Committee weighs repeal of county Transportation Demand Management law; no vote taken

The Montgomery County Transportation and Environment Committee on Oct. 20 took up Bill 2-425, which would repeal Article 2 of Chapter 42A of the Montgomery County Code and remove the county’s current Transportation Demand Management (TDM) employer requirements and fee structure. The committee held an extended work session on the measure but did not vote; members directed staff to continue negotiations on transition language, enforcement and how to treat existing development agreements.

The bill was introduced to address what sponsors and staff described as an overly complex program that has become misaligned with post-pandemic commuting patterns and duplicative of other transportation impact tools. “The repeal of the law does not diminish the purpose, the underlying purpose, of transportation demand management,” Councilmember Balcom said, adding that the county should continue pursuing non-auto driver mode share goals through other policies and partnerships.

Committee staff and department officials outlined three core concerns if the bill moves forward: the budget impact on current outreach and employer-assistance programs, how to handle enforcement and possible fines for noncompliant employers while repeal is pending, and what to do with…