jung to raise the school facilities surcharge in Howard County.
This increase to the surcharge was passed unanimously and will raise
roughly $200 million toward school construction
in Howard County over the next ten years, helping the County provide necessary seats for current and incoming students.
For many years, advocates have encouraged the State Delegation to pass state-enabling legislation to raise the surcharge. In February, the County Council requested that the State Delegation pass this enabling legislation with no exemptions and above the previously suggested $4/square foot so that the County Council could study this issue at the local level. Over the summer, I worked with Councilwoman Jung to develop a well-balanced formula to establish a surcharge that would address our school construction needs over the next ten years, and in September, we filed CB42-2019 to raise the surcharge rate to $6.80/square foot.
Now, for the first time in 15 years, the Council has successfully raised the school facilities surcharge, which will be phased-in to ultimately reach $7.50/square foot on residential new construction. This is a significant victory for our students in Howard County who need a school environment where they can thrive.
While our school funding needs cannot be solved through the school facilities surcharge alone, CB42-2019 makes significant strides toward funding our schools and hopefully makes projects like the Hammond High School Renovation/Addition, the Talbott Springs Elementary School Replacement, and High School 13 possible in the near future.
You can find more details on the CB42-2019 vote
here
.
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On November 4th, the Council voted on several additional pieces of legislation, including:
- CB51-2019: legislation prohibiting the use of certain pesticides on County land except in certain, restricted circumstances. I voted in favor of this legislation, which passed the Council in a 4-1 vote.
- CB55-2019: legislation establishing a moratorium on solar projects that are developed with conditional uses in Howard County. I voted against this legislation, which failed in a 1-4 vote.
- CR133-2019: a resolution establishing a Task Force to study commercial solar facilities in Howard County and offer recommendations about the future of solar projects on commercial & agricultural land in Howard County. I voted in favor of of this resolution, which passed the Council in a 5-0 vote.
- CB50-2019: legislation allowing the use of Disability Income Housing Units (DIHU) as an optional method of providing moderate income housing units (MIHU) in certain instances. I voted in favor of this legislation, which passed the Council in a 5-0 vote.
For more details on legislation and Council votes, please visit
this website
.
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This month, I joined my colleagues on the County Council in introducing and sponsoring several pieces of legislation, including:
- CB62-2019: legislation updating Howard County's Forest Conservation Act. As Howard County continues to build out, one of my greatest concerns is that we have been paving over the East and planting over the West of the county. This update to the Forest Conservation Act takes significant steps to correct this disparity, ensuring that the vast majority of reforestation is taking place on-site of new construction. Additionally, these updates implement stricter standards for reforestation and afforestation, increasing incentives to retain and replant trees in the same watershed. Introduced by the Chairperson at the request of the County Executive. Co-sponsored by Christiana Rigby, Opel Jones, Deb Jung, and Liz Walsh.
- CB63-2019: legislation updating Howard County's scenic roads requirements, which would expand natural buffers along scenic roads and add accountability measures for project approval along these roads. District 3 is home to several scenic roads that would benefit significantly from these increased protections. Introduced by Liz Walsh, Deb Jung, and Christiana Rigby.
- CB64-2019: legislation establishing a 5-cent fee on disposable plastic bag use in Howard County. The average family in the United States uses roughly 1,500 plastic bags every year, yet very few of these bags end up being reused or recycled and many end up in our streams, trees, oceans, and habitats. With this fee on plastic bag, Howard County will join dozens of jurisdictions that have already taken this step toward a cleaner and more environmentally-conscious world. Introduced by Opel Jones and Christiana Rigby.
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Nov. 22, 10:00am Work Session
Dec. 2, 7:00pm Legislative Session
Dec. 9, 8:30am Joint Meeting with the Board of Ed.
Dec. 9, 2:00pm Monthly Meeting
December: Council is in Recess
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Upcoming Community Events
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12/25 County Offices Closed - Christmas
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If there are any community events that you would like us to include in upcoming newsletters, please email
ffacchine@howardcountymd.gov
with the event information.
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Upcoming District 3 Pre-Submission Meetings
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Name
: Hicks Property
Address
: 8120 Hicks Road
Mtg Date
: December 2, 2019 at 6:00pm
Mtg Location
: Howard County Library, Elkridge Branch
Zoning
: R-SC
Acres
: 0.8
Units
: 3
Planned Use
: Residential Infill (subdivide lot into 3 lots)
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Small Business Saturday is coming up on Saturday, November 30th? Do you own, shop at, or visit a small business in District 3 that you would like Christiana to visit on Small Business Saturday?
If so, please email crigby@howardcountymd.gov with your suggestion!
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2020 Howard County Women's Hall of Fame!
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This Thursday, 11/21, is your LAST CHANCE to nominate an outstanding female community leader who has helped improve the lives of others through their leadership, professional and/or community service for induction into Howard County's 2020 Women’s Hall of Fame.
http://howardcountymd.gov/cfw.
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Christiana Mercer Rigby
Councilwoman, District 3
crigby@howardcountymd.gov
410-313-2001
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Colette Gelwicks
Special Assistant
cgelwicks@howardcountymd.gov
410-313-2421
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Felix Facchine
District Aide
ffacchine@howardcountymd.gov
410-313-3108
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Please feel free to contact us by email or phone. Plus, you can stay up-to-date with Christiana by following us on social media, where we post daily updates on events, county news, legislative priorities, and Christiana's activity! Don't miss out on any District 3 news!
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