Council committee narrows scope and membership for proposed infrastructure funding work group

The Montgomery County Council’s GO Committee reviewed a draft resolution to establish an Infrastructure Funding Work Group and recommended narrowing the group’s scope, changing membership, and clarifying reporting and equity requirements before the resolution goes to the full council.

Committee staff presented a redraft that kept two principal objectives: (1) the work group should determine and assess the county’s infrastructure needs and (2) research funding mechanisms. Staff read proposed final language saying the work group will consider “net new infrastructure and upgrading existing infrastructure to levels that meet capacity needs and county policy standards,” and that funding mechanisms should be “equitable, predictable and sustainable,” language the committee signaled it could accept.

The decision to tighten scope came after committee members and public testimony urged limits to keep the group productive. Committee members agreed the work group should concentrate on school, transportation and parks infrastructure tied to growth and development, rather than an open-ended list that included utilities, telecommunications, or all maintenance needs. Members…